Eco Fabulous Family

Chris, Bug and Peanut went camping this weekend.  Froggie and I had the house to ourselves all weekend. So we had a wild party and junk food.  Well, only part of that is true.

I took this opportunity to try to get control over the massive amount of crap that has accumulated in the boys bedroom.  It was bad.  I mean bad.  Where did all that stuff come from?

Here are a couple before pictures:

Peanut’s Room – Before

Bug’s Room – Before

They really did have cardboard boxes in there because there was no where else to put all the junk.  After working all weekend. This is what it looks like now.

Peanut’s Room – After

Bug’s Room – After

There is still work to be done but we can walk in there now without risking a trip to the ER.

It is so important for them to have a place to go that is their own.  Especially when they need to calm themselves or take a break.  It is not easy to calm down, take a break or even just have fun in a room like that.

So I am publically promising to make sure they stay this way.  Anything not put away by bedtime is mine! I will remind them for the next few nights.  So the hard part is just beginning.  I need to remember to follow through!

There will be an important lesson here.  Sometime in the next week or two we will all take a trip to donate much of that clutter. All that junk which was not valued by them (clearly) will certainly mean something to someone else.

What changes did you make to get control of the stuff in your life?

When Bug was born we attended Gymboree classes.  It was fun.  I got to meet other new Moms and spend an hour playing with my baby.  It was the thing to do.  It was not brain science.

With Froggie I have found brain science, really, I have!  We have started attending this program called Outside the Box.  Outside the Box is like Mommy in me but Harvard style with a dash of steroids.  Everything they do has a purpose.  So if we are singing The Wheels on the Bus and using hand motions we are actually working on tracking.  If we are doing a song that involves lifting the baby up and down we are working on vestibular input.  I could probably list 30 different things we have worked on or should I say played on.  Everything we do in our class is focused on brain development, attachment and bonding.

On Outside the Box’s webpage they have a mission statement which says: Our goal is to teach YOU how to teach YOUR baby!  You are your baby’s first and most effective teacher!  You are the “Architect” of your baby’s brain!

I love this!  Froggie is my third baby and for obvious reasons I am very focused on his brain development.  I have known about many of these concepts from reading about them or talking about them but it is different actually doing it with him.

If you live near Woodland Hills or even a little bit of a drive away you should check it out!  They really are amazing.  I do feel more connected to Froggie and am having a great time.

Oh, and I have Raffi’s Baby Buluga song on a permanent track in my head.

That horrible school photo I wrote about has been re-taken.  I LOVE the new photo and applaud the photography company and school for making it right!

http://www.today.com/news/parents-re-taken-class-photo-world-it-should-be-6C10386819

Miles is sitting in the front row on the right being supported by his caregiver.

Wouldn’t it be great if all kids with all abilities could be this easily included?  Just do a redo!  Think of all the IEP meetings, mediation and court cases that could be avoided if the school districts just said “oops sorry about that, let’s try again”!

I will continue teaching my boys that all children and adults are valuable human beings regardless of their abilities or differences.  But the day is coming when I will have to discuss with them that not everyone feels the same way.  That will be a sad day.

While scrolling through Facebook last night I saw this story several times.

http://www.theprovince.com/news/photo+that+broke+mother+heart/8523150/story.html

with this picture:

 This is a school class picture. This is wrong.  Period. The boy on the end that is separated from his class is a 7 year old named Miles.

How could the photographer not see how wrong this is?

I asked Peanut (age 6) last night what was wrong with this picture.  He said their faces are all missing.  I told him he was right and asked what else was wrong with it.  He said “that boy (pointing to Miles) wants to be with his friends”.  Well there you have it folks.  Simple as pie, right? So why is this so hard for the rest of the world?

I think this picture is a really good indicator of what is wrong with American schools.  If your kids is typically abled and willing to fit into the school district’s pegs than your child will do fine.  However, if your child is differently abled or a square peg then that child is often excluded.

I firmly believe in inclusion.  I believed in inclusion before Froggie was born.  Peanut goes to a charter school that is 20% differently abled and 80% typical.  We are very fortunate that Froggie will go there in Kindergarten because of sibling preference. Bug goes to a regular neighborhood school where most the kids look and act typical.  You would never know there is special day class on campus, a room where they put children who have different abilities.  Bug attended this school since 1st grade.  I never even knew they were there until the end of 3rd grade.  Never saw them.  Bug didn’t know this class existed either.  So clearly these kids are not being included at all.

I learned of their existence on this campus when there was an award ceremony and a girl from this class received an award with some of the other 3rd graders.  She came in separate, sat separate, received her award separately and left the ceremony early.  It was clear to all the parents there that something was different about this girl.  The parents even discussed it among themselves wondering what class she was from and why she was treated differently.

We have a long way to go towards equality in this country.  Just recently a young man named Ethan was murdered.  The coroner declared it murder but there is no investigation.  Why? Many feel this is because Ethan had Down syndrome.  The implication is that Ethan’s life has less value than someone with typical abilities. How is this even remotely okay? If you want to know about Ethan you can look HERE.

Another Mom wrote a blog post suggesting that parents of kids with typical abilities request that the school put differently abled children in class with their typical children.  I think this is a great idea and challenge you to do this!  Check out this blog post about this idea: http://myimperfectextraordinarylife.com/2013/06/10/what-if/

I am asked all the time what my favorite baby products are.  Babies needs breasts, a place to sleep, diapers and a few outfits.  If you have these you have all you need but there are other things that can make life much nicer and easier.

Now that Patrick is 5 months old (can you believe it?) I have a few I can’t live without.  I am sure there will be even more as time goes on and will post a new list in a few months.

Woven Wrap – I LOVE this thing.  I use it almost everyday.  I have a Didymos.  I thought I would hate all the wrapping but once I got used to it it was a breeze. This is particular perfect for Patrick. Since Patrick has Down syndrome he has joint laxity and low muscle tone.  I like how a wrap allows me to position him in the best way for him and I can make sure he is supported well.

Blankets – I am loving Aden + Anais Bamboo Blankets.  These come in 3 packs.  When I opened and washed the package both Bug and Peanut took one.  They liked how they felt too and figured 3 blankets for 3 boys.  They actually feel like butter. Now that it is getting hot out these are good for covering his head or his stroller to keep the sun out of his eyes.

Playmat – I can not say enough about the LilyPad Lawn by Nook.  Patrick needs lots of tummy time for his low muscle tone and Mommy needs to work.  When I am not wearing him I want him down on the ground.  Our house has hard floors and my office is tile.  Putting him on blankets frustrates him because when he moves the blanket moves under him.  Foam is no good because of the EVAs. There is some information about EVA’s and foam here. This is perfect!  It is soft, allows him to move and is safer.

Cloth Diapers – Need I say more? If you know me at all you know this is a no brainer for me.  My favorite is bumGenius Freetime. This is an All-In-One diaper so it is super easy to use.

Rash Cream – A couple times Patrick had a stealthy poop. Yes, I can admit it.  I did not change him as quick as I should have and he got a bit red.  I tested out several creams and love Thirsties Booty Love.  I actually didn’t carry it in my store when I tried it and quickly added it.  It cleared it up very quickly and I am comfortable with the ingredients.

Sophie the Giraffe – Yes, really!  I never owed this toy with Bug or Peanut.  But Froggie has just started being able to grasp items and he really seems to prefer this over other toys.  He even can make her squeak it his own.

Do you or did you have a baby item you can not live without? Leave a comment and let me know what it is.

Frogge in a bumGenius Freetime