22nd December 2007

SNOW!

6 pairs of pants

5 shirts

1 fleece hoodie

4 mittens

2 coats

2 hats

1 scarf thingy

4 ziploc freezer bags

duct tape

4 pairs of socks

2 pairs of shoes

20 minutes to get ready.

 

5 minutes outside

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strip off the layers and enjoy some hot popcorn.

now the kids are content to just stand at the window and look out instead of begging to go outside.

peace on earth.

 

posted in The Kids, Winter | 4 Comments

22nd December 2007

Updates: ST semester ends, Friend’s Birthday Party, Cookies with Grandma

Play time!

His last day of the semester at the university speech therapy.  If I am able to I want to upload a video of this because you have to hear it to understand how crazy this picture actually is.  They are trying to get the kids to play “Go Fish” with no visual supports.  It is a study in echolalia with rather dizzying results.  (sort of a “Who’s on First” experience)  She is a bit older than Zane, but they are at a similar level.  She is very chatty though where Zane is pretty quiet.

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Party Time!

At one of Zane’s friend’s birthday party last week.  It was at a place called “Pump it Up” and had these huge inflatable play structures.  Zora has no fear and was trying to climb the ladder to the really big slide by herself and didn’t want to wait to get settled to go down.  Zane took a bit longer to warm up to the big slide, but at the end, he didn’t want to stop.  lol.

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Grandma Time!

This week Grandma came up with lots of goodies to play with:  paint, stickers, markers, giant pieces of paper and little notebooks.  (oh, and food…spaghetti, always a hit).  For the first time, Zora wasn’t the least bit hesitant for Mom and Dad to leave.  She was yelling bye-bye at us when we picked up the keys and seemed delighted that she was going to get some Grandma time.  Zane, as usual, was quite happy too. 

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After they played with that, they decorated Christmas cookies with candy.  Zane ate most of them right after he decorated them, but at least he ate the whole cookie.  Zora kept licking the toppings off and leaving the cookie. 

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The both sacked out shortly after Grandma left.  She wore them out.

 

posted in Autistic Life, Birthday, Christmas, Echolalia, Food, Friends, ST, The 2 Opas (J's Parents), Zane, Zora | 1 Comment

21st December 2007

Daycare in Japan

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fs20071218a1.html

posted in Clicky | Comments Off

20th December 2007

Autism Meme

If you’re sick of hearing about all the “deficits” challenging people on the autism spectrum, join the club! But for every down side to autism, there seems to be a positive — an unusual trait that rarely appears among the “typical” community, but shines out among autistic folk. These plusses are well worth celebrating.
 
1. Autistic People Rarely Lie
We all claim to value the truth, but almost all of us tell little white lies. All, that is, except people on the autism spectrum. To them, truth is truth — and a good word from a person on the spectrum is the real deal.
2. People on the Autism Spectrum Live in the Moment
How often do typical people fail to notice what’s in front of their eyes because they’re distracted by social cues or random chitchat? People on the autism spectrum truely attend to the sensory input that surrounds them. Many have achieved the ideal of mindfulness.
 
3. People with Autism Rarely Judge Others
Who’s fatter? Richer? Smarter? For people on the autism spectrum, these distinctions hold much less importance than for typical folks. In fact, people on the spectrum often see through such surface appearances to discover the real person.
 
4. Autistic People are Passionate
Of course, not all autistic people are alike. But many are truly passionate about the things, ideas and people in their lives. How many “typical” people can say the same?
 
5. People with Autism Are Not Tied to Social Expectations
If you’ve ever bought a car, played a game or joined a club to fit in, you know how hard it is to be true to yourself. But for people with autism, social expectations can be honestly irrelevant. What matters is true liking, interest and passion — not keeping up with the Joneses.
 
6. People with Autism Have Terrific Memories
How often do typical people forget directions, or fail to take note of colors, names, and other details? People on the autism spectrum are often much more tuned in to details. They may have a much better memory than their typical peers for all kind of critical details.
 
7. Autistic People Are Less Materialistic
Of course, this is not universally true — but in general, people with autism are far less concerned with outward appearance than their typical peers. As a result, they worry less about brand names, hairstyles and other expensive but unimportant externals than most people do.
 
8. Autistic People Play Fewer Head Games
Who was that woman, and why were you looking at her? I know I TOLD you I didn’t mind if you went out, but why did you believe me? Most autistic people don’t play games like these — and they assume that you won’t either. It’s a refreshing and wonderful change from the Peyton Place emotional roller coaster that mars too many typical relationships!
 
9. Autistic People Have Fewer Hidden Agendas
Most of the time, if a person on the autism spectrum tells you what he wants — he is telling you what he wants. No need to beat around the bush, second guess, and hope you’re reading between the lines!
 
10. People with Autism Open New Doors for Neurotypicals
For some of us neurotypicals, having an autistic person in our lives has had a profound positive impact on our perceptions, beliefs and expectations. For me, at least, being the mom of a son on the autism spectrum has released me from a lifetime of “should” — and offered me a new world of “is.”
 
copied from About.com:Autism

posted in Autism | Comments Off

20th December 2007

“On The Spectrum” Movie Trailer

I saw a trailer to a documentary coming out this summer.  I can’t wait to see the movie!

Windows Media Player link: 
www.strawbellyjerryfilms.com/movies/asperger/asptrailer.wmv

Quicktime link: 
http://www.strawbellyjerryfilms.com/movies/asperger/asptrailer.mov

posted in Autism, In the News, TV & Movies | Comments Off

18th December 2007

Santa’s Here!

Santa Clause came to Heartsprings this morning!

Zane was excited!

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Zora wasn’t too sure at first, but Santa talked gently to her, snuggled, and she was happier after a bit.

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Merry Christmas!

 

posted in Autistic Life, Christmas | 4 Comments

16th December 2007

Christmas Deals

Amazon.com has some great sales going.  I was able to get some great stuff for the kids for not a lot of dough.  Look in the category you want, then you can sort it by amount of discount.  I got quite a few things at a 70% + discount, and some in the 50-70% off stuff.  Of course, the toys are the mass marketed stuff, but if that isn’t an issue for your family, there are some great deals.

Some examples:  Tinkertoys, Leapfrog barn fridge magnets, Gears, Doll, LeapFrog Leapster TV Learning System

Although, there are things that are obviously not still on sale, because I got a thing of Lincoln Logs for Zane for $20ish that is now showing $80.  So, if the links aren’t still on sale when you go there, don’t be shocked.  However, I am pretty sure there are new things on sale.  Worth a look.

posted in Shopping | 2 Comments

16th December 2007

Link: Don’t worry “Hostages”….

Don’t worry, ‘hostages.’ We’re here to help!

posted in Autism, Clicky | 4 Comments

14th December 2007

Driving Soundtrack

Tonight, while driving home from Target in the snow, we had the radio tuned to listen to Christmas music.  As we pull into the last leg of the journey and feel the car sliding just a little bit, the song “Ava Maria” comes on.  After a bit, we both get quiet, listening.  After a moment, Zach chuckled and said just what I was thinking…that this is not a good song to come on when you are driving in bad weather because it all of a sudden feels like the soundtrack to a very, very bad crash.  lol.  A beautiful song in every other context, but both of us got nervous wondering where the semi truck/train/out of control large vehicle/tree was going to come out of.  lol.

posted in Music | 2 Comments

12th December 2007

Hindsight is an interesting thing

Ran across these when looking for an old photo.

Little did we realize how much these two would have in common.

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(Zane and Bede for those who don’t know)

 

posted in Autistic Life, Friends, Zane | 3 Comments

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