Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

Finish the Sentence Friday Writing Prompt

Are you a blogger who thinks that Linkie parties suck? That people just dump links and move on without ever reading other people’s posts? Well, when it comes to a lot of linkie parties, you’re right. This one is different though.

Finish the Sentence Friday Writing Prompt

Finish the Sentence Friday is an activity for writers and bloggers to link up with essays that finish the sentence prompt. The community of people who participate are warm, engaging and often read every single post. It’s a place where writing is celebrated, for whatever it is and never too overwhelming with hundreds of links.

The Rules:

  • Anybody can join the Finish the Sentence Friday Writing Prompt, as long as the sentence is referenced. No need to begin your piece with the sentence as long as it follows the theme. We’re easy (like we were in college) that way.
  • Acknowledge that your post was written for Finish the Sentence Friday and link to your hosts. I’m your host each week and feature other writers and bloggers as co-hosts. You can say “This was written for Finish the Sentence Friday hosted by Finding Ninee” with a link to https://www.findingninee.com.
  • We go live at 10pm eastern every Thursday night (although we slack in the summer and skip holiday weeks). If you’re a host, please go live then. If you’re participating, go live whenever you want until the following Sunday, around noon.
  • To get a shot at co-hosting, join our Facebook group, and give us some sentence ideas.
  • If you’re co-hosting, I’ll IM you the special magical linkie code at some point before we’re live. You paste it into your “text editing” area of your blog (not the live mode) and you’re good. You can pre-enter your link manually by clicking on the blue button and entering your URL.
  • Easy, yes? And so so worth it. I promise.
  • Visit as many of the links as you can. If we get too large for this, I’ll cap it but right now, it’s a good sized group.

Below are my answers to the Finish the Sentence Friday Writing Prompt. Some, you’ll see, follow the sentence exactly. Others, I take great liberties with. If you think you’d like to join this writing prompt, please consider joining us on our Facebook page. I post the upcoming prompts and offer spots for co-hosts weekly(ish).

The Loss of a Dog is a Real Loss

THEN December 30, 2021, the eve of the final night of the year, another day, another second A blog post titled “WhatView full post »

It’s 9/11 and Our Fall Then Reminds Me of Our Fall Now

This is the worst year ever but also, we have hope Like this?TweetView full post »

We’re Not There Yet…

In March, we were mourning a canceled Disneyland and Universal trip for spring break. “They’re saying it’ll just be aView full post »

Pandemic Burnout, Celebrating Life and Honoring Loss

Who isn’t burned out right now? If we’re not stressing about how our kids (my kid, anyway) will learn online withView full post »

Wanderlust, Traveling, and I’m Jealous of Minecraft Escapes

My son builds worlds in Minecraft and I’m jealous. He’s got this world where the non-player-charactersView full post »

Impossible Back-to-School Choices & Don’t Be Like Erica

Everything feels like a slog these days. I’d rather ignore my feelings and binge-watch Netflix instead. In years otherView full post »

August in a Pandemic – Finding Hope and Life

When I was eight or nine years old, my birthday party was horseback riding with friends before swimming at theView full post »

Love Gives Us The Hope To Imagine

When I was pregnant, I wondered what my boy would be like. Imagined what it would feel like to be a mom. It doesn’tView full post »

Celebrating 11 Years Old in a Pandemic

I don’t remember my 11th birthday in particular. It may have been lost in the years of my parents’View full post »

Calm You Shall Keep and Carry On You Must. Yes, Hmmmm. (Yoda)

I overstate the obvious when saying it’s a hard time to remain calm. I’m not brave enough to ask what *else* 2020 canView full post »

How Much Time Do We Have to Become Who We Want to Be?

How much is too much? How much is not enough? New Order sings “It’s never enough until your heart stops beating,” butView full post »

Home, Sweet, Stir-Crazy Home. Also, Use This Time to Educate Yourself on White Privilege.

Home, sweet, stir-crazy home. As Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” Home is ahead of us, behind us, and whereView full post »

On Being Thankful As The World Crumbles and Awakens

There’s magic in the number seven, and power in the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop’s seventh anniversary this veryView full post »

Hoping for a Weird but Wonderful Summer

Will this summer be weird? Definitely. Will it be wonderful? Here’s hoping. Now that school’s officially out, drive-byView full post »

Just Who Do You Think You Are?

I wake, thinking “just who do you think you are?” I sit with sadness as the last bits of ice in my bedside water glassView full post »

Things the World Will Appreciate More Because of the Pandemic

During this completely wacky and totally unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, people keep talking about “when things getView full post »

Five Ways To Make Mom Feel Special During COVID-19

Making mom feel special on Mother’s Day this year will be more difficult than usual due to COVID-19. You can’t take herView full post »

Corona Virus Changed Word of the Year Goals for the Worse

Almost four months ago, I chose a word of the year. I chose the word Heal. At first, I thought “Nah, tooView full post »

Everything Teenagers Need to Know

Like each of us, I suppose I was many things as a teenager. Awkward, powerful, shy, brave, and all the betweens. Oh, toView full post »

You’re a Time Traveler And You Matter Illustrated with Stupid-Looking Drawings

You’re a time traveler on a mission to travel to your past to be sure that today, you matter. As far as you know, youView full post »

Zombie Apocalypse? Not Yet, But Pretend It’s Here.

It’s March 26, 2020. If I remember the past 24 hours correctly, today’s the first official day of mandatory “shelteringView full post »

Coronavirus Apocalypse Music To Take You Away

Life is unrecognizable. Our kids are e-learning and we’re isolated but still go shopping for toilet paper becauseView full post »

in 50 years, I want to remember that I liked Metallica and I want to know my son

If I Could Make One Wish

We’ve all heard stories about wishes coming true leading to misfortune and doom. But what if we wish forView full post »

The Power And Danger In Asking “What If?”

There’s power and danger in asking “What if?” More danger than power I think, although power comes with knowing weView full post »

Why Valentine’s Day Flower-Grams Suck

My middle school had a Valentine’s Day flower-gram fundraiser. For $1, you could buy a pink or red carnation and haveView full post »

On The Sheer Joy Of Driving A Jeep

I’d forgotten how much I love driving. Often, I avoid going places at all. But sometimes? Being on the road when theView full post »

Today Is Thursday, Which Is Confusing.

