able2able

Taking the L out of Bully

2012-09-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

"I have something to tell you. One of the kids at the bus stop is trying to make Alan say his name over and over. I think he's doing it so he can make fun of the way Alan talks." Not what a parent wants to hear less than three weeks into the new school year when her kindergartner has just started riding the morning bus.

When Alan was 3, the school board tested his speech articulation and declared it "100% unintelligible except for at home." Clara-Bear was medically homebound for 5 winters, and baby brother Alan spent his first three winters home with us. He was so excited, eager to get out and make friends, and he was so disappointed when children his age couldn't understand him. My outgoing and confident little man refused to look at or talk to children. It was heartbreaking to watch him shut down.

He's come a long way in two years, and the thought of some mean spirited kid sending Alan back to that lonely, isolated place made me furious! Alan's best friend at the bus stop has some needs that make it difficult for him to read social situations, yet he suspected something was wrong. He told his mother that this kid kept trying to make Alan say "Alan" despite the other children telling him the name and to stop asking.

I spoke to a couple other parents and found out the name of the child. They confirmed the story. Other kids at the bus stop had noticed this, too. What should I do? Tell his parents, whom I was told were strict and demanded good behavior? Could I expect them to welcome a stranger at their door telling them their 5th grade son was picking on a kindergartner? My friends were encouraging their children to defend Alan, but the bully was already ignoring those efforts. Could I leave this up to the kids to settle?

I decided to go to the bus stop with Alan and check this out a little more. Maybe it was genuine confusion and this child would ask me Alan's name and it would be done. Alan didn't want me to go! I told him I wanted to meet who he hung out with, even if they were just bus stop friends so he allowed me into the "no parents zone." On the walk to the bus stop Alan suddenly pointed to the biggest boy there and said "He asks me my name every day over and over."

Alan didn't even know I was worried about this! He told me that his friend had told him it was a trick and not to talk to the boy, so yesterday the boy only asked him twice because they ignored him. Yeah! Go kids! The boy was very respectful to me and seemed nice. Other parents had said that they liked their children to play with him because he was so well behaved, but they all felt that this was bully behavior and needed to be stopped before it escalated. I believed them, and felt bad for the boy because changes in behavior like this can be a sign that something is troubling the child.

I wasn't sure what to do. I was so worried about how it could affect Alan if he realized what the boy's intentions were that I blurted it out to the school speech therapist when I saw her that same morning. She knew what to do! She immediately pulled the boy out of class and confronted him!

She said he burst into tears, said he wasn't trying to be mean, and asked if he could apologize to Alan. The teachers were all shocked - this same boy had been bullied for the way he spoke when he was younger. The speech therapist took him to Alan's class, and Alan, of course, was totally baffled. He just thought the kid was being annoying!

We are now working on Alan's pronunciation of his name and of the letter L. His speech therapist decided to move that to the top of the list to help Alan with future social situations. Alan is taking therapeutic horseback riding and they are having him stress the L in "walk" and "left" when he gives his horse commands.

He is blissfully unaware that he was being bullied. He has not even mentioned that the boy came to his class and apologized. When I asked him if anything unusual or different happened at school that day, he told me they served rice again in the cafeteria.

Who knew one little letter had so much power?

You might also like:
Alan's Listening When I Talk about Bullies!

Introducing App POV App Review Carnival

2012-09-07T16:57:00.000-05:00

App POV: One app reviewed by 4 bloggers representing a variety of special needs. Who shares your point of view?

Two of our bloggers are experiencing technical difficulties and will join the party as soon as able!

Welcome to our first app POV app review carnival! What is app POV? Bloggers representing a variety of special needs review the same app from their unique point of view (POV). You get a chance to see what each blog is about and choose the reviews you think might be most helpful. You can read one or you can read them all.

If you’re lucky, you might get the chance to win a full version of the app reviewed!

Meet the Reviewers and their POV

able2able

The Blog able2able focuses on online special needs resources, product reviews and giveaways, and tips on accommodating needs without sacrificing money or family time.

The POV Clara-Bear, a 7 year old with Down Syndrome, Autism, and infant stroke effects, is the inspiration behind able2able. She is in the first grade in an inclusive Tennessee public school. Clara-Bear is nonverbal (dysarthria of speech) and uses a speech generating device. She has sensory dysregulation, hypotonia, apraxia, impaired visual depth perception, and poor awareness of the right side of her body. She is a tech-monkey who won’t say “please” or “mama” but will say “iPad.” If there is a way to cheat around educational or therapy goals in an app, Clara-Bear will find it!

Alan is the baby ~~bother~~ brother. He is 51/2, typically developing, with speech articulation needs and some mild sensory issues. Alan is bright and super chatty, and is not as fired up about technology as his older sister. He’s picky about his food and even pickier about what it takes to make an app fun. If it’s too teachy, it’s out!

The Blogger Anara is a Registered Nurse who actually wanted to be a special ed teacher. She started blogging and writing in 2007 as a way to deal with 5 years of medically homebound winters with virtual twins and a traveling husband. She used to consider herself quite tech savvy until babies stole her brain cells.

The Review: PyxWise Spelling Apps Reviews and Giveaways

Life With My Special Ks

The Blog Life With My Special Ks focuses on life as a military family with young kids, some with special needs, some without... all pretty awesome. We also touch on topics of Down syndrome, childhood cancer, adoption, RAD, inclusion, deployment and whatever else seems to come our way.

The POV Kennedy is 8 years old and has Down syndrome. She is in an inclusive 2nd grade classroom and is thriving! She made great gains last year learning to read, write and do math and we are excited to see her continue to grow and learn this year in school. She is highly motivated by anything to do with her iPad so we have it loaded with lots of educational apps... of course she prefers to use it to make movies with her dog, Kokonut, but we're getting there. ;)

The Blogger Renee is a 33 year old stay-at-home mom who never seems to be... home! She is always off and running somewhere... to the kids' schools to volunteer, to dance class, the soccer field, drama class or driving somewhere in between. She started blogging by way of a caringbridge page in 2005 to keep family and friends informed about Kennedy's medical issues and finally jumped full on into blogging a few years later. Through blogging she has found a way to support others on the same roads she is traveling and bring awareness to issues that affect her family. At least no one can ever say life is boring!

Pyxwise Spelling Apps Reviews & Giveaways (closed)

2012-09-07T16:51:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to be a part of the app POV app review carnival! Three other bloggers representing an interesting variety of special needs have also reviewed these same apps (and they are also giving some away!). Click here for more details about the app review carnival and see what other parents are saying about these apps!

I am reviewing and giving away three apps from Canadian based app developer Pyxwise Software, inc.: Simplex Spelling HD: Dolch Sight Words ($4.99 USD), Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 ($4.99 USD), and Simplex Spelling Phonics 2 with Syllables ($2.99 USD). All three are available for iPhone and iPad.

The three apps are all phonetically based spelling apps that offer more than spelling practice and review. They teach pre-k to 3rd grade students a unique approach to spelling called reverse phonics. Dr. Lisa Welburn, PhD, (who co-founded PyxWise together with hubby Craig) says this about reverse phonics:

When a child is taught to read using phonics, the child typically looks at different letter combinations to determine what sounds they make. The process of spelling is in many ways the reverse of reading. When a child learns to spell, he or she listens to the sounds that a word makes and tries to determine what letter combinations could make that sound. We believe that since phonics can be used successfully to teach a child to read, a reversed phonics approach can be used to teach a child to spell. "Reverse phonics" focuses on converting individual phonemes (the smallest units of sound) into different letter combinations (phonograms) for each sound.

Simplex Spelling Theory, research, and FAQ's are intertwined into each app description and are easily available on the website. Videos for each app are also available on Youtube:

The more I examined these apps and PyxWise resources to prepare for this review, the more impressed I was by what they have to offer both TD and special needs learners. We live in Tennessee. a state that uses standardized testing to determine educator effectiveness.

My children are still very early into their public school years, but I've already noticed that our school (which does well on state testing) emphasizes critical thinking. Simplex Spelling apps teach critical thinking. The apps give students the review and practice they need to apply their developing phonemic awareness. This means they are thinking and decoding instead of memorizing and repeating.

Clara-Bear (see my app POV bio) is awesome at sight words and scored 86% when she had to read 200 Dolch sight words at the end of Kindergarten last year. Considering that the school tested her cognitive functioning in the 52% percentile, YOU GO GIRL (insert sound wav of mom blowing a huge raspberry at the school board psychologist here).

Five year old Alan is a reading cheater. He can memorize a book line for line after hearing it once. If he remembers a word wrong he will start throwing out synonyms until he hits it. His comprehension is advanced for his age so faking reading comes easy to him. I worry that he has inherited the family genetics for visual learning disabilities. BOTH my children need a technique for spelling and reading that will carry them beyond the limits of their memories. I'm excited, I think reverse phonics might become a part of the family!

Simplex Spelling HD: Dolch Sight Words Clara-Bear knows her letter sounds, but the concept of using them to decode or create a word has not clicked for her yet. Simplex Spelling HD: Dolch Sight Words is a great way to transition from reading sight words to spelling. This app contains over 260 English sight words including all the Dolch words. A complete word list is available on the Pyxwise website. Check your school system’s website or ask a teacher if you are not certain if Dolch words are part of your child’s curriculum.

Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 is an app that will grow with your child. Since spelling is still gelling for Clara-Bear (I crack myself up), we are also using this app. Clara-Bear is really, really good at auditory patterns, but recognizing visual patterns is still an emerging skill for her. I have to sing the pattern that she is seeing for her to follow it and begin to repeat it.

She isn’t recognizing word families (like –at, -an) and the fact that her cvc pattern words share a common vowel sound is lost on her. So the plan is to use Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 as a pattern review. Each week, the vowel sound of her class CVC words will change, so each week we will use the coordinating Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 word list for extra practice.

As we advance from CVC words to more complex words and begin to move into word endings, this app will continue to be useful. Clara-Bear’s poor stamina makes after school homework difficult. However, she can snuggle up with her iPad. I have found that she can still absorb from her apps if she is fatigued. It's nice to have a study aid she can use anywhere, anytime and that doesn't trap us at the table. Simplex Spelling Phonics 1 has over 450 words - that's a full year of curriculum! The complete word list is posted on the PyxWise website.

Simplex Spelling Phonics 2 is the big kid (like 3rd grade) version of the Simplex apps. It has compound words, syllables, and expanded user controls. We are just playing with it right now. Alan is resisting reading but loves words. He enjoys watching and participating as I select letters in this app and play the language rules. It's introducing him to the concept that the English language has rules, even if they go over his head. Simplex Spelling Phonics 2 has 54 lessons with over 650 high frequency words. The full word list is available on the website.

Great features shared by all the Simplex apps:

Flexible learning styles: All the apps are designed to appeal to auditory, visual, and tactile learners as well as users with learning disabilities and ESOL students.
Choose your English: American, British, or Canadian.
Low distractions: one word per screen, simple backgrounds, audio can be muted, low-key visual and audio success messages that can be easily disabled.
Designed for education: These are not entertainment apps, but my kids still find them entertaining! These are like puzzles with access to hints. Successes are celebrated on the spot with words and sound. The success messages aren't overly flashy but still keep my children motivated.
Multiple users: Part of what makes these apps good for the classroom or a family with children at different levels. Simplex Spelling Phonics 2 can have up to 40 different users!
Word lists: Each app has extensive word lists, giving a parent or a school a lot of bang for the buck. Simplex Spelling Lite (aka the free sample) even has fifty words! A complete word list for each app is available for preview on the Pyxwise website. I like to know if an app will meet my needs before I purchase it, so I appreciate this thoughtfulness on the developer's part.
Easy to understand: The word is spoken by a clear adult voice, then it is used in a sentence. The audio can be replayed if needed. I get the relatability of using a child's voice for children's apps, but we just stopped using an app because too many words were difficult to understand.
Smart hints: There are multiple hint options. The first hint supplies the phonics for each letter. Another flashes a star briefly over the correct letter on the keyboard. Another reveals the actual letter used. What’s cool about this is that letters/blends that also make the same sound are also revealed, but greyed out. Tap on the greyed out letters to hear the reason why these are not the correct answers.The colors red, green, and blue are used to show the user if an answer is right or wrong or if a letter is correct but in the wrong place.
Tutorials: A brief walk through of the app is built in. There are also reviews of phonological and English language rules available from each word screen. These are nice reviews for parents trying to help their children learn things we were not taught in school (or that we missed because we were writing love letters during class. Yeah, that was me.)
Access to the home page and settings: Seems simple, but many developers forget to give users a way to exit an app once it's started. Clara-Bear tends to dive into an app before I get to check settings and this is a two user household. We have some apps that will not let us change the settings until the activity is complete. If I can't change the settings for each child after they start an app, I risk them getting bored or overwhelmed.
Keyboard choices: QWERTY versus alpha. Since Clara-Bear will be a text to talk girl, she is learning to navigate a QWERTY keyboard. This is also an important pre-voc skill. I like being able to choose her keyboard.
Reports: There are two types of on screen reports. One is for practice, the other is for word mastery.

What this mama would like to see:

Custom lists: During the summer months and school breaks we can noodle around and work on prepackaged, but during the school year we have to use the class list. These apps have hundreds and hundreds of words. Tapping into their extensive libraries to create lists that directly support the curriculum would be awesome!
Expanded reports: I want to know if the language reviews are being used and how many hints are needed before a word is correctly spelled. This way I can look for weak areas and make sure that the reference resources built into the apps are being used. Using references is an important life skill!
Key color: I like it when vowel keys are a different color than consonant keys, but not all do. Also, It won't take long for my tech-monkey daughter to notice the color coding of the fill-in boxes. Her brain will turn off and she will start randomly hitting keys she can until the box she is trying to fill turns green or blue. This is a cool option for practice, but it would be nice if the color codes could be disabled for testing.
Reporting options: Printing or emailing a report for single and multiple users would be nice. Our school board is expanding its use of handheld electronics in the classroom. Simplex apps could help children who need test taking and homework accommodations if the teachers can get the information they need.

TWO lucky able2able readers will win iTunes Store gift codes for all three Simplex Spelling apps! These are International codes!

Do not leave a comment to enter the giveaway - use the Rafflecopter form below. It's easy, and don't worry - no one can see your personal info except me. I do not share contact info!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Coupons.com is Giving Away 7 iPads!

2012-08-03T00:01:00.005-05:00

That's an iPad a day for 7 days! If you need an iPad for an individual with special needs or for your school or organization, then this is a great opportunity to win one!

Here's the details:

The Coupons.com iPad-a-day Giveaway starts on August 3 and runs through August 9. One new iPad will be given away each day. There will be a total of seven winners. Limit is one entry per person per day. The winners are chosen during a daily drawing which is done by an external party (ePrize). Winners will be notified via email. Timing: The Sweepstakes begins on August 3, 2012 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and ends on August 9, 2012 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the "Promotion Period") and consists of seven (7) entry periods.

I've been using Coupons.com to print coupons for 3 years now and they are a legitimate website and a great source of money saving coupons. Find a blog or website in your area that matches coupons to current sales to save even more money!

When I checked the link below and the link in the image above, the entry appeared as a pop up. Trying hitting the control key at the same time as you click on one of these links to over ride your pop-up blocker or allow pop-ups from Coupons.com so you can enter. The form was simple - just an email address.

WARNING: Coupons.com has "preselected" coupons for some stupid reason so if you click to print you could wind up with a lot of coupons you did not select. I don't know why they did this, I have complained on their Facebook wall and other bloggers are also complaining. Will update if they correct this error in marketing judgment!

Latest update on the printing format:

Coupons.com has updated the sweepstakes pop-up with the following changes

"Get Coupons" button has been changed to "View Coupons"
The new "View Coupons" button will not auto-print
When a user clicks on the "View Coupons" button, the Giveaway ad unit closes and several coupons will be pre-clipped and sorted to the top of the gallery
When a user clicks on the close button, users will be brought to the gallery without any preclipped coupons

We think these changes will offer your visitors a more familiar experience!

Click here to enter daily to win an iPad from Coupons.com!

Homemade Milk Mayo for Food Allergies?

2012-07-29T15:37:00.000-05:00


"Mayonnaise" flashcard from www.mes-english.com

What-what-what? What is milk mayonnaise, what does it have to do with food allergies, and what do you mean I have to make it myself?

I cut out of church early today because I wasn't feeling well and listened to yesterday's broadcast of The Splendid Table while driving home. Cookbook author David Leite' was talking about milk mayonnaise. At first it caught my attention as an allergy friendly product when he mentioned it had no eggs in it. But of course, milk is a big allergy issue for many and milk is right there in the name. Don't let the name fool you - read on!

As the interview progressed, Mr. Leite' spoke about how flexible the recipe can be. He mentioned hearing of people using different types of milk including soy or almond milk (hint-hint). He said you could try different oils according to your tastes. And he described the different ingredients that can be added to milk mayo to give it a variety of flavors and uses. It sounds like you can make it gluten free, egg free, dairy free, and boredom free!

Wow - milk mayonnaise sounds like the ultimate allergy safe condiment! You can make it into a sandwich spread, a dip, or a salad dressing. But, yes, you do have to make it yourself if you want to meet the specific allergy needs of your household and to make it into something that might fill in a condiment gap in a special diet.

If you're not a cook, ask a foodie friend to make it for you. Food allergies is one of the few special needs bullets we have dodged (tho I'm told Celiac could kick in for Clara-Bear at any time so she is tested every few years). We can use any condiment or dressing we want, but I'm still intrigued by this recipe. It sounds easy and full of potential. I wouldn't mind making it together with a friend in exchange for some adult beverages not paid for by me. All in the name of sharing some good times.

Friends sharing "good times" on The Delicious Dish (NBC Saturday Night Live)

Luckily for you, there's a detailed blog post about how to make milk mayonnaise on The David Blahg (he is a cookbook author so does not disappoint when it comes to the do's and don'ts of this recipe). You can also find the episode rundown for July 28th, 2012 at The Splendid Table. I couldn't get the podcast to embed so look to the left side of The Spendid Table's page for the podcast link under the name David Leite'.

Leave a comment if you try the recipe, and if you come up with a mayo blend that's really interesting and tasty!

