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Healthy Lifestyle

The Power of Unplugging

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You know that ‘bored’ feeling? No? Oh right, you’re a parent. You probably would not use the word bored to describe your days. We are adults and we have people who depend on us. We have homes and children to care for. We receive messages, emails, and phone calls from friends, family, and colleagues. We […]

Sports and Inclusion: Raising Athletes of all Abilities

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I dare you to watch this trailer for the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games and not feel motivated, encouraged or proud. And maybe a little taken over by emotion recognizing all of the strength, determination and heart of those athletes. (I’m not crying, you’re crying…)

Yes, I look tired. This is why I don’t care.

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Last week my son stood up on skates for the first time on his own. I cannot express the intense emotion that swept over me at that moment, but I suspect you know the feeling. Pride, joy, love, glee. It isn’t the skating part that I care about. It is the perseverance and determination. Despite […]

The Resources Are There. How Can We Connect More Families to Them?

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The stress, emotion, and confusion that accompany a diagnosis for your child can be overwhelming. We are excited to share an article by Ricki Meyer, Exceptional Lives’ Director of Policy and Legal Operations, that discusses how our free resources can help parents and caregivers navigate the various disability systems and accompanying emotions upon receiving a diagnosis […]

The Importance of a ‘Summer Boredom Balance’

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Three years ago, I was pregnant with our youngest of three. We lived in a small house with many diagnoses under one roof‑including autism, ADHD, a connective tissue disorder, hypotonia, anxiety, Crohn’s, Celiac’s, and severe food allergies. Many of the diagnoses were new and we had upwards of sixteen therapies and appointments per week to […]

What is stress and how can I unwind?

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I held his hand as the anesthesiologist put a small mask over his mouth and nose, and I watched him fall asleep. I squeezed his shoulder and kissed his cheek as his eyes lost focus and gently closed. After four days of GI, my oldest son, Jack, was “under” for his colonoscopy and endoscopy.