Watching while writing: Hemlock Grove
Hey, there, y'all! I am Megan A. Beckham. I was born in Louisiana, but we moved to Northeast Oklahoma after a short stay in Northwest Arkansas when I was young. I have 4 children, whom I am not quite ready to introduce you to just yet because they will steal the show. Their ages are 10, 13, 13, and 15. That's right! There's the "twin" part of the name. Magnolia is a reference to my mother, who loved the fragrant evergreen trees from her home in Louisiana so much that she planted one in her backyard. I recently purchased a "twin" to her tree, and I will plant it in my backyard with the remainder of her ashes, finally, six years after her death. I have teaching certifications in the state of Oklahoma in the areas of English 6-12, Early Childhood (birth-3rd grade), and all areas of Special Education. I am a dyslexia specialist, trained in the Brainspring Phonics First program. I am currently a Master of Special Education student at The University of Oklahoma (BOOMER!) studying Transition Education and Applied Behavior Analysis. I am hoping to dispel some assumptions about the field (ABA, specifically) because it is an excellent tool that I've used to help children of varying abilities learn that there are rules in this world (the social kind) that aren't explicitly taught. I find it works well even in application to myself-I have used the principles of ABA to lose 60 pounds over the last year, and I will utilize it to lose the 40 more pounds that remain of my weight loss goal. I am mentioning the weight loss because you are sure to hear about my struggles with eating healthy foods as well as exercise. I am not a fan of either, really. I tend to get my exercise outdoors. I kayak the Illinois river in Tahlequah throughout the warmer months, so you will get to see some of the wonder that Oklahoma holds, at least from my perspective. I have a Corgi named Maxwell Apollo (Max), a Maine Coon named Corona Borealis (Rona), a Betta Fish named Gill Nye, and a snail named Marcell. You will inevitably hear about them, as well, because they are a huge part of my life. I knit, crochet, and dabble in other crafts, so I may have a post or two about those sorts of things, but this blog is mainly a little project to occupy my time while I am unemployed. That means there might be one post or 100, depending on how the rest of this year goes. This is primarily dedicated to the struggles I encounter while parenting my children with ADHD/Autism/Anxiety, as a human who also struggles with these things. I am not an expert in parenting, by any means, y'all, but I have learned a few things that could, perhaps, be helpful to you.
