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How Being a Cancer Mom Prepared Me for Social Distancing
In Januuary 2016, my then six year old daughter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. We were swept up unexpectedly into a world we knew nothing about. I had to quit my part time job and neglect my thriving etsy shop and graphic design blog. Homeschooling changed and looked different. We were uprooted from all things normal and given a new temporary normal. She had surgery to remove the tumor at the end of January 2016. Within two weeks, we were given the news that the tumor was malignant and we had been accepted into St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. At the time, I had no idea where St.…
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Walking Through Grief with Teens
My family is not unfamiliar with grief and sorrow and suffering. We have experienced it first hand. We know what it is to be on the receiving end of condolences and do-gooders. The older I get, the more I realize that grief is but a breath away. Sorrow and suffering linger close. My children experienced walking through the death of their grandfather in December. His health had declined over the course of a couple of years and they watched him struggle. Just last week, a dear friend of ours passed away after a seven year battle with cancer. We have really only known him for the last four years. Our…
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As the Sun Sets on Summer
Do you remember in the days before social media and the internet how you would come back to the school in the fall, ready to share with your friends about all the things you did over the summer? There was no Instagram or Facebook or Snapchat to document all the things you did and ate. You had a break from the rhythm of school to reset and recharge. I remember returning to college each year and being so excited to find my friends and talk about all the things. Email was becoming more common… but cell phones still weren’t the norm… people didn’t text all the time. Ah… those days…
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The Redemption of Spring
I have not been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but I am pretty sure that is only because I have not gone to anyone who would be qualified to give that diagnosis. According to what I have read in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), I am pretty sure I check all the boxes. My daughter was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in January 2016. She had surgery to remove the tumor, six weeks of radiation, and four months of chemo. I often tell people it was like our life changed tracks. Like we were set on an alternate plane of reality. It was also…
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That Time I Didn’t Realize My Kid Was Getting Braces
Also titled… “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for Mom Guilt” I took my daughter to her orthodontist appointment last month. She has been using a retainer for the last few months to help correct a crossbite and also make room in her mouth for her giant adult teeth. I’m not kidding. Each one of her top two adult teeth knocked out two baby teeth. My kids all look like my husband, but one trait they got from me is a tiny mouth. As a kid, I had to have quite a few teeth removed because there was not enough room for all of them. I had surgery the month before her…
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Three Years Later: Our Cancer Story
On this day three years ago, we took my then 6 year old to the hospital for an MRI. She had been experiencing headaches, lethargy, lack of appetite and nausea. (PLEASE NOTE: THESE SYMPTOMS DO NOT ALWAYS EQUAL CANCER… I am not a healthcare professional. Please do not use our story to diagnose your child. If you have concerns, please seek professional help). I had fought for that MRI. Her symptoms started Christmas day, almost a month before. I had taken her to the doctor, thinking he would order a vision exam or something like that. At that point, her only symptom was headaches. Her doctor believed she was experiencing…
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This is Twelve
My second child turned twelve today. She is my first girl. The girl I never knew I would have because I just knew I was going to be a boy mom. I was determined the ultrasounds were wrong. I had heard stories of people expecting girls who ended up with boys and I just knew that was going to be my story. But she came and she rocked my world and turned it upside down. One of her birthday requests this morning was to go on a coffee date to Starbucks with me. We headed out and I asked if she felt different now that she is twelve. She said…
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Welcome to the Delight Directed Homeschooler
Welcome to the Delight Directed Homeschooler. Wait? What? Another homeschool blog??? Yes. That is exactly what is happening. I have the privilege of being in community with several homeschool families. The homeschool association where we are members serves over 200 families. And guess what? Not one of those homeschools look the same. We all have our own style, our own twist, our own giftings that play out in the day to day of homeschooling. So… yes! This is just another homeschool blog? But it will be different because I am different. I hope that you will join me in sharing this journey with it’s ups and downs and in betweens.…
