Educational – Waiting on a Word

Reflections on the Eve of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

This past summer we traveled to Washington, D.C. for a short vacation and visited the MLK Memorial. You can read about the memorial on the National Park Service website by clicking here.

The Memorial is breathtaking. The statue of Dr. King is huge, and his famous quotes are carved into the walls surrounding. Here is a picture from our trip:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” – 1963

A description of the memorial, from washington.org:

The centerpiece of the memorial is a 30-foot statue of Dr. King. His likeness is carved into the Stone of Hope, which emerges powerfully from two large boulders. The two boulders, which started as one, represent the Mountain of Despair. The boulders are split in half to give way to the Stone of Hope, which appears to have been thrust forward toward the horizon in a great monolithic struggle. The Stone of Hope and the Mountain of Despair together represent the soul-stirring words from Dr. King’s history-making “I Have a Dream” speech. On the visible side of the Stone of Hope, the text from King’s famed 1963 speech is cut sharply into the rock: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” Every visitor enters through the Mountain of Despair and tours the memorial as if moving through the struggle that Dr. King faced during his life. Visitors end in the open freedom of the plaza. The solitary Stone of Hope stands proudly in the plaza, where the civil rights leader gazes over the Tidal Basin toward the horizon, forever encouraging all citizens to strive for justice and equality.

Here’s an excerpt from Dr. King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech of December 10, 1964.

I accept the Nobel Prize for Peace at a moment when 22 million Negroes of the United States of America are engaged in a creative battle to end the long night of racial injustice. I accept this award on behalf of a civil rights movement which is moving with determination and a majestic scorn for risk and danger to establish a reign of freedom and a rule of justice.

***

Therefore, I must ask why this prize is awarded to a movement which is beleaguered and committed to unrelenting struggle; to a movement which has not won the very peace and brotherhood which is the essence of the Nobel Prize.

After contemplation, I conclude that this award which I receive on behalf of that movement is a profound recognition that nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral question of our time – the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to violence and oppression. Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts. Negroes of the United States, following the people of India, have demonstrated that nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation. Sooner or later all the people of the world will have to discover a way to live together in peace, and thereby transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is to be achieved, man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.

You can read the entire speech on the Nobel Prize website by clicking here. It’s a great speech, well worth your time.

Two years ago I posted about MLK day, amazed that Dr. King was only 39 years old when he was assassinated. You can see that post here.

Dr. King was born in 1929, so he’d be celebrating his 86th birthday this month. I wonder if things would be different today if he hadn’t been killed. How would his influence develop over the years? How would he feel about what’s going on politically and socially in the world? Maybe some of the recent horrible events, domestic and international, wouldn’t have happened at all.

Sadly, we will never know what he could have further accomplished. I bet it would have been significant.

May he rest in peace.

Asteroids and Space Junk: The Countdown Begins!

Did anybody read this article from CNN last week: “Big asteroid buzzes past Earth and will again”?

Apparently, while our own NASA was shutdown thanks to Congress, Ukranian astronomers discovered an asteroid which they named “2013 TV135. Called “one of the most dangerous asteroids on record,” this big guy “zipped close by Earth last month.”

Really? Because I don’t remember hearing about it.

In case you were wondering, stuff like this happens all the time. In fact, according to the article there are “more than 10,000 known near-Earth objects that are virtually certain to cause us no harm.”

Guess what though? CNN notes that “reports” said that this big guy Ukranian asteroid “could” HIT THE EARTH in LESS THAN 20 YEARS! “Such a collision could unleash a force as powerful as a couple of thousand atomic bombs.”

Wait… Say what???

Those of you who follow this blog know that I have a respectable fear of outer space. It freaks me out. Shouldn’t this discovery cause international panic? Am I the only person who cares that somewhere there’s a report that says that an ASTEROID is going to hit the Earth?

To all of you disinterested types, In your defense, the article notes that “NASA was quick to calm nerves” (once it reopened after the shutdown ended) and the chances that “this one” will collide with Earth when it is due to revisit us in 2032 “are extremely slim.” In fact, they place the odds of a collision at 1:63,000.

One in sixty-three thousand?

Call me crazy but I’m not exactly happy with those odds. One in one million, maybe. But one in sixty-three thousand? Those are way better than lottery odds (1 in 175 million for the Powerball) and I always think there’s a chance I’m going to win that. The odds that we’ll die in a plane crash are 1 in 11 million. I can get on board (literally) with those odds. One in sixty-three thousand? Definitely not good enough.