Big Grips iPad Frame and Stand Set: Review and Giveaway: Ends 7/31/12

2012-07-16T15:35:00.004-05:00

"With great technology comes great responsibility." That's what I'd love to pound into my kids' heads. But even if they were chronologically or developmentally old enough to care, they still wouldn't care. That's why I am a big believer in protective cases and frames for the iThings we can't afford to replace. This is where our Big Grips iPad frame and stand comes into play.

We get very limited state support funds here in Tennessee (we almost lost them completely for 2012-13). After seeing how well Clara-Bear responded to her iPod Touch, we decided to go for the larger screen. We used our family support funds to get her a refurbished iPad2 and hope to really max out the communication and educational opportunities available to her. There is one condition - she has to be sitting down when she uses it.

Clara-Bear has a couple of concerns that some of your children with special needs might share: poor understanding about using an expensive item delicately (ha!), a weak grasp, and the need for a stable posture while working. My beautiful princess also still drools if her nose is stuffy or if an adult tooth is coming in. Making her sit in one spot to use the iPad helps a bit, but we knew from the get go that a higher level of protection would be needed to help an iPad survive in our household.

Big Grips is made for kids. It's big, it isn't slippery, and it is solid with just the right amount of squish to make it easy for weak or small hands to securely hold it. This is important when your child has poor balance or weak fine motor skills. Cases or frames do more than protect handheld electronic devices during drops; they make an awkward and slippery device more accessible to users with special needs by making holding it and manipulating it easier.

Big Grips materials are selected with kids in mind: non-toxic, lead and latex-free, phthalate and PVC free. It's a known fact that cellphones, computer keyboards, and iPads are germ breeding grounds. In addition to being resistant to oils, chemicals, and stains; the Big Grips iPad frame and stand resists molds and germs. This is important if your child is like my Clara-Bear and spends way too much time home sick from school.

Big Grips is a frame so it does not protect the iPad screen from water. Since my so-called sensory sensitive child doesn't care if she drools on expensive electronics while she's using them (does it count as home Occupational Therapy time if she fingerpaints with it on the screen before I can stop her?), this was an important feature for us. Waterproof screen films work with the Big Grips, and we were very willing to purchase one separately since Big Grips offers an accessory that many of the major protective cases do not: a stand.

Clara-Bear's low muscle tone combined with the after effects of an infant stroke make her a little unsteady, even when seated. She has poor vision and the ligaments in her neck are loose. We also see a decline in her posture and balance when fluid is trapped in her ears. Her posture of choice is chin to chest holding an object inches away from her nose. Not what the doctor ordered!

We use a slantboard for tabletop activities to help keep that little chin up and those baby blues forward so we wanted the same ability with her iPad. The Big Grips stand securely holds the iPad at an ergonomic angle. It's made of the same chunky material as the frame and does not slide when used. It's easy for Clara-Bear to reposition the iPad in it by herself if she wants to change the screen orientation. The frame and stand are sold separately, but you can save $10 by purchasing them as a bundle off Amazon.

I saw a great video from teacher turned app developer Mrs. Judd's Games (highly recommend her apps BTW), and was surprised to see a group of young children using iPads without any protective iGear! If your program plans to apply for a technology grant for iPads, include protection in the grant request. If you can't, then apply for a smaller grant from a different source just for this purpose. On that note, check out Big Grip's school purchase discount link to make sure you get the best possible price for your organization.

Let's break it down:

Big Grips come in six colorful choices: black, purple, blue, green, pink, and grey.

The Big Grips iPad frame is available for the original iPad, iPad2 and iPad3. A one year limited warranty is offered. The Frame only is $34.95,the universal stand is $24.95. If you buy both the frame and stand together through Amazon you can get the discounted bundle price and save $9.95! Big Grips is currently sold in the U.S. and International purchase options are available.

Big Grips Frame

9.47" x 11.57" x 1.5" (240 mm x 294 mm x 38 mm)
7.125 oz. (.20 kg)
Easy access to all ports and controls
Unobstructed cameras (iPad 2 version), Wi-Fi antenna and ambient light sensor

Big Grips Stand

5.5" x 12.7" x 2.8" (140 mm x 322 mm x 71 mm)
9.25 oz. (.26 kg)
Big, sturdy, and stable

One lucky able2able reader will win a Big Grips iPad frame and stand (retail value of $49.95).

Open to United States only.

I'm trying out Rafflecopter for my giveaways, so don't leave a comment below to enter. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway ">.

All information entered will be confidential and concealed from other readers. Contact information will only be used to notify the winner.

Why Your Charity Must Do a Gift Card Fundraiser

2012-04-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

Who do you think should pocket the profits from unused gift card balances? Your charity, the retailer, or your state?

Clara-Bear's Daisy Troop was earning their violet petals (being a sister to every Girl Scout) by helping another troop collect used gift cards for a recycling project. I asked several store managers in the area if they would save us the used gift cards that customers hand over to the cashier. The reply of "we return those to the distributor for rebates" was not the shocker.

The shocker was when a WalMart manager said "we scan them for unused balances before we return them for our rebates." Then he told me "we'll probably have 1,000 gift cards to scan after the holidays are over."

Whoa. I don't know about you, but I used to hand gift cards with balances less than $1.00 over to the cashier to recycle. Fifteen cents is not much to one person, but multiply it times 1,000 and WalMart just got $150 - instead of your charity! I wonder if they are able to claim the unused portion of say, a Visa gift card as well as their own brand cards.

Here are some reasons to explore gift cards as a fundraising option:

6% to 10% of gift cards are unused every year. In 2006, Best Buy reported a $43 million dollar gain from unused gift cards. Donating a gift card might satisfy a supporter's desire to help without stinging as much as giving cash.
Some states have passed escheat laws making unused gift cards abandoned property . After that state's deadline has passed, the unused gift card you've been carrying in your wallet for years has a zero balance - because the state has electronically claimed your money!
Retailers are fighting with states and finding ways to get around state escheat laws because they want to do the same thing and claim unused gift card balances even if the gift card has no expiration date.
As in my experience above, retailers are legally taking back the unused portions of gift cards as easy profit.
Some states still allow retailers or financial institutions to charge dormancy fees. This means that a gift card loses value over time as the retailer silently deducts fees and reduce the balance (sounds like double dipping to me).

So how can your charity turn this into working funds? Collect unused or partially used gift cards from supporters! It's easy enough to do as an ongoing or one time fundraiser. The cards can be mailed to your office or picked up at your organization's events. While large retailers may not be motivated to give you used gift cards collected by their cashiers, small businesses might. Community supporters such as sports teams might be willing to have a "clean your wallet for a good cause" collection at the gate and grab you some change along with gift cards.

Next: Converting Donated Gift Cards into $$$

P.S.

Sal Left Thumb, aka "The Robber" from The Amazing World of Gumball

I also learned that gift cards are vulnerable to electronic theft! People who should use their powers for good instead of evil are taking numbers from gift cards hanging on store displays than checking for activation and balances. They don't need the actual card to make online purchases. Use those gift cards quickly or give them to someone who will!

Resources:
6 Things You Need to Know About Unused Gift Cards
Best Buy Reports $43m from Unused Gift Cards
Gift Cards and Gift Certificates Statutes and Recent Legislation
Gift Card Balance? Use it or Lose it.
Gift Card Inactivity Fees Will Soon be a Thing of the Past (Kind of)
Governments Grab Unused Gift Cards

5 Comments About Springtime Allergies, If You Sneeze

2012-03-25T12:52:00.001-05:00

Pollen is the main reason that spring is not my favorite season. Since my allergies have me trapped inside looking forlornly out the window at the birds enjoying a beautiful, cool, sunny day, I figured I'd share a few comments about staying healthy and sane during peak spring allergy season.

1. Be mindful that behavioral changes are an allergy symptom. If you have a child that is sensory sensitive or nonverbal and you see him acting more hyper, disconnected, or sluggish when pollen counts are high then give your child the benefit of the doubt. Do a trial treatment with allergy medications. If your child could speak, he would thank you! (I learned this one from experience - my son needed environmental allergy medicine, not adhd medicine!)

2. Make your home allergy-safe by controlling how much nature comes indoors.
Related Post: Leave Your Allergies at the Door: Easy Ways to Stop Bringing Outdoor Allergens Indoors

3. Try local honey. We have been taking a teaspoon of locally harvested raw honey every day for a year now. We felt the benefits last fall and are feeling the benefits again this spring. The kids and I are still taking allergy medicine, but not as much as in the past. I actually drove past a blooming redbud and felt my lungs and eyes react. The reaction passed once I was away from the tree! Overall, I call local honey a success for my family.
Related Post: We're Trying to Fight Allergies with Local Honey!

4. Use local news, apps, and allergy blogs to do your pollen research before going outside. Plan indoor activities during peak allergy hours and on high pollen count days. Open windows during lovely spring showers when the rain is washing the pollen out of the air (we can see it floating on puddles like sawdust here in Tennessee).

5. Don't assume all allergy medications are equal. There are a variety of allergy medications on the market today. Just because one gave you side effects or did not work years ago does not mean that they all will (or will not). Note the active ingredient so you know if you are trying a different med and not the same med with a different name. Some medications have an effect immediately, some can take a few doses. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist first and make sure you understand how a medication works so your expectations are realistic. A good rule of thumb is to try a new allergy medication at bedtime if drowsiness is a possible side effect.

