tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90571681300350812032024-03-12T21:53:36.751-07:00Jobes FamilyMeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-73707634709178353662009-05-04T06:37:00.000-07:002009-05-04T06:41:37.923-07:00A very bad blogggger.Just a short apology to anyone who does actually read it..I had a few "burps" in life and this got put on the back burner. It's about to return as we gear up for summer waldorf schooling at home. I will post some pictures of the wool paintings we did last week, but for this week the goal is to just get a schedule going...something like out of the Christopherus manual a friend sent me..<br />wake up: Breakfast<br />Chores<br />Free Play<br />Fix Lunch (cooking lesson)<br />Eat Lunch together<br />Clean up<br />Quiet time with a story<br />Get Eli from Bus<br />Do a craft/movement/singing/handwork thing<br />Fix Dinner<br />Eat Family dinner with candlelight<br /><br />That's basically it. Waldorf for preschool is insanely simple. We will have many days when we'll have free play at parks with other kids and may have to change things around, but really, this is a good daily rhythm for anyone. Fridays when Kira joins us is definitely a craft and park day at least until Eli is out of school in July.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-36388188081795202232009-02-18T10:20:00.001-08:002009-02-18T10:32:31.160-08:00Still Creating Rhythm<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZxUOhMdSSI/AAAAAAAAAT8/YGm5BAljoCc/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 81px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZxUOhMdSSI/AAAAAAAAAT8/YGm5BAljoCc/s200/Waldorf+stuff+007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5304207069541124386" border="0" /></a><br />We have been hard at work while I took a break from the blog. For valentine's day we had a visitor, my friend's daughter that I watch every other friday, Kira. Kira and Sophie made some valentines, and then we had a little party with lots of goodies we wouldn't ordinarily eat. Then, we went off to a friends house for a day of completely free play in her yard. I had some dirty and sandy, and happy children to bring home that night.<br /><br />During the weekend, we focused more on family rhythm. Sophie and Eli are both loving having a family dinner every night, and Eli's manners are really falling in line. Sophie adores candlelit dinner and if we don't light the candles gets a little upset. On Saturday night we made completely homemade pizza (except I bought the sauce). Sophie learned to cut vegetables and pepperoni, and grate mozzerella cheese. Tom made the crust and Eli got his own gf/cf pizza, of course. I think it was the best pizza I ever tasted, because it was made with loving hands. It was just a lovely candlelit pizza dinner..best I ever had! The kids loved having so much family togetherness and to be included in all the things we do in our life.<br /><br />On Sunday, we had a nice long morning and Tom got a nap in. I took the kids out for a drive, and later we went as a family to the library and got some books to read this week. Story Time is a very important part of every day here. Sophie picked a book called Skippyjon Jones, which of course she has changed to Skippyjon Jobes!<br /><br />Monday both children were home from school, and so we had a nice, easy day of TV and free play, and Eli and I had a little tummy trouble so we just relaxed all day.<br /><br />Yesterday we focused on nature, and so I took the children to a local park called Cofrin Nature Park. They both got to walk in the creek and find stuff they wanted for our nature table. We have a great collection of seed pods and rocks there now. Sophie and Devin (her friend) and her mom went for a walk in the woods and explored a felled tree and it's very large root ball. Devin's mom got a very cute picture, which is in facebook now. Sophie had a lovely time, and Eli and I got some time to just play together. Later that night we had a re-focussing time with Bruce from RDI and came up with some new activities and a rhythm for that therapy for Eli. I forgot to mention that Devin's mom came over and helped me clean. Boy does the house look nice..making our rhythms easier again!<br /><br />Today is Music day...we are listening to some kids CDs designed to give us ideas for dancing and finger play and just enjoying the music. It's lovely! We love Laurie Berkner, so we're listening to her "Whaddya Think of That?" CD today. If I can convince the kids, we will listen to more music after that. I also met with Eli's teacher today and got more ideas on things to do with Eli at home, and the great news that Eli is being included in much more Kindergarten time. He's doing extremely well at school!<br /><br />Tomorrow we'll have baseball for Eli and an art activity for Sophie and I, and probably some cooking and food shopping too. Sophie is getting very good at identifying all the vegetables and fruits in the store now.<br /><br />Here is a picture of our valentines from last week.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-61758978541183194352009-02-12T14:47:00.001-08:002009-02-12T14:55:44.792-08:00A little extra bit of today...Tea Party..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSo6YHrvwI/AAAAAAAAAT0/IFo-vRgVYHs/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+006.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSo6YHrvwI/AAAAAAAAAT0/IFo-vRgVYHs/s200/Waldorf+stuff+006.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302048382182473474" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSo1ULPMlI/AAAAAAAAATs/2_QfLyXSYGQ/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+005.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 176px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSo1ULPMlI/AAAAAAAAATs/2_QfLyXSYGQ/s200/Waldorf+stuff+005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302048295224291922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSovUVYXhI/AAAAAAAAATk/bFNe-q45KCM/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZSovUVYXhI/AAAAAAAAATk/bFNe-q45KCM/s200/Waldorf+stuff+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302048192187620882" border="0" /></a><br />I turned off the TV about an hour ago and suggested that my daughter have a tea party. She got herself all dressed up, dressed up her dollies, and found all her tea things and some pretend foods and got right to it. It's absolutely adorable to see. I took some pictures of the dollies sitting around eating and drinking, too.