My Competitive Child and her Non-competitive World

This Friday is Regan's Special Olympics Track meet, and of course we are all very excited to go watch her. Since she is the only special needs child at her school, she looks forward to being around people who have similar needs that she does. The majority of her track teammates go to a special school that children from two counties attend.

This will be their third track meet of five this year....but Regan is always in just one....why?

Because she is mainstreamed she is expected to still meet state standardized testing minimums so since the rest of her team is in a life skills school, she has to pass the Texas TAKS test (well all three of them actually) to meet school requirements. So for her one track meet a year she is thrilled to miss school for the day, and have the rest of her grade (all 10 of them) come and watch her perform athletically.

Here is the rather funny part (from my perspective). Regan is so used to good natured ribbing and competitive kids, that she always assumes all the kids she is competing against will be just like she is.  So she teases one girl that she is "going to take her down"...and the girl just looks at her blankly. She then told another young man (teasingly) that she was "sooooo gonna win the race", and he just tells her "okay". Because the majority of Regan's competition is having a ball just being in the race, and they know it is not whether you win or lose, but how much fun you can have.

So Regan will jump for joy and say "Yes!" when she throws her tennis ball the farthest and not understand why no one else is competitive....when all the kids she knows in her every day life are.

Book Review; Treasure Hunt

Part of our family Easter traditions (which by the way we have a lot of Easter Traditions....lol) is to have a Treasure Hunt for the girl's Easter baskets. Each year we start them off with a clue that send them scurrying off and trying to figure out where the next clue is. Eventually after about three different locations have been deciphered, they get the final clue to the location of the coveted baskets.

Regan, Rebecca, and my niece Kyla look forward to this tradition every year. Last year the basket ended up hidden in the outdoor playscape, but we have hidden them in washer/dryers, bathtubs, and obscure closets before too. This year I am excited in finding some help with my treasure hunt clues in my new book Treasure Hunt A book of Clues for Parties by Nancy Kruse.

This little gem of a book is divided into clever poems using every room in the house, and even the outdoors. Looking to hide something in your kitchen? Then just go straight to the Kitchen section where several fun poems you can use are ready for you. They even had a poem where you can place your next clue in an ice cube to be very tricky. Or if you are looking for a more grown up version, there was a poem involving chugging your favorite brew to get the next clue.

I can see me using this book for many years to come, and as the girls get older, I can make the clues tougher. I can highly recommend Treasure Hunt A book of Clues for Parties for all your treasure game needs. This would be a great birthday party activity, a fun Christmas gift hiding game, or if you want to tempt your sweetheart with a Valentine Treasure Hunt.

Do you have any Treasure Hunting Ideas you can share?

Spring Pics 2009

Today John Mark was still in Austin for a Charity Golf Tournament he was in so I took the girls out to a local park, to take pictures and surprise him. I am somewhat obsessive with getting pictures in the springtime because I love the Bluebonnets that just take over the fields. We had a great time, and I really got some fabulous shots.

Here is Regan's bluebonnet close-up

Then we Have Rebecca's shot

They posed for me together on the slide

Then I caught Regan in a fun moment on the teeter totter

Rebecca lounging by the tree

Finally another great shot of my girls
John Mark is going to love these shots of his girls!

Is She Wearing a What?!!!!!

Well the girls and I were spending a quiet evening hanging out. Regan and Rebecca are watching the Kid's choice awards, and I was randomly doing laundry and Entrecard dropping....when I overhear this juicy little tidbit from my television.

Okay, wait....let me set the scenario. On the screen is Dwayne Johnson who is this year's host dressed up as Myley Cyrus. He is in front of a crowd of kids all in the front row home theater furniture. He looked funny in his dress and brown wig, I'll admit. Then Myley comes out in the same dress, and they have some clever banter....but then Dwayne Johnson asks her if she is wearing a thong!!!

I'm sorry, when is it ever appropriate to ask a teenage girl about her underwear? That has got be one of the worst things I have seen on live television. What a complete perv! There is a crowd of children not three feet away from you, and that is what you want to portray? Luckily she brushed it aside quickly, but I was horrified. Rebecca asked me why he would want to know about that, and I told her I honestly had no idea.

Maybe you can answer that one Mr. Johnson....why would you ask a teenage girl what she is wearing under her dress?

