Tara's view of the world

who?Comics and how my son discovered Steven Spielberg

2012-01-26T10:50:00.000-06:00

Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who? Comics on Twitter for updates!

This is a screenshot I took directly off of our iPad showing the who? Comics we have:

There are tons more available- everyone from Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama to Jane Goodall and Albert Einstein! I was impressed with the variety of books and I love that there is a company trying to find creative ways to bring the stories of these fascinating people to life for our children.

I chose the "Artists & Entertainers Set - For Children Who Dream of Becoming the Next Star" because I thought Steven Spielberg and J.K. Rowling would instantly grab Aiden and Owen's attention. I was right.

When I first showed the app to Aiden he was instantly interested. He loves the iPad, he loves comics so put the two together and it was bound to be a good combination.

At first he wasn't sure who the people were so I told him a bit about each of them. When I got to Steven Spielberg and said "he is the man who directed the Indiana Jones movies" Aiden's face lit right up. THAT was the guy he wanted to read about!

Aiden had no problem navigating the app. It is extremely simple to use. Aiden has Autism and even though he is 9 his reading level is a little below that. He was able to read everything but did need some help with pronunciation for bigger words.

In his very first sitting Aiden read through 2 full "chapters" all on his own. Please keep in mind that this is a child with Autism and serious attention issues. That is a big deal. The amazing part is that when he got to the end of the second chapter he didn't want to stop reading, he was just tired of figuring out the words so he asked me to read to him! We read another 2 chapters together.

While we were reading Aiden would stop and study the pictures. He really liked that he could "turn" pages so easily and that he didn't have to worry about his place being lost because you can very easily bookmark your spot.

I asked Aiden if he wanted to look at the other books at all but because of his Autism he gets hyper-focused and he won't look at the other books until he is completely done the Steven Spielberg one.

Here is what Aiden told me when I asked him to give me a review:

"I love the Steven Spielberg comic. I like that it is real information like you would read in a book or at school or something but it is interesting like a story. I really like this one because I think Steven Spielberg is a little bit like me. Maybe I can make movies someday too. That would be so cool!!! I didn't know that Steven Spielberg got bullied when he was a kid. I bet those guys that did that feel pretty stupid now that they know that he is way cooler than them. I think it is cool that he gets to make movies. But people didn't know how smart he was did they? But they know now."

How's that for some insight? You bet they know now Aiden!! And I'm sure those kids that bullied Steven Spielberg do indeed feel pretty stupid about that now. Moral of the story? Don't be a bully. You never know what that person is going to do someday!

As an aside- when you have a kid with Autism it is pretty spectacular when that child finds someone who has done amazing things- someone like Spielberg- and says "hey, that guys seems a little like me. Maybe I can do amazing things too." I had a pretty hard time not crying. So thanks who? Comics (& Steven Spielberg) for that very special mama moment for me :).

Anyway, the proof that Aiden genuinely likes this app is that when he woke up this morning the FIRST thing he did was pick up the iPad, sit down and start reading the who? Comic right where we left off last night. He wanted to do that INSTEAD of watching cartoons.

Oh yes he did!!

Love that.

Today after school I decided to give my other son Owen a chance to check out the app. Owen is a HUGE Harry Potter fan and when he saw JK Rowling's name on the list he recognized it right away and was very excited.

Owen is 8 and was able to use the app no problem as well. Owen is an excellent reader and said that the comic was "really easy" to read. I watched him zip through pages with ease and he began to tell me some of the things he was learning as he read. "Hey mom, did you know that JK Rowling did such and such" or "Mom, look at this!". Those are all good signs that a kid is learning!

Owen has ADHD and I think the fact that the books are in comic form and on the iPad make them far more interesting to him. That being said Owen read the first two chapters and then wanted to see what the other books were about as well.

I think he took a look at all the books we have on our "bookshelf" before it was time to put the iPad away for the night.

I asked Owen if he could give me a review of the app and he said "it's cool mom!". Not very wordy but it gets the point across!

I had my husband take a look at the app too just to get his opinion and this is what he had to say:

I thought the art work was good, the stories were easy to read. The points of the story that are awkward are not left out but addressed in a way that is honest. The drawings are bright, simple, and highlight the story well.

The app itself is easy to use and tries to reward you for using and learning the features that are not immediately visible. There are badges for doing things like using the bookmarking feature for the first time and for clicking on the 'timeline' page that's included with each book but not a part of the manuscript. The app is easy to use and fun to explore.

The "awkward" parts of stories that he is talking about are the parts like where Van Gogh cuts off his own ear and then commits suicide. Ya. That stuff is not left out but it IS dealt with in a very respectful, non-graphic, non-sensational way. The comics tell the truth without being gory or scary.

That being said these are not comic books for young children- I wouldn't be comfortable letting Olivia (age 5) listen in to some parts of them for example.

I am very impressed with this app! It is educational in an entertaining and engaging way. I am happy to recommend this to anyone who is looking for creative ways to share some inspiring biographies with their kids.