<br /><br />The best part is my son, who is autistic, and never pretend plays, is pretending to pour tea and drink it. He has a whole script, but it's still so cute!<br /><br />part of waldorf education is lots of creative pretend play. Sophie went and found our one remaining noisy plastic toy and decided they needed music for their party..ugh, I hate that thing, but the kids really love it.<br /><br />Here are some pictures of the tea party.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-47728910746610142852009-02-12T11:02:00.000-08:002009-02-12T11:13:35.110-08:00Wet on Wet Watercolor, and Porridge!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZR01Ld_9fI/AAAAAAAAATc/pjMeLHTjiNE/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 195px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZR01Ld_9fI/AAAAAAAAATc/pjMeLHTjiNE/s200/Waldorf+stuff+002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301991118282421746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZR0vbIe63I/AAAAAAAAATU/y0s0Y53lkS8/s1600-h/Waldorf+stuff+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 131px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SZR0vbIe63I/AAAAAAAAATU/y0s0Y53lkS8/s200/Waldorf+stuff+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301991019407928178" border="0" /></a><br />Today's rhythm was based on a very tired mommy who needed to clean and eat well! So, after some rest this morning while Sophie played, I made real scottish oatmeal for the first time, otherwise known as porridge. I convinced Sophie to take a taste (after it was covered in maple syrup and half and half) by closing her eyes and opening her mouth. She really liked it and asked for a second bite, and then her own bowl. She only ate about 3 more bites before she was done, but every time we get her to try a new food, I'm a happy mom.<br /><br />After breakfast, Sophie had more free play while I got myself alive with some coffee and got dressed and what not. We had spaghetti for lunch after I cleaned the kitchen. She decided not to help me with that, which was fine. Today was a TV day because I am really worn out from being ill. I'm just glad she is eating well today.<br /><br />After Eli got home, we got ready for some wet on wet watercolor painting. I had Sophie choose two colors and I chose two colors and we mixed up the color together. Then we got our sponges and paper and moved into the dining room. We wet our sponges and wet our paper. Then we got to the painting part! I never had so much fun. This time I got the wetness right on the good paper, so the colors spread and melded together wonderfully. I started by making 4 trees..they all melted together in the green part and Sophie suggested they needed sunshine so we put some breaking through the trees. I'm so pleased with it. I should mention that I'm not at all artistic so this is a new journey for ME as well as the children. Eli decided not to paint today, but I've left out paper and a watercolor strip for him if he changes his mind. Sophie made her colors spread over the page and was interested in the new colors she made with them..(she had red and yellow and then borrowed my green and brown later). She loved the way the color spread everywhere.<br /><br />Tomorrow we have our babysitting job, Kira. We plan to do some more painting and also make valentines before going over to our friends house for free play.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-61701275333347186722009-02-09T11:01:00.000-08:002009-02-09T11:14:45.682-08:00A new direction for the blog..Waldorf Education at HomeWe have begun a waldorf educational journey in our home. I am trying to bring the ideals and rhythm and creativity of waldorf education into our home and into our children's lives. I hope to make them more well-rounded and creative children. Or rather, help them to be more attuned and aware of the world around them, enjoy the natural world, the art world, and other interesting materials and textures. To leave behind the drive for academic achievement when they are still so young and enjoy their childhood while they can. To provide sensory stimulation and awareness of everyday happenings. To give them a whole life, full of rich experience.<br /><br />With that in mind, I am starting our blog again, as a journal to catalog the activities and explorations we make together every day.<br /><br />Before I began this, I did a lot of reading and investigation of what sorts of things a waldorf school does on a daily basis, and what waldorf educators at home are doing on a daily basis with their children. I read about the ideals of this style of education with young children. I can provide a list of my reading materials but that's not the purpose here. My purpose here is to keep track of the changes we're making in our daily lifestyle, their effect on all of us, and our joy in our work together.<br /><br />Before today, we had created our nature table again next to the entertainment center. We picked a cloth that represented winter to us and decorated it with various things we found outside that appealed to us. Today we added some sweet gum seeds and I put my birthday roses on the table to share. Sophie added her dragons and a flower fairy in her bed, waiting to wake up for spring. We have some pine cones, acorns, and pine needles and sticks. I found a nice rock and we added it too. The table will grow and change until it is time to restart for spring. It seems appropriate to restart the table in spring, doesn't it? I hope that Sophie's flower fairy will awaken and grow with us!<br />We also created pine cone creatures which still live on the table from some felt and pine cones and wool yarn.