eSpecially Ben

Best Wishes in the New Year!

On the way into the YMCA this morning, a woman commented to no one in particular, about my kids not wearing hats and coats. They were wearing sweatshirts and fleece jackets. At this point, she had not seen me because I was with Ben getting him out of the car, but I had heard her words. When Ben and I were a few feet behind her, she asked Logan where his coat and hat were. Logan responded, "My Mom did not give me any to wear."  Thanks Logan. The woman, possibly not knowing that I was behind her, said, "I will say a prayer for your mother." She repeated that mantra a few times. Once she realized that I was right behind her, she scolded me about the hats, gloves and coats. I did not say much back to her. Then she said, "And look at his hands (meaning Ben) , they are all balled up because he is freezing." Still relatively calm, I managed to say that he is a special needs child, his hands are often in that position and he rips off hats and gloves immediatel...

Waiting for takeoff. The Run Takeoff At the bottom Check here for more photos of other wonderful blogs!

I am rerunning this because we did not get a great response...perhaps you did not read it the first time. Ryan and I will be a team competing in the Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation's Therapeutic Recreation Department's Amazing Race on Saturday, March 12, 2011. And we are in it to win it! In yesterday's post , I said we are looking for people to help on our virtual pit crew.  Here are ways for you to get involved: 1. What's in a name? Help us determine our team name. Submit your ideas in the comment section. 2. Raising the Dough - In order to raise funds for our $50 registration fee and the summer camp scholarship fund and spread the word about this website, we are offering these two-sided bookmarks for $10 each. $7 of each bookmark purchased will be sent directly to the registration and Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. If you are interested in purchasing one or more bookmarks, please email me directly at vanessainfanzon@gmail.com . Let me know how many you wou...

Everyone remembers doing this as a kid. The boys' grandpa gave them a weaving kit for Christmas. Logan and Sean made this pot holder together. See more works of art here.

Here I am shamelessly sliding down the hills! or on YouTube

Merry Christmas to all!

The Chefs  This is a great activity to do next week when the kids are off from school. Set table ahead of time.   Supplies Approx a 12” x 12” cardboard or baking pan covered tightly in tin foil. This will serve as the platform for the house. If you use a baking pan, make sure it is not one you will need soon. A cardboard foundation for the house such as individual juice boxes (taped together), box from snacks, cut off the bottom of a ½ gallon OJ or milk carton. This will determine the size of your house. I recommend small. One box of honey graham crackers – any brand. Tape the foundation firmly to the cardboard.  Decorations Chewing gum – Big Red Neccos Red Hots Chocolate sprinkles Rainbow sprinkles Coconut flakes for snow Mini marshmallows Tootsie Rolls Green leaf candy Gum drops, assorted colors Red & White Peppermint candies Mini candy canes M...

Kids made this from a kit last weekend while visiting a doubly great Aunt in South Carolina.

This was the epitome of an anticlimax, but typical of how my life usually goes. I was diagnosed with bronchitis on the Wednesday before the race, and even I was thinking about ditching it. BUT the husband, who knows me well, said I better go. "You will be sad to have worked hard all year long not to finish the last one" were his last words as he nudged me out of the bed. I have a feeling he wanted more room in the nice warm bed and a few hours to dilly dally around the house. Without me around, there's no hanging lights, fixing angels on trees or making more fudge. So I got out of my warm bed, and while hacking up half a lung drove 30 minutes into the boonies. I got lost, did not have my cell phone, and most likely, I was on my last gallon of gas. Eventually, I found the location, conveniently next to a cemetery, because I was going to need it after this race. I ran the race, mostly. The route was through a Greenway in Kannapolis, NC, although mostly brown this time o...

Make these special bird feeders for winter time fun.They also look cool hanging in the yard. Use pipe cleaners, wire or wooden skewers for the base. Add food such as apples, oranges, dried apricots, pretzels, marshmallows, raisins, dates, bread, grapes and cheerios. Tie the ribbon or string on one end. Then take your decorations and tie them to the trees and watch the birds feast. It took a few days for the birds to find ours, but once they did, they ate them all.

Logan's class went caroling in the neighborhood this week. They sang the song below at the firehouse and two restaurants. They were a big hit. Here are the words, just in case, you are looking to liven up your holidays with a special song: I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas I want a hippopotamus for Christmas Only a hippopotamus will do Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy I want a hippopotamus for Christmas I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you? He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes To see a hippo hero standing there I want a hippopotamus for Christmas Only a hippopotamus will do No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses I only like hippopotamuses And hippopotamuses like me too Mom says the hippo would eat me...

I am exhausted and this is all I can offer today: I had bronchitis last week. Ryan had bronchitis last week. I ran my 12th Race anyway. Ben had bronchitis and double ear infection this weekend. Video EEG postponed until January. Waiting for Santa to come... Oh and those of you who thought I made up the name Egor , I did not. That really was the physician assistant's name.

I have been behind checking Ben's artwork from school - sometimes he brings home a stack for me to sort through each week. I noticed these two turkeys...late getting to this page, but cute none the less. Click here for more works of art.

June 2010 June 2010 Hindsight is 20/20: These photos should have been our warning. The day we arrived in NY for the Thanksgiving holiday, we saw my sister's children - Jackson, Ethan and Samantha. Samantha is two years old and loves Ben. We have been fortunate to see the cousins quite a bit this summer so the kids feel comfortable around each other. We also reinforce the relationships with family videos from our times together. Samantha has known how to say Ben's name for a long time and talks about him to my sister quite a bit. Seeing Ben is a big deal to her. My sister does a good job talking to her kids about Ben and helping them understand that he communicates differently than other kids. She explains how Ben loves each one of them, but may express it differently. Ben loves his cousins too. We watch the same videos and look at the same photos they do. Ben's favorite home video is Family #4 which features a mountain trip with the cousins. Ben literally gasps...

