Hello readers! My name is Georgi and I’m a stay-at-home mom. When I dreamed of having kids I never thought the journey would have me being a stay at home. Funny how life works out. I have two kids L (12) and G (10). They keep me on my toes. We are a military family, my husband has been in the ARMY for over 20 years (and no, I don’t know if he will ever retire). Before L was born I went to school to be a nurse, but realized I liked working with special needs kids more so I worked in a school as a para, which has come in handy with my littles. I love to craft and learn new skills. My Nana would call me a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She would not be wrong. That is why I decided to blog. I have all this information and experience that I’m ready to share. I will be writing about homeschooling, creating costumes for Ls’ figure skating, how busy hockey keeps us, all the crafts I do with the kids or just for fun, the books and shows I watch, and anything else that we do. Most of what I share will have to do with my family so let me introduce them.
First we have L my oldest. L is my figure skater, she is also a perfectionist. L likes things quiet and orderly. At around 4 she was diagnosed with OCD and anxiety. This had a lot to do with our move back to the United States. When the kids were born we were stationed in a small town in Germany. Where things moved slowly and were very quiet. Coming back was a huge shock for L (and the rest of us) she had never known the hustle and bustle of living stateside. Recently her doctors have been talking about adding Autism to her diagnoses. L has very specific ideas about how things should feel, fit, and sound. L loves to read, if she doesn’t have a book in hand she is listening to an audiobook.
G is the exact opposite. G is my hockey player and he likes lots of sensory input! At the same time, L was seeing someone for OCD and anxiety G was struggling to talk, would not sleep, and had to move at all times. I was exhausted in those toddler years. G was diagnosed with Autism early. His delayed speech, difficulty understanding emotion, and sensory issues made it an easy diagnosis. Gs’ tolerance for physical input is very high. As a toddler G was in the yard playing in the mud in Alabama I was sitting on the porch having a tea party with L. I can see G rolling in the mud throwing it everywhere, when he suddenly motions for me to come to him. (This is a year after we began therapy and he had a handful of words) I walk over to see red ants all over him. “Mama kisses mama bug love”. No dear sweet child those are not kisses. G can get a heart racing, now he knows so much more and understands he must be cautious, but I’m sure glad they wear pads in hockey. They keep me busy and we never have a dull moment. Their different learning styles and individual needs can create some unique challenges in homeschooling and I’m excited to share how we have been able to overcome these challenges in this blog.
Next, we have my husband, we have been married for almost 20 years and have known each other since high school. We dated for a bit in high school, but that didn’t work out. After he joined the ARMY we got back in touch. Back in those days, it had to be on purpose there was no Facebook. My mom accidentally sent him a Christmas card. His parents told him, he knew a friend of friend who contacted me and I was able to contact him. It was quite a game of phone tag. This was before everyone had their own cell phone. After a long talk, we exchanged emails and began to reconnect. When he came home to visit his parents we exchanged cell phone numbers and from there we started dating again. I can remember his first tour and we wrote emails, but handwritten letters were still a thing. Internet wasn’t readily available so emails were every other week and phone calls were monthly. By the time he had his last tour, we could talk daily via email, because the internet was everywhere. It’s amazing how quickly things change. I’m sure I will share many more stories about how things used to be as this blog continues. I do enjoy telling a good story and I hope you all enjoy those stories.
Finally, we have our fur babies, Mako, Natsu, and SJ Sharkie. Mako is my son’s service dog who has stepped up to become a service dog for the whole family. G named Mako after the fastest shark. (Sharks are his hyper-focus) Natsu is Ls’ bearded dragon, named after a character from Fairy Tail. SJ is Gs’ parakeet a mean birdie who will not bond with any of us, named after the San Jose hockey mascot, which is also a shark.
I look forward to sharing so many things with you the reader!