Magic Marker Monday: Photo Placemats

Since Ben was born, I have taken advantage of the photo studios with the low price package specials. They usually include a 10"x13" enlargement. Not knowing what to do with such a large photo, I decided to laminate them to be used as placemats.

The kids love to use these placemats because it is fun for them to see themselves as babies. It is a great way to keep the photos preserved. We also play the game, Whose that baby? The Halloween photo is the most confusing because they are all wearing the same pumpkin outfit.

The lamination was done at Office Max, costs no more than $3. Use their largest size, do not cut it down. Be sure to put the child's name, age and year the photo was taken on the back in permanent marker before lamination. An 8"x10" photo may be used also - in fact the second placemat has the smaller photo.

When the kids get older, I will allow them to use wipe-off markers to "decorate" the photos adding mustaches, spiky hair and other things to each other's photos.

Impromptu Pet Therapy

Ben met Doodle today. One of the staff at his day program brought him in. Ben loves dogs and these photos made my day.

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

"Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

ABC's of ABA

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop presented by a behavior therapist. As it turned out, I went to a conference on the same topic over a year ago. I will describe what I have taken away from these methods in my own words - but please take a look at the links I have provided below. After I learned about this, life with children made a lot more sense to me. Not that this is earth shattering material, but it helped me to better understand the hows, whats and whys of behavior in children, and occasionally husbands. I am in no way an expert in this - just a parent who wants to share a behavior strategy that has worked in our home. I hope to inspire others to explore it further. Any errors in information comes from me and cannot be blamed on the presenters. Also, you may have seen ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis - connected most often with Autism - please do not let this deter you if your child is not autistic. I use these methods with all my children, none of which are labeled au

eSpecially Ben

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