- HELMETS: If your munchkin is on anything with wheels or with speed, honestly, put a helmet on their noggin. It is one of the #1 ER/ED visits seen every year. The fit is critical! It should be just above their eyebrows and under their chin. It shouldn't move when they shake their head or have more than 1 finger in room between the chin and strap. Also, make sure it has the American Standards Testing Materials (ASTM) label on it!
- With spring here, make an appointment with your pediatrician to make sure your kiddo has strong bones and joints if they are to partake in any kind of sports activities. This can help avoid particular serious injuries.
- Protect yourself and your loved ones from the sun with SPF 30 or higher no matter what. Have a sunscreen that has UVA and UVB protection and put it on every 30 minutes. Even on cloudy days, you can get a bad sunburn and be exposed to harmful sun rays.
- Stay hydrated! Not only Gatorade gives you the electrolytes and hydration your body craves. Try water and a banana...Mom bonus=less sugar! Be mindful of symptoms of dehydration: dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, belly pains, muscle cramps and lethargy.
- Ok, teeth: yes, we want them to brush...however, back to the sports topic. Get them a mouth guard. Even an inexpensive one found in most Walmarts and Targets nationwide in the sports and outdoor sections to protect their smiles.
- Padding: Whether it's riding a bike, learning to roller blade/roller skate or playing soccer; place proper fitting padding protection on your kiddos. It can honestly mean the difference between a summer of continued fun or a summer on the sidelines with that neon cast I mentioned before.
- Lastly but not least and probably not last, shade. Always encourage your kids to seek the shade when they are outside and warm. Also, dress them in light weight, loose clothing. Heat exhaustion can hit kids hard and fast compared to adults. Common signs are: weakness, fatigue, nausea, headache, vomiting, pale skin, dizziness, impaired judgment, cramps, fever and sweating.
It's that time of year again....Spring fever has hit and the kiddos are trying to BURST out the doors and windows virtually to get out and play. Well, while they are playing, lets remember to keep them safe at the same time as having fun. No one likes having a cast on for 6 weeks or longer....no matter what cool neon color they can choose from...
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FYI: This is a just for fun post...
So, this is my husband. Almost daily, the kids and I will be sitting with him as a family watching something on the boob tube. Every time he falls asleep like this. But, when he starts snoring and we wake him to tell him to go to bed if he's tired.... He says he wasn't sleeping! We use to debate with him but we've just stopped. So, has this happened to you? Or are you the not-so-napper in your home? In an earlier post, I put up information about Passover and what it really is. In that post, I also mentioned that I was raised in a multiple faith family. Today, this post is about Easter, which is a Christian based celebration.
A lot of us grow up and raised our kids thinking Easter is all about bunnies, spring, finding colorful eggs, baskets filled with gifts of toys and chocolate. It's not about that. When do we stop and explain the real true meaning of this day? My kids have been raised in the church all of their life so far. But, non of that time has anyone really ever explained the real meaning of Easter to them. Heck, with all of my various faiths growing up, I never knew where the lines were or what was up or down about the celebration. So, when my autistic son said to his therapist and doctors that he wants to follow God the right way, the first time; I felt it was a real sign to get off my butt as a parent and teach my kids how to be closer to God and his son, Jesus Christ. So, a little bit about my religious background for all of you first:
As a child, I was raised in Protestant/Jewish/Lutheran/Roman Catholic households. My Great-Grandmother was raised and a proud Protestant woman and her family originated from England; my Great-Grandfather was born in Poland with his brothers, relocated to the states and was Jewish but considered himself a "non-practicing" one; my father and his mother were Lutheran, and lastly, my step-mother and her family are all Roman Catholics. So, I have a little bit of everything in my life and I respect all faiths no matter what. I personally was baptized as a Protestant but I go to Baptist church with my children, whom were originally baptized and communed as Roman Catholics. Now, for the story: Passover is a holiday that is coming up starting at sunset on April 14th and will end in the evening on April 22nd. This is a holiday celebrated by the Jewish faith and some of the story is told in the Christian Bible as well as the Jewish Torah. Passover is the commemoration of the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt long, long ago. It's also referred to as the idea that God "passed over" the houses of the Jews during the 10th plague on the Egyptians; the slaying of their first born whether it was man or beast. (There were 10 plagues on Egypt due to when Pharaoh persisted in his refusal to liberate the children of Israel, Moses and Aaron warned him that God would punish both him and his people.) DISCLAIMER: This set of information about to be posted is NOT of my own creation. The authors behind this are Stephanie Madrigal & Michelle Garcia Winner. This is part of a curriculum that my son was in that I found useful. If you would like to purchase the curriculum which is available to teachers and parents, please visit www.socialthinking.com.
