In today's episode, we have invited Annette Hines, she is the founding partner of Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, PC, and has been practicing in the areas of Special Needs, Elder Law, and Estate Planning for over twenty years.

You can check her website here: https://specialneeds-law.com/ 

Podcast: Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpecialNeedsCompanies 

You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet:
https://www.mamasystems.net/advocate-like-a-mama
instagram.com/fasdmama
instagram.com/mamasystems

If you need help bringing systems to your motherhood journey then Systems for the Special Needs Mama is for you! 

It truly is my greatest joy to work with mamas. The precious vulnerability that comes out when one is reaching out for help seems to instantly bond us. I can say this from both perspectives, because — simply and only — because I have been there before. 

I have stood in my kitchen crying, wondering how I was going to make it to the next day. 

I have hidden in my bathroom because I could not take the whining and fighting anymore.

I have felt so overwhelmed by all the things that are involved in running a house that I literally felt as if I were drowning. 

I work hard to not forget those feelings because that is where I find empathy for other mamas. I know the hardness of getting a diagnosis for a child and having no idea where to turn or what to do next. I know how difficult it is when no one is contributing to physically running the household except you. It can be so hard. That is exactly why I am here for you. I do not want any...

This is a tricky subject. Entitlement. Thinking about our kids being entitled brings a lot of guilt and shame back on us because we think we didn’t do enough to curb it. Or we didn’t shield them enough from all the things that drive them. Or we are mad because we ARE doing the things and they are still acting entitled! It can drive us crazy.

Here’s the thing. I don't blame our kids for being entitled. The world and everything it has to offer is continually giving them the idea that they need every new gadget and toy and piece of equipment or gear or clothing or shoe right this very second without doing anything.

With my kiddos, I’ve seen this most with screens. They want to play games on the tablet and watch TV all the time; and when we allow them to, their attitudes are far from the grateful hearts that I would expect after a privilege. 

But NOW when they come and ask me for screens I just have to ask one question for their...

For today's episode, we invited Kristin Berry from Honestly Adoption. Kristin Berry is a mom of 9 and grandma of 4. She and her husband have been married for 24 years, they are adoptive parents and former foster parents. Together, they run the Honestly Adoption Company and the Honestly Adoption Podcast. Kristin is the author of Born Broken and Keep the Doors Open. She is also co-author of The Adoptive Parent Toolbox, Honestly Adoption, and Securely Attached. She currently lives in central Indiana where she and her family love being outside, meeting new people, and volunteering in the community.

You can check their website here: https://honestlyadoption.com/ 

Podcast: https://honestlyadoption.com/podcast/ 

Facebook: The Honestly Adoption Company

Instagram: @honestlyadoptionco

You can find Laura in all the nooks of the internet:
https://www.mamasystems.net/advocate-like-a-mama
instagram.com/fasdmama
instagram.com/mamasystems

If you need help bringing systems to your...

Maybe you have seen the reel of the mama of 12 doing more laundry than you have ever seen in your life. She has mountains of clothes around her and is folding each item. It has to take her at least half a day if not a full one to do all of her 12 children’s laundry. 

It’s like watching a horror movie and knowing the killer is around the corner and you just want to yell, “DON’T DO IT!!” While I am talking on my phone to this one mama who can’t hear me, I want to kindly encourage you to do the same. 

I know from experience that any steps I can consolidate or remove from the laundry process will save time and make this daunting task much easier.  

I have offered these tips time and again to other mamas and now I’m giving them to you!  

Without further delay, laundry tips. Number 5 is going to blow your mind and I can’t wait to hear what you think about it!

Laura

In this episode, we invited Angela Geddess. Angela also has over 25 years of experience supporting individuals in a variety of settings and has continued her research which has been both formal and informal dedicated to understanding what FASD looks like across the lifespan and across sectors from the family and front-line perspective. She recently authored a book titled, A Complicated and Beautiful Brain, to help deepen understanding of the condition itself, the prevalence rates, and how many ‘missed ones’ there are out there who are struggling to be better understood. She is currently in private practice providing education, advocacy, and direct support for individuals and families experiencing complex mental health and developmental issues including the impact of PAE/FASD. Angela is also an active member of the FASD ONE Diagnostic Action Group and works directly with FASD-Elgin, London, Middlesex, and Oxford, as well as the Ontario FASD Action Network while involving...

In today's episode, we invited Sandra Flach, a mom of 8 children, 5 through adoption—one kinship and 4 international. Her youngest 2 are teens diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).

Her podcast: The Adoption & Foster Care Journey

You can check her website here: https://www.sandraflach.com/ 

You can check out my website at https://www.mamasystems.net/ 

Check out more training for you, the Special Needs Mama, at https://www.mamasystems.net/Advocate-trainings

First, I want to share with you what Karindy had to say after we wrapped up our coaching:

I recommend the clarity and actionable systems that Laura provides. She gives such real advice that will actually make your life easier and build back time into your day to enjoy your kiddos, husband, and personal interests, and time to be creative and give back to others. 

Real-life example: my hubby and I could not agree over ways to organize the clothes for our kids and their toys. She helped us figure out a system of bins and baskets to make things easy to find (and, most important, easy to put BACK!) to make our lives easier. The key was to make it doable for us, not what might be doable in a magazine.

I love this because she’s SO right that we are here for real life… not for magazine (or even Instagram influencer) life! 

Do you want a clean and restful house, but really aren't sure where to start?

Do you and your spouse each want...

For today's episode, we have invited Karindy Ong, she is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. She currently provides therapy to neurologically and medically complex patients from infancy through adulthood with feeding, swallowing, and orofacial myofunctional disorders at the Speech and Language Connection in Katy, Texas.

Her Instagram: @MyohackerSLP Y

ou can check her website here: https://www.myohackerslp.com/ 

To find an orofacial myofunctional therapist near them:

IAOM - https://orofacialmyologist.org/ 

IAOMT - https://iaomt.org/ 

Airway Circle - https://members.airwaycircle.com/directory 

For the course next month: April 30-May 1, 2023 in Orange County, CA

https://www.aviarainstitute.com/ 

You can check out my website at https://www.mamasystems.net/ 

Check out more training for you, the Special Needs Mama, at https://www.mamasystems.net/Advocate-trainings

We’ve had time for the new and shiny part of the year to wear off and now we are deciding what’s next. Do we keep going with those resolutions? Do we power through the things we didn’t REALLY want to do, but we thought were expected of us? Do we pivot and change courses… already? Or does that look like we are weak and have already given up?

I’m here to remind you that you do NOT have to do it all. In fact, it’s truly impossible to do ALL the things the world throws at us. It’s too much and what’s being asked of us is often contradictory in nature, it seems.

Here’s what I want to say to you. 

I encourage you to work in all you do with your whole self with joy to God’s glory… AND it’s ok to ask for help. I emphasize that “AND” because it’s not a “but”... it’s not a negative to ask for help! You weren’t meant to do everything on your own. In...