Hello! I am so excited to announce that our accessible home is featured in the March 2022 issue of Better Homes & Garden magazine. This is both an honor and a responsibility that I took seriously in wanting to raise awareness about accessibility in general, but especially in our homes. Ideally, accessible homes that are as...
I did it.
I made my dream Halloween costume: Molly Ringwald’s iconic dress from the 80’s movie Pretty in Pink. And it turned out better than I ever imagined!
I actually bought the fabric about 5 years ago, but never pulled the trigger. Some years I think I was just too drained with kids’ costumes and class partiers to give it a try, but as time wore on I was also really nervous to go for it. The fabric was really hard to find–especially the lace. It would be impossible to find the same lace as the dress in the movie, since it came from an actual vintage dress, but I knew that I would need a high quality lace to pull it off. For whatever reason, most of the pink lace I found looked super cheap like it came from a discounted Fredericks of Hollywood easy-tear-off-bodice line of lingerie. Therefore, I knew that if I botched the pattern, cut the fabric wrong–especially the lace which I had only the exact right amount for–that was it. In the words of Eminem, “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.”
I hear you Em. I hear you.
[readmore title=”Click here to see more of my Pretty in Pink Dress!”]
Happy Friday Everyone!
I’m so excited to announce that the This Little Miggy shop is finally open! Right now I have a selection of digital downloads with mantra’s from my books When Charley Met Emma and Awesomely Emma. I know these mantras have become something your kids have learned to say over and over as reminders and guideposts for their behaviors and the behaviors of others. Each one comes in a variety of color ways so that you have a lot to choose from. But I did one of each mantra in “Charley and Emma colors” so there would be at least one matching set. These would look so cute in your kids rooms, play rooms, entry way, classrooms or anyplace you’d like to remind yourself and others that:
[readmore title= “Clickthrough to see more downloadable prints!”]
On Monday August 23, 2021 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a beloved apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints gave a speech to the staff and faculity at Brigham Young University, my alma mater. You can listen to and read the full transcript here, as I have done. The following is a letter I have written, printed out and will mail directly to him at the church headquarters (you cannot reach an apostle directly through email–address above if you’d like to do the same.) If you plan to comment below, I encourage you to listen to/read his address in full, and read my letter in full before doing so. As always I have the right to close comments and delete any comments I see fit. While I may engage in kind and respectful discourse, I also don’t owe anyone any explanations. Thanks.
Elder Holland,
I am so confused and distraught this morning as I read the full transcript, and subsequently listened to your talk given to the staff and faculty of BYU Monday August 23, 2021.
As you started your talk with all the things you love about BYU, I would like to start my letter by telling you all the things I love about you. You have long been a “favorite apostle” meaning, an apostle whose words have often felt like a healing balm to my soul. I remember listening to “An High Priest of Good Things to Come” on repeat in the early 2000’s with tears streaming down my face as I was going through a terrible break up, not sure if I would ever recover. (I did. My husband and I just celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.) In 2012 your General Conference talk entitled Laborers in the Vineyard gave me incredible insight into the atonement and how I might also be more generous of spirit with myself and others. I could go on and on, but the fact of the matter is I have listened to your words and felt their love, compassion and testimony of Christ for decades.
Therefore it was disheartening–actually, it was heart-wrenching–to hear your words in regards to the LGBTQ+ community and even the mere show of support form them–yes, advocacy– at BYU, which felt uncharacteristically harsh. In particular I was stunned by the one-sided call for unity, your public denouncement of BYU graduate Matt Easton, and repeatedly invoking the imagery of muskets, aka guns.
Hello! I originally wrote this post back in 2019, and I decided I needed an update. Most of this is in it’s original form, with some updates and changes that reflect my ever growing understanding of disability, inclusion and education.
For years I have shared an updated version of this post, as it seems like every year I gain new insights and understanding. In the past I’ve written two versions of this post–one is how to navigate a special needs encounter, which is to help parents and caregivers know what to do when a non-disabled child meets a disabled child, for this first time. The write up I did at Cup of Jo is my favorite version of that post–you can read it here.
The other version of this post is How to Talk to your Kids about Disability, which covers a lot of the same material, but the main difference is you’re being pro-active and talking to your kids about disability ahead of time, rather than waiting for an uncomfortable situation to arise.
This year I’d like to take it a step further with my thoughts on How to Raise Disability Inclusive Kids.