"Superflex: Our Hero! Totally flexible, trying to figure out people's wants and needs to keep other people calm while also getting his turn to play and speak as well. Supeflex is a great problem-solver and can think of many different solutions to one problem." This was a GREAT read for my son last year. Especially since he was trying to handle all that was going on inside his little mind. This gave him a name and a picture to go with different emotions, feelings and thoughts that he just couldn't get out before hand. I strongly urge other parents, whether your child has a disability or not, to purchase this series of cartoons/comics. It will help enormously! Honestly, I don't want to give out all the information in the stories. However, I will give a brief glimpse into some of the "Unthinkables". You really need to find this series and enjoy it with your kids. Whether they are special needs or you just need special time to teach about our emotions...this is the perfect way to start! "Rock Brain: He will get the person to do only what he wants to do and will not let him negotiate with other people...." "Brain Eater: He makes it hard for the person to focus on what he is doing or focus on others during interactions. The person may get easily distracted with his own thoughts or things around him...." "Body Snatcher: He gets the person to wander away from others and not stay with the group or person he is with...." "D.O.F (Destroyer of Fun): This person becomes overly competitive and insists on going first, playing only what he/she wants to play, and does not think about compromising or about how he makes others feel...." "Un-Wonderer: He stops the person from showing interest in others or thinking about what others may want to do...." "Space Invader: This character makes the person's body move into other people's personal space when others are not expecting it or do not want this...." "Glass Man: Lets a person be flexible to some extent, but then all of a sudden he just breaks. He doesn't melt down slowly; he quickly starts getting very upset often over "tiny" problems...." "Grump-Grumpaniny: Makes the person think the worst of feel like people are always unkind...." "Topic Twister Meister: This character gets the person to twist the topic around to what he wants to talk about and goes off on tangents when talking to others...." "Wasfunnyonce: This person will attempt to use a lot of humor to be funny. However, he does not realize that humor wears out pretty quickly or at times is not "funny" at all...." "Energy Hare-y: This character gives the person so much energy so that he is constantly fidgeting or moving around, and he doesn't think about what the people around him needs or how others are feeling around them...." "One-Sided Sid: This character gets the person to talk about his own set of topics or his own plan...." "Worry Wall: He makes the person worry or feel nervous so much about the people around him or the social situations that he or she "hits a wall" and stops being able to talk at all to the people nearby...." "Mean Jean: This person becomes just plain mean to other people....." I don't know about anyone else, but I am sure happy that today is officially the start of Spring! Not to mention, the weather is showing off as well today here in North Carolina. As the weather warms up, the flowers and trees start to bloom, it makes me think of starting fresh also on a few things. Or, even picking up where I left off on some possibly. I've already planted a couple of rose bushes. They are a pretty lilac color...hopefully. It's also time to clean out the car, wash it up a little and make her shine a bit while I'm at it. The porch needs a good cleaning as well for entertaining. Also, with nicer weather comes the desire to be outside and lose weight for "bathing suit" season. Ha ha! Like I would ever be caught dead in that thing. Kids are also gearing up for Spring break and Summer vacation. As a parent, I like to try and plan something for the kids in advance. However, it never comes to bearing fruit as other things get in the way sometimes. What do you do, if you have kids, to prepare for summer vacation and spring break? What do you do for yourself to prepare for them if you don't have kids? http://www.circleofmoms.com/article/mom-blames-judge-involving-her-daughter-s-crude-punishment-04672?trk=digest_editorial_4682&email_enc=l8%252Bm0NamqNWclpKXoc7Qp6aVy6SZzaKm&email_src=1341272387fb7b707d0c30e76d2f167fdb01004c64&template_name=digest_weekly_4&subject_id=6b55017a493d7229cef28f1d8c72c0c1:0&cc_id=f_4682&has_fb=1 In my opinion, I do not feel the Judge made the right decision. To me, this punishment was very "toddler-ish" on part of the legal system. Not only did the Judge bully the mother into this from what I am understanding, but, he/she could have just provoked the teen even more. This child could do the opposite of what everyone wants. Instead of stopping the negative and unwanted behavior, this could push the young girl to do it more out of spite, or worse. If this was my child, I would let him/her do the time for the crime. I'm a firm believer personally that if you know doing something is going to hurt another living thing and you still proceed with it, then by all means, you should do whatever punishment is dealt to you. Maybe a little juvenile detention would straighten this girl out or heck, even show her what it's like to be bullied by others also. But, this also makes me question why the teen would think it's okay or funny to do this in the first place. What is their home life like? What is their social network like outside of the home? Outside influences could have played a big part in this. Unfortunately, we do not know the entire story here. And, like I always say; there are 3 sides to every story: Yours, Mine and the Truth. Well, in this instance, we are not at a wildlife zoo; just my own personal one with more domesticated animals.
