HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!!!

What a difference a year makes!

For those of you who have joined us since last December, you can read how it all started HERE.  I am not going to go over it again here.  :)  I want to spend this time looking back at the past year...

Mommy and Daddy are sooooooo proud of you! You have worked so hard this year, and you can really tell. You rocked your leg surgery.  Since your legs have been straightened, you have taken off - literally. You are working so hard in PT and OT every week. You are SUCH a good traveler, and we spend countless hours in the car. You have figured out that you like to show off.  Part of your M.O. in therapy is to see how many people in the gym you can get to cheer for each accomplishment.  It works every time. :)

You have been able to get into a swimming pool for the first time ever this year - and LOVED it. I see swimming lessons in your future.

You are communicating more with a combination of words, signs, pecs, pointing, etc.  What ever it takes to get your point across, you get there. To help with the communication and to prepare you for a device or an IPad, we have an Ipod. There are a few games that you like to play on it, but I think it is hard for you to see or focus on. 

You are working hard in school as well. We are still working on numbers. You recognize and help me count 1 thru 10.  We are working on number correspondence. We have to figure out some way for you to color. With those backwards thumbs, it is hard for you to do a pincher grasp or to use scissors.  We have tabletop push scissors and are working on our scissor skills as well.  You like your books, but have to be in the mood for them.  You like your movies - especially Spout channel (Barney, Kipper the Dog, Sesame Street) - better. You have mastered the concepts of Bigger and Smaller, and Matching - choosing from two flashcards, the one that matches.  We will be working more on those, adding more cards or objects to the mix.  You have discovered trucks, and love to yell at the semis as we pass them on the highway. 

You are more interested in your world. You like to look out the window in the van and will often stay awake ALL the way to Chicago just to watch out the window.

We are working on your sensory issues, and hope to move forward with some vision therapy this year.

This has been our first year that we can really say Christopher has not had any serious illnesses! That has made a world of difference. We believe that we finally have a team of the right people in the right places. Now that he is healthier, we are really starting where most folks would be at around age 2.

For this coming year, we hope:

1. That you continue to stay healthy. Maybe gain a little weight?
2. That you continue to work hard in PT and OT. We can really see it paying off.  You will be getting AFO's and a stander soon.  We can't wait to see how they help you progress!
3. That you will continue to work on your communication.  I can't wait to hear what is running around in that little head of yours. :)
4. That you continue to work hard in your schooling. Every time I make a goal, you blow it out of the water and I have to re-work things.  We will go as far as we can go.  All I ask is that you try your best.

We love you Little Man!!!!  We hope the next year is as fruitful as this one has been and more. 

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment. 

First day home from the Hospital - Dec. 23, 2003

Christopher's Cowpokes - Buddy Walk - Oct. 2010

Happy Birthday Little Man!!!  12-2010

What?!?  How can I be 7 years old already???

Thanksgiving Sensory Bin

I have been reading about sensory bins for awhile now.  Homeschooling Moms who have it MUCH more together than I, take many different items and put them in a box to let their children explore.  I am not entirely sure if it is a Montessori thing  or a Charlotte Mason thing, but I know it is great for somebody with sensory issues. 

You can put just about anything into your bin, and are only limited by your imagination and funds.  :)  Some people put beans, or things to make them smell good in theirs. Since this is our first attempt, I decided that we were going to keep it pretty mild.  Plus, since Christopher doesn't eat by mouth I was not too keen on putting smell-good spices into the bin that he has never been exposed too.  We try to keep our anaphylactic reactions to a minimum. 

First, we put in a couple of bags of silk autumn leaves that we acquired at places like Michael's, Dollar Tree, and Wal-Mart. These had lots of neat shapes and bright colors to identify including yellow, orange, red, and purple.

Next we added some decidedly fake looking gourds and pumpkins that I bought from the Dollar Tree.  We will keep an eye out for more realistic looking ones for next year. These are also Styrofoam, so if there was a meltdown there would be minimal damage if they went flying!

We next added a package of various sized, fall colored pom poms.  The small ones are some of the smallest pom-poms I have ever seen!  Again, another opportunity for color recognition with green, brown, tan/gold, and burgundy.  Also an introduction to size with large, medium, and small.  Heavy vs. light, and also hard vs. soft.

Last but not least, we included his Pilgrim, Native American, and pumpkin figures from this Little People Thanksgiving Set.  We also put in a couple of turkey figures from his Little People farm set.  This kid LOVES his Little People!  (If your little one loves the Little People too, you can go to the website and watch movies, print off coloring pages, play games, listen to stories, etc.)

So when we put it all together, it looked like this:

Tonight was the first time Christopher was given the bin.  I was concerned that he would not put his hands in it.  He does have trouble with reaching out to touch things - not sure if it is a sensory issue or a motor planning issue. Probably a combination of both. Truth be told, his Dad has the same issue - that is another post.  I was pleasantly surprised that once I put his hands into the bin, he explored on his own. 

He is very much into "putting things in" or "putting things on (a shelf)".  It was interesting that he did not take the items out and try to put them over the side of the bin.  I was also surprised that he was able to "play" in the bin and look at what he was doing at the same time.  Most of the time when introduced to something new, he can either listen or look.  He cannot do both at the same time until he is familiar with the object, television show, etc.  It is also very hard for him to look and feel at the same time.  He did both with this bin, although I do think the pom-poms are maybe too soft.  Either he didn't like them and ignored them or the texture was so soft that they did not give enough feedback for him to tell he had them in his hands.

