Five Favorites - Things I Like About Katy/Houston

I think it goes without saying that Austin is pretty much the coolest town in Texas. It just has its own quirky personality that you can feel the minute you arrive in the city limits.

I grew up outside of Houston so it's not like I'm a native Austinite. But Austin is where Ryan and I got married, where we lived for 15 years and pastored for 10 of those years, and where we raised our kiddos. so it just feels like home to me.

And living in Austin has spoiled me to other Texas cities.

But since our move last June, I'm discovering that Katy and Houston have a whole lot more to offer than I thought.

Here are five of my favorite things about this area, in no particular order.

1 - HOV lanes
      Two people counts for high occupancy so Birdie & I join the other commuters in the "fast lane" on the way to and from school. And even better? One of them practically runs straight from my doorstep to the driveway of Lily's school.

2 - Seafood
      It's everywhere and in all price ranges. And being just a teeny bit closer to Louisiana means we've got some great gumbo in these parts.

3 - Shopping
      Whatever I could possibly need or want, I swear there is a store (or multiple stores!) that sells it in this town. That's great.... but possibly dangerous, too.

4 - Rain and Thunderstorms
      I had forgotten just how much I love a good thunderstorm in the evening. And how enough rain makes for some great "goin' barefoot" grass. I even bought rain boots (see #3 up there) and have already gotten my money's worth!

5 - Major League Sports Teams
      I don't watch as much sports as the rest of my family but it's fun having local home teams like the Astros, Texans and Dynamo. Now if we could just get a hockey team down here, it would be the perfect sports city.
      And just in case you're wondering, we are die-hard Spurs fans in this house so you'll find no mention of the Rockets here.

I know that Houston has much more to offer, like amazing museums, live theater, the ballet, a great zoo, and the symphony just to name a few, so there's a whole lot more for us to discover.

I'm expecting to add more favorites to the list the longer we're here.

Your turn - what do you love about your city?

Five Favorites: Products That Make My Life Easier

As the mom of a special needs child, my time is precious.

So I'm always looking for products that make tasks easier so that I can spend my time doing things I really want to do.

Like take a nap.

So today, I'm going to share with you my five favorite products that make my life easier.

1.  A good eyelash curler, like this one from Shu Uemura.

For a long time, I kept switching mascaras, always dissatisfied with the results.  And the time it took to apply them.  Until someone reminded me that an eyelash curler makes even a mediocre mascara better.  Now it's a quick squeeze with the curler, a few swipes of mascara and boom.  D-O-N-E done.

2.  Windex Touch-Up



I discovered this at my mom's house over Thanksgiving break.  Just set this right beside your kitchen sink and anytime you need to do a quick wipe of the kitchen counters, just touch the top with a paper towel, swipe, and toss.  Easy as pie.

3.  Neutrogena Make-Up Remover Wipes




These wipes are a true time-saver.  I can take off my make-up in 30 seconds flat.  I don't even have to run hot water.

4.  Immaculate Baking Company's Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Cookie Dough



While I don't mind baking most of the time, special diets do generally require that most baking be done from scratch, especially if you want the best taste at the best price. But when I just don't have time or I just need a couple of cookies for Lily's lunch box, I reach for this cookie dough.  And bonus?  It's dairy free, too.  And so good that it will convert even the most hardened gluten lover.


5.  Aerolatte Handheld Milk Frother



Forget the fancy cappuccino/espresso machines that you need to a tutor to show you how to use.  A few seconds with this frother and I'm good to go.  It even works well just stirring things up - like half and half and chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream.  Not that I would personally know that.  You know... a friend told me.

Now it's your turn.  What products do you love that make life a little bit easier for you?  Do share!

Five Favorites: Blogs That Have Nothing To Do With Special Needs

I love finding a great blog.

One where I feel a "connection" with the writer because we have lots of things in common.  Where I get great information and news on things I love.

Basically, I love those blogs that make me feel like the writer and I could be friends "in real life".

Today, I thought I'd introduce you to some of my current favorite blogs.

Modern Mrs. Darcy - Anne is a compulsive reader who loves books.  And she's always recommending great ones.  When I'm looking for my next good read, I always head to MMD, knowing Anne won't let me down.

Of course, her blog is about more than books.  Anne puts a timely spin on timeless women's topics, with posts ranging anywhere from marriage tips, lessons on friendship, the wearing of make-up, what her homeschool schedule looks like, breastfeeding, better decision making, Myers-Briggs personality profiles, and more.