Our New Tradition: Leprechaun Traps

2012-03-17T11:33:00.003-05:00

I am so relieved that Clara-Bear's teacher agreed to give me advance notice of special projects! Every year the Kindergarten students make leprechaun traps and demonstrate them to the class. A leprechaun trap, really? After doing some online searching, we were thrilled with the idea of this St. Patrick's Day craft.

Clara-Bear's extra needs make projects like this challenging. TD Alan is 18 months younger and used to being included in her therapy and activities, so he naturally assumed he was making a trap as well. I was overwhelmed at first, but in the end we all had so much fun that we will definitely make this a family tradition.

First, both children had to understand leprechauns, Ireland, and Patrick's Day. For this we used our globe, the free coloring mini-book "Have You Seen My Pot of Gold" from Scholastic.com, and talked about the holiday and its traditions during our morning drive to school. St. Patrick's Day is already a big deal in our house, so this part felt natural!

Clara-Bear's class has been learning the difference between fiction and non-fiction, so I signed imagination when we talked about leprechauns and fiction. We were big Signing Time fans when she was younger and she knows the sign and hopefully a bit of the concept from the song on her dvd. Since my imagination was tested in planning a trap that a non-verbal child with multiple limitations could make, understand how to use, and explain; I sang the Imagination Song for inspiration a lot the past few weeks.

Even though I knew about the project for a month, the first few weeks were spent working on comprehension and the last five days were spent making the trap. I was afraid C-B would lose track of what she was making if the phases of building were too spread out.

We started with a small planter chair she nailed together at a Home Depot workshop a couple years ago.

I have GOT to pay attention to what's in the background of my photos!

She painted it white (the green poster paint was dried out).

She painted herself white.

Then she used a green dot marker to add polka dots to the chair. She cut a paper plate in half, and I drew the outlines of rainbow bands and wrote the color name in each band. She had to find the correct color marker and color it in. We added a second layer of matching glitter glue because leprechauns (and little girls) love sparkly things. Trust me, it didn't always flow as smoothly as it sounds here!

Alan used the other half of the paper plate to make his own rainbow. He resists reading so much that I'm worried he might have a reading disability. It was shock and awe time when he read the color names on his rainbow then informed me that I had omitted indigo and violet and that the colors were in reverse order.

He ignored my color labels and made his rainbow "the right way." Thank goodness I respected ROY G BIV or Alan would have really let me have it! I hope he uses his powers for good someday.

Clara-Bear helped staple the rainbow to the back of the box. She put St. Patrick's Day stickers and beautiful jewels on the chair (she ignored my attempt at working on patterns). I wrote directions for the leprechaun just in case he wasn't tempted to sit on such a magnificent throne, and she copied them. A little detailed work from mommy and brother and we had the final product:

She baits the trap with a green coin. When the leprechaun climbs up to take the coin, he will love the chair so much he will sit down to enjoy it. Then he will fall trough the seat and get trapped in a bowl hidden below.

Ghoul is for demonstration purposes only. No imaginary figures were harmed in the making of this class project.

I modified the contingency map screen in Clara-Bear's Dynavox so she could explain how the trap worked. We practiced following the arrows and waiting for each step to finish before pushing the next button. We cheered every time she pressed the final step, which said the leprechaun would give us his gold!

Clara-Bear's para-pro took the initiative and ran through the steps a few times with Clara-Bear before the demonstration. The teacher had another student go first so Clara-Bear would understand what she was supposed to do. Gotta love it!

I wish they had filmed it! They were both so excited about how well Clara-Bear did that they had tears in their eyes when they retold the story to me. The teacher said that the class paid close attention and cheered with Clara-Bear when she cheered about getting the gold - then cheered again when Clara-Bear couldn't resist repeating the last steps again.

The para-pro said it could have been an instructional video for the Dynavox. The teacher felt she really saw how a speech generating device could be used to connect Clara-Bear with her TD peers. Hooray!

Of course, Alan had to make his own leprechaun trap. This one was a little less labor intensive for me. I saved an empty Lucky Charms box and helped him cut out a rainbow strip that was already printed on the box.

He decorated his with stickers, and designed a ramp (a little Special Needs influence here?) when he realized the leprechaun needed a way to climb up the box. Two rolls of scotch tape and a couple pieces of duct tape later, he had a trap.

Alan decided that a couple Lucky Charms marshmallows by the rainbow would lure the leprechaun onto his trap. Then he would see more Lucky Charms on the inside and knock over the post when he went after them. He loved explaining his trap to Daddy.

Surprise! The leprechaun was attracted to the glitter, commercialism, and high sugar content of the trap. But he escaped before morning. He did leave us some gold covered chocolate coins, which Alan said was better than money.

Clara-Bear's leprechaun trap is at school but Monday is her monthly outside therapy day. I'm so sad she won't be with the rest of the class when they see if they caught anything!

My Blog Spark Giveaway Winners Announcement

2012-02-06T09:48:00.000-06:00

The winner of the $25 Publix Giftcard is Gina M. Maddox!

The winner of the $25 Burger King Giftcard is Lo!

Hooray! You will both be emailed and have 72 hours to reply with your names, addresses, and phone numbers so I can relay your info to My Blog Spark.

Congratulations!

{CLOSED} Giveaway Ends 1/31: $25 Publix Gift Card

2012-01-27T20:37:00.003-06:00

This giveaway is closed and a winner has been selected.

I wasn't planning on doing a non-Special Needs related giveaway so soon after posting the My Blog Spark/Burger King $25 gift card giveaway earlier this week, but this was too good an offer to refuse. My Blog Spark, General Mills, and Publix want to help you and your family eat better at home.

Since time and money play such an important role in meal planning, Publix wants to take some of the stress out of deciding what to prepare and help you stay within your budget. They have teamed up with several major brands you already know and probably already love to bring you The Best Meals Happen at Home.

One feature of The Best Meals Happen at Home is their FASTastic Meals Recipes - easy, family friendly recipes that can be made in 30 minutes or less. You can view the recipes online, or sign up for a weekly email newsletter (aka meal planner) that has new recipes. The newsletter also contains... (my favorite thing in the whole wide world besides my children) coupons!

Try this FASTastic Recipe for Crunchy Chicken Nuggets using, of all things, Cheerios:

Prep time: 15 Min
Cook time: 25 Min
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups Cheerios® cereal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon mustard
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:
Heat oven to 400°F. Spray with cooking spray or lightly grease 13x9-inch pan.
Finely crush cereal. Stir together cereal, salt and pepper; set aside. In medium bowl, stir together milk, honey and mustard until blended. Dip chicken into milk mixture; coat with cereal mixture. Place chicken in pan; drizzle with melted butter.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is golden and chicken is no longer pink in center.

The second way Publix is trying to help your family eat better at home is with the "Best Meals Happen at Home" event at Publix supermarkets from January 26th through February 1st. Look for in-store coupons that will be valid through February 15th (our Publix sales flyer has the coupons printed in it as well). Visit BestMealsatHome.com to sign up and receive emails with weekly recipes and coupon offers that will help you save up to $200 this year.

Here in Middle Tennessee, our Publix stores lets us use two coupons for one item if one coupon is a Publix issued coupon and one coupon is a manufacturer's coupon. It's called stacking, and it's one of the reasons I shop at Publix when I live within five miles of four major grocery stores. Stacking is an extreme couponing trick that can turn a good deal into a great deal. Best Deals Happen at Home coupons are store coupons, so ask customer service if you are unfamiliar with your local Publix's coupon policy.

One lucky able2able reader will win a $25 Publix gift card. Everybody say, "thank you My Blog Spark and General Mills!"

You do not have to be an able2able follower to enter this giveaway but you do need to leave an email address or have a public profile so I can contact you if you win.

I never share or sell follower information, but if you prefer to enter this giveaway as anonymous you must email me (a midg rn at gee mail dot calm) so I have a way to connect the entry with a person.

This giveaway ends at 11:59 pm (CT) on Tuesday, January 31st. The winner's name will be posted on able2able and I will also contact you. The lucky winner will have 72 hours to reply.

Mandatory First Entry Visit The Best Meals Happen at Home website or Facebook wall and sign up for their weekly newsletter to get Fastastic recipes and coupons for major brands delivered directly to your emailbox.

The mandatory first entry must be completed before you can complete any of the following additional entries!

You can choose to do one or all of these additional entries in any order. There are a total of 9 possible entries.

For 1 additional entry:

Like able2able Blog on Facebook and post a shout out comment on the wall. Current Facebook Fans may post an entry.

For an additional 2 entries (post a comment for each entry):

Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook status.
Tweet the link to this giveaway using the hashtag #MyBlogSpark.

For an additional 3 entries (post a comment for each entry):

Become a public follower of able2able Blog. Current followers may post three separate entries.

It is very important that you post a comment for each entry. Why? Because a random number generator will be used to select the winner. Each comment will be numbered by Blogger, and I will use those numbers for the drawing. So if you combine entries into one post all your entries will not be counted. There will be no do-overs!

I will verify that the winning entry has met the requirements above, so if your comment for a FB status update is the winning comment then I might ask to see that link, etc. If I cannot verify your entry, then all your entries will be removed from the list and the drawing will be repeated.

