It is no secret that being a mom is a ton of work. For all the blessings of raising a family, there are just as many sleepless nights, challenging days, and anxious thoughts. Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing moms’ stories about a phenomenon that affects at least one in four women. … Continue reading
Filed under Advocacy …
Why Lipreading Mom Can’t Have Her Cake and Eat It Too
For 40 days, I have kept my mouth from swallowing the following things: caffeine, white sugar, and meat. Have I become vegetarian just to say “Ah, look at healthy me”? Let’s start with Lipreading Mom’s lifelong addiction to all things sugary sweet. Candy and pre-sweetened cereal were my go-to foods since the time I could … Continue reading
Hearing Aids Are So Gosh, Darn Cool
Don’t you just love my “purty” cool headline and photo choice? (And don’t you just love Lipreading Mom’s penchant for Oklahoma twang?) I confess that I’m a sucker for happy endings. They bring out my inner Oklahoma Pollyanna. When I recently posted the hearing aid financial struggles of my friend “Abby” (not her real name … Continue reading
How Captions Allow Lipreading Mom to Worship
The sermon series was promoted for weeks before I finally sat through the first message. On a warm summer morning, my husband and I sat in our usual place: front row center in the church auditorium. The closer to the stage, the more likely I could lipread the pastor. That theory worked until the audience … Continue reading
How Come I Can’t Hear My Baby?
Let’s go back in time to the winter of 2001 when I became Lipreading Mom… My days were spent holding a blissfully sleeping newborn boy. My nights were spent holding a wide-awake newborn boy since he developed this sleep-all-day, night-owl fascination. When my ears rang uncontrollably, I thought it was a side effect of sleep … Continue reading
Butterflies Are Free … But Hearing Aids Sure Ain’t!
My first set of hearing aids were purchased in 2003. They weren’t cheap, and my insurance company didn’t help with the bill. But my credit card company was happy for the next six months it took me to pay off the hearing aid charges. Why are these behind-the-ear devices that are so vital to Lipreading … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom Finds Peace Through Psalm 91
It was an easy pregnancy, and my newborn arrived into the world healthy and beautiful. I should have been a glowing new mom. Instead, I cried more than I smiled and felt gripping anxiety. My thoughts were unfocused, I had trouble sleeping, and–emotionally, I just couldn’t enjoy being a mom. At the time, I had … Continue reading
Ponytail Exposes Hearing Aids to the World
Lipreading Mom has a love-hate relationship with wearing ponytails. I love them because they keep my hair out of my mouth when I’m eating. I love them because they keep my face, neck, and shoulders cool in the mid-July humidity. I hate ponytails because I have a square-shaped face that looks like a box without … Continue reading
A Few Words About My Book, Lip Reader
I prefer to use this blog as a forum for sharing about my life as Lipreading Mom. So bear with me as I make one teeny-tiny exception to that rule. Throughout the month of May, I am donating 50 percent of sales from my book, Lip Reader, to the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). … Continue reading
It Takes One Person
This past week brought to mind how big things begin with one person taking a stand. Cases in point… At the beginning of the week, I spoke to the Sertoma Club in my city about ways this organization can partner with people who have hearing loss. Sertoma stands for “Service To Mankind” and raises thousands … Continue reading