November, 2013 | The Angel Forever

Monthly Archives November 2013

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Autism and Perception

Posted on November 14, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Perception seems to be a buzz word when it comes to living in the world of autism. This is a good thing and a bad thing at times. While an older child may look like they are coping in a certain social situation that they have been taught, they may actually be falling apart on the inside. Talk about your sensory overload moments. Here they are nervous, upset, and working their hardest not to do something that they are told by neurotypicals is unacceptable. At the exact same time, they are also trying to do what they need to do in a specific environment, and continuing to deal with other stimuli that we take for granted. Personally, it hurts my head and mostly my heart to think that this is what my son is going through each and every day of his life. He can’t simply be a carefree child, he has to be shown how to do things and just accept them, even if he may never completely understand it. While some may say, but he doesn’t know any different – that does not make it right and means he has less rights to these moments.

Just because a child is laughing and seems to be enjoying something, they may just be going along with the group because they do not want to appear awkward or left out of the group. Meanwhile, they have no idea why they are laughing, they are anxious, and all they really want is to have friends and people that understand them. Of course, everyone looking at this picture will think that the child is having a great time because they see a smile and laughter. This delayed reaction to what is really happening allows for a lot of mixed up messages about the child. Later on when they decompress and feelings, emotions, and words come out, they are raw. Tears flow from not only the child, but the parent that so desperately wishes they could make it stop and help others to understand.

As I have said before, being an autism advocate has moments that you just want to erase from your mind and never go back to. Unfortunately, many of them happen over and over and over again. You get a tough skin with time, but having to constantly fight can be draining.

Autism…

does not define a person, it is just how they are wired.
may mean that a person has a hard time replying to others in a social situation and they can be flustered finding the right words in conversation.
means that just looking at a person may not simply tell you the whole story. Their reality versus perception can be very different
often requires a person to cope and not be able to express how they truly feel while in that moment.
can cause anxiety when things change, or the person is not used to a social situation.
does not mean that a person lacks empathy or does not want friends. Most of the time they are even more in touch with emotions and they crave friendship, but too often are afraid to hurt others by saying or doing the wrong thing.

Please know that this post is not me whining about autism, a specific situation that happened, or life. I would never change my loving and amazingly sensitive Aspies, but I would change the ability of others to understand them, be more flexible, and help them not have to worry about what everyone else thinks about them. Knowledge is power and so is educating others about those individuals living on the autism spectrum.

Some of my other posts about autism:

NOTE: The image above contains my words over gray-illusion created by 10binary that can be found on OpenClipArt.org.

Categories:
parenting PSA Special Needs

My Disney Side Through the Years

Posted on November 13, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Disney’s new campaign is focusing on showing your Disney Side. I have to admit that growing up with Disney, it is a natural part of me and my life. Whether I am in the parks or at home, Disney is always there for me. Even during a really bad day, something sparkly from Walt Disney World can make me smile during a rough autism/parenting moment. While my Disney Side is extra magical while I am visiting a Disney Park, it is always there with me. Here is a walk down memory of my #DisneySide as a child, on my honeymoon, and recent vacations with the next generation of Disneyphiles.

Be sure to stop by Focused on the Magic by clicking on the button above to join in the Disney magic this week.

Categories:
Disney looking back vacation

Tuesday Tales – Mama Doni’s Jewish Holiday Party

Posted on November 12, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

So how does one celebrate the Jewish Holidays in our house? In addition to our focus on the delicious items we will prepare, music plays a big part of our family traditions. Since the boys were really little, we have gathered a wide variety of Jewish music to share for Shabbat, Chanukah, Passover, and beyond. Many of our CDs and MP3s feature Mama Doni (Doni Zasloff). When we were asked to review Mama Doni’s Jewish Holiday Party that was just released, we immediately agreed since we are big fans.

Embracing and honoring Jewish tradition with a fresh, new approach, two-time Parents’ Choice winner Mama Doni (Doni Zasloff) sings, dances, and cooks her way through the holidays in a fun and inspirational DVD, Mama Doni’s Jewish Holiday Party, and its companion CD soundtrack, Mama Doni: The Acoustic Jewish Holiday Collection. (DVD: $19.98, includes bonus CD, run time 66 minutes. CD alone: $12.98, run time 43 minutes).

The timing of this DVD is perfect with Chanukah coming early this year. If you have not heard, Jewish families across the United States will be lighting their menorah during Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgivukkah (as many are calling it) has not happened since 1888 and will not happen for another 77,798 years. The DVD features three segments. One is about Chanukah, another features Shabbat, and the last has a focus on Passover. The boys and I focused on the Chanukah one for now. The first thing that we noticed were some familiar songs from Mama Doni’s Chanukah Fever CD (previous post about this) that the kids adore. JSL loved watching the humorous video that goes along with Honey, This Ain’t Money! One of my favorites was the Bluegrass version of Chanukah Oh Chanukah featuring Eric Lindberg. Check it out here so you can see what I am talking about.

