12 Must See Christmas Movies

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Peppermint hot chocolate, cozy sweaters, twinkling lights, candy canes, pine trees...

You're thinking of Christmas right now, aren't you?

You're welcome.

One of our Christmas traditions is to watch one of our must-see Christmas movies.  Want to know what made it onto my list?  Here you go!

20+ Places to Buy Adaptive Clothing and Accessories for Special Needs

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For parents who have kids with special needs or a disability, it can be hard to find clothes that work well and are easy to wear.

This list of places that sell adaptive clothing and accessories covers just about everything from G Tubes to wheelchairs to sensory needs.   

Christmas Traditions: Ornaments for Every Occasion From Etsy

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Every year on Christmas morning, my kids know that they will find a new ornament in their stockings.  Each of their ornaments mark a milestone they experienced in the past year or note something that they're currently interested in.  This year, Katie will be receiving a basketball ornament as she just started playing basketball, Nano will get a tractor ornament because he's really getting into farming with Hubby, and Anna and Davy will each get a first year of preschool ornament as they both started school this year (Anna is in 4/5 preschool and Davy is in 3/4.)

I have a lot of fun carefully picking out a special ornament every year for each of my children.  Someday, when they move out to their own place, they will already have a collection of ornaments for their Christmas tree.  I hope this is a tradition that they will someday pass on to their own children. 

One of my favorite places to get ornaments is Etsy.  I love how unique every ornament is and how easy it is to find personalized ones.  A great bonus to shopping on Etsy is being able to help support fellow small business owners like me. 

Here are some of my favorite ornaments that I found on Etsy this year...

The Best Places for You to Shop Online

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It's that time of year again!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

I'm about halfway down with mine and most of it was done on my laptop after the kids went to bed.  Online shopping for the win!

I actually do most of my shopping online, even household supplies using Amazon subscriptions.  With four kids and a chronic illness, it's been a lifesaver for me. 

Here are just a few things I love about online shopping...

30+ Books for Kids with Special Needs Siblings: The Ultimate List

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When my youngest son Davy was born, my three older kids were 6, 4 and 17 months old.  The next year or so was very hard on my whole family as Davy spent countless hours at doctors' appointment, was hospitalized five times and, and required one-on-one care during most of his waking hours.  The guilt of not being able to care for all my kids' needs was crushing and made even worse when people would "helpfully" point out that I had three older kids who needed me too.  I knew that having a medically complex, special needs sibling was hard on my kids and I didn't want them to resent him or feel left out.

When Davy was around six months old, I found a book about kids with G Tubes on Amazon and got it to read to the older kids.  It helped them see that their brother's button wasn't scary and other kids had them too.  That got me thinking of how helpful books could be for kids who have siblings with special needs.

Keep reading for a list of over 30 books for kids with special needs siblings.

10 Things Guaranteed to Cure Whatever Ails You

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As someone with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, asthma, acid reflux disease, eczema, etc, I've heard it all.  On top of that, all four of my kids have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome as well, and three of them also have asthma and eczema.  My youngest son, Davy, had to have a feeding tube until he was 18 months old due to the severity of his issues.

With all that, there's no shortage of unsolicited advice and cures.

"You only have your disease because you've 'claimed' it."

"You'd feel better if you would exercise more and eat better."

"Your *insert condition here* could be cured if you tried this supplement."

"Your EDS was caused by vaccinations."

Thanks to all the helpful advice I've received, I was able to put together a list of things that will cure any problem you have.  You're welcome.

When Terror Hits Too Close to Home

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Yesterday morning was like any other Sunday morning.  I fixed a hot dish in the crockpot for the fellowship dinner that takes place at church every week, picked out a suit and tie for Hubby, fixed the girls' hair, helped Nano with the top button on his shirt so he could put his tie on, got Davy dressed in corduroy pants and a button-up shirt, and made sure everyone had their Bibles before we left the house.

There are around 40 people in our little Baptist church on a normal Sunday, and we're all like one big family.  Hubby and I both grew up in this church.  Our parents and several of our siblings along with their families still attend as well so we have a lot of relatives in the church.  It's small and close-knit, and we love it.

Like usual, 3 year old Davy struggled to sit quietly during church despite the crayons, matchbox cars, and mints I plied him with.  We sat in the back row on the right side of the church to minimize the distractions to others as they listened to the sermon.

Bodysuit Solutions for Special Needs Kids

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I was also compensated for this post, but all opinions stated are mine. 

Davy wore an actual shirt instead of a onesie for the first time ever when he was 18 months old.  Before that, he only wore onesies to protect his G Tube on his tummy.  They kept his Mini One button covered and protected from pull-outs.

We had planned to leave the G Tube in until after the next cold and flu season as Davy generally regressed quite a bit with his oral eating when he got sick.  However, due to recurring infections, Davy's G Tube was removed earlier than planned.  Thankfully, he continued eating 100% by mouth and didn't regress too much during cold and flu season, as we had feared he might.