<br /><br />Tom and Sophie have been trying to make two loaves of bread on the weekends for us to share for the week. My goal is to have a snack time for Sophie and I each day that consists of a nutritious cooked whole grain, such as they do at waldorf. We have acquired oatmeal, quinoa, millet, and brown rice. I hope to make other days have a vegetable snack or a fruit snack because Sophie is more likely to try a fruit than a grain. We are moving toward whole food cooking in our house and away from all processed foods. It's a process!<br /><br />Today Sophie and I ventured out to Michael's today and got some water color paper, good flat brushes, and some good watercolors. This afternoon, we waited for Eli and set up with sponges and paper and our primary colors mixed in their own cups. It was glorious but it also was a surprise for me as the children would forget to rinse their brushes and use the sponges I set out, instead mixing the colors. I'm glad I only used a bit of each color now! They thoroughly enjoyed the creation of new colors, however, so I got over myself and made my own paints for my painting. I tried to show them brush strokes and wet on wet painting and how the colors bleed and meld. They were more interested in making lots of paint on the page, which was totally fine!<br /><br />I am enjoying the experiences we're having as we move into our rhythm!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-24724924573794898062008-05-28T08:40:00.000-07:002008-05-28T08:41:52.096-07:00Blech, what a day!Just have to vent a little bit about a lousy day so far..got a speeding ticket, and it just trashed my mood for the day. Oh, and I gained back 2 lbs, too.<br /><br />Enough...I'm going to focus on the positive for the rest of the day and see how it goes!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-28052019058692070172008-05-19T09:52:00.000-07:002008-05-19T09:55:25.206-07:00OK..the Low Carb is Working!Ok, so I did the first week of the induction period and lost nearly 8 lbs. I'm amazed and delighted. This week I am adding in 3 days a week work outs and still doing the induction period. The headaches are gone and my face is starting to clear up. It was a hard week, but I keep saying to myself, it's for my health and well-being. I need to live a long time!!<br /><br />In other news, I am SO busy now that I am making more friends. I found a gym and diet buddy in a mom from my son's classroom and I'm so grateful..she's one of those master organizers so we'll be involved in doing a LOT of things together and with the kids. Eli will keep having social exposure even after school ends, which is good.<br /><br />I am so glad I restarted this, I so needed to start feeling good about myself again.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-42102048675707015592008-05-12T17:52:00.001-07:002008-05-12T17:55:28.400-07:00Focus on MeWell, I just started a low carb diet again and I must say that the book I got from the library really rocks my world. Wonderful recipes, fast and easy execution and goooood food. Tonight we had shrimp scampi over greens and roasted asparagus. Boy, was that good.<br /><br />So the book is Low Carb Meals in Minutes by Linda Gassenheimer and I highly recommend this for ease of use and deliciousness. I have a headache tonight thanks to not having sugar, but I am hoping the end results will be worth the brief headaches.<br /><br />So, the new me will be a better me in a few weeks. Right now I'm still struggling along with weight and health, but I hope to feel a lot better soon!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-72411267141685674022008-05-09T06:06:00.000-07:002008-05-09T06:12:31.329-07:00Trying to find new focus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SCRNs1xZGRI/AAAAAAAAAJU/QHuwT51ke48/s1600-h/fancysophie+003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/SCRNs1xZGRI/AAAAAAAAAJU/QHuwT51ke48/s200/fancysophie+003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198365302636222738" border="0" /></a><br />Hey there! It's been really hard lately to remember that I have a blog and that anyone might actually be watching for updates.<br /><br />So, in the last two months many things have happened in our lives. Some of them are exciting, some are just ordinary. Mostly they are ordinary and we just go on day by day.<br /><br />We began a local preschool coop group locally and Sophie and I have been busy with that once a week and enjoying learning new things and being with our friends. Some of our friends have left the group we belong to when some stuff happened I can't write about publicly and it's been a struggle to hold together the group as a whole. I find myself not wanting change and embracing it. I am always looking for friends and people to know.<br /><br />I also just finished a series of knitting classes which I taught. It never goes how I expect. I had a ton of people interested in taking my class, and only 1 actually took it in the end. She is really doing well with her knitting and enjoys it, which in turn gives me joy. I'm about to try and start a new series of classes and see if I can get any more interest. Lots of people want to, but as moms it is often hard for us to find time.<br /><br />Not much else to say. Sophie is getting big and beautiful and we think she is reading many words now. Tom and her work together to count to 100 nightly, too. Sophie loves to read and count and play pretend and just be herself. She is such a doll, but also 3.5 so she can also be very trying!! Here is a picture of her all dressed up.<br /><br />Hopefully we'll be back soon!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-72838649117203292492008-03-04T09:57:00.001-08:002008-03-04T10:01:29.306-08:00Finding the Gratitude in Sick Days...I have to say it was a very quiet week around here, except for the coughing. Sophie has a nasty cough and it's taking a while to clear up. Then today Eli woke up with a slight fever and coughing, so I guess it is his turn.<br /><br />So here I am, just a little over 24 hours from leaving for the weekend, and confined indoors with a bellyache and sick kids.<br /><br />What is there to be grateful for? Neither of them is sick enough to take to a doctor. I baked a pumpkin bread just to have something to do and it tastes heavenly. I did the dishes and cleaned up the house, despite the belly ache. I'm so excited about tomorrow I'm probably suffering a nervous belly to be honest, which I know I can recover from quickly.