Don’t worry though, the article advises, because NASA says there is “no cause for public attention or concern.” Well, I’m not buying it. Of COURSE NASA is going to say that. They don’t want us going around spending the next twenty years or so actually enjoying ourselves. Partying hard. Spending our kids’ inheritances. If we all knew there was a good chance that the world would end in 2032, wouldn’t we change our behavior? Need a new house? Sign that thirty-year mortgage! Concerned about buying with credit? Pshaw! Pay the minimum due and let that interest accrue! Imagine the resignations, travel plans, depleted bank accounts. Why not? Can’t take it with you!

But hey, folks, NASA says it’s fine . . . none of this space crap will hit us, so don’t worry! Keep working like drones, you middle class suckers! You’ll be rewarded in old age (minus the depleted Social Security benefits you were hoping to get). The nameless “report” that the asteroid is going to hit the planet? Nah, not true! A bunch of quacks came up with that! Believe “us,” not “them!”

Okay, NASA. You have all the power here and I have no control, so touché. But you better listen to me and listen to me good. You know what’s supposed to happen in exactly twenty years? I’m supposed to retire. If I get to my exit interview and put pen to paper to sign those endless retirement forms and get interrupted by an asteroid slamming into the ground, I’m going to be PISSED OFF. Because you KNOW that’s going to happen. The day the retirement dinner is planned and I finally get to clean out my desk, BAM! Party over. Thanks for playing. (It’s just my luck.)

With that, I leave you to plan the next twenty years as you see fit. Maybe we should all think about how we would live differently if we only had twenty years left, ten years left, five years left. Whether the world ends or not, are there improvements we should make in our life? Dreams we should follow? Places we should see? People we need to connect with? Or disconnect with?

I apologize for yelling at you with capitals but thinking about asteroids and space gets my blood pumping! Thanks for reading and have a nice night.

(Photo: http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/asteroid-hits-earth-2.jpg)

“Passed” vs. “Past”

Today a co-worker asked me whether you ran something “past” someone, or ran it “passed” someone. After a google search and a minor debate, we decided that we “ran something by” someone. Avoidance of grammar rules is always the easiest route.

Tonight I thought I’d delve into that question a little. To all of you grammar buffs, forgive my ignorance. There has to be at least one of you out there as confused as me (confused as I?). Help us, Grammar Gurus!

I consulted my friend the Grammar Girl:

photo-45 — Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, by Mignon Fogarty

Grammar Girl touches on these words very briefly. She says that “past” is a noun meaning long ago, as in that was in the past. Whereas “passed” is a verb, like when you passed by things.

I remained confused as to our specific use so I tried another internet search and came up with Grammar-Monster.com (www.grammar-monster.com – see link here). Grammar Monster says: “Passed is the past tense of to pass. For everything else, use past.”

Okay. So is it “ran it passed someone” or “ran it past someone”?

One of the examples Grammar Monster provides is: The operator has already passed the note to the typist. In this case, to pass means to hand over. Well, in our scenario, we were handing over something to someone, so shouldn’t it too be “ran it passed someone”? That just looks wrong.

To make matters more confusing, the “Hot Tip” on Grammar Monster suggests substituting passed with went past. If the sentence still makes sense, then passed is the correct version. For example, “He passed the shop” substitutes to “He went past the shop.” Therefore, since the sentence still makes sense, passed is correct.

Back to our fragment: “ran it went past someone” does not make sense. So passed is wrong and the phrase should be “ran it past someone.”

Right?

RIGHT?

Luckily Yahoo Answers to the rescue! It says that both are right; however, in “run something _____ you,” the p-word chosen will have the function of an adverb modifying “how the run is performed.” Past is properly used as an adverb.

I’m so confused! In the end, I think “ran something past someone” simply looks better, but I’ll be running things “by” someone for now.

Have a nice night.

“However”

Today I had some free time between a school meeting for M. and a work event, so I took a side trip to the Barnes & Noble to check out their supply of grammar books. I ended up purchasing Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style, because I felt like I needed to have it on my shelf, but I also bought Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, by Mignon Fogarty. (You can check out the website at http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com, but I’m not linking for fear of the WordPress Police). The cover attracted me because the little cartoon figure resembles a young me 🙂

Later during JC’s karate class I had a minute to flip through the Grammar Girl book. It looks very informative and enjoyable. Obviously, I need to read it because just from scanning the information I realize I’m a writing disaster. Besides my love affair with the comma, I use fragments and improper punctuation, etc. etc. I will study the book and try to write better– I promise (I also overuse the “dash,” which I shouldn’t be typing with the hyphen key either).

