eSpecially Ben

The day after Christmas, we spent an hour walking on the greenway that meanders through our city. The large fountain was empty for the winter and Logan and Sean saw this as the perfect opportunity to race through it. Ben watched them, giggled a bit, then suddenly went crazy trying to get out of his chair. Interested in getting Ben some walking time in, I obliged by getting him out of his seat. At the moment he was free of the chair, Ben pulled me in the direction of the fountain. (Imagine a large dog pulling its owner - that's how I felt.) We climbed over the fountain wall and kept walking across the circle. I thought Ben wanted to be a part of his brothers' shenanigans, but I was wrong. When we reached the other side of the fountain, we climbed over the wall. Ben kept pulling me in this same diagonal path he had chosen. If we kept going, we were going to hit the street, not a place I wanted to venture. Where the heck was this kid going? He clearly had something on his mi...

Here is yet another way children with disabilities can communicate - by using this special arm device to access a tablet. DEVICE HELPS CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES ACCESS TABLETS Video

It was icy cold with a slight breeze, but we braved the elements and sang our favorite Christmas Carols for our community and neighbors. Our first stop was at a house that requested our performance. They had Trader Joe's cookies waiting for us. People are not used to carolers and we get many reactions from our impromptu audiences: some listen while standing next to the window, others grab family members from inside so they too can hear the singing, while others walk quickly back into their house after one song. For the most part, everyone enjoyed our singing. I can understand it is awkward to stand there while a group sings to you a bit off tune. The kids love it - they run ahead, ring the doorbell and then belt out the words to Jingle Bells and Rudolph .  Each year, we gain a new family to our group. Once you start this tradition, it is hard to let go. Ben is in the left-hand corner of the photo hugging Elizabeth, his former teacher.

Ben made a last ditch effort tonight to repair his relationship with Santa . As soon as he saw the jolly man in the red suit, he jumped into his arms...and gave him a hug.

Log Cabin: The pretzels were part of our healthy snacks, but this kid had  better plans for them! Her parents are in the construction business. For as long as I can remember we have hosted a Graham Cracker House Party for our friends and neighbors. This year we had 14 kids (and their parents) participate. Everyone helps with supplies, setup, building, decorating and cleanup. This year, we had Mimosas for the parents - a great addition that I highly recommend. Expect some chaos. If you want to host an event like this, the list of candy, supplies and the instructions to give each parent are below. My nephew's birthday is in December and my sister hosted a birthday party for 13 boys, and they each made their own house. My sister recommends getting two mixers and have the Royal Icing II dry ingredients measured ahead of time. I did this, and it cut down on time because once the kids start building and decorating, they need a lot of the "glue" quickly. ...

Hoping everyone has fun with their family and friends!

There are no explanations, ways to find purpose or reason in what happened in Connecticut today. We cannot wrap our minds around the tragedy and our hearts hurt. Anger, blame, disbelief, sadness and the need to hold our own loved ones closer are the prevailing feelings. I found this poem and wanted to share it here: To my dearest family, some things I'd like to say  But first of all, to let you know, that I arrived okay. I'm writing this from heaven, here I dwell with God above  Here, there's no more tears of sadness; Here is just eternal love.  Please do not be unhappy just because I'm out of sight;  Remember that I am with you every morning, noon, and night.  That day I had to leave you when my life on earth was through  God picked me up and hugged me and He said, "I welcome you."  "It's good to have you back again, you were missed while you were gone,  As for your dearest family, they'll be here later on.  I ne...

Caught on camera...Ben biting Santa.

This is Ben with his former preschool teacher, Elizabeth.  When she walked into the room, he had eyes for no one else.  You Never Know You never know when someone might catch a dream from you. You never know when a little word or something that you might do, may open up a window of a mind that seeks the light. The way you teach may not matter at all, but you never know, it might. And just in case it could be that another's life through you might change for the better with a broader, brighter view. It seems it might be worth a try to do what you know is right. The way you teach may not matter at all, but you never know, it might.