Thank you again to who? Comics for sponsoring my post. Please click here to learn more about the app. Visit who? Comics for updates. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own. #CleverWhoComics #spon

Pretty on Pinterest - Chocolate Delights! LINKY

2012-01-25T16:42:00.000-06:00

The Pretty on Pinterest theme for this week is Chocolate.

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Mmmmmm.... chocolate!!

Just in case you have no idea what Pretty on Pinterest is I explained last week why I love Pinterest and what Pretty on Pinterest is. The theme last week was Black and White and it was pretty cool :). Pretty on Pinterest is hosted by Simply Stacie and SassyMama in LA so be sure and check out their posts too!

Pinterest is just full of yummy chocolate delights...

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Things that would be perfect for kids...

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or Valentine's Day

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Source: ohcupcakes.net via Tara on Pinterest

Source: glorioustreats.blogspot.com via Tara on Pinterest

Things that look like something I could actually possibly make...

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to things I could definitely not make....

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There were about a million chocolate delights that would be perfect for parties for kids and grown-ups alike...

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When it comes to chocolate people are incredibly creative, incredibly talented, and incredibly gifted to be able to create chocolate masterpieces such as these... but they must not work at home because kids would definitely destroy these in a hurry...

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And now I'd like to leave you with this one final thought....

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Are you participating in Pretty on Pinterest this week?
Link up your post here!

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For best results, use HTML mode to edit this section of the post.

feel free to link up your Pinterest profile here too :)...

Wordless Wednesday - Bedtime Madness LINKY

2012-01-24T17:09:00.000-06:00

(my husband Doug took all these photos of the kids at bedtime last night)

Link Up your Wordless Wednesday posts here

Sunshine – Your Winter Survival Guide Without it!

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

I am so pleased to welcome Deb Lowther- the amazing woman behind IronKids Gummies and Adult Essentials Gummies vitamins- as my special guest poster today- I have met Deb several times now in real life and think she is fabulous. I asked Deb if she could talk to us today about the importance of Vitamin D and she graciously agreed- thanks Deb!

Gorgeous sunny days are hard to come by in the middle of a grey cold winter and who couldn't use a little dose of sunshine and a boost of energy!  Without a private jet to whisk you away to a tropical destination, what is a family to do?

Eating more vitamin packed fresh fruits and vegetables when its dull outside will make you feel healthier on the inside and finding a good B Vitamin will help your body use the carbohydrates and proteins you eat to produce energy and give you that boost you need.   The key factor though, is making sure you are getting a daily dose of Vitamin D, and not just when sunshine is scarce in the winter, but all year long. Vitamin D not only keeps your bones strong but is also responsible for keeping you healthy and your immune system going strong!

Sunshine not only lifts our spirits, but it’s ultraviolet rays fuel our bodies with Vitamin D that keeps us healthy.  The importance of maintaining healthy levels of Vitamin D in our bodies all year round is becoming more and more clear.   Try as we might to soak up those rays when the sun does shine in the winter, new research says we still aren’t getting enough sunlight exposure to keep our families at their healthiest, even as Winter turns into Spring!

Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin

Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because our bodies naturally synthesize it when our skin is exposed to sunlight. Recent studies have shown even with the Vitamin D in our diets and exposure to direct sunlight, the majority of the population is Vitamin D deficient.

We know vitamin D works with the calcium stores in your body to maintain healthy bones and teeth, but we now know it also plays an important role in maintaining good immune function and preventing disease.  A healthy immune system helps to fight off the viruses and bacteria that commonly affect families.  Maintaining Vitamin D levels also has long-term impact. In fact, it helps prevent numerous ailments such as osteoporosis, depression, cardiovascular disease and new research shows Vitamin D may be effective for helping to reduce the risk of certain cancers (by almost 60 percent).

Think about how much Vitamin D you are getting naturally, from direct exposure to sunlight.  What do you make sure your family does before heading out into the sun for long periods of time? Put on sunscreen.  Anything over an SPF 8 is believed to block the absorption of the suns ultraviolet rays you need to synthesize vitamin D!

We cover up our children, put on hats, seek the shade as we have been told for years that the suns rays can be damaging to our skin!  Little did we know that we were also depriving ourselves of an important vitamin!Think you are catching some rays while driving or sitting in your sunny living room? Think again, the suns Vitamin D producing rays cannot penetrate glass, clothing or sunscreen.

So as winter fads into spring, have fun and get outside, an yes, cover up, protect your skin from the UV rays and make sure you and your children are still getting the minimum daily dose of 600IU’s of Vitamin D as recommended by Health Canada.  Try to eat food rich in Vitamin D like fatty fish and fortified dairy products, and keep that bottle of sunshine shaped Vitamin D Gummies on hand all year long!

Vitamin D is your family’s year round sunshine in a bottle vitamin!

Thanks so much to Deb Lowther for guest posting for me today!!

