Mary shares her personal story of being a single mom by choice and receiving a prenatal diagnosis that her baby would be born with Down Syndrome. She talks of her intense feelings of grief and sadness upon learning of her baby's diagnosis, but also how she came to acceptance of the diagnosis and when her baby was born, it was a true celebration.
Mary chats once again with toileting expert Katie Rinald. Katie answers some of the most commonly asked question from parents who are toilet training their child with Down syndrome. Everything from when to start, is your child ready, how to get your child to initiate, even dispelling myths of toilet training. And Katie even answers the question about how to get your boy to pee standing up (her answer may surprise you!) and so much more. Poop Teaching 101 Course Videos From ACT (Autism Community ...
Mary shares about the recent snowfall and how Ainsley actually enjoyed it. She also talks about what is happening at school, how Ainsley is participating, and her recent gains in speech. And finally, Mary talks about how you can be a part of an upcoming show!
Christmas traditions and how Christmas may look different for our children with Down Syndrome. On today’s episode Mary talks with Ron about some of her favourite Christmas traditions, how she has learned to appreciate the “moments” and not worry about having the Hallmark Christmas. Mary also shares some other Rockin Moms Christmas traditions including Christmas Eve jammies and the White Elephant. Be sure to check out Burnaby Village Museum Jingle Bells by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/ M...
On today’s episode, Mary shares the best birthday gift ever! Putting into Ainsley’s IEP “fostering friendships” turned into a heartwarming birthday card and a beautiful note by Ainsley’s EA for her birthday. She talks to how our kids, even those with the dual diagnosis, can still have genuine and meaningful friendships. #T21Mom.com
On today's episode, Mary talks with Carissa Carroll, founder of Jack's Basket. When her son Jack was born with Down syndrome, no one congratulated them and the delivery of his diagnosis by the health care provider left much to be desired. Carissa felt this had to change. What first started as leaving two baskets at the hospital, has led to Jack's Basket, a non profit organization that has delivered 8,000 baskets to 41 countries across the world! Carissa wants all our children with Down syndrome ...
On today's episode, Mary talks about a successful Halloween and an interesting trick or treat experiment involving a potato! Mary also shares how she was pleasantly surprised with Ainsley''s memory of her music therapy teacher. Mary also met Madison Tevlin-one of the stars from the movie "Champions" at the 321 Summit-a wonderful afternoon event. And she was very surprised to learn that Ainsley's new EA is in a book! Rainbow Puppy Daycare Link...
Mary heads to San Antonio, Texas for this year's Rockin Moms Retreat. Listen in as Mary chats with other moms, hears their stories, and learns what the Retreat means to them. There's another Haunted Rockin Moms pub crawl that may have been more sinister than ghostly, plus lots of wine, love and good times. Plus a former co-host visits to hear the stories.
In today's episode Mary shares this year's IEP experience, which went pretty well! She also talks about Ainsley's new EA, how keen he is, and how he wants to make things more inclusive for Ainsley. Plus she has an update about Ainsley's palette expander (it's not good news), what she is doing for Rocktober, plans for Halloween, and a little story about how her advocating has really resonated with another mom. #T21Mom #T21Mompodcast #Rocktober #IEP
On today’s episode Mary talks with Patrick Cadigan and Megan Smallwood of the Post Secondary Transition podcast. They discuss the role of a Transition Coordinator, how to involve your child in these decisions, and the complexities of the post secondary transition. Check out their websites at Postsecondarytransition.com and p2transition.com.
Mary shares her thoughts on the coming school year and how she is hopefull and optimistic despite all the changes. She also talks about how pleasantly surprised she was, when they all went out for the afternoon and Ainsley walked for hours with no complaint!
Mary chats with Dorothy Gazzola about how to prepare for your child to transition out of high school-it can be overwhelming! Dorothy is a wealth of information and talks about the different steps to take so that parents and your child are prepared. It’s never to early to start! As Dorothy was going through the whole transition with her daughter, Faith, what she wasn’t prepared for was the emotional side of it. Check out the notes below to learn what you need to do at different ages for you and y...
Mary chats about how back to school this year is different.
Mary talks about Ainsley's palette expansion and the challenges they are facing. Also, Ainsley had her first "official" salon visit and how that all went down!
On today's episode, Mary talks about her recent vacation and how it was so successful. Hint - it involves a large water slide. She shares some of the other fun and adapted activities that they did. She also talks about how she is creating her own Down syndrome community by hosting a BBQ for her parent support group that included a water fight, a cookie buffet and fun in the pool!
Mary talks with returning guest, Christine Wiebe, about homeschooling kids with Down syndrome. Christine believes that anyone can homeschool their child, you just have to have the desire and motivation to do so. They talk about the myth that homeschoolers lack socialization, the benefits of homeschooling and lots of tips and tricks to get you started or to help you on your journey. Several links were talked about during the podcast and you can find them here: Homeschooling regulations in Canada ...
