With the holidays behind us, my house hold now moves into my planning my older daughters birthday party. I love to plan events and birthdays are no exception. She'll be turning 16 this year and so its a big one. The party last year was a lot of fun as we played a murder mystery, so this year her friends are already asking can they come. (they know I throw fun parties and want to be part of evening) . The invite list is long this year too, we'll see how many come. So why am I telling you all this.. I am reminding myself that we ( my husband and I) need to take time for our other child. Even though Abbi ,our older daughter, is secure and grounded as she is I always want her to know that she is important. Turning 16 means not many more years at home too and I want these last memoires of her younger family life times to be memorable. So be present for all your kids, whatever that looks like in your family. Its not always easy when schedules are busy , your just exhausted and your autistic child takes so much time away from everything. But I have faith that what's important is always manageable somehow. Maybe you'll be lucky like me and get to sleep in once in a while because the older one will watch the younger one. (usually with a bribe but who am I to complain) There's always hope right. Happy New Year!! Please join us and other parents in Marin for conversation and support at Town Center Corte Madera Community Room With Special Guest Facilitator Lynn Samuels Local parent, autistic blogger, writer, personal chef helping families and autistic families feed their children with special diets, and whose family started an autistic soccer team General Topic: Getting our kids involved in the community (with open ended discussion) Thursday, December 3, 2015 6:30 – 8:00 PM Corte Madera Town Center Community Room 2nd Floor (entrance across from Charles Schwab) RSVP to Lifehouse at [email protected] Please feel free to spread the word and let your family and friends know about the support group! As I sit here at my computer I am so thankful for many things.
Right now we are on vacation and tomorrow (Thanks Giving day) we will take our family to Disneyland. An adventure that Hannah has been talking about all week and we will finally embark on. I feel very blessed for the opportunity to share this experience with my family but mostly I am just very happy to be with the people I love. Its the special moments that I look forward to now. Like when we're all crammed into our hotel bed keeping cozy and reading stories, laughing and just being together. Or for those stolen glances I get to see ever so often of my daughters having fun with one another and having no cares in the world. Just pure love and kindness with one another, big sister to little sister. As my 15 year old comes closer to her future plans and goals I try to stay in a place of gratitude that allows me to be happy and in the moment. Its these memories that I will always have and cherish forever. Plus I hope I am giving my children these memory files too. And for my wonderful husband who works hard so that these opportunities are available to us. For his dedication to his family and all the behind the scene things that he does to make our lives easier. I am forever grateful that he was brought into my life for us to be together and raise our daughters. The last few months have been really challenging with Hannah. And many days I have been angry with autism and where it has put us. But then I look at that beautiful smiling face that calls me "mama" daily and those tender loving arms that wrap around me to show me her love and some how I make it through another day. I am very Thankful, and want to pass that forward. This post has been a long time coming and I apologize to everyone. I met Heather from Hooves for Harmony a while back and we had a quick chat about this great riding opportunity for special needs kids. Horses are such remarkable creatures and their gentle loving ways towards children is just awesome to me. Yes, they may be huge and a bit overwhelming at first but the benefits of being in the saddle of this remarkable creature is so very therapeutic for the child. In their brochure they talk about horse therapy helping with communication ,assertiveness and how it improves the ability to follow directions. It has also been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety. All there horses are either donated or rescued and chosen by Heather herself. Heather also trains them having had many years of doing this. These sessions for our special needs children are free , its important to Hooves for Harmony that all families have an opportunity like this for their special needs children and because they feel so strongly they have never charged for this opportunity. They rely on community support and other donations, so please if you can support this remarkable team of horses and care takers and lets make sure this program continues for those that really need it. From their site..... Welcome To help, to heal, to inspire...Hooves for Harmony, Inc. offers horse therapy to children with special needs at Morning Star Farm in Novato. We focus on nurturing personal development in youth through volunteer service and horsemanship. http://www.hoovesforharmony.org/ The next parent support group meeting will be on Thursday, October 1st!
