As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, although I have no affiliation to the Star Institute, I wanted to take some time to share some of their amazing resources. Be sure to click here to check out their website!
Today I wanted to direct to you to their podcast: Making Sense! Click here to learn more and listen to previous episodes!
I am now a parent of a 1st and 4th grader.
Yesterday was their first day of school.
New outfits? Check!
New kicks? Check! (Kicks-as the kids say)
School supplies? Check!
Both kids are in separate schools but this is their second year in their respective schools. Sound confusing? Our schools are split up in an interesting way in my area. I like it, but I do wish they could be in the same school. This won’t happen until one is a senior in High School and the other is a freshman.
A big milestone: this was the first year that my now 4th grader went into school without tears! This was major! He had plenty of nerves and ton of adrenaline. Luckily he saw some friends on the walk to school and waiting in front of the school. He was able to walk in as part of a pack and waive goodbye over his shoulder.
My 1st grader went in tear-free as well. She didn’t cry in Pre-K but threw me a curveball in Kindergarten when she cried and didn’t want to get out of the car. We had a successful drop off this year.
As I’ve talked about in previous blogs, all kids, not just my own, tend to hold in a lot of different emotions throughout the school day. Once they get home, it can come out in a variety of ways. When I picked up my 4th grader today, I had to wait for him at a new door. He came out of the door from last year and ran to me crying. I think the cap popped off and now it was mixed with feeling like he did something wrong. His nerves got the best of him and he went to the exit he knew the best. Tomorrow his teacher will point out exactly where he needs to be which will alleviate some of those jitters. We walked home with on and off tears talking about his teacher, his class and how he had a good day. He also pointed out how he didn’t cry that morning, which made him happy.
Transitions are hard. They’re extra tough for someone with sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. The routine of school each week into the weekend can be tough. The routine of the school year into summer can be tough. The summer routine back into the school routine with a new class and new teacher can be straight up overwhelming.
I have no doubts that they’ll both have a good year. As we always do, we take it one day at a time and try our best to focus on the highlights while riding the emotional waves.
Today is Day 4 of my 30 Day Writing Challenge. My blog is hosted by WordPress and on the home page I saw this writing prompt: Why Do You Blog?
In life and especially in parenthood, you never know what kind of twists and turns there will be. Twists and turns I’ve experienced with my kids have included a speech delay, sensory processing difficulties and anxiety.
Everyone talks about “Dr. Google” because google is the first place most people go to try and find information. Maybe they head to social media to join groups, discussions and get feedback from their peers. Information is at our fingertips in good….and in bad ways.
I wanted to share my personal experiences and my family’s experiences as we navigated through speech therapy, occupational therapy, school, virtual school during a pandemic and having fun in between.
Blogging helped me process and appreciate all the good that was happening and all the milestones we were achieving as a family.
I blog because I’ve always loved to write.
I blog to be one of the many pieces of information another parent may come across while searching for something I’ve been through.
I blog to be part of a community.
I blog to remember the day to day.
I blog in order to take some of the harder moments and turn them into something helpful for someone else.
I blog to remind myself where we’ve been.
The other day I took both of my kids to get haircuts. Who doesn’t need a fresh new cut for school, right?!
My 9 year old has never been thrilled with haircuts but he is able to sit through them now. He did seem to get himself stuck in a cycle of hair falling on his face > wiping his face with the cape > the cape was covered in hair > more hair would end up on his face and the cycle would continue. But, he made it through!
As we were leaving, a little boy was coming in looking terrified and crying. He didn’t want to sit in the chair and was holding onto his mom as tight as he could. In that moment, I looked at his mom and I saw myself.
When we got in the car, my son and daughter asked why he was so sad. I went over some possible reasons and asked my son if he could relate. He could. We talked about how he used to cry, scream and stiffen his body anytime we brought him in for a haircut.
My daughter didn’t seem to understand and we talked about how getting a haircut affected my son. I asked how loud the scissors were while getting her hair cut. She said a 0. I asked my son how loud the buzzer and scissors were and he said a 25. I’m not sure what their scales were, but clearly one was a lot different. He talked about how it feels like sharp tools on his head, it’s loud and it’s itchy.
