It took over five years to get our daughter’s conditions diagnosed. We moved to a new state in between all of the doctor appointments and it was a very long journey. Her first neurologist couldn’t figure out her conditions. He looked at me that last day I saw him and said, “She is a little…
Category: Family Life
Benefits of Practicing Daily Gratitude
We’re already a month into the new year. Hard to believe how fast time flew by this month. Resolutions were made and broken within the first few weeks of the year. One poll suggested that 80% of the people who set a resolution failed by February. Yikes! Don’t despair if the resolution didn’t work out…
Kids, Bikes and Adaptive Play
Riding a bike is like a right of passage for a young child. It’s the moment when the training wheels come off and they take off with that little wobble. I saw a father help his girl take that first ride in a field behind our house the other day. She was smiling and beaming…
Planning a Petting Zoo Birthday Party for Special Needs Kids
Birthday party invitations are few and far between when you have child with disabilities. My daughter who is part of the SPED program at school has been invited to two birthday parties in the last 8 years. My son who is able-bodied and has a group of buddies he hangs with will get invited to…
Hippotherapy for Kids with Disabilities
I love horses. I do. I rode for years with a friend when I was growing up. She was a natural trainer when we were kids and has a successful training business today. When my husband and I relocated to Arizona, I remember telling him one of my goals was to get back in the…
Sensory Processing Issues and The Morning Routine
Sequence, lace and bows make little girl clothes cute and adorable. For the little girls with sensory processing issues, cute and adorable becomes a nightmare. It’s scratchy. It burns. It irritates. Sensory processing issues was a new term we learned when our daughter’s conditions were finally diagnosed. Her conditions include a lengthy list with sensory…
30 Days of Teal for Ovarian Cancer Awareness
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and September 1 marks the start to 30 days of teal. The month will include gatherings, celebrations and fundraisers across the nation. It’s a reminder to educate ourselves and be diligent with our health. Ovarian Cancer whispers during the early stages so it’s important to listen to the subtle…
5 Ways Stay-at-Home Dads Are Changing the World
When we lived in Silicon Valley, we did what a lot of what Silicon Valley parents do. We had the double income, two mortgages and two car payments. We also had two kids with two childcare bills. The American Dream, right? We struggled. We were miserable and knew it wasn’t for us anymore. It was hard…
What Intellectual Disability Means to Me
I couldn’t stop staring at two words on my computer screen: Intellectual Disability. After 5 years of doctor appointments, tests and more tests, we had several conditions finally diagnosed for our daughter. Our journey included two neurologists, two geneticists, pediatricians and development delay specialists that spanned two states. It’d been a long road to diagnosis…
5 Tips for Vacationing without Kids
You’re offered a vacation for you and your significant other, all expenses paid. Doesn’t that sound exciting and completely awesome? The hubs and I had the opportunity to take a 5-day business related cruise to Cozumel. When I heard the news, I was so excited and at the same time, totally freaked out about the kids.
Stephanie Lema 