In the meantime, I wanted to talk about one of my favorite words: “however.” One of my many bosses informed me that I am never to start a sentence with “however.” Instead, “however” should always be in the middle of the sentence surrounded by commas. For example:

I would like to win the lottery. However, I did not buy a ticket.

vs.

I would like to win the lottery, however, I did not buy a ticket.

To me, the first option makes more sense. The second option seems like a run-on.

I consulted the Grammar Girl book and she says I can use “however” in the beginning of a sentence, as long as I have the comma afterwards (*and Jess sticks her tongue out at boss behind his back*). I believe this is because “however” in the above examples is a conjunctive adverb and can be interpreted as “nevertheless,” whereas “however” without a comma takes on a whole new meaning:

However hard I tried, I could not win the lottery.

In this example, “however” is not a conjunctive adverb. Instead, it means “to whatever extent.”

Grammar Girl does note that old-school grammar traditionalists frown upon the practice of starting a sentence with “however.” An option to satisfy those traditional grammar geeks is to use the semicolon, with a comma after “however”:

I would like to win the lottery; however, I did not buy a ticket.

Addressing the Boss’s preferences for “however,” Grammar Girl does give the example of using “however” in the middle of the sentence, but not when it is connecting two independent clauses. For example, a proper use would be:

The lottery, however, is difficult to win.

When “however” is used like this, there should always be commas surrounding it.”The lottery” and “is difficult to win” are not independent clauses in this example. You wouldn’t write: “The lottery; however, is difficult to win.” Nor would you write: “The lottery. However, is difficult to win.”

So in this Boss Battle, I guess we are both right, depending on the sentence. (By the way, starting a sentence with “so” is also a no-no and I do it CONSTANTLY. How do you people even stand to read my horrendous writing? Ugh!).

Just thought I’d share; however, I realize you are all excellent writers.

Have a nice night!

Are You Smarter Than a Third Grader?

JC’s math homework asked the following question:

Kira shares a plate of brownies with friends. Her friends each have 2 more brownies than Kira. There were 33 brownies in all. How many friends are there?

Hmmm. Neither my husband nor I could figure this out. I even ran it by some friends who were baffled too. Don’t we need another clue in there?

Some suggested answers were: “11”, “Kira and her friends shouldn’t eat that many brownies,” “How do you fit 33 brownies on a plate?” and “Sharing is nice.”

I hereby challenge all Math Nerds out there in Blogtropolis! I know you’re there (Hi Cousin Denise! Aunt Patty! Clare! David of Sounds Like Orange, I see you!).

Are you smarter than a third grader? Apparently I am not. We went with: “We don’t know how meny Kira has,” as our answer. (I thought the misspelling of “many” made it look more legit- like JC did the homework all by himself).

I’m not sure if the following makes a difference: The directions say, “Solve. Use the guess and check strategy.” I don’t know what that strategy is or how it could help, but maybe you math teachers are in on the secret. Also, JC came home declaring the answer “6,” but I still can’t figure it out. That “6” answer may have just been playground gossip. Or maybe the number of pretzels he ate off the floor, or the number of kids playing “piggy patrol” during recess. Who knows? He’s nine. But maybe it’s the right answer. I dunno.

If you want to give it a shot, good luck! Let me know if you figure it out.

Thanks for reading and have a nice night!

Belated Thoughts on World Autism Awareness Day

Yesterday, April 2, was World Autism Awareness Day, a day where we “recommit to helping individuals on the autism spectrum reach their full potential,” according to President Obama in yesterday’s Presidential Proclamation.

I wasn’t sure what, if anything I wanted to say about World Autism Awareness Day as a parent of a special needs child. I feel confident that at this point, most people are aware of the existence of autism. Hopefully, they are aware of the rising number of kids diagnosed autistic and are concerned about the possibility that this is an epidemic that will have long-range effects on society as a whole. While I can site stats and facts about autism, there’s nothing I can say that can make you understand what it is like to have a special needs child, the good and the bad, if you don’t have one in your life.