This took us on a path of talking through different senses, how the brain processes things differently and how each of them react to different foods, textures, sights and sounds. This was a conversation I’ve had with my son before, but not as much with my daughter.
I’m proud of my son for being able to get through things that once were so difficult for him, even though they’re still not easy and for being able to recognize them better now than he ever has before.
As far as we’ve come, his very first haircut still seems like yesterday.
If you follow me on Instagram, you have seen some of our library hauls through the years. We love our library and are there at least once a week, usually more. When Suffolk County announced plans for a library summer tour, we knew we had to check it out!
One library in particular was definitely a sensory friendly favorite!
Suffolk County is one of two counties in Long Island, NY. Long Island consists of two counties, Nassau and Suffolk. In total, there are 62 counties in all of NY state.
For this summer tour, each of my kids got their own passport book that they could personalize with their name and home library. From July 1 – August 31, every time we visited a library, they would receive a stamp in their passport. There were also three different milestones in order be entered into raffles:
5 library stamps: One entry into a raffle for a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card
15 library stamps: One entry into a raffle for a $1000 Barnes & Noble gift card
25 library stamps: One entry into a raffle for a Nook & $25 Barnes & Noble gift card
Up until this tour, we had only frequented two libraries prior, so most of these were new for us. In total we visited 16, receiving 15 stamps (we saw two libraries from the same branch) and visited our home library numerous times throughout the summer.
Let’s start with our favorite sensory friendly library:
Sachem
The thing that stood out to us most at Sachem was definitely Discovery Grove.
Discovery Grove is an outdoor classroom for children birth through 5th grade and their caregiver. Each area provides children with many learning opportunities in math, science, music, and art while promoting imaginative play, problem-solving skills, and socialization. These experiences provide occasions to hone their fine and gross motor skills, expand language and communication skills, and gain confidence to engage in new experiences and environments. – Sachem Library Website
There were areas for digging, building, climbing and more. All the senses can be activated through water play, instruments, heavy work and creativity. We spent so much time out in Discovery Grove and my kids started working together to build a house. This is definitely a spot we will be visiting again!
Here is a list (in no particular order) of the other libraries we visited and what stood out to us about each location:
We are thankful for this summer tour because it got us to visit libraries we may never have otherwise. The libraries all had friendly staffs, great collections of books (and yes we got at least one book from each) and so much to offer their communities.
Today is August 31, 2023 and I am about to start a 30 Day Writing Challenge.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to start on September 1?
Yes! BUT I am giving myself the advice that I would give someone else: Just Start!
Time has flown by in the last 9 years of being a mom and in writing this blog. When I look back on posts, some that I think were written recently were actually written 4+ years ago. I like writing, I like sharing things that have worked for our family with others and I want to be doing more with this blog. Step 1, get to writing MORE!
For day 1, I want to do a re-introduction! My name is Jen and I’m a stay at home mom of a 9 year old son and a 6 year old daughter. I’ve been married for over 11 years and we also have 11 year old pup! I co-host a weekly podcast with my brother <shameless plug> which you can find on your favorite podcasting platforms: Dillo’s Diz Podcast. For a year and a half, I also co-hosted The Magical Mommy Monday Podcast with my friend Angela.
I started this blog to document my family’s journey navigating my son’s speech delay, sensory processing difficulties and the day to day of family life. I always find it helpful when I’m able to get another parent’s perspective on different topics and wanted to be a resource for others going through a similar journey.
I’m mostly in the land of social media under @jenillo but you can also find me on Instagram @justmymomsense.
Should I start a TikTok for this blog too? Hmmm, stay tuned for the rest of this challenge to see if it happens!
Day 1 is now in the books! See you tomorrow!
Back to school time is upon us and I wanted to share some school related blogs I’ve written along the way:
School May Not Look Like You Imagined Part 1
School May Not Look Like You Imagined Part 2
School May Not Look Like You Imagined Part 3
School May Not Look Like You Imagined Part 4
Be sure to check out A Few Of My Favorite Things for books, favorite authors, toys and more that can help with the transition back to school and all year round!
Let me know how you’re feeling about this time of year by leaving a comment or connecting on Instagram: @justmymomsense!