Cup of Jo - Joanna is former magazine writer who is now a full-time blogger living in New York City with her husband and two young sons.  Joanna writes about anything and everything, which means I often discover things I didn't even know I was interested in until I see it on her blog.  In my opinion, that's a sign of a great blog - stirring in me a desire to learn more about something I didn't know I wanted to learn more about.

For example, she's recently been doing a series titled "Surprising Things About Parenting in ____", featuring families raising children in places like in Abu Dhabi, India, Norway, Japan, and several other places.  It's been fascinating.  Joanna also always treats her readers to some great links every Friday, another favorite feature of mine.

* Keeley McGuire - Packing lunches for school is a challenge.  Add in packing lunch for a child who has allergies or is on a restricted diet and you have what can easily become pure drudgery.

Enter Keeley and her passion for making allergy-friendly food fun.  She has a refreshing and creative approach to packing lunches that are safe, healthy, fresh, and most of all, delicious.  I've gotten many a good idea for the Bird's school lunch from this blog.

* The Pleated Poppy - Lindsey sews, crafts, homeschools, and runs a home-based business.  In fact, I am the proud owner of two of her lovely infinity scarves.

While I like everything Lindsey writes, my favorite posts are her "What I Wore Wednesday" ones.  Each Wednesday, Lindsey posts pictures of outfits she wore the past week.  She started the series as a way to encourage herself (and her readers) to take a few minutes each day to ditch the yoga pants and just get dressed.

I like these posts because Lindsey shops most frequently at the three stores I myself shop at most frequently - Target, Forever 21, and Old Navy.  And because of this, it's not uncommon for me to own some of the same clothes as Lindsey.  I like to see how she puts them together because it often gives me another way of wearing what's already hanging in my closet.

* The Motherload - Growing from Amy Allen Clark's website MomAdvice, The Motherload is a blog full of tips on food, crafts, travel, saving money, organizing, and my personal favorite, reading.  Amy is a fellow book lover so this is another online resource I turn to when I've finished a book and can't decide what to read next.

What about you?  Got a favorite blog?  I mean, besides this one.  Obvi. 

For those of us who are Facebook friends, I know my status this morning promised you a couple of fun little surprises on the blog.  Well, they're not quite ready yet so we'll save it for another day. And the anticipation builds....

"The Confessional - Edition Sleeping In"

So, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to add a few new little features to the blog these days.

One that you might have noticed is "Five Favorites", in which I list five of my current favorite things.  You know, important things like special needs books, special diet cookbooks, and summer shoes.  OK, maybe not every five favorites post is filled with important stuff but you can certainly count on it to be filled with fun and hopefully helpful stuff.

The other feature I'd like to start is "The Confessional", in which we come clean about the areas of our lives that don't show up on Pinterest.  Or we bare it all about how hard raising a special needs child can be.  Or we rant and rave about important real-world issues, like why Chick-fil-a stopped making the Southwest Char-grilled Chicken Salad (I'm looking at you, Ashley!) or how hard it is to find good make-up once you hit the big 4-0.  Or the big 4-4, in my case.

I've got some other fun things in mind that I think you'll enjoy as well.

But I can't reveal them all at once.  Y'all would just die from the excitement.  I'm taking things slow for your health and safety.  You're welcome.

Sometime, I'd love to re-do the blog just a bit and add some tabs so you can easily access these new features.  But that's a project for another day.  Or never.  We'll see.

Any-who, here's the topic for today's "The Confessional - Edition Sleeping In".

Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.  Sometimes, I let my school-age child sleep in on school mornings.  Meaning they will be tardy for school.  And I don't really even care.

OK - I've only done this twice in an entire year of kindergarten.

Which I personally think deserves a medal of some kind but whatever.

Sometimes, our kiddos, special needs or not, just need a few extra zzzz's.  Maybe they had a hard time falling asleep and were still awake at midnight.  Maybe they had a rough night and woke up for a couple of hours and couldn't fall back asleep.  Or maybe they woke up at 5 AM in their cold and lonely bed, got into Mom and Dad's bed, and fell back asleep, all cozied up and snuggly.  And were sleeping so soundly and peacefully, you just couldn't bear to wake them up.  So you gave them an extra 30 minutes, understanding that one tardy is typically not the first step to more serious crimes.