Disclosure: The Publix gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark. I received a $25 Publix gift card in exchange for writing this post. The sponsor did not influence or edit the content.

5 Ways New Year's Resolutions Can Increase Charitable Donations

2012-01-24T22:15:00.003-06:00

It's the last week of January, 2012. Do you know where your resolutions are? According to Psychology Today, your efforts to change peaked last week and you can expect to begin backsliding soon. One of their reasons for this failure is expecting the resolution itself to be the main source of motivation.

Try a new approach to saying goodbye to the old you. Make donating to a favorite charity your motivation and resolve to change more than yourself in 2012. Here are five popular New Year's Resolutions with ways you can free up money to donate to a good cause while working towards your goals.

Resolution #1: Lose Weight/Get Healthy

Local gyms and nationally advertised weight loss programs like Weight Watchers offer discounts and even freebies at the beginning of a new year. Pass along your savings to a worthy cause.
Follow the example of online weight loss programs that pay you to lose weight and commit to pay your charity for the pounds you lose.
Sign up for a charity walk-a-thon or fun run and go public with your intentions. This will not just help you raise more money, it will also give you immediate accountability and hopefully a network of cheerleaders. The more meaningful the cause is to you, the more motivated you will be to train and raise funds. Most nonprofits have websites with course information and training tips to help you safely prepare.

Resolution #2: Get Organized

Clearing out unwanted clutter make it easier to organize the things you need and want. Hold a fundraising yard sale for your charity. Sell bigger and more desireable items on Craigslist and Ebay.
Many nonprofits sell donated goods in their own thrift stores or online. Some even offer free pick up. Get a receipt to deduct donated items from your income taxes.
Some nonprofits accept direct donations of gently used clothing and household goods that they distribute to people in need. Homeless shelters come to mind, but also contact Domestic Violence shelters and organizations providing support to low income families or new mothers.
Nonprofits need office supplies and office furniture just like any other business.

Resolution #3: Quit Smoking

D'uh - you will free up some major money to donate and have longer to enjoy your life, complete some resolutions, and volunteer for some of the charitable causes that are meaningful to you.
Not only is free smoking cessation support available at the American Lung Association and many state government websites; pharmaceutical companies might offer discount coupons for prescription smoking cessation products. Some health insurance companies will lower your premiums if you quit smoking. This means more savings to potentially pass along to a worthy cause (like maybe the American Lung Association?)

Resolution #4: Saving Money/Getting Out of Debt

Do you scoff at the effectiveness of money management strategies like cutting back on spending, following a budget, clipping coupons, or anything related to frugal living? If money related stress is not enough to motivate serious evaluation of your money management skills, make helping others the boost you need to start changing your money energy. Finding solid money saving tips isn't difficult at the start of a new year. Try a couple out for a month or so and track how much you save. Donate all or a portion of the savings to your cause. Work your way to a budget that includes regular charitable giving.
Calculate how much you spend monthly on an expense that you can quickly change (food and eating out are a popular starting point). The math is simple - anything you save is the equivalent of a sudden increase in income. You just freed up some good deed money. There has to be a cause out there worth the sacrifice of regularly packing brown bag lunches.
Give the cash and gift cards you earn through search or shopping reward sites like ebates.com and Swagbucks.
Save and give by shopping at thrift stores and online stores sponsored by a charity. Find out if your nonprofit of choice uses a shopping portal such as iGive, and they will immediately get a percentage of your online purchases without changing your out of pocket totals.
Cut back instead of making radical changes. Would you be willing to smoke one less pack of cigarettes a week, host a byob cocktail hour at your home once a month instead of overspending at Happy Hour, find a source of entertainment other than shopping (um, volunteering for a charity maybe?), or cooking dinner at home more often if it could change the life of someone in need? It doesn't have to be a big sacrifice to make a difference in your ability to give more.

Resolution #5 Spend More Time with Family and Friends

Buddy up to create a network of support. The cause can be the same or the resolution can be the same. The overall goal of channeling your desire to improve into financial support for worthy causes might be the only tie that binds. Giving a small amount can make you feel like a million bucks when it comes from your heart. Giving while spending quality time with people you care about feels... priceless.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links.

{CLOSED} Giveaway ends 1/31: $25 Burger King Gift Card

2012-01-24T12:22:00.002-06:00

This giveaway is closed and the winner has been selected.

Happy New Giveaway! It's able2able's first giveaway of 2012, just in time to remind you that it is still a new year full of new opportunities to live, love, and laugh.

In the nature of fun and giving back, My BlogSpark and Burger King are giving away a $25 BURGER KING® Crown Card to purchase a kids meal featuring the BK CROWN^TM Program. You do not have to be an able2able follower to enter this giveaway!

I had never heard of the BK Crown^TM Program before this giveaway. As a former BK Lounge employee (circa 1982), it was neat to see what the company is doing nowadays.

(text in italics is quoted from My Blog Spark)
"IMAGINATION IS KINGTM at BURGER KING^®. The new BK CROWN^TM Program, built to inspire every kid´s imagination and encourage kids to help choose how BK^® gives back, brings families together to enjoy not just a meal but a mealtime experience."

Here are four features that make the new BK Crown^TM/MC Program more than a kid's meal in a box:

1. The BK CROWN^TM Program comes in a fully interactive Kids Meal box. Sitting atop each box is a newly redesigned BURGER KING® crown, because every kid deserves to be treated like royalty at BURGER KING®! With crowns on their heads, kids can dive into the box, taking it apart, playing fun games and activities that challenge their minds, inspire their imagination and engage with the whole family.

2. With the BK CROWN^TM, Burger King Corporation invites kids to tell BURGER KING® what matters to them most. BKC has established a fund to help support the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Parks Conservation Association, DonorsChoose.org and Have It Your Way Foundation. By visiting BKCrown.com, kids learn how BKC´s charitable partners make a difference. Upon entering BK CROWN^TM Codes and clicking on their favorite cause, each kid´s vote helps BK® choose which charity to give back to.

3. The fun doesn´t end at the restaurant; the BK CROWN^TM Program experience lives on at www.BKCrown.com where kids can place their vote for how BKC should give back, as well as find more games, win prizes and enjoy interactive play.

4. Also at BURGER KING®, for just $9.99 your family can enjoy the "BK Family Bundle" which includes a WHOPPER® sandwich, WHOPPER JR.® sandwich., two small fries, two small soft drinks and a Kids Meal. Now that´s a deal worth getting together for! Limited time only. Price and participation vary. Prices higher in HI.

We were blessed with our own $25 Crown Card to see how the kids liked the BK CROWN^TM Program. Right away we ran into a little snafu with the crowns built into the kids meal boxes. They were too small for both of my children (a surprise since Clara-Bear has mild microencephaly). I had to return to the counter and be ignored by busy staff to get the kids crowns that fit.

I could not believe how happy something as simple as the crowns made my children! I think that was their favorite part of our first family outing for the new year. Even though Clara-Bear refuses to wear hats unless she's super cold, she was still tickled by her crown.

Luckily, the crowns saved the day. I had to make a second trip back to the counter to find out why we got Sponge Bob toys instead of the advertised Happy Feet 2 toy. I had time to check out the kids meal toy display case while being ignored. Our local Burger King has a reputation for being dirty. The bad reputation was displayed along with the toys. The top of the case had a layer of dust thick enough for the health inspector to write the restaurant's inspection score in.

My son was with me this time, and was very unhappy with the terse reply about running out of the toy he had seen on Burger King commercials. He would have dealt much better with being told about the toy substitution up front then getting brushed off after he got his meal. He's easy going, and still had his crown, so all was good after Mommy and Daddy did a little creative redirecting.

In case you haven't guessed, our store does not have a reputation for good customer service either. It's hard to enjoy a business that appears stressed and overwhelmed by fulfilling its reason for being. Hopefully, stores like ours will step up and work as hard on their public perception as the corporate office is.

On the positive side, I liked that the box had games we could play as a family in addition to puzzles and coloring activities. The differences between Clara-Bear and Alan splits the family when we are out. Usually my husband and myself divide and interact one on one with a child rather than all of us enjoying an activity together. We all enjoyed playing girls vs. boys ring toss with the meal box. I hope Burger King can start a trend for kids' meal activities that bring families together as well as providing independent mealtime play choices.

As far as the giving, each box has a code that can be entered at the BK CROWN^TM Program website as a vote on which worthy cause will get a donation from BKC. The kids enjoyed learning about different causes, and like 53% of kids who have entered codes, mine chose wildlife.

One lucky able2able winner will win a $25 Burger King giftcard compliments of My Blog Spark and Burger King! You do not have to be an able2able follower to enter this giveaway but you do need to leave an email address or have a public profile so I can contact you if you win.

I never share or sell follower information, but if you prefer to enter this giveaway as anonymous you must email me (a midg rn at gee mail dot calm) so I have a way to connect the entry with a person.

This giveaway ends at 11:59 pm (CT) on Tuesday, January 31st. The winner's name will be posted on able2able and I will also contact you. The lucky winner will have 72 hours to reply.

Mandatory First Visit the Give Back section at www.BKCrown.com and leave a comment telling us what worthy cause you want Burger King support.

