Rocky Parra
Wife to Brett, mom to BethAnne, Peyton, Walker and Matthew, retired CPA, career volunteer, avid sports fan, and adorer of old Catholic Churches. Rocky passionately advocates for her son, Matthew, and autism acceptance. In 2015, she began writing about her family’s experience with autism on Facebook. In 2020, she published her first book, "Embracing Mrs. Mommy – Learning from, Living with and Loving Someone with Autism." Always in the back of my mind is Luke 12:48, “to whom much is given, much is expected… ” You can find her on Instagram as @mrs__mommy.
My 1 in 54
When April rolls around each year, I prepare for increased sensitivity to the awareness my family lives with every month, every day, every hour--Autism Awareness. In 1972, the Autism Society of America began celebrating...
Non-Profit Spotlight: Autism Pensacola
According to the CDC's latest study (2020), 1 in 54 children are on the autism spectrum, up from 1 in 88 in 2010. Once parents receive this life-changing diagnosis, they immediately seek information, guidance,...
Tips for a Less Tax(-ing) Season
See what I did there? A little accounting humor to kick this post off. I graduated with a degree in accounting and passed the CPA Exam in 1992. After one day in the audit...
No Mardi Gras Without Ash Wednesday
I grew up a practicing Methodist in rural southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. I never attended anything "Mardi Gras" in my formative years. In fact, I cannot remember learning about it until my junior...
Lessons Learned in My Fifty-First Year
I celebrated my fiftieth birthday on January 27, 2020, with my husband and oldest daughter, overlooking the Alahambra in Cordoba, Spain, at sunset.
All appeared right with the world.
We toasted my birthday and naively planned...
Christmas Traditions With a Twist
"Traditions touch us, they connect us and they expand us."
--Rita Barreto Craig
I fondly remember celebrating Christmas at my grandparent's home in Starks, Louisiana. We drove the six miles from our house in Texas to...
30 Days to Gratitude Challenge
"Piglet noticed that even though he had a tiny heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude."
-- A.A. Milne
Ever since Oprah Winfrey introduced her gratitude journal in 1997, I actively acknowledge...
Nonprofit Spotlight: Mother Clelia Morning Star High School
Have you ever thought about starting a school?
Have you ever been so fearful that the educational opportunities for your child were so lacking that starting a school was your only option? In the spring...
The Empty Nest: Consider Yourself Warned
We cannot talk about the empty nest without first discussing the concept of nesting during pregnancy because I think that is where it all starts. According to scientists, ‘nesting’ refers to a suite of...
Parenting: One Size Does Not Fit All
As a young mother, I developed a list of parenting rules and guidelines I planned to use with ALL of my children. My then Type-A self planned to raise perfect little angels who did...