Deb Lowther is a mother of 3 young daughters who, when not running after the kids, is running in the trails! She blogs about Raising Healthy Kids and ensures her own have fun while eating healthy & staying active. You can visit her websites to learn more www.iron-kids.com & www.adultgummies.com

Attention Bloggers! Sign Up Now for the Cupids Cash Giveaways (Sign Ups close Jan 27)

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

I am participating in TWO Cupids Cash Giveaways this February... why? Because with my husband out of work going on 8 months now I am feeling like we could all use a little extra cash right now! Just in case any of the rest of you would like to join in I wanted to tell you about them in time for you to join up. They are NOT open yet for giveaway entries, just for those of you who would like to participate... and trust me when I say they are totally worth it!

Cupid's Cash Giveaway #1 hosted by Sober Julie and Kidsumers

Why would you want to sign up?

· To introduce your blog to new people

· To gain backlinks on a variety of blogs

· To increase your followers

· To gain new readers

Fellow blogger friends…now is the time to sign up for this amazing event!

Fees to join in are:$7 USD for 1 network, $10 USD for 2 or a special deal of $15 USD for all 4.

Prize will be dependant upon number of entries and will be in the form of Paypal funds.

SIGN UP HERE FOR THE CUPID’SCASH GIVEAWAY

Cupids Cash Giveaway #2 hosted by MamaNYC.net

MamaNYC will be hosting a giveaway event! Interested and want to participate? Keep reading for additional details. Participating will only cost you $5.00 (minimum), but the perks and promotional benefits are priceless! You can choose to include more than one entry method - ($5.00/each)! MamaNYC will be handling all tweets, Facebook shares, and even linking up all of the blog participants that pay for 3+ entries! She is going to add each of the giveaway {direct} URL's to 10+ daily giveaway linkys and all of the high traffic sweepstakes/giveaways sites!

The plan is to make this a HUGE event.

The goal is for over 200 participants ($1,000+ prize!). Let's start off expecting $500.00 prize (100 bloggers), but aim for the stars!

I just signed up for this event and wanted to share some of the details with all of my readers. Giveaway events help promotion, traffic, and readership for blogs. Each of the participants will be sharing the cash prize by putting all of our money together to create a HUGE cash prize for one lucky winner. The giveaway is going to run from February 1-14, but you can read more about that and sign up for this event @ MamaNYC's Cupids Cash Giveaway event sign up's page!

What should I wear to #Blissdom??

2012-01-22T11:48:00.002-06:00

I have mentioned before that I am extremely excited to be going to Blissdom in Nashville this year. I can't believe that in one month I will be at the Opryland hotel with 750 amazing women. Blissdom SOLD OUT this week which is pretty incredible too!

Satin Woods Boutique was my clothing sponsor for my last Blissdom conference and they set me up with some lovely clothing and so once again I will be wearing some of their beautiful things next month. I already have one shirt picked out and this is another one of my favourites- the Swept Away Bellini ...

By the way the Swept Away Bellini is on sale right now for 25% off!

I also need to choose a couple of other tops for the conference... what do you think I should choose?

Or something entirely different? Satin Woods has a great selection of plus size fashion for women so there is lots to choose from. I will be in Nashville for 5 days total!

What do you think?

How #Autism Has Changed The Way We Celebrate

2012-01-20T18:36:00.000-06:00

I just had an interesting conversation with some of my favourite blogger friends- @Shasherslife @OKtobeWEIRD and @MomsMusings. They were talking about how Chinese New Year is coming up and how they love to celebrate things and will pretty much use any old excuse to create a celebration and just love to do all sorts of fun and exciting things in their homes.

I made a comment about how I am completely the opposite.

We pretty much avoid excitement in our house if possible.

No, really.

As a general rule excitement is a breeding ground for meltdowns.

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I'm not saying we avoid all fun things. We just try to keep the fun things as calm as possible.

In a perfect world our actual house would absorb sound and have soft, pleasing light in all rooms with absolutely NOTHING over-stimulating.

Why?

Because our son has Autism.

Let me give you an example of how today would go if I had sprung a random surprise celebration on Aiden after school- even if it was a super cool one.

3:30pm We walk in the door from school and see that the house has been decorated in a fun Chinese New Years theme. Aiden is surprised.

3:31pm Aiden freaks out because he doesn't like the dragon decorations because they look angry/sad and why are they up anyway? and why are we celebrating Chinese new year when we aren't Chinese? and do we have to eat Chinese food because he hates Chinese food!

3:32 pm I reassure Aiden that I won't make him eat food he hates, I will of course provide him with a hot dog and explain we are just doing it all for fun.

3:40 pm I put Kung Fu Panda 2 on because in my sons' minds that is the coolest Asian thing EVER.

Peace reigns while the movie plays.