It will be at AUTISTRY STUDIOS IN SAN RAFAEL. This meeting will be facilitated by Julia Wilbarger, Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Dominican University. The general topic will “Sharing Sensory Solutions” though other topics may be discussed depending on parent input, discussion, and questions. This monthly support group will offer a chance for parents with children on the autism spectrum to meet each other, share stories and suggestions, and provide emotional support. Please let your family and friends know about the support group! If possible, please RSVP to [email protected] so that we can plan accordingly. OCTOBER PARENT SUPPORT GROUP Julia Wilbarger, Associate Professor Occupational Therapy Department, Dominican University. Thursday, October 1, 2015 6:30 – 8:00 PM AUTISTRY STUDIOS 448 Du Bois Street San Rafael, CA 94901 Please feel free to spread the word and let your family and friends know about the support group Ever have one of the moments where you know you'll do anything for your child(ren).
As parents I believe for most of us its a daily thought. Where we put ourselves on the back burner and put the needs of our child(ren) in the forefront. With so much love to give and teaching to inspire our kids I give the highest praise to parents that make sure their children are looked after to the fullest parental potential. (Of course I'm also a strong advocate for time to yourself as a parent but that's for another blog post.) Now that I said that I will fast forward to my soccer team idea. I want Hannah to experience everything that she is interested in. Okay , as much as possible. She loves to play with balls and is really quite good at her soccer dribble. For now though my concern is really the other parents on a typical kids soccer team. More than likely at this young age their just on the field to have some fun but there is always that one or two parents that are just to driven by the actual game and want their kids to succeed at any cost. You know the ones I'm talking about. Well I want to spare Hannah and any kid that comes to play with us all that so I decided to do some research and find us a field and some time to play. I really had no idea what to expect because this time of year is soccer mecca all over Marin. After many calls I came across the right folks in Novato and I want to say that I feel very blessed to have been put on their paths. I am headed in the right direction and soon will learn what field and time I will have for this new group/team. I am so looking forward to this confirmation you have no idea! Now comes finding the stars. Those little beacon of lights that will sparkle on the field and hopefully have a great time. The smell of the grass, fresh air and smiles on their faces will all be worth it. Up date to come soon. Consider joining. My Flyer: http://patch.com/california/sanrafael/bulletinboard Hi, we’re parents of an autistic almost four year old daughter that would love to play soccer so we’re looking for a team. We want to create a fun safe environment where all the quirks and challenges of being autistic are accepted and everyone can just have fun. Ages 3 to 10 Interested: please email [email protected] (subject line: soccer) Parent meeting to happen soon! Waiting for field and time to be playing in Novato Now that most schools are back in session it's time for us parents, caretakers, extended family and the likes to get back into the swing of things to. With this community of people we can openly talk and engage, finding that we're not alone. Inspiration is gained, challenges talked about and differences discussed. A great way to connect with those going through the same.
Please join us and other parents in Marin for conversation and support! This month’s general topic kicking off the new term will be school and educational support. However, other topics may be discussed as needed by parents. Facilitated by Susan Andrews, Executive Director of Oak Hill School Thursday, September 3, 2015 6:30 – 8:00 PM Corte Madera Town Center Community Room (2nd floor , entrance across from Charles Schwab) RSVP to Lifehouse at [email protected] To sign up for future notices of support groups, please visit marinautism.org and sign up for our newsletter. Or email [email protected] to request to be added to the list. Please feel free to spread the word and let your family and friends know about the support group! As I love to be in the water its only natural that I would want my children to join me. Thank goodness both my girls love the water. The challenge for us is that Hannah loves the water and she also has no fear. She wants to "swim and be with her friends" as she tells me while in the pool. Of course, she can't swim yet and "her friends" are just other kids in the pool that she doesn't know enjoying themselves. Who can blame her, I want to go and swim around too. Unfortunately this summer's first time in the pool was a rude awaking. We decided that this particular hot day was a great time to head to our community pool. I just wasn't prepared for the constant watching, holding and guiding that was about to happen. Yes , I knew her limitations in the water and that her abilities the previous summer were limited but for some reason I just felt unprepared for the challenges that happened. Her zeal and excitement caught me off guard and her unwillingness to accept the fact that she couldn't swim was very daunting to say the least. It look John and I to keep her safe above the water and in the shallow end of the pool. In hind sight I must say that her gumption and determination are a real inspiration for me, but during this