Illness hit our house before the Thanksgiving holiday this year. After a few days of moaning and groaning, our eldest spiked a fever and tested positive for Influenza A. Let me just take a minute here to brag on this 13 year old man child – the second his throat started bothering him, he started to wear a mask around us. He didn’t want his daddy – or anyone else – to catch what he had. And once we knew what he had, he kept to himself (he mostly slept) and everyone else avoided getting sick. Now THAT is something to be thankful for. Back to the gunk – eldest was down for the count and while th ..read more

It’s true what “they” say – that for some, it takes a life-altering experience to connect with our sense of gratitude. Being thankful is surface-level appreciation. That’s not what I’m talking about.   I’m talking about the feeling of fervent appreciation for your still living parents, after attending the funeral of a friend’s mom or dad.   It’s that intense sigh of relief you release, and maybe a few tears, when the lump in your breast is diagnosed as being benign.   It’s the love that pours out of you and onto your 13-year-old son when he lumbers over to you for a lingering h ..read more

When we solidify plans to do something fun, our very first impulse is to share that information with our kids. More than anything, we love to see the joyfulness they exude when something delights them. We want to share every bit of happiness with them – because we adore them and they are at their very core the best, sweetest, funniest, kindest, smartest children we have ever known. (Please don’t misunderstand me. Sometimes we drive each other bananas, and they can be challenging and grumpy – especially when asked to turn the TV off, or when they are hungry, or to work on their math homework ..read more

To say that I have the best children in the entire world is an understatement. Because I do. I think most parents have moments of clarity where we recognize that our children are incredible human beings, becoming who they are meant to be right before our eyes. You know, between the sleepless nights of babyhood and the intensity of preteen emotions. And even throughout the (short) lives of our two younglings, I can validate that they have experienced some of the hardships that come along with having a parent who is struggling with illness…and being young caregivers. I really believe that it’s ..read more

As a preface – the next few posts will detail some of the massive changes we’ve made to our home to help improve accessibility for my darling husband. Some of the posts will highlight the transformations (like this post) and others will offer suggestions and ideas on the questions to ask yourself – and the contractors you will work with – when embarking on these expensive, stressful, and time consuming projects. We were married a very long time before we bought our house. I honestly didn’t believe that we’d ever be able to find a place that was the right size, in the right neighborhood, with ..read more

It had been fifteen months of making memories in our own home, in the small vicinity around our home, and in our neighborhood, when we decided it was time to venture out. Our COVID-19 vaccines had gone well, and after some conversations with our incredible primary care provider, we felt like a little trip in the right setting could do us all some good. But where? Where does a family that still has to be safe go for some fun and adventure? Airplane travel and hotel stays are still not ideal or safe situations for us. Most vacation rentals are barely accessible – even when they are listed as su ..read more

Too many things have happened since July 2020. Being a caregiver during a worldwide pandemic is hard, y’all. I’m so very thankful that things seem to be better, but I still live every day life on the edge of an anxiety attack. Shortly after our pandemic project was completed, and after much contemplation and discussion with our children and trusted medical providers, we made the decision to keep our children home for virtual school for the first nine weeks of the year. When things didn’t get better after the first nine weeks, the timeframe to return to school (and the office for me) was pushe ..read more

It’s been a good, long while. I’m happy to report that we’ve been (so far) successful in staying home and staying safe from COVID-19. We’ve made significant changes to our daily lives in order to help protect my darling. Our circle of visitors is limited to a literal handful of people who are equally diligent about protecting against the transmission of this virus. As you can imagine, it’s been challenging being cooped up for us as adults – and our littles have had to make major adjustments themselves. God bless them – they are both such blessings to us – but life is almost at a standstill. M ..read more

Caregivers will tell you that for us, living through this pandemic is oddly similar to the way we live our regular lives. Caregivers are acutely aware of how the world around us may impact the health, well being, and safety of the people for whom we love and provide care. For some of us, it may means that much needed help is unavailable because the risk of exposure is too high. For others, it could mean that you’re working double or triple duty at home – full time job, managing kids and school, and caregiver duties. For us, it means we’ve all decided to become the bubble wrap that helps prote ..read more

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve been living in a constant state of blurriness over the last eight or nine weeks – I’ve completely lost count. It could be 12, but I’m going to probably keep saying eight or nine weeks for the next two or three weeks. That’s just where I’m at – maybe you are too. In fact, so many weeks have gone by that it’s nearly time for his next treatment. My darling endures infusion therapy twice a year – November and May are the scheduled months. Some of your loved ones may have treatments far more frequent than this – maybe someone you care for has cancer or any other nu ..read more