The mandatory first entry must be completed before you can complete any of the following additional entries!

You can choose to do one or all of these additional entries in any order. There are a total of 9 possible entries.

For 1 additional entry:

Like able2able Blog on Facebook and post a shout out comment on the wall. Current Facebook Fans may post an entry.

For an additional 2 entries (post a comment for each entry):

Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook status.
Tweet the link to this giveaway using the hashtag #MyBlogSpark.

For an additional 3 entries (post a comment for each entry):

Become a public follower of able2able Blog. Current followers may post three separate entries.

It is very important that you post a comment for each entry. Why? Because a random number generator will be used to select the winner. Each comment will be numbered by Blogger, and I will use those numbers for the drawing. So if you combine entries into one post all your entries will not be counted. There will be no do-overs!

I will verify that the winning entry has met the requirements above, so if your comment for a FB status update is the winning comment then I might ask to see that link, etc. If I cannot verify your entry, then all your entries will be removed from the list and the drawing will be repeated.

I received a $25 Burger King gift card in exchange for writing this review. The sponsor did not influence or edit this review.

Extreme Makeover, Blah-g Edition

2012-01-22T04:49:00.001-06:00

How do you like the changes so far?

I have wanted to overhaul able2able since the beginning of last year. Something more important always seems to pop up. I promised myself I would get this done this weekend, and I am thrilled to get it started. That is, despite both kids being sick and tag teaming me for the second night in a row.

Last night one or both of them were up from 1:30 a.m. until 6:30 a.m.. Neither one had a solid nap today. They are both the most miserable I have seen them in years. In fact, Clara-Bear had an emergency pedi visit this morning because her color was awful and she was working so hard to breathe that I thought she had pneumonia again. It is 5 a.m. and both have been resting quietly since around 3:30, so I think it's safe to take a nap and hope that at least one of them has a better day today.

Expect things to look a little wonky around here while I get to know this new theme (called Simplex Celebrity renewed version). I love the magazine style! There are a few weird things going on but I am too exhausted to work on it anymore.

Good Night and Good Morning!

The Latest Issue of Parenting Special Needs Digital Magazine

2012-01-22T04:26:00.002-06:00

It looks great!

I can't wait to read the article about getting insurance to cover an iPad.

I have been so busy lately that at first I told the editor that I wasn't going to contribute to this issue. Then I had a change of heart. I'm really proud to write for PSN (even if I'm not paid for it, ahem-hem). So I wrote this issue's "Did You Know..."

PSN is a bimonthly online magazine. Subscriptions are free, so enjoy!

Getting Clara-Bear Involved in Girl Scout Cookie Sales

2012-01-10T12:54:00.004-06:00

Helping a a Daisy Girl Scout with multiple special needs to be a part of her first cookie sale.

Holy smokes! My last blog post was November 21st! I cannot believe how busy life has become since Clara-Bear started Kindergarten. Being her personal assistant has always been busy but I could still keep up with her most of the time. Big girl busy is a whole new lifestyle. Girl Scouts has been one of the big girl additions to our life.

Girl Scouts has always welcomed girls with all abilities (the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, permanently lost all of her hearing as a young adult). We could have joined any troop. I could have created a new Daisy Troop just for girls with Special Needs. Instead, I felt drawn to create our own style of troop, where eventually half the girls will have Special Needs and half will be Typically Developing peers. Clara-Bear is a Daisy Girl Scout and I am a newbie Troop Leader.

Busy!

Sorting Christmas cards with The Red Cross for Girl Scout community service became a fun family day.

All of our activities and meetings are accommodated. I don't think the other parents are even aware of all the built in accommodations yet. When I get the chance I'll blog more about creating an inclusive scouting environment that helps every girl develop character and leadership skills and the challenge of making sure that "every girl" means supporting the Typically Developing peers as well. More on that later - we have a deadline of January 14th to sell some cookies!

Girl Scouts is a way for girls aged 5 through 18 to develop friendships, character, and leadership skills in a noncompetitive setting. Cookie sales are more than just a popular national fundraiser. The Girl Scout Cookie program is intended to teach girls social interaction and money management. All proceeds stay local and a portion goes directly to the troop. The girls decide how their troop's cookie money will be spent, not the adults.

So, how can a primarily nonverbal six year old with Autism and Down Syndrome take an active role in selling Girl Scout Cookies? Tons of coaching and a video camera, that's how!

I set a deadline of one week to spend helping Clara-Bear read her script. The goal with that was her reading it out loud about 75% of the time. The bigger goal was her comprehension. I used American Sign Language to help her understand what she is doing and why. The video idea would have been scrapped if she could not answer questions about selling cookies or refused to speak. Plan B was to use her speech generating device. Plan C was to be realistic about her abilities or interest and how much more time I should spend on this.

She did it! As you can see, she got tired of the whole thing half way through. I blame myself, I should have cheered more (I'm camera-shy). She needed help while we were videotaping this, but she can read the entire script out loud beginning to end and answer the important "w" questions about selling Girl Scout Cookies. Now this morning she did say "me" when I asked her who was getting the cookie money, but you can't blame her for trying!

Clara-Bear's speech is difficult to understand in the video so here's the breakdown:

Clara-Bear is selling Girl Scout Cookies for Hugs for Our Soldiers to earn her Gift of Caring patch.

Cookies are $3.50 a box. All you have to do is contact me if you want to order some cookies and bring some cookie love to servicewomen and men returning home from overseas. Her deadline is January 14th, 2012.

I wasn't sure how she would comprehend sales goals until sales are made so we will work on that concept next. But trust Momma, by the time cookie season is over we will have squeezed every opportunity for Clara-Bear to learn and grow from this new experience!

Check out the Cookie Locator Apps for Android and Apple to find a Girl Scout Cookie booth near you this February!

Frugal & Fun Home Therapy Tips: Make the Most of Children's Table Setting Placemats

2011-11-21T22:28:00.002-06:00

My babies' chore lists have grown steadily along with them as they have moved from toddlers to preschoolers. Progress for 4 1/2 year old TD Alan has outpaced that of 6 year old Clara-Bear, whose functional ablilities range from 18 months to 4 years old. Household chores are one of the many areas where the differences between my children's abilities stand out. Setting the table is a daily chore that still requires a lot of parental support and challenges us all in different ways.

Since we only set the table with the utensils needed for that meal, Alan is doing great with forks but has not learned what a full place setting looks like. Clara-Bear brings the quirkiness of Autism to the table (yeah, it's a pun). She has her own approach to this task that is routine for her but not for the rest of us.

She will only carry one utensil at a time, happily flapping it and admiring light reflections and shadows. Everything, and I mean everything, goes into a big pile that only makes sense to her. And the pile is sacred. It is possible to finish setting the table, but not without dealing with her shouting and trying to return the dishes to her pile.

Whether you leave the dishes in the sacred pile, distract her and set the table yourself, or use hand under hand to push her to do it right, step two is always the same. She reverses the process. Everything, and I mean everything, goes back into a pile on the kitchen counter. Left alone, she could repeat steps one and two several times.

Any parent who has enjoyed the time sucking "help" of a toddler or preschooler is probably nodding their head by now. Independence is hard on more than a parent's emotions. It can quickly drain time and patience. It really is easier to do some things by yourself. But that doesn't foster independence, self- reliance, identity, and responsibility in any child.

In an effort to help both my kids gain more independence with this skill, I thought about using my Birthday money (even grown-ups get Birthday money!) to buy premade children's set the table placemats from Amazon:

Then I remembered I have a laminator, and that I bought some fall color cardstock for 13 cents a pack at a Halloween clearance sale. So the kids and I are going to make these:

The placemat is not really wonky. This picture from the Nestle' Family website was taken at an artsy angle.

My primary reason for wanting a table setting placemat for Clara-Bear is behavioral. I'm hoping the visual cues for this task will stop her from putting everything in a pile and moving that pile back and forth repeatedly. I began thinking of more ways these placemats could help children with Special Needs with their development:

Fine Motor: cutting, pasting, drawing, tracing, labeling, laminating.
Gross Motor: setting placemats out and putting them away, setting the table.
Cognitive: matching, reading the labels, reading names, reading things printed on the back, remembering where family members sit, following steps.
Social/Emotional: making the placemats, participating in the family or group meal, valuing self as a helper and contributor, learning a functional skill.

Here are some tips to help you max out the potential of children's table setting placemats:

Let your child do as much designing and crafting possible, even if it's just their own placemat.
Label the spaces for utensils, plates, etc. to encourage reading.
Use pictures, family names, or both to help your child connect the placemat with a person.
Don't visually crowd items on the placemat. Increase the size of the placemat if necessary.
Do not make a spot for the glass if fine motor or visual perception problems could increase spills. Draw an arrow pointing up and off the placemat, use coasters, or stick a circle to the table if an additional visual cue is needed.
Seal and protect placemats with lamination or contact paper. Cold laminating paper can be bought at almost any store (I buy it at craft stores like Joanne's or Michaels when I have a coupon). Parent-Teacher stores and office supply stores can often laminate any size item. My local Parent-Teacher stores offer cheaper lamination than the big name office supply stores.
Use low contrast colors, single color with simple object outlines, and matte or low gloss finishes to reduce sensory overload. Avoid bright colors, including bright white.
Your child can write, trace, and draw on the sealed placemat with a dry erase marker. They can label names of family and guests, draw pictures of food, and turn the plate into a clockface.
The back of the placemat can also be used for fun and education. One forum suggested putting prayers on the back. (I've found that letting my kids flip the placemat leads to trouble during meals, especially when my TD picky eater is looking for a way to get out of eating.)
Use real pictures instead of abstract template outlines to help concrete thinkers understand the task.
Teach with clear plastic utensils and plates so the placement cues can still be seen, then switch to the real thing.
Add handprints, holiday themes, photos, and other personal touches so the placemat can become a scrapbook/memory book item or a gift for guests.
Show your child a little trust and let them set the table with real dishes instead of plastic ware. Don't assume he hasn't noticed the difference between what grownups and kids use!

