Archive - 2014

1
What Do You Think Of When You Hear “Like A Girl?”
2
Never Say Never—A Story About Very Special Athletes
3
Are You Resilient?
4
When A Pet Dies
5
Rare Chromosome Disorder Awareness Week

What Do You Think Of When You Hear “Like A Girl?”

At some stage in life the meaning of the term “like a girl” twists from something incredible into something insulting. When I was asked to spread the word about the #LikeAGirl movement, intended to remove the negative connotation associated with the phrase, I enlisted my son’s help. I planned to share a clip of his feminine impression how a girl might run. However, it seems he’s on the cusp of the aforementioned twist. At eleven he still views males and females through equality coloured glasses. When I asked him to demonstrate a “girl run”, he ran hard and strong. It wasn’t the stereotypical reaction I had banked on. I considered grounding him for ruining his mother’s blog post. 😉 So how do our sweet kids suddenly sour? What dark force clouds their minds thus creating this negative point of view? Oh wait a minute… “You throw like a girl!” “Shoot me if I ever start running like my mother. She runs like a girl.” “He screamed like a girl for the entire ride. It was like riding a roller coaster with Ned Flanders.” All of these gems above? Me. All me. (I made the Ned Flanders crack just last week[…]

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Never Say Never—A Story About Very Special Athletes

  We were told that it wasn’t likely our daughter would ever walk on her own without some kind of assistance. Doctors made this assumption based on what is known about her faulty DNA. Considering the significant chunk of genetic material missing from Chromosome 3 (3P Deletion Syndrome), this was a fair assumption. But you know what they say when we assume… “it makes an ASS out of U and ME.” So we try to never assume—and more importantly, to never say never.  This spring Avery attended the 27th annual Special Athletes Track & Field Meet in our school district. There were 280 athletes in attendance, plus teachers, support workers and teary eyed parents. Each athlete was allowed to bring along one ambassador to help them. Avery chose her eleven year old brother. Sebastian wanted to be there, but he was scheduled to represent his school at his own track meet. In the end, and on his own, he decided to accompany his sister. He said he wanted to cheer her on. And boy did he ever. We are so grateful to the mother who started this special event 27 years ago and to all of the volunteers who make[…]

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Are You Resilient?

  My mother often cuts out stories for me from the newspaper or sends interesting online snippets from her iPad.  I don’t always have time to read them. What? I’m busy (I could sense my mum’s eyes rolling the second I typed the B word).I read this particular article right away. Not only is it full of truth and inspiration, it also describes my SUPERWOMAN aunt Jan perfectly. If you looked up resilient in the dictionary, you would see her smiling and determined face looking back at you square in the eye. After reading the article I wondered, am I resilient: hardy, airy, easy-going, quick to snap back, flexible? Some days I know I am. Other days I know I absolutely am not. Here are the main points from the article in case you don’t have someone sending you interesting articles to read on the daily like this one called— The 5 Characteristics of Incredibly Resilient People by Smita Malhotra. Read the full story here. Resilient people… 1) practice mindfulness  I try to be mindful, but then I get distracted by all of the other pressing things swirling around my mind. Mindfulness is hard. 2) don’t compare themselves to others I[…]

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When A Pet Dies

Pets die. It’s inevitable, but when it actually happens, it’s heart wrenching. Especially when you have kids.   We have two dogs who are getting on in years and we accept that they won’t be with us forever. But our skinny pig Ernie was only ten months old, so when he died suddenly it was a shock. Though he was merely a guinea pig to some, to us he was a beloved pet and sweet friend to my kids Sebastian and Avery. For reasons unknown, Ernie had a massive seizure and died. My daughter has Epilepsy so I’ve done my fair share of research into seizures. But never did I imagine I’d be Googling “what to do when your guinea pig has a seizure.” I was sitting next to his cage when it happened. He suddenly began convulsing in his cage, and was paralyzed and helpless in a matter of minutes. I knew when I picked held him, his head tilted and nuzzled lifelessly into my neck, that he was leaving us. That’s the hardest part about having a pet—they are completely dependent on us for their survival. So when they get sick or hurt or god forbid die, it’s[…]

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Rare Chromosome Disorder Awareness Week

  To say we’re “celebrating” Rare Chromosome Disorder Awareness Week is a bit of a misnomer. However, we are marking it and we are grateful that the first ever RCDAW starts today. Thankfully we found a support in an organization called Chromosome Disorder Outreach  early on. Through their research, education, and efforts to connect families who face similar struggles, we feel much less alone in this unique journey. Individually, chromosome changes like the ones that affect our daughter are still considered rare. But we are now learning that these disorders actually may not be as rare as once believed…

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