Sensory Seeking Girl

Life has been very busy this summer of 2013 and I am finally getting a moment of quiet to put up a new blog entry.  Today's topic is one of sensation.  Sensation is getting input through your senses. As a special educator, I have watched many students struggle with appropriate sensory input.    As a mother, I have watched my own daughter deal with a high level of sensory need.  She is what occupational therapists call a "sensory seeker."   She is constantly seeking out ways to get more input into her senses.  Even before she was born, my girl was a very active child.  I thought it would be fun to share some of the activities that make my daughter her happiest. 

Head in the mud while doing a back bend - good times.

No sensory blog would be right if it didn't start with a sensory basic: mud.  My daughter loves mud in a major way.  A lot of kids today don't get the opportunity to play in the mud and I think this is just wrong.  There is something about getting your hands or feet (or any other body part for that matter) all ooey gooey in the mud.  I can't think of anything that can recreate the texture of 100% mud. 

People pay big bucks for mud baths.

People sometimes looks at me like I am crazy when it comes to how much mud I allow my girl to get into (literally, "into").  When you see how happy it makes my sensory seeker, you may just want to let your kids loose with a hose and a bare patch of ground.  No shovel necessary.

Happiness is being buried in mud - according to my daughter.

A second activity that she just adores is swimming.  We were at a friends house for a BBQ and we decided to time how long she would stay in the water without a break.  Three hours was the tally.  She just loves the resistance the water provides and the feeling of weightlessness.  On a weekly basis, my daughter swims for at least 6 hours.  She would do a lot more if I could get her to a pool more often. 

Smiley girl!!

Anything to do with water is a happy activity.  She loves finding creatures and slimy bits in any body of water.  The beach is one of her favorite places since she gets both water and sand (another great sensory input tool). 

Cold tide pools - great fun since it hits so many sensory areas: balance, temperature, water, and huge variety of textures.

I call this picture "Bliss."

In August we started her in gymnastics.  My girl does 6 hours of gymnastics each week.  Being upside down, jumping, spinning around a bar, standing on hands, etc are all great sensory input activities.  I was worried when she started attending three hour practices that it would be too much since she is pretty young. But with the high level of sensory seeking she does, it is no problem.  She does hand stands and cartwheels all day, every day anyway so why not be in the gym? 

Bars are her favorite gymnastics activity, think of all the input her arms and shoulders are getting.

I guess the purpose of me sharing of this is to encourage my fellow parents to identify if they have a sensory seeking child. If so, try to harness that need into acceptable activities.  I know that when we try to stop her from moving, bad things happen.  She can get angry, defiant, and down right not pleasant to be around.  So we make a call. We find ways to give her as much physical input as we can to try to meet her sensory need.  This allows our family to have a more smooth existence.  Our home is by no means peaceful since she is moving or jumping all the time but at least it keeps her happy!!

Around this house we seem to be obsessed with ways to create work for ourselves.  My husband is uber-project boy and is always engaged is some sort of hobby/craft/construction/etc.  Several such projects are under way at this moment and I will be sharing one of them in a few weeks (Hint: large talons).

The most recently completed project is one that actually really excites me.  We have often talked about developing an orchard and we finally made it happen.  Okay, I should say that my husband made it happen, I just sort of took pictures of the process.  The one major input I had was what sort of fruit to purchase.

Next to our driveway was an empty, weed filled space that led downhill to the barn.  It is bordered by the drive, horse corral, and road to the barn.  Using the trusty tractor my husband filled in some holes and made a nice sloping orchard space. 

We laid out the spacing and started planting.  We bought bare root trees and plants so they all had to soak.

We think it is very important to provide moral support to the one person in our family who volunteers to do the digging.

Most of the trees are dwarf fruit trees so they are a good size for the kids.  They were able to do a lot of the hole-filling and straightening while we planted.  Actually, my daughter did a lot of the planting, my son decided it was more fun to play in the tractor scoop.

In total, we planted eight trees.  Here is what we are growing:
2 Apples (we put one apple in last year so we added a second for variety)
2 Pears
2 Cherries
2 Nectarines

We also planted a few grape vines.  Over the last five years, we have tried three times to grow grapes and have failed each time.  I find it ironic that we live in the heart of wine country and the one thing we can't grow is grapes.  Maybe we will get lucky this time.

It exciting to already see buds on the trees, can't wait to eat some home grown fruit.  I should mention that even though the hubby really wanted an orchard, he hates fruit.  Odd, huh?

