You matter...yes, we mean YOU!

Being a mother is difficult under the best of circumstances...add special needs, medical issues, or undiagnosed conditions and you may begin to feel like motherhood is a curse!  Extreme Motherhood can take its toll if you don't take ANY time to feed your soul, your body, your mind, your heart...
Many of us struggle with the lack of time we have for our marriages, our other children, and especially ourselves in the face of extreme caregiving but you CAN take time for you...even if just ONE MINUTE per day.

• Take time to relax daily - this can mean something as simple as taking a DEEP cleansing breath for a minute.  Do this several times a day to clear your mind of worry and anxiety.


• Keep a journal, blog, start a care page (like CaringBridge.org). Write down your thoughts and feelings. This will give you perspective and serve as a way to release strong feelings.  Write in 1-2 minute increments several times a day, or just once daily - whenever doable.


• Talk with someone to make sense of your situation and your feelings.  Seek supportive groups like Mommies of Miracles, diagnosis specific support groups, etc.


• Feed your spirit. Pray, meditate, or do another activity that makes you feel part of something greater. Take a mental retreat to someplace you have always wanted to visit.  For example pretend you are traveling to Hawaii, focus on sensory experiences like the feel of sand between your toes, the warm salty breeze in your hair, visualize the palm trees swaying in the sun, pretend you hear the the waves of the ocean...etc.


• Watch out for signs of depression and anxiety, and get professional help if needed.  We all have real and justifiable reasons to feel depressed, anxious, overwhelmed, exhausted, and defeated.  Seek out support whenever possible.  Seek out professional help ASAP for any thoughts of harming yourself or others, thoughts that become intrusive or obsessive, or severe mood swings.

Here is your sign...

Do you have a medically fragile child in your home?
Making guests/visitors remove their shoes before entering your home and wash their hands before any contact with your child can be difficult to communicate.  Why not get creative?  You can create fun collages,  computer clip art, posters or even yard signs that ask guests to respect your house rules and protect your child.  You can also create a small "STOP" sign in your front entry way that lists out your requests for visitors.  Have a nice place for guests to place their shoes, and have a bin of new socks available to give to guests to wear (bare feet can be as dirty
as shoes, especially in the summer).  This isn't about offending guests...it is about keeping your child healthy - so don't be afraid to come up with effective ways to communicate your child's needs to anyone who enters your home!

Laugh

Things are not always going to go as planned. Roll with it, and make the best out of what ever may come your way. If you can learn to laugh it off, others will follow your lead. No reason to waste energy (that we don't have) getting upset about things that we can not do anything about.

Use your Noodle!

It's that time of year again where all the summer fun toys
go on clearance racks everywhere.  When out shopping be sure to pick up Pool Noodles which can be used countless ways for children with special needs.

Pool noodles can be used as (or for):
- Positioning rolls (cut to size)
- Slipped under fitted sheets to prevent a child from rolling out of bed
- Cut into discs for large game pieces
- Cut into discs and thrown into a drained/dry child-size swimming pool for a "ball pit"
- Cut into discs of varying size and thrown into a storage bin for a sensory activity
- Physical therapy exercises (lift above head, pick up, put down, wave back and forth...)
- Split in half lengthwise to place over sharp edges on dressers, tables, etc.
- Cut into varying sizes using various colors to use as a sorting activity