T is for Tortilla

So the plan for today was to make tacos and let Jocie and Mew add whatever ingredients they wanted to them. They were not so fond of the idea, so we compromised. We still used Tortillas- but Jocie and Mew each used them in a different way.

For Jocie, we took soft shell Tortillas and lightly coated them with oil. Then, we sprinkled them with sugar and cinnamon and baked them until they were slightly browned and crispy. She was so excited to try them. As soon as hers cooled she tried a bite. she LOVED it and ended up eating the whole thing and wanted to make one for her dad as well. We later made a few with apple pie filling on top as well. She did not want to try those, but her dad and I liked them!

For Mew, we made taco meat, and put it on softened tortilla shells with cheese and cut it into smaller pieces. He wanted to eat the filling but not the tortilla parts, but when he asked for seconds, he still wanted them to be wrapped in the shell first. Silly Mew HAHA He had fun taking them apart and scraping out the meat and cheese.

Thinking of a few more T activities to try out in the next few days if we are able to.

More S fun

We decided to continue on the S activities and stick to something that we have used a few times already. Spaghetti!
After talking about and writing their S etc, they decided to use the dry spaghetti noodles as swords and chase each other around the house. They went through more 'swords' than I care to count. HAHA but they had fun while I was cooking the rest.

Once the Spaghetti noodles were cooked I put some on each of their trays. Mew jumped right in trying to make fun shapes. Jocie was not so enthusiastic. I decided to try to encourage her by making a 'Repunzel' face for her. By the time I got the hair and face outline done, she was starting to get interested. I was very surprised when she started to play with the spaghetti! This is the first time she has really touched it on her own! BREAKTHROUGH moment! Times like these make it all worth it! I tried to hide MY enthusiasm so that I did not discourage her- it was HARD to do! (She did get a lot of praise and even earned some marbles for her jar when we were done! If we do it WHILE she is playing, she will usually stop!)

I would say Jocie had a fun time with the spaghetti! Mew did as well. He made a 'jelly fish from spongebob' out of his noodles!

We also used the spaghetti to make 'spider dogs'/ I pushed dry noodles through pieces of hot dog and then put them in water to cook. This made the legs. They did not turn out how I had hoped (didnt think about the noddles sticking together) but the kiddos LOVED them and had fun making them crawl through their spaghetti piles.

Cupcakes!

We were on a roll today so we decided to make some Halloween cupcakes!

They were very serious about their frosting!

It was a little messy but so much fun!

The temptation to lick the frosting was just too much for Mew. He dove right in!

As you can see, Jocie also could not resist licking her knife!

When it was time to put the cupcakes into a pan to save for later, Mew had another idea. He decided to take a quick lick of the frosting on top of each one he put in the pan. He THOUGHT no one would notice. HAHA- We noticed! I am glad I frosted one pan for US to eat, and we were able to set theirs aside for THEM to eat! They had a blast though and THAT is what matters most!

S is for S'Mores

Still trying to keep it simple to keep Jocie interested and not overwhelm her too much. Today was a perfect day for that! She was in a great mood and more than ready to try some food fun. S'Mores were on the agenda!

We used Toasted Marshmallow Cream to give them more of a 'campfire like' taste. I let the kiddos spread their own Marshmallow onto graham crackers. This was great not only because I knew they would get a little 'messy' but also because they would have to use both hands to spread it on- one to spread the other to hold the cracker steady- something both of them really need to work on! They did great! Next, we added little squares of chocolate. I then put them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them a little

Jocie's face said it all! She LOVED them. They were a little hard for her to eat together like a 'real' s'more, so she opened up the top and ate the bottom with all the GOOD stuff on it! She then decided it would be better to just dip chocolate into some of the marshmallow cream. She loved that part the most!

Mew was not sure about eating it sandwiched together. He opened his up after one bite and took out the chocolate (is he really my child?!?! haha) He decided it was best to just lick off all of the marshmallow, so that is what he did.

