Filed under My Life with Exceptional Kids …

Joy to the World! Baby JoJo Has Come

It’s easy to go through the day feeling like nothing special or out of the ordinary can happen. As a Lipreading Mom with progressive hearing loss for almost 10 years, I often have my moments of feeling unsure about the future. But when I’m tempted to wallow in self-pity, I think about the surprise that came into my … Continue reading →

Why I Write from Home

Staying at home with kids: Is it really for me? Lipreading mom’s confession: I didn’t think so before I had my first child. The office environment suited me well. I was working for a women’s organization and writing for its magazine. There were weekly planning meetings, phone interviews and research projects to occupy five days a week.  In fact, I … Continue reading →

Walking and Advocating with My Kids

Advocacy is always a work in progress… for everyone. That’s why I decided to include my 9-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter in a Deaf and hearing loss awareness 5K walk/run this past weekend. We walked with leaders from our local Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Chapter. I use the work “walk” loosely. My son decided to speed walk … Continue reading →

Slowing Down with Thomas the Train

My confession: For a long time, I was just too busy to be an attentive mom. I was reminded of that fact a few mornings ago as my two-year-old son and I returned home and did our casual routine. Breakfast. Decaf coffee for me. Bible reading time. Checking my e-mail via phone. Routine accomplished by … Continue reading →

Meet My Hearing Helpers

Meet Emilie, Cody and Jill… my special helpers at church. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to teach my six-year-old daughter’s Sunday school class at church. Because my sensorineural hearing loss makes it difficult for me to understand a child’s delicate voices, someone must come alongside me to repeat or explain what the child has spoken. I call this … Continue reading →

Something for the Nice Lady’s Pot

Taking three kids on a Saturday trip to the store make the spare dollars in my purse poof into oblivion. Don’t get me wrong. I like to shop for my children. It’s easy for me to lip read them when they repeatedly say, “Please, please, pleeeeeeeeeeaasse.” And my ears love to hear the words, “Ah, thanks, … Continue reading →

Special (Needs) Mom Raises a Special Boy

Special (adj.) – individual, extraordinary, singular, unique, exceptional, distinctive Some would call me a special needs mom. Since I can’t hear my children very well, my special need would be communication accommodations. ‘Face me when you speak,’ I repeatedly tell my kids, ‘so I can lipread you,’ Which makes it all the more interesting when … Continue reading →