#everettaday

My face after being sick the 3rd week in a row. Seriously though, I know I've barely been posting lately, but this sweet faced boy gave me the flu....which turned into pneumonia. I just started to recover from that and BOOM food poisoning. On top of being sick and enjoying the holidays with my family, I also have been struggling with photo inspiration and subject matter. When I first started on Instagram, my goal was to take one photo of Everett every day. It was called #EverettADay. From there I kind of fell into shooting Everett while he modeled small shop clothing (brand repping). After Everett was diagnosed with SPD/ASD, our focus really changed and I left the rep world and it's drama. I started telling Everett's story and our family journey. The thing is, we have come so far with Everett since his initial diagnosis, that I'm just not sure how I should continue to tell our story. His good days are far more often than bad, and if I'm being honest, most people don't want to hear about our successes over and over. They tend to gravitate towards the struggles and pitfalls of special needs parenting. Don't get me wrong, I know everyone is happy for Everett now that we finally are figuring out what seems to work best for him. You lifted us up and helped carry us when we struggled the most. You were our biggest cheerleaders. You helped us continue in the roughest part of the journey to date. And for that I thank you. So now I'm in the process of reevaluating and reassessing what struggles and journeys a "not so super mom" should talk about. I still will be sharing Everett's progress, spreading awareness/education, and the funny (or not so funny) parts of parenthood. What do you guys want to hear more about? I'm thinking more sensory activities and reviews might be cool, but I'd love to have something a bit more challenging to keep me inspired! . . . . . . . . . . . . #asdwarrior #autismawareness  #autismacceptance #asdmom #asdmomlife #occupationaltherapy #sensorykids #sensoryprocessingdisorder #spd #specialneedskids #speechtherapy #therapy #autismlife #differentnotless #seetheablenotlabel #autismstrong #EverettADay #instabrandreppin #brandrep #photography (at Birmingham, Alabama) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Hs2iPg0zE/?igshid=lgjj5mg03wrn

Today, I'm thankful for the love and support from my family and friends. I'm thankful that this year has had more ups than downs. I'm thankful for my children and their sweet, sticky, and fleeting snuggles. I'm thankful that I've been provided so many opportunities to grow, both mentally and in my business ventures. What are you thankful for? . . . . . #EverettADay #thanksgiving #pumpkinpie #givethanks #turkeyday #thankful #opportunity #love #reallife #scarymommy #parent #momlife #motherhooduncensored #photography https://www.instagram.com/p/B5afyY6gPF7/?igshid=f3blkpack705

That sweet innocent look gets him out of trouble wayyyyyy more often than I'd like to admit! . . . . . . . . . . . #EverettADay #childhoodunplugged #magicalchildhood #playmatters #candidchildhood #invitationtoplay #toddlersofinstagram #toddlersofig #earlychildhoodeducation #childled #playbasedlearning #creativekids #invitationtocreate #toddlerlife #toddleractivities #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #preschool #prek #totschool #letthembelittle #kidsactivities (at Bass Pro Shops) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5UBxB1g_-L/?igshid=8c015pxo1cg

I've teamed up with several amazing bloggers to share our favorite winter soups. I chose my Ultimate Taco Soup Recipe. You can find it linked in my bio above. Also, at the end of my recipe, you'll find links to the other yummy winter soups. *YUM* . . . . . #EverettADay #soupstagram #tacosoup #top2020mommyblog #bestrecipes #soupseason #healthyliving #scarymommy #parentingmemes #momlife #motherhooduncensored #photography #healthyeating https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Lz1bMAA9a/?igshid=z4d927syzhot

We're about to head back to South Carolina to see my parents, aka Gigi & Pop pop. Everett is all about Gigi, Finn on the other hand, is totally obsessed with his Pop pop. I'm so glad that my boys are lucky to grow up with such awesome people in their lives. I'm really hoping they are able to stay in South Carolina and stay close to us, but it's not looking good 😩. Either way, we can take advantage of their closeness now! . . . . . . . . #EverettADay #childhoodunplugged #magicalchildhood #playmatters #candidchildhood #invitationtoplay #toddlersofinstagram #toddlersofig #earlychildhoodeducation #childled #playbasedlearning #creativekids #invitationtocreate #toddlerlife #toddleractivities #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #preschool #prek #totschool #letthembelittle #kidsactivities (at Birmingham, Alabama) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ARewBgGIl/?igshid=8xz9nqcaf22y

I’d be lying if I told you that it gets easier. Autism doesn’t get easier, not really. You just learn to deal with it better. You learn to handle the bad moments better, and you learn to celebrate small victories even more. My most recent small victory? Discovering @enofnutrition. Everett's diet is fairly limited. We've worked a lot with him to expand what he'll eat, but he still won't eat things like veggies willingly. I'm constantly worrying about how much he's eating and if he's getting enough vitamins and nutrients. So when I saw an ad for Enof, I immediately reached out and talked with the owner. I asked about how it worked and about using it with children on the spectrum. The owner, Mark, explained their process, and about how Enof is made from actual organic veggies that retain the majority of their vitamins and nutrients. Just a sprinkle on your food contains around 60% of your recommended daily allowance of the majority of your needed vitamins and nutrients. So far I've used it in mac n cheese, guacamole, and peanut butter sandwiches without Everett even realizing! Although Enuf isn't a veggie replacement, it's still an amazing supplement. Personally, I'm just happy that I don't have to stress as much over what Everett's actually willingly to eat, and that I no longer have to battle over meals! By the way, you can use code TRYENOF for 50% off your first order if you want to try it too! . . . . . . . . . . . #EverettADay #instabrandreppin #brandrep #instatoddler #occupationaltherapy #sensorykids #sensoryprocessingdisorder #spd #specialneedskids #speechtherapy #therapy #autismlife  #ig_kids  #goodvibes #shopsmall #ot #hipsterkidstyle #bebold #instagood #childrenunplugged #littleandbrave #letthembelittle #candidchildhood #photography #nutrition #veggies #tryenof #feedingtherapy https://www.instagram.com/p/B2NJjMiARbP/?igshid=13smsptocpnjh

Surprised this cutie pie with a trip to the Antique Fire Truck Warehouse yesterday! It was a fun early birthday treat that both boys enjoyed! (PS this tee is seriously so Finn. This kid is ALWAYS eating!) . . . . . . . . #EverettADay #childhoodunplugged #magicalchildhood #playmatters #candidchildhood #invitationtoplay #toddlersofinstagram #childled #playbasedlearning #creativekids #invitationtocreate #toddlerlife #toddleractivities #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #letthembelittle #kidsactivities #firetruck #firefighter #vintagefiretruck #fire #vintage #secondbirthday (at Continental Gin Company) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1mooG8goY4/?igshid=11qet4y7f4hxg

Sometimes the glass is half empty, sometimes it's half full. Half full of Finn that is! . . . . . . . . . . #EverettADay #childhoodunplugged #magicalchildhood #playmatters #candidchildhood #invitationtoplay #toddlersofinstagram #toddlersofig #earlychildhoodeducation #childled #playbasedlearning #creativekids #invitationtocreate #toddlerlife #toddleractivities #learningthroughplay #playbasedlearning #preschool #prek #totschool #letthembelittle #kidsactivities (at Rojo Birmingham) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1cNC3EAKWe/?igshid=10zh6g7kga4jq