Mary shares about the recent snowfall and how Ainsley actually enjoyed it.  She also talks about what is happening at school, how Ainsley is participating, and her recent gains in speech. And finally, Mary talks about how you can be a part of an upcoming show!

Christmas traditions and how Christmas may look different for our children with Down Syndrome.On today’s episode Mary talks with Ron about some of her favourite Christmas traditions, how she has learned to appreciate the “moments” and not worry about having the Hallmark Christmas. Mary also shares some other Rockin Moms Christmas traditions including Christmas Eve jammies and the White Elephant. Be sure to check out Burnaby Village Museum Jingle Bells by Kevin MacLeod https://incompetech.com/  Music Used under Creative Commons CC BY 3.0

On today’s episode, Mary shares the best birthday gift ever!  Putting into Ainsley’s IEP “fostering friendships” turned into a heartwarming birthday card and a beautiful note by Ainsley’s EA for her birthday.  She talks to how our kids, even those with the dual diagnosis, can still have genuine and meaningful friendships. #T21Mom.com

On today's episode, Mary talks with Carissa Carroll, founder of Jack's Basket.  When her son Jack was born with Down syndrome, no one congratulated them and the delivery of his diagnosis by the health care provider left much to be desired. Carissa felt this had to change. What first started as leaving two baskets at the hospital, has led to Jack's Basket, a non profit organization that has delivered 8,000 baskets to 41 countries across the world!  Carissa wants all our children with Down syndrome to be celebrated and the parents congratulated.To order or receive a basket go to JacksBasket.org

On today's episode, Mary talks about a successful Halloween and an interesting trick or treat experiment involving a potato!  Mary also shares how she was pleasantly surprised with Ainsley''s memory of her music therapy teacher.  Mary also met Madison Tevlin-one of the stars from the movie "Champions" at the 321 Summit-a wonderful afternoon event. And she was very surprised to learn that Ainsley's new EA is in a book! Rainbow Puppy Daycare Link

Mary heads to San Antonio, Texas for this year's Rockin Moms Retreat.  Listen in as Mary chats with other moms, hears their stories, and learns what the Retreat means to them.  There's another Haunted Rockin Moms pub crawl that may have been more sinister than ghostly, plus lots of wine, love and good times.  Plus a former co-host visits to hear the stories.

In today's episode Mary shares this year's IEP experience, which went pretty well!  She also talks about Ainsley's new EA, how keen he is, and how he wants to make things more inclusive for Ainsley.  Plus she has an update about Ainsley's palette expander (it's not good news), what she is doing for Rocktober, plans for Halloween, and a little story about how her advocating has really resonated with another mom. #T21Mom #T21Mompodcast #Rocktober #IEP

On today’s episode Mary talks with Patrick Cadigan and Megan Smallwood of the Post Secondary Transition podcast. They discuss the role of a Transition Coordinator, how to involve your child in these decisions, and the complexities of the post secondary transition. Check out their websites at Postsecondarytransition.com and p2transition.com.

Mary shares her thoughts on the coming school year and how she is hopefull and optimistic despite all the changes. She also talks about how pleasantly surprised she was, when they all went out for the afternoon and Ainsley walked for hours with no complaint!

Mary chats with Dorothy Gazzola about how to prepare for your child to transition out of high school-it can be overwhelming! Dorothy is a wealth of information and talks about the different steps to take so that parents and your child are prepared. It’s never to early to start! As Dorothy was going through the whole transition with her daughter, Faith, what she wasn’t prepared for was the emotional side of it. Check out the notes below to learn what you need to do at different ages for you and your child to have a successful transition from high school onto their next journey.  Transitions Timeline