Writing about life, motherhood, disability advocacy and more.

Spotlight Revisited || Dakota

Friday, April 21, 2017

Hey guys, Miggy here. When I don’t have a current spotlight I like to re-post one of my past spotlights and I think Dakota’s story is an important one to revisit. When most of us think of special needs and disability, we tend to think of conditions and syndromes we were born with. But as...

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Do || How To Resize Your Hat Smaller

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

I bought this vintage hat online a while ago and it ended up being too big. I was bummed, because I couldn’t return it. It’s one thing to stretch a hat to make it bigger, but how do you make a hat smaller? Well it has sat around for about a year because I didn’t...

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Special Needs Spotlight || B

Friday, April 14, 2017

Hi, friends! My name is Anne Cropper. My husband, Taylor, and I are raising our five children (ages 10, 9, 6, 4, and 1) in Southern Oregon. As we have learned SO much in the last year about our oldest son, B’s special needs, I have felt strongly to share our experience in hopes that...

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Limb Differences 101

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Happy Limb Difference Awareness month! To be honest I didn’t know April was LDAM until just recently. However, I wanted to take the opportunity to share some thoughts and feelings about limb differences here on the blog this month as this is something very near and dear to my heart. I’m not going to get...

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Knock-Off Artist: Ciao T-shirt

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

When I first saw this amazing c!ao t-shirt from Madewell a couple weeks ago I was bummed that my size was already out of stock. So obviously I had to make it. I think it’s important to have a quick discussion about being a “knock-off artist.” I am a great respecter of art, originality and...

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Special Needs Spotlight || Matilda

Friday, April 7, 2017

In 2012, my life changed forever. I gave birth to my second child, a sweet girl named Matilda. Then began a journey full of ups and downs as we learned she was suffering from acute liver failure, was put on life support, and were told she needed a liver transplant to survive. Thankfully, she is...

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Do You Yell?

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

These photos are from our beautiful family session last year with Alex Davis Photography. If you’re feeling frazzled, and you find yourself yelling at your children, only to feel completely overwhelmed with guilt and self loathing, which leads to more frazzled feelings and eventually more yelling…well this post is for you. The other day I shared...

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HaleyApril 4, 2017 - 5:27 pm
Great post! This is definitely something I'm working on and you gave some great resources. I especially love the idea of mindfulness.ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:37 pm
  Yes! I really need to continue working on mindfulness as well as I think it makes a huge difference. ReplyCancel
myntaApril 4, 2017 - 7:24 pm
This is such a valuable post. The hardest part of yelling to my kids is the shame. Reading this reminded me about the not being alone part… and gives me hope.

Extra props to you for keeping it real and admitting to parenting room for improvement. So many mommy blogs (though I don't think yours fits into the typical mommy blog, in a good way) can leave us readers feeling so far less than perfect.

One last thing: I started 'How to Talk so your Kids will Listen…" and though I was finding it made a lot of sense, I felt a good chunk of the advice was hard to implement with my four year old. I just found out they came out with a version for litle kids! So for those with 2-7 year olds, this should be the better version:
"How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7"