Today is Thursday. Today is Thursday. I mention this because today is also a day that I thought was a WednesdayView full post »

2020 – My Word Of The Year

Turns out, there are a lot of Really Good Words. There are words so powerful and complex that they become short poemsView full post »

Finish The Sentence Friday Holiday Link Party (And Some Elf Ideas)

The holiday season is full of twinkly lights, countdowns until school’s out, and magic. It’s also hard,View full post »

How Powerful Opinions And Worldviews Change For Better

I suppose it’s possible for somebody to change her viewpoint without leaving home or meeting new people, but it’d beView full post »

On Finding Love And Laughter This Thanksgiving

As a kid, Thanksgiving meant driving from Denver to Colorado Springs to gather with my mom’s family or my dad’sView full post »

Fearing Heights, Jumping, And Lizard Brain Love

Fearing Heights This photo makes my stomach drop. I’m terrified of heights and am pretty sure my fear hasView full post »

Speech Therapy, Halloween, And A Black Day Book Give-Away

I was going through old Halloween posts because Finish the Sentence Friday goes live in mere minutes, and I haven’tView full post »

How Road Trips Are Good For Growth

I’ve been on a lot of road trips, and am convinced they’re good for growth. Whether traveling new highways or familiarView full post »

In Death, I Hope For A Life Less Ordinary

Every now and again, I read an extraordinary obituary that makes me want to write one for myself, but this idea kindaView full post »

Better Opportunities, But A Worse Planet

I stand, washing out an empty bottle of hot sauce to prepare it for recycling, and wonder how clean it actually needsView full post »

The Fall Season Of Life Is Your New Beginning

I wonder whether I’m in the Fall Season of my life, but don’t Google it as I don’t want to know-know. If life = 100View full post »

A Profound Sense Of Honor

The first time I held my son, I felt a profound sense of honor. I was terrified, of course, and starving, as I hadn’tView full post »

Fight For The Right To Get Special Ed Support

Some days, I don’t feel like I have a lot of fight left in me. I’m tired, overwhelmed, and it’s hard to know how muchView full post »

Waiting On A Loved One Is Terrifying

Today, we waited. I’m the opposite of good and patient when it comes to waiting for big things. For anything, really.View full post »

Two Days Of School, Two Broken Bones, And Two Wishes

The first day back to school means a fresh start, sharp pencils, and the promise of leaves crunching underfoot inView full post »

Tiny And Big Ways To Be An Almost Hero

Now and again, each of us is a hero. It’s in small, in-the-moment acts, like paying for a person behind us in line.View full post »

How To Feel Vast And Connected To Everything

There are places on earth and moments in time when you know you’re part of everything. You feel life as it is now, asView full post »

Child Love, Grownup Love, and Love In The Multiverse

Child Love As a child, love is rocking to sleep after hearing your favorite story one-more-time. You don’t realizeView full post »

Standing On Top Of The World Is Power

Most weeks, I don’t do enough to feel empowered. I’m working, momming, putting away dishes or toys or whatever, andView full post »

They Are All Happening – Love, Terror, Bliss, Sorrow

The image of the father and daughter who drowned trying to enter the United States is constantly in my thoughts. I’mView full post »

Magic, Huge Milestones, And Disappointing Sea Monkey Myths

Two weeks from now, we’ll celebrate the Fourth of July in the US. We’ll ooh and ahh our Independence Day,View full post »

I Want To Forget Feelings of Being Small And Afraid

I Want To Forget Feelings of Being Small And Afraid

You’re both heading toward the apple isle, landing at the same bin of Honey Crisps. “Sorry,” you say, folding yourView full post »

Self Love, Zoo Glory, And Being Thankful

Finding Ninee began because I’d intended to write a memoir – um, until I read an editor would rather shave a catView full post »

The Magical Promise Of Summertime and Love

While every season contains beauty and adventure, there’s something magical about summertime. I adore unstructuredView full post »

On Open Doors And Hope For An Epic Celebration

Growing up, my neighborhood was full of open doors; our kid-herd bouncing from one house to another for a bathroomView full post »

I Used To Be Invincible

I used to know everything. Or, at least, I thought I knew everything I needed to. About myself, about life. I knewView full post »

It Only Takes Six More Minutes Of Sleep

It’s funny how sleep is both endless and a finger-snap* in time. On endless-feeling nights, I know I must be resting,View full post »

What I Love About Being Me

“What do I love about myself?” I ask. The devil on my shoulder is quick to answer.  “NOTHING. You’re mean to you andView full post »

Vivid Moments, Dreams, And The Stress Between

While I don’t remember the year, I remember waking up ecstatic. In my dream, I could hear my son speak. I turned to myView full post »

Wake Up, America. Parents Are Afraid, And It’s Bullshit.

My first thought upon seeing my son’s classroom at his new school wasn’t marveling at how far portable classrooms haveView full post »

Stories Shape Us, Make Us, And Are One Of The Best Parts Of Life

Random stories and the images they bring come to me often. I’ve written about the now-horrifying book Brave Mr.View full post »

The Best Vacation Memories Heal Your Tired Soul

Ah, vacations. We smile at memories of laughter, shared meals, soft beaches, and fireworks. Long, boring car ridesView full post »

The Up and Down of Memories and Motherhood

It was Easter Sunday, and I was eight years old. We’d moved into a new house that summer, and winter came before weView full post »

How I’m Learning To Be Better Everyway

It was sunny and almost 60 degrees outside when I got an email from school saying there’d be no school the followingView full post »

The Best Shows To Binge Watch

My favorite way to relax is sitting on a beach, but that’s not always an option. I enjoy being in the mountains, butView full post »

How To Best Fill Tomorrow’s Blank Page

One random day, I didn’t want to go to school. I can’t remember how old I was but think I was eight or nine. Close toView full post »

10 Ways To Be A Better Human

When it comes to life hacks as far as food preservation, decorating, or Lego storage, I’m not the best go-to person.View full post »

Stupid Things We Think of on the Last Day of Life as we Know It

Stupid Things We Think of on the Last Day of Life as we Know It

I can’t remember whether it was a kinder, less-humid July day in Virginia than most, but I don’t remember beingView full post »

On Becoming a Mom, Life’s Passageways, and Love

There are times when I see my son playing alone and I think “I should’ve had another baby.” It hits me hard and deepView full post »

What I Hope For In 2019 But Not In A Resolution Way

Do you ever think about whether making New Year’s resolutions changes your behavior? Does writing down a fitnessView full post »

All I really need to know is whether the Netflix suggestions on what I’ll like are accurate.

When Do Regular People Take Down Christmas Decorations?

Not to be a total bragger or anything, but it’s January 10th and my house still looks like it did on Christmas Day. AsView full post »

The End Of The Year On Hairstyles, Memories, and Time Flying

A year. So long to wait for, and yet so brief in hindsight. We feel the same as we did 365 days ago while alsoView full post »

This holiday, listen to yourself, and treat her the way you’d want somebody to treat your child.

On Holidays and Family – The Love and The Suckiness

Every family tells stories each time they gather. They laugh over memories and moments. They remember the year yourView full post »

The night elf Buddy made minion bananas

Magic Lost and Found: Christmas Then vs. Christmas Now

There isn’t a particular holiday gift I got as a child that stands out in memory as being the best. None have becomeView full post »

How I Lost to the creepy Elf on the Shelf (OMG he

How I Lost to Elf on the Shelf after Years of Winning

I’ll come right out and say it. I gave up some personal dignity last night. Heartfelt integrity even —View full post »

share anything previously written ftsf

Stupid Ideas Can Be Good so Follow Your Dreams!

Although we’re familiar with the expression “there are no dumb ideas,” let’s face it. There areView full post »

Thankful for Wrinkles, Popsicle Sticks, and a Tutor who Cares

Thanksgiving feels early this year but I’m most likely just behind. Sometimes, you can hear time passing in calendarView full post »

ten things I

Ten Things I’m Looking Forward To (Also, Who’s Right, Me or Robert?)

I’m in the time-warp stage of looking forward and looking back. I miss Tucker’s younger years, while I’m amazed by himView full post »

As The Days Grow Darker, We Are Each Small and Grand

As The Days Grow Darker, We Are Each Small and Grand

My footsteps crunch in the snow, causing the only noise around. I breathe in. Out. Find myself standing on and of theView full post »

Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Was Humanity at its Very Best

Be Beautiful, Be Yourself Was Humanity at its Very Best

There’s ugliness in the world. Ugliness in people; those who turn their backs on and mistreat others seeking asylumView full post »

Winning Halloween and You’re Jealous I’m Dining with an Avenger for Down Syndrome Research!

