Day 1

Like all bloggers, I have a starting point. Today is my starting point. Turning over a new leaf. Taking a leap of faith. Whatever you want to call it - I've put all my eggs in one basket, and if one falls out it will all go to crap. So in celebration, I'm going to (attempt) to start blogging as frequently as I can. I hope I can be a resource. A "hey, this lady gets me" kind of page that parents turn to. A source of laughter - maybe even a source of tears. Welcome. Visit. Stay.

Jip is 4. He's a fireball, simply put. So very, very sweet in his core, but hot to the touch. He's a wild, crazy mix of emotions, and is my pure source of exhaustion every day. Every. Day. I love him fiercely and defensively. Every good thing I want to do in this world is in him. I've been through a slew of diagnoses with him - from "oh, he's a normal boy" to Autism to ADHD, SPD, Aphasia and Dysgraphia (our most current, and I feel final, diagnosis). Jip currently does occupational and physical therapy twice a week and is currently in speech therapy evaluation.

JD is 2. What a loving, relaxed guy he is. In all honesty, he is what keeps me sane and grounded at the end of the day (as does my husband). When my whole day has gone to hell, I can snuggle up in his soft, squishy rolls and let all my fears go. His heart is my safe place and I thank God for him every day. He is absolutely opposite from my Jip and I can't believe two boys who came from the exact same set of DNA could be so very, very different. JD is neurotypical.

I am an Air Force Wife by day, and a sonographer on the weekends. I left a M-F 8-5 job that most healthcare workers dream of to be at home during the day for my boys. Originally it was just to take them to school and pick them up, but I have made the massive and absolutely horrifying decision to homeschool. Growing up I never thought of ADHD as a disability or anything to even be remotely concerned about. I knew kids with it and heard all the adults whisper about how it's a catch all diagnosis and all these kids really need is some good discipline and stability. I'm here to end this thought process. These kids ARE disciplined. They DO come from stability. They come from loving homes where parents work hard physically and mentally. And they are also massively under served in the school community.

In this blog I hope to be a comical relief and resource to homeschooling mommas of special needs kiddos. Come and read with a light heart. I don't know what I'm doing here, so there are bound to be quite a few mistakes along the way. I won't hold back in revealing those to you. Again - this is real.

Today was Day 1 of my new adventure. We really did absolutely nothing. The boys got way too much screen time, refused to eat their broccoli at lunch, and laid in the (super quiet, not busy) street. I let JD lay on the skateboard and use his hands to push himself along - all while praying for his little chubby fingers. Jip literally RAN around our whole block (which is a biggin') and the whole time I prayed God would give me some of that endless energy of his. All in all I'd say it was a win though. Jip had no real meltdowns or tantrums, and took a nap with little resistance. Of course we had our almost daily visit to the rehab facility where Jip has his therapy, and JD got his 50 cent bag of popcorn.

Tomorrow we have 4 appts to go to, so I expect it to be not-so-fun, but we will see. I'm positive I will have a lot to report back on.

To my family, I hope this keeps you as up to date as you could ever be on what's going on in our home. We love you so very much and I wish we had more time to visit with you all. One day the chaos will settle.

Peace, love and internet hugs.