discovery

I got paid to do this...

The non-profit I work for is having a conference next month and I was asked to make a display board for the events I coordinate. Yes I got paid to put my scrapbook skills to work, today may have been my favorite day.

End of the year Teacher Gifts

It's that time of year, school is out!
I wanted to recognize and thank the wonderful team of women who surround my son with patience and every day wake up and arrive at school to teach and help him grow. I know that teaching a child on the spectrum can be difficult and yet can be the most rewarding year of teaching. I didn't have time to hand make gifts this year, I did however whip up some really cute cards and included a Starbucks gift card.
TEACHERS ROCK!!!

Craft at Work

Recently I received a coupon for free photo prints, whenever these cross my inbox I print out a bunch that I can use to make birthday cards. I brought a stack of pictures into work and during a lunch break I went through my paper recycling pile to see what I could reuse and turn into a card. My office building does not recycle so I have my own personal stack of paper recycling that I then take to a fundraising paper dumpster near my house. Everything I used was recycled except the staples...a file folder cut down, post it flags normally used on documents for signatures, and the word bubble is cut from a flyer. Happy Birthday!

I'm not perfect

Agasp, to that title right?
I never want to come across as having it all figured out. Because guess what, I don't. My sink has dirty dishes in it too and my kids whine more than I would like to acknowledge. But this little corner of my world I try and remain positive.
Right now I am going through a major life change. I haven't blogged about it because some things have to remain personal, especially when other people are involved. But because I'm not blogging about it or updating my facebook status with way too personal information it seems as though all is perfect in my world.
And guess what..it's not. Don't get me wrong...life is pretty freakin' good most of the time.
But I have days when...
it all feels so overwhelming,
the voice I use to answer my son's question is not the voice I intended to use,
I want to scream "SHUT UP!!!!" but I don't and I am thankful for that,
I cry into the carpet in child's pose,
I go to bed at 10pm because I am exhausted.
My life isn't perfect.

"But I like to strive for perfection...
the kind of perfection that comes with LOVING the imperfect,
LOVING the path of life that I am on now,
LOVING the chance that I have to learn from mistakes, to find solutions to problems, to grow as a mother, LOVING the gifts and trials and long days that I am SO grateful to be here to experience." Quote from blogger Clover Lane

What I am going through is personal and it's something that many other mothers have gone through before. And maybe someday I'll blog about it. But right now...I'm learning, I'm growing and I'm taking the time to really enjoy this journey.
One thing I have learned through this experience is the value of a phone call or a card.
Do me a favor, if you know someone that is juggling a lot of balls right now simply calling to check in or dropping a card in the mail is the greatest gift you can give her.
She may appear to have it all together but I'll bet she's crying into the carpet.

Free Summer Fun for Kids in DC

There is a lot going on this summer. And if your calendar looks anything like mine, our weekends are booking up quick! Both of my kids will be enjoying summer day camp this year and on my weekends with them I prefer to add a little education into the mix. Last year's "unschooling summer" was a HUGE success! I felt like both boys responded positively to trying new things and learning in this type of format. This year since I am no longer a Stay-At-Home-Mom I'm incorporating themes into each week and finding ways to teach them through crafts, cooking, art and hands-on learning. The biggest difference from last summer to this summer is that I will be planning the learning themes ahead of time. Which is honestly what I prefer, last year it was really cool to organically learn as we experienced life. For me that was stepping off the line a bit, embracing the idea of not having every minute of my life planned out.

While creating my planned unschooling schedule I came across some fun, free things to do with kids in DC. Maybe we will run into you!

Freer and Sackler Galleries
The galleries are located on the National Mall, the grassy area between the Capitol and the Washington Monument and ImaginAsia is a creative program for children and families.
http://www.asia.si.edu/events/imaginasia.asp

The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art is located on the National Mall between 3rd and 7th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW. If you aren't local check out their NGAkids website anyhow, it has some really great online activities that you can incorporate into your summer learning regardless of where you live.
The NGA summer programs are organized into two series—Stories in Art (ages 4-7) and Artful Conversations (ages 8-11)—designed to engage children and parents with works of art in the galleries. Check out the dates and themes here.

(The picture above is from last summer when Zane came across a skateboarding magazine at the doctor's office. We then went home and he began learning how to skateboard. And my stock in band-aids flourished.)

Summer

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June."
-- L. M. Montgomery

Autism: Logan talks about friends at school circa 2007

I love my iphone and I love my digital SLR camera, but the one feature I miss is the ability to make videos. I need to pull out the old point-n-shoot camera every once in a while and ask the kids some questions. I totally forgot that I made this video until recently someone commented and Youtube emailed me. It's so interesting to look back and see the progress Logan has made over the years. All the hard work that we have put in to open the "Autism window" has totally paid off. This video is from 2007 when he was attending Frances Fuchs Early Learning Center. A public preschool that works with children who are developmentally and/or physically delayed.