I used to think people who totally geeked out over Halloween were weird, but I’ve become one of them. I’m not sureView full post »

Ten Photos of Daily and Occasionally Spectacular Life

For this week’s Finish the Sentence Friday, Kenya suggested sharing 10 photos from our phones, which I thoughtView full post »

sorry you suck funny meme

Special Ed Support Problems, Some People Suck, & Changes I Want

I wish schools (and life) had every child’s best interests in mind, but they’re limited by staffing inadequacies andView full post »

A Boy And His Dog: A Love Story

Years ago, when Chief and I found one another, he was about 18 months old and fully trained. The story the guy at theView full post »

On Leaving and Being Left Behind

On Leaving and Being Left Behind

Being Left Behind “It’s easier to leave than to be left,” I cried. Staying meant seeing the places we’d laughed in,View full post »

Seasons Change and So Do I

Seasons Change and So Do I

They say nobody really changes. In some ways, I suppose that’s true. People show us who they are and it’s important toView full post »

Being Shy is Feeling Embarrassed to be Yourself

What it Feels Like to be Shy You want the room to swallow you. You’re not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough.View full post »

This Aging Thing Ain’t a Joke, Friends

If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you might know I just had a birthday. A big one. I’m in denialView full post »

foto share for ftsf linkup

Moving Messes, a Party, and a Soon-to-be-Epic Box Fort

It’s 7:13 pm and I’m looking for a photo to share for a blog post that goes live in 47 minutes. I really need to getView full post »

Grandparents Are More Interesting When You

Grandparents Are More Interesting When You’re a Parent

Sometimes, when you hear stories about a grandparent when you’re young, you tune them out, and only remember parts.View full post »

Ten Things Not To Waste Time Worrying About

Ten Things Not To Waste Time Worrying About

Unfortunately, worrying comes easily to me. I worry about catastrophes in my absence (because if I’m there, either I’llView full post »

Summertime Change, Grief, and a Hero Name Tag

Summertime Change, Grief, and a Hero Name Tag

This summer has been different from most summers in that we’ve had a lot of summertime change, grief, and a heroView full post »

foto share for ftsf linkup

What it Felt Like to Be a High School Freshman in 1982

Today, I created three new recycling bags of packing paper looking for a photo of my brother and I with myView full post »

It’s Always More than a Bed – its Sex, Sorrow, Sleep, and Snuggles…

More than a Bed – it’s Sex, Sorrow, Sleep, and Snuggles

My bed is upstairs. Broken. Which breaks me a little. Feels stupid and first-world, but that’s where I am. AngryView full post »

10 Disasters to Avoid When Moving Across the Country

10 Disasters to Avoid When Moving Across the Country

I know, another post about moving to Colorado. But I’m still in the thick of it and the disasters we’ve encounteredView full post »

the journey of the baby jeep then

The Journey of The Baby Jeep

I cried at the end of Toy Story 3 when Andy brought his toys to the little girl and walked her through each one’s nameView full post »

On Moving Across the Country, Procrastination, and Moving Through the Forest

On Moving Across the Country It’s the middle of the night, and I’m awake with thoughts on moving to Colorado. Or, moreView full post »

10 Surprising Things I

10 Surprising Things I’ve Learned about Blogging and Life

When I started writing about Tucker and my experiences navigating the Middle World between typical and special needsView full post »

blink and hes almost done with third grade

On School and Feeling Nostalgic for Younger Years

“Do you feel more ready to send him to preschool now?” she asked. “No,” I said through barely held-in tears, evenView full post »

The One Photo That Makes Me Wonder What This Blog Stands For

The One Photo that Makes Me Wonder What This Blog Stands For

I wasn’t planning on taking the easy way out. I must’ve looked at 2,003 photos until I came across one thatView full post »

10 Things That Might Surprise You About Me

One of the things I love about blogging and the online community is that writers share deep parts of themselves. Don’tView full post »

How I Came to Love My Neighborhood After First Thinking

How I Came to Love My Neighborhood After First Thinking “NO!”

I was pregnant when we moved into this neighborhood. I brought my baby into it, and have built a life here. 14 yearsView full post »

birth, death, and a love of horses

Birth, Death, and an Obsession with Horses

I can’t remember when, exactly, I developed a deep love obsession for horses, but I was young. One of our neighborsView full post »

when you can (and should) go home again

When You Can (and Should) Go Home Again (as in we’re moving to Colorado OMG)

We’ve talked about moving out of state several times over the past decade. “It’d be fun to live in Europe for a while,”View full post »

10 things I hate more than anything and here

10 Things I Hate More than Anything and Here’s Why

I’m in a school cafeteria for Cub Scouts. The kids are pretending their chairs are rockets, and it’s loud. I close myView full post »

magic of easter bunny is real

One Kid’s Remarkable Belief in Easter Bunny Magic

It was Christmas Eve, and the house sounded as if it were late enough that I could get away with creeping downstairs toView full post »

I Want To Be Younger But Keep All My Life Experiences

It’s not as much as I don’t like being as old as I am as it’s that I’m old to be the mom of myView full post »

make new friends but keep the old

Make New Friends but Keep the Old (One is Silver and the Other Gold) (And Happy Anniversary, Julie and Charlie)

We used to sing a song in Girl Scouts “Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the otherView full post »

laugh life is good

The Best Laughter

The best laughter is when you’re curled into it, unable to breathe. You can’t stop, even when you try. Maybe you’re inView full post »

10 songs that make life better

10 Songs that Make Life Better

There are few things like music and scent that bring back past memories. Today, when I hear certain pieces of music, IView full post »

The Most Important Life Lessons for Contentment

The Most Important Life Lessons for Contentment

Life’s lessons are difficult. They come with pain, and sometimes, regret. But ultimately, to live life with content,View full post »

The Feeling Of Jumping From A Perfectly Good Airplane

The Feeling Of Jumping From A Perfectly Good Airplane

Tonight, I’ll tell you about the feeling of jumping from a perfectly good airplane. Here’s how it happened forView full post »

dance in the sea

My Body is Ugly and Perfect

My son and I walk past shop windows and I catch an accidental glimpse of myself. Bad posture, bra straps showing myView full post »

10 THINGS that are better than being in love (or at least come close)

10 Things That Are Better Than Being In Love (or come close)

I was six, the first time I fell in love. Not much is better than being in love. His name was Ricky, and he lived nextView full post »

The Difference Between Fear and Worry, and the Fear of Dying

My first thought about this week’s Finish the Sentence Friday prompt of “I’m afraid of/that…” was that I could writeView full post »

thank the earth

Thank the Earth: Photos, Past Lives, and Scuba Diving in Turks & Caicos

I have far fewer photos in albums than the 26,942 that live in my phone. Most of my digital ones begin in 2007, whichView full post »

sweet dog sniffs pregnant womans belly with special needs son

On Winter: Then, Now, and Next

Winter Winter snow pants hang on the door of the coat closet rather than in it. Boots litter the floor along withView full post »

A Few of My Favorite Things (Not Whiskers on Kittens)

This is a Listicle Friday post. It’s the prompt for Week 2 of the newly formatted Finish the Sentence FridayView full post »

Exciting Announcement about Finish the Sentence Friday Improvements and a New Host!