When they finished they were sticky and gooey but HAPPY!

Love the Orbeez

We went to an evening function at Jocie's school last year and they ahd these neat gooey balls they were calling 'fish eyes' (it was a water theme night). They were so much fun! Jocie was hesitant to touch them at first, but once she did, she couldn't get enough. They told us they had ordered them through a catalog but no one could remember where. Since then I have been on the hunt (shoot I like them as much as the kids do!). I did find some of these in a special needs catalog, but they only came in clear and were really more than I wanted pay so I put off ordering. Then we saw the add on TV for Orbeez- same things, more colors and AT THE STORE! No need to order online! And of course, I kept forgetting to look for them when I was at the store- until a few nights ago. I thought about it while shopping and went to look. I was in luck- only ONE package left, but that is all I NEEDED! it was OURS!

I got home and could not wait to get the info I needed on making them so that we could make them first thing in the morning. I knew that it would take time to 'grow' them and that the kiddos would be anxious to get their hands into them. What better day than today! We had a couple of appointments in the morning so we could start them before we left and they would be ready when we got back home. PERFECT!

When we got back home it was time to PLAY! We made a little of each color and I divided them up between Jocie and Mew. They were so excited! They both started out putting them into the little racks that came with the set. 

 

Mew LOVED that because it was like his favorite thing, LINING them up! I liked that part for him because it was great practice for him using those fine motor skills! He had trouble handling them at first, but got the hang of it as he went along. 

Jocie preferred to just put her hands into the containers and swirl them around. She would take small handfuls out and look at them. She would try to find the smallest ones and then the largest ones. She was loving them! They were great for her to play with and work on getting comfortable with things that are 'wet'- something she has trouble with often. 

When we were done playing we put them up on the counter with the lids on to keep the cats out of them(NOT GOOD FOR ANIMALS!!!!) and through out the day, Jocie kept going back in to touch them. Mew would soon be behind her following suit. They are already looking forward to playing with them again tomorrow. The best thing about them, they hold water for a while and if they dry out, you just add them to water and grow them again! We LOVE reusable fun!!!

Silly Fun With J and M

MASKS

Always looking for fun things to do! It was great when we found these kits at the store for making masks- included everything we needed! Jocie made a Black Cat and Mew made a Red bird. Jocie wore her mask for 3 days straight! She LOVES it. 

 

Mew took his sequins off and pretty much destroyed his within the first hour after it had dried haha So typical of my Mew haha Atleast I got some pictures of it before he tore it apart!

Cape

After Jocie went to the audiologist and we found out she did indeed have extra sensitive hearing, we wanted to make it a GOOD thing for her. So, we told her it was her super power, super hearing power and that when someone asked her why she wore headphones sometimes she could tell them she was jsut protecting her super hearing! She decided if she had a super power, she needed a super hero cape! So, I went to work on it!

PINK SUPER HERO CAPE FOR JOCIE! 

Hats and Gloves

Both of the kiddos LOVE to wear hats and gloves. Any time, any day! They just LOVE THEM. When we got new ones today it was no surprise that they wanted to wear them immediately. So, we took off the tags, and on they went! What followed was a few hours of crazy dancing, hat and glove wearing fun!

 

R- is for- RRRRRRRice!

Back to work! Skipped Q- we had to start with R so we could do some FUN things. I admit, Q was hard to think of foods for that I even THOUGHT then MIGHT try!

We did R over two separate days.
Day one we started with Dry rice and Rotini pasta. Jocie loved playing with the dried foods! She dove right in, mixing it with her hands while she giggled away! Mew wanted to play with his cars in his. He, of course, had to line them up on the edge and then fill each one with rice, one grain at a time. He was so serious, and so cute to watch.


While they played I got the cooked rice and Rotini ready.

