The hubby and I are celebrating our fifth Fathers’ Day this weekend. Time sure does fly! I’ve written openly about the ups and downs of raising a child with great potential and challenging needs since launching this blog in December. This weekend, it’s all about celebrating the positive and favourite moments on this unpredictable andContinue reading “Fathers Day Reflections: 5 Favourite Moments So Far”
Category Archives: Parenting
“I’ll Never Give Up On You…”
One day, in the early weeks of lockdown, I was so worn down and T was out of control. In a fit of anger, I yelled to the hubby, “I‘d never have adopted if I knew it was going to be like this!” I regretted it as soon as those hurtful words left my mouth.Continue reading ““I’ll Never Give Up On You…””
A Rejuvenating First Nature Hike Since Lockdown
A family of swans, Canadian geese, ducks, and a deer feeding from afar. My family basked in a feast of nature this afternoon, our first outing since lockdown began three months ago. It was a beautiful Saturday. Sunny and a comfortably cool 16 degrees for t-shirt and shorts. A steady breeze. We headed for LyndeContinue reading “A Rejuvenating First Nature Hike Since Lockdown”
Making the Hard Decision to Medicate Our Child for ADHD
I’ve avoided this for four years. But this week, the hubby and I face an important decision in our 5-year-old’s journey: medication. We adopted our beloved T four years ago – feels like an extra year in there with this pandemic! – and shortly after, he received a prognosis of at-risk fetal alcohol spectrum disorderContinue reading “Making the Hard Decision to Medicate Our Child for ADHD”
Our Budding Little Baker
Learning comes in all forms, as we’ve learned from homeschooling in lockdown. Making a no-bake keylime pie with T reinforced lessons in measurement, chemistry and having fun! The hubby enjoyed the strawberry and rhubarb pie that T and I made last week and asked us to make this no-bake keylime pie recipe from A MillionContinue reading “Our Budding Little Baker”
We Can and Must Do Better
Like many others, the horrifying murder of George Floyd weighed on my mind this week. Since we adopted T, I often view and process news and events through the eyes of being his Papa. I often think to myself about how I can protect T from the horrors of the world while he is young,Continue reading “We Can and Must Do Better”
Learning About Social Skills and Friendship From His Cats
It took four years and a pandemic but the Cold War between our hyperactive and loud five-year-old son and his skittish fur siblings has thawed. T and our two cats, Kyrie and Lanaya, had a rocky start. We adopted the cats, both at 1 year old, in 2015 and T came into our lives andContinue reading “Learning About Social Skills and Friendship From His Cats”
It’s All About Perspective
For today’s home learning activity, we gave T a magnifying glass and went for a nice walk to look at ants and the beauty of nature up close. T has been learning about ants for school this week. His teacher gave us a series of online books and videos about ants, fictional and factual. OneContinue reading “It’s All About Perspective”
Bonding Over Video Games With My Son
I’ve unlocked another fatherhood badge: Playing video games with my five-year-old T. For all the worries that I have about the learning gains that T may be missing out on while in lockdown, I have full confidence that he is excelling in digital literacy skills. Last weekend, T pulled up a chair and plopped itContinue reading “Bonding Over Video Games With My Son”
Saying Thanks For Things I’m Grateful For
T’s teacher gave a wonderful assignment that asked T to watch a video explaining what gratitude is and to create a thank you card for something he was grateful for. The hubby and T worked together to create a simple card (pictured below) and T said he was thankful for the playground, even though itContinue reading “Saying Thanks For Things I’m Grateful For”
Lessons I Learned About Parenting from Ma
They say that children are always watching and learning from their parents. One memory I have of Ma that has made a lasting impression is from when I was a teenager and Ma came home and told us she was unemployed. For context, my parents lived in the Philippines where I was born and spentContinue reading “Lessons I Learned About Parenting from Ma”
To Our Son’s Birth Mom on Mother’s Day – Thank You
Every Mothers Day, T’s teachers create crafts with the kids to take home to their moms. As T has two dads, the hubby and I alternate giving the craft to our moms every year. We know about T’s birth mother and it is a story we are prepared to share with T when he asksContinue reading “To Our Son’s Birth Mom on Mother’s Day – Thank You”
“Papa, you’re my hero.” – Heartfilling Moments In Isolation
I feel worn down from this self isolation marathon and on some days, it is hard to remember the many positives. What I find so difficult is this unsustainable balance to work and take care and school our T. Two very different full time jobs compressed into time allowed for one. The level of anxiety,Continue reading ““Papa, you’re my hero.” – Heartfilling Moments In Isolation”
The Magical 5th Cow
I don’t think I would’ve been a good math teacher. Third try at a simple addition question: Me: “How many cows are in this box?” T: “2” Me: “And in this box?” T: “2” Me: “How many cows are there together?” T: “5.” Me: “Where is that 5th cow?! Show me!” On a chippier note,Continue reading “The Magical 5th Cow”
Self Care in a Pandemic for the Special Needs Parents
The one thing I often half joke about is that T can have a full blown meltdown without consequences, while us adults have to be more dignified about our emotions. Well, midway through this week, I had a grown up meltdown. My bottled up stress of the pressure to keep up T’s schooling, my work,Continue reading “Self Care in a Pandemic for the Special Needs Parents”
Sharing A Little Love, Hope and Cheer on Our Windows
We started drawing art on our windows to share cheer and positive energy with our neighbours. We used washable markers that we ordered from Amazon and got the idea from a neighbour down the street. Our time and energy is admittedly all focused on T and our work, so we don’t get to focus moreContinue reading “Sharing A Little Love, Hope and Cheer on Our Windows”
Homemade Bird Feeders to Help Our Backyard Friends
We’ve reached the point in the pandemic where we’re now coating pine cones in peanut butter. Jokes aside, these home-made bird feeders were a nifty craft idea suggested by T’s teacher and he worked on it with the hubby last night while I got some personal rest time for myself. During last night’s walk, weContinue reading “Homemade Bird Feeders to Help Our Backyard Friends”
Homeschooling in Quarantine – Finding Our Groove a Month Later
In my prayers the last year, I often asked for T to get the one-on-one school supports he needs to thrive. God, I should’ve been clearer the one-on-one support wasn’t meant to be the hubby and I in a pandemic. Devil is in the details! We‘re now five weeks in and things are mostly wellContinue reading “Homeschooling in Quarantine – Finding Our Groove a Month Later”
Discussing Feelings and Building Empathy
“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.” – John Steinbeck For all the anxiety and exhaustion our little T often causes us, one consistent strength we can always count on is his caring nature. Last summer, during an after dinner outing to the playground, an older boy, who must’ve been nineContinue reading “Discussing Feelings and Building Empathy”
Easter and the Resiliency of Nature
“The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.” – Robert Jordan It has been a long week. But we get a reprieve from the insanity of simultaneously working and parenting from home with this four-day Easter long weekend. The big change this week was T’s teachers areContinue reading “Easter and the Resiliency of Nature”
My Life With T 