Hey friends. I know you’re confused about why I’m publishing on a Tuesday when I’ve been such aView full post »

The Most Unforgettable Moments of 2017 (The Best, The Worst)

The calendar did that flip, flip, swish, swish thing again, and it’s almost 2018. And so, tonight, I look at the mostView full post »

what to wish for instead of world peace finding ninee

What to Wish for Instead of World Peace

It’s a running joke that Miss America wishes for world peace. I’m not sure why it’s funny; maybe because it’sView full post »

When We Feel Like We Don’t Belong, We Still Belong to Humans, and There are Snowman Towels to Remind Us

Since last week, I’m happy to report that I’ve done some of the undone work. Don’t get me wrong,View full post »

How to Suck Less This Holiday Season (a guide for the lazy)

In case you haven’t been out in public recently, or gone outside to see that your neighbors have strung lights andView full post »

How Online Friends are Like High School (but Better) KRC

How Online Friends are Like High School (but Better)

You ditch math class (and speech class, and that other class that starts first thing in the morning) to drink beerView full post »

Tucker waterpark with gopro happy priceless

On Beautiful and Painful Priceless Moments

Remember those priceless moment commercials? They went something like this: Tickets for a family to go to a waterpark:View full post »

Why do people like Halloween so much?

Why Do People Like Halloween So Much?

A ninja, Snow White, and Undertale Sans went to a Halloween parade. They met up with Mario and grim reaper, and wereView full post »

people write to remember the perfect moments

Why Do People Write? Also, #MeToo…

People write for a lot of reasons. I write because when I don’t, my histories gather together and stick like magnetsView full post »

what if my life was different based on past what ifs

What if Our Choices Make Us Better?

Do you ever think about who you’d be if you’d been born a different gender? A different race? Born to a differentView full post »

“Loving Lindsey” by Linda Atwell – A Personal Author Interview and Book Review (OOH and a giveaway!)

I spoke with a mama last night. She’s spent the past seven years, off and on, writing a book. A really great book.View full post »

And So We Rebuild

Our feet leave imprints in the sand, and the air smells of salt and potential. I think about breathing, how I need toView full post »

Unexpected Grief and Watergun and Butterfly Magic

On a day when July was ready for August, I sat and talked with a mother and tried to help hold her unexpected grief.View full post »

It

It’s August. “Will You Watch Me Play?”

It’s August. “Will you watch me play?” he asks. I don’t want to. In fact, I can think of 1,001 things I’d rather doView full post »

On Gapped-Tooth Grins, Poop Jokes, and Having an Eight-Year-Old

On Gapped-Tooth Grins, Poop Jokes, and Having an Eight-Year-Old

“How old is your kid?” I’d ask. “Eight.” “That must be fun,” I’d smile. “Oh! It IS!” she’d beam. I’d pretend to believeView full post »

If you had a choice, would you fix the child or fix the world?

Whether to fix the child or fix the world

If I had a magic wand, the first thing that comes to mind is that I’d “fix” my son. A dozen others. A billionView full post »

Nine Ways to Write when You Don’t Want to Write

Sometimes, writers think they don’t have anything to say. More often, writers have too much to say, but can’t say whatView full post »

We Remember the Past as We Smile and Cry at Photos

We’d finished supper, wiped the table, and loaded lingering plates into the dishwasher. My brothers and I dressed inView full post »

Seven Things I Hate About Summer (and Some I Love)

I love the idea of summer more than I love summer days. Yes, summer is walking in the light at 9:00 pm, sleeping late,View full post »

What the Month of June Feels Like

What the Month of June Feels Like

The month of June feels like school papers left in empty hallways, later bedtimes, and clock-less poolside afternoons.View full post »

6 Ways to Feel Less Broken in a Broken World

“I need to go to the doctor,” he said. We were heading home after a few hours at one of those indoor kid places filledView full post »

It Wasn’t Autism, Until it Was and Then Wasn’t

Caillou’s whines bounced around the room’s lemony light the morning I tried to figure out whether my two-year-old wasView full post »

What It Feels Like to Be a Mom

Being a mom feels like promise. Of do-overs for childhood slights and a chance to right the injustice of times you wereView full post »

New mommy with baby

Ah, the Weight of a Name

A name isn’t ever just a name. There’s weight to what we’re called. Sometimes, the weight of a name is measured byView full post »

On Being Not Enough and Laughing in the Dark

It’s late for a seven-year-old to be going to sleep, and yet, here we are. It’s the kind of late that you don’t tellView full post »

I’ve Got Nothing to Lose and Other Things about Death and Taxes

“I’ve got nothing to lose.” This is a thing people say. It’s something I’ve said, I think, although I do not rememberView full post »

Zorbing and Other Kid-Friendly Things to do in Pigeon Forge, TN

It’s Spring Break. So, unless you’re on vacation for the week, you’re juggling work, life, kids andView full post »

And It Feels Like Home

When you think about your first home, or your hometown, you think about more than just a place. It’s memories,View full post »

Computer Friends are Real Friends

Years ago, a woman told me she’d met her husband online. I was judgmental and horrified. Sure that the two of them mustView full post »

Meeting People with Special Needs Makes Us Better

Sometimes, we meet somebody who changes one of our truths.  In a lifetime, we meet many. Some change what we advocateView full post »

Once, We Were Eleven Years Old

“Mommy,” he says. I hear hesitation in my son’s voice, and so I hesitate. “Be mindful. Think before answering,” theView full post »

We Belong, Even When We Think We Don’t

I’ve belonged, even when it felt like I wouldn’t. My dad almost took me home instead of saying goodbye the first timeView full post »

All the Glorious and Unexpected Ways to Travel

Sometimes, We Travel in Time While walking to the bus stop this afternoon, a woman stepped onto her porch, shook out aView full post »

On Love and The Walls We Build

The walls we build are subtle, at first. I remember being six. My hair was wispy. Long. I liked it that way. I couldView full post »

Love Brings Peace

Invincible There was nothing like late-night Friday college debates, responsibilities left on desks not to beView full post »

Maybe Being Upset is What Changes the World

Is it possible to let go of being sad or upset about a big something, a little something, one of thoseView full post »

A Humorous Look at Practicing Self Care

You’re familiar with mindfulness, meditation, and self care, but not because you’ve consciously practiced them. DecideView full post »

On Anger, and Relaxing Through It

“Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree andView full post »

Oh mamas, we

Usually, I’d Say I Want to Change the World, but Tonight, I Want to Change Trump’s Education Secretary Nomination

“Buh-bye!” I smiled at my step-daughter. “That was so adorable,” she said. “He said bye-bye! Was that his first?”View full post »

Sometimes, I Can’t Sleep and I Think about Friends

It was my first real slumber party. Popular girls would be there, so I shaved my legs. I got out of the shower and sawView full post »

What Will 2017 Bring Us?