Wouldn't it be great for Mamaw and Papaw to see both my wonderful helpers setting the Thanksgiving table? I need to stop blogging and start crafting before they arrive in two days. Mamaw likes to make the kids something handmade for Christmas. Hopefully, there is still time for her to make us a set of these fabric place setting placemats from the blog Punkin Patterns.

Here are some of the sites I visited while researching this project and blog post:

eHow: How to Make Plastic Covered Placemats Includes instructions for making a sleeve to protect unsealed placemats.
Mama Jenn: Set the Table Placemats
Martha Stewart Weddings: Children's Placemat How-To's These are super unique, and the picture gave me the idea of using clear tableware as a teaching tool.
Nestle' Family: Set the Table Placemats
Parents.com: Printable Table-Setting Placemats Must register to download template.
Wisecraft: "The Daily" Placemats Detailed directions on laminating homemade fabric placemats.

Diagnosis: Delightful!

2011-10-13T12:27:00.004-05:00

This post is part of a monthly blog feature sponsored by S-O-S Research. Lisa Quinones-Fontanez from Autism Wonderland suggested this month's topic of Family, Life-Fun, Loving, and Special. In honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month I'm sharing a little about my delightful daughter, who has a dual diagnosis of Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I knew the diagnosis as soon as the early morning call from the Genetic Counselor woke us up. I considered not answering the phone. She had left a voicemail the day before, but I didn't get it in time time to call her back. Now she was calling again! Something about an 8:01 a.m. call from someone who started her workday at 8:00 felt urgent and ominous. She asked that we immediately come to the office to discuss the amnio results. No discussion needed. We knew our first baby had Down Syndrome.

There were tears and prayers. Stupid things were said by people trying to be helpful and by people who were (let's be honest here) just flat out stupid when it came to our emotional struggle. We thought we needed to reshape our image of our daughter and our vision of family life. In retrospect, the raw emotions and struggle surrounding our daughter were unnecessary. The major source of our emotional upheaval was not our daughter. It was ignorance of her diagnosis.

As a NICU nurse, my biggest fear was for my daughter's health. I had seen some really sick babies. In my ignorance I thought that all babies with T21 couldn't eat and needed open heart surgery. The delightful truth is that while certain medical conditions are associated with Trisomy 21, they are the same conditions that can affect babies and children throughout the world without warning. We have warning, thanks to Down Syndrome research. Clara-Bear will have the blessing of targeted preventative care and health maintenance throughout her life.

My husband had a fear that our daughter would look like Down Syndrome instead of like us. In his ignorance, he saw facial features and body types instead of people. The delightful truth is that our daughter is just as beautiful as we envisioned - except she inherited my fine, super straight hair instead of her Aunt Meredith's beautiful thick curls. Mommy bonus - I always wanted a daughter with blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, and her hair color was the first thing I saw when she was born. She also has my mother-in-law's laugh. More ignorance - we didn't know a laugh could be inherited!

15 month old Clara-Bear

Down Syndrome is a syndrome. Individuals have a variety of the features and traits associated with T21. Some have more of the documented features, some have less, all look like their biological families. There is no such thing as a cookie cutter for people. Good looks and the not-so-good are inherited from parents and ancestors. Clara-Bear will curse me for that Marcia Brady hair some day!

Uncle Kevin, Aunt Driana, and Mommy. This hair was cool back in 1973!

The grands on both sides had a fear that Clara-Bear would be "low functioning." They hopefully looked for the tiniest sign that she was "high functioning." The delightful truth is DS research has found that independent functioning as an adult is not related to delays earlier in life or to appearance.

Clara-Bear can be challenged by things that come easily to her Typically Developing younger brother. But there are things that come easier to her. Don't tell my son, but she is better than he is at figuring out how to make things work within her abilities. Probably because she doesn't quit at the first sign of a challenge like he does. (Insert Mommy guilt for comparing children here.)

The new generation with T21 is blessed beyond words by the results of developmental, medical, and educational research. Assistive Technology is already removing barriers and creating opportunities that were never an option for past generations. As family and friends we have the thrill of witnessing our loved ones rising above preconceived notions of potential. We can delight in the knowledge that, with the proper support, our children have more life choices than parents of past generations with Down Syndrome could have ever imagined.

This is not your grandmother's Down Syndrome. Times have changed. Society no longer defines ability for individuals with Trisomy 21. Our children are setting new limits and breaking through the genetic ceiling that used to trap individuals with Down Syndrome and their families. I am so proud of my delightful, beautiful, and clever daughter. I celebrate that she has been born at such an exciting time for individuals with Down Syndrome.

You might also enjoy:
I Heart Having A Little Girl

Twitter hashtags #downsyndrome #buddywalk

Costume Discounters Review Part Deux aka the Redemption Review

2011-10-10T22:30:00.001-05:00

Boys costumes for dress up are a staple of 4 year old Alan's wardrobe. He does not need an excuse to assume a new identity, even though he adores it when his friends enter his creative world on Halloween. Clara-Bear's interest in imaginative play is growing but I don't know if she will ever be a match for my boy of 1,000 faces.

So I decided to get Alan an addition to his costume wardrobe when I had an opportunity to exchange the defective Twinkle Fairy costume sent for the first Costume Discounters review. We had a blast scrolling through the boys costumes together, and, true to form, he was not limiting his choice to spooky Halloween costumes.

He chose an Optimus Prime muscle costume:

He was totally impressed by his new robotic muscles. In fact, I cannot call this a costume. It's his "new body." Which, as Alan demonstrates often, is so much stronger than his "old body" that he can lift things like this tv tray table with ease:

The first costume came from a different manufacturer, and was large for its size. Alan is in a size 6 shirt and size 5 pant, and as you can see in photo #1, this size small (4-6) fits him perfectly. Might be a bit of an issue if he needs to wear sweats underneath it for trick or treating, but for now, I think he enjoys his snug fitting muscle wear.

There are four different choices of Optimus Prime Transformers Halloween costumes on the Costume Discounters website. The one we chose was second from the top at $24.97. I was able to compare the quality of ours to a $24.99 Prime costume from KMart, and the Costume Discounters costume definitely delivers more quality and style for the same price.

I also liked the search suggestions that are displayed above my search results. I don't really know the names of the Transformers, so having a linked list to extend my search made me look like a Transformer Savvy Super Mom to my son.

In the past, I would have gasped at the thought of paying $24.97 for a child's dress up costume. But I've seen how much fun and use Alan gets out of his costumes. I've also come to realize that when I buy him used Halloween costumes at yard sales or off Craig's List, I am buying the same level of quality as this costume. I'm a convert now - if I am going to buy him a new costume, then I want something that is durable and makes him feel so good about himself that he sees a "new body," not a costume.

Watch the Costume Discounters website for shipping offers to save even more. If you still have doubts after deux reviews of the site and their products, remember they offer free shipping on exchanges and returns. And if you find the same costume for less on the Internet they will match the price plus take off an additional 20%! So go, shop, and get your discounted Halloween costume!

The September October Issue of Parenting Special Needs Magazine is Up!

2011-10-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

This year's Back to School issue brings in tips and ideas for incorporating Assistive Technology into the education and social life of individuals with Special Needs. The digital magazine looks gorgeous as usual, but mute alert - there is the sound of pages turning as you scroll through it. Makes me jump every time!

I shared some of what I learned through Clara-Bear's Tech Fund fundraising this past summer in an article titled 8 Steps for Getting a Free iPad for Special Needs Uses. The handsome boy pictured using the Geico Brostache app for articulation therapy is my own Alan.

I think I only got two posts of my technology fundraising diary published before everything here went nuts. I still have an awesome resource directory of fundraising related sites to complete, and more to share about apps for Special Needs. It's a fun topic to explore!

Reality Slap, Reality Hug? Back to School Edition

2011-10-01T11:41:00.001-05:00

What is Reality Slap, Reality Hug? It's something I came up with during Clara-Bear's second year, when our family was facing everything from her multiple medical needs to near foreclosure and business bankruptcy, to a surprise pregnancy.

Reality Slap: When real life is so stinking real it's almost surreal. You can't even believe it's happening to you, or you might be saying something like "again?".

Reality Hug: The brighter side of the slap. It might take a little searching or some time to find, but you will find it if you have a desire to learn and grow from life.

Back to School, 2011


Clara-Bear with her ParaPro at Kindy Orientation. Where's the school spirit?

