hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

If you give a baby a yogurt cup... She's going to dump it on the table and finger paint with.     Nice. 

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday! Today's subject: KINESTHETIC That is the adjective form of the word, kinesthesia, which is defined below. noun 1. the sensation of movement or strain in muscles, tendons, and joints; muscle sense. It originates from the Greek words kinein-"to move" + aesthesis-"sensation". It is most often referred to when discussing the learning styles of children. As in a child who learns best by doing is a kinesthetic learner. If this concept reminds you of something that we've already discussed here, you're right. Kinesthesia is hand in hand related to proprioception. They are both part of the same sense and sometimes the phrases are used interchangeably, even though they have some technical differences. Proprioception actually helps your brain recognize and identify where you and all your body parts are in any given space. Kinesthesia refers to the actual movements created by the same muscles, joints, etc. So they are...

Yesterday, I suddenly saw springtime. As I drove, it was everywhere. The grass was green! Azaleas were blooming everywhere! Buds all over the trees! Life was literally bursting forth in every direction. And so was my heart! It was also springtime in my heart! I finally exhaled a breath of relief that I have been holding for years! Our visit with Dr. N was truly a consolation. While Zak worked on his math in the waiting area, I sat on the edge of her couch and poured out my worries. Only a trickle at first (is she going to think I'm paranoid, obsessed, crazy?), then the more she asked questions and nodded with understanding, the less crazy I felt, the more relaxed I got, and at some point, I felt it. The blossom of hope opening just the slightest bit. She knew what SPD was. She was very familiar with it's symptoms. She clearly connected how certain activities open up pathways for Zak's mind to accomplish what he is so very capable of. She didn't jump to a...

10 Things I Love About Homeschooling! 1.) We can wear our pajamas! (No uniforms to buy and wash!) 2.) We get to sleep in almost everyday (compared to 6am for most of the kids we know!) 3.) Sometimes our schoolroom gets moved outside for the day. Zak can do word problems in the fort, while Grace practices reading on a blanket on the grass (while Kit mows the grass with her mouth!).  She's 5 months old in this picture from so long (a year) ago, we start our kids on lawn maintenance young! 4.) We can take field trips anytime we want. 5.) Zak (10) and Grace (6) can do the same lesson together for science, history, geography, and a few others. 6.) They can sculpt with clay or putty while they listen to me explain about the pyramids, or glue cotton balls and glitter while we explore the asteroid belt. 7.) I know what my kids are eating all day (no mystery meat), and the pb&j never gets soggy. 8.) Zak can decide if he wants to bounce on the exercise ball, hula...

Occasionally, on the rare mornings that Kit wakes up before Grace, Kit will make her way into the kids room, climb onto the bottom bunk and over Grace, and will snuggle with her on her pillow. It is one of the very unusual few minutes that Kit will allow a blanket on herself. They giggle and talk girl stuff. It's adorable!

You can't wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time.- Pat Schroeder So I haven't really been able to write much this week. Though I did have a few other obligations earlier this week that took precedence, they are not why I haven't been writing. Instead of suffering from writer's block, I almost have the opposite problem. It's as if I have a bottleneck of thoughts, emotions, and questions building up and backing up in my brain. I have a traffic jam in my head. (Maybe why it hurts more the last few days?) Then to compound that, my energy has been way, way low. And truth be told my spirits, too. Probably the most pressing thing on my mental powers the last few days is an up-coming appointment. Zak and I are going to visit the Pediatric Psychologist for the first time Monday morning. Kit will see her at a later date. I'm not really nervous about being there, but rather that I will suddenly loose all ability to recall information while we...

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday!   Today's Word:   Sensory Overload   Ever heard of "the straw that broke the camel's back"? Well, that camel probably had SPD and was already in "sensory overload" when that last straw was dropped on his back.  Sensory overload is a state of either gradual or acute bombardment to an individuals senses that causes them to be over-stimulated. This can occur to any one, sometimes. But for individuals with sensory problems, this is all too often a regular (sometimes daily) occurrence.    Tuning Out The average person's brain has been trained from in-utero to filter information it receives and to ignore information that the brain deems either non-threatening, not useful, or sometimes both. For example, the sound of a ceiling fan spinning. Everybody with normal hearing hears this sound. However, most people never notice it because their brain has trained itself to ignore it. It's not a threat, and the sound is...

      Oh, all the  real trouble we can't capture in pictures because we are too busy saving her from her own crazy self!

Today was one of those days. Every day this week has been one of those days. Kit is one of those kids that when she is not crawling all over me, she's probably doing something that she shouldn't. One would think that by now our family would have figured out how to toddler proof our home, but alas, no. We are determined to assist in quenching her thirst for novelty by continuing to leave things where she can reach them, spill them, eat them, open them with her teeth... Keeping up with Kit Just today she managed to: Squeeze in squishing grapes all over the kitchen table/chair/floor/herself (1st change of clothes). Then proceeded to spread as many parts of several games as she could throughout the school nook/library which included at least two decks of cards, some poker chips, and the Cootie game with all 24 limbs and other accessories happily creating a mine field. She then climbed on the couch, pulled off Grandpa's hat and smacked him on the head. Then she wrote on at...