It’s almost 2017, and part of me is broken. I look at life and prejudice and hate and rape culture and Aleppo and feelView full post »

On Holiday Traditions, and This Year Sucking While Being Amazing

I recently got a lovely photo-filled holiday card in the mail from my friend Emily aka Em-I-Lis. The text over herView full post »

Sometimes, There’s Nothing To Say When There’s So Much To Say

Sometimes, we have so much to say that there’s nothing to say. Actually, strike that. Sometimes, we have so much toView full post »

The Sounds Around Us and Remembering to Breathe

“Who’s your favorite character from Minecraft?” he says. “Ummm, maybe Hero Brian?” I say. “It’s not Hero Brian,View full post »

Our Country Voted for The Guy Who Hates People who are Brown, Black, Disabled, LGBTQ, or Female. Now What?

On Tuesday, I walked into a local school, showed my ID and got a ballot, voted, put it in the scanner, and stuck an “IView full post »

My Future Used to Live in My Pocket

“I’m going to be a better mom than you are!” I hollered as I ran up the stairs to pull out my dresser drawer and writeView full post »

What Makes Life Easier?

I close my eyes, open my mouth, and let the almost-too-hot water shower my head, come together, fall, and rinse theView full post »

Am I too late to leave a legacy?

Sometimes, I think about legacies and wonder whether it’s too late for me to leave one that means anything. I’m in myView full post »

what if my life was different based on past what ifs

It’s Fall. Swish Swish, the Calendar. Beginnings and Endings.

Crispy leaves crunching on the way to the bus stop, cool mornings, and stiff notebooks next to sharpened pencils readyView full post »

I dreamed my son could talk when he had apraxia and possibly autism

The Things I’ve Forgotten

I walk through a forgotten scent or the notes from a long-ago song, and memories surface the way hunks of ice in aView full post »

On Vacation Memories and Cherished Moments

One day, when my son was an infant, I walked for 1,001 hours with him strapped to my body in his Baby Bjorn, my handView full post »

The Days, Years, Smiles, and Brave Mr. Buckingham saying “That Didn’t Hurt!”

The first house I remember living in had a tiny linoleum kitchen with wooden folding doors leading to it from theView full post »

School is Starting and I Think I’m Okay with Second Grade. Maybe.

“If I’m the size of a nine-year-old, why am I only seven?” he said. I think about what to say to my not-so-littleView full post »

All The Jobs I’ve Loved (and Detested) Before…

Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that sweatshirts in my closet and memories from “not that long ago” are actually moreView full post »

Finding Blessings in Sweaty Hair, Dirty Feet, and Butt Jokes

I filled his sippy cup with water as he waited. Silent, pudgy baby fingers reaching. I twisted the lid, and itView full post »

thinking about witty comebacks

On Responding With Grace to Venom, Emotions, and Words

Ker-clump, ker-clump, ker-clump. The floor shakes above me – my son is running laps. It’s not exactly running,View full post »

kids in the 70s went to sleep away camp and sang songs around the fire and it was awesome and divine

On The Ripple Effect and Kind Words and Pebbles Mattering

“Drop a pebble in the water, splash, and it is gone; But there’s half-a-hundred ripples circling on and onView full post »

I Wish the World Knew We’re More Alike Than Different

I can’t remember whether we visited the old folks home to earn a Brownie Troop badge or to visit somebody. My momView full post »

I miss my two year old and oh mamas, let

I’m Not Ready to Have a Second Grader and Oh, Mamas Let’s Remember

“I wanna wear my fancy shirt,” he said. It was 8:00 a.m. He should have been dressed. We still needed to eat breakfast,View full post »

Friendship is powerful. At age 6, 16, and 60.

Reliving Childhood Through Our Children

We walk in the door, and I remind my voice to be gentle. Sometimes, she forgets. Tonight, she’s listened and is quiet,View full post »

“I Just Wanted Some Action,” she said. A Response to the Lenient Verdict of Rapist Brock Allen Turner

I found a boy behind a dumpster. He was drunk, floppy and adorable. He looked like a stuffed animal sitting thereView full post »

Roots run deeper and more connected when you

On Family History, Roots, Adoption, and the Branches of Life

Each night, a girl dreams of being back home in the kingdom. She can’t quite picture the faces around the late eveningView full post »

dad, i

Just How Did I Get Here? Reflections on Life.

Sometimes, I wonder how I got to this place. This job, this city, this moment. This family. This house. These clothes,View full post »

Accepting What Is Through Dreams, a Speech Delay, and The Love of a Boy

I wish I could remember the sentence I heard that night. I woke smiling even before the alarm went off. “He spoke! Oh,View full post »

Oh mamas, we

Oh Mamas, The Ways In Which We’re Reborn

When I think about the day I was born, I feel sad for then-me and for the woman who gave birth to me. She must haveView full post »

Back in the 70

A Long Long Time Ago, Back in the 80’s…

A long long time ago, back in the 80’s… (and 70’s), kids ran feral all day until their parents rang aView full post »

why do bloggers share so much online? this mom tried to explain the friendships and connections

Why Do Bloggers Share So Much Online?

“Oh, so…you’re talking about one of your blog friends then?” Blog, drawn out to sound more like “blaaagh.”View full post »

Lost another tooth today, mom. Pretty soon, I

What if I Die too Early for my Son?

I ask myself for forgiveness for the night that I wanted to give my life to somebody else. I talk to stars and to GodView full post »

you have all the time in the world because mountain time is different from human time

If I Only Had More Time

“If I only had more time,” I say to my keyboard. The clock whispers “You do have more time.” I look at it, see the bigView full post »

Why Do I Bother Writing At All?

I sat at our kitchen table, helping my first-grader prepare for tomorrow’s spelling test. “Come on, Buddy, just a fewView full post »

I have crappy self worth but I

On Self Image, Invisible Connections, and Mornings

This morning, I looked into the mirror, sighed, and wondered why my recent haircut hasn’t held its shape for as long asView full post »

in 50 years, I want to remember that I liked Metallica and I want to know my son

Will My Son Be Okay After I Die?

“Mommy, I need you.”  I walk to the couch, lean down, place my hand on his cheek, and kiss my son’s head. His hairView full post »

One day a 6 yo came home from school. His homework was to write a short story with a beginning, a middle and an end. His mom thought

When it Comes to Life and Homework, Good Enough Is

“Hey buddy, this’ll be a fun homework assignment,” I said. “You get to write a story!” “That’s not really fun,” heView full post »

I am my own kryptonite. My biggest weakness is myself.

What’s My Weak Spot? I am My Own Kryptonite.

It’s been a few years since I sponge-painted one of the walls in our downstairs bathroom. Tonight, I sit on the toiletView full post »

I wish I

I Wish I’d Known that Everything Will Be Fine

I look at moments that changed my future and I wish I’d known that everything will be fine. “Something’s wrong,”View full post »

I HATE MY WRINKLES.But, i hate them less than I hate the thought of not getting them. Of not being here to watch my son grow up. findingninee.com

On Wrinkles, Parenting, and Drawing on Napkins

As we sat around the dinner table tonight, I paused and looked at my little boy, who is – in his mind, a big boyView full post »

Past moments give us today - findingninee.com

Truth, Hindsight, and Being a Special Needs Mama

Ok first, friends, I have less than 20 minutes to write this post as I’ve been working on something else today,View full post »

I am the mother to a six year old - findingninee.com

I am the Mother to a Six-Year-Old.