5:00 pm a few friends arrive for our special supper. As soon as the doorbell rings all three of my children storm the door. We don't often have people over so this unusual occurrence must be greeted with much enthusiasm. The people are afraid but come in anyway. All 3 of my children talk to them at once. Aiden might recognize them, he might not. It doesn't matter how many times he has met them before, facial recognition is extremely tough for Aiden and seeing people in different places means he might not recognize them at all- even if he sees them all the time somewhere else. Luckily Aiden really doesn't care who they are as long as they want to play Lego with him. Aiden begins to become more and more frustrated because the people are not doing what he wants and not doing it RIGHT NOW.

5:02 pm Aiden realizes the people are here to - horror of all horrors - EAT and NOT play Lego with him. This is unacceptable. Aiden makes his views known, loudly and with much venom.

5:04 pm who knows what is happening with everyone else, Aiden and I are in his bedroom while I spend the next half an hour trying to calm him down and explain why this is fun and remind him of socially acceptable behaviour.

5: 35 pm Aiden emerges, exhausted, from his room. He is embarrassed by his outburst but still frustrated that food is somehow more important than Lego. He still hates the decorations. He doesn't like the smell of the Chinese food. And definitely thinks noodles are disgusting. He makes sure everyone KNOWS noodles are disgusting and look like slimy worms. He refuses to eat his hot dog anywhere near the wormy noodles.

5:47 pm Aiden is done 3 bites of his hotdog and 4 glasses of juice. Now it is time to play Lego right? Why is everyone still eating? What could there possibly be left to talk about except MAYBE a video game? The chairs are uncomfortable, the light is all wrong, there is a draft from somewhere and no, talking about school and sports does not sound like fun.

5:48 pm Aiden leaves the table and throws himself in abject misery face first over the arm of the couch. The world clearly hates him and he is not too fond of them either. Chinese new year sucks.

6:00 pm The people move to the living room. Aiden gets excited thinking that now, finally, someone will play Lego with him. But no. The adults want to visit. The kids don't want to play with the kid who freaked out for the last hour.

6:05 pm Daddy and I manage to convince Aiden that Lego is not the only option he has. Perhaps he would like to try one of his other toys? Aiden changes tactics and brings his iPod out. This gets another kids attention. Finally. Success.

6:15 pm the kid asks to play with Aiden's iPod. This does not go over well. We offer the kid a different electronic device since we have a kazillion of them. Aiden is frustrated because he no longer has the child's full attention.

6:16 pm Aiden notices that our two other children are happily playing with the other kids. This reminds him that he is different. This causes him to have another meltdown- this time about how everyone hates him and how he should just kill himself. The people are shocked that a 9 year old has said such a thing.

6:17 pm while the people in the living room discuss the outburst of our child Aiden and I spend the next half hour in his room calming him down and explaining why he is awesome, why we love him just the way he is, why God doesn't make junk, and why having people over is fun. Again.

7:00 pm The people leave. Aiden sobs at the door and clings to them. Don't go!! Actual sobbing tears. The people are uncomfortable and wonder why the 9 year old is sobbing and clinging to them. They leave anyway.

7:05 pm we work at restoring normalcy and calming down. The remaining time before bedtime is spent recovering from all the "fun".

You may think I am exaggerating... but I assure you I am not.

The details may change but the overall idea is the same. Change and transition and new things are just plain hard for my son. Sometimes things go pretty well. Occasionally things go so incredibly badly that the event lasts all of 8 minutes before the whole thing is completely derailed.

The reality is that most of the time the key to having a good day in our household is to keep things calm.

And you know what? There is nothing wrong with calm :). I think excitement is HIGHLY overrated!

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Pretty on Pinterest : Black and White

2012-01-18T18:46:00.000-06:00

I have been asked numerous times what the appeal of Pinterest is. It is hard to explain but I am going to try because I love it!

For those of you who are not yet familiar with the delight that is Pinterest it is sort of like the best picture scrapbook ever.

Except it is online and you can put as many pictures as you like on it and you don't need any glue or tape or scissors and you can share it with all your friends instantly and they can add stuff to it too and you can see all their picture scrapbooks too.

And you can fill it with pictures and ideas and when you don't have the supplies or time or energy or drive to actually DO all your great ideas in that very moment it saves them all for you on one handy place so that if you ever DO get the impulse to try and make your own silly putty or design your own house or change the world one good idea at a time... you can!

It is like inspiration and creativity and happy and distraction and a reality check all rolled into one handy dandy little time-waster called Pinterest.

Try it. You'll like it.

Just to give you a wee taste of it's delights I will share with you a few of my favourite "pins" (aka stuff I found) from this week. My friend Simply Stacie does this every week so I will go with her theme of "Black & White" just because it can be really hard to choose favourites!

Just look at how different all these pictures are...

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Source: flickr.com via Tara on Pinterest

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Source: flickr.com via Tara on Pinterest

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Source: etsy.com via Tara on Pinterest

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Source: flickr.com via Tara on Pinterest

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Source: flickr.com via Tara on Pinterest

Each picture - so obviously different and everything from funny to poignant! Where else could I find all those different things in one place? Some were pictures I found on various sites across the web (like that last one of my daughter- I found that on my husband's flickr account) and pinned to Pinterest myself and some were ones other people found from who knows where and pinned and I just "repinned" off of their Pinterest boards.

