Cartoon Saturday - too much work!

Cartoon Saturday - Calvin & Hobbes snow in November

Don't know where you are living but it's cold & snowy here where I am but I'm not ready to give up yet either!  Enjoy~ Jill

Want to know what I'm thinking?

Well, today is Wednesday & I just felt like saying HI!  Have you ever had so much to do that you don't even know where to start so you just procrastinate?  Yep, that's what I'm doing right now! Wishing I was somewhere else but hey, that's not going to happen so am posting a video of where I want to be.... 

Who wants to go with me? No takers?  Oh well...  Sigh... back to my work!  I guess this will only be in my dreams.  

Joe and his Split Brain Understanding the Right and Left Brain with Alan Alda

I always explain to client, students, friends, and well just about anyone who will listen how our brains work.  Sometimes I can tell that some people either don't believe that we have two hemispheres of the brain or they just can't imagine how each part of the brain does something different (how the right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain and so forth).  Here is a great video of Joe, who had his brain divided/split because of his severe epileptic seizures.  Watch this 10 minute video with Joe and Alan Alda and you will be amazed by our wonderful brain!     

Right Brain vs Left Brain with Alan Alda

5 Ways a parent of children with special needs can reduce the pressure

This post is targeted to parents!  

As parents we have a lot of weight and responsibilities on our shoulders!   We have to work so we can afford to live and raise a family (job duties & responsibilities).  We run a household ~ shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, maintenance, organizing, and juggling the finances.    We raise children to become positive and productive citizens, as well as, spend quality supportive time with each of them.  Unless we homeschool our children we are sending them off to school to obtain an education.  Yes, we are there to help with homework but for the most part we as parents expect the teachers will be providing our children with a solid educational foundation.

This doesn't always happen however when your child has a learning disability.   We now have even more responsibilities that add extra stress to our lives.  As parents we have to spend countless hours researching evidence-based programs so our children can learn; we become experts on our child’s disability; emailing teachers and special education coordinators to make sure our children are learning; spend extra money and time on private tutoring and therapies; devote extensive time re-teaching the class material and subjects that were not learned in school; providing emotional support since our children know they are different; and limitless other responsibilities.   

Normal life causes us as parents to break but there’s even more weight when you are a parent who has children with learning disabilities.

I love this video as an example of what our children expect from us and how as a parent we sometimes just can’t handle the pressure. 

Direct link to: The Middle TV show Frankie's breakdown

So, what can you do?  Here are 5 things you can do to reduce this pressure.

1.  Take care of yourself first!  Yep that is right, I said it – you must take care of YOU.  Just like in airplanes you need to put on your oxygen mask prior to taking care of your child’s-- the same goes for here.  If you are not able to breath, you will fall apart and what good is an unconscious parent, especially for a child with a disability?  Plus, if you don’t take care of you then who will?

2.  Have a support system!  This support system needs to be made up of others that have similar lives, children, and experiences.  It feels terrible to have to listen to parents go on and on about their “perfect” children when we just spent 3 hours battling with our child about homework, chores, eating, and so on.  When overwhelmed call someone from your support system and complete the next step.

3.  Put a time limit on your venting and make a written list of the positives.  The more we vent the more we feed negative feelings and emotions so tell your support person you are only going to vent for 10-20 minutes and then that’s it, no more.  Once the time is over you can only talk about solutions not problems.  After you have vented you need to reframe life back into positives.  Write a list of positive things in your life.

4.  Keep your list of positives with you so you can look at them when you are feeling depressed or anxious.  Remember what we focus on expands so focus on the positive things we have in our lives whatever they may be.

5.  Find ways to mentally escape!  As parents of children with learning disabilities we take on a lot of extra responsibilities and need time to mentally escape so we can relax.  Make a list of ways that you like to mentally escape: Songs that make you feel good and/or pump you up; books that have nothing to do with parenting and disabilities (eye-read and/or ear-read); TV shows or movies; exercise activities such as walking in the woods, aerobics classes, biking…; or other activity that reduces your stress level.

Remember that you don’t want to be like Frankie from the TV show “The Middle” shown here in this video where you snap.  If you can take care of yourself then you can reduce the chances that this will happen to you.  

Finally, know that you are doing a great job!  You have the hardest job in the world and just by showing up everyday fighting the fight you are a great parent!  Kudos to you!!!

Cartoon Saturday - Move fun with Calvin and Hobbes

Feature Friday: Words of Paul Hugh Ross

Words have a lot of meaning for me.  I write my own blog posts, poetry, and quotes but I also collect the words of others.  When I eye-read or ear-read words that touch my soul and connect with me in some way-- I must keep them.  I store them in notebooks and fill my bookshelves.  Today I want to share with you the words of Paul Hugh Ross. 

I have shared with you before about Paul Ross – here in aprevious post. 

Well, I just received Paul’s book and I’m excited to present this to you today as a Feature Friday, especially because Paul will be launching his book tomorrow in London at the Festival of Dyslexic Culture. 

I don’t live in London, I’m clear across the ocean in the United States but I wanted you to know about this book and know that just because you cannot attend this cool event or meet Paul as he launches his book you can visit his website: Dyslexic Thoughts In Words and watch cool videos like this the following on his YouTube Page.

I made a picture quotes of one of my favorite poems: 

I’d like to say Thanks Paul for opening up, being vulnerable, and sharing some of your soul.  I hope you have great success at your book launch!  

Cartoon Saturday - Halloween