When I was six, we lived in a small house with a linoleum kitchen near the entrance, a family room on the right, and aView full post »

Remembering Childhood through Parenting and the Inevitable Death of Rodents-findingninee.com

Remembering Childhood through Parenting and the Inevitable Death of Rodents

As I wrapped my little boy’s lifeless hamster in tissues and ziplocks, readying him for a later burial and for aView full post »

Questions kids ask - where did we get daddy from findingninee.com

Five True Things about Learning from Life

The truth about learning from life is that it takes a long time to do so. Some things, like wanting to live withView full post »

If I were a crayon, I

If I Were a Crayon, I’d Color in The Blank Spots

I asked my six-year-old son what he’d be if he were a crayon. “What do you mean?” he said. “Like the color?” “Sure,” IView full post »

What will life be like in 100 years - @findingninee.com

What Will Life Be Like in 100 Years?

Do you ever wonder what life will be like in 100 years? Each week, my six-year-old boy is supposed to bring hisView full post »

6 reasons to ask why in 2016- findingninee.com

6 Reasons Why Asking Why is Important

I want to tell you a story before I tell you about the 6 reasons why asking why is important. Each of us tells and hasView full post »

A Letter to My Younger Self - findingninee.com

A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Younger Me, One day, you’ll write a letter to you, now, from the perspective that comes from time. A letter to myView full post »

This holiday everybody matters - findingninee.com

This Holiday, I Wish For Peace and Listening Both Big and Small

I walk outside, and sit on my porch. I look to the sky, inhale, and feel peace. My son is quietly sleeping upstairs,*View full post »

First World Problems & 5 ways to aid hardship - findingninee.com

1st World Problems & 5 Ways to Aid Hardship

“It’s gonna snow tomorrow? Crap! That means I’ll have to take the bus.” I was 19 or 20, and the days when the weatherView full post »

Somebody with special needs changed my life for the better - FindingNinee.com

Special Needs and The Nature of Love

“You know, not making a decision is making one. It’s a way out, because not choosing an option over another means thatView full post »

The 80

The 80’s. Or, When I Was 19 and Knew Everything.

There was a time in my life when I knew everything. When I was 19 years old, I knew how to solve homelessness andView full post »

What will life be like in 1000 years? findingninee.com

What Will Life Be Like in 1000 Years?

The Year 3015 She sat, upstairs and downstairs, because the house continually changed to reflect the needs of itsView full post »

time to rethink gun violence - findingninee.com

It’s Time to Talk about Gun Violence

There once was a middle-of-the-night when I called my dad, awake and sweaty, shaking from a terrible dream. In it, aView full post »

Seventh grade was awkward - findingninee.com

Quitting Ballet and Finding Out We’re Living A Fairytale

In seventh grade, my best friend was a girl named Gillian. I didn’t like the way her name was spelled, and for a longView full post »

assumptions make an ass out of you and me - findingninee.com

On Making Assumptions and Giving People a Break

“Oh, to be her,” I thought, envying her beauty, her wealth, her career, her mind. Her life seemed perfect. Her life wasView full post »

My superpower is BOPPING THE WORLD ONTHE HEAD WITH EMPATHY - findingninee.com

Special Needs Kids and Superpowers: Would You Change Them If You Could?

“I have a question,” he said at lunch. I was on a cultural interview with several people that I’d hoped to be workingView full post »

The moments. They

Looking Back and Falling Forward and It’s The First Week of First Grade and I Think It’s Going to be OKAY

Tonight, I sat in my son’s tiny first-grade school desk for back-to-school night and resisted riffling through itsView full post »

Hey Summer, I

I Think I’ll Miss This Summer

As September looms, I think about this summer and all that it’s held for me. My little boy turned six, and had hisView full post »

Every birthday should be considered a big one. - Findingninee.com

Aging and the Complexity of Birthdays

Each and every August, I turn a year older. While my approaching birthday is not considered to be a Big Birthday,View full post »

12 things I wish I knew

12 Things I Wish I Knew Back Then

A while back, I decided that although my past contains moments that I’d like to change, or do over, I worry aboutView full post »

Which special ed preschool is best? FindingNinee.com

When A Special Education Teacher Has Advice

Three years and four months ago, I didn’t want to take Mrs. M’s advice. I’d spent days cleaning and moving my son’sView full post »

Special Needs Parenting and the 80’s

Parenting a child with special needs is more similar to parenting a typical child than different. After all, each of usView full post »

I remember this day as being perfect

The Perfect Moments That Memories Make

This past weekend, my husband and I took our son to the local waterpark for Father’s Day. I wanted the day to beView full post »

Hi! I

Lessons Learned about Mommy Cliques

By the time I had my son, I was an expert regarding what being a mother would entail. I’d glow while pregnant, women inView full post »

Camping at the firepit in the 70

I Hope I Get This Summer Right

My parents were big believers in camping. Each summer, they consulted maps, weather patterns, calendars, and theView full post »

I

We Need Better Girl Superhero Powers

The world needs a lot. Greater empathy, kindness, acceptance. Respect for one another regardless of differences,View full post »

Librarian wondering what day it is

My Developmentally Delayed Boy Works Hard

It being Thursday came as a surprise to me more than once today, which is not necessarily unique. What may be unique isView full post »

Contemplating Baked vs Healthy Chips at the grocery -Finding Ninee.com

On Why I Don’t Like the Grocery Store and Embarrassing Things Happen There

I may have run out of tricks to make my husband offer to do the grocery shopping alone, or, even better, with our sonView full post »

We are never alone even when we feel that we are - findingninee.com

Alone

Being 12 years old gave me the gift of coming home to an empty house. Gone were the days of sitters, and, as a newlyView full post »

Living life for the greater good - Finding Ninee

On Community, Self Acceptance, and Having a Village

At one point in my life, being accepted was everything. In the 80’s, I permed my hair, wore fluorescent orange sweatersView full post »

I believe in communication without words. #specialneeds - findingninee.com

On Wondering, The What If’s and A Little Boy Who Says His Mouth is Broken

When I’m running errands, sorting through bills, or trying to remain present while playing with my son in grass andView full post »

The last day of the world is often the first - Finding Ninee

The Last Day Before Being a Mom, and Then

On the last day of normal, my husband took a photo of my swollen belly, just before we went to dinner. All of theView full post »

1980

On Being 14 Years Old, The 80’s, and Hindsight

When I think about being 14 years old, I think about the tacky, fluorescent beauty of the 80’s, about unreciprocatedView full post »

Autism and developmental delays please just play my game the way I want to by Finding Ninee

Autism Awareness, Awards, and Progress

Today, on World Autism Awareness Day, I think about the progress that my little boy has made. While he does not have anView full post »

My Husband Does the Laundry. He Thinks I

Love, Chores, And Filling In The Blank Spaces

Visit my house, and it’s pretty obvious that I don’t like chores. Laundry is handled by my husband, and the spurt ofView full post »

Rather than worry, I will know that I have wings. FindingNinee.com

My Proudest Moments and Pssst – We Have Wings

Late at night, when all I hear is the humming of my house and the silent moon in the window, it would be easy to thinkView full post »

Early Intervention Developmental delay evaluations suck but they will be fine

Early Intervention Evaluations and the St. Patrick’s Day that Wasn’t

It’s not that I remember most of the St. Patrick’s Days that I’ve celebrated. I remember my friend and I sitting atView full post »

7 snow day projects for kids

7 Snow Day Activities for Kids (snark)

I can only remember a few times as a kid when my mom told us that we didn’t have to go to school because it was closedView full post »

On Mommy Wars and The High Price of Being Self Righteous

In hindsight, I’m not convinced that I completely understood what pregnancy meant. I mean, obviously, I knew that itView full post »

Riding in the back back of grandma

The Way Back of 1980’s Station Wagon

Sometimes, I think about how different childhood looked in the 80’s and 90’s from how it looks today. Technology, nowView full post »

Plastic-Preserved Haunting Memories

I can’t remember whether or not I checked the mail this afternoon or on which days I have meetings next week, yet IView full post »

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you ruled the world?