You could probably spend hours on Pinterest (and I am certain some people do) but I usually hop on for a couple minutes at a time. It is a nice break and a fun way to clear my head.

Be sure to check out the other Pretty on Pinterest posts on Simply Stacie this week!

ARE YOU ON PINTEREST ALREADY? Leave me the link to your Pinterest in a comment so I can follow you!

WW - Thankfulness LINKY (and an Update on Aiden's Special Request)

2012-01-17T17:24:00.001-06:00

My Wordless Wednesday posts are usually ACTUALLY wordless... but today... not so much. We have had a spectacularly crappy couple of days but I want to share something GOOD with you all, because even in the midst of crap I am truly thankful.

The other day I asked my husband to take a picture of me wearing my pretty new shirt and necklace from Satin Woods for my Blissdom post and while he was doing that my son Aiden came over and was being incredibly sweet. He told me he liked my new shirt and necklace. He told me he thought I looked pretty and that he loves me and my "squishy-ness" (and yes, I will take that as a compliment thank-you-very-much). He didn't stay long- just a few minutes - but Doug managed to get a couple pictures of the two of us together. Aiden's hugs make my heart happy.

I was looking for a picture for Wordless Wednesday today and when I saw this picture I wanted to share it with you all and give you an update about Aiden and his special request for a friend.

For those of you who don't know Aiden has Autism and he has been praying for a friend. I shared about his heart-wrenching request in a post last week and I received some truly beautiful comments in the days since that post went live. If you haven't read it you really should go read the wonderful words people left for me.

Thank-you all so much for your kind words and prayers.

Did you hear me? Because I really mean it. THANK-YOU for taking the time to comment, to tell me your stories, to pray for my son, to share your hearts and you friendship with me. YOU- my online friends are a beautiful gift to me and I am so grateful.

I am also so sorry that so many of you have had to watch your children struggle to find friends. It is so painful. As much as it helps to know we are not alone in our struggle I still find it heart-breaking to know that there are so many children feeling so alone right now.

Since my life is supremely weird it turns out someone from my son's school reads my blog (hi!). The morning after I wrote that post I was greeted at the school with a plan for helping Aiden make a new friend at school.

True story.

Aiden's teacher and his aide were ON IT!! And you know what I saw when I got to school today? Aiden goofing around with a kid I had never seen him play with before. Sure he was invading this poor child's personal space but the kid was smiling and Aiden was laughing!

I realize that doesn't mean he has a new best friend or anything but it is a start! It is a step in the right direction! And I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am that we have amazing people like Aiden's teacher & Aide in our corner, helping our son.

We are still praying every night for a friend for Aiden, a special friend who will say "hey Aiden, do you want to play with me?"... but now I know that we have people praying all over the world for a friend for Aiden and his-as-yet-unknown-friend and even as I type that I have tears of thankfulness streaming down my face.

So thank-you dear friends. Thanks for caring.

How's that for a not-so-Wordless-Wednesday post?

Link up your Wordless (or not so wordless) Wednesday posts here:

I'm Going to Blissdom in Nashville!

2012-01-15T23:02:00.000-06:00

I've attended the Blissdom Canada conference two years in a row now and I LOVED it both times. This year I am super excited that I get to experience the Blissdom conference where it first began- in Nashville, Tennessee!

This is exciting for me on a number of levels...

1. It is Blissdom and that is just plain awesome!!
2. I have never been to Nashville and there is just something amazing about going to Nashville!
3. I haven't even been to the USA in 18 years. I used to live near the border and would go all the time but since I moved away my passport has been drastically under-used.
4. I get to see my bff Shannon (@Shasherslife) again - I HATE that we live 21 hours away from each other.
5. It is BLISSDOM!!

I loved the outfits that Satin Woods sent me for Blissdom Canada so I ordered a few more shirts to wear to Blissdom in Nashville :). I loved the look of this "Enchanted Top in Blue Velvet" ...

and when it arrived the lovely owner of Satin Woods had included this gorgeous "Turquoise Splendor" Necklace in with my order as a special gift! That was such a lovely surprise :)

I put the two together and got my husband to take a picture of me so I could show off my new outfit to you all...

So what do you think?

Is that Blissdom-worthy?

Are you going to Blissdom?

By the way- if you are a plus size woman (like me!) than be sure to check out Satin Woods. They have the most lovely designer styles for sizes 14+ and they ship worldwide. They also have a sale on right now :).

Aiden's Special Request

2012-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00

People often think that children with Autism don't want friends and for some kids I suppose that may be the case. But for some kids with Autism, like my son Aiden, that could not be farther than the truth.

Aiden desperately wants friends.

Unfortunately he struggles with social situations. He gets frustrated and angry easily. He has meltdowns and lashes out when he can't handle the situation and ends up alienating the potential friends.

Kids are often very kind to Aiden. But kindness does not always equal friendship.

