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| (Go ahead, make the jokes- I've heard it before. Why yes, my name does rhyme with 'banana'. Umm-hmm... I was aware King Arthur had a sister named the same thing... Those kids in third grade were rather vocal about how weird my name is.) |
I would say something about how I'm a normal Wife,
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| Our wedding photo. Yep, we were married in blue jeans in a very casual ceremony that came to an abrupt end when I fell over laughing after my daughter announced loudly that she'd "farted". For what's it's worth, she was just a toddler and very surprised by our reactions to her announcement. |
and Mom,
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| Doc and Chaos. They might be five years apart, but have assured me that they're "best friends". And no, Chaos isn't his real name- it's just what happens when he's allowed to be alone for more than two minutes. |
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| Napoleon- nicknamed because she's obsessed with height (Chaos is taller than her despite being a few years younger). |
but there are very few things in my life that can be considered "normal".
For starters, I have fibromyalgia- a common syndrome in which people experience long-term, body-wide pain and tender points in joints, muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. So, I ache- a lot. Despite that, I get things done. There's no sitting down on the job where the kids are concerned.
Chaos has extreme ADHD. I've pulled him from the public school and we home school. When we go places, people often ask me "Can't you just control your kid?!?" There's no simple answer because in all honesty, having a kid with ADHD isn't about control. It's about having a lot of patience; about being firm but flexible; and about loving someone who can't even pay attention long enough for you to tell them.
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| Taking advantage of getting out of the house between snowstorms for some cocoa and pie. The place mat provided a surprisingly interesting impromptu lesson on Ancient Egypt. |
Doc has infantile scoliosis- an extremely rare form of scoliosis (curvature of the spine). In young children, scoliosis has the potential to be fatal simply because, if left untreated, the ribs won't allow enough expansion for the lungs and heart to grow properly. We've been through a year of casting and bracing, physical and occupational therapy to get to the point we're at right now- remission and growth. We're mindful that at any point in time his spine could decide to curve again. We've been extremely lucky.
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| The very first cast, which taught me to never take for granted how squishily-soft a child's hug can be. I never realized how much I'd miss it until he was stuck in casts and braces for a year. |
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| Despite both of their health issues, Chaos never wanted Doc to feel different for wearing a brace. These two always manage to find some sort of trouble to get into- and it's always together! |
Throughout each of our moves, I've had to take an assessment of our new homes and I've come to some conclusions:
- A home (for me, anyway) needs to be kid friendly. I set up safety equipment and decorate with my kids' needs in mind.
- A home needs to be easily cleaned. I plan spaces so that cleaning is done simply without fuss.
- A home needs to be fun.
- A home needs to be functional. I often spend the first two months just figuring out cabinets in my kitchen, moving things around until I can grab every item easily during the cooking process.
I hope my readers will join me as I attempt to showcase my own attempts, successes, and failures in making our temporary home feel just a permanent as a "forever home" will be.