I Don’t Want To Rule The World. I Just Want To Change It, That’s All.

Have you ever thought about what you’d do if you ruled the world? I mean not in a political sense, but in a “if thingsView full post »

Mexico and Epic Failures in the 90

Epic Failures Before Facebook and Smart Phones

Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can smell Mexico although I haven’t been in years. It saddens me to realize thatView full post »

Gonna be a cooler parent than my parents

Special Needs Parenting: The Worry. Maybe, It’s More Like Regular Parent Worry Than Not.

Years ago, when I was eight or nine years old, I read the words that parents will always love their children more thanView full post »

Imma be president of all the things

If I Were President of All of The Things

In fifth grade, along with the rest of my class, I made an autobiography. I still have it. It’s frayed andView full post »

I want to remember my son holdiing my hand

When I Am Old, I Want To Remember My Now Little Boy

Just before drifting off to sleep, my son rolls over to check that I’m still there and grips my hand more tightly inView full post »

1980 girl cartoon with 501s and leather jacket

I’m Brave. Wait. I’m a Coward. Or Both.

I don’t consider myself as being particularly wimpy. I am the eight-year-old who slept on a board placed on her bedroomView full post »

You have four kids mom cartoon how do you do it

How Do Special Needs Mamas Do It?

One summer, when I was about six and attending day camp, a girl who was a few years older and eons cooler than IView full post »

Protected: The Time I Thought I Would Probably Die When I Heard These Words

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password:View full post »

Would I be doing the same thing if there was a camera filming me?

My Father’s Best Advice Was To Not Care What Other People Think

Every once in a while, when I’m writing, working, parenting, or life living, I wonder whether I’d act or do the sameView full post »

Not all kids can say

On Halloween, Skanks, Fat Superheroes and Special Needs Children Trick-or-Treating

I remember the Halloweens of my youth. I remember the year that my mom forced us to wear coats in a snowstorm, ruiningView full post »

Special Needs are not scary

Between Advocating for Autism and Special Needs and Protecting Our Children’s Privacy

In many ways, writing has been a saving grace for me. I started to blog here on Finding Ninee when my son Tucker wasView full post »

YOUTH THEN: Eat pop rocks and drink soda and your stomach explodes until you die.

Neighbors: Then, Now, And Motherhood is Lonely

My childhood neighbors meant easy-access friends, open doors, warm porches, sheet forts straddling short chain-linkView full post »

Life is too short to not laugh at ourselves

Life is Way Too Short and What You Do Matters

You know how, when you’re a kid, somebody – maybe a grandmother, a parent, or a beloved aunt – tells youView full post »

Childhood. It’s His Turn, Now.

My childhood wasn’t especially spectacular or amazing. But it was mine, and I hang onto the magic that I feel like itView full post »

I hope you will accept my kid, just as he is

I Used to Believe in Pet Rocks, and that Plaid Pants were the Best

When I was a little kid, I believed in a lot of things. I believed in magic, wonder, in the power of wishes and kisses,View full post »

I imagine running. And when I do, I am a gazelle.

It Is With This Body

I cannot brag about ever having climbed Mount Everest, or finishing a refreshing swim across the English Channel. IView full post »

8 ways to foster self compassion. Foster self compassion. Or, how not to be or raise an asshole..png

8 ways to foster self compassion. Or, how not to be, or raise, an asshole.

Almost every time that we go to our neighborhood playground, we see the same little girl. She must be about seven yearsView full post »

A Letter to My Dad for Father’s Day

Here in the US, it’s Father’s Day this weekend. I won’t be able to tell my dad how much he means to me on Sunday, so, IView full post »

When I Was Young, I Knew Everything

Years ago, when I was still young enough to know pretty much everything but physics and chemistry because hello totallyView full post »

The Kindness We Learn Matters

When I think about the nice things that people have done for me, it’s hard to separate them from the bigBIGthings thatView full post »

Dad thinks wife gave special needs son the world

You may notice that this post has a bit of a different voice than the ones you’re used to reading on FindingView full post »

IEP Meetings Suck, and How to Prepare for an IEP

When special needs lurks in the shadows of your life, at first, quietly, and then, more forcefully,View full post »

Unchosen Choices

Have you ever wondered about your unchosen choices? Wondered about a cross-country move, the branch of a career path,View full post »

The time I was abducted by aliens and could change my past

Last night, I was abducted by aliens while I slept.  One minute, I was peacefully slumbering in bed, and the next, IView full post »

What’s the big deal about autism?

What’s the big deal about autism and special needs anyway? Well, for one, according to the CDC, 1 in 68 children are onView full post »

Red Rocks Concerts, The 80’s, and a Mullet

The 80’s and 90’s were good years to be young. When I was in high school, each year, from May to September,View full post »

Will School Crush My Special Needs Kid?

Every once in a while, the truth that my baby is no longer a baby, nor a toddler, catches me off guard. I’m reminded byView full post »

The Best Decade

Which was the best decade? For me, each one that I’ve experienced holds powerful memories and life-changingView full post »

10 Things Special Needs Moms Wish You Knew

The word autism entered my heart as a whisper. It later entered my brain as a possibility. Later still, it entered myView full post »

You will love your retarded baby (and we don’t say retarded anymore)

As a child, I thought that people’s lives happened on purpose. That you found love when you’d planned to, and thatView full post »

Men and Women Differ in Seeing Hidden Talents and I Can Wiggle My Ears

What is your hidden talent? I’d be willing to bet that the majority of women reading this had a first thought along theView full post »

The worst community service jobs ever

Hi! Bytheway, that’s not a syrupy lovely “hi” as we’ve got another snow day today. And tomorrow. It’s more of aView full post »

Dream that this is enough

Do you ever take walks at night and peer through lit windows, wondering at the lives of other people? I took such aView full post »

Our traditions and how we are non-traditional

We are fairly traditional when it comes to having a Christmas tree, huge childhood birthday celebrations, and Tucker’sView full post »

Dear Special Needs Google Mama, who Thinks it Sucks

Over the years, I’ve seen a few big things. They include life-changing opportunities, mind-altering moments, and messesView full post »

The Best Special Needs School in the World

If I had a million dollars, there are a lot of things I would do. Maybe I would be overly generous with it, get moreView full post »

2014 Blogging Goals – Should and Are

Hi Friends! Welcome back to Finish the Sentence Friday! I hope that you each had a magical, relaxing,View full post »

This holiday season, I will be a better me

This holiday season, I’ll do a lot of things. I’ll play with my son in the freezing cold, watch The Charlie BrownView full post »

Favorite childhood memories

When I was in third grade, my brother had to miss school one day to get a mole removed. While sitting in class, with myView full post »

Pilgrims. Dorky clothing and shattered illusions. And a defeated pizza boy.

