You know by now that I’m a bit of a techie. Simply put, pieces of paper get lost, while my phone rarely does. If I can keep track of things on my phone, I am more likely to remember them. … Continue reading
I’ll be honest, I skipped the big gym-speech, where parents are packed in like sardines, it’s hot, they talk about the same things every year, introduce the staff, and you can’t hear anything anyway because of all the people who … Continue reading
The Boy and I have created a tradition called Fun Friday. It was born out of some evening scheduling problems we had which basically boiled down to The Boy thinking I could drive him all over God’s Green Earth to … Continue reading
I have been using my bento for lunch just about every day. My go to sandwich so far (and I must tell you, I’m not a big sandwich fan) has been my ACH Sandwich: Avocado, Cucumber, & Hummus. I based it on this recipe from Real Simple — I was actually going to make the white bean spread, until I had to use half of my can of beans for something else, and didn’t think I’d have enough to make the recipe. Then I spied the hummus in the fridge, and substituted it, and a star was born.
I usually put it on some French or Italian bread (I know I should go whole wheat, but I’m Italian!). It has real staying power, meaning I am not hungry until dinner. According to Wikipedia a trusted internet source, the hummus acts as a complete protein because it is on bread, and the hummus and the avocado are both good sources of monounsaturated fat (the good kind of fat), and fiber (all kidding aside, I also checked Livestrong and some other sites, so there are very real benefits to eating these superfoods). The cucumber just adds crunch to what would otherwise be a pretty mushy sandwich (cucumbers go in the middle to avoid making the bread soggy, by the way).
The hardest part? Slicing the avocado. It’s a pain — if anyone has a solution to that, please, PLEASE let me know in the comments. My experience has not been pretty…
The Man and I took an incredible trip to San Francisco in 2010. We spent a week, and on our ramble to the Mission District, we stopped in to take a peek at the Creativity Explored studio and gallery. For the life of me, I cannot remember how I had heard about this place, but it was, for me, the highlight of the trip.
Creativity Explored is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides space, materials, as well as access to mentor artists for adults with developmental disabilities who enjoy expression through making art. The organization also organizes exhibits and maintains an online shop through which the artists can sell their work, providing income, and an opportunity for self advocacy.
creativity explored (Photo credit: veritatem)
At first, The Man and I looked around the gallery, finding several pieces we wanted to take home. The person behind the desk asked if we wanted to go in the studio. We looked at each other and said, “Yes! Is it open to the public?” He assured us it was, and we went through the entryway into the studio. There were about 15 adults working on various projects, some with mentor artists at their side, some without. We wandered through the workspace trying to peek at the works in progress without being too intrusive. Some of the artists were talking or singing to themselves. Some were oblivious to our presence, others were wary, and still others waved and welcomed us. One artist in particular, Peter, greeted us warmly and enthusiastically, giving us a tour of the studio, and lead us to the kiln, telling us all about the firing process, and showing us his just-fired work. He was very proud, and very happy to have an audience.
We left Creativity Explored, shortly after, realizing we had spent over an hour there. We were both pretty quiet for awhile, and then remarked to each other what an amazing experience that had been. And the art! The art gave me such a new perspective, because these artists were clearly communicating their lives and experiences through this medium, which gave them so much more power to “speak” for themselves.
If you are ever in San Francisco, you must stop in. It was life changing for me, leading me to earn a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management last year — I was so inspired by this organization doing so much good for adults with developmental disabilities It has become a new dream for me to be involved with an organization like this.
If you aren’t going to San Francisco anytime soon, please visit the website, buy something, make a donation. They are doing amazing work, and the artists themselves will blow you away. (You can look up Peter Cordova, too, and check out his work!)
Some of us are a little obsessive about our to-do lists. Not only am I a piler, I am a lister. Without my list, I might just go insane (or at the very least get stuck where I am, not … Continue reading
Have you liked my facebook page yet? If you haven’t go ahead and click on the link on the right, down there… (and then click the “like” button on my page!) Once you do that, come back and leave a … Continue reading
About two weeks ago, I followed through with my plan for breaking the news to The Boy that his former teacher had died. We went through the social story, and I reminded him about The Man’s mother’s death and what … Continue reading
Non-Apps? What?
I like to think of them as the things you do with your kids, away from technology, that will make your life easier (and more fun). Wouldn’t that be the definition of a non-app?
I recently wrote about an A-ha moment when expressing to The Boy how miserable meltdowns made the rest of us feel helped him to see that being cooperative made the people he loves happy, which is his greatest desire. If he didn’t have that connection with me, he wouldn’t care. Here are some things that we do that help me connect with my child, which in the long run is my best defense against meltdowns, attitude, whining, etc.
1. Take walks together. My kid isn’t all that athletic. OK, he isn’t athletic at all. So to get him to get outside and be active is a tough thing when there isn’t a pool or the ocean nearby. We take a walk almost daily, depending on the weather. It is usually just a block or two, but it is free from distraction and we have some good talks about the big and the little things.
2. We cuddle, and smush each other. My son is 10, and some may think “too old” for this, but he benefits from the deep pressure, and it helps us connect. He “wres-tles” (pronouncing the “t”) with The Man, which is way more manly, but has the same benefits. I told him I had to “tackle” the kitchen today, and he said, “Go for the legs!”
3. Read together. Every year, we have a reading log sent home, and I am sure the expectation is that The Boy reads to me, but I often read to him. He is a good reader. He gets practice all day long at school, and I want to model good, natural reading to him, plus it’s a treat. He can lay there listening (hopefully getting sleepy), and absorb common inflection and pacing while cuddling next to me.
4. Being silly together. I am lucky. The Boy has an incredible sense of humor. He loves jokes and word games. Having private jokes together is another way to connect.
5. Encouraging his talents. Some obsessions are a little hard to deal with (like the summer he had to wear the same green shirt every day). But as he has gotten older, most of his obsessions have become a little more useful. Writing comics, knowing about every version of Windows that has ever come out, and being able to identify car makes and models even at night are easier to encourage; By not trying to constantly steer him away from the things he loves, I am validating that they have worth and value, and could lead to greater things.
What do you do to connect with your child? Have you seen the benefits? Tell us about it.
I really hate to do this. I am a lifelong supporter of Apple, and this post isn’t really a knock on them. It is aimed at the hype surrounding iPads and how much they can help kids with special needs. … Continue reading
Simple. I Just Do. 