Giving Back with Davy's Birthday Blessings

Davy is turning 3 in less than a week.  THREE YEARS OLD.  I'm not sure how that happened, and I may be in denial that my baby is turning THREE.  I should probably start thinking about his birthday party...

Davy's first year was intense and filled with hospitalizations, doctors' appointments, infections, etc.  During that time and in the years since, our family was blessed in so many ways by family, friends, and complete strangers.  We've received meals during and after Davy's hospitalizations, money to help cover gas and other expenses from his many doctor appointments, visits, phone calls, messages of encouragement, help with household chores, etc.

Cherishing the Firsts AND Lasts of Childhood

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

As parents, we mark down and celebrate our kids' firsts.  Their first smile, first word, first step, etc.  Some people keep detailed memory books or calendars, others post the latest milestone on Facebook.

But have you ever stopped and thought about your child's lasts?  They usually slip by unnoticed until all of a sudden, you realize that things have changed.

Here are some of my kids' lasts that I wish I known about. Some were welcomed, some were sad:

A Few of My Favorite (Tubie) Things!

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

For 16 months of his life, my son Davy had a hole in his tummy.

He got it when he was two months old and was unable to eat enough to grow.  His G Tube was a little button that was inserted into the surgically placed hole or stoma in his precious little tummy.  Eventually, he learned how to eat and when he was 18 months old, we were able to remove his G Tube, leaving a little pucker on his stomach that resembles a second bellybutton.

During Davy's time as a "tubie," I compiled a list of things that I found especially useful or just really cool and am excited to share them with you.  Please keep in mind that everyone is different and what works for one person, may not work for the next.

Davy's Tube Feeding Story

I used to think that only kids who were terminally ill, disabled, or premature had to have feeding tubes.  I never in a million years thought I would have a child who would need a to be tube fed.

I was so wrong.

What It's Like to be a Special Needs Mom With Special Needs

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

I have 4 kids. Katie (8 years old) has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, asthma, and a visual tracking disorder.  Nano (6 years old) has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, asthma, and eczema.  Anna (4 years old) has Amblyopia, and Davy (2 years old) has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, asthma, GERD, severe eczema, hypotonia, mild developmental delays, and is a tubie graduate. 

And then there's me, the source of my kids' bad genes.  I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, GERD, asthma, eczema, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS, unexplained sudden anaphylaxis episodes, and PTSD.  I'm what is referred to as a spoonie.

Join the Free Birds Coffee Club!

My baby sister had a baby last year.  I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around that.  Wasn't  it just yesterday that she was a little 4 year old with a head full of Shirley Temple curls following me around like a cute, but annoying little puppy?

But I digress.

She entered into motherhood with a lot of experience and knowledge under her belt, thanks to watching both me and our older sister have four babies apiece and being the cool babysitting aunt.

Basically, she's rocking the mommy thing, and I'm kind of amazed at how awesome she is at it.

One of the things she's learned about being a mom is that you will go crazy if you don't take some time to recharge every now and then.  So she decided that once a month, the three of us sisters and our mom will visit a coffee shop together while one of our husbands watches the kids.  Not only is she making sure that she stays sane as a mom, but she's making sure we do too.

Have I mentioned how amazing she is?

How to Share Your Affiliate Links

This post contains referral links which means that if you purchase from one of my links, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  

So you signed up to be an affiliate (hopefully with the Sunshine and Spoons affiliate program!)...now what do you do with that referral link?

Obviously the goal is to share it with people so they'll make purchases and earn a commission for you.  To make that a little bit easier, here are 6 ways for you to share your affiliate link along with 5 affiliate companies I recommend joining.

First, the most important thing you need to know about being an affiliate is that you must always disclose in a clear and conspicuous manner that the link you're sharing is an affiliate one.  This post from Tricia Meyer gives an easy-to-understand overview of the FTC's disclosure guidelines.

Basically, if you include affiliate links in a blog post, you have to include a disclosure at the beginning of your post.  See the top of this post for an example of how I disclose.

Special Needs and Chronic Illness Medical Binder Printable

When Davy was in the thick of his medical complexities, I put together a binder full of information and notes that I took with me to every appointment.  I used the binder to track Davy's symptoms, log his meds and hospitalizations, record questions for upcoming appointments, and more.  It was pretty basic...loose notebook paper shoved in plastic sheet protectors and held together in a 3 ring binder.  Nothing fancy, but it helped me stay organized and on top of Davy's care needs, especially when we switched health care providers.

Then, last year, Davy along with two of his siblings and I, were all diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. 

How To Save Money With the $5 Method

If you've been on Facebook or Pinterest lately, you may have seen the 52 week saving challenge.

I tried it once.

I got to day 11 and realized that it wasn't working for me.  I usually didn't have the right amount of cash on me so short of writing myself a check each week, it just wasn't practical.

But, I still wanted to save money so I wracked my brain and came up with a different way to do it.

My Kids' 2017 New Year's Resolutions

I asked my kids what their New Year's Resolutions were.

They looked at me with blank expressions and turned back to playing with their new toys.

Soooo, being the awesome mom I am, I helped them out a little.