Farm to Table

I have been hearing about farm to table dinners for the past year or so and love the idea.  The premise is that you go to a farm and have dinner where the food comes directly from the farm. These dinners can cost over $100 to attend so I have never participated.

Since I have been trying my hand at gardening for a year or so, I am also very excited to eat food my family has cultivated.  Each Friday I have coffee with a friend who also is into gardening.  We were chatting and decided it would be fun to do a pot luck farm to table dinner where most dishes had at least one ingredient from our respective gardens or other harvesting methods (I'll explain that later). We invited one other couple who also gardens and cooks.  The result was fun, delicious, and definitely worth repeating.

The first decision made was I would host since I live out in the country.  I picked a location out in one of our fields that had wonderful views and opportunities to see the wildlife.  We moved our outdoor table and chairs out to the field and set a casual table.  The center piece was a simple glass jar with a few stones and a tea light inside.  A sprig of tree moss from our tree was tied around the top with string. The color scheme was beige, white, and glass so the focus stayed on the natural surroundings (and, of course, the food). 

The center piece doesn't show, its hidden behind the salt and pepper

 We also brought out our large bar-b-que to give some heat and a cooking surface.

Here is the food heating and chicken cooking. 

Last week we had pretty cool days so we were a little worried we would be chilly but nature was on our side.  We started around 3:30pm with a temperature of 68degrees.  It did cool down considerably by the end but that's why we had the fire.

Here was the menu:
Course 1 - Homemade Pickles; cheese and crackers
Course 2 - Garden Salad with vinaigrette;  Tomato Soup with whole wheat Challah Bread 
Course 3 - Barbequed Chicken; Roasted Vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, radishes, and onions); Chard Polenta
Course 4 -  Blueberry Cobbler with vanilla ice cream

I made three of these dishes.  The first was the tomato soup.  I had frozen tomatoes from the spring and that was enough for half of what the recipe called for so I had to supplement with canned crushed tomatoes.  I will absolutely make that soup again, it was delicious. 

Isn't that a fabulous color?!

The second dish I made was the roasted vegetables.  I have been super stressed about my cauliflower because our overnight freezes have turned the heads a bit brown.  Roasting them seemed like a good way to "mask" the discoloration.  I also had to soak them in salt water to help rid us of the additional aphid proteins.  I didn't think my carrots would be ready but I was pleasently surprised.

I planted a variety including multicolored carrots and Parisian carrots - those are the round ones.

I also stole some radishes from my mother's container garden and pulled one of my onions.  Look at this gorgeous skillet read to go into the oven!

Pretty colors make everything taste better :  )

The last thing I made actually broke all of the rules.  I made the blueberry cobbler and none of the ingrediants came from my garden.  I justified it by telling myself we had tried to grow blueberries and failed.  Also, I just love desert and who doesn't love cobbler?

I said other harvesting methods and here is what I meant.  The same person who brought the pickled veggies (she canned those last summer) also brought the chicken. The chicken had been slaughtered and plucked by her daughter, fresh and hormone free.  It was wonderful chicken.

My other friend brought the salad - all garden ingredients.  She has started eating a lot of dandelion greens and dill, this made a very yummy salad.  She also brought the polenta and bread.  Both of these used eggs from her chickens as well as some garden items. 

So combine the good food, nice views and a few bottles of wine (some of it form our local wineries), our farm to table dinner was a relaxing and yummy event.  We will most likely be doing another one when our spring gardens are producing. Looking forward to it!!

Art Again

I had to share one more picture of our skies.  I meant to include this image with the first post but forgot.  That happens when you are trying to write and entertain your two children at the same time : )

I took this picture on my way home the other night.  I stopped at the gate to our property and captured another fabulous sunset.  During the fall and up until Christmas, my kids and I always look up at skies like this and say to each other, "Mrs. Claus is baking cookies!"  My kids love sunsets.

I was thinking this morning how we need to use these moments to teach our children in a meaningful way.  How many colors do you see in this picture? As parents we need to recognize what we educators call "teachable moments."  When we want our kids to learn something, there is no stronger way to imprint something on their little brains then to make it have personal meaning.  Seeing a sky that looks like this first hand (not just in a picture) is very powerful and memorable.  To connect learning to these times is the best way to help our kids become eager learners. 

Natural Art Show

I have always been captivated by beautiful skies.  I love sunsets and sunrises because no two are ever the same, kind of like snow flakes.  Watching and observing these natural occurrences is like a free trip to an art gallery so I try very hard to point out these moments to my kids.  Hopefully they will always appreciate natural beauty. 

