My paternal grandmother was a master of self-indulgence and womanly arts.  Each year, on my grandfather’s birthday, she would buy herself a new dress, “So he can enjoy looking at me.”  An immigrant with limited financial means, she bought herself a mink coat.  When my grandfather proudly told my parents what a great deal his wife got, my grandmother giggled, “I paid more than that for one sleeve.”

She managed to travel all over the world.  My husband recalls her delight as she told him in heavily-accented English, “Mah-yke.  I go lots of places.  Rome.  Fatima.  Ma-ya-mi every winter.  I go Havaii t-ree time.  I go Aruba.  They have divi divi tree.  ”

Her hair was always done and she was always carefully dressed.  In her last years in a nursing home, she was known as Queen Irene. MORE

Two years ago, after a lifetime in Michigan and one (homeschooling) year near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, our family moved to Madison, Wisconsin.  We fell in love with the suburb in which we chose a home.  There was a park with a playground across the street, the local athletic club had a waterpark and swimming lessons specifically for autistic children, downtown was just the right size for us.

At that time, I had been homeschooling all of my children for two years, my eldest for five.  Moving to a new town, I planned to enroll our youngest and oldest in public school while keeping Daniel at home.  I was certain the schools would not be able to meet his needs.

A Brief History of Our School Adventures

Daniel had been in public school for four years before we started moving around.  His preschool autism program at the Macomb Intermdiate School District (MISD) had been wonderful.  His teachers, therapists, and aides were brilliant.  But after three years, the autism program no longer suited him.  He was placed in regular kindergarten (with no aide or support) for half the day and in a program for cognitively impaired children the other half.  MORE

• Wouldn’t it be nice if we could step through a gateway to an easier, more joyful life with our children?
• Wouldn’t it be nice if today were the day to take this step?

Lori Shayew runs a Facebook group called The Gifts of Autism.  Tracie Carols, recently published Connor’s Gift:  Embracing Autism in This New Age.  Suzy Miller calls autism Awesomism.

All over the world people are seeing the best of today’s Uniquely Magnificent Children.  Many of these children have diagnosed communication or language disorders, yet they imbue in the adults life’s most profound lessons.

Lessons from Connor

In Connor’s Gift, his author-mother provides an intimate look into her journey parenting a Uniquely Magnificent Child.  My favorite parts of the book are Connor’s teachings that appear at the opening of each chapter.  Here are the first words shared:

I will mirror your difficulties just as I can mirror your enthusiasm.  Love me through my difficulties and know it will not always be like this.  Things are not always as they appear.  When you are angry or resentful, you are only hurting yourself.  Take time to laugh and enjoy life.  We are all here to enjoy each other and to enhance our experiences. (p. 7) MORE

Read about Day 1

Yesterday, I concluded my first of nine days alone after midnight.  I lay down sad and dejected, feeling as if I had not accomplished anything.

Though I had completed most of the items on my to-do list, I felt that I had not done enough.  Certain that this forecast total failure of my retreat, I was ready to throw in the towel and quit.  So much for my Quantum Leap. MORE

“I want to show you how the mind and body are not two but one – a single bodymind – and how every part of the body is the mind expressing itself through that part.  When something goes wrong it is usually a combination of both physical and psycho-emotional causes.”

Deb Shapiro in Your Body Speaks Your Mind:  Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages that Underlie Illness

“There is so much wisdom in your body,”

said the Reiki Master after my first Reiki session MORE

Why am I here?

What is the purpose of my life?

Why does this keep happening to me?

The date of your birth may answer these questions.

According to Dan Millman’s The Life You Were Born to Live:  A Guide to Finding Your Life Purpose, your Birth Number reveals the gifts and challenges with which you arrived on this planet. MORE

Time alone is a rare commodity for mothers.  Nine whole days of solitude is almost unimaginable.  Yet this is treasure before me.

I spent the past two weekends driving my children to camps and now find myself at our summer place with no one to wake me or demand food or attention.  Though there are other people around, I need only say hello or comment on the weather, so I declare myself on retreat. MORE

I first encountered homeopathy when my firstborn was teething.  I chose a combination remedy at the health food store and was amazed that the teething pain (and resulting screams) stopped within minutes of placing the remedy in her mouth.  I wanted to know more!

By the time my youngest child arrived, I’d learned enough about homeopathy to choose the correct remedy in most first aid situations.  With three young children, there were many opportunities to administer arnica (the remedy for bumps and bruises).  When injured, a toddler-aged Jay asked for “hakaka.”

Last week, Jay, now eight, said, “Mama, do you know how much I love that you went to homeopathy school?”  A few pellets of hypericum had instantly eased the pain in his scraped and hurting little toe.  “Because, you know,” he said with a shrug, “some moms wouldn’t have a way to make me feel better.” MORE

Through the years, my eating/feeding philosophy changed many times as I acquired new information.  I found “all or nothing” approaches difficult to maintain.  I like to be able to eat what is served when we are visiting family or friends or traveling.

At home, we eat mainly whole, organic foods, buying as many locally produced items as possible.  I enjoying preparing food for my family, but I also like to keep things simple.  Pizza night keeps me sane and eager to cook again.

There is no eating plan that suits every philosophy or family, but there are some guidelines that benefit almost everyone: MORE

When my children were young, experienced mothers offered these suggestions for the school to summer transition.

• “Schedule your doctor and dentist appointments for right after school gets out.  That’s what mothers-in-the-know do.”
• “Pick up summer bridge books to give your child a head start on the next grade level.”
• “Sign them up for lots of day camps to keep them busy.”

Memories of Summers Past

I had my own ideas of how summer should look, based on my idyllic childhood experience. MORE

“How high is an Olympic diving board?” Thaddeus asked one day as we were jumping off the dock into the lake.  “Let me check,” said my friend, pulling out her i-Phone.    A quick click and a few taps and we had the answer:  3 meter spring boards and 10 meter platforms.

“What do swans eat?” Jay asked a few minutes later, watching a pair swimming toward us with their cygnets.  I opened the browser on my Droid.  “Seaweed, insects, and snails,” I replied.

With the internet in our pockets, or at least easily accessible, most of us have instant access to much of the knowledge of the world.  We can answer almost any questions accurately by peering into our magic screens. MORE