Camp Dorothy Commences Tonight

Camp Dorothy Commences Tonight

by | Dec 8, 2014 | Family

Camp DorothyA month long version of Camp Dorothy begins tonight, which means CD HQ is buzzing this morning. So far the camp director has:

  • Moved her wardrobe, bedside reading materials, and toiletry items to the upstairs bedroom and bathroom,
  • Reminded the Man of Steel to do the same,
  • Changed bedding for the camp’s namesake,
  • Checked to make sure the Uno, Skippo, and regular card decks are ready to go,
  • Pulled a meal from the freezer for supper.

Next on the list is to:

  • Make sure the TV is turned to Wheel of Fortune’s channel,
  • Put extra blankets on the camper’s bed because she is always cold,
  • Decide whether to be magnanimous and give the celebrity camper the good ottoman or the makeshift one for the duration of her stay,
  • Create a comfy nest on the couch, complete with extra pillows, pencils, and tissues.

Once all that’s done, it will be time to:

  • Drive down to where the camper lives,
  • Take her for a pre-camp physical at the doctor’s office,
  • Check to be sure she packed some of the new shirts and sweaters she received as Christmas gifts instead of the old, dingy ones she can’t part with,
  • Load her, along with her walker, cane, suitcase, bath chair, purse, crossword puzzle books, and library books into the car,
  • Be very thankful the camp provides linens so there’s no need to pack a sleeping bag, pillow, and towels, too,
  • Drive to CD HQ.

Upon arrival at camp, the director will be wishing for a Wheel of Fortune marathon to occupy the camp’s namesake while:

  • Unloading the car,
  • Unpacking the camper’s clothes,
  • Running to the store to purchase someone’s favorite snack items,
  • Fixing supper,
  • Sending apologetic replies to all the emailed ignored on the gala opening day of Camp Dorothy,
  • Reminding herself how blessed she is to have these days with the camp’s namesake because one day, perhaps sooner than later, Camp Dorothy will be a thing of the past.

 

5 Special Needs Tips for a Happy Holiday

5 Special Needs Tips for a Happy Holiday

by | Dec 8, 2014 | Different Dream, Holidays, Special Needs Parenting

5 Special Needs Tips for a Happy Holiday

Guest blogger Sylvia Phillips knows that happy holidays aren’t a given for special needs families. In this post she shares 5 special needs tips for a happy holiday she has used successfully with her daughter, Bethany. They are yours to tweak so your Christmas season is as happy and blessed as it can possibly be.

5 Special Needs Tips for a Happy Holiday

Many families with special needs members dread the coming of the holiday season. Changes in routine, traveling, large and crowded family gatherings, noisy celebrations, and even unfamiliar smells coming from the kitchen or other people can all wreak havoc on our kid’s sensitive systems triggering extreme sensory overload and major meltdowns.

My special needs daughter Bethany, is an extreme creature of habit and a total control freak! She wants her routine to always be the same, and she wants every person in her life to always be in the place that she has designated to be theirs.

Changes in routines–hers and everyone else’s can throw her into an anxious, angry, and aggressive tailspin. She can barely stand it when her sisters have to go to work. In her mind they should be up in their rooms studying. All. The. Time. When her brother is not sitting in his usual place playing games on his computer she goes looking for him. She even tries to control where the cat can and can’t roam!

By now you’ve probably guessed that celebrating holidays is hard Bethany and even harder on the rest of us. If it was just Bethany, my husband, and I, we might resign ourselves to having a quiet holiday at home with the most minimal of changes changes to our routine. But since we have eight other kids and one absolutely adorable grandson to consider, we can’t, nor would we ever even want to exclude them from our holiday festivities just for the sake of avoiding a difficult day. That would be just too darn sad for all of us.

Over the years we’ve tried different coping strategies in our attempt to keep holiday anxiety and meltdowns to a minimum. Without a doubt these are my greatest tried and true, Bethany-approved, special needs happy holiday tips.

Tip #1: Stay home for the holidays. Bethany is most comfortable in her own home so staying home affords us the best chance of having the happiest holiday possible.

Tip #2: Prepare ahead for the big day with a personalized holiday social story. A couple of weeks before the big day write a social story using pictures or words (if your child is a reader) describing what will happen on the holiday. Go over the story with your special someone at least once a day. Be sure to include any changes in routine that may happen and who holiday visitors will be. We want to eliminate as many surprises for our kids as possible.

Tip #3: Plan ahead to eliminate potential meltdowns. Designate an area of the house as a “calm down” spot where your special needs loved one can retreat to in case the celebration proves to be more than they can handle. Be sure to inform holiday visitors ahead of time what area of the house will be off limits and explain why so they won’t be offended.

Tip #4: Declare some items off limits. Does your special child have a favorite toy or other item that he might be anxious about visiting kids getting a hold of? Make this day one time that he or she will not be required to share and let visiting families know ahead of time what items will be off limits. Again, explain why so they understand and hopefully will not be offended.

