Well, we are surviving the COVID-19 quarantine with a good old fashioned battle of the wills. Our 6 month old pup, Lexxie, thinks she owns the place. Once our desert tortoise, Speedy, awoke from hibernation, he set her straight! Stay safe and pick you battles.
She said it three times. I smiled back three times. My brain probably misinterpreted it three times. “It’s good that you brought Piper out,” she said. What I heard was,… Read more 3 Strikes – I’m Out! →
People told me that puppies were a lot like babies. Actually, I am starting to realize they are also a lot like teenagers. Directions need to be said multiple times.… Read more Puppy Tails & Teenage Ails →
Are you worried that your child is struggling in school? Has the teacher expressed concerns? Join me for a conversation in my Facebook live group. You will learn when it’s… Read more When and How to get your Child Help. →
I am super excited to start a weekly Facebook live to encourage parents, teach you, and answer questions. So head over to FB and ask to join my group! Sunday’s… Read more Join me weekly on FB live – →
Remember when you were in elementary school and making friends was as easy as passing a note? You would ask if someone would be your friend with two boxes underneath… Read more Will you be my friend? →
In the dog days of the last month of school, this gorgeous lake calls to me complete with sand, sun, and serenity. I am ready to trade homework, assessments, parent… Read more From School Ponds to Summer Lakes →
Did you know that round follicles produce straight hair and flat follicles produce curly? This seems like it would be the exact opposite, right? After I read this, I started… Read more Do you parent like a curling iron or a straightener? →
How do I teach friendship to my sweet girl that has no words? She is nonverbal and pretty blasé when it comes to her classmates. I cringe when her classmates’… Read more The Ducky Life →
“Intelligent children listen to their parents; foolish children do their own thing. The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation; bullies push and shove their way through life. Careful words… Read more When my Words Tear Down my Child →
I apologize for being absent the past few months, but my dance lessons have kept me on my toes. These dance lessons have been FREE! You heard me right, absolutely… Read more Dance Lessons →
Do you wonder if your child is struggling with anxiety? I am excited to have a therapist from Art Play to speak. Learn how to recognize if your child needs… Read more Join us to learn strategies from Art Play Healing Therapy →
I sat across from a mother with tears in her eyes. Her daughter had just been diagnosed with dyslexia and a few other challenges. The wordy scientific books recommended to her were daunting. She searched for an understanding and jokingly asked if there was a Dyslexia for Dummies book to read. This resonated with me for two reasons. The first reason being that there is no simple way to explain the intricate processing of the dyslexic’s brain. The other is that our children learning to live with dyslexia have probably… Read more Dyslexia – a Disability or a Difference? →
Recap of my first parent education and encouragement hour. Hugs, Jen
Hey parents, Do you struggle to understand why your child cannot read, spell, remember multiplication facts, or stay on task? Your child may just learn differently. Join me for an… Read more Parent Encouragement and Education Hour – Sept. 5 →
prac·tice Verb – perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one’s proficiency. Have you ever caught yourself telling your child that… Read more Practice →
VERB past and past participle of spend. ADJECTIVE having been used and unable to be used again synonyms: used up · consumed · exhausted · finished · depleted · drained … Read more Spent →
believe [bih-leev] to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something When the Lord opened the pages of this story, it seemed impossible to complete. He… Read more She believed she could, so she did… →
Water sustains life. People swim in it, bathe in it, ingest it, and probably would not describe it as dangerous. However, when you or a loved one aspirate, it… Read more wa·ter [ˈwôdər, ˈwädər] NOUN a colorless, transparent, odorless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms. →
As we reach the half way mark of our NAPA experience, I want to share what God is teaching me. This trip was all about Miss Piper. The goal was… Read more Changing Direction →
This week has been rough for my girl. Piper has had to use muscles in her body that have laid dormant since birth. Her cerebral palsy diagnosis is not a life sentence. It is an explanation that her muscles do not work with her brain. They are on different plains. I am so excited to see new muscles shake and twitch. God gets the glory! He created this beauty and picked her journey. It is one of hope and strength. Love this video because Toby Mac has a song about soldiers… Read more Walk on Wednesday →
Miss Piper was exhausted after her first day at NAPA center. She complained, but amazed us as she persevered. Snuggles from my worn out girl… 💕 You did good baby… Read more First Steps →
I have loved turtles since I was a young girl. In the humid summers at my grandparent’s lake cottage in Indiana, I would spend hours each day catching and releasing turtles. In my mid-twenties, I paid to be part of an Earthwatch Expedition in St. Croix to help “Save the Leatherback Sea Turtles”. Something about turtles intrigues me. They have a hard tough carapace, top shell, that looks indestructible, but can be injured. Cartoons depict turtles withdrawing into their shells in times of surprise or fear. Actually, the box turtle… Read more Saving Our Turtles (Children) →
I grew up singing the gospel song, “This Little Light of Mine.” I knew all the verses, motions, and even sang it to my children. There are verses telling children… Read more This Little Light →
Sonnet 18: Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? By William Shakespeare It is hard to live without making comparisons. We compare ourselves to other’s looks, jobs, accomplishments, grades, homes… The list could go on indefinitely. I succumb to comparing myself too often, especially in this day of technology, especially Facebook. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet, we assume he is comparing a loved woman to a summer’s day. Summer days seem to be beautiful, warm, and glowing. If the sonnet is read more closely, it is apparent that Shakespeare is writing… Read more Comparisons →
drama [drah-muh, dram-uh] Any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results. My original title for this post was The No Diagnosis Depression. After mulling it over, I decided it really is not a depression. Rather, it is a drama. It feels like I have vivid, emotional, and conflicting feelings with no certain result. My heart aches for a diagnosis, a reason to understand what Piper is going through. A diagnosis of which we can relate to other families with similar fates. A crystal… Read more No Diagnosis Drama →
[ payn ] 1. unpleasant physical sensation: the acutely unpleasant physical discomfort experienced by somebody who is violently struck, injured, or ill … Read more Pain →
INFERTILE 1. not fertile or productive: incapable of or unsuccessful in achieving pregnancy I thought with my fabulous ability to control my future, getting pregnant would happen in a snap.… Read more Infertility →
wea·ry [ wee ree ] 1. tired: tired, especially in having run out of strength, patience, or endurance 2. tiring: tiring or exhausting 3. showing tiredness: showing or characterized by… Read more Weary →
la·bel 1. a small piece of paper, fabric, plastic, or similar material attached to an object and giving information about it. Many parents fear the “label”. They do not want… Read more Labels →
con·trol [ kən trṓl ] 1. manage: to exercise power or authority over something 2. restrain or limit something: to limit or restrict somebody or something My summer before college… Read more Control →
human (adj) having human form or attributes as opposed to those of animals or divine beings Today, Piper and I walked at the train park to get her exercise before it was… Read more Shields →
sand [ sand ] 1. material made of tiny grains: a substance consisting of fine loose grains of rock or minerals, usually quartz fragments, found on beaches, in deserts, and… Read more Sand →
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