It is in these everyday activities that our boys need you and I love watching!
Throws football with these crazy boys for hours and hours! Review spelling words to earn 100s! Plays and buys all video games that you can get away with! You sit with the kids and listen to what they have to say. You give them Dad attention and they know they are loved!

I think about being Mom and a Good Mom all the time. I was trying to think of a day in your “Dad” shoes and was overwhelmed. You take the pressure of providing for our family, making sure we are happy, and you do it with a smile!

I don’t know what to say to you on such a special day other than “Happy Father’s Day” and I love you!

What are you giving your Hubby this Father’s Day? I told mine I would skydive with him in NYC…over the Atlantic!!! If this isn’t love I don’t know what is! Wish me luck!

On vacation I read a review about a Hike that I really wanted to do. It looked perfect: 8 miles, tough, and in an area of Washington State that I love to hike. All seem perfect except for a review. The review had a paragraph that I found disturbing!! it read:

“The views at the top of the mountain are no different than the ones at the base of the mountain.”

I was in shock and disbelief. I was the one that told my kids: “We hike and the prize for the hike is the VIEW”. I took a chance and made the decision to pursue the hike! My Husband is too nice to go along with me…or knows better than to argue

It was a rainy day (rain in the PNW?? LOL) and cloudy. It was our first day hiking and we were eager for the challenge!! We hiked, hiked, hiked and surprisingly at the top of the Mountain it stopped raining. The rain allowed us to continue on a rock climbing path that we really enjoyed!! One of the toughest hikes I have ever done with the family and the prize was the VIEW.

The review was wrong! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I know but whoever wrote the review…Never made it to the top! The view and the hike were picturesque and I would love to let everyone know that the views at Mt. Si…are spectacular!

My phone has me looking up reviews on restaurants, businesses, movies, and hikes and I trust the reviews 90% of the time! This was one review that I am so grateful that I didn’t trust because my family and I would have missed out on one of our best hikes ever!

Locals even stated: “Every hiker must hike Mt. Si at least once in their life!” How could the review be so off?

How much do you trust reviews? Have you gone against one and realized it was worth it…or not? I would love to hear all about it

I have my moments but these are the moments I want to brainwash my  boys to remember!

I am the type that would sit with my boys and play with Matchbox Cars for hours while they were younger.  I am the one that enjoyed the Eric Carl books WAY too much and loved reading them for my boys.  I am the one yelling “I LOVE YOU” from my car as my boys walk away for school. (Yes, they give me the evil look!!)

I am the type of Mom that can overlook messes. (This drives my Husband nuts!!)  I want all my boy’s friends to come play at our house and think it’s cool!!  I am the Mom competing with my boys doing jump tricks on trampoline and accidentally double bouncing my baby and giving him a broken arm. (Not Good!!!)

I am the crazy Mom on rainy days playing outside. We toss a  plastic silver ball back and forth to each other while running in the rain—we just laugh for hours!  I am the type of Mom that pushed my boys down a steep hill on their bikes so they would love the joy of speed.
(Keep in mind, I am also they type of Mom that needs her “Mommy Timeout“.)

I am the one out singing my boys in the car!  (As they are yelling at me to turn it up so they can’t hear me!!) I am the type that chooses to sit at the kids table during family gatherings!

I am the type of Mom that wants to be remembered for all the fun little things. I want them to remember the time they challenged me to tricks on a smaller trampoline and I bounced on my behind so hard–I hit ground–and couldn’t walk for days!!

The laughter and the quality time is what I want to be remembered for! I have a great husband that goes along with me or has given up on my crazy–a LONG time ago.  I am blessed to be the type of Mom I am because I love kids!! It doesn’t take big toys or lots of trips to have a good time.  Most of these amazing memories come from our own backyard!

What type of Parent are you?

Happy Mother’s Day!!

What I know about Sean White is that he is amazing.  White has been seen skateboarding since he was seven years old!! White’s Mom bought him a snowboard to keep him busy because he had a love for the outdoors.  White stated that his parents bought him a snowboard to settle him down, he said it unleashed his love of taking risks!  If you start that young and you are good at it, I believe it just inspires you to keep playing!

William Twins.  Seen in pictures with their dad holding tennis rackets since they were eight years old.  Oprah had them on her show and I remember them stating that tennis became a sport that they lived for. Twins said that they had a love for the sport–A sport introduced to them by their Dad at an early age.  Again, they started young, played hard, had Dad as coach! Awesome and at the same time I believe a huge reason to become “amazing”!! (Because Amazing is what they are!)

Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake:  seen in Mickey Mouse Club since they were kids!!  Growing up singing and in the spot light.  It did take huge effort for their parents to get them to earn a spot in the Mickey Mouse Club but they grew up in that industry!  Singing all their life why would they choose anything else??

I am clearly not that parent but wonder if I am selling my kids short!! My husband says that if they want to pursue anything they will let us know.  Have I missed the boat?  They are 7 and 9….should I sign them up for singing lessons or just take my chances??

You be the Ref and let me know your thoughts…..Do you side with my husband or side with me?  

(No background research was done to write this post and I am not quoting any specific statement. Only opinion and general information was used.)

Binet was known an as a loner an introvert.  Binet’s early work consisted in the study of hypnosis.  It did not go well.  Binet had a setback and had to make an embarrassing  public announcement  about being wrong in supporting his teacher Jean-Martin Charcot’s in 1833.  Binet did not give up.

After the birth of his two daughters Binet shifted his study to them.  Binet studied his daughters conception of intelligence, attention span, and intellectual development.  He published hundreds of books documenting his research and articles (later to influence figures like Jean Pigeat).  Binet partnered with Theodore Simon and they developed the Binet-Simon Scale.

Binet-Simon scale was a first IQ test.  The Binet-Simon scale was developed by complex investigations and thorough research with actual students.  Questions were formulated to read in common sense terms.  The Binet-Simon scale was used to compare the Children’s Mental abilities to those of their peers.  The initial Binet-Simon scale would reveal the child’s mental age (as a score).  Binet’s tests would be implemented and used by the United States Army durning World War I.

An introvert and a loner.  A person with no formal study in Psychology.  What Binet did was introduce diversity to the field of Psychology.  Binet studied the correlation of intelligence with Chess.  Binet studied and supported his teacher Charcot’s in hypnosis (regardless of the consequences).  The study of the conception of intelligence, attention span and intellectual development through his own daughters! Binet coined the term “erotic fetishism” and also studied chiromancer.  Loner and introvert yes, but a successful overachiever!

The recognition was not achieved until the after his death.  Two of the main achievements and honors include:  In 1917, the Free Society for the Psychological Study of the Child, to whom Binet became a member in 1899 and which prompted his development of the intelligence tests, changed their name to La Societe Alfred Binet, in memory of the renowned psychologist. The second honor was not until 1984, when the journal Science 84 picked the Binet-Simon scale, as one of twenty of this century’s most significant developments or discoveries.

Binet clearly was motivated by passion.  The recognition, awards, praises were lacking but not to him.  Binet found the praises he needed through his works.  Binet inspired through his work a revolution in the study of Intelligence and IQ testing.  A Proud Parent that learned through his daughters and shared his works to change the future of IQ testing!

Life is about taking chances and following our dreams, our passions! Did you take a detour in your life?

Binet, Alfred – The wind and the brain
Wikipedia – Alfred Binet

Had you met me even 5 years ago this would have been my opening statement: “Hello, my name is Francis. I have served in the Navy, I have traveled the world, I got a degree in Computer Information Systems, and I’m so excited about Working!!”

I was a walking resume! I thought if I just said “Hello, My name is Francis. I am a stay at home Mom.” It wasn’t enough? Enough for me or for my friends? I just wanted to be more!! My boys were young and I was new at the “Mom” thing! I was taking for granted the huge title “Mom” is!!

The responses when I say today: “I am a stay at home Mom” are: “Are you looking for work”, “Must be nice”, “You want to stay home?”. Very seldom does someone just say “Awesome” and mean it! My Husband said that it was because it was no longer common to have a single income family. Is that it??

I mean why can’t we praise “Stay at Home Mom’s” a bit more? Not that praise is needed but accepted. I am bringing back the “Stay at Home Moms” position in a good way!!

No longer will I introduce myself with my past experiences or titles. I am finding an amazing joy in being a Stay at Home Mom, and I want that to define me! I am now simply: Francis the Stay at Home Mom! Who are you?

P.S. I can’t imagine what “Stay at Home Dads” have to deal with! If it is easier or if we make it personal? I would love to hear from you!

I will never forget getting punched in the face for not moving from my spot in the bus line. I was in 3rd Grade when “The Bully” came up to me and said: “Move”! I didn’t listen and he continued barking at me to move. I am a bit stubborn and then came the punch! Clear across the face. I didn’t cry but at this point I got up and stared him down. No one spoke but he went to the back of the line. Luckily for me that was my ONLY bully experience.

