Welcome to Mommydo

LIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL RIDE

Hi, I'm Melanie!  I love tea, gadgets, craft beer, sweater-weather and the unexpected beauty in life. Look around for recipes, holiday ideas, neat stuff and special needs parenting posts. At night, I dream about an organized home and self-ironing shirts. About me
MommyDo
Life

I put my kids before my heart and thought I was going to die

May 13, 2018 by melanie
big blue peaceful sky with fluffy clouds

I put my kids before my heart and thought I was going to die It’s been a year since the day I thought I was going to die. Mother’s Day 2017 started like any other day… well not really. I got tea in bed and handmade gifts and whatnot. There was family brunch and a walk on the beach. Then I put my kids before my heart health, and things went terrbily wrong. We’d been on the same family walk countless times, but this is the only one I remember. The sky was blue, the air was cool, but not…

Continue reading...
Related posts
With a child with an intellectual disability, money matters.
April 13, 2018
Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world
February 16, 2018
Forward – The Word for 2018
January 1, 2018
Disability Parenting

With a child with an intellectual disability, money matters.

April 13, 2018 by melanie
mommydo.com // Money Matters Smile

Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and CIBC and have received compensation for this post. All opinions are my own. As a parent of a child with an intellectual disability, I think about money a lot. The same way I think about time, and reading. Yes, money, time and reading. I’m not talking about my money and time (though they worry me too). For my child with an intellectual disability, money, time and reading are the three key factors that can determine whether she is able to have a job, or not. Money and time are abstract concepts. Money represents something…

Continue reading...
Related posts
I put my kids before my heart and thought I was going to die
May 13, 2018
Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world
February 16, 2018
Inclusion in education teaches lessons for life
November 14, 2017
Baking, Food, Lactose-Free Recipe

Lactose-free Lemonies

March 21, 2018 by melanie

Lactose-free Lemonies I have a friend who’s called me Lemonie for years and I happen to LOVE lemon – so on this first day of spring, I thought I should bake a batch of these up. Lemon makes the perfect choice on hot sunny days. It’s a great bake sale treat. And, these are the perfect alternate to chocolate desserts for those strange people who don’t like chocolate sweets. (Or for people who like to have a little sweet and a little tart one after another. Like lemon pie, squared Much easier to make than a lemon pie, these squares…

Continue reading...
Related posts
Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Meatballs Recipe
February 22, 2018
DIY Pumpkin Spice (is easier than you think)
October 16, 2017
Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake (with extra crumble)
August 7, 2017
30 minute meals, Food, Lactose-Free Recipe

Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Meatballs Recipe

February 22, 2018 by melanie
A delicious dish of hot orecchiette pasta with broccolini and meatballs

Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Meatballs I started making this dish shortly after we learned about our little ones’ rare syndrome. This orecchiette pasta is the perfect combination of speedy prep, full comfort flavour and fancy presentation. We don’t really have the luxury of heading to all the fab Italian eateries our city has to offer. But when this is on the menu, it feels like a date, even though it’s just us and our messy kitchen table. (or couch, who am I kidding). Lactose-free with a creamy taste Yep – lactose-free. The only diary in the recipe is the…

Continue reading...
Related posts
Lactose-free Lemonies
March 21, 2018
Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake (with extra crumble)
August 7, 2017
DIY Easter Surprise Eggs are easier than you think
March 27, 2017
Disability Parenting, special needs parenting, Williams Syndrome

Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world

February 16, 2018 by melanie
child with Williams syndrome giving a presentation in kidergarten

Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world Kindergarten registration time is here in Ontario. I recently stopped by my daughter’s former special needs pre-school to talk to nervous parents about choosing the right school for their kids. Trying to decide where to have their kids spend the next 8-10 years of their lives is tough. When you child had a disability, it feels impossible to make the call. I feel exceptionally lucky that my daughter has the placement she does. Now in SK, she loves school, has friends, is with her peers and is thriving. It’s been like…

Continue reading...
Related posts
I put my kids before my heart and thought I was going to die
May 13, 2018
With a child with an intellectual disability, money matters.
April 13, 2018
Inclusion in education teaches lessons for life
November 14, 2017
mommydo.com || word for 2018 Forward
Life

