tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133747172024-03-13T12:06:40.196-05:00Motherhood Metamorphosis<b>My blog on parenting -- more cute anecdotes than you can shake a stick at, blended with honest anger, guilt, laughter & tears. A dash of 'news' as the required serving of vegetables. No repression here.</b><br><br>Former single mom, now a step-mom; mother of a special needs child, 'long-distance mom' ~<br>I am a mom-of-all-trades.<br><br>
<i><b>Helping my children, my husband, and myself, find our wings.</b></i>Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.comBlogger221125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-52377212939077101222014-07-22T14:39:00.000-05:002014-07-22T14:39:31.709-05:00Getting Fit With FitBit FlexI got a FitBit, the FitBit Flex, for my birthday. You've probably read a lot about the FitBit, including some news stories and comedic commentary which might make you concerned about whether or not the FitBit actually works. I thought I'd share my experiences with it.
I first learned of the FitBit after my brother-in-law had a heart scare and my sister got him one to track his healthy habits. I Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-83895559498115941732014-03-19T07:03:00.000-05:002014-03-19T07:03:00.279-05:00Is It Still Cold Where You Are? Get An Envi Heater PanelWe live in a 100 year old house and the landlord isn't exactly into upkeep and insulating; as a result, we have to do a lot of draft protection installations and work with small space heaters running while we are awake. To make matters worse, the room hubby and I sleep in is in the basement. Technically, it's what you'd call a "finished basement", but the heating ducts apparently do not know thatDeanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-59316876260063936052014-03-18T17:15:00.000-05:002014-03-18T17:15:28.562-05:00Get Those Babies Ready For Spring!I don't blog much about babies; it's been years since I've had any, and my advice all seems old hat. But when I spot a product line that I wish was around back in the day I was lugging babies & toting toddlers, I have to mention it.
Cozy Cover is a Minnesota company offering some great new items that make taking baby out and about easier and safer. First, there are nifty (and cozy) covers Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-90588001099737158942014-03-01T18:04:00.000-06:002014-03-18T18:06:08.758-05:00A Superhero In UnderpantsA number years ago, while I was up late writing, I smelled smoke. I anxiously left the computer and began walking around the house, using my nose to lead me to the source. Before I could get all the way to the kitchen, the smoke detector went off upstairs. I ran to the stairs and looked up to the top to see my husband, sleepy-face and in his underpants, tossing water from a small bathroom Dixie Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-52968596601140015132013-12-30T14:16:00.003-06:002014-02-10T15:25:04.588-06:00Getting Organized & Recharging In The New YearThe New Year means resolutions (and spending that holiday gift cash). If you're like me, one of your resolutions is to get more organized and make your home more enjoyable to live in. After all, for the next few weeks (if not months!), we'll all be nestled inside the house, and while we have lots more to do inside now than we once did, all the electronics and entertainment stuff can make your Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-12126945327280438642013-12-19T06:22:00.000-06:002013-12-30T12:26:19.325-06:00Have Tech Gadgets; Will Travel (But How Long Will They Last?)As parents we often wish we had magic wands -- perhaps at no time is this more desired than during long family car rides.
Our monthly visits back home are roughly 9 hours long; that's a long time for a family to be contained in a moving vehicle. While all the children ought to be kept busy with their phones and gadgets, there comes a time when batteries run low. A can of pop, a snack, and some Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-75765428865686094632013-09-03T13:32:00.000-05:002013-09-03T13:32:19.836-05:00Teaching Baby To ReadThose "teach baby to read" programs that you see and hear advertised are not as new as you might think...
Here's a retro example i just spotted in a thrift shop: Glenn Doman's Better Baby Reading Program kit, produced in part by Encyclopedia Britannica. This kit dates to the 1980s; and there's evidence this all works. (Like everything else, though, moderation and not pushing are key.)
Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-59406588468309187802013-08-08T14:51:00.000-05:002013-08-08T14:51:00.137-05:00On Kids & CollectingCollecting is a self-directed activity about passion. In our world of (sometimes overly) scheduled activities, the meandering, self-directed, self-motivated journey of collecting is quite foreign to many -- including children. They go from school, to organized activity to another organized activity. Even video games have pretty rigid rules (at least if you want to win!). And so the free-wheeling Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-78963217050540555592013-05-31T04:14:00.001-05:002013-05-31T04:14:17.904-05:00The Choice Of MotherhoodThis is difficult to write -- but then that's why I feel it must be discussed.
Feminist and author Alice Walker and her daughter, Rebecca Walker, have been at odds over motherhood. Rebecca, after so much prose about snuggling and the like with her son, says:
You see, my mum taught me that children enslave women. I grew up believing that children are millstones around your neck, and the idea Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-70246008901542196792012-10-08T05:40:00.001-05:002012-10-08T05:40:08.376-05:00Adopt Steve The Pit Bull Cross!I cannot have another dog right now, but I really want this dog named Steve.
I know, I know; "Steve" isn't the name I go for in a dog. Or give a dog. My dogs are named Toodles Squirrel-Face Davidson III and Mr. Oliver T. Puddington. But read on, you'll see why I am so enamoured...
Steve's available at a a Fargo-Moorhead dog rescue right now. (I only looked because I saw a commercial on TV Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-29111320727243238432012-09-20T18:22:00.002-05:002012-09-20T18:22:32.993-05:00Linguistics and the Study of ComicsBecause I've talked about comics and autism as well as comics and literacy here, I thought you might be interested in this review of Linguistics and the Study of Comics (edited by Frank Bramlett).Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-46540352261422751362012-07-30T02:44:00.001-05:002012-07-30T02:51:30.786-05:00Breastfeeding In PublicThe United States Breastfeeding Committee (USBC) officially declared August as National Breastfeeding Month and The Bump is celebrating by designating August 15 as Public Display of Breastfeeding (PDB) day.
