Win a Copy of “Easy to Love But Hard to Raise”

Earlier this month I blogged here about Christina Katz’ Every-Day-In-May Book Giveaway. It’s still going strong. You can check out Christina’s site to see all the fabulous books she’s given away thus far.

This coming Saturday, May 26, Christina and I will be giving away a free copy of the anthology Easy to Love But Hard to Raise. Check her web site for the rules, but your odds are great. All you have to do to win is go to her site on May 26 and answer the question of the day in 50-200 words by posting a comment. She will choose one winner for each anthology randomly. Get in to the habit by heading over there every day for the rest of May. She has some amazing titles still to come including:

May 22nd: Natalie Serber, Shout Her Lovely Name (fiction, short stories) More info

May 23rd: Christina Katz, Build Your Author Platform e-workbook (nonfiction, how-to) More info

May 24th: Kristina Riggle, Keepsake (fiction, novel) More info

May 25th: Abigail Green, Mama Insider: Laughing (And Sometimes Crying) All The Way Through Pregnancy, Birth and the First Three Months (e-book, humorous nonfiction) More info

May 26th: Anthology Day! Cara Holman, Lorraine Wilde, Chynna Laird, and Lela Davidson are participating writers

May 27th: Miriam Kobras, award-winning The Distant Shore: Book One of the Stone Trilogy (fiction, romance) More info

May 28th: Allison Winn Scotch, The Song Remains The Same (fiction, novel) More info

May 29th: Lisa Schroeder, It’s Raining Cupcakes More info and Sprinkles and Secrets More info (middle grade fiction novels)

May 30th: Christina Katz, one set of her three books by Writer’s Digest: Writer Mama More info, Get Known Before the Book Deal More info, and The Writer’s Workout More info (all nonfiction, how-to)

May 31st: Karen Karbo, a set of her three kick-as women books: How To Hepburn More info, The Gospel According to Coco Chanel More info, and How Georgia Became O’Keeffe More info (nonfiction)

Easy to Love Parent to Parent

Today I blogged over at Easy to Love… about all that my county Parent to Parent group has done to support my family in our unusual journey through parenthood. Check it out!

“Recovering” from Autism

Today I posted an article over at Easy to Love But Hard to Raise about recent studies focusing on children labeled “bloomers,” kids who were once diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but have effectively shed their diagnosis by age 8. Could children diagnosed with other disorders be bloomers? What characteristics do bloomer’s parents share? And what’s so special about age 8? Read on to find out.

Socially Acceptable

Check out my most recent post over at Easy to Love But Hard to Raise about navigating the confusing social world of the elementary school play date.

We Are Everywhere

Writing my most recent blog post over at Easy to Love… this morning, Diagnosis: Bain or Blessing? reminded me that tired parents of special needs children are everywhere. Our stories are ultimately as unique as each of our beloved children, and yet so much the same in our hopes, our survival, and our celebration of the complexities that life has brought.

Letting Go

Check out my post over at Easy to Love But Hard to Raise today. I write about learning to let go of the dreams of “normal” and the grief that comes with lost dreams.

“Easy to Love…” Book Giveaway!

Have you been excited to read the anthology of parent essays I keep blogging about, Easy to Love But Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories, but you haven’t gotten around to buying it? Now’s your chance to win a free copy!

Co-editor Kay Marner is offering three free copies on her blog over at ADDitude Magazine, a publication for families touched by Attention Deficit (ADD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD).

Kay writes about a fictional Everyparent, Eve, who struggles to manage her child who suffers from ADHD. To enter to win a copy of Easy to Love… you only need to comment on her blog with which parts of Eve you most identify.

From her blog:

“Are You Eve? In other words, is your personal experience reflected in this fictional portrayal? What do you identify with, and what doesn’t match your own parenting experience? (Grandparents, teachers, and others are welcome to answer by relating their own perspectives.)

Contest Rules: Answer the above questions in a comment below by 5:00 pm EST on Friday, March 2, 2012 for a chance to win one of three free copies of Easy to Love but Hard to Raise: Real Parents, Challenging Kids, True Stories ($18.95 retail value).”

Don’t let me confuse you into posting your answer here on my blog, but be sure to go to Kay’s and post there. And hey, even if you don’t win a free copy, maybe you’ll find a little catharsis?

Religion and Assisted Reproduction

Although faith wasn’t a consideration for me when I chose to become an egg donor, nor when we chose to use a sperm donor, for some religion can be a major force when contemplating fertility options.

Check out Ellen Painter Dollar’s piece in yesterday’s Huffington Post offering tips to people of faith when they’re considering infertility and assisted reproduction.

Dollar expands on her discussion of tip #2, moral questions, in her blog post, and further in her new book No Easy Choice: A Story of Disability, Parenthood, and Faith in an Age of Advanced Reproduction.

Like many aspects of our lives, the decision on how we become parents can be complex and nuanced, where right and wrong are moving targets that depend on where you’re standing. Dollar is stimulating the discussion and brave to tackle it head on.

Photo courtesy of www.yourspiritualfaith.com.

More Online Support of Sensory Processing Disorder

Check out my most recent blog post over at Easy to Love But Hard to Raise about new Facebook pages dedicated to supporting individuals and families dealing with Sensory Processing Disorder.

The editors of Easy to Love… have also announced a call for submissions for their next book, Easy to Love But Hard to Teach. Do you have something to share?

Easy to Love…Transitions?

My blog post today over at Easy to Love But Hard to Raise is about a new resource I found that will hopefully help ease our transition next year into a different program at the boy’s school. Check it out and wish us luck!