Since before we had children, Ryan and I visited McAdenville , a small town south of Charlotte, that calls itself, Christmas Town, USA. This 55 year old tradition of displaying lights and decorating each house on the main street is described on the website . It is a fairly remarkable endeavor for this town to take on each year. I can only imagine what the fine print reads on the real estate agreements for purchasing a house on the main route. Since having children, our tradition has morphed into dining at the local restaurant and taking a walking tour of the town with friends and neighbors. Many of the people who join us know Ben from when he attended preschool at 3 and 4 years old. They are the teachers who have become part of our family. The smile on Ben's face is not surprising - he is surrounded by people who love him very much and eating peanut butter pie. Life does not get much better than this.

A morning ritual at our house is the making of the smoothies. Ben drinks a smoothie every morning before school. His favorite flavor is a derivative from a favorite dish he has eaten since he was one year old - peanut butter and banana blended together. It is full of calcium, protein and calories and a whole lot better than other breakfast alternatives promoted to kids. Unfortunately for Ben, Sean has taken to drinking this drink also. Ben does not seem to mind sharing because Sean brings him his drink and watches Bob the Builder with him. Ingredients: 2 bananas 2 large tablespoons of yogurt (I use whole milk vanilla ) 2 large tablespoons of peanut butter (usually creamy) 2 cups of whole milk (this is a guess) Directions: Blend all above items in blender and serve immediately in 2-4 cups depending on size of cups. You can sneak in flax seed or other healthy additions to the smoothie.

At this time of the year, the title of this post may have another meaning for you.  This mobile is made with felt, glue, string and glitter. The kids' grandpa made these a few years ago. Click here for more works of art.

Sean, age 2 Sean  made this tree at school, using his hands. In his own little way, he was able to tell me what the tree was all about - his family. Logan, age 5 Logan made one of these for each of his grandparents to thank them for his visit at Thanksgiving. I made him make me an extra one to keep, I liked it so much. Check this out for more works of art.

  For over 13 years, Ryan and I have been buying our Christmas Tree from the same lot near our home. This tradition has a lot of details to it: we get it the Sunday after Thanksgiving Day, we take a photo of us at the lot and we choose a Charlie Brown tree from the sale rack. Sometimes we get short and stout, others times, full on one side and naked on the other. This year we have tall and skinny. It's a 4 week commitment, we can cope. What's your Christmas Tree tradition?

Amazing Race in Charlotte Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation - Therapeutic Recreation Department : November 6 marked the beginning of a new TR fund raising tradition - The Therapeutic Recreation’s Amazing Race. This "dry run" Amazing Race started and ended at Marshall Park . Fifteen teams piloted the 4 mile course around Uptown Charlotte, solving clues and riddles to help them find their way through town. Each clue instructed teams to take a picture of or answer a question about a specific piece of Charlotte history or art, and check their answers in at 6 stops along their route. Over 150 children with special needs attend camp though Park and Recreation’s TR Department. Children from ages 3 to 21 with physical, mental and emotional issues are able to participate in an all day summer camp for up to 7 weeks. The camp features field trips to Lazy 5 Ranch , Space Kidets and other fun places in the Charlotte area. Campers are kept active with developmentally appropri...

In 2005 & 2006, Ben visited the Shriners Hospital in Greenville, SC several times. We became acquainted with the Shriners and their hospitals through a co-worker of Ben's grandpa, after she gently harassed him for months about the work they do for children. At the time, we did not have great insurance, were new to the medical world of orthopedic care, so we gave them a try. The Shriners provided us guidance, free assistance and medical attention for Ben. When Ben was accepted into the Medicaid program, we were able to use local doctors. The drive to Greenville was hard on me with two little boys and it was usually an all day venture by myself. Although I am happy to have more convenient options now, I am sad not to have the Shriners' expertise and caring atmosphere. Every year since Ben began treatment at Shriners Hospital, we have received an invitation to attend their annual Christmas Party, held at their club in Charlotte. This year was our third one, after taking a...

Pass this info on to parents and others! The Holly Rod Foundation, founded by Rodney and Holly Robinson Peete, who themselves have a son with autism, are having a holiday giving campaign by donating iPads to families with children diagnosed with autism, and who are either non-verbal or have limited verbal ability. Children must be on the autism spectrum. The iPad, with its many apps, is an excellent tool for communication and can be life changing for some children. There is a financial requirement - single family annual > gross income of less than $35,000 or dual family annual income of less than $50,000. Please spread the word to those you know affected by autism. Here is the link to apply: http://www.hollyrod.org/#/ holiday-2010/4545650338

Clowns were just one part of the festivities at the Shriners Christmas Party!  Now who do you think requested this photo - Ben or his Dad? Click here and see more photos!

My memories of Sagamore Hill , home of Teddy Roosevelt , are all wonderful. I visited there numerous times as a child, teenager and adult. I have not been back in more than twelve years, but everything is as I remembered it. When in New York for Thanksgiving, I suggested we all visit. This meant my sister's family with three kids and my family too. We had some concerns about how the kids, all six under the age of seven would react to an old house with a lot of history. We never gave a minutes thought about how we might be received by the Park Rangers. That single omission turned our trip into a memorable one that we will be talking about 10 Thanksgivings from now. The estate that the house and museum sit on are magnificent. Our kids had a ball climbing trees, running, jumping and chasing each other around. We even hiked a trail through the woods that lead to the beach, something I had never done before. When we arrived at the museum with all the kids in tow and Ben in a str...

A helper at this year's Shriners Christmas Party made this for Ben. More on the Shriners and our adventures at the party later this week. Check out more works of art.