I help moms find joy in slowing down and living more intentionally.
Do you feel like you're constantly in survival mode? Are you overwhelmed by your schedule? Are you exhausted from the clutter in your home? Do you want to be present for your family?
Welcome to The Choice of Motherhood, where we explore the beauty of minimalism, mindfulness, and intentional living. Join me on this journey as a single mother navigating life with ADHD and raising a child with Down syndrome and autism. Here, you'll discover tips on decluttering your home, creating calming routines, and embracing a slower, more meaningful lifestyle. Together, we'll step away from hustle culture and cultivate a life filled with peace, purpose, and joy.
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You had such a great experience in South Korea, so why not go back? My second choice is India. You seemed pretty excited to go there back when you thought you would be adopting from there.
Hey there! Long time no see! I just wanted to say that this is something that I think a lot of moms, single or not, are struggling with. Just coming to yourself while still taking care of another being. I think it just takes time and little steps. I hope things will calm down soon!
Thank you for making this video you saved me money and heartache I had an adoption orientation with Holt International adoption agency. I also want to adopt a little girl from Bulgaria
Can’t imagine how difficult this is, taking care of special needs child plus everything else. Question: when you considered this adoption, did you visualize the future hardships?
I knew it wouldn't be easy but honestly absolutely nothing can prepare you for parenting (even a typical child) until you're in it. There has been some stuff that I was fully prepared for but other stuff, like sleep issues and the endless noise, I couldn't imagine what it would be like. Also work has changed a lot over the past couple years, which there was zero way of knowing that. Most days when I'm super overwhelmed it isn't because of parenting, it's because work takes so much from me when it didn't before so by the time I get home I already have nothing left to give. Weekends and holiday breaks are amazing usually because with the work stress off my plate I can manage everything else. It's a huge reason why I'm hoping to change careers eventually because it's burning me out.
Would you be comfortable using respite care? Part of my problem is I don't think others understand my son the way I do. Also, after so much time in institutions, I don't want him to feel he has been sent somewhere else. At this point there is no one but me (my sister is a big help) to care for him, but even if there were I'm not sure if I would be comfortable.
Unfortunately I can't seem to find anyone for respite! I have one friend that does it occasionally but because it's so rare I usually use the time to clean the house.
I have to set a timer. I tell myself I'm just going to do it for 5 minutes and then I don't have to anymore. Sometimes I only do it for 5 minutes but that's 5 minutes more than if I did nothing. Most times I do a lot longer though because once I get going I hyperfocus lol
I totally could NOT live that way 😂 my mom is and her house stresses me out. My brother lives with me and although he has some trinkets, I pushed him towards minimalism years before he moved here.
Yes, I know that, I was just joking 😂 I originally tried to find the temperature at the North Pole but there isn't a weather station there so it was hard to find a temperature to compare it to.
Single mom here. I've commented before, but don't remember what it was about. My son is also from Bulgaria...Down syndrome... nonverbal... Autistic tendencies...(whatever) We are much older than you...68 and 22. My son came home at 17 years old. I've recently made contact with his birth family. I enjoy listening to ramblings so look forward to your posts.
This is way late but she’s probably used to being strapped on someone all day. That’s how they do in a lot of foreign countries so strap her onto you when she’s acting out or screaming. She won’t hurt herself and she will be next to you but yeah she’s grieving and she can’t tell you.
Thanks but in her orphanage she was actually in a crib alone all day. The workers had a lot of children to care for and couldn't give them the attention they needed. I tried to babywear her for a long time and it's only been the last 10 months or so that she's tolerated it (she's been home 2.5 years). Self harm is extremely common for children who have been neglected in orphanages. Many have their arms restrained and/or are sedated to prevent severe damage.
Obviously you are new to this channel. From 2013-2020 I documented MY journey to becoming a mom. I focused completely on me and my true authentic feelings and helped many people feel they weren't alone. There might be some post adoption updates on this channel from when she first came home but this channel is no longer active and I removed most videos so I'm not sure. If you would like to see my incredible daughter and her amazing progress there are videos over at @travelingbeyondboundaries where I took video the first six months she was home, plus slowly adding videos from our adventures this summer. I did post a 2022 in review video where you can see her walking progression! Starting this summer we will be starting bigger travels outside of Canada. The focus is still directed towards myself, as I don't like how many RU-vid channels focus on their children due to ongoing privacy issues in the community, but you will get to see how she's been doing since she's been home.
Last year and this year she has attended prek half day. Last year was a mix of children with special needs and typical children. This year is only children with delays. Next year she will be in kindergarten with a mix again. She was briefly in daycare but there were issues with their ethics. Unfortunately there is no child care in my area willing to take her so I pay for private childcare instead. She was in dance last fall and this but I had to drive to the city as local studios exclude children with special needs. It was too much for us so we won't be doing dance in the future. She loves swimming and is part of the Special Olympics. We also tried bowling through them but she's still too little for it really (she only started walking earlier this year and isn't really strong enough yet). She will be 5 in June and I'm considering Girl Guides for the fall but I have to see if they will accept her or not. She has adjusted amazingly. She has trauma from the orphanage but it shows up less and less. Her main issue continues to be oral aversion from being force fed. She has a feeding tube for liquids as she refuses to swallow them but she has learned to eat very well now. Developmentally she is very much still a baby/young toddler but she is very interactive and interested in others now. She is working on learning to walk up stairs (assisted). She uses ASL for a few words of communication but she mostly uses an AAC device. She verbally says a few words but mostly communicates through body language. Like I said in my other comment, this channel is no longer active but if you want to see videos of her they are at @travelingbeyondboundaries
You adopted her, she is yours. Most adopted children go thru periods where they feel they were not a part of their adopted family. Troubling for them. She is yours.
Have you adopted before? I would love to hear your experience of when you felt attached to your child. Or maybe you are an adoptee? If so I'm sorry you felt that way, my daughter has special needs so her compensation of things is very different than a typical child. Either way it's been almost three years since this video and I've come to realize that my issues with attachment came from fear that things weren't going to happen. After over seven years of failures it was hard to believe she was actually coming home. Lack of attachment was trying to protect me from the heartache of losing her because that's what I felt was going to happen. Thankfully it didn't and she's been home two and a half years now. She is Mama's princess and fully knows how loved she is.
But it is my update... It's about our time together as a family.... Those that had followed my journey were used to me doing these types of videos 🤷🏻♀️
Hello ! I have a question when you started noticed full effect from visanne ? After 3 months ? Thank you so much for help other women with the same issue like you god bless you 🌹
Yes, it puts you into menopause. It is unnatural but endometriosis is debilitating for many and therefore sometimes medical menopause is the best option.
