Give away time is here again! As usual we want to say thank you to all of the parents and grandparents who have become part of our community. We appreciate everything that you do! Giving away free copies of books written by our parent-authors is the perfect way to say thank you.
This week we’re giving away three copies of Margaret Meder’s book: Uncommon Beauty-Crisis Parenting from Day One.
Parents of children with special healthcare needs face many challenges. Uncommon Beauty – Crisis Parenting from Day One is the guidebook written by a mom who’s been there. It contains over 100 tips covering diverse topics such as dealing with insurance companies, setting up a schedule, advocating for your child, and staying positive. Each tip includes current information and an excerpt from Meder’s journal when Evan was very young. Margaret delivers specific, pragmatic strategies for everything from crossing emotional hurdles to handling financial realities; from navigating hospitals to becoming your child’s best advocate; from accepting the help of others to finding an inner strength.
Meder’s down-to-earth wisdom comforts and empowers the parents who need it the most, and her words of hope reveal the secret to living a life more meaningful than ever thought possible. Discover the truth of Uncommon Beauty. Her advice provides practical examples, as one about how to prepare for the arrival of paramedics and an ambulance shows. Meder suggests creating a vital information sheet – long before a crisis, of course. A five bullet point list outlines what the sheet should contain. On the same page, Meder explains what to pack in an emergency visit backpack and how to tailor the contents to your child’s specific medical condition.
Margaret Meder grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, earning a bachelor of music degree in 1990. She spent the next sixteen years teaching general and vocal music in the public schools and private lessons. During this time she worked with young children, teenagers, and individuals with special needs. Expanding on these experiences as an educator and musician, Margaret served three years as development director for a nonprofit fine arts organization. Discovering a void in practical resources on how to survive as a parent of a medically fragile child, Margaret combined her education skills, her love of writing, and her own experiences to create her book, Uncommon Beauty – Crisis Parenting From Day One.
Her mission is to create accessible resources that provide information, understanding, and inspiration for all parents who find themselves in similar situations. While raising her two children, Margaret pursues the joy in her life: writing, gardening, singing, playing the piano, and—most of all—spending time with her family and friends. You can find Margaret blogging at Marg’s Memos.
Giveaway starts: Monday, March 4th at 8:00 am eastern time.
To enter: Answer the following question:
- “What one strategy have you used to keep your household running smoothly during difficult times?”
Giveaway ends: Friday, March 8th at 8:00 pm eastern time. The winner will be privately contacted and publicly announced on Saturday, March 9th!
Join the fun by leaving your comment to our giveaway question on this page!
PRAY!!! Seriously! So many days there is absolutely no way anything good is happening without that!
I try to preplan as much as I can. I have on hand easy foods that B likes to eat that we can just grab and go if needed. I also have had to realize that the housework sometimes has to wait. No one is going to die if there’s toys laying around or some dust on the tv.
I try to keep things organized and to stick with a routine as much as possible.
We sing and dance when things get out of peace. We sing worship songs and we pray out loud. Usually meg joins in … We live in a chaotic musical surounded by Gods Peace.
Planning out as many details as possible – including trying to get easy meals for dinner time (crock pot, cooking meals on the weekend that I can freeze for the week), and planning in some down time for everyone at the end of the day.
Keep calm, and pray…I try to remind myself that if I get stressed and worked up, it only stresses my son out more and compounds the problem.
I think the key for us is to be consistent as possible. Obviously things happen that can throw kinks in any day, but as long as I can stay consistent and “appear” calm, my son stays calm. He does well with some deviation in our daily schedule especially with explanation and a the new plan explained to him. We also involve him as much as possible by giving him assigned “tasks”. And of course, pray, pray and pray some more!
I try to stay calm, keep as much structure/routine as possible and always pray!
Weekly date night! With multiple special needs kids in the house, some weeks the only time my husband and I talk at all is the 3 hours on Thursdays when a respite caregiver is in our house. We run like the wind out of the place when she arrives, and don’t look back until the 3 hours is up. It’s soul-cleansing and keeps us sane.
When things get rough we just snuggle up and read, the bible, an autobiography, historical fiction, etc. To me there are few things more healing than being wrapped in covers with my girls and a good book.
Rely on those Friends who truly want to help….not only does it give you help, but they feel helpful. And it makes them happy too…win-win situation.
I agree with prayer! It is such a comfort to not only me, but my son who has ADHD, OCD and Anxiety disorder too. When he met with his counselor recently he had God and Mama listed as two things that calmed him <3
Pray at all times. That helps tremendously.
Pray, pray, pray and pray some more. Then find a friend who will listen. For, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.”
I am so inspired by the great ideas that everyone is leaving here. Thank you so much for sharing your strategies. Wonderful comments and ideas!
We pray alot and try to keep to a routine….we plan ahead as much as possible…sometimes its not possible so we just take one moment at a time!
I have 3 differently abled treasures all on the spectrum(8,4, & 3). I have found that getting everyone outside running around and smelling the fresh air is always a good distraction during the crazy times. I have found for me personally being involved in different church ministries and serving others is my greatest stress reliever. It brings me such joy to serve Jesus through serving others.
I have learned a lot from my son. And one strategy I use when during difficult times is, not to overload myself with a lot to do in one day. When I plan on doing. just enough that I can accomplish. That gives me enough time to enjoy my son. And that is what means a lot!!!!