Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Keeping calm& Turning around.

It's been a while since my last post.

Lots going on but not much inspiration to write.

Between navigating ADHD world, getting back into a work routine and still trying, oh trying so hard, to find the balance between domestic engineering, marriage and my professional goals I ended up storing my health goals in the cupboard.

Right next to the chocolate chips.


Thankfully, the health train hasn't completely derailed but took a detour and ended up at "Procrastination" station.

I have given myself a 12 week challenge addressing my emotional eating.

You can follow me here...

http://keepcalmandturnaround.blogspot.com/

In the meantime,domestic engineering has taken a coach ticket while Mama is on a first class ticket to...
Wellness.



Namaste xox




Sunday, December 16, 2012

December 14, 2012

Shock.
Despair.
Anger.
Anxiety.
Questions.
Could it have been prevented?
Are gun laws the issue?
Are mental health services not being delivered to those in need who then Snap?
Is society to blame?
These questions, among so many, are not only left unanswered but open the gates to debates which can leave one more confused than ever.
Opinions and debates pale in comparaison to the families and friends who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.
The 6 women who were killed doing what they did best: Protecting the emotional, physical and psychological welfare of their students.
A mother who was killed by her own son.
A mother who would have mourned with the rest of the nation as the Unthinkable unfolded.
Her own son taking the lives of 20 little innocent children.
Mothers of the students who were left physically unharmed but whom the sound of a doorbell in their own homes triggers the "bad guy" memories all over again.
While it it easy for me to say I am mourning as a mother, I cannot even begin to imagine the depth of the Pain, Sorrow and grieving the victims families are going through.
The call.
The wait.
The reunion.
The eternal separation.
Hugs, kisses and warm snuggles forever frozen in time.
Bedtime stories left unread.
Beds left untucked.
Giggles silenced.
Christmas presents forever wrapped.
20 Little Angels are watching over all of us...Will we fail them?
Or will we learn and change?
For now all I can do as a Mother is hug, kiss and tell my boys how much I love them.
Which 20 Mothers were stripped of on December 14, 2012.

Namaste xox

Sunday, November 4, 2012

May the force be with us!

Good morning! For those of you who follow my blog, you are quite familiar by some of our special needs in this family...2 boys who struggle with expressive language, self-regulation skills and socially. Not in the "why-do-they-prefer-to-stay-alone-and-not-interact" social concern but in the "I'm-gonna-kick-that-soccer-ball-because-I-love-to-play-with other-oh-wait!-is-that-a-squirrel? Must-run-towards-it-even-if-it-means-crossing-the-road-and-oh!wait!is-that-a-bird?" You get the point. Which is why Halloween is my favorite holiday. First of all, it's fun! Second, there's free candy! And through the chaos that is costumes, trick or treating and keeping it all together, my boys shine. Their excitement and awe for this holiday is my best place on Earth. Enjoy... xox
Grand-maman&Us!
Mama&Us
Trick or treat!!
Hey...Even Darth Vader has to wear a seat belt ;)
Mama as Pricess Leia
Luke Skywalker!
Big Daddy as Hans Solo ;)
The Star Wars clan
My boys...xox

Friday, September 7, 2012

ADHD: It's NOT your fault.


Parenting...The hardest job in the world.
Yet, the most rewarding.
So they say.
Oh don't get me wrong...
I have been rewarded in the most special ways in the last 5 years;
A spontaneous hug, kiss and "I love you mom!"...
A sweet compliment such as "Mummy you so beautiful...You like Princess Lea"...
A proud moment as you witness your child acting kind towards others.
Then there's the other rewards.
The pride that comes with seeing your children attempt, perform and succeed.
Getting dressed by themselves.
Brushing their teeth by themselves.
Kicking that soccer ball, batting that baseball, learning how to swim.
Problem solving, self-regulating and focusing.
These rewards are hard to come by when bolting, refusing,ignoring, avoiding and reacting make up for 90% of your day.
When what should be a simple easy functional task ends ups being a visual task analysis using behaviorial interventions such as modeling, shaping, fading and rewarding...And still failing.
Like sleeping, eating, dressing, walking safely to the bus stop, waiting, sharing, playing with others, following directions, brushing, and on and on and on...
Just like the SuperNanny families where she manages to successfully modify the children's and parents' behaviors in one show.
Only parents don't get to leave in her chauffeured black taxicab to review the videos while sipping on tea...
Parents of children whom exhibit symptoms of ADHD are like wounded soldiers on the battlefield called parenting left feeling powerless, inadequate, embarassed and isolated.
ADHD doesn't only affect parents.
ADHD affects children's self-esteem, peer relationships and success.
ADHD affects mariage, friendships and work.
From sleep disruption, to starting out your day feeling spent, ADHD affects everyone's lives.
In the last 5 years clouds of despair and anxiety have cast a spell on the sun rays that have warmed my heart.
What am I doing wrong?
Why is this so hard?
Why do I feel like such a failure?
Was it the vaccines?
Is it the cupcakes?
I don't know the answers. I might not ever known them.
This is what I know for sure.
ADHD can be evaluated, diagnosed and treated.
ADHD is not some parenting excuse to medicate and sedate children who are just "more active than others".
ADHD interrupts daily functioning, at home and school, to the the point of exhaustion.
The bad news?
There will always be people who are uneducated and opinionated on what parents should do.
That's fine...Lucky for them they don't struggle like we do.
The good news?
My boys have a mom and a dad who will never give up trying and striving for the Best they CAN be.
In the end...That's all that matters.

Namaste xox



Thursday, August 30, 2012

If you take The Wild Things to the Bus for their first Day of Kindergarden...