We took the dried rice and rotinit and added it to our "beans, pasta and rice' bin. (they play with this often!) and cleaned off the trays

It was then time for the cooked foods! As soon as Jocie saw them, she ran and hid in the other room under my computer desk. She wanted NO part of anything wet or sticky! Mew on the other hand was ready to play. I filled his tray with Rontini. He dove right in a grabbed a piece and ATE IT! He then asked if I could put some sauce on it for him. (I think he forgot we were playing with food, or maybe he was just hungry haha) I was more than happy to heat a little sauce up and put it on his pasta. He gobbled some more down, then asked if I could warm it up for him, since I had cooled it off before hand so that they could PLAY with it. So I put some in a bowl and we took a lunch break! HE was loving the rotini!

While he ate, I cleaned off his tray again and got the rice ready. Jocie peeked around the corner and told me she had a note for me. She comes in holding up a note telling me she did NOT want to play this! I told her that was OK, but she was welcome to rejoin us at any time. She had already changed her clothes so she wouldn't get 'dirty' but decided it was just too much today,

After Mew finished eating, We made some 'snowballs' out of the cooked rice. Again, he set to lining things up- all the balls lined along the edge of his tray. He even was eating pieces that stuck to his hand. (wow he must have been hungry haha) Not sure why I hadn't thought of it before, I asked Mew if he would like to break the balls apart and color them BLUE! Of course he wanted to! so I added some food coloring to the rice, mixed it up, and made new BLUE 'snowballs'. He thought they were the coolest thing. Jocie peeked around the corner again and saw what we were doing and asked if she could make some PINK 'snowballs'. Since I had colored all of the rice blue, we decided that maybe we could make them purple instead by adding red food coloring. they were sort of tri-colored but she was happy. I had to make the balls for her, but she at least watched and participated in her own way:)

 

By this time, both kiddos were ready to go OUTSIDE and play- so we cleaned up and decided to finish another day!

Day two of R.
Rice Crispy Treats. But we did not want to make 'boring' square treats, so we decided to make animals and snowmen.

First we melted the butter and marshmallows in the microwave(so much easier than doing it on the stove!! and FASTER!) Jocie hid again because the butter made a 'pop' sound! But she returned when it was time to add the rice Crispys. Mew helped stir in the Rice Crispys and Jocie watched. I think mixing is always one of Mew's favorite parts!

Then we started making our animals. Mew wanted to make a puppy dog and Jocie wanted a squirrel. Jocie pretty much just watched, but she at least stayed at the table and helped with ideas on how to make things look just right. Mew tried to help the best he could, but did more smashing than anything. One trick to making the 'balls' with the mixture, LOTS of butter on your hands so it doesn't stick! After we made the animals, we added eyes and other features with green icing that we had on hand.

 

There was a lot of mix left so we decided it would be fun to make some snowmen too. We did those the same way, but they got facial features and buttons as well as some sprinkles for green and white snow:) Mew then wanted to use the glob that was left to coat the bottom of part of his tray to make snow to stand his snowman in. They had a good time. Neither will try to eat them, but Dad and I will! haha

Back again

We had to take a little break in our food activities. Since starting 1st grade, Jocie has been struggling with so many things. Just having to attend school for a full day was very hard on her. Then add in the sounds of a lunch room, school bells, fire drills etc, well- overwhelming to say the least. Over the last 9 weeks or so since school started, we have watched Jocie fall back in so many ways. No longer eating during much of anything during the week. Dinner if we are lucky, but nothing for breakfast, snacks or lunch! We have started giving her supplements and having her drink pediasure just to make sure she stays healthy through all of this! It is all we can do to get her to drink. She is so stressed she has begun wearing her headphones from the time she wakes up until around dinner time every school day. What started out as being a way for her to muffle some of the sounds of school, turned into a 'security blanket' as well.Some days she spends more time OUT of class than she spends IN class(usually in the office with the school counselor or psychologist). Afraid of the other kids, afraid of the noises, movement, and everything else she cannot predict. She started out crying when it was time to go, and progressed to where we have to pry her off of the furniture to get her there. Getting her to stay, well that is a whole other story! Heart breaking to say the least! Stimming behaviors, aggression and many other 'old' behaviors have resurfaced and her poor little body is just exhausted. We are working on new ways to help her and finding things for her to enjoy while she is there. Baby steps! With the help of her private counselor and psychiatrist as well as her therapists, we are getting there and helping the school to understand her needs. 