Forward – The Word for 2018

January 1, 2018 by melanie

The Word for 2018 This last year has been interesting. Ups and downs, highs and lows. This time last year, the word that set the intention was Less. I was looking forward to less stuff – clearing clutter and simplifying our day-to-day. I pledged to focus my time on things that really matter to me, and say no to obligations that pulled me away from the things I both wanted and needed to do or be a part of. Life, of course, had other plans. As I longed for less, more and more was piled on. From losing family, to…

Continue reading...
Related posts
I put my kids before my heart and thought I was going to die
May 13, 2018
Finding Balance #TetleyFindYourBalance
February 3, 2017
Williams Syndrome Wednesday: 5 lessons from #WSA2016
July 11, 2016
Disability Parenting, Williams Syndrome

Inclusion in education teaches lessons for life

November 14, 2017 by melanie 2 Comments
Firs

We’re coming up on that time of year again. It’s time for parents to register the next class of JK  kids for school. It’s only been a year and a half since I was the one trying to come to terms with finding a place for my girl to learn and grow and thrive. It sounds overly dramatic, but when your child has a disability, finding a school placement that fits your vision for your child takes over your life. It’s about more than the bricks and mortar. It’s about finding a school board and a school that place the…

Continue reading...
Related posts
With a child with an intellectual disability, money matters.
April 13, 2018
Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world
February 16, 2018
Starting school with disability #WilliamsSyndromeWednesday
April 12, 2017
Baking, Food

DIY Pumpkin Spice (is easier than you think)

October 16, 2017 by melanie
mommydo.com - DIY Pumpkin Spice

Maybe you’ve run out of Pumpkin Spice. Or maybe you live in Canada and Starbucks has run out of pumpkin scones and it’s only halfway through October. Perhaps, you know, you live in Canada and can’t buy it here, like at all. Or it could be that you have a whole drawer full of spices and it just makes sense to make your own. What ever the reason, what are you waiting for? Pumpkin spice in T-minus 3 minutes The is probably the easiest recipe you’ll ever find on a blog. It takes about three mintues – maybe less. You…

Continue reading...
Related posts
Lactose-free Lemonies
March 21, 2018
Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake (with extra crumble)
August 7, 2017
DIY Easter Surprise Eggs are easier than you think
March 27, 2017
mommydo.com Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake
Baking, Food, Lactose-Free Recipe

Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake (with extra crumble)

August 7, 2017 by melanie

I love cake. And since I am quite lactose intolerant, if I don’t make it, I rarely get to eat it. That’s why I’m so excited about this Lactose-Free Cinnamon Coffee Cake with extra crumble. Of course, now that Natrel makes lactose-free butter here in Canada, it’s like it’s a whole new world. I have had some great success with vegan butter, but it’s not the real deal. While this cake does not have sour cream or butter milk, it’s still a lovely cake. I would definitely consider it lean closer to a pound cake consistency rather than fluffy birthday cake…

Continue reading...
Related posts
Lactose-free Lemonies
March 21, 2018
Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Meatballs Recipe
February 22, 2018
DIY Pumpkin Spice (is easier than you think)
October 16, 2017
disability, Disability Parenting, Parenting, special needs parenting, Williams Syndrome, williams syndrome wednesday

Starting school with disability #WilliamsSyndromeWednesday

April 12, 2017 by melanie 1 Comment
Starting School with a Disability | Mommydo.com

There are two parts to registering a child who is starting school with a disability. There’s the functional part – who do you see, what do you need to bring? And then there is the emotional part. This is not about the functional part. Enrolling our daughter in school was the hardest thing I’ve dealt with on our parenting journey. So hard that it’s taken me a year to talk about it. But today, when I saw that another mom I know is in the same place I was last year, I felt it was time to open up. I’m going to skip…

Continue reading...
Related posts
With a child with an intellectual disability, money matters.
April 13, 2018
Lessons for life prepare kids for a better world
February 16, 2018
Inclusion in education teaches lessons for life
November 14, 2017
Follow us @ Instagram

melaniejcote
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

Log in as an administrator and view the Instagram Feed settings page for more details.