When I think of Pilgrims, I think of dorky clothing, shattered illusions and a defeated pizza boy. If you’re thinkingView full post »

Past relationships – what I wish I used to know

I lived for 37 years before meeting my husband. 37 years is a lot of years. At times, it’s hard to imagine theView full post »

We can fly

When I was a kid, I thought that if I stood perfectly still, breathed justright, and positioned myself justso, that IView full post »

It’s Halloween and I don’t want to be a Wonder Woman Skank

Halloween costumes pretty much suck for women. Unless, of course, you want to be a Wonder Woman Skank and jiggle alongView full post »

Being Here is the Best Part of My Day

I know that I’m not alone in continually feeling like there’s not enough time for anything. Like all of us, there areView full post »

It took seeing my son in public to know he

It took seeing my son in public to know he’s not typical

It wasn’t until I was In Public that I realized my kid wasn’t typical. It wasn’t until I saw him with other childrenView full post »

Protected: It’s Just Skin.

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Bravery and Winners Announcement

If I were asked to describe myself, I’m not sure that I’d include the word “brave.” It’s not that I think I’m a totalView full post »

I deserve a medal and you can win one hundred dollars

Have you ever done something that made you feel like you deserved a medal? I look at my past, which is long andView full post »

The short bus saved my summer.

I’ve written about some favorite summertime memories over the past few months. At times, I documented them as they wereView full post »

Sometimes, I’m not myself. By my maybe-autistic son. Sortof.

As he gets older, some of Tucker’s issues are more identifiable. Things that, when he was a baby, were totally unknownView full post »

Mom laying with new baby on bed

Forgotten loves

I think that the most surprising part of new motherhood, for me, was the realization that I’d love my son no matterView full post »

I have some bad habits.

About 15 years ago, my dad gave me a four-page article on procrastination. I assume that it outlined some commonView full post »

I’m not a big church person

I’m not a big church person. I pray, I believe in miracles, I believe in wonder and that unexplainable, unimaginableView full post »

What would you do over?

If you had a chance to go back in time and do something over, would you? Do you have regrets? I have a tattoo on myView full post »

All of the Fourths of July are my favorite

Ah, the Fourth of July. We’ve had some good ones.  Last summer, we celebrated youth at the beach and will be doing theView full post »

To my old man son

There are a lot of people that I’d like to have dinner with.  They include family, friends, and many of you. Tina Fey,View full post »

Ghetto DIY. A homemade carwash.

The hardest part of my day is the three hours when Tucker should be napping but isn’t.  He’s cranky. I’m cranky.  IView full post »

Life’s Turning Points

Have you ever thought about life’s turning points? About how different your life might be had you taken aView full post »

Sometimes, a movie says what I want to say. But better.

I don’t have a favorite movie.  I’ve been thinking about whether I do for a few days now, and I just don’t.  WhileView full post »

I blog because of you. I blog because of us.

I started blogging because I was lost and confused.  Terrified.  Lonely. So lonely. Learning that there’s somethingView full post »

Admitting special needs and saying “autism” is hard

When I was younger, I engaged my coworkers.  I cared about what they said, I went to happy hour with them, andView full post »

Surviving the cicada apocalypse and my baby isn’t a baby anymore

While nothing is written on the calendar, I have some plans for this summer.  Here they are, in no particularView full post »

I’m stuck on an island just like Sawyer

Dear Sawyer, I, too, am stuck on an island.  Luckily, there are no scary smoke monsters, weird science experiments, orView full post »

Passionate about a cause? Sometimes it

I’m passionate about equality for special needs

I’m passionate about a lot of things.  First and foremost, I’m passionate about my little boy and doing my very best toView full post »

So much more than a dog

This dog of mine. So much more than a dog. His gentle soul housed in a majestic, strong, beautiful body.  There’sView full post »

Accept Everyone. Accept My Son. #specialneeds

The Land of Empathy and Wonder

If I could live anywhere in the world, I’m not sure where I’d choose. The caves and snow of the mountainsView full post »

A typical day in my life looks like…

I was thinking about how to answer this sentence as I walked my dog a couple of nights ago. Yeah, the same dog whoView full post »

I want to be a celebrity.

It’s Finish the Sentence Friday time and this week’s sentence is “If you could hang out with any celebrity, it wouldView full post »

Once, when I was bored out of my mind…

…I removed all of my clothes, shoes, purses and scarves from my closet.  I then vacuumed, dusted each individual hangerView full post »

I did something really stupid once…

This week’s sentence to finish is “I did something really stupid once…”  Talk about a perfect topic.  Except, well,View full post »

Dad I

I tried to cook…

I tried to cook up the perfect recipe for an ideal life.  I was nine years old.  This is about how it went. First, IView full post »

Ridiculous Me

This past weekend, I had an escape.  I was able to travel to Colorado (my hometown and a favorite place always) for myView full post »

When it comes to social media, I think…

I think that social media is both amazing and dangerous. When used sparingly and wisely, social media is the light atView full post »

Use the buddy system

Hi, friends!  It’s finish the sentence Friday time and this week’s sentence is “Speaking fromView full post »

FTSF: I get so frustrated when…

Friends, I have to admit that although this sentence has been in the back of my mind since last week, it’s now 9:30pmView full post »

The most memorable Valentine’s Day I ever had was…

The most memorable Valentine’s Day I ever had was when I was 16.  Or maybe this one, if you help me out.  Here’sView full post »

Finish the Sentence Friday: When it comes to reality TV, I…

When it comes to reality TV, I just can’t.  You see, it was ruined for me back in 2002.  Blame Fear Factor.  The oneView full post »

when i was younger i didn

When I was younger, I tried…

Sound familiar?  Are you confused?  It’s okay.  I’m often confused.  The reason this post has such aView full post »

Finish the Sentence Friday: When I was younger, I tried…

When I was younger, I tried* to improve my sleep quality by beheading my Barbies every night. The end. Oh,View full post »

Finish the Sentence Friday: The last time I went on vacation, I…

The last time I went on vacation was over the holidays when we went to visit my family in Colorado.  It was perfectView full post »

One of the most embarrassing things I ever did was…

One of the most embarrassing things I ever did was…” Sadly, I really had to think about this because theView full post »

  • Deirdre Conran - Love your posts! Have no idea how to post on the finish the sentence Friday, but I’ll learn! I’m new at blogging and loving it!February 28, 2016 – 6:36 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Hi Deirdre,
      It’s easy, I promise! I saw that you’re in the Facebook group. Each week, there’s a sentence. People write to it (this week, it was “By this time in life, I thought I’d…”), and reference that it’s for Finish the Sentence Friday with a link here, and then you copy the link of your blog post, and click the blue button of my post for the week where it says “Add your link” and add it. It’s easier than it sounds. I put them live at 10pm eastern on Thursday nights and the link entries remain open until Sunday afternoon. You can add your link at anytime while it’s open.
      Then, click around, read some other posts, and voila! You have blogging friends. I’ve made some of my very best blogging friends through this prompt. Many of us have even met in person. Feel free to friend me on Facebook and if you have questions, you can DM me.
      I also send a reminder email each week with the sentence – let me know if you want me to add you.
      This coming week’s is (I THINK, waiting for confirm from my potential co-host) “I wish I’d known.” I’ll put some more info in the group but yay! Look forward to getting to know you!February 28, 2016 – 7:31 pmReplyCancel

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