Following my heart and not selling out is all well and good, but at some point I would like to be out of debt.  This year my resolution is to get smart about money and vanquish my bills.  There is great advice, tools, tips and daily inspiration available here:

http://www.dplassociates.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=142

Looking back on my special needs child's year

As the year draws to a close it’s a great time to appreciate the achievements your child has accomplished during the past twelve months, no matter how small they may seem to others. It’s also a good time to regroup and look to the future – break a large goal into smaller steps and praise each step (or stumble) along the way.

8 amazing achievements from my special needs child’s 8th year of life:

1. She is finally sleeping through the night. Not every night, and not even most nights, but once or twice a week I am actually able to get a full night of rest…unless one of her brothers has an issue, or an illness, or a nightmare….meanwhile, I need to shop for some extra strength under eye concealer.

Read more at http://www.examiner.com/article/8-amazing-achievements-from-my-special-needs-child-s-8th-year-of-life

Mac and Cheese with a healthy boost

Isn't it gorgeous??  Found a great recipe today thanks to Ellen Seidman and her great blog, Love That Max. This is Macaroni and 4 Cheeses, and after reading the recipe I headed out to get some ingredients!  Of course the real test will be tonight when I serve it to DH and the Beloved Offspring...stay tuned!

Halloween costumes for special needs kids 2012

Head on over to my Examiner site to read the updated Halloween costumes for special needs kids 2012. Pediatric Safety asked if they could run my Top 5 Halloween candy alternatives article - check all their great guest bloggers and articles!

Napoleon's Macarons are gluten free and heavenly

A while ago I wrote an article about gluten free foods and mentioned Napoleon's Macarons. As we once again descend into holiday madness I just wanted to give another shout out to these amazing little morsels. I don't know how anything can be so rich and yet so light at the same time. You don't have to be eating gluten free to mouthgasm over these creations. The vibrant colors lend themselves to all sorts of holidays and edible decorations, but the taste and texture will truly impress you. Bring a box to your next gathering so you know you have something truly incredible to enjoy, or send a box to your favorite gluten free person for their next birthday or occasion - you will earn major points. Bon appetit!

Top 5 Halloween candy alternatives 2012

Childhood obesity is now called an epidemic, and many special needs kids have very specific dietary needs so lots of parents and caregivers, not to mention dentists, cringe at the idea of a pillowcase filled with candy on Halloween. There are a growing number of children who have medical conditions, dietary restrictions and/or whose caregivers take a radical anti-sugar or organic approach to life, so non-candy offerings can really help these little ones (and not-so-little ones) enjoy the holiday, too. Many times I see the ghouls and goblins that darken my doorstep getting even more excited about the non-candy treats I pass out than if I were to give them yet another pumpkin-shaped confection or lollipop. I’m happy to say that more and more alternatives to candy are appearing in stores and in my kids’ Halloween haul. Here are some ideas for non-candy Halloween treats.

Read the entire article here: http://www.examiner.com/article/top-5-halloween-candy-alternatives

ThinkFun educational games help special kids learn and play

Most educators and therapists know that learning and therapy that is presented in the form of play is much more effective and engaging than straight drilling. Toy company ThinkFun knows this and has many games and puzzles that challenge the mind and body while being fun and productive. The company website even has a section specifically for special needs kids, as well as a great chart of their products and exactly which skills are involved. The company believes so strongly in educational playing that it will even replace a game piece for free!

Read more about their products here: http://www.examiner.com/review/thinkfun-educational-games-help-special-needs-kids-learn-and-play

Anybook Reader is a great tool for special needs kids

Just in time for going to back to school, I had the chance to review the AnyBook Reader by Franklin Electronics. You've probably seen those adorable recordable books at Hallmark and other stores. The AnyBook Reader takes that idea one step further...actually, many steps further.

Read the entire review at:

http://www.examiner.com/review/anybook-reader-is-a-great-tool-for-special-needs-kids

Guilt-Free, Gluten-Free Desserts

Learn how to burn fat, reduce sugar, lose weight and more with gluten-free, low glycemic recipes and how-to's that will have you looking - and FEELING - great!  Lots of extras added!

Click Here!

For the love of a pug...

Hey, our neighbor Maggie the Pug has been fighting cancer for several months now. She's doing well but as you can imagine this is an expensive fight! I set up a Cafe Press store filled with adorable pug items that are great for gifts and useful in many areas of life. Check it out!

Top 5 Trick or Treat Candy Alternatives

With childhood obesity on the rise it's easy to see why some parents and caregivers and most dentists cringe at the idea of a pillowcase filled with chocolates, gummies and sours on Halloween. Candy may never completely be eliminated from this holiday, and as long as it is consumed in moderation by children who are getting enough exercise, practicing good oral hygiene and an otherwise balanced diet this mom doesn't want to take it out of the orange-and-black picture entirely. But with everyone from neighbors to local stores throwing handfuls of sweets at my kids I do like to offer alternative ideas to my children as well as the trick-or-treaters who seem to come in bus loads through our neighborhood.

There are also many children who have medical conditions, dietary restrictions and/or whose caregivers take a radical anti-sugar approach to life, so non-candy offerings can really help these little ones (and not-so-little ones) enjoy the holiday, too. Many times I see the ghouls and goblins on my doorstep getting even more excited about the non-candy treats I pass out than if I were to give them yet another pumpkin-shaped confection or lollipop. Here are my suggestions for the Top 5 Trick or Treat Candy Alternatives. Feel free to use my list to inspire you to come up with your own ideas.