For the next couple of days, I am just going to leave it out next to the toys that he plays with regularly.  I'll sit him up and let him explore it in a more structured way at least a couple of times a day.  I will probably be adding things as we go through the month.  We have LOTS of Thanksgiving themed materials this month.  I believe the sensory bin will be getting a work out.  Hopefully, he still looks like this at the end of the month!

Now if I could just get a picture that doesn't make him look like I have drugged him for the shot!  Ha!Ha!

Keep an eye out for our next post!  ~

Happy Fall!

Steph

Recipe Recap - Sloppy Joes & 'Tater Salad

I thought I would re-post some recipes that I put up here last year for the 4th of July.  I can't believe it has come around again already!!!!  I don't think we are doing anything big this year.  Not sure if we will even go see the fireworks.  We will see how things iron out.

To all of our friends, have a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!!!  :)

So, the first recipe is a two part-er. The first part is for a mix that you can use for several different recipes. The recipe comes from this book. Most of the recipes in the book are bulk recipes that then get made into others.

MEAT SAUCE MIX: This yields five, 1 pint servings to be used in other recipes. Larger families might want to only divide in in half or use the whole thing. I use the whole thing for holidays and put the second part in the crock pot instead of a skillet.

4 medium onions, chopped (I use a bag of frozen, pre-chopped onions - saves time)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic

2 cups finely chopped celery*

2 to 3 chopped carrots, optional*

5 lbs lean ground beef

5 teaspoons salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 (28 oz) bottle ketchup (I just use store brand or whatever is on sale)

6 drops hot pepper sauce, optional

1 large chopped green pepper, optional* (I also use a bag of frozen pre-chopped peppers if I don't have fresh)

*I put the celery, carrots, fresh green pepper, and fresh onions (if that is what I am using) in a food processor and chop VERY fine. I don't think anybody knows that there are celery and carrots in this recipe!

Spray large skillet (I use a chicken fryer or a dutch oven) with vegetable cooking spray and saute' onions, green peppers celery, carrots, and garlic until onions are golden. Add ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and hot pepper sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool

Put into five 2 cup freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top. Cut through mixture several times to remove air pockets. Seal and label containers with date and contents. Freeze. Use within 3 months. Makes about 5 pints.

RANCHER'S SLOPPY JOES: This recipe is for using 1 of the 5 servings from above. If using the entire recipe for a crowd, multiply by 5. I will put those measurements in ( ). This recipe is great for busy nights. It can be ready in 10 -20 minutes, depending of if it was thawed ahead of time.

1 pint (5 pints) MEAT SAUCE MIX, thawed

1/4 cup (1 1/4 cup) packed brown sugar or equivalent brown sugar substitute (Splenda)

2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) white vinegar

1/2 cup (2 1/2 cups) ketchup

1 tablespoon (5 tablespoons) mustard

hamburger buns

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Mix well, cover and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until heated through. Serve over hamburger buns. Makes 6 servings.

For the entire recipe, I put everything in a crock pot at least 2 hours ahead of serving time. Put on low or medium setting and heat through. Stir occasionally. Serve over hamburger buns. Makes about 30 servings.


The other holiday recipe in our family in potato salad. My Grandma Krauel made the best potato salad. We have this at Christmas time too, with ham. It is best serves as cold as possible. This is another good sized recipe. If making just for a small family, I would at least cut it in half. There would still be enough for leftovers.

GRANDMA KRAUEL'S POTATO SALAD FOR A CROWD:

5 lbs potatoes, large diced

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, diced or sliced

4 stalks celery, sliced

2 medium onions, chopped (I use sweet yellow onions for this - your preference on how
"onion-y" you like it.)

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

2 cups Miracle Whip (do not use mayonnaise, but can use fat free, etc. Miracle Whip)

1/2 cup sweet pickle juice

1/4 cup sugar or equivalent sugar substitute (Splenda)

1 cup thinly sliced sweet pickles - optional

yellow food coloring

Peel, and dice potatoes all about the same size. Put in large dutch oven in cold water with a little salt. Wait until all potatoes are ready before cooking. Boil for about 25 -30 minutes. Start checking potatoes at about 20 minutes. You want a fork to go into them easily, but not to be cooked as you would for mashed potatoes. Those will be too mushy. Drain and cool. Put into large roster or plastic container in fridge.

Rinse pot and add cold water. Add 1 dozen eggs. Cook over medium heat until boiling. Boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pot cool - this way the yolks do not turn green around the outside. If you are in a hurry, you can put the entire pot in the sink and run cold water over all, until all of the eggs are cooled. Once eggs are cool, peel and slice or dice. I use an egg slicer - it makes it much easier. Add to potatoes.

Next add celery, onions, Miracle Whip, pickle juice, mustard, and sweet pickles. Add 1/8 cup sugar or Splenda. Mix well and taste. If the mix seems too bitter, continue adding sugar to taste. If the mixture seems "dry" , try adding Miracle Whip and mustard a couple of tablespoons full at a time, until you reach the right consistency. Add yellow food coloring until salad is a light lemon yellow.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Enjoy!

Hope everybody has a Happy and Safe 4th of July! Feel free to leave your browser open to this page. I put a new playlist at the bottom full of patriotic music. :)

Hugs! 

Steph