Actually, I don't know that for sure.  I've never interviewed prisoners and asked them if their lives of crime all began with a single tardy in kindergarten.

Maybe it did.

But it's a risk I'm just going to take.

Every now and then.

Because really, what person couldn't excuse the occasional tardy from a kid this dang cute??

Now it's your turn.  Got a "sleeping in confession" of your own?  Do tell.  Your secret is safe here.

Five Favorites: Special Diet Cookbooks

One thing that often accompanies a special needs diagnosis is the recommendation of some type of special diet.  It seems like Bird has been on some kind of dietary regimen since the age of three.  We started with the gluten-free/casein-free diet, then moved to a modified Feingold diet, and now we are on the paleo diet.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not 100% sure that any of these diets have given us the kind of results that many people claim to witness in their kids.  But I will say a couple of things regarding diets:

1.  The one positive change I know I saw in Lily that was totally the result of a food restriction was when we removed dyes from her diet.  I saw a marked difference in her behavior.  She was more calm and focused on tasks.  I highly recommend that if you do nothing else, you consider eliminating dyes and see if you get the same results.

2.  Since beginning the paleo diet about eight months ago now, I know that I myself feel better.  Ryan has lost about 40 pounds and has kept the weight off without starving or feeling deprived.  While neither of us has celiac disease, I don't think we realized how wheat and whole grains were affecting us, from feeling bloated around the midsection to the ups and downs in our energy levels.  I'm going to assume that if the both of us feel better, than Lily must, too.

3.  Lastly, while I may not be seeing miraculous results like removing wheat then hearing my child speak her first word, I am confident that I am healing her from the inside out by making smart food choices that will set her up for a healthy life.

Now, on to the cookbooks.

Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone is one of those unique cookbooks where not one of the recipes I've made has been bad.  Filled with lots of gluten-free/casein-free treats, this is one cookbook that you won't regret purchasing.

Special Diets for Special Kids - Volumes 1 & 2 by Lisa Lewis was the first cookbook I purchased when we decided to try the gluten-free/casein-free diet for the Bird.  Not only does it have good recipes, it also thoroughly explains why the GFCF diet works for well for so many special needs kids.

Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan is a great book for those embarking on the Paleo diet.  In the first few pages of the cookbook, Melissa explains her time saving "weekly cook-ups" and that alone is worth the cost of the book.  

The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam is another good option for "paleo people".  While there are recipes for entrees, my favorites are the baked goods.

If you'd like to try a special diet but are a little confused on where to begin, this book just might be the perfect starting point.  Eating for Autism - The 10 Step Nutrition Plan to Help Treat Your Child's Autism, Asperger's, or ADHD by Elizabeth Strickland lays it all out in an easy to follow format, allowing time between steps so you determine what works and what doesn't work for your child.

So what about you?  Do you have a cookbook that you turn to over and over again to help with a special diet of some kind?  Please share!  I'm always on the lookout for great recipes.

Five Favorites - Summer Shoes

So.

Today's post has absolutely not one single thing to do with special needs.

But sometimes, a blogger just needs to take a minute to address really important issues when they surface.  Those things that have a significant impact on our culture today.  Those topics that really say something about society as a whole.

Things like... shoes.

Easter has come and gone.  Which for us true Southern belles means we can now safely wear our white pants.

And I got a pedicure week before last.

So Easter + pedicure = summer shoes!

Here are five of my favorite summer shoes.  Or, to clarify, my five favorites at this moment.  Who knows what next month will bring?

First, for the ridiculously expensive - the Donald J Pliner Fifi sandal:

They even have a ridiculously expensive name.  Fifi.  Really?

I've had my eye on the black or bronze pair for three summers now but just can't bring myself to pay $160 for a pair of what are basically glorified flip-flops.  I mean, do you know how many hours of speech therapy that would pay for?  Oh wait.  On second thought, that's only about one hour of therapy so not such a great comparison.  Never mind.  Does it make them worth the price if I said they would be for church?  Didn't think so.

Next up - the Sam Edelman Gigi sandal:

OK.  What is it with me and ridiculous sandal names?  Fifi.  Gigi.  Sounds more like names of poodles.

Any-who, I wanted these last summer but again, the price is just more than I really want to spend for so little shoe.  $65 for a pair of boots or running shoes?  Yes.  $65 for tiny little strips of leather and a sole? Not so much.

