At the intersection of motherhood and personal well-being is where The Village Blog resides.
Join us to find strength, empowerment and healing for our minds, bodies and families as we unite in hope for our best possible futures!
Hope and Gratitude for Special Needs Moms on Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is here once again. The feelings and emotions that come with this day are overwhelming. Take your pick…. I rotate a zillion feelings on a daily basis.
Maybe today it will be the unconditional love for my daughter. All the warm and fuzzy stuff that will never fade. Or will it be the pure exhaustion I feel from helping her every step of the way? Just one day off? I need a week!
Stop carb cravings & lose pounds effortlessly | Myo-Inositol & Berberine
“Can I order two desserts instead of dinner?” I often pleaded as a child.
My indulgent request was never granted, but the temptation has persisted my entire life. Even as an adult, no meal felt complete until consuming at least one morsel of something resembling dessert.
I dramatically reduced sugar intake last year, but still always craved “a little something” sweet after every meal. Carbs were also the focus of most of my snacking throughout each day.
Carb-aholic? Admittedly yes. But I never knew there was another way. I’d heard of people who claimed to not crave sweets, but I never believed it possible. Unicorns, I told myself.
Until three weeks ago…
Continue reading
Curb anxiety, irritability, and low energy with this amazing herb — Saw Palmetto
I wasn’t setting out to find motivation to tackle projects I’d been putting off for years….
or to stop the endless unproductive chatter in my brain…
and I certainly wasn’t looking to find a way to make the husbands of so many friends happier…
and yet, it happened.
And now, as I sit to write this article, I’m hoping to find adequate words to do justice to the unexpected life changes I’ve witnessed from this one remarkable herb, Saw Palmetto.
5 Compliments to brighten the day of a special needs parent [and 5 to never say!]
“She’s really such a beautiful girl,” the mother of a classmate offered as our children skipped hand-in-hand toward the playground. Smiling, I thanked her and mentioned how much my daughter loves playing with hers.
As the day went on, I thought about how, to a parent of typically developing children, that exchange wouldn’t cause a moment of pause. But to a special needs parent – to be honest – some of the common reassurances and cliches can leave a lasting sting. Continue reading
Who moved my bath salts? 3 Life-changing steps to bring back self-care
Self-care is a trending topic.
First made popular by the undeniable appeal of rewarding yourself with spa treatments and luxury splurges after an especially stressful day, this version of consumer self-care is promoted heavily by companies selling self-care services and products.
We’ve been well conditioned to conjure up images of tub soaking with luxury bath bombs as a route to happiness. Continue reading
3 Herbs that cleared my skin completely when nothing else worked
In this life, we’ve all faced greater challenges than skin blemishes. But somehow, chronic skin issues have a way of making everything else feel insurmountable.
When we can’t meet the world with our best face and we feel as if everyone’s looking at our skin, it becomes an all encompassing focus. And when it’s cystic acne, it’s not just emotionally taxing, it’s physically painful too. Continue reading
Recovery… Walking Through Darkness to the Other Side
In the summer of 2012, life was idyllic. We had just come through a stressful time in life where my husband had been commuting 800 miles for his new job in another state, while we waited for the house to sell. We finally decided to rent the house and move. Our son was almost three at the time, and the idea of the three of us being together again on daily basis was exhilarating. Continue reading
7 Inspiring lessons I learned from parenting my child with special needs
My daughter with autism turns 15 years old today. And I find myself wondering, where did the time go?
When I think back, I realize all the stages of grief I went through and sometimes am still experiencing. It was extremely ugly in the beginning. I was scared and overwhelmed. Life had just dealt me a big blow and I was completely unprepared for it. I yearned for something I lost. My heart missed the typically developing child that one day took a bad turn for the worse and regressed into autism. Continue reading
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