Parenting Isn't Pretty
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A parenting blog with mama-tude! I'm Jen,a mum to seven from baby to teen.I'm also a soon to be author, freelance writer, media contributor and do-er of stuff around the house.I adopted two children from Russia in 1994: a 4.5-year-old girl with language delays and a 21-month-old boy with fetal alcohol effects.
Parenting Isn't Pretty
2y ago
Parenting Isn't Pretty
2y ago
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
Following up on the survey I posted a while back on what parents want to know about helping kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities find jobs, I've taken another step forward with a Facebook group for chatting about that very topic: Parenting Young Adults with Special Needs in the Work World . It's set to private right now, so come knock on the door and tell me who you are and I'll let you in. (Meanwhile, if you never did fill out that survey ..read more
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
Have you been listening to me blather on the ? I'm having fun every weekday chatting with my cohosts on all things parenting and being a parent—subscribe on or your podcast app of choice to get every ep—they're usually under 15 minutes, so we won't take up much of your day. The following recent episodes might be good to start with for readers of this blog, since I specifically talked about adoption or special-needs-related experiences: (7/1/19): We talked about those times when you give out information about your kids in conversation that is really nobody's business, just because your brain do ..read more
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
Parenting Young Adults with Special Needs in the Work World Facebook group is asking for help with an important pre-work step: getting a high school diploma or equivalent: I am looking to investigate education options for my son. He dropped out of Grade 10 - it was serious enough that the team meeting members decided they shouldn't push to get him back into the system even though by law he'd needed to be there for another half year. I think we all knew he wouldn't make it if we tried to force that. There are two options I'm aware of right now - to continue his education, through adult le ..read more
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
For the past couple of years, I've enjoyed going to the GFAF Expo, trying out a lot of cool foods, taking photos of the stuff I snack on, and sharing them on Twitter. ( ) I'll be going again October 5-6, but this time the name has been changed to the , and in addition to gluten-free and nut-free goodies, there'll be zones for paleo, keto, and plant-based foods. (Though actually, everything's gluten-free.) If you live someplace where you can get to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, and would like to check out the festival, comment here and I may be able to get you a pas ..read more
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
On October 5, I attended the Nourished Festival in Secaucus, New Jersey, featuring gluten-free foods, some of which were also nut-free, paleo, keto, or plant-based. Here's what I saw and tasted. in Secaucus NJ today. Follow along as she shares what she sees and snacks on. — Parenting Roundabout (@RoundAboutChat) Tried a delicious seed bar from . They also have some tasty-looking seed butters. are sponsored this year by , a natural sweetener that’s ketogenic, diabetes friendly, calorie-free, gluten free. Sweet! has your gluten-free granola. I tried and enjoyed the Cranberry Almond Maple ..read more
Parenting Isn't Pretty
3y ago
While the Parenting Roundabout Podcast is not about parenting special needs specifically, that's the only viewpoint I have on parenting, so the topic comes up. Here are some recent discussions to which I brought a special needs parenting angle. : I found some perks from having a constantly active kid who needs unrelenting attention. There are some! : My kids' disabilities kept me off it for a while, but once I jumped on, I jumped on hard. : When we tried to think of Apple Watch apps that would help with our parenting, my mind immediately went to a special-ed situation. : My son's decision to t ..read more