Amazingly enough, my children are in a heated discussion yet again in the car. Why is it they only fight i…
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Added by Heather Binning on October 15, 2009 at 10:35am —
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Believe it or not, I’ve added another hat to my life – Daisy Scout leader. My son has been in Cub Scouts for three years and loves it, so my daughter has been waiting patiently for her turn. I thought it would be much easier for me to be the leader than ask another mom to adapt everything for Sami. Luckily, I have a neighbor who will be my co-leader if something happens (gee, like a break) and I can’t be there.
The good little student that I am, I’ve been reading about the Girl Scouts for the p…
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Added by Heather Binning on October 8, 2009 at 9:05am —
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9-24-09
Well, today is Samantha’s 6th birthday and we just finished a birthday breakfast at Panera. When I think back to the beginning of her life I’m amazed at how far she has come. This is our story….
At my 20 week sonogram appointment, the doctor told us that the little girl inside me had very short and bowed limbs. His face, though, told me more – sorrow and regret. Something was very wrong. We were quickly referred to the specialists at St. Luke’s. (In case you’re wondering, an adult cann…
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Added by Heather Binning on September 24, 2009 at 7:17am —
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Even though I work full time all year, when the kids go to school I feel like starting over. I do my resolutions in Sept rather than Jan. This year I want to concentrate on my beauty, inside and out.
Did you know it’s estimated that French women spend one third of their salaries on beauty products and one third on lingerie? Can you imagine spending 2/3 of your salary just on yourself? What a luxury!
Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to make more conscious decisions about the time and money I s…
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Added by Heather Binning on September 10, 2009 at 2:27pm —
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Help me find Peace
For the first time I’m asking for your help in my blog. After work today, we will pack up the kids and travel to Omaha, NE. Tomorrow Samantha will do a full round of body x-rays, bone density tests, hearing, teeth, PT, OT, ortho surgeon, the whole shebang. It’s her annual trip to the Children’s Hospital in Omaha for their OI Clinic (Osteogenesis Imperfecta – brittle bone disease) but this year we’ve been battling more pain in her little legs and therefore have more concerns t…
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Added by Heather Binning on September 2, 2009 at 11:07am —
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8-28-09
School Review
“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”
―Benjamin Franklin
Now that school has started, I wanted to recap a few things for everyone. If you want the full articles you can check out the previous blog entries or drop me a line. I’m very pro-education and have tremendous respect for those people who dedicate their lives to our kids. Teachers work 60+ hours a week for little pay and benefits. And for those in the special education world it’s even more time…
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Added by Heather Binning on August 28, 2009 at 10:22am —
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Be still.
Being still is very hard for me. Activity is addicting. I jump from one task to another and it almost gives me a high. Checking things off a list makes me feel like I accomplished something. It also allows me to hide from myself and everyone else. I lose myself in the tasks that need to be done and don’t have time to deal with the highs and lows of life.
What I have learned is that I need to be still. I need to let other people do things for themselves as much as possible. I have to…
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Added by Heather Binning on August 7, 2009 at 8:16am —
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Being Positive
“I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship.”
-Louisa May Alcott
As I was sitting in the hospital one day, as happened a lot when my daughter was younger, another mom came in and we started chatting. Her daughter has a feeding tube button, as well as needed dialysis weekly because her kidneys were dying. The sad part was that a transplant wasn’t feasible since it had been tried before and rejected. This little girl was a spit fire! Personality oozed out of her ev…
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Added by Heather Binning on July 31, 2009 at 7:19am —
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Anti-depressants
Today is an extra personal blog. Last week I started on anti-depressants. This was a HUGE deal for me! I don’t even take aspirin. I decided to take my mental health as serious as my body health because my relationships with myself and my family were, I felt, at the bottom of the barrel. I tried many different tactics to pull myself out of my funk, but time, money, and commitments are factors that are fixed. Shopping, alcohol, and endless hours at the gym weren’t going to help m…
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Added by Heather Binning on July 16, 2009 at 11:02am —
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Well, after a nice long holiday weekend, it is officially swimsuit time and I can hear the groans from many of you. Not only do you have to pack a billion things (just in case) for a 2 hour stint at the pool, but you need to fit into last year’s suit after a long winter.
Personally I judge myself on whether or not I can see my feet. If my belly is bloated so much I can’t see my toes, I know I need to do a little maintenance ASAP. The secret weapons are….drum roll…….diet and exercise. Okay, Okay…
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Added by Heather Binning on July 9, 2009 at 7:39am —
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6-25-09
FUN!