For example, to parents with typically-developing babies who, say, didn’t sleep: You can try to explain to people how tired you are. You can tell them how you fell asleep stopped in your car at a red light, or how you can’t think straight, or list the times you were up the night before to console the baby. However, they will never fully understand the physical and emotional toll that sleep deprivation causes unless they’ve experienced it themselves. They’ll try to be sympathetic and some may even offer to help somehow. They are “aware” of the problem you are having, but they aren’t living it, so they’ll never understand. I don’t mean this as a slight to anyone. I think the most that friends can do is listen–and offering to help goes above and beyond. Our friends can’t live our lives for us, but their support helps. Awareness helps.

For World Autism Awareness Day, I would like to request more than awareness from those unfamiliar with the challenges of special needs families. I’d ask for your tolerance.

One morning as I stood in front of my townhouse in my busy neighborhood with M. waiting for his bus, a mom from the “regular” bus stop approached me and asked me why I had a bus stop in front of my house. She pointed to her home a few doors down from mine, about a block or two from her child’s bus stop, and asked why she wasn’t assigned a closer bus stop. I explained that my son has special needs and has to take a special bus. “Oh, I was wondering why you didn’t have to walk to the corner.”

The exchange with the nosy woman pushed my buttons. I wanted to scream at her– at all the normal parents at the normal bus stop with their normal kids getting on the normal bus. Don’t you realize that I’d give anything to have to walk to the corner and be able to put M. on your bus?

Although her tone was rude and she really should have minded her own business, she was just curious and nosy. I thought it was ironic though, that I was jealous watching those moms at the corner chatting while their kids played together everyday, while M. and I stood alone in front of my house; meanwhile, she was jealous that I didn’t have to walk to the corner. I wondered if the group on the normal bus stop had peeked at me and discussed my “special treatment” while I watched them from down the block.

Back to tolerance. I don’t know one parent of an autistic child who scams the system for special treatment. Do we fight for what is owed us under law? Yes. Do our kids get special considerations, such as a special, smaller, quieter bus equipped with an aide? Yes. We know our kids suck up some of your resources and we raise your school taxes. We’d rather not. Please be tolerant.

Do we enjoy when our child has a meltdown in public, at a restaurant or in the grocery store? Nope. But we need to get out and do things and we have to bring them. Also, we want them to learn how to behave in public and that takes practice. We know you are paying for a nice meal out and that back in “your day” kids didn’t act like ours. Don’t judge us. Trust me, we’re doing our best. It may not be perfect, but we try. Please be tolerant.

Sometimes we get an advantage, like skipping lines at the amusement park. Maybe this annoys you. Your kids aren’t exactly patient and it’s hot and you paid your admission too. Try to remember that we pay a price to be able to skip that ride line and have considerations such as door-to-door busing: endless therapy appointments, doctor appointments, school meetings, etc. etc. etc. It may sound crazy to you, but we’d rather be waiting on the long line. Please be tolerant.

We love our kids. Our kids are awesome in a different way than your kids. And we try. I don’t know any parent who doesn’t. Your understanding and patience and tolerance would make our day a bit easier. So on World Autism Awareness Day, I ask you to show tolerance for kids and their parents and remember that all kids are different, and some are autistic. In fact, according to President Obama, 1 in 88 children in America is autistic. Autism isn’t going away, unfortunately, and you will be seeing a lot more of us.

Thanks for reading and have a nice night.

São Tomé and Principe

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts on the What’s the Answer? post concerning the Steubenville, Ohio rape case. I will think on your comments and then post a follow-up. I think it’s an important topic and appreciate the conversation.

Tonight is a lite-post night. It’s back to the blank world map for another geography lesson courtesy of WOAW. Tonight, we travel to Africa to a nation made of an island duo . . . São Tomé and Principe.

You won’t be shocked to learn that I’ve never heard of these little islands, which are situated in the Gulf of Guinea off the western coast of Central Africa. With a population of a bit over 180,000, the islands comprise the second-smallest African nation (Does anyone know the smallest African nation? Anyone? Anyone? Answer at bottom of post- right side up because I couldn’t figure out how to do an upside-down answer). Settled by the Portuguese on the feast day of St. Thomas sometime around 1470, São Tomé and Principe is the smallest Portuguese-speaking country in the world. Here’s a map:

And another:

The island of São Tomé is about 30 miles long and 20 miles wide; Principe about 20 miles long and only four miles wide. The equator lies immediately south of São Tomé. In fact, there’s a small islet south of São Tomé, called Ilheu das Rolas, that houses this neat monument that physically points out the equator:

Despite being on the equator, temperatures aren’t outrageous. In the mountainous regions of São Tomé, with peaks reaching over 6500 feet, the temperature averages around 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Near the sea, the climate is described as hot and humid, however, temperatures rarely stray from the 80 degree Fahrenheit mark. Meanwhile, in New Jersey we experience hot and humid summers in the 90-95 range, so there you go.