Top 5 Trick or Treat Candy Alternatives

1. Trading Cards - whether it's good old-fashioned baseball cards or one of the current trendy card lines like Bakugan for boys or Bella Sera for girls, a pack of trading cards has a lot of possibilities inside that small package. Some trading card battle games even help kids practice math, memory and classification skills, which is certainly sweet. Small decks of playing cards or card games are also available in packs of party favors and offer long-term play value instead of a quick sugar rush.

2. Pencils - most school districts are struggling with budget cuts and lack of funding. Halloween or other themed pencils are inexpensive and can be used to add interest to long school days and even longer homework assignments - look for pencils decorated with cartoon characters, sparkly glitter, space aliens, sports teams and much more. Again, pencils can be bought in packages meant for party favors or even in bulk from party stores and office supply shops. Also in this category are small note pads, erasers, activity and coloring books and crayons.

3. Bubbles - you might think bubbles only appeal to the younger set but I've seen even tweens have a blast blowing these around and at each other. It's also a favorite pre-concert and nightclub activity, making tweens feel a bit like the big kids.

4. Temporary tattoos - you can find these in Halloween designs, superheroes, princesses, clever sayings and much more.

5. Stickers - kids love to cover themselves in these, which is why doctors, dentists and teachers always have them at the ready as rewards.

As you can see, you really do have many alternative choices instead of candy this treat-or-treat season - this list is only the beginning. Modeling clay, bracelets, glow sticks, stamps, bookmarks, key chains....the list just might be endless and is limited only by your imagination. Happy Halloween!

A Way With Words

The other night we watched Pinocchio. The Blue Fairy spoke to Jiminy Cricket, who blushed and got all flustered. Beloved Offspring #3 laughed at the screen, then turned to me and shared his amusement by observing, "He got in loved."

Earlier in the day an unfortunate squirrel met his end in the middle of our street. Someone had moved him to the side of the road, and Beloved Offspring #3 assisted me in laying him to rest in our trash can. Meanwhile Beloved Offspring #1 fretted about what would happen if the squirrel came back to life, and if zombies could somehow possibly be real. In another classic turn of phrase, Beloved Offspring #3 wiggled his fingers at his big brother and said in a scary voice, "dead squiiiiiirreeeeeel." Beloved Offspring #1 hid under a blanket. I took cover in the hallway so none of my brood would see me laughing.

Garden Update

Sadly, our pretty little garden got singed in the summer sun. So much for home-grown veggies this year!

Sins of the Mother

It is about six weeks before Beloved Offspring turns 8, and tonight he dropped his first F-Bomb. I blame myself and my Native New York mouth. But I still sent him to his room.

Rooting Memories

Between the rising cost of groceries and the long stretch of summer ahead of me, I decided it was time to start a vegetable garden. Most parenting gurus suggest getting kids involved with growing vegetables as a way to teach them about healthy eating choices, as well as a great way to learn about science and nature – all while getting some fresh air and exercise. That all sounded like a good deal to me, so I started plotting my garden plot.

This was not my first attempt at growing something. When my son was two years old many other mothers (and mothers-in-law) told me how much little boys loved to dig and that a garden would keep him busy and exploring for hours. That didn’t happen. Instead, he was off and running everywhere EXCEPT the garden area and I was usually chasing after him. That year all the gardening chores fell to my disgruntled husband.

I skipped the next year due to the arrival of our twins. I think I skipped the year after that as well – I don’t remember much from those doubly sleep-deprived days and nights. Last year we grew a lone tomato plant in a container, and it was somewhat of a success so I thought we were ready for a bigger project (but not too big).

I researched larger container gardens, hoping to avoid back spasms by avoiding too much digging. My first attempt, sunflowers grown on a pallet covered with newspaper and potting soil, were thwarted by my still-disgruntled husband. He didn’t like my placement and didn’t think it would work anyway. I did some more research.

My kids and I decided on a do-able goal of four crops, and then we re-purposed some wood from our pallet as our border. We tilled our four-by-four area (well, I tilled it while my kids played tag and hide-and-go-seek) and then re-tilled when my husband declared it wasn’t deep enough. I think my kids may have actually picked up a shovel or a hoe at some point, so I considered it a victory. After field trips to two different garden stores we had plants, seeds and organic gardening soil and hit the dirt. My oldest dug holes while my youngest carefully urged the plants out of their plastic pots and my daughter stood by with a miniature rake ready to finish the job. We even added some marigolds in the hopes of warding off some insects.

Although the prep work had taken me a few weeks and the actual time we all spent gardening together was only about ten minutes I was still thrilled with our success. My children and I actually worked together to put together a garden! Now every day or so during the summer we will head out before it gets too hot to weed, feed and water our plants as we work toward a harvest – I hope.

An Only child

In my Child Development class last night we were told to break up into groups based on birth order - oldest, middle or youngest. I was the only only child. How ironic.

Inner Thoughts of a Toddler

There is nothing more exciting on the entire playground than a swing. Don’t even bother me about the stupid slide, I’m swinging.

The most overrated word in the English language is “share.”

Someone else’s toy is always more fun – even if I have the same exact one at home.

Sometimes mommies need a time out, too.

Being stood up hurts, even if it’s just for a playdate.

No trip to the playground is complete without making at least one Sand Angel.

Mommy says sand is very hard to get out of toddler hair. Why would she want to get it out??

Sham-Wow ... WOW!

Check out my recently published content on AC:

How Sham Wow Saved My Daughter's Rug

Confessions of a Soccer Mom

Check out my recently published content on AC:

The Confessions of a Soccer Mom