I have 3 dogs and 1 cat. Let me introduce some of them to you. The first one is Jigsaw. He is a 5 year old Beagle & Blue-Tick Hound mix. He is extremely affectionate and can do a few tricks. He likes to hop around on his back legs when he wants something like a bone or cookie. He is also spoiled by his father, my husband, who has had him since he was a puppy and born. I came into his life as "Mommy" when he was 2. The second one is Brownie. She is my 2 year old Boxer. She is the sweetest thing you can ever come across. She has no tail but instead a "nub" and when she is happy, she does a "butt wiggle" dance sideways across the entire house. She has been a cuddle-er since day one when she was only 2 months old. She would curl up to us either on our necks right next to us, or burrow her way under all the blankets and curl up in your legs. Third picture is of our recent "adoption", Ladybug. She's about 6 or 7 months old and was a rescue from a man who put a gun to her head saying he'd shoot her right then and there if no one took her in. Needless to say, my family did and I'm thankful. She's a handful as she's a puppy. Still working on full potty training (she's stubborn) and very mouthy. We think that she is a cocker spaniel and fox terrier mix. She even has a "Tigger" tail...she's be laying down, see you and practically spring into the air and land all 4 paws on you with a happy tail wagging and give you TONS of kisses. Lastly, this is Dr. Seuss. He is also known as our "ninja attack cat ". He is only about 1 years old now but we found him when he was just barely 2 weeks old according to the vet. I had to syringe feed him special milk, help him eliminate and take care of him since I found him abandoned. He is like a human baby in so many ways. To this day, he always has to curl up on my chest and purrs away. Oh, and he's definitely a mama's boy. Now that you have been introduced, let me get to the point of this post. Besides telling you how crowded my house is. Ha ha! There is a lot of research out there as far as the benefits of animals being service animals. Well, we all know about the guide dogs and such. But, many people do not realize that animals; whether it is a dog, cat or bunny, can be a service animal also. They are then called Psychiatric Service Dogs or Emotional Support Animals (E.S.A's) and Therapy Animals. There is much controversy about this but, I will give you my insight as a person who has 2 children with emotional and mental disabilities, a husband with severe emotional disturbances and myself who has my own "issues for tissues". I will also include some links that give a little more insight into the specifics, some opinions and other links if you wish to look more into it. Personally, I have always had a pet in my house. Growing up I've had dogs, cats, birds, fish and a hamster at some point. Even when I was young I remember curling up with my animal and crying to it or talking to it and even playing pretend with it. As my children have been growing up, they too have been exposed to pets in the home. Almost everyone in my family has a pet of some sort. Personally, my experience is special. I've had my ups and downs. i was diagnosed with Bipolar Disease in my early 20's only to recently find out it was an incorrect diagnosis. Sometimes it takes the right questions to get the right answers. I have Borderline Personality Disorder with Bipolar tendencies with Generalized Anxiety. When things get bad, I know I can curl up with my furry friend and just sit there. I'm not expected to explain myself, talk or do anything but just sit there. I always pet them because it shows love, gives me something else to focus on and the positive responses I receive back are the best things in the world. My boxer, Brownie, always knows when I'm either physically ill or just emotionally stressed. My son, who is Autistic, loves the tactile response of the animals and has learned communication, empathy and even responsibility thanks to them. He has a job here at home of helping feed the dogs. This is something we incorporated into his daily routine as a schedule and he enjoys it. It is one of the few things he remembers to do everyday. While, I believe that more research and more opportunities should be more pronounced for individuals, I think for now, we are doing alright. People get pets to quiet their kids and to be like the good ole' Brady Bunch family. Little do they know that they are helping themselves and other family members learn a thing or 2 about themselves and the responsibility of another living thing. And, the added benefit that having a furry companion as emotional support is just that, an enjoyable, silent bonus. http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread7204.html http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies/index.shtml http://www.everydayhealth.com/longevity/emotional-wellness/pet-therapy.aspx This blog is a little bit about randomness, pets, family and friends.
Well, now, do you have pets? More than one I mean. We do. 3 dogs and 1 cat....if you count my kids then I have 6 animals all together. Last night, I had all but my kids in the bed with us. This did NOT make for a great night of sleeping as I woke up sore as ever. Yes, my IIH is acting up and last night my anxiety was also. But I'm choosing not to let that bother me today as much as possible. Today I have some goals I want to attempt to get done. I most likely will not get all accomplished but I shall try. I have found that keeping goals short and sweet helps me get through them. I don't say it's my to do list because then it's most likely going to be pushed off until another day as I feel I MUST get it done...like it's a chore or something. SO, what's on the list for today?
I'm wondering if I can do this sanely with little to no sleep. On top I have to put hubby to work on helping me finish building my loveseat out of pallets for the outside patio. It was a recycling idea I thought of. I'm hoping it comes out decent. I hope everyone has a great day! I may blog later as to how doing all these things affects my IIH or the other way around. Also, how autism affects my son's ability to try and sell his fundraiser items. Keep posted! |