Parent Liaison

I recently joined the Special Education team with our local school district as the District Family Engagement Liaison (Parent Liaison).  My role is to help families and educators work together in a positive way to make the special education process as smooth as possible. 

As a parent of a child with specials needs, I'm aware of the many questions and challenges that may arise in the course of navigating the Special Ed system. My job is to be a resource of information for parents and to support families and their student(s) as they strive to reach their educational goals. 

And just for fun, here is an IEP joke. 

This is what I try to help parents and educators avoid.

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Life Keeps Rolling On

1.  My first born, my baby boy, is now a high school graduate.  I blinked, and he grew up.  The day after graduation, he enlisted in the Marine Corps.  His tentative ship date is Nov 4th.  I am so, so proud of the young man he has become.  We did something right in 18 years of parenting...  I'm not sure what or how, but we managed to raise a respectful, intelligent, funny, productive, honest, caring young man.

2.  My second born, my baby girl, will be a high school Junior in the fall.  This year she joined Special Olympics and competed in Basket Ball and in Swimming.  She had fun during practices, but would panic and freeze when it came time for competition.  She'd have a rough start each time, but would rally and come back full force during competition.  She enjoyed it and was proud of herself at the end of the day.  As were we.

3.  Megan was also diagnosed with PCOS last fall.  (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)  She was prescribed a couple of meds, and it seems to have corrected the issue.  Now if we can figure out a way to fix her "teenage hormonal" attitude.  *snort*

4.  My mom, who is fighting breast cancer, is doing really well.  For the past 18 months she's been taking one pill a day, and it keeps the tumors from growing.

5.  My dad was recently diagnosed with bladder cancer.  He started chemo last week, and is feeling good so far.  After his chemo, he will have surgery to remove his bladder and prostate, and will learn to live life with a "bag".  It's been a bit overwhelming learning that BOTH parents have cancer at the same time.  I thank God every single day that I'm here and able to support them as they fight their battles.

6.  Megan will be having oral surgery next week to remove two baby teeth that have fused to her jaw and three adult teeth that are impacted and growing in wonky directions.  All five teeth will be removed, and she will then get a partial denture.

7.  Dave and I are looking forward to going out to San Diego for Christopher's Boot Camp Graduation early next year.  Tentatively, it looks like it will be in February.  I think we'll take a few extra days and spend some time in the SoCal area... maybe go to the San Diego Zoo or DisneyLand.

8.  My beloved van died.  ....so sad....  But I downsized to a car, and now have a 5-speed Hyundai Elantra.... and it gets GREAT gas mileage!  What a nice change.  And it's a super fun little car to drive.

Happy Summer!!

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Holiday Cranberry Sauce

I'm not a fan of cranberries (although I do love to decorate with cranberries!)   :), but this recipe.... this I love! 

This recipe has been in the family for years, and it comes down through my mom's side of the family.  

It's quick, simple, and delicious.

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

2 tbsp Butter

4 large Apples

1/4 tsp Cardamon

1/4 tsp Allspice

1 bag Cranberries

1 cup Sugar

1-1/4 cup Water

Peal, core, and dice apples.

Melt butter over medium heat, add apples & allspice.  Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to medium-high and stir in cranberries, sugar, and water.  Heat to boiling.

Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered 6-8 minutes, until cranberries pop and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. 

Bon Appetit!!!

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Home made Laundry Detergent

Way back in October, I made my own laundry detergent.  It cost me about $20 to buy all of the ingredients and it has lasted seven months.  I do approximately 6-10 full loads of laundry a week.  And I haven't run out yet... I still have about two months worth of detergent left.

I used this recipe found on the blog Being Creative.  It uses five ingredients, all of which you can find at Walmart.  We mixed all the ingredients together in a 5 gallon bucket that was lined with a garbage bag (that way the bucket doesn't have to be super clean).  Took about 15 minutes total.

$20 and 15 minutes of work = months and months of laundry detergent.  That's a winner in my book!  It doesn't get "sudsy", so don't think it's not working just because there are not a lot of suds!  This also makes it good to use in HE washers.

Another laundry trick of mine.... Instead of using liquid fabric softener during the rinse cycle, I use vinegar.  I put in about a 1/2 cup of vinegar during the final rinse.  It's cheaper, it's easier on the washing machine, and it's more environmentally friendly than standard fabric softener.  And before you ask, no, the clothes do not come out of the machine smelling like vinegar.  Read more vinegar tips and tricks here!




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Bloom

Stop what you're doing.  Stop.  Right now.  You need to rush out and buy this book:

Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected - A Memoir

This was such a bittersweet book for me... I read it through many tears and much laughter. It's a beautiful story of love and celebration that EVERYONE should read, whether you have a loved one with Down syndrome or not.

From Amazon.com:

"Bloom takes readers on a wondrous journey through Nella's first year of life—a gripping, hilarious, and intensely poignant trip of transformation in which a mother learns that perfection comes in all different shapes. It is a story about embracing life and really living it, of being fearless and accepting difference, of going beyond constricting definitions of beauty, and of the awesome power of perspective."

I saw it featured in People magazine, and purchased it from Amazon that same night. I curled up in bed last night and started Bloom, and I almost made it through the entire book in one sitting. But by 3am I had to put it down and save the rest for tonight.

I sobbed during some parts, knowing EXACTLY what the author was feeling and experiencing... it took me back to those early days and I relived many of my own memories. And then I would laugh so hard at the very next sentence, I'd wake Dave up who was sleeping peacefully next to me. 

The author had a whole safety net of people to lean on and support her.  We had nobody to lean on... we had just moved to San Diego 4 short weeks before hand and had no family, no friends, no family priest, no family doctor.... NOBODY.  I look back at those days and wonder how I ever made it through. But thankfully, I DID. *WE* did. We made it through. And it's been good. :) 

But seriously, stop reading my blog and run out and go get this book!!!

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