My daughter, the artist

My daughter is an amazing artist.  It's quite disgusting actually.  She also plays Division I sports, was offered scholarships for singing, is a commissioned artist, was ASB president in high school, and has succeeded in nearly everything she's ever put her mind to.

I told you. Disgusting.  In an absolutely fabulous sort of way, of course.  Who am I to complain? Besides,   I'm writing a series of Young Adult novels about her.


She has her very own website called AllredArtistry.com where she displays some of her past art. And, as a favor to me, she agreed to product test some canvases for me.

I received a variety of canvases - 24 to be exact - ranging in size from 3X5" to 8X10".

These canvases are low-profile, which means they lay flat on the table.

I wasn't sure what to think of the canvases when I received them, but she was extremely excited. She wound up making a wall clock for her new apartment, as well as making a wedding gift for a friend out of the remaining pieces.  How does this girl come up with her ideas?

I don't know either.  But that girl is sure talented!




* I received these canvases for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Going Back to Work After 20 Years as a Stay-At-Home Mom

Holy smokes!  What have I got myself into?!?

My First Day of Work!

After nearly 21 years as a stay-at-home mother, I have decided it's time to go back to college.  I'd been toying with the idea off and on for several years, but it never seemed to be the right time.  6 years ago, I was preparing to enter the work force full time.  My kids were in school full-time, my online business was BOOMING, and I was putting out feelers for people I could hire as employees.  I was ready to take the leap.  All the sudden, after 10 years of infertility, I wound up pregnant.

When we started having children the first time around, my husband and I agreed that we would not bring children into this world, if I was going to hire someone to raise them. So, I put my personal aspirations aside, and put all my energy into being the best mother I could be.  I'm certainly not the best in the WORLD by any stretch of the imagination.  But I was the best I could be.

When I wound up pregnant with our third, I put aside my aspirations again, and prepared for another round of motherhood.  Then, 6 months later, BOOM! The pregnancy bomb hit again.  We were going to have a fourth.  This time, he was special needs.  All my attention was needed to care for him, so I sold my online business and got serious about this mothering thing.

It's been nearly 5 years now, and little Jacob has one more year until he's in school full-time. This year he will be gone approximately 4 hours in pre-school and therapies.  So, after much discussion with my husband, and exhaustive research, we decided that NOW was the time for me to get my education so that I could re-enter the workforce next year when he starts school.

Luckily, I had one year of college under my belt from before we were married, and I had taken 12 courses (yes, that's 6 per semester).  Most of those classes still transfer after all these years (crazy, huh?).  So, I am going to major in Addiction Studies (or Sociology, depends on what the counselor says when I talk to her next week).

I am working toward getting my ISAS - Idaho Student of Addiction Studies certificate - which only requires 8 classes (2 quarters of classes for me) and 300 internship hours.  Rather than taking the courses and THEN interning, I'm doing this backwards.  I have 1 month to get my hours while my oldest is still home from school and I have family to care for Jacob and minimize his shell-shock of me being gone.  Then, when Elisha goes off to college, I will also go back through online classes so that I can do my work while the little ones are in bed. My daughter and I will both be Sophomores in college - AT THE SAME TIME!

At the end of my two quarters, I will in essence be just a few classes away from graduating.  Until then, I am working 40-50 hour weeks this month, as an intern, learning all the in's and out's of addiction, case management, counseling and what-not.  Wish me luck!  And pray for me!  It's been a really really REALLY long time since I've been in the work force OR in college.  And I don't want this new endeavor to affect my family too terribly much.  But I think the time is right for me and our family.

Cross your fingers!

...Oh, and by the way, I went to work with two different sized earrings on.  Yeah, that's how I roll! :)

A New Twist to Hansel and Gretel

Reading is a passion of mine. It's one I have somehow passed on to most of my children.  So when I find a book that includes my other passion, Down syndrome, I sit up and take notice.

Recently, I was given a free children's book, Hansel & Gretel, to review.  What makes this book different from all the other Hansel & Gretel Books? Hansel has Down syndrome.  

The first time I read the book, it was by myself because I didn't want to expose my children to something inappropriate by accident. At first, I was a little bit sensitive about how Hansel reacted and his family's opinion of him, but then I realized that that was the point: depicting some of the misnomers, or poorly conceived notions much of society has associated with Down syndrome. 

Then, toward the end, Hansel became a smart, independent thinker with a big heart who was easy to forgive and see others for who they were.  Hmm.  Sounds about right. 

I examined the illustrations, which were actually felt depictions of each scene.  Those were absolutely breathtaking and worth examining again.  The details were...wow.  You've gotta see it to believe it.  Whoever made the felt scenery is amazingly talented. 

Finally, I presented the book to my 6-year-old daughter.  There was too much wording on the pages to maintain Jacob's attention, but Courtney LOVED it.  She sat with me as I read the book, then took it from me and "read" it a second time by herself, checking out all the photos. 

As a parent with a child with Down syndrome, I would recommend this book.  It's not only entertaining, but it's an interesting twist on a classic story that is sure to open many opportunities for dialogue regarding Ds, and to show the world that Trisomy 21 doesn't equate uselessness.