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- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:38 pm
  YES. The shame really does make it that much more difficult. When we think we're the only ones… it really is such a terrible feeling. And thanks for the other book recommendations!ReplyCancel
LeebyApril 4, 2017 - 11:45 pm
Also would suggest any books by Ross Green ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:39 pm
  OK, thanks!ReplyCancel
AnnetApril 4, 2017 - 11:47 pm
I also find I am so conscious of when my son (9) doesn't get enough sleep and reacts badly to things because of that, and yet I'm less conscious of my own tiredness and how i react badly if I haven't had enough sleep. Not enough sleep for me = more yell-y. Not enough sleep for him = doing things that make me want to yell 😉 Also screen time. He tries to squeeze in screen time before school and we just can't. Everytime we try, it ends with us running late because he hasn't done what is needed first despite promising he had. So no screens in the morning. Would be good for me to follow this too! Great post.ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:39 pm
  Right???? I know that I really need to be more cognizant of my sleep schedule. ReplyCancel
Genevieve BradyApril 5, 2017 - 1:12 pm
A great book to read with your children is 'When mum turned into a monster ' by Joanna Harrison. I identified with the mother! I think it helped the kids to understand their behaviour can influence yours.ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:40 pm
  That's so funny because one of my kids just checked out a book like this but it's about the teacher who is a monster… and I was like, "Oh, I can relate to that teacher a little bit.."ReplyCancel
Este S.April 5, 2017 - 2:28 pm
One trick I found very helpful (and still do as my 15 1/2 year old just got her learner's permit for driving) is to force yourself to start your response with a term of endearment. It sounds crazy, but if you make yourself say "sweetheart" or "Honey" or "My lovely girls" it diffuses a lot of the anger and frustration and you can sometimes calm down. It's (almost!) impossible to yell or talk in the mean voice when you are using those words. ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:41 pm
  Good trick. I'll give it a try.ReplyCancel
RBCApril 5, 2017 - 4:39 pm
I have found that there is this belief, especially prevalent among LDS moms, that if you have children, this means you have to be with them basically 24/7. I'm not sure if it's more of this idea of "this is what you wanted"…therefore you should want it ALL the time OR "you chose to have these children"…therefore you alone must take care of them every moment of their lives because they are your responsibility. Either way, I think it's damaging. I mean, everyone needs a break! And I'm not talking about an hour once a week. I know a few mothers DO want to spend nearly all their time with their kids (which is awesome) but many could use a substantial break (which is also awesome). Whether you can afford to hire childcare for a day or two a week to just have time to yourself, work a part-time job, or even just work a part-time job in the evenings when your partner is home, I wish mothers would give themselves emotional permission to take some time away from their small kids. And to make changes as needed. I currently work 4 days a week and I have 3 small children. While I don't love being away from them THAT much, I'm pregnant with #4 and my patience wears thin VERY quickly when I'm pregnant and I know it's better for my mental health and probably for my children for me to work until baby is born. We are lucky enough to have a nanny (who's been with us for 2+ years) who really loves our children so even though I am a bit sad to not spend more time with my kids right now, I'm comforted that they're spending the day with someone who really cares for them…and I know I wouldn't be doing a great job at that in my current state anyway. Anyway, I find I can be a lot more patient with my kids when I'm not with them for 16 hours straight! All day with the kids = high probability for me of yelling at least once! I know it's not possible for all families, especially those with children with special needs. And I hope this doesn't come across as either snobby or that I don't love my children. I do – I really do! I am just a miserable person when pregnant (and I'm super excited that this is our last…19 weeks to go! :).ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:44 pm
  I agree. I think this was especially true as this really did seem to happen with many of the moms around me when I was growing up. I know of several of my friends moms who lived, breathed and did everything for their kids and (while I obviously don't really know this part since I didn't live there and we were already school aged) it seemed they never took a break! I will say it's even been a struggle with my husband at times (and myself) to shift away from this mentality. I think he saw his mom as one of those "she did it all" moms and thought that was how it was supposed to be. I actually do have a sitter twice a week so I can work on my blog, art and even just have some time to myself, but it's been years in the making. And it wasn't just a shift in him, I had to stop feeling guilt over it as well and let myself do this. Like you I am a much better mom not just when I've had a break from my kids, but when I feel fulfilled in other areas of my life. ReplyCancel
- RBCApril 6, 2017 - 10:32 pm
  Oh my gosh I hope you didn't read my comment as an "accusation"! :/ I wasn't commenting about your mothering – just a general observation of people I know personally – and something I've been working through myself these last 6+ years of mothering. I would never judge another mother – least of all one I've never met! Anyway, I'm glad you have time set aside to follow your own interests. It's so important to be able to do that! (Though I find it's sadly often hard for mothers to identify what those interests are – especially those of us who are not exactly creative types or if you haven't followed your own interests for so long that you've forgotten what they are). Anyway, thank you for your honest post and your blog in general! It's one of my faves 🙂ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 7, 2017 - 12:56 am
  RBC–I wasn't offended at all! Just agreeing with you and telling you that the mindset is deeply ingrained, even when you want to break out of it. ReplyCancel
AnonymousApril 6, 2017 - 3:09 pm
Thanks!

Alexandra ReplyCancel
- MigonApril 6, 2017 - 5:45 pm
  🙂ReplyCancel