It is very typical for us on the Central Coast to have clear blue skies.  We get very little rain fall so we have very few stormy, cloudy days.  There are many overcast foggy mornings and wispy clouds in the afternoon but real storm skies are rare.  Over the last few weeks we have alternated between rain, sun, and freezing overnight temperatures.  It seems like we are on a two to three day rotation of these weather patterns and this makes for some fabulous skies.

This was Christmas day looking out over the barn.  We had rainy weather and the sun kept peeking through the clouds.

People always talk about Hawaiian sunsets.  I have been to Hawaii several times and I have to argue that our sunsets rival any island.  This is what we get to see on a regular basis.  This was taken a few days after Christmas.

I said that we have had many freezing temperatures overnight.  This was what the hills looked like under a blanket of frost last weekend.  The intense sunlight in the morning is a regular thing around here.  When it reflects off the frost, it makes the new grass look brown and its intensity almost obliterates any blue in the sky.

The rain came back overnight and the sky had a real heaviness to it.  With the sun shining through in the east, this heaviness was accentuated.  This orientation of this picture is actually the same as the previous one but the camera was tilted up a bit. The two pictures were taken at almost the same hour one day apart.  What a difference twenty four hours makes, huh? 

I have always taken pictures of the skies and it is really hard to edit myself.  Who doesn't want to trap the beauty they're witnessing?  I have to keep reminding myself that another beautiful sky is only a day way. 

Hometown Beauty

Yesterday I spent some time just meandering around my town.  I got a new camera for Christmas and had a few free minutes in the afternoon so I hit the streets.  I wanted to practice some of my camera's settings and my town offers great photo ops.  What I wound up accomplishing was a simple photo essay of my hometown's beautiful downtown area (please forgive the beginner photography - I'm working on it).

By California standards, I live in a small town.  My hometown is Paso Robles which sits on the georgeous Central Coast of California.  I wasn't actually born here but I moved here one week prior to my 10th birthday so I consider it my hometown. 

One of the many oak trees on our property

Paso Robles (or its complete name El Paso de Robles) translates to pass of the oaks.  So when I think of Paso, I automatically think of oak trees.  We have thousands of oak trees.  Years ago people cleared large parcels of land to plant crops and build houses but oaks are still everywhere you look. There are now restrictions on cutting down these iconic trees.

The other thing that pops into mind when I think of my town is the beautiful downtown center.  We have a very active Mainstreet Association that has won awards for what they have accomplished with our downtown. I will take you through a few of my favorite stops on my walk.

I started out by grabbing tea at my favorite coffee house in Paso.  Amsterdam Coffee is on 13th Street between Spring Street and Park Street.  I come here every week to sit and chat with some other locals.  Visitors to our town are always hanging out on the comfy couches.  I love chatting with them about what we locals recommend about our town (wine tasting isn't the only pastime).

I left Amsterdam and headed south on Park Street. This street has many restored buildings housing restaurants, clothing stores, and wine tasting rooms. 

This building houses a restored ballroom and can be rented out for events.  On the street level is western-themed McLintocks Restaurant which offers my favorite happy hour in town.  For under $15 my husband and I can do a date night that includes dinner and beer.

When you walk around downtown, the center is dominated by two "icons" if you will.  The first is the clock tower on the corner of Park Street and 12th Street.  This clock tower was actually destroyed in the 2003 earthquake but was quickly reconstructed. 

Across 12th Street from the clock tower is the downtown city park.  This is the social hub of Paso life.

So many things happen in the park.  We have year round farmers markets, free concerts every Friday evening in the summer, Christmas tree lighting ceremony, numerous festivals, car shows, etc.  Its actually hard to find two weekends back to back where nothing is happening in the park.

At the center of the park is the second "icon" of downtown Paso, the Carnegie Library.  This no longer serves as the city library but it did up until fairly recently. 

Fooling around with black and white - still needs work.

I remember walking down the outside stairs to the basement to attend story time in the children's section.  Now it houses the local historical society.  From here I headed northeast along the path in the park and crossed 12th Street.

I turned west along 12th Street and walked down one of my favorite blocks in town.  This block has been largely restored and is one of the older commercial sections in town.  It used to house the town's mercantile and still did when I moved here in 1989.  Now it is home to many yummy restaurants and boutiques.  I walked up this block and turned north on Park Street.  I walked two blocks up to one of my absolute favorite restaurants in town. 

