Parenting
These posts are written from a mother's point of view. They're all about parenting a child with mental illness.
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8 Ways to Donate That Cost Little or Nothing
If you’re like me, parenting a child with mental illness has left you looking for ways to donate without spending money. If you are truly my sister in this struggle, you’re tired. You have less disposable income than you did before your child was diagnosed. You’re pulled in a million directions every day, which means your time is limited. JUST FOR YOU (and for me…okay, mostly for me, but I’m sharing it with you), I’ve compiled this list of ways to donate without money. The good ole days Back in the good ole days, I had a list of charities that got our Christmas donations every year. They ran the…
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It’s a Part of Me Now
I have been absent for a while; please forgive me. LIFE has been taking precedence over the blog, but I’m back. Why didn’t I decide to write a charming fashion blog? It’s sounding better and better everyday, because it’s gut-wrenching to sit in front of a screen and pour out these ups and downs. On the off chance that there’s someone out there who feels a little less alone because she’s reading this, I will say good-bye to my fashion dreams and plunge forward. Here goes… If you read my last post, you might recall that my daughter* decided to end therapy. She just didn’t want to go back. I…
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Mommy, I Don’t Want to Go Back
Dear friend, I have been dreading this post for a while. I have started, deleted, and restarted so many times…I’ve honestly lost track. Today’s the day; I have to tell you about my child deciding to quit therapy. Last Friday This revelation came last week. I felt something building for a while, because David and Alex (my nicknames for his* depression and anxiety) have been on an extended vacation in our home. The bad days have been outnumbering the good. Related post: 6 Ways My Child’s Mental Illness is Like Any Other Illness He came home from school and said, “Mommy, I don’t want to go to therapy anymore.” Just…
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October Self-Care
A Mid-Month Self-Evaluation It’s almost exactly the middle of the month, so I thought it was a good time to check in. If you recall, I made a commitment to some real, focused October self-care. At the end of September, I took a hard look at what I was doing, made the freaking list (taking walks, crocheting/knitting, baking, and listening to music), and set out to make some changes. Okay. Related post: 4 Ways I’m Taking Care of Mommy Starting off well The first week of the month started off well. I took a walk or two, and I was really proud of myself. They were short walks because it…
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World Mental Health Day
It’s October 10. HAPPY WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY!!!! I had no idea this was a thing. October is the month for Halloween, stuck somewhere in the abyss between school starting and the Christmas blur. Now that mental health is a huge part of my family’s life, I look at October with fresh eyes. I’m feeling like sorta like “Hallo-what?” “Hallo-WHO???” We’ve wasted so many years, celebrating Halloween over and over again, because we didn’t know about World Mental Health Day (WMHD). Thank you, Instagram I would have missed another year of WMHD if it wasn’t for social media. Instagram has been a surprising resource. I’ve connected with experts in the…
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4 Ways I’m Taking Care of Mommy
Everywhere you look, you see the new hot phrase: SELF-CARE. I can’t say I really bought into it; then again, I can’t say that I’m the “buy-into-trends” type of gal. I didn’t rearrange my house when Feng Shui was a thing. What is hygge, anyway? I think Marie Kondo is adorable, but I never thanked my old stuff for anything. However, I recently realized that this self-care thing is hot for a reason. Everyone’s over-scheduled and under-rested, overextended and undernourished. It’s me. I’m everyone. As the new month begins, I’m determined to take better care of myself. Mommy doesn’t have to be at the top of the priority list, but…
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She Can’t Breathe!!
Picture it… Picture it. Sicily. 1923. Okay, so it wasn’t really Sicily. It wasn’t 1923. And my name isn’t Sophia. But it was the first time my child had to struggle for her* life. Go ahead and picture it. A hospital room. The Labor and Delivery wing. Sometime this millennium. I was in active labor. The cute little “keep-breathing-through-it” part had ended, and the screeching pain of pushing was in full effect. It took a while, but she finally entered the world. My job was done…or was it? Waiting for her to cry I’ve had multiple children, so I knew what came next. I closed my eyes to rest and…
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6 Ways My Child’s Mental Illness Is Like Any Other Illness
I talked to a dear friend the other day about her son. Her precious boy has a genetic disorder. The more we talked, the more I realized one simple truth: our lives are remarkably similar.