<br /><br />I'm happy that I have relatively mellow kids who enjoy watching DVDs over and over so I don't have to put a lot of energy into their illnesses. They will just sit and rest and drink fluids. Good kids. It's not a gorgeous day so they are really being very good.<br /><br />I'm happy that I know my husband can take great care of the kids so I can go away for 5 days and not be worried about them, just miss them all terribly.<br /><br />When I get back, it'll be time to do a knitting project a week on my blog, I can't wait!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-39333776517480073252008-02-25T16:47:00.000-08:002008-02-25T16:59:51.952-08:00Learning from my SonToday, Eli was up before I woke him for school. He misses school on the weekends and tends to get up early on Monday so he can get ready to go. I found him bouncing around as I stumbled out and started coffee. I made his lunch and got him dressed and he was already very talkative.<br />We often sing songs together in the morning and in the evening, so this morning after singing and getting outside for the bus..I pointed out the moon in the early morning sky. Eli actually followed my point and looked at the moon. I thought that was pretty terrific and I remember thinking to myself, "It's going to be a very good day for him".<br /><br />Sophie and I went to the park for a playgroup day and she made a new friend and we had a grand time. The weather was just perfect, right around 70-75 degrees, sunny and pretty. Sophie had a ball! Hopefully we made a new friend, too. Usually we have playgroup here, but Tom has been sick so we decided to ask everyone to the park. What a great idea that was! I love being outdoors with my children, they just love it so much!<br /><br />I even got to the library today and as usual, found way more to read than I thought I would find. I had only stopped to pick up some of the books I had on reserve, and ended up bringing a ton more home. I love the library!<br /><br />So the best thing about today?? Eli taught me a new song! Yes, my son taught me one of the songs from school. I really think that he is blossoming these days. His teacher wrote home to tell us that he was really "on" today, which I thought might happen given his reactions this morning, but I was very happy to hear it, nonetheless. So, we were laying with his daddy (he had asked "Please want some daddy please mommy") and Tom was still sleepy so we were just playing a bit and giggling, when I said, "Hey, let's sing a song!" and so I asked him to start singing, and he started a song I didn't know called Fiddle I Fee. Well, before I knew it I was learning the lyrics and singing along with him. He was so pleased with himself!! I didn't get the tune down very well, so I got up and found the lyrics online with music and started singing again..Eli came racing out of the bedroom so he could sing it with me. He got a whole lot of hugs at that point and a lot of thank yous..He taught me a new song. We've sung together a few more times after that, but always with extended gazing and lots of smiles. Eli is proud of himself, and I am so proud of him!<br /><br />So, I am grateful for days when Eli is "on", when he can teach me and I can learn. I am grateful for the fun I get to have with my son almost every day now. The greater communication sure does relieve a lot of stress from months ago. He listens to 1 and 2 step directions and does them now, he is so ALIVE in comparison to several months ago. He gets more vibrant every day. I get so much love and joy and fulfillment just being his mommy. I love how I can value all this because he is autistic, honestly. Had he not been, would I have taken the time to be happily grateful because my son could follow my point to the moon and share the experience of it with me? I am not sure. I do know that I'm grateful for each of these small moments now.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-37502886829572270912008-02-23T20:25:00.001-08:002008-02-23T20:27:34.494-08:00Saturdays are Lazy Laundry Filled DaysI should pretty much say, that is all at this point.<br /><br />Tom has been sick, I've been out of it fighting off a cold, and the kids had a grand day just hanging around the house. I did get the laundry done, and also some food shopping.<br /><br />My gratitude of the day? Eli was thrilled out of his little happy mind when I announced pizza for dinner! He gets Gluten free crust and soy cheese..but he loves his pizza so much. I really need to boost nutrition in his sauce since it's mostly what he wants to eat when we have pizza crusts available. So I'm grateful he loves pizza and that it made him so happy today.<br /><br />It was an easy, lazy day. Nice.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-18620900486119282332008-02-23T07:12:00.000-08:002008-02-23T07:18:05.510-08:00Pajama DayYesterday I just decided to decompress from having family here all week. Sophie was sad that her cousin had gone, and I was worrying they wouldn't get home because of the winter storm up north. They did make it home, after 12 hours of traveling and sitting around in airports. Thank goodness! I'm grateful every time someone makes it through an airplane trip, seriously.<br /><br />So, I wore my jammies all day yesterday. I even went outside to get the mail and get Eli off the bus, in my flannel jammies. I just don't care what anyone thought of that, I was not getting dressed yesterday if I could help it. It was good to relax as I seem to have come down with a cold and I have a million knitting projects to finish. I just sat on my butt most of the day and knitted. Yes, I still had to care for Sophie and then Eli when he got home, but they are pretty easy to handle these days.