We have been getting a lot of packages lately. Some are from family for upcoming birthdays, others from ourselves. One such package arrived in a very large box and with far too many packing peanuts. I’m not obsessed with cleaning, or even keeping things clean. I like order and I like when things are spotless, but I understand the reality that with 2 small kids, ‘clean’ doesn’t last very long.

So, I’m a realist, you could say. In any case, when this particular package arrived and was unpacked, the first thing both kids wanted to do was play in the peanuts. Oh no. That will be a seriously terrible mess and I do not want to clean that up. That is what I was thinking, but I didn’t say it. I could see the light in D’s eyes, the light that says “I need to explore this. I have to know what this will feel like.” D is my sensational 3-year-old. He is always inquisitive, curious and loves laughter. What he does not always love is a mess. Especially when that mess is all over his body, on his hands, his face or any part of his head. If you touch a part of his face you didn’t mean to, and he wasn’t ready for it, expect a meltdown Titanic iceberg style. Epic – that’s what we call these meltdowns in our house.

But D saw the box and despite his anxieties about textures and messes, he really wanted to try it out. So I agreed that they could play in the box, “just please try to keep them indside the box, okay?” Okay, Mom. Miss Em dug right in. If she was SPD, she would be a seeker, hands down. She will try almost anything. D was more cautious. First just a hand into the box. Then he pulled out a peanut and squished it in his hand. He didn’t care for the ‘squeak’ sound it made, but he quickly took a breath and went in for more. Two hands now, then full arms into the box, stirring them around, mixing the peanuts all over. …continue reading

Sometimes, when I was younger, I pondered about being a mom. I never really thought it was one of the first things I wanted to do. I dreamed of being a traveling painter and experiencing and expressing the world in color, texture and shape and although I have been able to explore and achieve some of those goals, it wasn’t meant to be as a lifelong endeavor. Instead, I have been able to marry a wonderful man and am now the mother of two beautiful children; a boy and girl. People tell me I am lucky that I got one of each, and really, I am lucky…period. I never imagined that being a mom would be so truly rewarding and fulfilling! Although my children are still very young, I have found that being a mom is one of my most prized roles and I have been able to begin to share my passion for life (and art) with my children (and husband). And that has brought more joy to me than anything I could have imagined (even selling a million paintings).

However, since my oldest, our daughter, was born, there have been things about her that just weren’t….”normal”. Although I HATE using that word. She will be turning three this year and was just diagnosed with SPD. …continue reading