Ain't that the truth?

Please help me get Carol in a balloon!!

My friend, Carol Lennon, has done so much for myself and many families with autism in Ireland. She does it out of the kindness in her heart. She helps others and manages to care for her own 5 children, also on the autism spectrum. In the three years I've known her, she's never asked for anything in return. 

Today is my chance to return the favour. Her dream is to go on a balloon ride. By clicking the link below and choosing her name from the list, you can help give her that chance. Please help me repay this woman who has helped my family so much. Thank you!

https://m.facebook.com/questions.php?question_id=460340727422833&refid=52&notif_t=plan_mall_activity

Yeah, I could see it. Can't you?

Bullying in the yard at school.

I am so proud of Ciarán!
It broke my heart earlier in the week to hear that bold boys were hitting them in the yard. Thinking it could be just rough play, the teacher taught him to hold up his hand and tell them he didn't like it.
Yesterday, the teacher was out training and the sub didn't see it, but the boys wouldn't stop after Ciarán told them to. His little voice so sad on the ride home, made me want to cry my eyes out. I hugged him when we got home and said that we would talk to his teacher first thing in the morning.
Just before bed last night, I told him that he was a good, brave boy to tell them to stop, even if they didn't. He told me that he wished he could just get Danny(his new friend) away from them. Turns out, Danny is being bullied and Ciarán is trying to protect him. At four, he's standing up for others. I can't wait to see what kind of man he becomes!
We need more Ciaráns in this world. Bullies are outnumbered, but yet they seem to hold the power. It's our duty to stand up to bullies for those who can't. Bullies know they are outnumbered, they're just hoping we don't cop on.

Tooth Fairy for the nonverbal child?

I was so worried about how my 6 year old would react to his tooth becoming loose, I never gave a thought as to explaining the Tooth Fairy. This was for my eldest boy, so whatever we do, we have to get him excited to leave his teeth so his brothers will buy in to the idea of the Tooth Fairy when their time comes. I always have on hand some little animal figurines in case I need to redirect a meltdown. I thought I'd tie a bow around the animal and leave it next to our Tooth Fairy box, a small wooden box with a secret door, but how will he make the connection it's from the tooth fairy?
Daddy came up with the idea of wrapping it, to give him the pleasure of tearing paper(something often done, but usually it's my catalogues or a letter from the post), and then putting a sticker or tag of a tooth on it. What a great idea!
I went online to find a photo when I saw a photo of one of the Tooth Fairy's helpers from Rise of the Guardians. He likes the movie a lot, so maybe I should use that. This helper fairy is holding a tooth and carries a coin to leave behind. I printed up two photos to use as tags, business cards are the perfect size for something like this, one for the recent tooth and one for the very loose tooth next to it that will probably fall out tomorrow. I wrote his name on the tag and attached it to the gift. I also put a coin in the box since it is his first tooth. He doesn't care much about the coins, so I will get more figurines to wrap up and tag from the Tooth Fairy.
He loved it. He was so excited to see the tag with his name on it from the Tooth Fairy, that he hadn't opened the package. We opened our secret wooden box and saw the tooth was gone but a coin was left behind. His other teeth won't be replaced by a coin in the future, just the gift. I only needed it to show the younger boys what will happen when they lose a tooth. :)

Why offend someone other than the person you wish to?

Another rant about the insensitivity of people.

I saw a posting where a would-be burglar was beaten up by his senior victim. I'm all for those postings to show that people are standing up and protecting themselves, but the poster called the burglar a "faggot junkie". Ugh.

No matter what words describe the guy, he also managed to offend others using the words he chose. Yes, we have a choice what words we use in our lives. We have the freedom of speech to say what we want, but we should never use that freedom to hurt others unnecessarily. Be mad at the person you're mad at, but don't hurt others because of your ignorance.

What if we switched retard or faggot with your own name? Would you be hurt to hear people call others your name in a demeaning and offensive way? Showing sensitivity doesn't cost you anything, but you'll gain respect by me and others like me who know and love someone who is considered a retard or faggot.

So tired of Fucktard being okay.

It's not okay! I've found people using in social media who wouldn't use retard who have taken to this term. It doesn't mean someone stupid. It simply means "fucking retard". It takes us right back to those using retarded to mean stupid.
I guess what really set me off on this subject today was reading it in a comment on a posting in an aspergers support page. This comment wasn't written to the support page, but about another page by one of the support page's...get this...followers! When I commented that the remark was offensive, I was told by another "but it's true". So, ignorance wins yet again! We are back to square one. With rappers using "autistic" now as an insult, instead of trying to get rid of the R word, perhaps we need to get people to stop using disabilities as an insult.
If you have to say someone is being stupid, then say stupid. Why hurt someone other than the stupid person you're insulting?

But at least we got a summer!

Really?? Must you go there?

So, if 50 Cent's run in with parents of children with autism last year over his insensitive tweet didn't quite grab your attention, Drake & J.Cole have brought it all back again.