whole ordeal I told John that we needed to get her private swim lessons. That way she would get one on one attention and be guided and taught water safety. Hopefully she would listen to someone she did not know better and they would get their point across to her and teach her to swim. So I enrolled her back in July for a once a week time frame and let me tell you, she is doing great. She looks forward to going and what she is being taught is working. She loves to be under the water, so retrieving a ring that is put on the bottom of the pool is fun for her. And although she has not always had the same instructor she seems okay with that too. Floating and keeping herself above the water are her goals now and she is working hard to get this accomplished as well. We're so proud of her. The water safety journey is long since over. I will continue to get her classes, perhaps even try a swimming class with other kids at another time. But the big focus right now is her one on one time that teaches her the basics and gives us a piece of mind that this is all heading in the right direction. After thoughts..... I do realize that all children have their own thoughts about water. My oldest daughter bathed in a very small plastic tub for the longest time as she had a fear of water. (that is no longer the case of course). Its important to watch and listen to our children's cues and see how we can help them over come the challenges they face when it comes to water. As many autistic children have heightened sensory disorders this may be more of an adventure then planned but certainly not unobtainable. Starting with private lessons gives the much needed focus on your child only and ensures the constant eye that is needed for a first time or new swimmer As I did , talk closely with your local pools water instructors. 1. Ask them if they've had experience with autistic children. 2. Point out the goals you want to see happen with your child 3. If routine is very important to your child, talk to the instructors about having the same teacher each time your child is in the water for consistency 4. If there is something particular that motivates your child or drives them to try something new tell the instructor so that they have leverage. For Hannah it was/is a paw patrol water toy of sky. Try another pool if the one you first chose doesn't seem like a good fit. Remember, we're trying to give our children confidence and the know how to be safe in the water. Place them where they will be excepted and helped with open arms. How to Teach an Autistic Child to Swim By Ella Rain Autism Author Many parents and professionals want to know how to teach an autistic child to swim. Some children naturally love the water while others are very apprehensive. It is important to address swimming on an individual basis for best results. read more My Hannah is a real snacker so I try hard to make her snacks count.
Her favorite thing is crackers. I look for variety to keep textures different and flavors new but I also shop for crackers that have minimal ingredients. Or at least ingredients I can pronounce. Not always easy when "goldfish" are her favorite but she also loves fruit so I balance out the cracker time with say some grapes or apple slices. Some sweetness with that crunch and everybody is happy. Bento boxes of varying sorts are my favorite thing to use. (if you don't have a bento type box ,small various sized containers with lids also work great. I use them too.) This gives variety of food and little compartments that are usually very helpful to get her to eat her food, as she likes things to be separated and identified. There's no pulling the wool over this one's eyes. At this point it has to look like the food she is use to or forget it. I found some great new school lunch ideas here.. Healthy School Lunches & Snacks Make school lunches healthy and fun with these easy brown bag lunch ideas. Transform classic lunches, from tuna to PB&J to turkey and cheese, into healthier recipes. Kids will also love the healthy snack ideas that will keep them full throughout the day. read more The First day of school could not of come any faster. I was very grateful that the school Hannah attends had a summer program that lasted from the middle of June through till the end of July. But then she was off for a number of weeks and I had to keep her busy. My older daughter was certainly a good help but I must say that this was a challenge that I didn't do so well at. And that's not a good feeling as a parent. Keeping her busy with activities of all sorts was was the goal. I attempted to do this but the real hardship was her not seeing her friends. There were many attempts to get together but as it is summer time someone was either away or not available due to camps or the likes. I've learned that I'm going to start talking to teachers, parents and reaching out right now to what may be in the works for next summer. So I have some resources to look into and get her involved in. Being prepared is always a good thing for me, I like to be organized and ready. I try to remind myself that this is still all new to us, and good or bad we are doing the best we can and becoming wiser while doing it. Well I sure hope we are... its a journey we are all traveling on and quite the ride thus far. And hey... when she saw her friends at school there were many hugs and enthusiastic tales to be told. Little people are remarkable aren't they. |
Author: Lynn
A Mom, Personal Chef and one of Hannah's biggest supporters. Finding ways to over come obstacles and the challenges ahead. Archives
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