Thoughts on 2020

Seems like just yesterday we were starting the year 2000...and now it's 20 years and 7 kids later!

Thinking about what's ahead in 2020 for us:

• Always the unknown...only God knows the future.  So even what I think, may be subject to change.  I frequently remind my children that Plans are not Promises...and Plans may change.
• One adult child plans to get married.
• One child will be turning 16 so we will be teaching that one to drive.
• We will once again decide for each child whether to homeschool or to send to school, and if homeschooling, decide upon the curriculum/choose classes.
• Potty Training!
• Laundry, cooking, cleaning, shopping...some things never really change
• Vacations...the details may change from year to year, but we always try to get away a bit a few times a year.  We are not planning on a long road trip this year.
• We once again anticipate going to the Together Called Retreat.
• Appointments...they are always with us...doctors, dentists, therapists, etc.
• Books...books are always with me as well.  :-)
• Lots of talk and fun with our kids
• And for some of my kids...TV/Movies...some people just seem to like them more than books.  :-)

What are you anticipating in 2020?!

Blessings!

~Karen

Book Review

It's been awhile...years, probably...since I've blogged about a book.  While Christmas shopping this year, I came across the book Sharing Love Abundantly in Special Needs Families by Gary Chapman and Jolene Philo.  This book shows how to integrate the 5 Love Languages in special needs families.

A few random thoughts from quickly reading this book:

• This short book covers loving your spouse and loving your children.
• I loved the point that in the time immediately following a diagnosis, parents need to receive love from outside sources as they are likely both to drained to receive love from each other.
• Great practical suggestions of how to tweak each love language for children with special needs
• Appreciated the stories of how other families used these techniques/modified love languages for their specific situations.
• Learned about ABLE, a savings program through the IRS to pay for future qualified expenses.
• Nice chapter on how to integrate love languages into an IEP or 504 and when communicating with professionals.
• I really liked that the authors acknowledged medical trauma.
• Special Needs children in this book covered children with physical and emotional special needs .including medical diagnoses as well as special needs related to adoption and abuse/neglect.
• The book includes love language quizzes for couples, singles, teens, and children.
• It discusses figuring out love languages for a nonverbal child.
• I admit that there is a part of me that read the stories of how other parents successfully used the love languages with their children/spouse and wished that I could be that parent/spouse...but I also know that I can start again every day.
• There is a great chapter on how the community surrounding the family can support the parents using the parents' love languages.  This helped me think about why some supportive actions are more meaningful to me while other actions are more meaningful to other friends.
• The authors encourage the parents to intentionally choose not to become isolated.
• The authors reference Dan Siegel and Karyn Purvis among others.  I appreciate these authors as well and have a greater trust for a book when it seems well researched.

I definitely recommend this book if you have special needs kids or have a family/friend with a special needs child.  (And I apologize for the inconsistent grammar through the bullet points.)

Happy 2020!

~Karen