In this episode Mary talks about her grief and some recent challenging times. She shares some of the tips she is using for self-care, including flowers and knitting. She admits she is not a fabulous knitter, but enjoys it anyways. And she chats about her upcoming getaway that includes wine. Although the isolation is real, know you are not alone.
Mary talks with Rocking Mom, Stephanie, about Childhood Apraxia of Speech, also known as apraxia. Stephanie shares her journey about her son Odin, who likely has the diagnosis of apraxia of speech and how she has had to fight for services for her son. Stephanie talks about what to look for if you suspect your child has apraxia, and the different types of therapies her son needs. For more information go to ASHA.org . If you would like your own Characteristics of Down Syndrome picture, please cont...
Mary shares about the end of the school year with Ainsley and some of the challenges this past year has brought, the dance recital, and Challenger baseball. She also talks about the ever increasing gap between Ainsley and her peers, and how that has affected her, but also shares her plans for the summer (it includes wine!)
The Essential Guide for Down Syndrome Families. Mary chats with rocking dad and author, Steve Friedman, who wrote “The Essential Guide for Down Syndrome Families.” This Guide, as Steve likes to call it, is an excellent resource for all families who have a loved one with Down syndrome and how to create a life of independence, regardless of how old your child is. As Steve says, it’s never to late to start! To order the Guide go to BeyondDownSyndrome.net...
Mary talks about her success at the Farmers Market selling cookies of course, and why she didn’t get a table next to Starbucks at the "Run Up For Down Syndrome". She also talks about the the Boat for Hope, an annual event, put on by Variety, the Children’s Charity, and how much they have done for Ainsley.
Mary talks with her friend Katie De Nardi Grant, a travel agent that specializes in creating vacations for families that have a child with special needs. Katie travels a lot with her daughter Sloan, who has Down syndrome and some other medical issues, but this has not stopped her. If there's a trip you want to take, do it, and Katie shares how. Katie provides lots of tips on how to navigate flying and to make it less stressful and anxious for everyone, and also talks about the different types of...
Today is another mini episode and Mary talks about the Run Up For Down Syndrome and her cookie fundraising for the event. She also talks about the Adaptive Dance that Ainsley has been going to since September and some of the ongoing challenges with that and her lack of participation. And of course, there's talk about cookies! DSRF.org
Mary chats with Melissa Hart about her recently released book “Daisy Woodworm Changes the World”, and about growing up with a younger brother who has Down syndrome. Melissa is a strong advocate for highlighting people with Down syndrome in various media and believes that people with Down syndrome add so much to families and friendships. And find out what happens when her brother Mark meets movie star Sandra Bullock! You can find her books at MelissaHart.com . This episode has some audio issues a...
This is a mini-episode of Mary sharing what's been on her mind. She talks about Challenger baseball, Mother's Day, some behaviour issues Ainsley is having at school, and trying to have some success gardening (Dennis is unsure of her success!).
Mary talks with Brady Murray of ROD's Heroes-an organization that is dedicated to helping children in orphanages that have Down syndrome and other disabilities, find their forever homes. Hear what happens when Brady decides to do an Ironman and allowed to let miracles happen! ROD's is an incredible organization that believes all children deserve a loving, forever home and to have the chance to sing the song they are meant to sing. Find out how you can become an Unstoppable Advocate, and perhaps ...
Mary chats with Darcy Day on how she learned that her 18 year old son Brady, who has Down syndrome, was able to communicate through spelling! It is a fascinating and heart warming conversation about always assuming competence on our kids. Darcy is on a mission to help people with Apraxia find their voice through spelling to communicate (S2C). To find out more or to contact Darcy, go to Brand New Day . Click here to learn more about Spellers - The Movie...
Mary chats with Cristin Condon who is a life coach, meditation teacher and a Marie Kondo professional organizer. Cristin is a single mom with three kids including her son with Down syndrome and understands how important self-care is for parents of children with disabilities. Cristin has created a plan that helps parents deal with burnout and how we can enjoy our life again without sacrificing our child's needs. There are eight areas that Cristin focuses on for self-care for special needs parents...
Mary talks with Rose Reif, a Licensed Clincical Mental Health Counsellor, about a topic we don’t hear about too often-grief. Rose provides insight and tips on how to handle and manage the grief of our child’s diagnosis. Rose talks about several things around grief-including that your grief does not mean you don’t love your child and why it can be important to schedule time to be sad and so much more. To learn more about Rose, visit RoseReif.com We apologize for Mary's mic problems at the beginni...
Mary has an eye-opening conversation with author Meeka Caldwell about her "My Friend Anian" book series. When Meeka couldn't find any books about Down syndrome and a black family, she decided to write her own. It's an open conversation about race, Down syndrome and having representation. Find Meeka's books at BrownBaby321.com or any online retailer.