Doorstops

One of my dear friends decided to head up Teacher Appreciation Week at my son's school and did a wonderful job celebrating the teachers with decorations and gifts. She convinced 5 of us to help her with the project of making doorstops for all the teachers.
Please note the picture above is of an empty doorstop, it looks cuter when filled. It was a super easy project to do and all the teachers love them. These would make great end of the year teacher gifts too! The best part...she created her first tutorial! (props to you Lauren, I haven't even attempted this yet!)
Check out the tutorial and her blog, Lucy Jane Gallery.

Love 24/7

I drive 45 minutes each way to work. When I tell people this they inhale a large amount of air and then follow with a "wow that's a drive..."
I honestly don't mind it. I feel like my mind needs that time to decompress after work, before picking up the kids so that I can really be present for them. In the morning I drink my coffee and sing along to the radio like everyone else next to me in bumper to bumper traffic. It's a boring drive down the beltway not much to see....but during my first week of this job I was stuck in traffic and I happened to look over and I saw this graffiti on the back of a sign. I took it as a message from the universe. After that first encounter I searched for it again on my drive, when I would remember, and I would either have just passed it or a large truck was blocking my view. I decided that the universe would give it to me again when I needed it. Like a gift on a special day. I stopped looking. And I developed faith that some day...a random day...I would get to see it again and today was that day.

Bicycle- Indian Head Rail Trail

Saturday I enjoyed the view of the beautiful weather from the seat of my bike. I tried the new Indian Head Rail Trail and it was worth the drive! The trail is completely flat. Which is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you don't have to climb hills, a curse because you never stop pedaling. It's an up and back trail totaling 26 miles with lots of available parking. For those of you with kids this is the perfect trail for your beginner rider. Not only is it flat but it's straight, with only a few stops to cross a non busy 2 lane road. There are plenty of places along the ride to take a break on a park bench and discover nature. While on the ride we saw turtles basking in the sun, beaver lodges, a blue heron, a snake, lots of lizards and listened to a chorus of frogs.
And just an FYI- for the kids, like mine, who refuse to pee in the woods... there are plenty of port-a-potties along the trail also.
Add this trail to your list of free things to do this summer before it really heats up!

Cheesy Potato Spoon Bread

I made this for Mother's Day brunch yesterday and served it with a side salad. It was heavenly. I pulled the recipe from Vegetarian Times.I made it in a 13x9 baking pan and did a layer of mashed potatoes and then a layer of the cheese mixture and topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. I skipped the cayenne pepper and parsley because kids at our brunch would be eating it also and you know they won't touch anything with green flakes!

Ingredient List
Serves 6
* 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 Tbs. margarine
* 1/2 tsp. onion powder
* Salt to taste
* 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
* 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, optional
* 4 large eggs, beaten, or 1 cup egg substitute
* 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, optional
* 6 oz. Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
* 10 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Generously butter 6 1-cup ramekins or 2-qt. soufflé dish or casserole.

2. If using cold mashed potatoes, warm in large nonstick skillet or saucepan over medium heat until very hot, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

3. Meanwhile, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Put flour, margarine, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper in mixing bowl, and pour boiling water over mixture. Using electric mixer on low, beat for 1 minute, and add very hot mashed potatoes. Beat again well. Add eggs, and beat again, until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool slightly.

4. Mix parsley, shredded cheese and cream cheese in mixing bowl. Scoop 1/2 cup potato mixture into each ramekin, or put 4 cups into a prepared casserole. Make a well in center, and spoon in 2 heaping Tbs. of parsley-cheese filling. Cover filling with 4 Tbs. potato mixture. If using a casserole, top with remaining potato mixture. Place ramekins or casserole on baking sheet.

5. Bake 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with sprigs of parsley, if desired.

What my Mom did Right....

She taught me to be caring and to be selfless.
To give of myself to others.
She taught me to be forgiving, that holding grudges don't really get you anywhere.
She taught me that it's best to laugh the loudest at yourself cause life is pretty funny.
Because of what my mom has done right it is made me the mother I am today.
Thank you mom for growing me.

StoryCorps

When Sarah Littman visited StoryCorps with her son, Joshua, he was a seventh-grade honors student who was having a tough time socially. Joshua, who has Asperger's syndrome, had some unique questions to ask his mother:

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

This is a wonderful short animation video that arrived in my email inbox and I had to share with you all. Joshua's questions are quite compelling and his mother's answers are so rock on!
The last one I love the most...pull out the tissues!
Joshua's final question:
"Did I turn out to be the son you wanted when I was born. Did I meet your expectations?"

"You've exceeded my expectations, sweetie," his mother replied. "I really had to learn to think out of the box with you. It's made me much more creative as a parent and a person ... you are just so incredibly special to me, and I'm so lucky to have you as my son."

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is currently happening at Logan's school. Back in the day of SAHM life I would have made something from scratch but now that I am working that just isn't possible. But that doesn't mean the dessert table in the teachers lounge is going empty! Boxed brownies it was. And the best part was that the boys helped me and I got to use my new Kitchen Aide Mixer. I'm now in love!


I wrapped each brownie up in foil with the idea that many teachers need a grab and go snack. Also I get creeped out with a bunch of folks touching a stack of brownies, schools are filled with germs! I cut thin strips of scrap fabric to make bows and added a little note atop each one with Logan's name on it. Call it "buying tolerance". :)