Category - Stories

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Sometimes When I Clean… I See Dead Things
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Her First Haircut
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Little People, Big Discoveries
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Special Needs — Learning the Lingo
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Garfield Was Most Likely A Zombie Cat

Sometimes When I Clean… I See Dead Things

  Imagine your biggest fear up close, right your face. It happened to me and I still have heebies all up in my jeebies. Also my throat is raw from screaming like the victim in a B-rated horror flick.   I spent the better half of yesterday in our basement sorting and purging all minimalist-like. My goal was to condense the piles of Rubbermaid storage bins into a less “hoardery” number. I started with my old teacher books and supplies because after ten years in “retirement” it’s time to let it go and free up some storage space in the process. Then moved on to the bins of Halloween decor.   Before I could get very far, I called my husband downstairs and asked if he could possibly fix the light hanging in the storage area. I had yanked the string on it a bit too hard and pulled it right out of the socket. I was left in the dark. My spouse stared blankly at the light and said, “I don’t know how to fix that. Use a flashlight, maybe?” He’s tremendously helpful, especially when he’s in the middle of watching a football game.  I was making great progress[…]

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Her First Haircut

My daughter is seven and she’s never had a haircut. Not really. Her aunt gave her a trim one summer, but other than that, no snippy snippy. And no, she’s not all Rapunzel with hair past her waist. It falls just below her shoulders in baby fine waves. It’s beautiful and I’m in no rush to cut it. She was virtually bald when she was born. Her peach fuzz head was a surprise after her brother’s shock of thick black spiky baby hair. Her hair took years to grow even past her ears. Yesterday I took my son to the barber to tame his unruly mop. Usually his dad takes him, but after coming home last time with a mullet I thought it best to go to offer some guidelines. Avery came along and watched as her brother got spritzed and said, “It’s mine turn next. I so excited!” Oh dear. Now what? After she asked me several (28) more times if it was her turn yet, I asked the barber if they cut girl’s hair. He suggested I ask Joe the owner. This is an old school Italian barber shop. I was the only woman in the place and[…]

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Little People, Big Discoveries

The new phrase heard around our house twenty-seven times a day (No, not “Honey, pass the chips!”) is, “I do it myself!!” All of a sudden my daughter gets feisty when I try to do things for her. I don’t get it. I love it when people do things for me. If I had the choice I’d lay in my bed all day watching TV while people brought me things and rolled me over now and then to keep the circulation going. After years of having everything done for her from feeding to dressing to holding her hand every step of the way, my daughter finally has the physical and cognitive ability to do many things on her own. She wants to be independent and as difficult and nerve wracking as it is for us, we’re letting her flex her independent muscles. This includes letting her play on her own in her room without her parents or her big brother watching over her. Why on earth would we have to watch her playing in the safety of her own room you ask? Because of things like this… This kid is a climber and a risk taker. Left to her own[…]

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Special Needs — Learning the Lingo

There are universal no-nos that need no explanation. Like the R-Word for instance. We don’t use it. Ever. And telling a parent that you’re so glad not to be in their shoes. Go there and you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a knuckle sandwich. This isn’t a lecture. Truly. Unless you’re living this life, how are you expected to know? So just in case you’re unaware, there is also this distinction… “Is your child Special Needs?” versus “Does your child have special needs?” There is a significant difference. It’s important to identify that our daughter has needs which require special attention since they pose safety risks. Also, by identifying her particular needs, we can focus on areas of her development which require special modifications. But is she Special Needs? No. She’s Avery. She is who she is. Her special needs obviously exist, but they don’t define her. My daughter loves her family and her friends, she adores animals, and she is friendly and affectionate. She doesn’t like soup, but she loves chili. She likes the colour pink and riding her scooter and climbing at the park. She’s an ordinary kid with an extraordinary set of DNA.

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Garfield Was Most Likely A Zombie Cat

No matter what time I go to sleep, hauling myself out of bed in the morning is a struggle. If somebody could just invent an alarm that causes the bed to propel its sleepy occupant up and out in the general direction of the coffee pot. My husband on the other hand is a chipper early bird. He bounds out of bed, no alarm necessary. My children take after him. They are up at the crack of dawn…every….day. Earlier on weekends. Apparently sleeping until 9 am while your young children fiddle with the toaster and drive themselves to school isn’t allowed, so I’ve had to make adjustments. I force myself awake at 6:30. Sometimes when I’m lucky I manage to steal another 15  minutes of precious “awake-but -with-eyelids-closed” time. I may be physically standing and blinking and stumbling around at 6:30, but my brain doesn’t actually wake until around 8 am. That hour and half in between is called the “Mombie Zone.” Mombies are known to spill coffee and step on the dog, but they won’t eat you or anything. Unless you have peanut butter on your thumb and she mistakes your hand for a slice of toast. As a[…]

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