Archive - March 2015

1
Breaking Free From Her Braces
2
The 12 Days of Easter—The Hunt Starts Now!
3
The School Parking Lot Makes Me Angry
4
Spoil Your Kids Awesome
5
Lego Craft Fail: Pinterest, Why Can’t I Quit You?

Breaking Free From Her Braces

As part of her genetic uniqueness, Avery had pervasive weakness in her core. There’s a name for it which escapes me right now. How wonderful is it that I can’t even remember some of her physical ailments because it’s been so long since they’ve resolved? The medical knowledge packed into my brain remains only as long as it’s necessary. Once the issue is no longer relevant, the dosages, protocols, scary science stuff, etc. fades away, presumably to make room for new, current information. Anyway, in addition to her low muscle tone aka hypotonia (I didn’t suddenly remember the term. I cheated and looked in her medical file) she also had weakness in her legs and ankles. Standing without support was impossible. Hypotonia is a persistent condition relating to the amount of tension or resistance to the stretch in a muscle. Those affected must compensate by developing overall muscle strength. After years of intensive physical therapy, which we called “Super Fun Gym Class” or “Baby Pilates”, Avery was able to stand. Then with the aid of leg braces, she was able to take her first steps. Her first orthotic devices went up to her knees. They were clunky and ugly and[…]

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The 12 Days of Easter—The Hunt Starts Now!

Any chance to party and my family is on it like confetti on a wet floor. Christmas is at least a month long celebration at our house, so it only makes sense that Easter should last for more than just one day. THIS is why we celebrate the 12 Days of Easter. How does it work eggs-actly? Watch this short video for details and eggs-amples to inspire you to get the hunt started early! Giant bunnies, fluffy chicks, chocolate? This kind of fun needs to last for more than just one day. I’ve done the planning for you! Adjust the activities to suit your family’s interests and adapt the clues to your specific hunting ground. Then just sit back and accept your family’s enduring admiration for making this Easter especially fun. Day 1—Leave out a letter from the Easter Bunny for your kids! It could say something like… “Dear Children, I’m so hoppy that Easter is near. It’s so much fun, I think we should get the party started early. What do you say? Are you ready for The 12 Days of Easter? Every day until the big Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, I will leave you a clue. Solve[…]

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The School Parking Lot Makes Me Angry

The latest stressor in my life is not a big deal. I should be able to shake it off. Except, I can’t. It’s as they say, “the principle of the thing.” And the thing is the school parking lot. If you have school aged children you’ve probably witnessed a few parking lot scuffles. And if your school is overcrowded like ours, scuffles occur daily. Three hundred students over capacity (we have portables aplenty) means there are too many cars at drop off and pick up. People, especially those in a rush, get frustrated, tempers flare and some people seek short cuts. The staff at our school arranged for me and a few other parents whose children have E.A. support, to drop off and pick up in the staff parking lot. It’s quiet and there’s lots of room to safely pull up and park. We have to walk our children to the door and hand them off to the E.A. directly. Our children can’t walk to school. Avery can’t yet anyway. It’s too far and she’d be worn out by the time we got there. And our kids can’t get dropped off and left on their own to find their way[…]

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Spoil Your Kids Awesome

  Are you spoiling your kids rotten? If your kids are demanding, self-centred and ungrateful, yet you continue to give in to their every desire, you might be.   If you set limits and model gratitude and kindness (as often as you can, obviously—some days I’m an ungrateful hag) you’ll be rearing awesome little citizens who will take what is bestowed upon them with genuine appreciation. Sincere ‘please and thank yous’ go a long way. I tell my kids that people want to do things for them because it makes them feel good. By acknowledging somebody’s generosity, you make them feel even better. Friends and family will want to spend their time and energy on them because feeling good is addictive. It really is satisfying to do something thoughtful for another person—whether it’s making them a special card, sharing a favourite toy, or giving a compliment. It just feels nice. Humans are hard wired to constantly seek pleasure. That’s biology. My kids lost their minds when their grandma baked them her famous lemon loaf. They gobbled it up and doled out sincere compliments about how she is the best baker and how it was so delicious and ‘thank you so[…]

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Lego Craft Fail: Pinterest, Why Can’t I Quit You?

My son has a massive collection of Lego mini-figures languishing headless and mismatched in a bin under his bed. So when I saw this clever idea on Pinterest I thought (with possibly a bit too much zeal), “I will make this and my son will be so pleased!” Spoiler alert: He didn’t give a rat’s ass about this crafty addition to his bedroom decor. He was all, “Um, thanks mum and everything but you didn’t have to make this…” But I did. I HAD to make it. Pinterest made it look so appealing and easy and organized. I physically couldn’t stop myself from making it. My efforts to up-sell this project failed. “But look, you can see all your guys now! And I put them all together with the right heads on the correct bodies! Look, that guy has a little gun. Now if you want to find a certain mini person, it’s right there at your fingertips!” My son: Blink, blink. “Um, okay.” For the love….. It took me bleedin’ hours of digging to find all those little heads rolling around in the bowels of the Lego bin. And hours more to stick on the magnets and assign each[…]

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