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R8A46WKun2I/AAAAAAAAADE/NsmeUC7KXaQ/s1600-h/spin+001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R8A46WKun2I/AAAAAAAAADE/NsmeUC7KXaQ/s200/spin+001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170194947255476066" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Sophie went through a few dresses. She likes to dress up every day. If I let her she'd be in this outfit every single day. She calls it her party dress and she adores it. I get a bit tired of it after a while, so I hide it while the laundry is going and give myself a break from it. But she does love it so that eventually I bring it back out and let her wear it again. I love to see her express her individuality, honestly.<br /><br />So, my gratitude of yesterday was, I was grateful I could hang out in my jammies and do nothing but knit and be mom for a whole day!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-43509809793752974252008-02-21T20:21:00.001-08:002008-02-21T20:29:48.643-08:00My sweet boy..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R75ODmKun1I/AAAAAAAAAC8/IBEmcbLPqYI/s1600-h/zoo+012.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R75ODmKun1I/AAAAAAAAAC8/IBEmcbLPqYI/s200/zoo+012.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169655245960027986" border="0" /></a><br />Look at that face...<br /><br />He examines every little detail sometimes..it's an interesting exercise in thought to try to figure out what really goes on inside the mind of the autistic child. What does he see? Is it more vivid?<br /><br />Today he was busy drawing carrots and showing them off. I thought about how grateful I am that he now seeks us all out to show off his work. I find that so amazing every time he does it. Yes, he draws the same thing over and over again until he is happy with it, but he shows it off now, every time. Every day he wants to include us in his world. We have this amazing relationship with him that most parents don't have a chance to value.<br /><br />He likes to draw everything with a face now, too. His people have eyes and a big smile, every single time. I am grateful that he sees people with a joyful expression. He is a pretty joyful guy almost all the time, so that probably helps. I am grateful he is not the melting down type, and that we are aware enough as parents to notice when he is having sensory overload issues and can figure out ways to help him.<br /><br />Today I gave him massage and deep squeezing touches. He loves this. He craves deep touching so that he can figure out where he is, and so he can center himself. When he is overloading, he'll often bang into things on purpose or throw his body about. Today I watched him at a very busy indoor playground do this a few times..lay on the floor and wiggle, and when he was satisfied and centered, he got up and went about playing like the other children. I realized that he does have the ability to overcome sensory overload now. I wonder if it's because I tune in when he seems to need help? Not sure...but I'm grateful he can do this without me or his dad when he needs to.<br /><br />Eli is a beautiful child with a beautiful vision. I hope through all his life he keeps that alive. Maybe he'll grow up to be an artist, who knows. I just hope someday he can share what he sees; I have a feeling it's extraordinary.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-51183675653501968322008-02-20T21:09:00.001-08:002008-02-20T21:22:02.721-08:00Going through a million Pictures..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R70H_mKunzI/AAAAAAAAACs/SIkMzB5vegU/s1600-h/DSC00793.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R70H_mKunzI/AAAAAAAAACs/SIkMzB5vegU/s200/DSC00793.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169296736449896242" border="0" /></a><br />We took so many of our recent family jaunt down to great aunt janes house, this one is one of my favorites. Two cousins searching for shells on the beach. Wearing their matching hats and loving eachother's company. I am so grateful that these two cousins, 4 years apart, have found so much pleasure in each other.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R70ItWKun0I/AAAAAAAAAC0/JZKvWwDP9vg/s1600-h/DSC00790.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/R70ItWKun0I/AAAAAAAAAC0/JZKvWwDP9vg/s200/DSC00790.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5169297522428911426" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The beach is a spot that my children adore. I grew up 4 miles from the beach during my childhood. It was simply a place that was always there, that we took for granted. I forgot the simple pleasure of running our toes through soft, warm sand. I forgot how hot sand is in the summer time. We would run down tot he water as fast as possible to cool our feet. I forgot how much fun it is to just look for shells and enjoy the sights, colors and textures of the beach.<br />We went to the gulf coast, the water is so beautiful and later in the year, so warm and fun. Even now, in February, we could put our feet in the water and not freeze. Our children could not wait to experience the singular delight of that first frozen shock and then the waves running over their legs, making them crow with joy.<br /><br />I forget every time we plan to go, while we're busy packing up this and that to accomadate our every need, how much I just love being at the beach with children. Children take such delight in all the sights, smells and sounds. They don't feel the wind blowing sand into their faces as an unpleasant experience the way I do, they feel the uniqueness of sand and pour it all over themselves, reveling in the texture and feel of it. Babies eat it, just to check it out!<br /><br />Sophie picked up tons of pieces of shells, and I kept trying to convince her that she wanted whole shells. Finally she convinced me, she wanted what she saw as beautiful, not what I saw as imperfect.<br /><br />I am grateful to be given the chance to see life through the experiences of my children. I am grateful that I get to share in the wonder that is childhood every single day. It makes life worth living for me.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-20718593679920269812008-02-19T16:12:00.000-08:002008-02-19T16:20:20.679-08:00Fun Family Vacation time..Well, sorry I haven't posted! The last 2 days we went on a mini trip down to see my husband's great aunt Jane, a beloved family member that we named our daughter for. She and her friend Marcy are very dear to us all, and it's so wonderful to have time to visit them while Tom's sister and family are with us visiting. They live about 3 hours south of us in Bradenton. Today we went to a lovely beach near their home on Anna Maria Island. The children had so much fun putting their feet in the water and gathering shells. Later we'll make shell collages, perhaps tomorrow!