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I've never considered myself a slave to fashion.  When it's come to wardrobe, I tend toward the comfortable, with the occasional nod to the quirky.  I haven't been all that interested in which designer's name was on the tag. But I've come to understand and appreciate the fascination that some women have with shoes. Before I started having mobility issues, I didn't give much thought to shoes. … [Read more...] about Must Be the Shoes…

Well-intentioned but ignorant people can be so cruel. One of the biggest challenges of MS is the "invisible" symptoms.  People don't see what's causing them, people don't understand them, but it's amazing how much they think they know about how to fix them. Take spasticity, the muscle stiffness and spasms that can cause your leg to lock.  It's not uncommon for me to try and bend my knee for … [Read more...] about Ignorance is Cruel

In many parts of the US, kids and adults are getting ready for the start of school. We have year-round schools here in North Carolina, so my boys have been in school for nearly a month. Last year, I had one son in kindergarten and one in preschool, but this year, they're both at the elementary school. We've had a chance to work through some of the challenges that come with the start of the school … [Read more...] about School Days, School Days…

My older son turned 7 recently. Since I have a chronic illness that contributes to unpredictable fatigue, the birthday party can be quite a challenge. After all, a birthday party can be an elaborate affair...which would blow up completely if I were too worn out to execute it. And a birthday party is way to special to the guest of honor to blow it. My children's birthday parties have been quite … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday!

MS can require a lot of time and attention, given all of the medicines, tests, medical appointments, physical therapy, etc. that is involved in treatment and wellness efforts. But when it comes to health issues, we have to be more than our disease. We need to remember that in addition to treating our disease, we still need to handle those "normal" health issues that everyone faces. By proactively … [Read more...] about Normal Health Issues

As parents, we know we have a lot to teach our children. Some of those lessons happen at times outside of our control. Teaching our children about death doesn't happen at a time of our choosing, it happens when dictated by nature. Last week, we faced that situation when my husband's grandmother died. We weren't the only ones dealing with our grief - we had to help our 5 and 6 year olds through … [Read more...] about Dealing with Death