What’s there to do in São Tomé and Principe, you ask?

Well, obviously there are beaches. Look how pretty:

Tourism is just gearing up in those parts. Penning themselves as “a well kept secret,” the tourism website, www.saotomeislands.com, lists these water-related activities to enjoy: fantastic beaches (the best in the region); big fishing (marlin and sailfish); whale watching (majestic whales); and scuba diving (warm and clear waters, and lots of sea turtles).

Step away from the ocean and explore Obo Natural Park, an example of the biodiversity of the islands. The Park “offers dramatic landscapes with torrents and waterfalls on its slopes, luxuriant mountains which culminates in Pico de São Tomé, sheer cliffs over the sea, as well as primary rainforests filled with exotic birds and lush vegetation.” Bird watching is listed as a popular activity, with over 143 species having been sighted on the islands.

The Pico Cao Grande (Great Dog Peak) is a landmark volcanic plug peak located in southern São Tomé. [Note: A volcanic plug is “a landform created when magma hardens within a vent of an active volcano.” Remember Close Encounters of the Third Kind back in 1977? That movie featured Devils Tower, Wyoming, suggested by some scientists to be a volcanic plug.] Here’s a pic of Pico Cao Grande:

With its rich, Portuguese history, São Tomé and Principe offers an interesting combination of African and Portuguese culture in music (the islands “are known for ussua and socope rhythms while Principe is home to the dexa beat”), architecture (“colonial Portuguese architecture”), and dances (“Tchiloli,” a musical dance that tells a dramatic story, and the similar “danco-congo”).

Well? What do you think, Blogtropolis? First, the Isle of Man, and now São Tomé and Principe. To me, the world is looking more and more awesomesauce with each discovery.

Thanks for reading! Here are additional pics: Oh! And the smallest country in Africa is . . . (drumroll, please) . . . Seychelles!

[Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sao_tome_and_principe; (Info on Devils Tower, Wyoming), http://www.nps.gov/ deto/naturescience/geologicformations.htm; (Volcanic Plugs), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanic_plug; (Map 1) http://southcarolina1670.files.wordpress.com /2011/07/sao_tome_principe_800.jpg; (Map 2) http://www.worldatlas.com /webimage/countrys/africa/stnewzz.gif; (Equator) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia /commons/8/82/ Equator_Sao_Tome.jpg; (Beach 1) http://saotome.org/wp-content/uploads/saotomefoto.jpg; (Beach 2) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-169IXwXtdnE/UOYFi9AeTdI/AAAAAAAAWOo/ hbhicgsLW3g/s1600/sao-tome-and-principe-beach.jpg; (Pico Cao Grande) http://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/d/de/São_Tomé_-_Pico_Cão_Grande.jpg; (Palace) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons /thumb/0/0d/Sao_tome_palace.jpg/250px-Sao_tome_palace.jpg; (Coast) http://www.journeymart.com/de/CountryImages/sao-tome-bay.jpg; (Castle) http://www.africas-eden.com/MediaFiles //Image/SaoTome-Principe/ for%20photo%20highlight /principe1.jpg]

M. the Ripper

As I’ve mentioned previously, my son M. has autism. I’m in Holland instead of Italy, and life is definitely interesting here.

One of M.’s challenges with living in our world concerns his sensory processing. Here’s my parental, non-medically trained, limited knowledge on the subject: With typical people, when we invoke our senses by seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, or tasting something, our brains know how to handle that information and send messages to our nervous system to respond appropriately. This is called “sensory integration.” However, in people like my little M., these sensory signals get “jammed” en route to the nervous system and the brain doesn’t receive or process the information correctly. This is called “sensory processing disorder.” You can read more about it at the SPD Foundation website.

The first time we noticed signs of SPD in M. was when he started walking in circles and wiggling his fingers in front of his face. Referred to as “stimming,” the movement of his fingers creates extra visual input for M. Likewise, while we travel on the highway, M. prefers to look out the side window of the car. Have you ever tried this? I did so to see what he was seeing and found it intolerable. My eyes couldn’t adjust to the blur and my head started to hurt. But for M., this extra visual stimulation feels right.