<br /><br />At first, to be honest, I was intimidated by taking my kids to a home that isn't terribly kid friendly to spend the night. They have a swimming pool outside their home, not a big danger for adults, but for kids could be problematic, and we had to put one of our kids in bed with us, too. Eli can really give us trouble getting into things that satisfy his sensory needs.<br /><br />But as it turned out, I had little to worry about. Eli did just fine, only got into some lotion for a half second. He didn't want to go to bed, and neither did Sophie, but we managed to get them to sleep a bit later. We got up today and went to the beach, which was just fabulous and made my whole week. We must visit a lot more often.<br /><br />Sophie is traveling with her Aunt and Uncle and cousin and is just so happy. She has a new idol, her cousin Amanda. She just adores her no end! I love that!<br /><br />So, I'm grateful that we've had the time to find pleasure even when we are intimidated and having a rough time adapting. I almost got into it over vaccines with my sister in law, but I have learned to pull out of these things before bad feelings get brought out, so I just backed off. I want this to be a happy time, and so far it has been!<br /><br />I'm very grateful Eli is a flexible child who doesn't have a very hard time with transitions like many other autistic children, or 2 day spur of the moment trips would not be possible. I'm so happy I can take him somewhere without fear or worry (Ok, a little worry..but not that bad!) that he'll break down and flip out. Thank goodness for my little son being able to adapt well. It really makes his future so much brighter!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-87899827848725259182008-02-16T06:06:00.000-08:002008-02-16T06:13:22.363-08:00Happiness Is...Waking up to kids enjoying life. My daughter is in absolute heaven because her cousin Amanda is here visiting. They are playing very joyfully and happily. It's so adorable how a 7 year old and 3 year old can completely enjoy eachother they way they do.<br /><br />But my gratitude is supposed to relate to Eli..I'm grateful that Eli does not run away from busy children and hide himself any longer. He doesn't quite understand how to enter the play just yet, but now he hovers and watches and hangs around other kids instead of running off and isolating himself somewhere. I am so happy that he is getting ever closer to forming relationships with other children.<br /><br />Eli was incredibly happy playing with his uncle last night, too. He never used to engage people other than his father in play. He was more likely to run to his dad or go hide out. Now, when we have adult visitors, he wants to play with them as much as they will let him. Eli's general form of play is very boyish, he likes rough house type play, to be bounced and carried around on your back ..(I heard "Giddyup please!" about 20 times at least last night), tickled, turned upside down, whatever. Uncle Scott very easily adapted to this type of play..guys love to play this way..it's simple and fun.<br /><br />So today, happiness is having family visit and no disasters have ensued! Eli is enjoying the presence of other people and I get to go nuts talking about kids and yarn (my sister in law likes to knit too!) and other assorted stuff.<br /><br />Happiness is .....Happy kids!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-28086329848823111462008-02-15T05:18:00.000-08:002008-02-15T05:24:03.858-08:00The Beginning of Being Grateful Every DayThis month, in an attempt to get going on blogging again, I am joining a bunch of moms in posting a bit about gratitude every single day.<br /><br />I decided that since the focus of this blog has been my son Elijah and his autism recovery and development over time, that the focus of my gratitude will be about Eli and his life and programs, etc.<br /><br />So, for today, I am grateful to have Eli home from School today. I now look forward to the days he stays home for 2 reasons: 1, I get to sleep a little later!! and 2, I really enjoy being with my son now.<br /><br />In the past, it has been a struggle to manage my little guy. He used to escape from the house, he used to do so many things that made me a hyper vigilant mother. He was just very disruptive. I am positive that for him it was sheer frustration and natural curiosity that made him the way he was. But today, Eli is a more settled fellow who likes to be around us and play with us. He used to avoid my company, now he seeks it out. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that one small thing.<br /><br />It's all about the small things with Elijah. The small developmental advances, the small additions of new speech to his vocabulary, the small steps. In special needs parlance, we call them inchstones because each little one makes a big difference to us parents who are trying so very hard to help our children grow up.<br /><br />Between Eli, his RDI program and his school program, we have had so many wonderful inchstones in such a short time. I celebrate them every time. I am so happy to have been given the privilege of being Eli's Mom.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-33797155048046976782008-01-14T14:05:00.000-08:002008-01-14T14:07:51.602-08:00It's been a few months..My Amazing Son!Eli has become simply amazing in his progress. I cannot describe to anyone the joy we experience every day as a result of the RDI program. Our son looks for us, connects with us, connects with his sister.<br /><br />He's asking for things with sentences. He is able to ask other adults to play with him. He acts like a three year old now, with all the despair and joy that goes with it.<br /><br />I can't even start on the progress without tearing up, so take my word for it. RDI is a miracle.Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-92141099174709828832007-10-05T10:20:00.001-07:002007-10-05T10:24:22.846-07:00The Zoo!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/RwZydNiwUbI/AAAAAAAAAAs/j24J7GM2e-Q/s1600-h/zoo+018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/RwZydNiwUbI/AAAAAAAAAAs/j24J7GM2e-Q/s320/zoo+018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117903872730354098" border="0" /></a><br />Today we went to the teaching zoo at the local community college. One of the members of the playgroup we belong to is a graduate and gave us a tour. It was so neat, the animals are kept in a beautiful natural layout and are so healthy and pretty. We took lots of pictures and if you peruse my photobucket you can see about 20 that turned out ok. The link is listed below, I hope.<br />The picture here is of a white footed gibbon..he was swinging around and watching US.<br /><br />Sophie fell at the snake exhibit and hurt her foot, though, and was kind of grumpy and wouldn't look at the snakes. She cheered up when we saw turtles, though. She was terrified of the gators, however. They also have some beautiful bald eagles, which are really HUGE birds.<br /><br />Come visit us in Gainesville soon, the exibits are free but you must take a guided tour. They have tours all weekend long!<br />http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/megjobes/Teaching%20Zoo%20SFCC/Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-84574840299093759662007-09-29T05:52:00.000-07:002007-09-29T05:58:52.003-07:00Yesterday was Tom's Birthday!We had a great day, here. While Eli was at school, Sophie and I went to the store and picked up a cake, frosting, and birthday candles and hats. Sophie was so excited that it was daddy's birthday and we were going to have a party. I promised when Eli got home, we were going to make the GF/CF cupcakes.<br /><br />So, Eli got home and I gave him a little while to get settled, and we made cupcakes. Eli helped pour the ingredients in and stir, and Sophie helped stir and lick the bowl after I put the batter in the cupcake holders. It was so great that BOTH children could help me make the cakes. After we got done with frosting (Sophie's favorite part), we made construction paper birthday cards with stickers and crayons. They each decorated the card for daddy.<br /><br />I think the best part was when Tom got home from work and Sophie came in from outside and yelled, "DADDY! It's your Birthday!" and sang to him. He was really pleased with the kids' efforts and was smiling a lot. After supper we had cake while wearing birthday hats and also ice cream (the children had soy ice cream). A huge mess was made by the cupcake eaters. Tom and I had chocolate cake with creme brulee ice cream..YUM YUM..Good fun was had by all!<br /><br />I think one of the best things, though, is that Eli willingly participates with us now. He helped make the cake, he helped frost, he made the birthday card for daddy, and he put on his birthday hat and sung his own little birthday tune. I'm so pleased to have him as part of things now. Even 6 months ago I couldn't have gotten him to be in the moments with us like he was yesterday.<br /><br />Tom and I stayed up way too late chatting and cuddling...now I'm up way too early with the boy who is on a normal sleep schedule!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-29793520248575849052007-09-28T04:23:00.000-07:002007-09-28T04:35:40.847-07:00Back to the Blog!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/Rvzm1diwUaI/AAAAAAAAAAk/L57aC8Aq2uE/s1600-h/Elischool1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1Wu5-WIz8X8/Rvzm1diwUaI/AAAAAAAAAAk/L57aC8Aq2uE/s320/Elischool1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115217082923897250" border="0" /></a><br />Now that I've finally got my camera back and a little bit of time in the mornings before Sophie gets up I can get back to blogging about the children and especially Eli and the RDI program.<br /><br />First off, let me just say I have nothing but positive things to say about RDI. The vibrant, loving boy that we had before age 2 is coming back to us. He is now actively seeking us out for engagement, looks at me or his father often for information when approaching situations, and just overall seems to feel more confident and happy. I feel more confident as a parent with him now.<br /><br />Yesterday, both children helped me clean the kitchen. We are now applying our RDI activities to life as often as possible. Eli loves to play his woosh woosh game (basically I spray and he wipes) so we've translated it into helping me clean surfaces all throughout the house. Sophie is at that age where she wants to help mommy too, so both children got to help wipe while I sprayed water for them. The counters look great! The hard part for Eli is translating the wiping from a table top surface to the back door glass...the upright surface is harder for him to process, but we are working on it. The door has a lot of funny streaks!<br /><br />The other thing that made this week particularly hard is Eli found himself on a mound of fire ants and got bit all over his feet and legs. It was just awful..he had one bad night that was very reminiscent of my older children with chicken pox..just up miserably crying because it itched so bad. Feet are SO sensitive, and to have these horrible painful itchy bites all over them..well..<br />Benedryl helped a lot, and then apparantly with fire ants the bites get infection..so we had to pop all the bites and get that out. After that things were fine, but then the other night his feet got bitten by mosquitos (that being the only bare spot on him) and he was miserable all over again. This time I used Caladryl, then Hydrocortisone, neither worked..so finally benedryl cream which took a while to sink in. He got so fascinated with creams providing relief that I had to hide every cream and lotion in the house yesterday because he kept applying them to himself...!! He is a sensory seeking boy and enjoys textures like creams and lotions. I think I'm going to get him some of his own lotion to put on every day.