You'll notice the street that has been played, chalked, bicycled through the last 5 years....
When you think about the last 5 years, you'll remember the first big bike ride...
The first snowman...The first jump in the leaves...And the first step on the grass...
That funny-first-step-on-the-grass-face-squirm will remind you of the first steps...
The first steps might remind you of the first fall, the first big ouch and the first proud look on their faces...
Those faces might remind you of the first time you met those brown eyes and snuggled their warm tiny bodies...
Those tiny bodies might remind you of a time when you could feel every kick, squirm and roll in your belly...
This will remind you of how excited you were when you found out you were pregnant...
Which will remind you of how shocked you were to find out there was 2 in there! (Big Daddy's famous words!)
Thinking of Big Daddy will remind you that through the years...He's been your rock.
Just like the ones The Wild Things are playing with right now at the bus stop...
The same corner that you turned on with 2 small precious cargo on each side...
Still in the middle, only now you are holding their hands still trying to keep them safe...
Keeping them safe will remind you of your most important role as a mama..
Which will remind you how you taught them to stop, look both ways and cross...
Which will remind you to do the same after you sat them safely on the bus...
Back to the street...Where you'll notice the street that has been played, chalked, bicycled through the last 5 years....
Namaste xox

Friday, July 27, 2012

Man Candy.



Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle."-Amy Bloom

Once upon a time a man and a woman met.
Fell in love.
Got married.
Were happy.
Had children.
Were even happier.
Then.
Stress no longer was part of their lives.
It ruled it.
Professional, financial, psychological and emotional.
Special needs, unmet needs and uncared needs.
Who are we they asked themselves?
Who am I? The wife asked herself.
Because no matter how much dedication a woman gives her man, her children and her friends...It's not enough.
That's what she thinks.
Then comes a little distraction which makes her feel alive again.
Not just alive.
Oh no.
Desired. Attractive. Interesting. Enough.
No need to work on anything.
No need to worry about being enough.
She feels listened to...Valued. But most importantly? Enough.
Maybe a little too much at times.
My guess is that when a woman never feels good enough at home, charming blue eyes can easily make it's way in.
After all, too much wins over not enough.
The truth is we all want to live happily ever after.
But to say, and believe, we are above the pits and falls of domestic routine is to lie.
Because once upon a time the man and the woman above had butterflies.
Had sparks.
Had eyes only for one another.
The divorce rates are scary.
Scarier than ever.
Some might say it's because people are lazy and don't want to work.
Some might say marriage is no longer sacred.
Others might even think it's just a Big sham.
But, we the ones who work hard, believe it is sacred and genuine, are committed.
Men might be from Mars.
And women from Venus.
Maybe.
But we all want to feel fireworks.
Man Candy will do that.
With no real pressure, no tantrums and all the time in the world.
No need for a babysitter, a scheduled date or time constraints.
Man Candy will listen. Nod his head. Even ask questions.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
Mothers are conditioned to believe that priorities, rules and routine are the only way.
Make everyone happy first.
Always.
The problem lies when a mother has put herself on a shelf too long...Not only does she become a clearance item at some point, but she can become THE cheap object of another's budget.
A budget that includes entertainment, hobbies and "other".
Having been on the shelf for too long, she can easily become a bargain item to someone while she was the most prized one all along...But didn't feel it.
Man Candy is just that.
Candy.
A potential harmful substance that can cause decay, an upset stomach and a serious crash.
To crash is not the end of happily ever after.
To crash is to learn, grow and move on.
After all...
For better or for worse was the promise.
And unlike candy, which gives you a temporary high, a promise holds your hand...Until The End.
Happily every after?
Maybe not.
But committed ever after?
I do.

Namaste xox

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Little Miss Wiser.



Domestic engineering full-time? Always.
Earned my Bachelor's? Successfully.
Continued to advocate, facilitate, animate and support? At home...Not in the classroom.
And the playground.
Attempts to re-enter the work force? Desperate hopes for normalcy tainted by transportation and daycare issues. Fun times.
There comes a time in everyone's life when one needs to take a step back and refocus.
While perseverance, determination and motivation usually lead to positive results,sometimes they do not.
What I have learned as a mama is this:
Trying hard, perhaps the hardest you have ever tried...Does not equal success.
Being the mom of twin boys with special needs whom I have tried my hardest to shape into "just typical" boys is proof.
Pursuing unachievable goals does not mean the pursuit of happiness.
The trick to master this Game called Life is to stop at the red light that is chaos and merge towards: Sanity.
Sanity does not always equal being the perfect mom.
Sanity does not always equal the perfect home.
Sanity dos not always include the perfect relationships.
Sanity does not always equal the perfect dream career.
Merging does not mean a cul-de-sac is ahead.
Merging can simply mean a different route.
A route packed with new views, sights and passengers.
Sometimes the new route can look like a healthy Lifestyle.
Sometimes a spiritual shift.
Sometimes a change of heart.
Or a change in careers.
Just because you carefully planned your trip does not make wasting your time in traffic any better.
A jam is a jam.
According to Buddhism:
"Wisdom is to keep an open mind rather than being closed-minded, listening to other points of view rather than being bigoted; to carefully examine facts that contradict our beliefs, rather than burying our heads in the sand; to be objective rather than prejudiced and partisan; to take time about forming our opinions and beliefs rather than just accepting the first or most emotional thing that is offered to us; and to always be ready to change our beliefs when facts that contradict them are presented to us. A person who does this is certainly wise and is certain to eventually arrive at true understanding".
I might not be the Wisest mama on the block but I am wiser.
Not for knowing more.
But for merging towards sanity...Rather than circling through insanity.
Now...That's Wise.

Namaste xox