M. also prefers to be moving. After our ottoman took a beating, we bought him a trampoline, currently stationed in front of the television so that he can jump and watch at the same time. Again, impossible for us typicals, but settling for M. His therapists and teachers find that M. is better able to handle quiet seat work after he’s done some vigorous gross motor activities.

Interestingly, however, while M. is what they call “sensory seeking” in the visual and motor areas, he is “sensory avoiding” when it comes to auditory input. He often covers his ears while in crowded, noisy places. At bounce parties, where kids jump on giant, colorful, air-filled apparatuses, M. jumps like a mad man, but covers his ears at the same time due to the large blowers and squealing kids. He’s become adept at climbing around these giant contraptions without the use of his hands.

Lately, M.’s new favorite sensory activity is ripping. Everything he can possibly get his hands on. Something about the feel of the paper, hearing the soothing noise of ripping, then playing with the pile of debris really calms him down.

Yep. That’s M. sitting on the table, playing with his ripped up whatever it was. This is a common sight in my house. He loves ripping magazines, napkins, fabric softener sheets, phone books, anything within reach that’s tearable.

Usually, this activity doesn’t bother me. It actually comes in handy with junk mail–no shredder needed. However, once in awhile things go bad.

For example, since the Universe decided that my two children should be polar opposites, my nine-year-old, JC, loves to draw. He’s always on the lookout for paper, pencils, notepads. He’s written books, created masterpieces, painted landscapes with watercolors. He loves and respects paper. Do you see where this is going?

M.’s little hands seem to find the treasures that JC has worked his hardest on, and without warning, without a moment’s notice:

RRRRRIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPP……

When I hear that sound and then JC start to cry, I cringe. How do I explain to JC that his brother can’t help himself? As much as we try to avoid this scenario, the fact of the matter is that M. has quick hands.

Then there’s the time he did this:

photo-17 — My checkbook. M. the Ripper strikes again, this time with an orange marker bonus.

In a matter of minutes, he ripped every page out of the checkbook and colored it orange. He tried to write a check out to himself too, which I have to admit was kind of cute (I saved it). Nonetheless, I could have used that check registry for tax filing purposes. Oh well.

Along the same lines, M.’s also gotten his nutty little hands on personal checks given to M. and JC as Christmas gifts from relatives. That was awkward, for sure. “Umm, sorry but M. ripped up your gift. Can you issue another?”

M.’s sensory challenges are currently being addressed in occupational therapy and at home. “Sensory diets” created by therapists especially for M.’s needs list activities we can do at home, such as jumping and various rough-housing type fun (I draw the line at shaving cream play. Way too messy!). He has a special, extra-tight SPIO vest, which we refer to as his “Superman vest,” that he sometimes wears velcro’d around his body to give him extra input.

In the past, we’ve also used sensory brushes to “brush” M. There’s a method to the madness– a certain technique that we were taught by an occupational therapist. The theory is, that done correctly, the brushing provides sensory stimulation and positively affects the joints. This is what our brush looks like. It’s made of soft plastic and doesn’t hurt.

Back to the ripping, we’re hoping this phase calms down before he gets his hands on the winning lottery ticket (In case you’re wondering, it hasn’t been purchased yet.). Until then, we will accept donations of any junk mail you need shredded.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this: while SPD and autism can make life challenging, they do have their silver linings. My favorite aspect of M.’s SPD– hugs. M. loves giving hugs and he gives really good ones. I love to hug him back, and I know that inside his funny mind and deep down in his big heart that his hugs aren’t just sensory input for him. They are awesomesauce mommy love hugs. 🙂

Thanks for reading!

[Sources: http://www.spdfoundation.net; Photo of SPIO vest: http://www.orthoticsprostheticsne.com/home/images/stories/spio-vest-main.jpg%5D

The Isle of Man

Remember way back to this post when we looked at the blank world map together and I promised to educate myself about our world, while dragging you all along with me? Well, here we are. My first lesson.

Anyone been to the Isle of Man? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[See that? I’m shying away from this educational post already by a feeble attempt to stray to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, where I can tell you about how I wanted to be Sloane Peterson so badly in 1986 that it practically hurt, and how I thought Ferris was the coolest person ever, and how I cheered when Cameron trashed his dad’s car but now that I’m a grown-up and a parent I realize how horrifying that is, and I would tell you about Principal Rooney and Charlie Sheen and Jennifer Grey. But I will refrain… because I’m a Blogger With A Cause today. That Cause being to spread the word about our world.]

