In the latest epsiode of the this family life I chat with Merridy who lives Hong Kong with her husband and four children aged 15, 12 and 11 year old twins. Her youngest son Thomas has cerebral palsy. He is a twin to Sophie and when they were born sadly he suffered a hypoxic event which resulted in brain damage. When he was around 18 months old he received the official diagnosis of CP: Level 5. Tom uses a wheelchair and an eye gaze device for all of his communication and schooling. He attends main stream school along with his sister Sophie. Merridy’s husband is a Boeing 777 commercial airline captain and travels constantly for his work, a bonus of which means plenty of opportunities for them to travel as a family.

With such a family set up, Merridy has much to share and just some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up:
The importance of friends in an ex-pat community
Managing homework and technology with kids
Tips for travelling with children with special needs
Apartment living with kidsBlog posts mentioned in the episode:
Letting go
How to create a weekly schedule
Children’s RoutinesOther useful links:
On Becoming Babywise – Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam – for the baby stage of parenting Merridy recommended this book.
Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind – and this book for the teenager stage of parenting which, I also highly recommend.
Project 333 – for reducing your number of clothes

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<p>In the latest epsiode of the&nbsp;<em>this family life</em>&nbsp;I chat with Merridy who lives Hong Kong with her husband and four children aged 15, 12 and 11 year old twins. Her youngest son Thomas has cerebral palsy. He is a twin to Sophie and when they were born sadly he suffered a hypoxic event which resulted in brain damage. When he was around 18 months old he received the official diagnosis of CP: Level 5. Tom uses a wheelchair and an eye gaze device for all of his communication and schooling. He attends main stream school along with his sister Sophie. Merridy&rsquo;s husband is a Boeing 777 commercial airline captain and travels constantly for his work, a bonus of which means plenty of opportunities for them to travel as a family.</p>
<p>With such a family set up, Merridy has much to share and just some highlights of the wisdom you will pick up:</p>
<ul>
<li>The importance of friends in an ex-pat community</li>
<li>Managing homework and technology with kids</li>
<li>Tips for travelling with children with special needs</li>
<li>Apartment living with kids</li>
</ul>
<h3>Blog posts mentioned in the episode:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://planningwithkids.com/2015/06/05/monthly-review-letting-go/" target="_blank" shape="rect">Letting go</a></li>
<li><a href="http://planningwithkids.com/2015/02/27/create-weekly-schedule/" target="_blank" shape="rect">How to create a weekly schedule</a></li>
<li><a href="http://planningwithkids.com/2010/07/23/childrens-routines/" target="_blank" shape="rect">Children&rsquo;s Routines</a></li>
</ul>
<h3>Other useful links:</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.booktopia.com.au/on-becoming-babywise-gary-ezzo/prod9781932740134.html" target="_blank" shape="rect">On Becoming Babywise &ndash; Gary Ezzo, Robert Bucknam</a>&nbsp;&ndash; for the baby stage of parenting Merridy recommended this book.</li>
<li><a href="http://planningwithkids.com/2015/05/13/book-review-yes-your-teen-is-crazy-loving-your-kid-without-losing-your-mind/" target="_blank" shape="rect">Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind</a>&nbsp;&ndash; and this book for the teenager stage of parenting which, I also highly recommend.</li>
<li><a href="http://bemorewithless.com/project-333/" target="_blank" shape="rect">Project 333</a>&nbsp;&ndash; for reducing your number of clothes</li>
</ul>
<p>Don&rsquo;t forget to say hello on social media by using the hashtag #thisfamilylifepod</p>
<p>Connect with us:&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/planningqueen" target="_blank" shape="rect">Twitter</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/PlanningWithKids/" target="_blank" shape="rect">Facebook</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/planningqueen/" target="_blank" shape="rect">IG</a></p>
<p>Subscribe to the show: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/this-family-life/id1094526939?mt=2">iTunes</a> | Stitcher | <a href="http://www.omnycontent.com/d/playlist/243ccf3a-ffca-4fdf-a788-a5c500074b35/c180e2fe-da14-4ad8-a602-a5cb018442a4/2dcac757-c82e-4fbe-b1f5-a5cb01899c03/podcast.rss">RSS</a></p>

Hosted by Nicole Avery of PlanningWithKids.com, this family life gives everyday parents a chance to share their hard-fought wisdom. These aren’t bloggers or authors or even people with a big Instagram following. Instead, they’re everyday parents with practical, insightful, honest advice to share. Nic interviews parents who work full-time, mums on maternity leave, those whose children have special needs and parents with kids of all ages, and uncovers how they organise the chaos of their daily family life.

this family life

Hosted by Nicole Avery of PlanningWithKids.com, this family life puts the spotlight on everyday parents and allows them the opportunity to share the wisdom they have gathered throughout their years of parenting. They aren’t bloggers or authors or even people with a big Instagram following. They are everyday parents with practical, insightful, honest advice to share. They share what has worked and what hasn't, what they love about their family and the challenges they face. Nic interviews parents from a broad spectrum of family set ups - full-time working parents, single parents, parents home full time, parents of kids with special needs and everything else in between! Through her conversations, Nic uncovers how they organise the chaos of their daily family life.

In this episode Nic chats with Merridy about expat life, teenagers and travelling with a child who has special needs.

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