Aloha Morning

Yes, it's February in inland Northern California. Mornings are cold and crispish, days have been mostly sunny and mild. Spring is just around the corner, but we'd still enjoy a tropical break, or at least pretend we're on one.

Enter Bad Ass Coffee. Yes, it's a naughty name, but their donkey is cute.  Have you been to one? It's like a visit to the islands. The interior features mock tropical trees and plants, grass and bamboo mock roofs, and there are plenty of island tunes to be had.

When we're on our early morning drop-off schedule, the kids and I like to kill our spare 30 minutes hanging out in the wicker furniture with tropically-inspired upholstery. I get my Kona blend coffee and the kids split a croissant and snuggle with me for a bit.

James either takes pictures with my camera or cozies up with his iPad while I brush Big Sister's long hair and style it for the day. Not only are we a bit earlier than usual for our school arrival, we are usually more relaxed as well.

Some day, I hope we can all take a vacation to Hawaii. I admit, getting James through the lines and airport security is my first worry. Getting him to take a plane ride calmly is another. For right now, this is a nice slice of the tropics in the morning. Aloha!

Still Not Tired of This

Washed James' hair this afternoon, and again no screaming. We even had a little water play out in the yard first, to get him in a good mood.

He wasn't happy, but he helped direct how the shampoo and rinse session went. He and I had quite the conversation, establishing that we were going to use a rinsing bowl, not the shower. I promised to not  use the hair dryer. We agreed on the number of rinses and counted them together.

We've warmed up into the high 70s this week, which is bizarre, and I hope to be able to shampoo him later on in the week as well. Tomorrow we're even thinking of going swimming.

Wow!

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Seasonal Shift

We haven't had much of a winter this year. Still, Spring is in the air. After the last rainfall, you could tell a difference in the outdoors.

I am looking forward to having the kids spend more time outside -- they are finally ready to enjoy it.

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
visit Special Exposure Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.






               and ... Wordless Wednesday

Magic Marker Monday: Heart Makers

I know we're past Valentine's Day, but we had a couple of Life things drop on us (colds, family issues, etc.) and I am just now downloading and uploading photos take over a week ago.

This year, the kids made special Valentines for their grandparents. Big Sister decided that it would be best to use the Homework Desk, and supervised James:

I didn't get a shot of James' but Big Sister's was more elaborate anyway. The red is surprisingly hard for me to photograph:

Hard not to grin at all the Hearts

(P.S: I know it's Tuesday -- shhhhh!)

For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.

                     

Resource Find: Communication Printables!

We are excited to participate in the CATS Program for a second year. We have another great student who's already made a great connection with James. More on that later!

Right now, I'd like to share a fantastic link to over one hundred free visual communication tools that I found out about through the CATS Program grapevine. The site is Practical Autism Resources and I will have to take a look at this site later. I am too busy drooling over their Downloads page. I've already printed a few great items I can hardly wait to try out, especially now that we are using the great Activities Sign Board the Behaviourist gave us. These tools will mesh well with this board.

James' Activity Board

Screen Shot of Downloads page on Practical Autism Resources site

 As a web designer/developer, their simple, informative, and easy-to-use layout has be excited: someone gets how to present lots of information online so it can be used! As a parent to a son with ASD, verbal delays, and auditory processing issues, I am ecstatic to see so many helpful tools in a comprehensive array of topics. As a Mom in a family that's teetering on the financial brink, I am thankful they are free.

Here are just a few that I've downloaded:
* Worksheet modification stickers / matching.doc
* Picture word cards: Vehicles / buscarpwc.pdf
* Opposites / opposites1.pdf
* Home and Community / communityicons1.pdf, homeroutines.pdf, needsandstates.pdf
* Behavior Punch Cards / behaviorpunchcard.pdf

OMG, they have BINGO sets! They have items in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Too good to not share. Enjoy!

Visiting, With Love

Both kids and I went with family members to visit a much-loved person who is gradually saying goodbye and preparing to go Home. I still can't wrap my head around it, even though their health has been fragile for many many years.

I just told the kids we were visiting, I didn't go into details. How much can you tell a 9 year-old and a 7 year-old who is bad with abstract concepts?

I'm still not ready to say a final goodbye, but I am glad we came to tell them they were in our thoughts, with all our love. I am glad my kids got to see this person one more time. I hope they have good memories of them.

As usual, the kids were a bright spot for me. I think it's important for them to be included with important family events, and I loved being able to be close to them and hug them tight for most of the day. It made me feel a little better.

If nothing else, they will remember the fish and parakeets.

James took this picture; I think he likes the ramp.

Spring is on the way.

Not surprisingly, the fountain was fascinating.

James loved splashing ...

And getting clooooose ...

Voila. The kid who hates to get his head wet soaked his bangs. Go figure.

SOOC Saturday: February in Flashes

How can we already be most of the way through February? I still feels like 2011 to me.
With that in mind, I looked back through the photos I've managed to download to my MacBook Pro, and verified that yes, I was awake and taking photos this month. Here are some of my favourites, just because:

Lemonade! Freshly made from local lemons.
Our daughter is saving up her money to take us all to Hawaii. I love her.

Empty coffee mug. Relaxing after a morning of hard cleaning, while the Molly Maids finished up
for me by dealing with the rugs and kitchen floor. Proof I actually stopped to smell outdoor air.

Outdoor patterns -- I just like 'em:

I can't decide which shot I like the best. These are tea lights after the rain. Which photo do you like best?

A

B

C

A few extras from Science night, right at the end. They made me smile:

Cat, looking for the Milky Way

Full moon rising. Kids love being at school on a full moon night.

That's all from me and my Cannon point-and-shoot for week. One of my goals is to download the rest of my February pics so I'll be ready for next week's SOOC action at Marvelous Mommy's blog. Jump on over to see more great photos or join in!