Grateful for Grace building relationships and faith through grace

20 Great Gift Ideas for a NICU Mama {part 1}

January 14, 2016

Someone asked on a Facebook post about what to get a friend whose baby is in the NICU and as my response grew, I realized I should do a blog post on this. Stays in the NICU are a bit surreal. Life revolves around visiting hours, hospital hallways, smelly cafeterias, pumping, beeping machines, and lots […]

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Foster Parenting Isn’t for Me and That’s Ok

January 11, 2016

I am an extremist by nature, or at least I used to be. It’s possible that age and experience have tempered that. So, it’s strange when I find myself in gray areas or in areas of freedom for myself and extending it to others. And even more so when I get mad that an extremist […]

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Why I Haven’t Written Much This Past Year

January 7, 2016

The last 365 days have been the craziest, most powerful, hardest, and yet all at the same time most unforgettable of my life. And since I’m 45 and have been through quite a bit, that’s saying something. A year ago today, I received a text from a friend of over twenty-five years sharing her most […]

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Review of the Newborn Cloth Diapers We Used

December 7, 2015

We just wrapped up using cloth diapers with a newborn for the very first time. And I loved it. Seriously. My dear friend, Autumn, loaned us a stash of beautiful cloth diapers for Jubilee. I was super excited about using cloth from the get go, but really didn’t get to start using it until she […]

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Words to Say and Words Not to Say {Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2015}

October 29, 2015

Most of me knows this post needs writing because of the lack of interaction and information most people have, but part of me is a little sad this needs to be said. Please know that I am sharing not to condemn, but to enlighten and well, to raise awareness, since that is what Down Syndrome Awareness Month […]

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The Brouse House/Morning Star Academy Students & Curriculum for 2015-2016

October 27, 2015

School started over nine weeks ago, but I was and have been and continue to be otherwise occupied, so I hadn’t shared the photos yet. Or taken them. Whatever. But with much joy and pride, I share my students for the 2015-2016 academic school year. Only five in Morning Star Academy this year since HB is […]

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New to the Team, Here’s What I Want You to Know about Down Syndrome

October 13, 2015

Since Jubilee is only ten weeks old, I’m new to the Down syndrome community and new to special needs parenting. Sure, I’ve worked with children with special needs of all kinds for over twenty-five years, but this side of the zone is much different. And well.. October is Down syndrome awareness month. I have wanted […]

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If We Want Planned Parenthood Supporters to Admit They’re Wrong, We Must Set the Example

September 29, 2015

The ten undercover Planned Parenthood videos should have startled our nation. And today Cecile Richards of PP testified on Capitol Hill, having to admit to lies and deception. I certainly haven’t seen the uproar that either of these hould be causing. And part of the reason {yes, there are more, but this blog post is […]

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{A Second} Letter to My Mom in Heaven

September 24, 2015

Dear Mom, Well, it’s your earthly birthday and while I doubt you pay attention to that now in heaven, I do. September 24 is your day. This is the eighth time I celebrate your birthday without you and I have even more questions I wish I could ask and news I wish I could share. […]

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My First View of Holland was Scary {My First Six Weeks as Jubilee Mila’s Mama}

September 18, 2015

I sit here in my living room, taking a breather from trying to get a firm routine in our home. Six and a half weeks out from Jubilee’s birth and almost two weeks since we came home from the hospital. Life is different. And so am I. I thought I was prepared for having a baby […]