Aiden never gets invited over to anyone's house to play, he never gets phone calls or birthday party invitations. When he invites people over they usually say no unless their parents make them come over.

It makes me so sad.

And it makes Aiden so very sad.

Yesterday as we were leaving school at the end of the day he turned to me and said

"Mom, all I want for Christmas next year is a friend. A friend who will say "hey Aiden, do you want to play with me?"

My heart dropped into my shoes and I had to work extremely hard not to burst into tears right in the middle of the school hallway.

I can't even begin to tell you how heartbreaking it is to hear my child say that.

I told Aiden that instead of asking Santa for that particular thing we would pray. We would pray every day that God would provide a real friend for Aiden. A friend who will see how amazingly cool he is even though his Autism makes things tough sometimes.

And most of all we will pray that God will give him a friend that will say "hey Aiden, do you want to play with me?".

Feel free to pray right along with us. Because everyone deserves to have friends- even if they have Autism.

Mompreneurs - get $100 off the #MomBizRetreat in #Chicago

2012-01-11T13:39:00.002-06:00

The Mom Biz Retreat is a weekend designed specifically for mom entrepreneurs to develop the necessary tools and strategies to build their business successfully.

The Mom Biz Retreat is one part business bootcamp and one part weekend getaway for mom entrepreneurs.

Hosted by Lara Galloway and Shelagh Cummins, participants roll up their sleeves and get down to work on the stuff that matters, but usually gets shoved to the bottom of any small business owner’s to do list:

writing/updating a business plan
creating an effective marketing strategy
developing a Time Map to finally take care of the time you have to work care for your family
crafting the perfect elevator pitch
determining the best product funnel for your business
figuring out how to make more money with what you’re already doing
and so much more

In return for all their hard work the guests are pampered with food, wine and spa treatments among a group of women who truly “get them” and can help!

It’s months of business coaching and consulting packed into one weekend, and mompreneurs will walk away with tools, strategies, goals and a plan to get the success they deserve.

The lessons learned will last for years to come. Best of all, this return on your investment is guaranteed!

Use my special discount code to save $100 off the ticket price: CHICAGO100

*this is NOT a paid post but in the interest of full disclosure I absolutely adore Shelagh and wanted to share this with you all because she is awesome. So there.*

Wordless Wednesday - Game Face LINKY

2012-01-10T21:30:00.000-06:00

(Picture taken by my fabulous husband Doug)

Link up your Wordless Wednesday post here:

Cereal, My Kids and the Kellogg's Rooster

2012-01-09T23:18:00.000-06:00

Last week we got this seriously awesome box of stuff from Kellogg's. I posted about it on my Facebook wall.

My kids were surprisingly excited considering it was a box of food products! They were thrilled though and immediately wanted to dig in to the new boxes of cereal.

We are a cereal- eating family so it is not unusual but I admit we don't often have quite as many varieties available at once.

As I have mentioned many times on this blog Aiden has Autism and most kids with Autism have issues with food. Aiden has about a zillion issues with food. One of his issues is that he hates cereal with milk. But he loves eating dry cereal and drinking a glass of chocolate milk separately. So we are fine with that. In this particular case he mixed Mini-Wheats with Frosted Flakes for fun.

Olivia first had a bowl of Frosted Flakes (which she likes to call "snowflakes") and then she mixed in some Corn Flakes to see what they tasted like.

Owen absolutely adores Mini-Wheats and I think he had about 3 bowls in a row. He was far too busy eating to stop and smile for a picture...

In the package we got there were two very cool bowls with the Kellogg's rooster on them.

Yes... 2 bowls.

I have 3 kids.

This caused some serious wailing and gnashing of teeth until I negotiated the rather-large Kellogg's Rooster t-shirt for Owen in return for first dibbs of the Rooster bowls for Aiden and Olivia.

And no, I am not kidding. There were very real negotiations that had to happen in this scenario.

And every day since there has been fighting over the bowls and the boys have been fighting over the shirt. Who would have thought Rooster paraphernalia would be considered so cool by my children?

In all truth I was not surprised that my kids liked the cereal. I was also not surprised that my husband and I liked the cereal. I was able to try out the New Oats & Honey Special K cereal for the first time and it is absolutely delicious. I will totally be getting that again.

What DID surprise me was the Nutri-Grain Bars. We got two boxes of them - the Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Superfruit Flavours Cherry Pomegranate 8 pack and the Nutri-Grain Superfruit Flavours Strawberry Acai 8 pack.

That is not the surprising part.

The surprising part is that AIDEN LOVES THEM!!!!

Did you catch that?

My son, the one with Autism? The one who pretty much hates most food? The one who has a list of food aversions a mile long and that we have actually had to do feeding therapy with LOVES these whole grain bars.

I am still in shock.

We have had the two boxes since January 5. It is now January 9. Aiden has eaten 12 of the 16 bars.

He even had one in his lunch at school today and ATE it.

Ok. Clearly you are not understanding how huge this is but that's ok. Just trust me. It's huge.