There are lots of conflicting issues surrounding breastfeeding for moms -- from body image and sexuality to personal feelings about privacy in intimate moments -- and I've no desire to add Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-25475753590658934612012-07-26T15:43:00.000-05:002012-07-26T15:43:29.478-05:00Work, Work, Work (And Some Play)Been blogging more about our family travels and restoration of the old house at It's The Journey, Not The Destination. But will be back with some parenting stuff soon!Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-83277967353872697282012-06-06T14:05:00.001-05:002012-06-06T14:05:44.449-05:00Getting A New House; Making A New HomeWe just got a new old house -- a real fixer-upper, priced low enough for us to pay in cash. (Almost as mind blowing as the restoration work we have to do!)
One of the joys of a new house, is day dreaming about how we'll live there, make it our home. Given that it will take us so long to restore the house, those days are years away... Meanwhile, I've been reveling in the chance to organize Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-8517046317230056102012-04-14T06:20:00.002-05:002012-04-14T06:20:22.043-05:00Bullying At & By SchoolsWhen you're the parent of a special needs child, you become accustomed to butting heads with school (medical, mental health, etc.) professionals. Primarily this is because you know your child better than they do. But it's also because you know other people's kids -- and other adults -- better than most do.
So when I read the "astonishing" study that says children with autism are three times moreDeanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-85655071274466131372012-04-13T17:18:00.001-05:002012-04-14T05:23:17.792-05:00Teaching Tolerance?(I wrote this well-over a decade ago; please excuse excessive use of quotes.)
Officials claim that including special needs children in the activities of the general student population, called 'mainstreaming,' is best for these children as they must learn to cope with and function in 'society' at some point. According to them, being in the general school setting prepares them for future jobs and Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-73666707867185421252012-03-19T08:34:00.001-05:002012-03-19T08:34:00.353-05:00Classroom Decor In Special EdDean Traylor gives tips on decor in special education classrooms. While primarily focused on ADD/ADHD, there's plenty of food for thought.Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-1260583166984242222012-03-18T03:00:00.002-05:002012-03-18T03:00:52.742-05:00People With Disabilities Have Sex TooAt the Huffington Post, Kaleigh Trace posts an impassioned editorial about persons with disabilities having sex lives. While an overall excellent article, there's a sad lack of addressing those with disabilities other limits other than physical.
I posted a comment, which is still pending; this is what I wrote:
I applaud this article. It's sad that such subjects still need to be addressed, but Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-9215382202077457452012-03-18T02:32:00.002-05:002012-03-18T02:40:48.278-05:00Beautiful Memories Of A Lost SiblingAs far as I can tell, this is the source of this gripping photo and story:
This is a photo of my sister at age one and me at five. This is the only picture I have where I am holding her.
She died a decade later after this photo taken. It shows the strength of a child who was born physically and mentally disable and her motivation to keep living. She never gave up till the day she died. She Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-62174844352744052402012-03-14T23:36:00.000-05:002012-03-14T23:36:20.432-05:00Baby Issues Matter Past The Newborn YearsWhile my babies are no longer babies, the Three Controversial Topics in Motherhood Worth Confronting, breastfeeding, cord blood banking, and vaccinations, are issues that matter to all of us. Not just moms either. For these issues of health matter to us all.Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-18536677950377068622012-03-09T10:57:00.001-06:002012-03-09T10:57:00.193-06:00Women's Health CareShould matter to you.Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-74355121679805246562012-02-26T15:52:00.000-06:002012-02-26T15:52:07.504-06:00I Could Just Eat You Up, Nephew!My nephew Nicholas is my cookie boy. Ever since he was an itty-bitty babe, I've been nibbling on him 'cuz he's so sweet. Thankfully, I have not made it into the newspapers as this poor aunt did!
From The Onion:
Aunt Threatens To Devour Helpless Newborn's Toes
WALDEN, TN—While family members stood silently by and did nothing, visiting aunt Debbie Koeler proclaimed her desire to consume the "Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-8932891751338478602011-12-20T07:36:00.001-06:002011-12-20T07:36:00.230-06:00Parenting: Laying Down On The JobI giggled so much at this list of 40 ways to entertain your baby while you lay down. Not sure I should admit it, but I've done a number of these -- and not just because of cold & flu season either. *wink*Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-42021245983773185652011-12-17T23:31:00.002-06:002011-12-17T23:31:22.756-06:00Moms Making Money In Phone SexAwhile ago, I interviewed women who are making money as phone sex operators. According to statements made on The View, there's been a 400% increase the number of work from home moms who make money as phone sex operators in the past 18 months. Economy related? Perhaps. In any case, the story of moms who are PSOs and phone sex work itself will be covered in depth on several ABC news shows this Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13374717.post-78257182241405410392011-12-12T07:45:00.001-06:002011-12-12T07:45:00.469-06:00Why Your Bra Doesn't Fit & How To Fix ThatIf you missed my interview with bra coach Ali Cudby (part one, part two), then you probably didn't hear about her new book, Busted! The FabFoundations Guide To Bras That Fit, Flatter and Feel Fantastic -- or heard that there's a contest to win signed copies of the book. Well, now you know. *wink*
Today's the last day to enter.Deanna Dahlsadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04737202424252252750noreply@blogger.com0