Saturday, November 1, 2008
Dinosaur Land!
So when you're looking for something fun to do with three boys, how could you possibly go wrong with dinosaurland? We went once last year, but Colin was too little to really enjoy it. This time, it was GREAT! Cannon wanted me to read every sign along the path about each and every dinosaur. He was really into learning about which ones were meat eaters and which ones were vegetable eaters. Chance just loved the freedom of running around (poor daddy got a work out!) Colin seemed a bit scared at first, but as soon as he realized they weren't going to come to life and bite him, he settled in. I think the mammoth was his favorite!
Friday, October 10, 2008
"I Wanna Be a Firefighter When I Grow Up!"
Today was a walking field trip on the ground of the VA to the VA firehouse with Cannon's preschool. The kids were treated to the sounds of sirens and sights galore. They each got to sit in the driver's seat of the firetruck, walk through an ambulance and hold the firehouse. We got to tour where the firefighters rest, sleep and eat. When it was all done, each child got a goodie bag full of life saving tips and treats. It was a fun afternoon for all and the kids were all so good.
Pumpkinfest at Ridgefield Farm
Cannon's preschool took a trip to Ridgefield Farms this year. I took Colin along and we had a super time. When I asked Cannon what his favorite part was, he said picking a pumpkin in the patch, going on a hay ride and the pirate ship. The kids were adorable and we had a lot of fun.
2008 Martinsburg Air Show
We had a super great day at the 2008 Air Show. We enjoyed beautiful weather and lots of fun activities. When we first got there, Rob was reunited with a high school buddy who just happened to be the pilot of the largest aircraft in the US Airforce! It was so cool. Cannon and Daddy got a special tour. Then we headed off to some fighter planes where Cannon and Daddy geared up for battle. Colin was too little and Chance didn't want to get in. We stopped for a little snack break before hitting the inflatables! Cannon decided to take on a bigger boy in the pugle stick battle grounds. He got his butt kicked... poor thing, but it was funny! Then while Daddy and Chance went off for some funnel cakes, Cannon and Colin hit the moon bounces and worked off some wiggles. We ended our fun day watching the F16 fighter jet soar by at 650 miles per hour. We had a really great time. 
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Saddle Up Your Horses, We've Got a Trail to Blaze!
Chance started his very first session of therapeudic horseback riding by fighting us tooth and nail to put that darn helmet on. But much to my surprise, he walked right up the ramp, stuck his foot in the stirrup and mounted his horse like he had done it a hundred times already! He was so confident and so happy up there, I just couldn't have been more proud. And when they had Bonnie go into a trot, Chance absolutely lit up the ring with his giggles. Check out this video below.We are so grateful to Horses With Hearts and all the local businesses that donated money to allow families like ours to participate without cost. My desire is that horseback riding could be something special that Chance someday can do independently, if he chooses. So far, he seems to love it, and if he wants, we'll keep coming back.
First Day of PreK
Cannon started PreK today at his new school! He went to PreK last year at a different school last year, but this year it's a new all day PreK program at a different location. It's a GREAT program with very qualified teachers. We are carpooling with two other neighbors, so we only drive once every three days. That helps with the time committment and gas prices, not to mention Morgan and Alex are Cannon's friends, so it's like a party every morning getting into the van!My favorite part of this program is that they do "family-style" breakfast and lunch and we are not permitted to send in packed lunches. The kids have to at least try what is provided for lunch and they have to serve themselves! Can you imagine, 20 four year olds passing bowls of food and scooping out how much they want! ha ha ha... AND they have to pour their own milk! I guess maybe this is where they get the old saying "no use crying over spilt milk!"
They have lots of play time outside, in fact, Ms.Linda said "unless it's pouring down rain or below 30 degrees, they go out to play. Kids need to run!" They have a book center, an art center, a science center and a great curriculum. Today when Cannon got home I asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he said sleep time! He thought all of the kids napping on their floor cots with their special blankets and pillows was like one giant slumber party! ha ha ha... too cute.
I'm so excited about this school year for Cannon, and I believe he totally loved it on his first day!
Oh, and by the way, I TOTALLY enjoyed the SEVEN FULL HOURS of quiet in our home today. Colin was a bit lonely and bored, but Mommy loved it! And I'm pretty sure Daddy did too! (wink wink!)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The "R" Word is No Joke - by Maria Shriver
This is a letter that Maria Shriver wrote the the LA Times regarding the use of the "R" word in the newly released film "Tropic Thunder". Personally, the word retard is incredibly insulting to our family, Chance, and all those affected by intellectual disabilities. The uproar about this film is hopefully raising awareness to the hurtfullness of this term. This letter from Maria Shriver was so good, I thought I'd post it.
The 'R-word' is no joke
For the intellectually disabled and their families, it's just as bad as the "N"-word.
By Maria Shriver August 22, 2008
This has been a year filled with teachable political moments. Racism, sexism, ageism and "change" have been debated at kitchen tables and water coolers across America. But this last week, those gathered around my kitchen table have been consumed with another discussion, one that is not Democratic or Republican -- it's the "R-word" debate.The "R-word" stands for "retard." For the 6 million to 8 million Americans with intellectual disabilities and their families, this word and its hurtful use is equal to the impact of the "N-word" on an African American.
The reason it's kitchen-table fodder is because of the Dreamworks film "Tropic Thunder," which topped the box-office charts when it opened last weekend and which will attract many more moviegoers this weekend. In the R-rated film, which I've seen, a character named Simple Jack is a caricature of a person with a developmental disability. In one of the scenes, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. chastises Ben Stiller's character for "going full retard," and the "R-word" is repeated many times.As a journalist, I respect the right to freedom of speech, and my kids will tell you I laugh the loudest when we see a comedy. But as the niece of someone who had a developmental disability, and as a member of the board of directors of Special Olympics International, I know how hurtful the "R-word" is to someone with a disability. I know why "Tropic Thunder's" opening was met by protests on behalf of the intellectually disabled.Listen to actor Eddie Barbanell, who serves on the Special Olympics board with me, and he will tell you in very emotional terms how the use of that word has made him feel rejected, stupid, demeaned.