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday!   Todays subject is:   SPINNING   When was the last time you spun? Did you do it accidentally or on purpose? Did you spin slow or fast? Were you dizzy? Does any of this matter?   Yes!   Spinning is a fast way to feed our vestibular system the input it needs. The average person occasionally enjoys a good spin, especially if you are spinning with a baby or toddler who is giggling up a storm. People with a well regulated vestibular system will also get dizzy after a relatively short period of time.   This is why dancers and gymnasts, and skaters learn to "spot", keeping their eye on a fixed point or object until the last possible moment and then bringing that spot back into focus as quickly as possible. Their heads and eyes actually remain still while the body rotates until, WHIP, they rotate their head around and right back to the spot. This allows them to spin without getting overly dizzy.   O...

Stress makes me very grumpy. And we have had a freight train of stress around here for the last month! So I've not been the most companionable individual of late. And since Murphy's Law seems to rule the roost lately, I'm convinced that it will probably get worse before it gets better. So I have decided to try to preemptively take action to try and keep from having a stroke or complete mental break. One if the ways I do that is to make lists. Not just any lists, but positive, forward moving, motivating lists. Specifically giving myself the assignment of starting off with a requirement of ten bullet points. Then if I think of more as I go along I can continue, but at least ten. The most common time for me to utilize this technique is either after Vic and I argue, or when our  stubborn strong personalities are feeling more divisive than unifying. But I also employ it when I've had an especially rough day/week/month with the kids and I'm feeling like I reall...

Scene: Victor and I are siting at the kitchen table. Who knows where the kids are? Probably doing something that is going to make me have to remind myself to breathe. Wherever they are, the main thing is - they are not currently in here, and we are milking that! Me: I'm worn out! I would like it if we could schedule one night a week that I don't have to cook, nor be in any way responsible for preparing food. Vic: Okay. What night do you want to not cook nor in anyway be responsible for preparing food? Me: Fridays!! Vic: No problem. Fridays it is. Me: Great! Vic: Uh, you know today isn't Friday, right? Me: It's not? Vic: No, it's Monday. Me: Huh. Well, I'm not cooking tonight either. Vic: Okay. Thanks for telling me. Me: No problem. Bon Appetit! 

I don't know how many times a day I think 'what's wrong with me, why can't I just buckle down and keep up with things?' But you know what? I just can't. I can't and neither can my kids. Maybe it's because I have three still very young kids. Maybe it's because two of them are sensory seekers who have to touch and experience everything and are very easily distracted. Maybe it's because we homeschool so we are always together, all the time, most of it at home. Maybe I just really don't work at it as hard as other moms. I really don't have an exact answer. Some days the big kids can focus, and smoothly work through their tasks without constant reminders. But a lot of days, they can't, and it's incredibly frustrating for me and for them. I haven't figured out yet what is working so well on the good days and how we can achieve a measure of that on the not so great ones. What I do know is that I wouldn't ask my kids t...

Today was a naked day for Kitty Bitty. Well, not all day. There was a solid chunk between 1 and 5 where she wasn't constantly pulling on her clothes and trying to pull off her diaper. She only yelled at me a few times then in protest of her clothing. And several more times in protest of my insistence of wearing a bra and shirt which clearly interfere with her desire to have me at her beck-and-sip. She would nurse ALL day if I allowed her. Every time she crawls into my lap she tries to pull my shirt up or down, whichever provides easiest access to the goods. She especially likes to try to have a little milk with her cookie or graham cracker!   Yeah...Eww! I discourage these particular sip sessions, though we will otherwise likely continue nursing as long as we are both happy. She has crossed a HUGE nursing bridge though. She now falls asleep better and faster with Daddy holding her in the recliner than she does either nursing or just sitting with ...

Welcome to Wordy Wednesday!   Today's subject is:     Carly   Please allow me to introduce to you a little girl who feels everything we do and more, and to her family, who never stopped listening...and finally heard - her.        Please... Never stop believing in our children! 

We have not told Zak that we believe he has Sensory Processing Disorder. I thought it would be difficult not to tell him when we started introducing things like a weighted blanket. But it's actually not been difficult at all. Most things, like the spinner and exercise ball he just thinks are awesome toys, which they are. And when we talked to him about a blanket that might help him fall asleep better he was all for it. He didn't care that much about how it works, he was just excited to have something that might help. Same thing when we addressed his chewing issues. He had been asking for a "chew toy" for a while anyway. So we haven't really had to tell him yet. We do plan to tell him though. We are waiting, however, hoping that we might get an actual diagnosis first. Realizing, though, that that could be a long way off, if ever, we have felt it important to help him have a better understanding of his own behaviors and challenges. We take things as they ...

Plenty to throw, No one to clean it up but me. So much to scream about, Too many feelings to hurt if i do. Too many tears, Steaming! Screaming! From the inside-in. Drive away, Park farther. Find the rock and turn up the volume. More! Heart, beat faster. Catch up to it, The drums, Electric riffs. Pulse and rhythm become one. Close my eyes, Let the ballads play. Let them cry out in song, That which is trapped inside, me. Let it rain, Let it pour, Until the flames extinguish. Sweeter than wine, No buyers remorse, Just good speakers and melancholy, even in a minivan, No dress code, No calories, Love that rock-n-roll therapy!