Archive - 2014

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Grief-Helping Kids Cope
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Paper Bag Princess
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Affected By This? Then “Urine” For It!
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I Like My EEGS Sunnyside Up
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Hot For Teacher

Grief-Helping Kids Cope

My husband’s mum was a vital part of our lives. There hasn’t been a day since she died that we don’t miss her terribly. As adults who’ve had years to develop coping skills, it’s still tough. So how can a child possibly deal with grief when they can’t begin to reconcile the devastation of loss and moreover, the finality of death? Our eleven year old son experienced anxiety resulting from the loss of his grandmother, so we sought help. Grief counseling has helped him begin to accept the death and has given him skills to cope with the fear of losing his parents and sister.   Avery, our seven year old, seems to be the most profoundly affected. She and her ‘Grandie’ had a special bond (one that my husband and I are convinced has continued in some other worldly way. It sounds odd, but the evidence we’ve seen is impossible to ignore). At first Avery believed her Grandie had gone to the dentist and would be coming back soon. We don’t know where this idea came from. Regardless, the first dental appointment I took the kids to afterwards was difficult to say the least. When it became evident that[…]

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Affected By This? Then “Urine” For It!

  Just imagine how many people pee freely in public pools. Wait, don’t. It’s too disgusting. (By the way, experts estimate ONE in FIVE people urinate while swimming. Thank goodness for chlorine and hot showers).  My daughter would happily stay in her grandparents’ pool all day if we let her—minus the dozen or more times she has to get out of the pool to pee. And not just a tinkle. We’re talking bucketfuls. Literally. To save the poor child from drying off every ten minutes to use the toilet, my mum fashioned her a makeshift outdoor-bucket-potty. “AGAIN?! There’s no possible way. She just went.” my husband would exclaim, shaking his head in disbelief. “What do you mean we need to pull over and use the bathroom at the grocery store? We’re almost home, can’t you hold it?” I’d whine, trying hard not to sound pissed off. Pun acknowledged. During swimming lessons Avery has to leave the pool to use the bathroom two to three times at least. We knew there had to be a scientific reason because on dry land, she’s just as dry as a camel, so what gives? My friend Sharon told me she experienced the same thing[…]

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I Like My EEGS Sunnyside Up

  We kept our daughter up for most of the night to deprive her of sleep, on purpose. Consider it payback for all the nights she’s kept us awake. In your face, Avery! Mwah hahaha…   Kidding. She was scheduled for an EEG the next morning.   Having her good and exhausted prevents her from having to be sedated (she fell asleep naturally on the exam table within seconds) and it ensures her brain will be disorganized and stressed—perfect conditions for performing an exam to look for the abnormal brain waves associated with seizure activity. The same test last year revealed ‘moderate abnormalities.’ This meant Avery would remain on medication—the seizures were still there, suppressed by the meds, but skulking in the shadows. This year we were hopeful that even if the result wasn’t completely normal, there would at least be some improvement, indicating that Avery is slowly but surely growing out of this condition. No such luck. The results were the same. ‘Moderately abnormal.’ We’ll try again in a year. There’s time, things could still change. And in the meantime we’re fortunate to have found the perfect balance of medications, with no side effects, to suppress the seizures. When[…]

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Hot For Teacher

    *Disclaimer: This post is me making nice for calling my husband “Susan” in a recent blog post*  I married a teacher and I highly recommend it. Teachers love kids, they’re silly and creative, and best of all they’re home all summer! Though by August 31st I’m pretty much ready for him to pack his school bag and hit the road.   Ten reasons I’m lucky to have him With hashtags. #justbecause   1. He’s always the first to apologize. Even if he didn’t do anything wrong. #peacekeeper 2. I don’t have to remind him that I don’t like bok choy. He just knows. #expertchinesefoodorderer 3. My mom told me that you can tell everything you need to know about a man by his eyes. If they’re cold, he’s cold. If they’re kind, he’s kind. If they’re crossed, well, he’s probably being goofy and that’s a good thing. #babysgotblueeyes 4. Even though it’s kind of emasculating he’ll walk the chihuahua if I ask him to. #mychiguy 5. He’d rather stay home with his family than go out on the town. #homebodyhardbody 6. He’s allergic to whining, gossip and cattiness. #Imarriedagrownup 7. He laughs at my jokes. #noaccountingfortaste 8. He[…]

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