In 2015, the hubby and I finished our South America trip at Rio de Janeiro. It was our last solo trip before T unexpectedly came into our lives. I revisited this special city last night when Madonna completed her Celebration Tour on Copacabana Beach to a record 2 million people. We watched her show inContinue reading “Keep the Faith”
Tag Archives: wellbeing
Nature is Healing for Neurodiverse Kids
A beautiful sunny t-shirt weather Spring Sunday gave T and I the recharge we needed. After breakfast, we practiced reading two chapters in his latest book then headed to one of our favourite nature spots: Rouge Park. I feel blessed for this urban oasis near our home. I appreciate the government recently adding a boardwalkContinue reading “Nature is Healing for Neurodiverse Kids”
Turbulence
An overzealous adult crossed the line with our neurodiverse son and awoke the Papa Bear in me. While waiting at the airport for our early morning flight home after our March Break trip a few weeks ago, T was disregulated. He didn’t get a lot of sleep and he was short tempered, hyperactive and mouthy.Continue reading “Turbulence”
Down into the Depths
In your lowest moments, you find yourself again. We enjoyed a cave exploration excursion during our March Break family trip to Mexico. Our first activity was to rappel down 7 storeys into a small cave. T went first. As he was lowered by the guide, down a small hole that quickly opened widely, he saidContinue reading “Down into the Depths”
Finding Connections
As social creatures, we yearn for connection and we thrive when we have psychological safety. This was the key takeaway from a virtual talk by FASD expert Nate Sheets I attended during a recent caregivers group get-together. I’ve followed Nate’s work for a while but it was my first time attending a live talk andContinue reading “Finding Connections”
Personal Affection Day
On Friday, T asked to stay home instead of going to daycare for PA Day. “I just need a break,” he said. On Professional Activity (PA) Days, kids get a day off school and teachers focus on professional learning. My first instinct to T’s request was no. The hubby and I had work, remotely atContinue reading “Personal Affection Day”
Big Brother
This is the start of a beautiful friendship. Last fall, T’s child and youth worker made the excellent suggestion to look into a Big Brother-style mentorship program for T. I believe in mentorship and surrounding T with positive influences is important, because making friends is hard for kids with FASD. Despite best efforts, we haveContinue reading “Big Brother”
Love and Karma
The energy we send into the universe is the energy we invite into our lives. I found this belief challenged the past few weeks, because of T’s chaos – meltdowns, foul language, rude attitude, defiant behaviour at school. It was draining – and at one point, I told the hubby I did not have theContinue reading “Love and Karma”
Tree of Life
There is a special tree, that sways to the side like a painting, that serves as a route marker of time. Killbear is special because it is the first place we camped together at as a family. It is the first family vacation we took during the pandemic and we were so excited to getContinue reading “Tree of Life”
Shooting Stars
Night hikes are a camping tradition and when darkness fell, we excitedly set off for the rocks. After our spontaneous sunset swim and jumping off beautiful rocks at Killbear, we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores at our campsite. T was now sugared up on s’mores and a watermelon slush from dinner. He was bouncing offContinue reading “Shooting Stars”
All That We Leave Behind
In the end, it’s about memories and we hang onto photos and things that remind us of loved ones. In a year of losses, our family experienced another loss – Ma moved back to Philippines at the end of July. We knew for over a year this day was coming – it was delayed dueContinue reading “All That We Leave Behind”
Rain or Shine
When things don’t go as planned, like pneumonia ambushing vacation, I look for the silver lining. We had a nice 10 days visiting T’s grandparents in New Brunswick, despite me being ill for most of it. On our third day, I started to feel nauseous, had shaking chills and developed a fever – which reachedContinue reading “Rain or Shine”
Croup Summer
Nothing like a nasty viral infection for poor T to tell us to slow down our summer. On Thursday, T started to complain of a sore throat. By Friday, the sore throat was unbearable. We did a COVID test and it was negative. T woke up twice at night, crying his throat was hurting. ByContinue reading “Croup Summer”
Wheels in Motion
When summers fly, slow down to soak it all in. During camp pickup on Tuesday, I told T I had a surprise. “We’re biking together tonight, because I got a bike too!” T’s face lit up with a smile and he shared the news with his camp teacher and friends excitedly. The hubby and IContinue reading “Wheels in Motion”
Return to Killarney
The hubby, T and I first visited Killarney, a beautiful and painting-like part of Ontario during our Northern Ontario roadtrip in Summer 2020 and it lifted our spirits during the pandemic. So it was wonderful to return, thanks to my Aunt who organized a getaway – and we packed a lot in from Friday afternoonContinue reading “Return to Killarney”
Tubing Down Elora Gorge
Rushing river leads to calm water. As a parent of a neurodiverse child, I wholeheartedly believe this. We celebrated Canada Day, and the start of the second half of the year, by tubing down Elora Gorge. It’s family tradition to kick off summer break with a weekend adventure. This year, we picked Elora, a charmingContinue reading “Tubing Down Elora Gorge”
Helpful Nutrition Tips for Raising Children with FASD
Garbage in, garbage out. How we nourish our body extends to our mind and spirit. With thanks to our parenting support group, the hubby and I attended a webinar with a nutritionist that works with individuals with FASD. Our 8.5 year old T is characteristically a picky eater – or as I learned through thisContinue reading “Helpful Nutrition Tips for Raising Children with FASD”
Flowers
On a beautiful Spring Sunday afternoon, T brought flowers for his Auntie. A few weeks prior, the memorial garden staff let me know her memorial plaque had been installed and with it, a vase for flowers. At 8.5 years old, T has experienced a lot of adversity and loss the past year. When I watchedContinue reading “Flowers”
Painting Faces
The unfiltered innocence of a child is to be cherished. Life teaches us from an early age to put on a mask to navigate different scenarios and relationships – familial, friendships, professional, social. It’s not about deception but rather to demonstrate emotional intelligence – including respect, collegiality, trust building. Sometimes, it is a necessity whenContinue reading “Painting Faces”
The Golden Spark
A single weed in a field of yellow can be magical. It’s that time in Spring when dandelions create a magical golden carpet on park fields. T and I enjoyed a nice walk on Mothers Day. The sun was shining and it was warm enough for T-shirts, shorts and crocs. “Oh my God, stop takingContinue reading “The Golden Spark”
My Life With T 