I never, in a million zillion years would have ever imagined he would have liked them.

I offered them to the kids and while I was explaining what they were to Olivia I said that they were sort of like a granola bar with jam inside. Aiden likes plain strawberry jam on plain bread. So he said he would take a bite. That was shocking enough but I went with it fully expecting him to spit it out. But then he loved it.

*And the angels sang*

So our household has officially added a new snack food to our list of Aiden-acceptable foods and we are thrilled.

Thank-you Kellogg's!

(And if you lovely folks at the Kellogg's warehouse happen to have another one of those Rooster Bowls and another Rooster shirt laying around that you aren't using feel free to send them our way to stop the Rooster-induced bickering :) . Just kidding. Sort of.)

Disclaimer: I was not paid to write this post. I was sent that lovely box of stuff as part of the new Kelloggers network.

Dancing With Prince Charming

2012-01-07T22:08:00.001-06:00

Olivia was playing some form of princess something-or-other today and in the game she decided that she (being the princess) and daddy (being the prince) would dance.

She was very bossy about the whole thing and it was very cute.

She told me I had to take pictures but then was annoyed when I got a real camera out so I only managed to snap a couple of real pictures before she banished me!

But seriously... you gotta love the daddy daughter dances :)

By the Glow of the iPad

2012-01-06T21:34:00.001-06:00

What happens when the kids are home from school and mommy is sick?

No blogging. That's what.

We've been taking the kids to the pool for a swim (more accurately daddy and the kids swim and I sit in the hot tub and try to soak the pain away) to try and work off their holiday energy but that really is about all I can do in a day. I am just wiped right out.

Doug took this cool picture of Aiden playing on the iPad and I thought I would share it with you all...

The kids go back to school on Monday. I can't believe I have spent almost their entire vacation with the plague. That is so not ok!!

Stupid sickness.

Gah.

$500 Target Gift Card Giveaway!!

2012-01-03T23:00:00.000-06:00

Here's the details:

Prize: $500 in Target Gift Cards to one person

Eligibility: US & Canada

I have teamed up with a group of blogs to start out the new year with a bang. We are giving away $500 in Target Gift Cards to one lucky person!

Please note you only need to enter once on any of the participating blogs as we all will have the same form. The giveaway is open to both US & Canada. I know Canada doesn't have Target *yet*, but I didn't want to exclude my fellow Canadians. You can always bring them with you for some cross-border shopping!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday - Dimples LINKY

2012-01-03T17:54:00.000-06:00

Link Up your Wordless Wednesday posts here:

My One Word Goal for 2012 - New Years LINKY

2011-12-31T16:30:00.003-06:00

(my husband Doug took these pictures of the kids and I this afternoon)

2011

What a year it has been.

Back on January 1, 2011, at the prompting of my sweet friend Susan of 5 Minutes for Mom, I chose 3 words that I hoped would encapsulate my year.

Those 3 words were Hope, Joy and Thankfulness.

I must admit that 2011 has been a hard year and honestly those weren't the first words that sprang to mind when I was thinking about writing this post.

But despite the difficulties I think 2011 really has been filled with hope, joy and much thankfulness and I think that is pretty amazing.

In the past year we've dealt with a lot of craptacular things... my husband was laid off and 6 months later is still unemployed, our landlord sold the house we were living in and we had to move and couldn't find a place to live and spent a month semi-homeless, Aiden has had significant struggles with anger, Autism and school and life in general, Owen has had some pretty major struggles, my migraines have reached an all time high... and the list could go on and on... but in the midst of all that unpleasantness there has been much GOOD.

We have never gone without food. We have always had a roof over our heads. We've always had clothes to wear and a vehicle to get around in and people who love us and support us. When we weren't sure how we were going to cover the bills money would come from unexpected places. When our van door kept falling off and the heater started to die friends offered to give us their van (true story!) !! We have been incredibly blessed and God has certainly been taking care of us during this ridiculously uncertain time.

This year my friend Susan is encouraging us to chose a One Word Goal for 2012 .

The word I have chosen for 2012 is Peace.

Peace amidst the storm.

To feel peaceful in the good times and in the bad and to not let anxiety and fear take over is my goal.

A worthy goal for 2012 I think!

I will also keep my 3 words from 2011 because in my opinion you can never have enough hope, joy and thankfulness :) .

What is your One Word Goal for 2012?

Do you have a New Years Post of some kind? Feel free to link it up here:

Barbie and The Plague

2011-12-30T18:32:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in my post yesterday I have the plague (aka the flu) and am feeling like I was run over by some sort of large vehicle. Twice. I had hoped to be back to my healthy-ish self today but alas, the plague still has a tight fisted hold on me.

I managed to drag my carcass off the couch for awhile this afternoon though to help Olivia clean / organize her room. She had a layer of STUFF all over her floor and couldn't even find a place to play and her stuff was starting to spread throughout the house. That had to change.

I cleaned out her closet so her brand new Barbie townhouse could live in there and she is really happy with it.

