Spectrum Mother

Me in Maui 12/07- Our first trip ever and worst storms in years. They closed the beaches!

I consider myself an empath.  I have always been very sensitive to others and my environment.

My life covers a wide range of spectrums.

I can’t spell but love to write.  I love real wheat pizza but eat gluten-free.  I love chocolate and the smell of sweet-creamed coffee but avoid caffeine.

What I lack in physical strength and endurance, I make up for in intellect and tenacity.

I love animals and living creatures.  I saved a butterfly when I was eight and fed it sugar water, made a butterfly-cast, and buried it in the backyard.

I was a public school teacher for nearly a decade in both elementary and middle school in Northern California.  Between all my experiences working closely with children, including as an after-school care provider (all through college), a nanny position, student teaching, public school teaching, private tutoring, having my own prekindergarten for two years, and classroom volunteering, I have been working with children for well over twenty years. I have worked with children of differing economic and ethnic backgrounds, including non-English speakers. (My grandmother was born and raised in Egypt and speaks 7 languages, and I can’t remember anything from my three years of French–say “bonjour.”)

I have studied the subjects of family therapy and education during my graduate studies, and hope to complete a Master’s Degree in Education in the next two years.

I spent over a year researching about special needs and advocating for my son with Asperger’s Syndrome.

I enjoy reading, writing and educating myself about new topics. In the last few years, I have studied much about health through numerous books and articles, from saunas to herbs, and then implemented several health regiments into my family’s lifestyle.

I try to remain positive through my challenges with health issues.  I’ve been diagnosed with far too many ailments, syndromes, diseases, etc.  and believe many of the causes of sickness in my case and in others’, including my son’s,  are environmental.

I’m dyslexic and have many Asperger’s traits and co-morbid conditions.

I enjoy walking. I like to swim and spend time in my backyard (when it is not allergy season). I love family events and visiting friends. As a family, we enjoy going to the boys’ sporting events and church.

I am no different than many homeschooling moms and dads in my love for my children and education, and my desire to do what is best for my family. I strive, like many, to be the best person I can, using role models like Jesus and my Catholic Confirmation Teacher, Helen, as my life examples.

I dislike very few things and try my best to accept everyone in the journey they are on in life.  I strongly believe every individual has something of worth to contribute to the world.  And I try my best to be an open, honest and giving spirit.

Blessings alone do not open our eyes. Indeed, blessings by themselves tend to close our eyes. We do not come to know Him in the blessing, but in the breaking. –Chip Brogden