Tip #5: Decide upon a reward or incentive. Lastly, together with your special needs loved one decide upon a reward of some sort as an incentive to try their very best to successfully tolerate, endure, and dare I say, even enjoy the holidays without having an anxiety attack or major meltdown!

Your Special Needs Tips for a Happy Holiday?

Do these special needs tips for a happy holiday work for you? Or have you discovered others that make your holidays much happier? Share your ideas in the comment box.

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Babies on the Brain

Babies on the Brain

by | Dec 1, 2014 | Church Newsletter Columns

Babies on the BrainAnd He is the radiance of His glory
and the exact representation of His nature,
and upholds all things by the word of His power.
Hebrews 1:3

Babies on the brain. That’s been the state of affairs at our house ever since this summer. When both our children and their spouses announced Philo grandbaby #2 will arrive in late January followed by #3 in early April. Hiram’s busy building baby furniture and baby toys in his shop. I’m busy ordering board books and preparing freezer meals. My sister is planning a small family baby shower the weekend after Thanksgiving, and Hiram and I are planning other Christmas surprises to make life easier for the mammas after their babies are born.

With Christmas only weeks away, each time I dream of holding those sweet infants in my arms, breathing in their baby smell, and kissing their foreheads, my thoughts drift to the birth of Jesus. I think of Jesus–the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His nature, who upholds all things by the word of His power–come to earth as a newborn babe. The thought boggles my mind.

Why did God come to earth as a baby? As a human baby, more dependent and for longer than any other babies in all creation? Why did God come to earth as a baby dependent on parents for both his physical survival and for the nurturing, loving relationship that teaches babies how to love? Why would God set aside his power and majesty and glory and come in humility as a baby who needed the love of mere humans in order to thrive and grow?

My answer feels small as a baby.
Insignificant as a manger.

But a baby in a manger changed the world, and the answer the Holy Spirit whispers in my heart changes the way I see the world. God came to the earth as a baby to show us that tiny lives have value. He was born to Mary and Joseph to impress upon mankind the sacredness of family. He was nurtured throughout childhood by his parents to show the importance of relationship and compassion and patience in the shaping of every life.

God sent Jesus to earth as a tiny baby, dependent on the adults who loved Him, to show sinful men how to reflect the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His nature, and the power that upholds the world. It is reflected when we follow the example of Christ by humbling ourselves before the Father. By submitting to His call to engage in relationship with those who are small. With those whose survival depends upon our acts of compassion.

The changing of a diaper.
An Operation Christmas Child shoebox.
Thirty-five dollars a month to support a child in the Congo.
Fixing supper for children at Adventure Club.

Because, “Truly,” Jesus tells us, “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

To Jesus. A baby born in a manger.
To Jesus, Lord of all.

Tapioca Fruit Salad: A Family Tradition

Tapioca Fruit Salad: A Family Tradition

by | Nov 19, 2014 | Recipes

tapioca fruit saladOur extended family will celebrate Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year. Grandma Josie’s tapioca fruit salad will grace our table. The recipe for this delectable family favorite debuted on this blog in January of 2012 and is making a return appearance for two reasons. First, it keeps making the rounds on Pinterest. Secon I’m still slaving over the PTSD book edits to meet the November 30 deadline so there’s hardly time to cook, much less try new recipes!

Today’s recipe comes from my mother’s mother, Josephine Newell Hess. She made huge batches of this tapioca fruit salad when her 8 children, their spouses, and her 39 grandchildren gathered for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Once she was unable to host the gatherings, the recipe was lost for many years. Finally, my sister and I were so hungry for it, we recreated the dish with help from Mom. Now we serve it at Thanksgiving and Christmas and eat it as greedily as hobbits do mushrooms.

Though the recipe below doesn’t make as big a batch as Grandma whipped up in her prime, it’s still enough to fill a large Tupperware bowl. Why make so much? Because we love to eat what’s left over the next morning for breakfast!

Holiday Tapioca Fruit Salad

1 box (8 ounces) large pearl tapioca
4 cups water, divided into two equal parts
1/2 cup sugar
1 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1-2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 apples, cored and diced
2 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, diced

The night before the meal, put tapioca in a medium bowl. Add 2 cups of water to the tapioca, cover, and let soak overnight.

Several hours before serving, place soaked tapioca in heavy saucepan. Add 2 cups water and the sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until most of the tapioca is translucent and the mixture is very thick. Pour into a large bowl and immediately add pineapple (juice and all) into the thick tapioca. Stir thoroughly. Put in the refrigerator or on the porch to cool.

An hour before serving whip the cream. Add sugar and vanilla. In a large bowl mix the tapioca, fruit, (except the bananas), and whipped cream together. Immediately before the meal, slice the bananas and stir them in, along with the nuts.