November 2015 - Praying for Parker

FREE Christmas Homeschooling Resources for Special Needs Families!

I’m kind of proud of myself. I’m getting this list of FREE Christmas Homeschooling Resources for Special Needs Families up before….you know…February. I’m super excited about this list of resources because I love exploring...

Published Mon, Nov 30 2015 8:19 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Reviews and Giveaways!, Life With Special Needs, special needs home schooling, Holiday Activities, Free Christmas Resources, FREE Christmas Printables, Free Homeschooling Resources

Granny Fudge: PLUS A $160 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Growing up, my mom used to tell me about the fudge she and her mom made when she was a little girl. She told me about having to cook it, bringing it to a rolling boil and stirring the living daylights out of it. Then taking it off the heat, and putting...

Published Fri, Nov 27 2015 7:15 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: From Scratch, giveaway, Holiday Activities, holiday recipes, homemade fudge recipe

Special Needs on a Frugal Budget: Thrive’s Black Friday Sale!

I’m a fan of deep pantries. A really big fan. I’ve written about it many times. I’m convinced that a well stocked pantry is like having money in the bank…..except with a much better interest rate as food prices only continue to...

Published Mon, Nov 23 2015 9:41 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: frugal living, prepping, prepping for hard times, Thrive Black Friday Sale, freeze dried food

Homemade Christmas Tree Ornaments for Kids

It’s the simplest of dough. Cornstarch. Baking soda. Water. You can add a bit of color and bling if you’d like. I added the slightest drop of blue food coloring and blue glitter to one batch, and opted to leave the other batch white with a...

Published Mon, Nov 23 2015 7:42 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Special Needs Homeschooling, Art Activities, sensory activities, crafts for kids, playdough, art for kids, Holiday Activities, christmas ornaments made from gluten free dough, gluten free play dough

Empathetic Kids with Special Needs

I just put my grandson down for a nap in his pack and play. He’s not too thrilled with the idea and is letting all of us know by screaming at the top of his lungs each and every one of his objections. It’s rough when all you want to do is...

Published Tue, Nov 17 2015 9:27 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Special Needs, Life With Special Needs, teaching kids empathy, intellectual delays, empathy

Buying toys for my kid with special needs.

We celebrated Parker’s birthday on Sunday. His actual birthday isn’t until Thursday, but Sunday was the only day everyone could be here. The cake was white, trimmed with blue frosting. Since Parker is allowed small (very small) bites of frosting...

Published Mon, Nov 16 2015 9:46 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Life With Special Needs, kids with special needs, toys for kids with special needs, learning how to play

Using Sticker Books to Increase Reading Vocabulary Words

Using sticker books to increase reading vocabulary words is brilliant. Seriously. Parker loves sticker books. He needs help with his fine motor skills. Kids with Down syndrome rely on repetition in their learning technique. With a little bit of prep,...

Published Sun, Nov 15 2015 8:47 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Special Needs Homeschooling, homeschooling, Life With Special Needs, SN Homeschooling, reading skills, vocabluary words

A Simple, Giftable, Fall Craft for Kids

I often work my way through a few online Facebook yard sale groups each day. Oh, the stuff that you can get for cheap that you never knew you needed. Sometimes, though, you can score a steal on something you’ve been hoping for but couldn’t...

Published Fri, Nov 13 2015 7:24 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: homeschooling, Life With Special Needs, Art Activities, sensory activities, occupational therapy, SN Homeschooling, fall craft, kid craft, simple fall craft

I’m going to carpe the hell out of this diem.

I’ve been trying to work my way through a recent experience. In the beginning there was excitement. I felt I had made my way to a Tribe committed to working together for the good of a local cause and together would take a stand and make a difference...

Published Thu, Nov 12 2015 7:51 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Advocacy, Life With Special Needs, carpe diem, life lessons

Special Needs on One Income: What’s in your Dehydrator?

I am a HUGE fan of dehydrating all the lovely goodness my garden produces each season. When I run out of that, you’ll find my beloved dehydrator chugging away with in season fruits and veggies picked up on sale. Bananas. Pineapples. Mangos. Kale...

Published Tue, Nov 10 2015 9:15 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: From Scratch, frugal living, prepping for hard times, Excalibur food dehydrator, frugal budget, one income

Meanness at the expense of my child with special needs.

What do you see when you see Parker? Last week, during a quick run in to Target, I overheard what a few women thought when they saw my son. Look! one woman exclaimed as Parker and I rolled our cart by. It’s a ret*rd! I’ll admit, it took a...

Published Tue, Nov 10 2015 9:22 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Advocacy, down syndrome, Life With Special Needs, Target, end the r-word, bullying

Fine Motor Skills: Teaching Boundaries

I continue the quest of perfecting Parker’s fine motor skills. Strengthening his fingers so that holding a pencil isn’t as hard of a task for him. Perfecting his grasp so that coloring and painting are more enjoyable. There’s a long...

Published Mon, Nov 09 2015 7:46 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Special Needs Homeschooling, Life With Special Needs, sensory activities, SN Homeschooling, teaching fine motor skills, pre-writing skills

Questions to ask when orienting a new nurse.

We are orienting a new nurse. We’ve done this before. Several times actually. Through this process we have secured some excellent nurses, such as Parker’s current nurse, Chris. We’ve also met with potential employees that simply weren’t...

Published Mon, Nov 02 2015 6:03 PM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Life With Special Needs, trachs, home nursing, trached kids, new nurse orientation

Siblings and kids with special needs.

They’d been planning this for the longest time, my Blue-Eyed Girl and Parker. Halloween would find her as Batman, and her little brother, Robin. Kind of fitting considering the Brave Hero theme that runs through our lives. Looking deeper, you’ll...

Published Mon, Nov 02 2015 7:57 AM by Praying For Parker

Filed under: Life With Special Needs