Or you can talk to Special Olympics athlete Loretta Claiborne, who speaks on behalf of millions when she describes how the "R-word" has been used to mock and degrade her. She asks all of us to stop using this word without regard to its effect on the hearts and minds of people with disabilities.There is an old saying: "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me." Even when I chanted it as a child, I never believed it. Words do hurt -- they break people's spirits, they break people's dreams, they break people's hearts.Kids will see "Tropic Thunder," no matter the rating, and when they leave the theater and go out to their schools, their homes and their communities, they'll call each other the "R-word" because they think it's funny. They'll do it without any idea or regard to how it makes a person with a disability feel.Too many in the intellectually disabled movement cannot speak out for themselves. It is up to their families and those of us who advocate on their behalf to explain that calling someone by the "R-word" is no longer acceptable and is anything but funny.It's not acceptable in a movie theater; it's not acceptable on a playground. It's not acceptable that college coaches use it to chastise athletes. It's not OK to use it in a classroom or a boardroom."Tropic Thunder" is giving Claiborne, Barbanell and many other individuals and organizations that serve those with special needs -- the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, the Arc, the American Assn. of People with Disabilities, Parent to Parent-USA -- a teachable moment. They are ready to join with the entertainment industry to change minds. Dreamworks' decision to include a public service announcement with DVDs of "Tropic Thunder" is an important first step, but far more needs to be done.Just as important, parents must talk to kids at our kitchen tables about how we have felt when someone called us stupid, idiotic or lame. Because once we put ourselves in someone else's shoes, certain names just aren't that funny any more.I often quote the Hopi prayer that tells us not to look outside ourselves for a leader. It tells us that we are the ones we have been waiting for. We can exchange one "R-word" for another: respect. We can teach our children that name-calling hurts.Let's makes the "R-word" as unacceptable as the "N-word." Think of all we can accomplish if we work together.It's one thing in this political season that shouldn't require a water-cooler debate.Maria Shriver is the first lady of California.
The 'R-word' is no joke
For the intellectually disabled and their families, it's just as bad as the "N"-word.
By Maria Shriver August 22, 2008
This has been a year filled with teachable political moments. Racism, sexism, ageism and "change" have been debated at kitchen tables and water coolers across America. But this last week, those gathered around my kitchen table have been consumed with another discussion, one that is not Democratic or Republican -- it's the "R-word" debate.The "R-word" stands for "retard." For the 6 million to 8 million Americans with intellectual disabilities and their families, this word and its hurtful use is equal to the impact of the "N-word" on an African American.
The reason it's kitchen-table fodder is because of the Dreamworks film "Tropic Thunder," which topped the box-office charts when it opened last weekend and which will attract many more moviegoers this weekend. In the R-rated film, which I've seen, a character named Simple Jack is a caricature of a person with a developmental disability. In one of the scenes, the character played by Robert Downey Jr. chastises Ben Stiller's character for "going full retard," and the "R-word" is repeated many times.As a journalist, I respect the right to freedom of speech, and my kids will tell you I laugh the loudest when we see a comedy. But as the niece of someone who had a developmental disability, and as a member of the board of directors of Special Olympics International, I know how hurtful the "R-word" is to someone with a disability. I know why "Tropic Thunder's" opening was met by protests on behalf of the intellectually disabled.Listen to actor Eddie Barbanell, who serves on the Special Olympics board with me, and he will tell you in very emotional terms how the use of that word has made him feel rejected, stupid, demeaned.
Or you can talk to Special Olympics athlete Loretta Claiborne, who speaks on behalf of millions when she describes how the "R-word" has been used to mock and degrade her. She asks all of us to stop using this word without regard to its effect on the hearts and minds of people with disabilities.There is an old saying: "Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me." Even when I chanted it as a child, I never believed it. Words do hurt -- they break people's spirits, they break people's dreams, they break people's hearts.Kids will see "Tropic Thunder," no matter the rating, and when they leave the theater and go out to their schools, their homes and their communities, they'll call each other the "R-word" because they think it's funny. They'll do it without any idea or regard to how it makes a person with a disability feel.Too many in the intellectually disabled movement cannot speak out for themselves. It is up to their families and those of us who advocate on their behalf to explain that calling someone by the "R-word" is no longer acceptable and is anything but funny.It's not acceptable in a movie theater; it's not acceptable on a playground. It's not acceptable that college coaches use it to chastise athletes. It's not OK to use it in a classroom or a boardroom."Tropic Thunder" is giving Claiborne, Barbanell and many other individuals and organizations that serve those with special needs -- the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, the Arc, the American Assn. of People with Disabilities, Parent to Parent-USA -- a teachable moment. They are ready to join with the entertainment industry to change minds. Dreamworks' decision to include a public service announcement with DVDs of "Tropic Thunder" is an important first step, but far more needs to be done.Just as important, parents must talk to kids at our kitchen tables about how we have felt when someone called us stupid, idiotic or lame. Because once we put ourselves in someone else's shoes, certain names just aren't that funny any more.I often quote the Hopi prayer that tells us not to look outside ourselves for a leader. It tells us that we are the ones we have been waiting for. We can exchange one "R-word" for another: respect. We can teach our children that name-calling hurts.Let's makes the "R-word" as unacceptable as the "N-word." Think of all we can accomplish if we work together.It's one thing in this political season that shouldn't require a water-cooler debate.Maria Shriver is the first lady of California.
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