Autism

I am writing this post about Austism because April is Autism Awareness Month.  Well, it's almost the end of April, so why did I wait so long?  Well, to make a point autism doesn't just happen in April.  Families facing this disorder face it every second of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year.  Autism is now affecting 1 in every 88 children that is a ten fold increase in the past 40 years.

So what is autism.  As defined by Autism Speaks "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual skills, music, math and art.  Autism appears to have its roots in very early brain development. However, the most obvious signs of autism and symptoms of autism tend to emerge between 2 and 3 years of age."

Let me offer you another definition written from the daily life of a wonderful mother of three beautiful children, one of whom has autism.  This is written by my friend and neighbor Rosezella.  Her oldest daughter Vicki has autism.  For the month of April last year and this year, she has blogged everyday of how autism is affecting her child, herself, and her family.  This is what autism really is - it's ups and downs - celebrations and devastation.  I warn you, this story will tug at your heartstrings!  Here is her story.  

The organization, Autism Speaks continues to fund research on effective methods for earlier diagnosis, as early intervention with proven behavioral therapies can improve outcomes.  This disorder is growing rapidly and more research is needed. For the month of April, 10% of all my sales will go to Autism Speaks to help fund this research and further help those children and families with early diagnosis, intervention and coping.  I encourage you to visit the Autism Speaks site as there are many ways to give.


~Jennifer

Foot Bling!!

Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner.  Time for Bar-B-Que's, shorts, flip flops, going to the pool and hanging out at the beach.

I get so excited about warmer weather because I LOVE to wear sandals of all kinds and I also LOVE to dress up my feet with anklets!  That was actually the inspiration of my shop BrankletsNBling.  I decided to make bracelets that can also be worn as anklets.  I feel that feet look so much prettier when they sparkle!  This year I came up with a new form of anklet - they are made from braided ribbon with cute little charms.  They are so light you can't even feel them and they are so different and unique on your ankle - I just fell in love with them!  What better gift for Mom on Mother's Day - treat her to a lovely pedicure and then a nice anklet to add some sparkle to those pampered feet!  

I just added lots of new colors and more are coming after that! I'm very excited and hope you will be too!  Soon to come will be colors for all branches of the military and Girl Scouts.  Want a custom anklet - just shoot me a line and I'd be happy to work with you!  Enjoy your Spring and Summer :)

~Jennifer

Month of the Military Child

April is the month of the military child.  This is very close to my heart because I have three military children whose Daddy is in the Army.  According to the Military Child Education Coalition nearly 2 million children across the world are connected to the U.S. military. Military children are a special breed. They're faced with circumstances that civilian kids may never face. 


For more than ten years, April has been set aside as the Month of the Military Child: A time to focus on their important role in the family and in the military, as befitting the theme, “Celebrate Military Children: The Strength of Our Future”.
  
Tens of thousands of service members have demonstrated their courage and commitment to freedom by serving the armed forces of our Nation in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.  More than forty percent of these Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen and Coast Guardsmen leave their children behind to answer the call to duty. 

So whether your family is connected to the military or not, make sure you take time to Celebrate your children!  Spend some fun time together.  Go swimming, skating, hiking, have a special movie night, or just play together. It's time well spent and they will cherish it just as much as you will!  


Here are some items for kids all made by Etsy Military Wives:

Easter Meaningful Ideas for Kids

With Easter coming up at the end of this week, I was looking for ideas for my children to celebrate the true meaning and greatness of Jesus rather than eggs filled with toys and candy.  I came across this awesome blog article from Impress Your Kids and liked it so much I want to share it here as well.  This is how one Mom shared Easter with her daughter:







On Good Friday last year, Lydia and I took a round baking dish outside and filled it with dirt…we were making a mini-garden. Then we found rocks, sticks, plants, moss and leaves to cover and plant in our new garden. The final piece was a giant potato. Yup, like from Idaho. We chopped the bottom off and carved out a little hole in the middle. We placed it cut-end down and suddenly, it wasn’t any garden. It was the tomb and garden where Jesus was buried.

Lydia was so proud of our garden. I was impressed at how beautiful it was. A great reminder of what Jesus did for us–but also a pretty decoration for our Resurrection Sunday celebration. By Good Friday evening, the leaves started to look a little dingy. By Saturday night? They were looking downright pitiful. That night before Lydia went to bed we looked at our garden again and talked about how Jesus’ friends must have been feeling. Thinking back to when we made our garden–it seemed like a long time ago! This whole time Jesus had been dead and his friends were so sad–and scared and confused. After Lydia went to bed I did a little doctoring to our garden…

 

And when Lydia woke up she was shocked to see our garden alive with beautiful flowers and growth and LIFE! I loved seeing her little face staring at the flowers in amazement (instead of greedily looking through her Easter basket). I loved the waiting we did from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday. I loved the gorgeous picture of LIFE and beauty the flowers gave us. I want my kids to know and understand what Jesus did for them on the cross. I want Easter to be as big and as exciting and (dare I say?) magical as Christmas. This is just one way we’ve decided to help impress the greatest gift and miracle onto our children.

HOW DO YOU MAKE EASTER ABOUT ‘THE LAMB’ AND NOT ‘THE BUNNY’?

If you have a post on your blog (new or old) about the REAL meaning of Easter including traditions, activities, games, crafts or even just conversations you’ve had with your kids, pleaseplace the URL in the linky below! If you don’t have a blog, please leave your story in the comments. I want this post to be a giant treasure trove of great ideas to impress our kids with the resurrection!

I can't wait to try this with my kiddos this year!  This blog is full of other wonderful ideas to share the meaning of Easter with you kids - check it out!