So, because just getting her to EAT has been such a challenge, we didn't want to push her wit hthe food activities. Jocie is now on a 2 week break from school (which si is really ENJOYING!!), so we decided to try some of the activities again. So far it has been met with mixed feelings from Jocie. She WANTS to participate, but is not liking to much of the messy parts. Hides a lot but does come out to check on what we are doing. Mew is having a blast! so we will just keep trying to do our activities and letting Jocie participate as she feels she can. 


Please bare with us as we try to re-start where we left off and hope fully we can continue through the rest of the alphabet. 

SPD rules (our house!)

For those of you unaware of what Sensory processing disorder is (previously known as Sensory integration disorder) - you can find out more here http://www.sinetwork.org/about-sensory-processing-disorder.html or goto google or search engine of your choice, and check it out. Some argue whether or not it is a REAL disorder, others simply say it is a symptom of another underlying problem such as Autism- either way, those that live with it daily (themselves or their children) know just how REAL it is!

In our family, we are dealing with it in two different ways. Two children with a form of sensory disfunction- both presenting and reacting to things in very different ways- yet so similar in others. One child that hates loud sounds and being touched, and the other who LOVES to make as much noise as possible and touch, touch, touch, everything in sight.  Somedays this poses a real problem, Mew wanting to grab and hold Jocie, Jocie shrieking she doesn't want to be touched! Mew screaming out for whatever reason while Jocie sits with noise blocking headphones on to muffle the sound of his cries. Mew so badly wanting to share a toy with jocie, but she is too terrified of it to even LOOK his way. You get the idea- sort of back and forth all day, both working against each other just being themselves. BUT, when all is said and done, they do recognize each other's sensitivities and are overall pretty sensitive to those things(MOST of the time). They have a bond with each other that I am not sure they will ever have with anyone else. They can be so sweet to one another and at times SO helpful! Because they both have fears in public places or around other people, they tend to latch to each other(if they are not latched to us haha), holding hands, hugging, and protecting each other or just making each other laugh to ease the tension they feel. It is so sweet to see! I am proud of BOTH of them!

   

Everyday it is a part of our lives. From getting dressed and bathing to eating and sleeping. From playing outside to going to the store. We have to be conscious of sounds, sights(lights and movement), crowds, their movement and anything else that may affect our day. We do our best to expose them to a variety of experiences and to get them to try new things, but we also do not want to traumatize them. If things get too upsetting, we leave. Do we do everything in ways others consider 'typical'? Probably NOT, but we do them OUR way, and they are happy! Do they HAVE to carve(or watch ME carve) a pumpkin to enjoy Halloween? NOPE! We use plastic 'potato head like' pieces to decorate or we paint them. To them it is just as fun!

Does everyone accept or support our ways of doing things? Certainly NOT! But that is THEIR problem not OURS. Our children are happy and in most ways healthy and that is what matters MOST to US! They are growing, making progress and living their lives the best way they know how!
They are Jocie and Mew- Nothing LESS! Their difficulties are part of who they are but do NOT DEFINE them! I believe they will both reach their full potentials and be the best that they can be. Those that choose to stick around to help, care and support us and open their eyes and hearts to all that these two have to offer, will see GREAT things! Maybe even learn how to slow down and take the time to appreciate even the smallest of things in life- the smell of a flower, the feeling of the breeze in your hair, the grass on your feet, or the joy of jumping in a middle puddle! They have taught me more than I could ever teach them!

Life is interesting!:)