Archives
Spotlight: Enjoy Life Foods
Posted on September 20, 2018 1 Comment
(Gluten free, vegan, nut free brownies? Yes, please!) My journey with food allergies began as soon as Arizona was born. I remembered thinking that a lot of children had allergies but also that a lot of children grew out of them. I was convinced this would also be the case with my daughter. 12 years […]
The Good Doctor
Posted on September 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
Shaun Murphy has a pet bunny as a young boy. It serves as an emotional support to him; he holds it tight and cuddles with it when he is having big feelings. Then, there is an accident. The bunny doesn’t survive, and Shaun is left wondering how he could have fixed his broken beloved. So […]
Jack & Arizona
Posted on March 29, 2017 2 Comments
(Arizona and her friend Jack) Jack and Arizona have been in school together since they were 2. They met at Step by Step, moved on to Echo Horizon in the Pre-K program and when that didn’t prove to be a good fit for either of them, both ended up attending and graduating from Cheerful Helpers. […]
Social Thinking
Posted on March 13, 2017 Leave a Comment
(Having fun with my girl) I am a social butterfly. I love talking to and being around people, all kinds. I can connect with anyone and everyone, regardless of where they grew up or how they grew up or what they look like. I consider it to be one of my most valuable assets. […]
Kahlil Gibran : On Children
Posted on February 14, 2017 Leave a Comment
(Bedtime cuddles with Arizona and Hendrix) On Valentine’s DAY – here is the perfect ODE to my baby girl. I couldn’t express it better than you, Kahlil Gabrin. Thank YOU, Arizona Ray, for choosing me to be your mama … I will be forever blessed. ON THE CHILDREN, by Kahlil Gibran Your children are not […]
Being Flexible
Posted on December 29, 2016 1 Comment
(Like daughter, like mother) One of Arizona’s biggest challenges in life has been her inability to be flexible when plans change or she doesn’t get to do her own idea. She practices “being flexible” in her social skills group and worked on it daily when she was a student at Cheerful Helpers. What I recently […]
Day Camps in Los Angeles : Summer 2016
Posted on June 15, 2016 Leave a Comment
(Summer is here!) Summer is here and parents can find themselves scrambling to find the perfect placement for their children with needs. Certainly, as my workload has increased over the past year, I also found myself paying extra attention to finding the summer curriculum that best fits Arizona’s needs and mine. Turns out, I am […]
Autism & Friendship
Posted on June 7, 2016 1 Comment
(Marley Bleu and Arizona Ray, true blue friends) One of the things they always told me about autism is that Arizona might never have friends. I remember, early on, sitting in IEP meetings and listening to the school psychologists shake their heads and look at me sympathetically when I asked questions about what my daughter’s […]
everything you ever wanted : a memoir
Posted on May 28, 2016 1 Comment
I recently finished Jillian Lauren’s latest book, everything you ever wanted, a riveting memoir about her journey into motherhood. Initially, I was interested in the book because of her story as it related to mine : she and her husband adopted an Ethiopian child with special needs. But, as I was reading through the pages, […]
Actors for Autism
Posted on May 11, 2016 1 Comment
(With my friend and fellow special needs mama, Rahsaana) Last week, I had the privilege of attending an event benefitting Actors for Autism a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement, education, and training of people on the autism spectrum in various programs such as arts, film & television, animation, visual effects and video game industries. […]
