Family
Gritty & Grateful Our family was recently featured in the Lino Living Magazine, the locally published magazine focusing on living in our small town. Unfortunately, they do not have a digital presence (and in this day and age when everything is digital, I can’t believe they don’t have a website OR social media presence) so…
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We’ve had a couple of rough weeks around my house with some health issues popping up for our adult son who is disabled. He has autism and cerebral palsy, is nonverbal, and now is blind in one eye. Retinal detachment, they think. We’re awaiting appointments to verify this diagnosis. He’s going to be 20 in…
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What Worries Me Most About the Future: Jamie functions at 18 – 24 months level. This is a huge topic for me because I am, by nature, a worrier. So there are plenty of things I can find to worry about, to obsess over. From the tiniest thing to the monstrous, I can obsess about…
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There are days when I wonder what I’m doing with my life. And truth be told, today is one of those days. Hopefully, my life stretches out for decades more, but what to do with all of that time? Am I doing enough? Do I show up enough for everyone who needs me; do I…
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Click on the photos to go to the Google albums & check out some of the best things we did this year! Jamie’s 2021 Jamie’s 2021 Riley’s 2021 Riley’s 2021 Joel & Brandy’s 2021 Joel & Brandy’s 2021 Abby & Beau’s 2021 Abby & Beau’s 2021
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Seasons Greetings! 2021 did not disappoint for the Eckman family! We enjoyed lots of family time and had plenty of adventures, too. Jamie turned 19 this summer and we are happy for every day we get with him. We’re still avoiding large crowds because of his susceptibility to viruses and infections. He stays at home…
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I realize I’m speaking from my privileged place when I say that. For a lot of us, it was the absolute worst year in a very long time. Our country saw riots, protests, more racial injustice and unrest, bad cops murdering innocent people, a weird-ass election cycle, division like we’ve not seen in decades, income…
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Joel and I are very different people. He is more relaxed and goes with the flow where as I am more impatient and wanting what I want right now. It’s funny how life works and you get the right people when you need them. When he gets impatient, I find my zen. God must’ve known…
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As we are wont to do, we are moving again. Our family is moving back to the Sunshine State this summer! We are super excited to be back in the land of beaches, Mickey & Minnie, swamps, gators, Spanish moss, creepy crawly bugs, and lots of family. It’s been 11 long years since we’ve lived…
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Autism Awareness Month is every day for me April is National Autism Awareness month and while I celebrate Autism Awareness every day, I thought it would be nice to share with all of you what Autism means to my family. My son, Jamie, is almost 16 years old. He was born 5.5 weeks early and…
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Let’s talk about sex, baby. I am a firm believer in telling our kids the truth, minus the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Tooth Fairy – but that’s a blog for another day. So when my daughter started asking questions at age 5 about where babies came from, we told her just enough to…
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I recently had a Mama Meltdown. You know the kind. You’re stressed. You’re under pressure from the day and one tiny little thing just sets you off. For me, it was my adult-sized son pooping in his pants. He didn’t make a huge mess. It certainly could’ve been worse but the code brown, while I…
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We are traveling again. Soon, our family of four will be packing up and heading out to a family wedding. This entails us (me) packing for four people, planning the dog’s stay at Grandma’s house while we’re gone, and of course, making all of the travel arrangements. The hubs tries to help, but honestly, he’s…
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A Family Trip I Don’t Enjoy Sometimes, family isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I mean, I absolutely LOVE my family. I would do anything for my husband, kids, sister, brother, the in-laws, nieces, and nephews. This includes the family I’ve chosen for myself, the friends who are family, or framily. But there are…
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One of my children has special needs. One of my children does not. Ri is completely neurotypical and goes through everything 10-year-old girls do. Because my kids are so developmentally different, I struggle to parent my youngest without losing my patience. I find that with my oldest, Jamie, I have an infinite amount of patience…
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