In addition to videos, Mama Doni also shares Chanukah traditions. Doni takes us into the kitchen to make potato latkes. She shares the recipe that is included in her book Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook (previous post). Over all, the variety in the Chanukah section kept the kids watching and interested to see what the Shabbat section included. I know they look forward to checking out the Passover segments a bit closer to the holiday (their focus is on Chanukah this month). Once again, Mama Doni has left us smiling, laughing, and singing along with her brilliant approach to Jewish music. Her passion to share Jewish traditions within this DVD are obvious thanks to the enthusiasm that you can not only hear, but also see. I know we will continue to watch for new projects from Mama Doni in the years to come.

Tuesday Tales is usually about books, but music and holidays are also important. What video is a favorite in your family for the holiday season? As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

Disclosure: Waldmania! provided me with a copy of the Mama Doni’s Jewish Holiday Party DVD to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and no other compensation was received. As mentioned above, we have done previous reviews of Mama Doni’s CDs, but have also purchased additional titles on our own.

Categories:
holidays Music Tuesday Tales

Crochet Hat Central

Posted on November 7, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

When I find a craft that I enjoy, I tend to go a little wild making items. Years ago it was knit cloths, scarves, and blankets. Recently I switched my focus to crocheting. For a while I was constantly making crochet granny squares for what eventually became my rainbow blanket. Next up, I fell in love with making wristers. Then, I knew the cold weather was coming and wanted to make hats. I never tried a knit hat, but crocheting intrigued me. Last week, I decided to try the First Fall Crochet hat pattern by Lion Brand Yarn.

While I liked this pattern, I wanted to make something that would not require me to stitch it up in the end. So I found another pattern on a video (not sure the name) and made another hat to match some wristers that were already finished.

I quickly fell in love with this pattern because it is the base for a lot of more fun character hats that I want to try one day soon. Some may include two mouse ears and help me to share my Disney Side a bit more this winter. So to practice, the boys each picked out some yarn for me to make them something. NHL’s hat is orange and black. JSL wanted a TARDIS blue hat. I made a hat to match my potato chip scarf that I knitted last year. Of course, once I was finished, I decided that it had to have a pom-pom on top. I made another hat with a pom-pom for Nana to match some wristers that I crocheted her a while back.

Do not worry about TechyDad, I need to size a hat for him and then his will be all set. Now I need more yarn and people to make hats for STAT!

Categories:
arts and crafts crocheting knitting

Tuesday Tales – Public School Advocacy and Diane Ravitch

Posted on November 5, 2013 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Being an advocate trying to save Public Schools means that I am constantly doing research, reading, and learning new things. As a teacher, I love finding new authors and adding to my knowledge base. Of course, sometimes the items that I read are depressing. They remind me that the system that is crumbling before my eyes took decades to get this way and has many layers of political strategies from both parties behind it. Some of the reading has also explained a lot about my college years when I was studying to be a teacher in New York State.

My green laces are a symbol the Lace to the Top movement that is to remind everyone that our children are more than a score on a test. So much of the emphasis in schools around the country these days is about data. Companies are using our children as guinea pigs rather than allowing teachers to prepare them for the future. One of the biggest advocates for public schools is Dr. Diane Ravitch. Ravitch is a historian of education and also served as Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to Secretary Lamar Alexander from 1991 to 1993 during the administration of President George H.W. Bush. Over time, Dr. Ravitch’s views have changed about education reform and now she fights to try to stop the destruction of the system that she insists is not failing. Her book The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education (2010) was an eye opener. It really explained my life as a student growing up in the ‘80s and then why the NYS Standards were such a huge part of my life during my college years.

As the kids were starting back to school in September, a lot of people in the groups I belong to were talking about Dr. Ravitch’s new book that was due out.

Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America’s Public Schools is the book that I am currently reading. Dr. Ravitch wrote this book to respond to critics of her last book. The premise of this book is to take on the myths that surround the public education system and share how reformers continue to neglect and worsen the problems of poverty that plague schools districts. Dr. Ravitch was on The Daily Show once again last week where she talked with Jon Stewart. This is the segment that aired on the show. Please note her green laces in hand.

Jon continued to talk with Dr. Ravitch after the taping and included the video on The Daily Show’s website. In addition to this, Ravitch also blogged about the experience.

You can hear more of Dr. Ravitch talking on her panel discussion with Melissa Harris-Perry on MSNBC. Her words truly are powerful and serve as an eye opener once you understand the history and what the reform movement really is trying to do.

I will write more about Reign of Error once I finish reading the book. Have you ever read books about a topic that are you an advocate for? I would love to hear your experience. As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.