Smart Apps For Kids

Looking for free apps?

Looking for good apps?

Check out: http://www.smartappsforkids.com/

Sign up for their newsletter. You'll get great recommendations. You'll get notification of free or reduced apps. You can even see the giveaways they have!

It's definitely worth your while to check them out.
~April

A Bean Stew Kind of Day

Today it's a little chilly. It also happens to be Stewsday in our household, so I thought I'd share our favourite stew recipe. It's easy on the budget too. :)

2-400g(approx 14oz) tins of beans. Can be any kind you like but be sure to rinse them first.
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 stalks celery, chopped
Medium onion, chopped
Chicken stock cube or 400g(14oz) chicken stock
2-3 bay leaves, depending on size and your preference
1/2 tsp medium chili powder, or more to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
Cooking oil to sauté onion and celery
Crumbled feta cheese, optional
Guacamole, optional

Place onion and celery in medium saucepan with a quick dash of oil and cook over medium heat until celery greens up. Add tin of tomatoes. If using stock, add to pan. If using stock cube, use the tomatoes tin to add two tins of water and add stock cube. Add other spices and heat to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat until liquid is reduced in half, about 45 mins. Add rinsed beans and cook additional 10 mins. If using feta, add to pan for the last 5 mins or just before serving. Serves 4, or 2 if starving. Top with guacamole, optional but yum! As you can see from the photo, very little was left. CJ is finishing it off now.

iPad Mini Giveaway!

Smart Apps For Kids is giving away an iPad Mini!!!  Click on the link for all the details.

Giveaway on Smart Apps For Kids' page

:)

It's FRI-DAAAAAAAY!

That's right, it's time for yummy scrummy Ryan photos! I did two this week.  I want to do more and I probably will, but I have 10,000 other things I need to get done first.  Here they are:

If you'd like to see more Ryan photos or possibly do your own, check out:

Can't wait for next Friday's.  :)

Special Needs iPad broken

My friend's child recently broke her iPad and so naturally, she called Apple to see about getting it repaired.  She explained that is a special needs communication device and needs to be repaired ASAP.  They said they could get her a replacement while getting it fixed, but cheapest it would cost is €252(roughly $317).  My friend found a guy not too far from her who can do it for €130, but it voids the warranty. That is just over half of what Apple charges, so it's obvious that the part is inexpensive enough to give this other guy a profit.  I haven't looked at Apple's stock lately, but I don't think they're hurting.  Would it really put that big a dent in their profit to charge prices comparable to what phone repair places are charging?  They should create a discount for those who rely on their products in their everyday lives.  They can go into your iTunes account and see that you are purchasing Special Needs apps.  But Apple isn't very good when it comes to discounts. I read that Apple's discount for schools to purchase iPads is a measly $20 per iPad.  $20 off a $500 iPad?? That's not even enough to cover sales tax!  So yet again, the most vulnerable of society are disregarded.  An iPad is an affordable way for a person with disabilities to have an AAC device.  I think Apple needs to wake up and see that special needs app developers are starting to make their apps for the Android market.  We are no longer restricted to Apple for assistance for our special needs children.

SN Ryan

Join in on the meme fun!  Just visit Adventures in Extreme Parenthood's blog!

I've been away, but I'm BAAAAAACK!  Here is my Ryan Gosling meme for Friday.

I'm currently looking for an app to make memes in for the iPad.  If you have a recommendation, please let me know.  I'm still a noob.  :(

Welcome to Holland? BITE ME!

Anyone else HATE Holland? I'm sorry, I know people mean well, but if I hear the Welcome to Holland poem one more time I'm going to scream. They've got the story all wrong.

You're plane wasn't DIVERTED to Holland. Oh no, you landed in Italy and thought it was absolutely beautiful. In fact, you got there with all of your luggage and thought you'd take this trip again sometime.  Then, you start to think your trip is a little odd, but still beautiful.  Finally, you notice some things missing from your trip and so you have your itinerary checked...only to get DEPORTED! Forget clean underwear or your jacket, Holland has broadsided you with extradition. You get to Holland and you're exhausted, smelly and no one understands a word you're saying. You don't know how you will get through the day or how you will sleep or eat. You occasionally meet a nice person and you enjoy that time until Holland kicks that person out. So far, Holland is just kicking your backside and you have no idea why. Holland even has you doubting how strong you feel about yourself and pushes you to your extreme limits. Then, to make matters worse, Holland is causing so much stress that your partner starts to doubt and wonder if you can make it work. Perhaps your partner leaves you. After all, it's not a holiday you signed up for. But after you're there a while, and if you're lucky enough, you meet others in Holland who know just how you feel. Others who have made their homes in Holland and have found the beauty in it.  It's only then that you can start to appreciate the tulips.

SN Ryan Gosling Memes

This is my first post on my new blog.  Today's theme is a special needs meme.  I can't link the photo in properly, it says it's not valid, so I'm pasting it here so you can try.

Noob meme!!

Hope you enjoy it! :)  I'll try to do more later.