But wow... even after just cleaning Olivia's small room I felt like I had climbed some sort of mountain and fallen down most of it. Not ideal.

Apparently I won't be cleaning the rest of the house today.

Which is unfortunate considering how it looks.

Oh well.

I do have the plague after all.

Get Those Creative Juices Flowing

2011-12-29T19:16:00.000-06:00

I have the flu. Or the plague. Or scurvy. Or something equally unpleasant that has made me rather useless for the past several days.

While I have been spending my days dragging myself from my bed to the couch and back to my bad again my children have been enjoying their new Christmas presents.

I must admit it was excellent timing in that regard- the kids have tons to play with, all sorts of new and exciting things to explore and there is no school so I don't have to make sure any lunches are made or anyone looks presentable.

In fact everyone has pretty much spent the past few days in their jammies. I highly recommend it.

I am hoping the plague departs within the next day or so though because my house is starting to really LOOK like I've spent the last few days in bed and that is never a good thing.

Here's to your good health and mine!

Wordless Wednesday - Christmas Delight LINKY

2011-12-27T18:10:00.000-06:00

Link Up your Wordless Wednesday post here:

Merry Christmas to You and Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-12-25T00:26:00.001-06:00

Wishing you all a truly wonderful Christmas day!

My sweet mother-in-law makes us all new jammies every Christmas and here are the kids and I snuggling up on Christmas Eve in our cozy new pjs.

Today we celebrate Jesus' birthday.

And mine!

Yes, today is also my birthday (true story) and I am now 36 years old. I used to REALLY hate having my birthday on Christmas day but I don't mind so much anymore - I love that my kids are so happy and excited to be with me... even if it is because they love that I give them presents on my birthday :).

Oh- and it is ALSO the lovely @LindsayDianne (aka the Urban Momtogropher)'s birthday today too so if you get the chance hop on over and wish her a good one!

Merry Christmas everyone :)

Christmas Concert Bonanza

2011-12-23T23:12:00.001-06:00

This week we had a regular Christmas concert bonanza going on- Olivia's concert was on Tuesday, Aiden's was on Wednesday and Owen's was on Thursday! To add to the fun my husband volunteered to be the "sound guy" for the week so we were at the school for a total of 6 Christmas concerts ( 3 concerts, 3 dress rehearsals) plus Christmas carol singing on Friday morning.

It was a very full week but so much fun to be at the school too :).

Poor Olivia only managed to make it through one of her songs though before stage fright completely took over and she spent the rest of the concert on my lap. I felt so bad for her - she was trying so hard not to cry while singing a happy Hawaiian Reindeer Hula Christmas song :( .

Owen's class sang and signed "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" and they did awesome! Owen is the blonde boy in the back row wearing a red shirt and looking like he would rather NOT be in front of all those people. I also want to point out the kid with the fabulous afro on the side- that is my son's best friend who apparently has a real knack for sign language and zero stage fright :) !

Aiden's class did "Jingle Bells- Old and New". They sang and played various instruments including iPads!

The first video is from the dress rehearsal so you can see what the iPads looked like. The second video is the actual performance.

In the dress rehearsal Aiden was right in the middle in the back row but for the concert he asked to be off to the side because he didn't want everyone staring at him. He also choose the grunge-look outfit especially for the Christmas concert because he is just that cool :).

All 3 of my kids actually have a fair bit of stage fright... which they inherited directly from me since their dad has absolutely zero fear of being on stage. Why couldn't my kids have inherited their dad's fearless-ness instead of my stage fright?? Gotta love genetics.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Defend Dignity

2011-12-23T21:25:00.003-06:00

This is a guest post by my friend Glendyne who is the director of Defend Dignity.

The gift I need

Human trafficking and prostitution are the fastest growing criminal activity in the world next to the drug trade. It takes all the profits of Google, Starbucks and Nike combined to add up to the profits made in selling human flesh.   The sad reality of our world is that it's so easy to sell people because there is such a ready demand to purchase them.   The purchasers of sex give no thought to the needs of the ones they buy. Not too far away in my city, a young mother needs diapers for her babe and turning a trick is the only way she knows to get what she needs for her child. How can it be that here in Canada there is a steady line up of purchasers for someone like this?

How do we fix what's gone so wrong with us?   Most days it feels like swimming against the current in a wide ocean of human depravity. The problem is too big, the needs too great.

If it were not for the hope of the babe born so long ago in his own needy and unjust beginnings, the strong ocean currents would surely sweep over me. Jesus left all that was rightfully his as God's son to come and be with us. To be in the middle of this mess of injustice and pain. He is here with her. He dwells among us. He shows us the way.

How silently,

how silently

the wondrous gift is given.

I would be silent now,

Lord,

and expectant...

   that I may receive

            the gift I need,

                    so I may become

                             the gifts others need.

Guerillas of Grace   Ted Loder

Join the campaign to end modern day slavery and defend the dignity of every woman. Together we can end prostitution in Canada.

@DefendDignity