Like other identities, disability is not something you can just ignore and hope your kids will “get it.” And like other identities–race, gender, sexuality–people with disabilities aren’t embarrassed or ashamed to be disabled. It’s not the whole of who they are, but it is an important part of who they are. Keep in mind, that if you were to talk to your kids about race or sexuality, would you say it in a sad tone that conveys you feel bad for people of color for being people of color? Or that you feel bad for gay people for being gay? No! Of course not. Too often people think of disability as inherently sad, negative or undesirable, but it’s not and therefore it’s important that when you talk to your kids about disability it’s not a “isn’t this so sad?” kind of discussion. Disability is full of color and variance and is just another way to exist in this world. Without further ado, these are my tips for raising your kids to be inclusive of their disabled peers.
[readmore title= “Click through for my 3 tips to raise Disability Inclusive Kids!”]
I think I speak for all moms of young children, when I sometimes look at my adoring little family and think, “I wish they’d get the frick out of here for a few days.” It’s the dream really… to have a few days alone in your own home. Especially if you’re a mother that also happens to work from home–like I do–and you have a hard time getting anything done because the second you hear those little feet (or in my case, also wheels) heading toward your door, your eyes close as your neck muscles tense up. Again? Didn’t they just ask for scissors like two seconds ago?
Last weekend that dream came true and I spent the entire weekend HOME ALONE. (queue me with my hands on my cheeks screaming into the mirror a la Kevin McCallister style). My husband took the girls to go visit his sister and her family for the weekend, which was a win/win all around! The girls got to see their cousins, and my husband spent time with his sister who is also one of this best friends. (Admittedly, I was sad to miss the family fun as we always laugh until we cry when we’re together.)
My weekend alone was so that I could get some good work done, in solid blocks of uninterrupted time. But I also wanted time to relax as well. I find that I have to be as intentional about my relaxation as I am about work, or it won’t get done properly, as too often my “relax” time can get hijacked by endless scrolling or clicking on news sites. I have learned to recognize that irritating I’m-not-working-but also-not-quite-relaxing middle place also known as mom purgatory.
Here’s my recipe for a productive and relaxing weekend alone:
[readmore title= “Click here to read through my tips for a productive and relaxing weekend alone.”]
Hello friends!
I’ve wanted to share some fun updates around here. If you follow me on Instagram you’ve likely heard about all of this, but I still like keeping a record here. One of the most exciting piece of news is that When Charley Met Emma landed on Laura Bush’s 2021 summer reading list! Not only is Mrs. Bush a former first lady, she was an elementry school teacher and librarian. It means a lot to me for When Charley Met Emma to be on her list with these other amazing books. This is seriously such an honor for me. Thank you for all your support for Charley and Emma.
[readmore title= “Click here to read about more updates and how you can help!”]
Hey, I'm Amy!
I'm an author, artist, and disability advocate. I live with my handsome husband and three beautiful daughters in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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When we bought our home we were outbid on several homes and we were lucky to get any home. However, the lack of visitability has come to light recently. My son has a new friend who uses a wheelchair and we have steps up to the front and backdoor. A couple doorways are narrow. The home is small so the downstairs bathroom is small. We want to invite his buddy over to play but currently we haven’t been able to. Together, my son and I came up with a plan to build ramps to accommodate a wheelchair. It doesn’t solve everything, sadly. I’m going to invite his mothers over to get to know them and ask them what other modifications I can make so our home is accessible for a play date. We are also planning a kitchen remodel which will open the narrow walkways from 26 inches to 40 inches. Ultimately, we still live in a two story home that doesn’t provide all the visitability that it should. I’m so grateful for your continued advocacy for accessibility and your willingness to educate.
I really appreciate that you are taking concrete steps to make this a reality! It’s wonderful to hear. I know that making accessible/vistable homes the norm is not yet a “thing,” but I’m hoping that it slowly becomes something we collectively decide is an important part of inclusion AND that we are willing to make it a reality. In the meantime, I know that progress will be slow, and something that will be accomplished one by one as individual families choose to make visitability a part of their home plans/renovations. So this is my long winded way of saying thank you. Thank you for seeing the value even if there is “only” one person in your life right now who will benefit (even though I know many more people will down the road). One at a time is how this mission will become a reality. XO
[…] Our family and our accessible home was recently featured in the March 2022 issue of Better Homes & Gardens. I’ve been sharing about our home over the years and I’m finally doing a full house tour to […]
Wow – such excellent information! I feel like such a ding-a-ling for not having considered these things, but I know for sure I’m not alone. The $600 price tag to make a home visitable if you take care of it in the construction phase is a happy shock! I’m in the very preliminary stages of planning to build a home, and you can bet I’m incorporating aaaalll the things — and having a chitty chat with my contractor and architect about all of this. Thank you!