Hopefully, by this time the roller coaster ride has slowed and all of you have settled into a back to school groove. Clara-Bear moved from a small, inclusive Early Childhood setting to a regular Kindergarten class at a new school. Here's the biggest of the Back to School Reality Slaps, Reality Hugs we experienced:

Reality Slap
Last spring we had multiple transition planning and IEP meetings. I had to complete at least a million home evaluations for behavior, etc. Then there were the release of information forms, school transfer paperwork, emails, phone calls. The usual busy whirlwind of being Personal Assistant to a Special Needs celeb with a large entourage.

Where did all these hours of work lead to? Felt like no where for Clara-Bear! She had to go into overstimulation overload and stop eating and sleeping to prove that the sensory needs that had been documented and discussed ad nauseum existed. The school called me in the middle of her second week to tell me she could not use her Dynavox from home because it was a liability to the school and the staff was not trained on the device!

OK, they abruptly took her medically prescribed speech generating device away without providing an equivalent substitute form of communication! The same device that we had been talking about her bringing and my programming since last fall. I was livid. I told our principal that the school had been caught with their pants down and their hands where they are not supposed to be! I did not spare my opinion of how serious this poor planning was for our daughter.

Reality Hug
Everyone from school board's Assistive Technology Team to the General Ed teacher really made an effort to work within their system (that's their own reality slap that they face everyday) to let Clara-Bear keep her own Dynavox and make sure that her sensory and other physical needs were met.

Instead of making Clara-Bear use PCS while the paperwork and training mess was straightened out, the principal let me sign a temporary release so Clara-Bear could use her own device. We had two IEP meetings in a week, plus I met with the school SLP and members of the AT team to develop our relationship and make sure my programming supported Clara-Bear's school goals.

There were tons of emails, more meetings, and phone calls. We clarified the roles of the members of Clara-Bear's large school support team and how communication between school and home would occur. Throughout it all, I could really see how committed the school's staff was to Clara-Bear's success and happiness.

Yes, a lot of stress for our family, a lot of time for me, a lot of confusion for Baby-Bear. She lost weight, I gained weight. But we are a stronger team for it. My respect and trust for Clara-Bear's new school has increased greatly. Their communication with me has improved. Clara-Bear has a reduced school day and a sensory diet at school, so she is settling in, gaining weight, and (thank goodness) sleeping. The hug after the slap!

Group hug time! It's your turn to share. Post a comment with your Back to School Reality Slap, Reality Hug story. Who can't use a good hug?

Costume Discounters Review, No Thanks to Real Life

2011-09-19T21:08:00.003-05:00

So, do you think blogging is an easy way to get free stuff, share your opines, and express a little creativity? Blogging is fun that way. Back when Clara-Bear was medically house-bound for five winters, blogging provided a way for the "old" me to connect with the world outside our little house. But is blogging easy? Eh, not always! Read on…

I once said, "I made plans, then real life got in the way." This past July, when Costume Discounters offered me a free costume of my choice in exchange for a review within two weeks, I said yes without hesitation (well, I did check out the website first, but that's research, not hesitation.). Then real life didn't just get in the way - it knocked me on my a**! Like, for real, complete with xrays, physical therapy, and orthopedic visits!

I spent quite a bit of time browsing the Costume Discounters website for a girls dress up costume to use as a toilet training reward for Clara-Bear. Like a lot of children with ASD, she needs help with imaginative play. Lately, the princess thing is really motivating her and she will wear princess dress up clothes (on her terms, of course). The girls fairy costumes seemed like a great way to introduce another element into her emerging girlie-girl world before she became too rigid about princesses.

Because of my back, we had to drop the idea of using the costume as a potty training reward; and were slow about getting around to trying it on her. She loved her Light-Up Twinkler Fairy Costume! I thought it was beautiful, even if it was a bit large. How adorable is Baby-Bear (even if she would only make funny faces)!

Little brother even joined in on the dress up fun! He was so excited by Clara-Bear's wings that he made a pair for himself out of construction paper.

This is where the challenges of being a blogger really started. We were sent a defective costume! The wings broke right away, and there was loose fiberoptics and trim. The skirt's twinkle effect only lasted a few seconds. I was most disappointed by the twinkles. This was not mentioned in the description, so I don't know if this was a defect or intentional.

Lights seemed like an awesome Halloween safety feature as well as a fun way to engage my twirlie–girlie, who loves to spin in the middle of the kitchen. Who wants to press a button every 10 seconds when there’s dancing to do?

Costume Discounters has a few great stand out features in their industry. One is that if you find an identical costume on the Internet, they will take an additional 20% off the competitor's price. Another is rotating shipping specials. For example, you can currently get free shipping on orders of $70 or more or $4.99 flat rate expedited ground shipping. Last week, the flat rate shipping fee was $2.99. Something worth watching if you are making Halloween plans!

I found it easier to find specific styles of costumes on their site and to understand what accessories are included than on some other major costume websites I’ve visited. My sister owns a comic book store, so I have checked out other online costume discounters with her and appreciate the organization of Costume Discounters.

The most unique feature Costume Discounters offers is free shipping both ways for exchanges due to size, error, or damaged goods. I was asked to use the exchange program for our costume. Another unexpected bloggie challenge popped up. Pain meds had me out as soon as DH was home to take over with the kids. Days were filled with Clara’s appointments, my own appointments, and then there was the start of Kindergarten. We’ll just say “rocky.” I’ll catch you up on that adventure later.

Kindy and back are getting better. Less time is spent in appointments, at meetings, on email, and phone calls. But I was so tripped up by real life that it’s been two months since the two week review process was started! Yikes!

I checked the paperwork and the website, and saw a 10 day time limit on general returns, but didn’t see a time limit on exchanges. Common sense said it’s probably been too long. Customer service didn’t know. So I tried to do the online exchange, and it didn’t work. Sigh. Not a good feeling!

Luckily for me, the review sponsors are still willing to work with me. So, hopefully, we will get the defective costume returned, and possibly an exchange. Costume Discounters have done everything they can to make this easy, I only have ~~real life~~ myself to blame!

Hey, Anara, What's Going On?

2011-07-20T15:10:00.001-05:00

The answer is - I hurt my stinking back! We were at an indoor playroom and I sat in one of those tall, folding director's chairs. The leg broke and down I went. The funny part is, it was kind of a surreal, slow-mo fall. I saw the shocked faces of the parents waiting in line for the balloon guy and at the same time had a flashback to childhood and heard my mother's voice saying "close your legs so you look like a lady!"

Image from Clipart ETC

So now, in addition to taking Clara to the Reading Clinic at Vandy four days a week, ESY four days a week, her usual therapy and doctor appointments, getting ready for Kindergarten, making major programming changes in her Dynavox, fundraising for her Tech Fund, being a mom, a wife, and an extreme couponer, I have back pain!

Is it any wonder that I forgot to start planning Clara's birthday party, to call a potential new Occupational Therapist for her, and that Red Dog's Rabies tag has expired? It will all get done. This family has faced much worse than a slow-moving mama!

So here's what's in store for my wonderful able2able followers:

The continuation of Clara-Bear's Tech Fund Fundraising Diary - so much to share, so much learned, so much fundraising cut off by my back injury! But no worries here, I have a fundraising plan B that I hope to put into effect soon to make up for time and money lost.
Some great links to ways you can raise money for iPods and iPads to help your Special Needs child connect and learn.
I owe a reader links to sources for chewable jewelry.
I have some great books to give away from the Cinnamon Freckles series, featuring a beautiful little girl with CP who uses a Dynavox to talk.
Another Hometrain social skills product review coming, this time about preparing your preschooler for school.
Review of the book The Babysense SecretLearn to Understand Your Baby's Moods for Happy Days and Peaceful Nights by Megan Faure, an awesome new book about the sensory needs of babies.
Review of costume from the online discount store Costume Discounters (can't wait for it to arrive!).
Review and giveaway of products from Signing Families, a great source of English and Spanish based ASL educational products for children, educators, and medical/emergency response professionals.
App reviews! Not just reviews of accessibility apps developed for Special Needs, but also of some of the apps we are discovering to help Clara-Bear meet some of her IEP and therapy goals.

Giveaway Winner Announcements! Yeah!

2011-07-20T10:37:00.000-05:00

A new winner has been selected for the Hometrain Social Skills CD-Rom giveaway. I tried to contact you, original winner!

Last year, if the winner did not have an email address on their profile or in their comments I would immediately select a new winner. This is why - it rarely works out! So, back to the old system of not accepting winning entries if there is no email address. Remember, if you want to enter as anonymous please email me and give me a way to contact you if you win.

The new winner of the Hometrain CD-Rom set is Ardy22! You have been messaged through Facebook and emailed, so please get back to me before the deadline I sent so I can get that prize shipped to you.

The winner of the Vanilla Bean scented Smart Mom Teething Bling is Sonya! You have been emailed and have 72 hours to reply with shipping info or Random.org will be used to select a new winner.

The Winner of the Hometrain Social Skills CD-Rom Giveaway...

2011-07-05T11:48:00.001-05:00

Ardy22 as of 7/20/11.

is ~~Yo Mama Mama~~!

But you have not given me a way to contact you!

Hopefully, you will email me after reading this so I can mail you your prize otherwise a new winner will be selected through Random.org.