I have accomplished nothing today!!!

Especially as keepers of the home and Mom's we may feel this way. It is rarely true, or we are sick and need a rest. What helps me when I feel this way is to write down what I have accomplished. Even if you're up out of bed, you have moved, build on this.
Often half way through the day, kids are dressed, and have been fed, but the laundry is not done or the dishes stacked up, you HAVE accomplished SOMETHING!
Satan likes to trip us up, God allows us challenging days, what will we do with them? When we trip up, with our kids or husband, when we are lazy or self centered, will  we look down, wallow in it or will we look up, get up brush off and continue?
God says all things work together for them who love him and are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. He can redeem when we react unkindly by convicting us to apologize, love and be a better example.
As we work in our homes with our little people, we can include them in all we do, when they are tiny, we work and talk to them or put them down for nap, when they eat we eat, when we fold, or toddlers can help, when we vacuum our crawlers can ride on the vacuum.
We can not as wives first, keepers of our homes and parents to children who need to constantly growing towords independence, make those same children our excuse not to get things done. Yes sometimes, we need to put off house work for them but it should not be a standard, children learn patience by having to wait, learn contentment by not having every whim answered immediately.
So as I finish, I need to go accomplish more, yes kids are dressed and fed, a couple times, but boy does my floor need mopping during nap.
Have a great day!

Is my babies development "normal"?

I hear this question sometimes when people find out I have my Spec. Ed degree, that I take care of a child diagnosed with autism, or that my youngest had speech testing at 12 months old. There is a range for normal in every category of development. My second child stood at 6 months and walked at 9 months, in contrast, my third child could crawl faster than his older siblings could walk, but didn't walk on his own until he was 13 months old, still normal.

Then there are behaviors children exhibit that are typical for their age but don't grow out of it, this often is seen in the way a child walks, talks or plays with toys. It's okay to have differences and seek help. My 5th child's speech was delayed, I knew it because at one he had no consonant sounds, with much coaching he never said by by or ball, his favorite toy. By then all my children had been saying dah, for done after a meal, had names for Mom and Dad and even the dog or a sibling.

I had him tested even though my Doctor said he wouldn't worry about it until he was 4. I think some of my friends thought it was extreme but my theory was "if" I'm right and he needs speech, great, if he didn't need speech it only took me a couple hours. On the other hand "if" he needed it and we didn't get intervention it may delay other aspects of learning and I didn't want to be a factor in giving him extra challenges.
I love to tell about how the Lord worked it out, not only did he really need speech, I was able to be a witness to the Jewish speech therapist for 3 years and she became quite close with the family.

I have had many opportunities to talk with Mom's about child development. The biggest heart break for me is to see a child that is a little different, that would benefit from acceptance and intervention, but don't get it because their parents so badly want their child to be "normal".