Recently we took the children to see “Night at the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian”. It was a very good movie, I laughed as much as the kids, but I think the real story line of this kid’s movie was meant for the parents. The plot: Larry Daley enjoyed his job at the museum, but when a better money offer came along he naturally took it as any parent would. Amelia Earhart finally tells him that life is about going on adventures and having fun. It’s a hard concept for Larry to swallo…
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Added by Heather Binning on June 25, 2009 at 10:42am —
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6-16-09
Listening
I have found that one of the hardest things for me to do is listen. Listen to myself. Listen to others. I hear loads of things, but listening requires full attention, and being a wife and mother to 2 special needs children, my ear is rarely focused in one spot. I am constantly multi-tasking, as all mothers do, and sometimes get bitterly jealous of men who can be simply solely focused on one task. It’s not fair, but true.
We are no longer living in a simple family community worl…
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Added by Heather Binning on June 18, 2009 at 11:43am —
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6-11-09
The Female Brain
My notes from reading “The Female Brain” by Louann Brizendine, MD
Here are a few facts about the difference in female and male brains. Yes, there is a huge difference! I know it’s such a shock to everyone.
1.Men and women have the same number of brain cells but men’s brains are larger, so there is more room.
2.Women have 2 ½ times more brain cells devoted to communication and social orientation. Men have 2 ½ times more cells devoted to sexual drive and aggression. To me…
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Added by Heather Binning on June 11, 2009 at 12:48pm —
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Dream Factory – LegoLand!
We just returned from a fabulous trip to LegoLand in Carlsbad, CA (half way between LA and San Diego). This trip was provided to us by The Dream Factory. I cannot tell you how wonderful that organization is – there just aren’t enough great words to describe it!!! Things like this really make me appreciate the volunteers and companies that donate their time and money to help kids who really have a rough life.
And I will easily admit that the vacation was just as good f…
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Added by Heather Binning on June 5, 2009 at 11:24am —
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Here’s a great way for you to have some much needed alone adult time …. CAMP!
You want to send your child to camp so they have the opportunity to be with other kids, learn how to build relationships, and develop the skills to problem solve without a doctor, teacher, or their parent around (you know = the cocoon). It builds their confidence and independence while getting them some physical, mental, and emotional exercise.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all camps make re…
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Added by Heather Binning on May 27, 2009 at 8:53am —
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School Tips
This week is a blunt truth blog. I want you to have the real buffet of information, not the imitation politically correct version. I’m warning you now the dose of reality is long and can be hard to swallow, but you’re a big girl and I know you’d rather have the truth to conquer than be stuck in sappy quicksand.
The number one fact you must understand is that school districts have budgets just like you and me. And there is always more needs, kids, and school days than there is money.…
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Added by Heather Binning on May 21, 2009 at 8:08am —
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5-14-09
School Vocab LRE
To continue our vocabulary lesson, “LRE” is Least Restrictive Environment. This is the biggest stickler and fighting point you’ll read or hear about from other SPED parents. The concept is to place your child in a situation that is the least restrictive for their learning = where they can blossom the most. Each child’s abilities will determine their own LRE. Here are a few different scenarios:
*In most cases, LRE means spending most of the school day in the regular educ…
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Added by Heather Binning on May 13, 2009 at 11:18am —
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School Vocabulary 504 plan
A 504 is actually Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Section 504 is a civil rights law to protect people with disabilities from discrimination because of their disability. There should be a 504 coordinator (usually a vise principal or counselor, but probably not the special education teacher) and a team like the IEP team to help with the accommodations.
Notice that a 504 is not something that guarantees your kid will…
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Added by Heather Binning on May 7, 2009 at 7:24am —
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School Vocabulary – IEP
This is the time of year that school districts are testing kids and preparing for the next school year. Their budgets start over July 1st and they will know how much money they have and what services are needed to start the new year in August. I’m not saying they have enough money but they at least have a budget on paper.
Your child will spend just as much, if not more, time in a school setting each day than you do at work. For this reason, you need to pick your school…
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Added by Heather Binning on April 30, 2009 at 12:39pm —
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Well, this has been quite the week! I’m amazed at how much junk I collect just because I can’t let go of the “Perfect Wife and Mother” title and the “always-be-prepared-so-keep-everything” motto. I wish I could say “my recycling boxes are full to the brim, my shredder’s motor is whining from overuse, and there is a pile in my basement waiting for Big Brother Big Sisters to pick up” but I can’t. I started with the overgrown vinca in my front yard and that project alone took most of the week. Manu…
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Added by Heather Binning on April 23, 2009 at 2:17pm —
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Overcoming Obstacles
