Monday, January 06, 2020

Resolutions

I’m resolving to be calmer this year, to not look for problems, to count blessings and be grateful, and ... yeah, that’s realistic. Think I could probably give up coffee easier than I could give up worrying. In a Parenting Roundabout episode recently, I advised new parents to not look ahead for problems but enjoy their children right where they are, and man, that’s good advice. How I wish I could follow it. I’m trying to tell myself that anxiety over things that might happen, from the probable to the unlikely, is making me miserable now when it might never get a chance to make me miserable later, and what’s up with that. Stop it! I’m trying to practice meditative prayer and gratitude to get my mind off its but what about this terrible thing that could maybe happen? track. If I’m going to constantly live with projections of the future, how about some good projections, like, but what if I manage to be peaceful and hopeful and in the moment for twelve months? Could happen. I bought a fancy gratitude journal and everything, so obviously I’m going to be successful. What are you optimistically deluding yourself about right now? 
Posted by Terri Mauro at 8:07 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Recently on the Parenting Roundabout Podcast

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.

Listen to these episodes and subscribe to get all our episodes right in your podcast player of choice.
Posted by Terri Mauro at 4:51 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, October 08, 2019

Tweeting the Nourished Festival

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.
Posted by Terri Mauro at 9:07 AM 0 comments

Monday, September 23, 2019

Going Snacking at ... Um, Reporting from the Nourished Festival

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. (Like I did last year.) I'll be going again October 5-6, but this time the name has been changed to the Nourished Festival, 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 pass or a discount. Otherwise, check @roundaboutchat on Twitter October 5-6 for my dispatches.


Posted by Terri Mauro at 2:54 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Can You Help? Parent Seeks GED Advice

A member of the 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 learning or online courses, or to get his G.E.D. No matter what I choose, though, I'm anticipating a few false starts (school REALLY didn't work well for him).
Has anyone else travelled along this route? Is there someone I could talk to who might be able to facilitate our efforts?
Do you have some insight to share? Come join the group to share knowledge on this and other work-related topics, or comment on this post.
Posted by Terri Mauro at 11:52 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, July 02, 2019

Adoption and Special Needs on the Parenting Roundabout Podcast

Have you been listening to me blather on the Parenting Roundabout Podcast? I'm having fun every weekday chatting with my cohosts Catherine Holecko and Nicole Eredics on all things parenting and being a parent—subscribe on Apple Podcasts 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:

• Saying Too Much (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 doesn't through up the stop sign until after your mouth has stopped moving. Been there, cringing at having done that.

• Four Things That Define Us (6/26/19): A bag with four things we want people to know? I'd have loved that for IEP meetings.

• Roundabout Roundup: (6/21/19): I talked about our experience at the NJ Special Olympics as part of our weekly picks episode.

• Ambiguous Kid-Speak (6/19/19): Most kids say "fine" in a way that could mean anything, but when you have a kid with FASD, ambiguous speech jumps to a whole new level.

• Roundabout Roundup (6/7/19): My pick for the week is a web series about accessible architecture.

Listen in!
Posted by Terri Mauro at 11:08 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

Let's Talk About Our Kids and Their (Lack of) Jobs on Facebook

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, you still totally can.)
Posted by Terri Mauro at 10:35 AM 0 comments