<br /><br />Anyway, the good news is, RDI is definitely the right choice for him still..he is blossoming. His teacher at the new program says he is participating more at school and I am seeing the signs of that at home. It's like doing RDI has brought me a happy child who feels a whole lot less frustrated and a whole lot more competent and content. There's still a long road to go, which will have bumps and turns, but we've gotten off to an amazing start!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-46207037201531261932007-08-04T05:43:00.000-07:002007-08-04T05:51:29.107-07:00I think Eli is growing again..in such a positive way. I got shared attention with him yesterday and he was showing off to me!! Usually Eli will play or draw on his own, he doesn't explain what he is doing unless you directly ask him. Well, yesterday he was drawing on his magnetic drawing pad..came running to me with it all the way to the back porch saying "Paw Print!" He brought it to me and said "Paw Print, Paw Print!" so I said, "Oh look, you drew a paw print!" He looked at me and smiled! He just showed off to me!!!<br /><br />Later that night he did it again. He drew a paw print and brought it to me to show me, then he climbed into my lap and erased it, and drew some more, each time telling me what he was drawing. Once, I took his hand and drew his name for him and he said, "Ewi, dat's Ewi", and then he erased and drew something and said, "wook, a cart, a cart!" and looked at me and I said, "Yes, that's a cart, very well done!" and he said, "Want me do it again?" (I was gaping by now) and I said, "Yes, draw again" so he erased and drew and said, "wook, a guitar!" and I said, "Wow, well done" and he erased and drew a cart, etc. He was sharing with me. Looking at me and telling me what he was doing. It was a beautiful moment. I tried to get his daddy involved, but he really just wanted to share drawing with me this time. I am beyond astounded at this right now and I can't stop thinking about it. It's progress!<br /><br />He does so well with RDI activities. I took him outside last night after Tom took Sophie to bed at 8pm and took him for a walk. We'd walk ten paces together and stop, over and over down the block, across the street and back. Near the end of the walk I pointed out some mushrooms in the yard across the street and Eli said, "Oh, marshmellows!" and went over and touched one whereupon it broke. So I just kept merrily going and said, "well, they looked a lot like marshmellows, but when you touched it, it sure wasn't a marshmellow" and we went home doing our ten pace walking. He is really doing so well. I'm so proud of him!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-6241871295327593462007-08-02T13:36:00.001-07:002007-08-02T13:37:46.979-07:00Just regular days..Around here until school begins in a few weeks. Jake comes to visit soon so that will be a change of pace at least.<br />Right now everything is hunky dory. Eli is just getting better and better every day. He is doing such an amazing job with RDI ...we have put pausing into the routines to elicit facial referencing and it is working so so well..<br /><br />well, the demands of children never end..Sophie is begging for something again..be back tomorrow!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9057168130035081203.post-77163797260415277962007-07-30T05:33:00.000-07:002007-07-30T05:50:55.905-07:00Playing Catch Up after the Whirlwind!Well hello from our new home in Gainesville!<br /><br />It's been a long while since I did this, because we had so much going on in our lives I didn't have time to post often. First, we went on vacation, a family reunion of sorts in Maryland where Tom's Aunt Jane had her 80th birthday party. I discovered that Sophie has definitely got some Howard family traits in her on that trip. Her great grandmother's chin and her Grand Aunt Jane's lips. Pretty neat all around. She kind of looks like her Great-Uncle Van at times, too. It was a really neat trip and we got to be beachy people. Sophie thought her cousin Amanda was the best thing since sliced bread and asked for her for days after we returned home.<br /><br />We got home and went house shopping again and ran across this brilliant rental in Gainesville and decided we really wanted it. But the only way to get it was to move by July 1st! With a whole lot of help and very quick packing we were able to do it. I met a group of like-minded parents almost immediately and established a playgroup at our house every monday. The new house is fantastic, with a fenced in yard and a playset already here. The children are thrilled to have a yard they can go out in anytime they want. We also had room for a playroom/guestroom which is really terrific for containing toys. It's not a big house, but it's so cozy and lovely. Thanks to my Stepfather Paul, who is now only an hour away from us, we have a formal dining room too..he had the 1 peice of furniture I needed to make the room beautiful. My mom would have loved it.<br /><br />RDI proceeds apace, and Eli is making such good progress with it. We just threw in some twists in the exercises we've been doing with him, and he is making a lot of facial reference contact and just doing so well. The whole thing feels like a dream at times, but it's so wonderful to have this way to have fun with our son and help him learn the things he missed with his autism. He goes to school again in August, so we'll see how that works. His Pre-K class is all day (7:45-1:45) every weekday so that's a lot of school. This time, he'll get a bus, which picks him up insanely early. (6:24am!!!).<br />Jake will be coming soon to visit, and I'm so excited. I can't believe I have not seen him for a whole year!<br /><br />In other news, Sophie is right in the thick of potty learning and while there are still lots of accidents, there are also lots of successes. Hopefully she'll be fully trained by her 3rd birthday in November. We hope to have Thanksgiving here at our house with lots of family this year. I have to remember to invite them all very soon before other plans are made!<br /><br />Thats it for now, I have to go clean up for playgroup and get the kids awake!Meghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04169878595590912135noreply@blogger.com0