Deborah Tomai
Hi y'all! I'm Deborah, wife since 1998, and a mom to three great kids (ages 9, 6 and 2). I was born and raised in Mississippi, but left the South for college, snow and the big city of Chicago. After seventeen (!) years in the city, a job offer brought our family to the Rio Grande Valley 5 years ago. I'm passionate about Jesus, social justice and chocolate. And I'm still figuring out who I am - right now, I'm learning how to be the best advocate possible for my youngest child, who has Down syndrome.
Good Reads for Christmas
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love to read! And I hope to pass my love for books on to my children. Christmas is a great season for reading -...
Holiday Markets in the Rio Grande Valley
I know that Halloween *just* came and went, but I'm already thinking Christmas. For the sake of my sanity - and my budget - I try to shop early.
But I also want to support...
Book Ideas for Halloween
Reading books with our children is one of my favorite parts of motherhood.
I love to read, and I want my kids to love books and reading, too. Over the years, I've gradually collected children's...
Thoughts on Neighborhood Kids
Our family is fortunate to live in a great neighborhood, with lots of families and children. Most of the kids go to our local public school, so they see each other at school, on...
Down Syndrome Awareness Month
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
Down syndrome occurs when a person has three copies of the 21st chromosome. Due to the extra chromosome, people with Down syndrome are more likely to be born...
Prenatal Testing
I have chosen to do prenatal testing with each of my three pregnancies. My husband’s brother had spina bifida, so we have a higher statistical risk of having a baby with spina bifida. A...
World Breastfeeding Week :: Deborah’s Story
August 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. If you visit the WBW link, you'll find lots of information about the benefits of breastfeeding - with a focus on how "exclusive breastfeeding and adequate appropriate complementary...
Frozen Yogurt in the RGV (and family friendly ranking tips)
One of our family's favorite summer fun activities has been a frozen yogurt tour.
The Valley has a plethora of yogurt places, and we decided to try several so that we could determine the family...
Words of Wisdom
There are certain sayings from childhood, from family, that linger. They are part of the fabric of our home – words that mark the lessons I learned as a child, and words that I...
Early Intervention in the RGV
Childhood is marked by milestones. Parents anticipate the next step for their baby, whether that means sitting up, crawling, getting a tooth, or saying his first word. With my first two children, milestones were...