It frightens me because I never told my Mom there was a Bully. For sure NEVER told that I got punched!! I want my kids to tell me. Which leaves me with a scarier question: what advice do I have if they do? Get punched? Suicide over a Bully is not okay!! Not okay!! It must be stopped and how?

My only suggestion so far: (yes I am an overachiever!!)

Have the Bully Chat: I started talking to my kids about “The Bully” behavior. I told them a person sometimes doesn’t have to punch or kick you. Words can hurt people. I told them to be accountable for what they say and my favorite expression “kill them with kindness!”

The Bully Chat helped for my kids to open up. My 3rd grader said a girl pinches him ALL the time. He said that because I always say “don’t hurt girls” he doesn’t defend himself! I told him that anything that “hurts” the teacher and I need to know about!! I told him it is not okay and if it didn’t stop to please let me know. (I plan on calling the Mom if it doesn’t stop.)

It is impossible to prevent all the kids from becoming “The Bully”, but I can start with mine!

This is how serious “The Bully” has become: 2,440,000 links when I googled it.

There are TOO many stories on Teen Suicide over “The Bully”. I’m inspired to make a change by spreading the word!

My son Steven was about 26 months of age when my Husband and I were told that he had characteristics of Autism. We were given a telephone number to an agency that would be able to give us more information, and we were told: “Oh by the way when you have a child with autism the siblings born after that child have a greater chance of being Autistic”.  Talk about a double Wammy because we have a  daughter who is a  year and 7 months younger than Steven.  After we left, it was something very difficult to face.  My Husband was the one that took this the hardest.  We got in a huge argument that day, he kept telling me ” that neurologist has no clue what he is talking about, there is nothing wrong with our son.”  Deep inside I wanted to see  things the way he did, but in reality I knew Steven was not developing like a typical 26 month old child.  After two weeks of crying and hugging my child constantly and kissing him over and over again and blaming everyone for this and asking myself why me? I don’t smoke, use drugs, or drink why me? I decided to step up to the plate and see what I could do to help my child.

Steven was placed in a project able classroom.  We started him on occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and ABA (applied behavioral analysis). It was not easy especially when you have two kiddos still on diapers, a 45 minute drive one way to go to his therapies twice a week . Negative feed back is what I received the most!   I remember there were times that I would just cry on the drive home. I would just cry because of all the negative things the therapists told me after his session.  ” oh he was unable to hand me the red ball and there was only a red ball and a blue ball on the table, Oh he had very poor eye contact, it was so hard for him to focus today.”  So one day I lost hope on my child and I told myself maybe it is me the one that is not accepting that Steven can not handle all this.  I was wrong and things were about to change.

A friend of mine called me and told me that there was this new consultant in town.  She invited me to observe one of her son’s session with the consultant.  Of course I was there the next day.   It was all worth it.  His name is Daniel.  Meeting Daniel is the best thing that could ever happen to Steven and our family.  When Daniel met Steven he told me that within one year Steven would add, subtract, communicate better, call me “mommy”, request his needs and more.  I was like YEAH RIGHT!! WELL he was right.

Steven is now 7 years old and doing that and more!!  He is also reading at a second grade level.  He does ABA 20-25 hours a week and it’s not easy.  We have someone at your home 3-4 hours daily, we hardly get family time, and he even does therapy on Saturdays. When we are invited to go somewhere we always work around his therapy.  If a provider doesn’t show up that day I get to do therapy with Steven.  You know it is not easy being a Mom with a child with Autism.   Autism is on the rise and the community seems to think they know it all, or seem to be very ignorant when it comes to Autism.  Well Autism is here!

Autism is not easy to detect and when people see me struggling with my child that is having a melt down, or I am trying to deal with my child at the grocery store because he just had a sensory overload.  People are quick to give me parental advice.  I have dealt with the “pity looks”.

My son has taught me one thing for sure, each milestone that he has accomplished for as little as it may be we celebrate it Big.  Next time you see an Autistic Child  just give us a pat on the back and say “Good Job” if nothing else.  There is one thing I know for sure: I would not change my life at all, Steven has made me the mother I am.  I have lots of hopes and dreams for him.  One thing is for sure now and this is something Daniel taught me if any teacher, therapist or whomever it may be tells me that my Son can not learn then my response is nice and simple “Maybe it is time you change the way you teach.”  Autism is an epidemic, and now one out of every 145 children being born is diagnosed with Autism.   As Moms lets support one another and help one another!