<I have no affiliation with LEGOLAND, I am just sharing information>
Back in June, we did an overnight at LEGOLAND, NY. This was our second annual trip, but last year was just for the day.
If you’ve read this blog before, then you know I’ve talked about experiences at Disney. We’re a family that enjoys Theme Parks, but navigating them with someone that has sensory difficulties can be tricky. However, LEGOLAND is making that easier!
Stepping into the world of LEGO with lots of colors and creativity all around can be awesome but sometimes overwhelming. LEGOLAND has a Sensory Guide on their website, ensuring that every moment at LEGOLAND is magical and inclusive. From quiet spaces, to exciting attractions that cater to all, LEGOLAND lets you know what you’re going into at every stop.
Once you’re in the park, you’ll seen signs like these at each attraction:
Click here to read LEGOLAND, NY’s Sensory Guide.
I love that Theme Parks are becoming more inclusive so that everyone can feel welcome, be comfortable and have fun!
Believe it or not, this summer is our first experience with Crocs.
My 6 year old really wanted them and while shopping around for them, my 9 year old decided he wanted them too. They each found a pair they liked and put them on in the car.
My 9 year old had a sense of calm come over him and couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved the way the shoes felt on him. He didn’t want to take them off and asked if he could sleep in them. The texture, the air flow, it was all a plus for him.
My 6 year old didn’t love the texture under her feet and wanted to keep socks on with them. She kept talking how it was bumpy and felt weird. Since then, she mostly wears them with socks and loves them.
It was the sensory experiment I didn’t realize I was conducting. I didn’t expect Crocs to have such an effect on them. They also really wanted to decorate the shoes. My 6 year old got some Princess pins for hers and my 9 year old got some Mario pins for his. They wear them daily and love them.
It’s a great reminder of how little things can have a bigger impact when it comes to living a sensory life. They were able to personalize shoes that brought a lot of comfort and calm to one and happiness to the other.
The Princess Crocs pins we ordered are no longer available, but I found a similar bunch: https://amzn.to/45gC54D
If you have a Mario fan in your life, here is a link to the ones we purchased: https://amzn.to/44OXt0u
If you’re interested in trying out Crocs for yourself, click here: https://amzn.to/3Oqdfsf
Just My MomSense is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program
I recently purchased Poppy and the Overactive Amygdala to have as a source of reference for my kids.
However, for today, I want to chat about reading it on your own, as a parent.
Description from the back of the book:
Many kids suffer from an overactive “Fight or Flight” response, which can affect them in all areas of their lives. Follow Poppy as she explains some of her struggles with anxiety, anger, and friendships as a kid with an overactive amygdala. This book was created to help build understanding and empathy for children with a wide range of mental health challenges. This type of behavior can be seen in many children, including but not limited to those kids with DMDD, ADHD, ODD, Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, PANS/PANDAS, RAD, Autism disorders, PTSD, IED, and Conduct disorder, among others. While many of the children struggle with comprehension of their disorder, they all have one important factor in common. They did not choose this. As adults, we have a responsibility to build understanding, encourage empathy, and continue to grow our own set of skills and knowledge in order to best serve our most vulnerable population: Children.
Both of my kids have anxiety and one has confirmed sensory processing difficulties. Here is what I already know: going through everyday activities that we all take for granted, can be really tough for someone with sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. Here is what I need to be reminded of: going through everyday activities that we all take for granted, can be really tough for someone with sensory processing difficulties and anxiety. I try my best to continue to educate myself, to listen to podcasts, read books or social media and watch videos, all in an effort to make sure I’m doing everything I possibly can to make things just a little easier. But, I am also human. I have good days and bad. I’m always juggling all the things in life. And sometimes, I start to take the day to day for granted and slip back into needing a reminder.
This book is a good reminder. A reminder of the emotional storm that can happen quickly and easily inside a child. It talks about the ups and downs, the negative thoughts they experience and what adults can do to help them through it.
If you’re like me and aren’t always perfect, I recommend you read through Poppy and the Overactive Amygdala, on your own, thinking of your child going through the things that are described. It may be just the reminder you need to get yourself back into the routine.
I have links to this book and a few others on my “A Few of My Favorite Things” page which you can access by clicking here.
Just My MomSense is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program
Just My MomSense 