Thanks for your patience while I temporarily visited my comfort zone. I’m back. Where were we? Oh right! The Isle of Man.

Now, it’s very possible that I am the dumbest person on earth for not knowing of this Isle’s existence. Apologies if my ignorance offends. I came across the Isle of Man by way of a quick Google search on “interesting unknown countries.” Immediately upon seeing its name, I thought of a lovely island full of beautiful men–perhaps an entire population of Magic Mikes. Not quite the case, but fascinating nonetheless.

Since I recently snubbed Downton Abbey, I thought that perhaps raving about the IOM would help me smooth things over with my UK friends, since the IOM is located in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland, south of Scotland. I never noticed that little dot on the map. Check it out:

See the red dot?
(http://www.vacationstogo.com/images/ports/maps/901_w.gif)

The Isle of Man has been inhabited for a super long time–since before 6500 B.C. It is self-governing and independent, but the United Kingdom is responsible for its defense and representation in international forums. This beautiful Isle is 32 miles long and at its widest, 14 miles wide, and is home to over 80,000 people. More than a quarter of these people live in the capital, Douglas. The Isle’s weather is extremely pleasant, with summers in the 50 to 60 degree range, and winters in the 30 to 40 degree range.

If that doesn’t sound lovely enough, the IOM website lists the following “Highlighted Events”: Walking Festival (“rediscover the pleasure of walking”), International Darts Festival (three days of championship-quality darts), TT Triathlon (long course consists of 2.4 mile swim, 26.2 mile marathon, and 114 mile bike ride), Bowls Festival (the pictures of the Crown Green Bowling Festival show men kneeling in the grass and rolling little black balls- way smaller than our typical bowling balls), and Hockey Festival (field hockey accompanied by what appears to be a giant party). That’s a whole lot of Festivals!

Naturally beautiful and historically rich, the IOM is home to castles and a railway and a wildlife park. It’s internationally renowned for its Basking Shark sightings. What else, you wonder?

Well . . .

Explore Celtic crosses and Viking burial grounds! Participate in a “ghost walk” around the most historic and haunted places on the Isle! Golf at one of nine courses in this “golfer’s paradise”! Be one of hundreds of mountain bikers who visit each year to cycle through the lovely countryside! Theaters, shopping, horseback riding– you name what you want to do, and the Isle of Man provides. Here are some pictures.

Isle of Man from the sky . . .(http://www.bbc.co.uk/isleofman/content/images/2007/08/16/sky_douglas_head_470x300.jpg)

And at night . . . (http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2009/1/20/1232453625547/Douglas-Isle-of-Man-001.jpg)

A castle . . . (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Isle_of_Man_Peel_Castle.jpg)

And the beach. (http://s0.geograph.org.uk/photos/03/97/039789_49b69c25.jpg)

I don’t know about you folks, but I think the Isle of Man sounds awesomesauce! Our world ROCKS!

Thanks for reading and have a nice weekend.

[Sources: http://www.visitisleofman.com; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man%5D.

Where in the World?

Lesotho, Benin, Bhutan.

Do you know what these words represent? I wouldn’t either prior to my internet search today.

They are countries. Yep. Real countries on Earth, not fictional countries in the Star Wars galaxy.

Lesotho is a country in the southern portion of Africa with a beautiful landscape, according to http://www.listofcountriesoftheworld.com. Over two million people live in this country, landlocked and completely surrounded by South Africa. Benin is a small country in West Africa wedged between Togo and Nigeria. Primarily a French-speaking country, over nine million people live in Benin. Between China and India, you’ll find Bhutan. Over seven hundred thousand people live in Bhutan. Its national sport is archery.

According to the website, there are 191 countries that are “not disputed.” How many can you name? Better yet, how many can you find on a map?

Would you be able to fill out a blank map of the world?

I am going to attempt this feat and let you know how I do. I’m sure it won’t be pretty. I probably will get stuck in Europe, never mind the gobbly-gook splatter of land in Southeast Asia. At least I can now spot Lesotho on that map.

Is it just me, or are you, too, geographically-challenged? Maybe I can help educate us all, and once in awhile post some facts about a little known country. I could make it interesting for all of us. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading!

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