For those days when the pedicure is not looking so hot, how about these cute little French tennis flats:

Just so you know, I feel about one hundred times hipper just saying "French tennis flats".  And also?  That's elastique on the top of them, not to be confused with elastic.  I love the colors and the ease of just slipping them on when you're running out the door.  But alas, my refined taste once again exceeds my budget.  These cute things are about $55 a pair.

OK, y'all ready for this?

Red. Polka dots.  $40 at Macy's.  Come on.  Do I really need to say more?

But, truth be told, I spend the bulk of my summer in flip-flops.  Granted, they are leather flip-flops which makes them as nice as flip-flops can be.  And my all-time favorites are Reef Uptowns:

Not the prettiest shoe around.  No elastique.  Or polka dots.  Or ridiculous poodle-y sounding name.   Just good old comfortable shoes that I can say have lasted me three summers now.  Coming in at around $35, that's a pretty good price per wear average.

So what about you?  Are you thinking about summer shoes or is it still cold where you are?  Got your eye on something cute for summer?  Do share!  Because honestly - is there really any lady out there who doesn't love shoes?

Five Favorites: Special Needs Books

I am a total bookworm.

I love books.

I mean, I love books.

Probably a tiny bit too much.

But hey, there are worse vices in life, right?

And I've gotten over my need to own ALL THE BOOKS and I actually utilize the library quite often these days.

Today, I thought I'd share with you my top five favorite special needs books - the ones that helped me in the early days of diagnosis, the ones that inspire me, and the ones that I reach for time and again.  Maybe a few are familiar to you?

1.  Mother Warriors by Jenny McCarthy.  I know what you're thinking.  I'm not a huge Jenny fan either but this book gave me hope that I myself, just a little ol' mom, could take on whatever challenges were before me and conquer them.  Pretty motivational stuff.

2.  How to be a Sister: A Love Story with a Twist of Autism by Eileen Garvin.  This book gave me a unique look into how my big girls might feel about having a special needs sibling and what the future could look like for all of them.

3.  The Myth of Autism by Dr. Michael Goldberg.  The book that answered so many of my questions about Lily, ultimately gave us her real diagnosis, and confirmed that she does not have autism.  This book is the reason Lily is a patient of Dr. Goldberg's today.

4.  The Out of Sync Child (and companion book The Out of Synch Child Has Fun) by Carol Stock Kranowitz.  Introduced me to the concept of sensory processing and showed me all kinds of "out of the box" ways to engage Lily in play.

5.  The Everyday Advocate by Areva Martin, Esq.  This book continually teaches me how to stand up for Lily, how to assert myself, and how to get some results.  Some pretty good how-to's there, don't you think?

Got some more to add to the list?  Leave a comment and share it with everyone.  There's power in being informed.

Have a terrific weekend, my lovely readers.

Five Favorites - Plus One for the Bird

I don't know about you but I love sharing my favorite things with friends, introducing them to fun stuff I've recently discovered and fallen in love with.

Here are five things I'm loving right now:

1.  The Chief Inspector Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny.  

Good clean mysteries.  I am totally and completely captivated by these books.

Click here to see them for yourself.

2.  My Erin Condren Life Planner.

Seeing this happy little spiral in my purse just makes me smile.  And Ryan is happy because I'm actually using a calendar!

Click here to see all kinds of fun products.

3.  These free printable to-do lists. 

Tsh Oxenreider over at Simple Mom calls them Pocket Dockets.

Click here to print your own.

4.  Ball Plastic Freezer Jars.

Perfect for smoothies.  Just fill and freeze.  Set out to thaw and in the morning, just grab and go.

Want some? Click here.

5.  Vanilla Bean Soy Candles from Target.

This picture shows a jar candle but I buy mine in a big lidded tin.  Inexpensive, smells good, and burns clean.

Wouldn't it be fun to pack up a few of your favorite things like this....

from My Sister's Suitcase

and bless a friend for no reason at all?  I know I wouldn't say no to a bag of goodies.

Got some favorites of your own?  Some goodies that make you happy?  Well, by all means, tell me about them.  I want to know!

At the moment, one of the Bird's favorite things to do is play outside.  She comes in from school and goes straight to the backyard.  Right now, that kid is all over a good playground.  And with this beautiful Austin weather, I'm sure we'll be able to indulge her new favorite activity a time or two this weekend.

Hope you get a chance to enjoy some of your favorite things, too.

See you Tuesday!