A Few Things I Have Learned About Motherhood

As I near my due date with my fourth baby, and slowly lose my mind daily with the three I already have, I find myself thinking a lot about mothering. And all that goes into it. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned along the way: 1. Having children is like having the worst roommates sometimes. They move your stuff, eat your food, and leave dishes all over the house. Try to remember though that messes clean up. 2. Your children can be just like you, or polar…

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Things I Didn’t Know About Motherhood Until I Became One

I didn’t realize how mad I could get at my spouse over something so silly. I didn’t realize how close to the mental brink a child could push me. And the things I would argue over… I didn’t realize how precious 5 minutes of alone time in the bathroom could be. I didn’t realize how much pee, poop and puke I would clean up. I didn’t know that I would resent the time it takes to shower, eat, pee and poop because they take up too much time. I didn’t…

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January Writing Challenge Topic

Hey friends, This January, I’m challenging you to write about your goals, hopes, and resolutions for 2019. This could be the goals you have for your child. In our world, we would love if Cooper learned how to ride a bike, had less screen time and learned water safety. Or maybe it’s your goals as a parent. For me, I want to slow down. I want to enjoy life more. And I want to read my boys a book every night before bed. Personally, I want to find balance. I…

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The Humorous Life of a Mother

We have one hard and fast rule in our home. Check Cooper’s treasures before he leaves the house because he has a habit of trying to bring ‘semi’ inappropriate pictures of his mother to school. Lucky me. Well, apparently, Daddy hasn’t been following the rule with the same intensity as me because the photos that Cooper has been bringing to school this week are OUT OF CONTROL. And they are all of me. The staff at his school has now seen photos of me at my graduation party, dressed as…

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The Secret World of Finding Cooper’s Voice

I am continuously asked how my world has changed since opening up my family and life to the world of Facebook. First, I want you to know I started the blog, Finding Cooper’s Voice, three years ago because I had no one to talk to about my son’s autism. I poured my heart out daily and had very few followers. My sole purpose was talking about my emotions around my son’s confusing disability. It was the best decision I ever made. Going Viral In January of this year, I decided…

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I Blamed Autism for My Divorce

I am sitting here in my living room, feet up in a recliner, drinking a much-needed cup of coffee. One kiddo is off to school and one is at daycare and my house is finally quiet. I know I should get up and start my work day but I am distracted. I have been staring at the stack of my divorce papers for 15 minutes. I find a bit of irony in the fact that they are covered with our autistic son’s ‘treasures’. A few chewed up family pictures, an…

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Confessions of a Special Needs Parent

Parenting is hard.  I think we can all agree on that. You are raising a tiny little human from birth to adulthood without an instruction manual and silently praying they turn out sane and happy. Now imagine if that tiny little human has a diagnosis of some sort. Autism. Cerebral Palsy. Traumatic Brain Injury. The diagnosis could be physical, emotional or neurological. It could be obvious. Or maybe it’s invisible to the outside world. Scary right. You aren’t a doctor. Or a therapist or a physiologist. There is no instruction…

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Most Of All, I Teach You Giving

This. Always this. I do not gift you with clever conversation, cute remarks to be laughed over and repeated. If you allow me, I will teach you what is really important in life. I gift you with my innocent trust, my dependency upon you. I teach you giving. Most of all, I teach you hope and faith.

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Cooper Has The Kind Of Autism No One Talks About

I stumbled across a post today on Facebook titled, ‘My Son Has The Kind Of Autism No One Talks About-Term Life’. “Because for every boy with autism who manages his high school basketball team, there are 20 boys with autism who smear feces. And for every girl with autism who gets to be on the homecoming court, there are 30 girls with autism who pull out their hair and bite their arms until they bleed. And for every boy with autism who gets to go the prom, there are 50…

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I Am This Mom

This image has been going around Facebook for a few weeks now with the following caption: Disabled people in US: 19% Transgender people in US: 0.03% THIS is the bathroom issue I am more concerned about. Having a private place to change my beloved son with dignity, privacy, and cleanliness…not on a dirty bathroom floor with a large cot I have to carry everywhere with us. We consider ourselves “fortunate” when we can find large private family bathrooms like the one pictured…but most places are stalled restrooms where even the…

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