The stories here are sometimes serious, sometimes silly, always sincere.
I started my first blog in 2006 shortly after our second child was born and it became apparent she was going to have some medical and developmental challenges. I left my career as an elementary school teacher to stay home to care for her. While my daughter napped, I wrote about our life.
Forever in Mom Genes was a place for me to dump my worries, bliss, fears, triumphs, and stories about the challenges of parenting a child with disabilities, plus anything else important to me in the moment.
*Notable: Over the years my camera got better, my hair got lighter, and we all got bigger!
Once Avery became stable and her seizures were under control, I began writing in earnest, as a career. You could say I found a new purpose.
Working from home as a Content Creator/Influencer is a legitimate and satisfying gig which I never imagined would fall within my scope of expertise. In fact, some areas within my job description didn’t even exist ten years ago. SEO who now? Instagram what?
In addition to writing about special needs parenting, I also provide original and syndicated content for online magazines and websites, and occasionally put my weight behind branded social media programs.
The blog name Forever in Mom Genes is a spin on the song title, “Forever In Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond (a favourite growing up). I liked the play on words between JEANS and GENES. I also connected with the lyrics: “Money talks. But it can’t sing and dance and it can’t walk. But as long as I can have you here with me, I’d much rather be, forever in blue jeans mom genes.”
True sentiment. Though now as a young teen, she CAN sing and dance and walk… plus a hundred other things doctors said she’d never be able to do. **mic drop**
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In case you’re bored, here’s a bit more about me…
Somewhat Relevant:
- I live near Toronto with my gym teacher husband, two children, a fat orange cat named Kevin, and a sassy yorkie called Ruby.
- I have degrees in Anthropology and Sociology from McMaster University, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Education from The University of Maine.
- Sometimes I miss teaching, but then I go on a field trip with my daughter’s class and I get over that pretty fast.
- Vegan-ish.
Irrelevant but a good time killer if you’re reading this on your phone waiting for a bus:
- Gave up cable TV cold turkey in 2004, but now there’s Netflix, Prime, Disney+…
- I like big puns and I cannot lie.
- Chips over chocolate.
- Allergic to cats, but I love our tabby so much I just pretend I have a cold.
- When I laugh hard, absolutely no sound comes out.
- I can juggle like a circus clown.
- Rode an elephant in a jungle in Thailand, a camel through a desert in India, and the subway across NYC. All three were wild rides.
- Born and raised in B.C. hence the deep affection for Birkenstoks, the beach, and skiing in the tuck position.
- Want a big laugh? Come watch me attempt to parallel park.
