hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

So this was an awesome Pinterest find that I was able to put together in less than 15 minutes! I happened to have all the supplies already which made it all the more awesome! Supplies: 1 Clear storage container (the lid for mine was white, so I simply turned the container upside down.) 1 string of twinkle lights (I used white, but different colors would create cool different effects) A strip of wax paper the length of the container (this makes the surface opaque, which diffuses the light more evenly) White duct tape ( any color would do, I just like the cleaner look of the white.) Use small strips of tape to secure the twinkle lights evenly arranged on the bottom of the container, or in my case to the lid, since that was going to be the bottom of our light box. Leave the length of wire with the plug loose and make sure you have arranged the lights so as to have the plug where you will have ease of access to an outlet. Secure the lid onto the cont...

So over the last three plus months, Kit's relationship with Ivan the Cat has gotten a bit intense!  We have been doing a lot of redirection and splitting the two of them up because of Kit squishing him with her whole body, and biting him. Yes! The toddler is biting the cat! Repeatedly, everyday! It's been a huge problem. Something that Miss V (Kit's OT) and I discuss at every visit. She gauges the kind of week Kit has had in major part by how much Kit has been squishing and biting the cat. This cat is either incredibly loving and patient, or really dull in the head. Or maybe both. Either way, he is amazingly tolerant. Nevertheless, he is still a cat, and does eventually bite her back.  For the safety of the cat and kids, we have spent a great amount of time and energy trying to break this sensory seeking cycle. And one of the things we did a couple of weeks ago was go on a kitty search. Finally, at Toys-R-Us, we found him... Meet Thunder...

Here is a link to a wonderful post about sensory seeking written by an adult with Asperger's. I love how she talks about how the activities made her feel. I had so many seeking tendencies growing up, and so did Victor. Every day at recess in fifth and sixth grade, my best friend and I would swing as high as we could, then jump off. Then one of the boys showed us how to back-flip off the swings and we were hooked! The first couple times was terrifying, but after that it was pure exhilaration! Until my best friend broke her arm, not even from a high jump or a back-flip, just a little jump! And the only person who would ride the Zipper or Eggroll with me at the fair was my Uncle Joe (who was kind of like a big kid himself) because I couldn't get enough of the rolling and plummeting toward the ground upside-down! I did manage to talk my older brother into riding the ejector seat with me one year though. Oh the blissful ignorance of potential injury and steel stomachs of ...

When I  look at my baby girl, I see a crazy, adorable, busy, growing, affectionate, smart, funny little girl. Other people can see that, too. She is a whirlwind toddler that does very toddler-y things, like throwing things, whining, fighting with her siblings,  playing with toys, and sharing her snacks with the dog.  But what you can't see is how much work has gone into teaching her body and brain to do many things that other toddlers "just know" how to do. Like how to "play" with toys. Or tolerate clothes. Or sleep with a blanket. What doesn't "show" is how overwhelmed she gets by being in new places or around a lot of people all talking and laughing. She seems fine. But all of those people don't come home with us.  They don't have to physically wrestle her into her car seat as she screams because she wants to run in circles longer. They don't see the bite marks on her hand from her chewing on it. And they don't hear ...

We haven't had a sensory bin for a couple of months now. Mostly because I just didn't have the energy to supervise or sweep up beans eighty times a day. But, it was noticeable that Kit missed it. I hadn't realized how many times a day/week/month that she actually occupied herself with it, quite happily, for good chunks of time. Without the bin, those chunks of time were harder to fill than sweeping up beans eighty times a day. It is a very soothing activity for her as well. Today she leaned in over the bin and massaged the beans up and down her belly. She so wanted to be swimming in dry beans! Despite my low tolerance for sweeping over the summer, I did keep the bin in mind, and anytime I was at the dollar store, or Target, or Wal-Mart, I always rummaged through the sale racks for items that can be used in our bins. And I found many wonderful treasures, which I store in a special box to pull out and add to the bin as needed. Kit has been especially passionate about color...

 This is a great video that explains it very well:  

Way back around November or December I found a weighted exercise ball on clearance at Wal-Mart. I was excited for several reasons. One being that it was weighted. That meant no out of control bouncing of the ball around our house. Second I was there to buy one anyway, so to find a weighted one on sale was icing on the cake! I think I paid about eight dollars, it had obvious damage to the box, but all the parts were inside, and I think they just weren't stocking it anymore.   Anyway, this ball gets some major use in our house. All of the kids use it. They do the usual sitting and bouncing, but they also surf off of it, and use it as a chair during frustrating school assignments. I have sat on it many times bouncing a fussy Kitty Kat, sometimes nursing at the same time, even putting her to sleep that way on occasion. I have also just bounced on it when I'm feeling stressed, or to read to the kids, and many other times. Zak can balance on the ball on his kn...

Well, I plead illness.  I felt terrible last weekend. Then, Kit was sick for several days. So a lot of things got put off this week.   On Monday though, my sweet Mom came down and once again saved me from being drowned by the laundry. She also did several lessons for school with Grace which freed me up to tackle a pile that has been sitting (and growing) on one corner of our bench for weeks.   I didn't get any pics of that one though, sorry. But it consisted mainly of boxes that contained items set aside for giving away, misplaced toys, several user guides to miscellaneous appliances, and a lot of items waiting to be hung up (I detest hanging things up, I have no idea why, but it is seriously my second least favorite chore, my least favorite being ironing. Oh the irony!!)   Well, that was the first, and last productive day of the week. Kit came down with what I am now 99% sure was Roseola. But her fever broke, and stayed gone in time for us to sti...

 We bought our house almost a year and a half ago. Right away we threw ourselves into making the necessary repairs and upgrades to make our home cozy and fully functional (AKA air conditioned). We gave ourselves a deadline - the end of 2012, to finish all our projects. Why? Because that was the only way to ensure that everything got done.   Well we came really close to meeting that deadline. The only real project left to do is hang all the trim that is stacked in, guess where, our bedroom. Of course! Isn't that where everybody keeps their yet to be hung trim? Neatly wrapped in a bed sheet so that it doesn't migrate across the floor like a giant wooden sea urchin?   I digress. The point is we accomplished a lot last year, and around this time last year we were in a race. A race against heat and humidity.   Inside the house our A/C guys were racing to install a central unit before they spontaneously combusted in our attic as the temperature steadil...