Panolivo is on the corner of Park Street and 14th Street.  It offers french cuisine and what I consider to be some of the best coffee and deserts in town.  For date nights, my husband and I love to come for a decaf and a pastry.  Try their Cafe Au Lait and pair it with their Pear Belle Helene.  Heaven!!  Unfortunately the restaurant is undergoing renovations but should be open again very soon.

Great sign on this clothing store.

 I crossed the street to walk south on Park Street.  I love the little boutiques that line this street: clothing, olive oil, crafts, jewlry, etc.  In November the downtown holds an event called Elegant Evening.  All of the stores offer up finger foods and drinks for free.  Its sort of a town-wide open house.  My family and I always attend and its fun to see the stores lit up for the holidays.

I made my way back to my car on 13th Street and it was time to go pick up the kids.  If you haven't been to my town, please consider paying us a visit.  It is a great place to walk around, have a cup of coffee, and get a good meal.  There is so much I didn't put in this blog but maybe I will do a part two because I could go on and on about Paso.  Hope to see soon!! 

Set the Children Free!!

Set the Children Free!!

As a mom and an educator I spend a lot of my time thinking about what is "appropriate" or "safe" for kids to do.  So-called "experts" are constantly bombarding parents and teachers with information on how to raise children in a safe and healthy world.  We hear advice about how to protect our children from harm or illness.  I, like most other parents, want my kids to grow up healthy and safe - that is not a debatable point.  However, the way in which we are encouraged to keep kids safe pretty much amounts to the retardation of natural child development.

When I look around school campuses today, I see things that horrify me.  Swings sets have been taken out of most school play grounds.  Running is not allowed if the kids are on asphalt.  Kids are placed in time out for play wrestling.  Dirt is not for digging in but rather it is for looking at.  Trees are not for climbing, they are for shade only.  I could go on about the many things that are "against the rules" at schools and, unfortunately, I think are also against the rules in many homes. 

I said these rules are in place under the guise of keeping kids "safe."  This is a blatant lie.  The reason for these rules is fear.  Fear that if a kid gets hurt at school a parent will sue.  And by the away, parents do sue schools daily for these types of things.  We as parents have allowed ourselves to be brainwashed into believing that there is fault in childhood hurts and someone (mainly schools) must pay.  I have news for all parents out there:  Kids are supposed to fall down!!!  Kids are supposed to get hurt occasionally!!!  Do you want to know why?  Kids need to learn how to operate and control their bodies.  They do this by trial and error.  Yes, trial and ERROR.  When we deny kids the opportunity to use their bodies for climbing, running, and falling, they are not allowed to develop the skills necessary to manage themselves. 

Battle scars from tree climbing - yes they hurt but the kids were so proud of conquering that tree!!

 Humans develop our large muscle groups first and then our small muscle groups kick in (think top to bottom and inside out).  Babies first learn to sit, then crawl, then walk -these are large muscle activities.  While they are trying to walk, they fall.  This teaches them the limitations and abilities in their bodies.  The quickly learn that if they try to move fast, they will probably fall.  So, they slow down and master walking before they can run.  Young kiddos are no different - its just at a different speed.  If they run too fast, they fall (and yes, horror of horrors, might get scraped).  So they slow their run until they are coordinated enough to go faster. 

My daughter has mastered fast - you need fast when you're trying to fly a kite with no wind.

Climbing is the same process.  They need to master small obstacles and then NEED to master larger climbing structures.  Climbing develops their core strength, their upper body strength, and it forces them to push the limits of their balance and reflexes.  If they slip, they need to be able to catch themselves.  There is a whole lecture I am not getting into about sensory development that fits in here - I will leave that up to my occupational therapy friends.

You don't need special climbing equipment - a simple fence or tree will do

All of this should happen daily for kids.  When our schools or homes punish kids for doing these activities, we are denying them natural development.  This can have drastic consequences.  If kids don't know how to manage their bodies and haven't had opportunities to develop those large muscle groups, how can we expect them to sit properly in a chair for hours which requires developed core strength?  Or use their fingers (small muscles) to write when their upper body strength has not been develope?  As a teacher,  I can attest to the fact that kids today are so "protected" (aka denied) they are having many behavioral and academic problems that lead to a whole host of other issues.  So please, if you care about child development, let our children be free to develop.  Let them run, let them climb, let them fall.  It it amazing to watch what happens when a kiddo is allowed to do what their body tells them they should.

Lastly, if you feel the need to sue because your child got hurt doing these things, you are denying other children their development and I hold you personally responsible for the retardation of our youth.