My mom mailed this to me many months ago and then I lost it.  She was nice enough to find it again, scan it and email it to me. These sites are not just for children with special needs. Here it is for you to see and share: Tech Tool Kit Provides learning tools to enhance learning for all children. Book Builder Enables users to create, share, publish, and read digital books that engage young readers. Signed Stories provides books that readers can view in sign language and with subtitles. Books are also in audio, and users can easily share them with friends and family. Mother Goose Club   Furnishes nursery rhymes with child actors who animate the poems.  Carnegie Library for Kids   Allows for creating, sharing, and publishing digital books for repeated readings and includes wonderful prompts to help children begin. Natural Readers   Provides application software that reads any text on a computer. Word Talk - UK Provi...

If you have not seen this yet, check it out. It is a free personalized video message from Santa. This will be our third year receiving one from Santa: Ben's Message from the Portable North Pole Make your own message!

Power a Bright Future Logan and Sean attend a local Montessori school. The school is in the running for a grant through Clorox. Please take a look at this and if you feel comfortable, vote for their school. To Vote: 1. Text 2439pbf to 95248   or 2. Vote online at Power a Bright Future You can vote once a day per device until December 19, 2012.  Vote from your phone by text, your work computer, your home computer and your ipad.  Just VOTE! Create an innovative TV studio where students collaborate Highland Mill Montessori, Charlotte, NC Program Detail: Bringing innovative technology and local artists together will help our students become 21st century learners by creating a state-of-the-art television studio. We will collaborate to implement Montessori Philosophy, Common Core, and Media/Technology curricula through planning, research, and using the technology skills needed to produce quality broadcasting, which will result in helping our stud...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Clearly, Ben's brothers were more excited about the trophy than he was about it. But then again, they were more excited about the whole baseball thing too. Oh well!

The  shoes  Ben is wearing are especially for use with AFOs. Every six months, Ben is allowed to receive new braces (ankle foot orthotics), shoes and socks through insurance and Medicaid. If for some reason his foot should grow too quickly in that amount of time, we could ask for special permission. We have not had to do that yet; luckily six seems like the magic number. After being cast, it takes about 2-3 weeks for the braces to be made. We use Level 4, a company that makes its own braces. Our orthotist, Steve, is involved throughout the process, to ensure Ben gets the best fit. This time, before we went in for casting, Ben visited an orthopedic surgeon. I wanted a new set of eyes on Ben's pronated feet, which seemed even more pronounced lately. The surgeon suggested Botox, something he did not do, but our neurologist certainly would do. After the trip to the neurologist and a very definite "no" about her office injecting the Botox, we were sent to a p h...

We waited six months to receive Ben's NOVA Chat 10 . It arrived about three days before the burglary. It sat on the kitchen counter with one sheet of paper covering it. It looks like an ipad . That it did not catch the thieves' eyes, I can only believe it was Ben's guardian angels hard at work. This is the homepage for a helper to use first. Each button goes to a field of  two for Ben to make a choice. After many hours of setting up a simple platform we can use with Ben, we started using it just two days ago. We all expected that it may take a year or even more for Ben to get the concept. I believed that if we stuck with the process, he would eventually "get it". It took 30 seconds or less for Ben to "get it". Let me give you a few examples to illustrate what I am talking about. In each of the examples below, Ben was given a field of two choices. 1. Smoothie or Cottage Cheese, Ben chose Cottage Cheese. He ate it, three different meal times. ...

We are more than a week away from the break-in, and with information, a few more locks and the advantages of a surreal experience, all is settling down at our house. First, our insurance company, Allstate , has been generous with their coverage. At the time of the break-in, I had absolutely no idea about what would be covered. Unbeknownst to me, our insurance agent, whom we have been doing business with for over 15 years, had us covered for every possible scenario. Allstate has an express office to handle some claims over the phone and computer. Fortunately, our situation called for use of this service. Within 24 hours of turning in my list of stolen items, they had a settlement for us. We have 6 months to make changes, add items and dispute the claim. The police investigation appears ("appear" is the operative word here because no one is telling me anything) to be moving along. Since the burglary, we found out that two neighbors saw one of the perps (always wanted to use ...