It's Gettin' Hot in Here...so Come and Check my Head

Okay, sorry for the Nelly title reference....I just couldn't help myself. Anyway, to be serious, I can't tell you how often over the years I have struggled with thermometers. When Regan was young she had febrile seizures. Anytime she would start to feel warm, I would start trying to monitor her temp with an ear thermometer that we had. I honestly would get so many different and difficult readings that it left me frustrated. It got so bad, that as soon as she felt the slightest bit warm we would plunge her in a cool bath just to avoid any possible seizures. Due to her cerebral palsy, we couldn't get her to function with a regular or rectal thermometer. What would really bother me was that when her pediatrician would ask what her temperature had gotten to, we were at a loss as to what to say.

Now I am blessed to have had an Exergen Temporal Scanner to work with and evaluate, and I absolutely love that device! First of all it is non-invasive. It gets a correct temperature reading with just a quick scan of the forehead. It was so easy, that everyone in my house could use it with no problems, and it was accurate. Who could ask for more in a thermometer.

The Exergen Temporal Scanner is the fastest, most accurate way to measure body temperature. Even if there is perspiration on the forehead, you can place the probe on the back of the neck to get a reading.

To use, simply place the probe on the forehead, hold down the scan button and slide over to the hairline. Within 2-3 seconds it will beep letting you know the scan is over. Release the scan button and take the thermometer away from the head when it reaches the hairline. It even has an automatic shut off after 30 seconds.

It is the only Thermometer made in the US and is better for the environment since it uses infrared sensor technology and contains no mercury. The Exergen Temporal Scanner runs on one 9-volt battery and meets all regulatory requirements.

You can purchase the Exergen Temporal Scanner in many places including BabiesRUs.....or you can win one from this giveaway...Yippee!

This Giveaway is for one Exergen Temporal Scanner. Entries will be accepted until April 5th, 2009 midnight CST. If you are commenting anonymously please leave an email address so that I can contact you. This giveaway is open to United States Residents Only.

1. Mandatory First Entry: Leave a comment on why you want this thermometer.
2. Earn 2nd Entry by becoming a follower of this blog, or leaving me a separate comment if you already are.
3. Earn an extra entry for twittering about this contest, and leaving me you tweet link in a separate comment
4. Earn another entry by placing my button on your blog sidebar (again leave a comment letting me know you have)
5. Final entry can be earned by blogging about this giveaway, and leaving me a link to the post in a separate comment.

Good Luck everyone and a special thank you to the Family Review Network for this wonderful opportunity.

Bright Star Kids Review

I was thrilled when Family Review Network gave me the opportunity to do a review for Bright Star Kids. This Australian Company has really great wall graphics, Wall letters, Labels, and my own review item Chalkboard Dots.

I chose to review these because I know Regan and Rebecca would want them for their rooms to add their own personal touch. I was right! Rebecca popped hers up above her headboard, and wrote her fun little personal message. If you can't read it from the picture it reads "Becca Boo Rox.....When she pop, lock, and drops!"


Regan is still trying to decide if she wants hers on the door or the wall, but that is the great thing about these versatile chalkboard dots. They are easily removable and can be placed anywhere. I really like the website idea of using them as a fridge messageboard


For a limited time Bright Star Kids
My readers can take 20% off! If you would like to try out their products, they would love to give you 20% off your entire order. To use simply enter the promotional code FAMILYREVIEW into the Promotional Code section of our Shopping Cart and then press Submit.

This offer will be valid for one month from 25th March until the 25th April. Important: If you don't get the products in time and you need to extend the expiry date, please get in touch and I'll sort it out for you.

Notes on using this code: The discount doesn't work with any automatic store discounts. For example if a person buys 2 or more Wall Graphic or Wall Letter kits, they will automatically get between 15 - 25% off. These products won't get the extra 20% off, but any other product that's in the order will.

Da Bib is Da Cutest!

When the Family Review Network first asked for reviewers for a company called Da Bib my first impulse was just to let this one past because both of my girls are way past that bib wearing stage, but then I remembered we have several special needs family friends who have older children still in bibs for several of their feeding issues. With this in mind, I wanted to see if it would suit the needs of special needs family, and I am proud to say it would do the job admirably.

The first thing I wanted to check out when I received it was the quality of the fabric and the stretch of the neckline. Regan and Rebecca were both able to put it around their necks and Velcro it easily. The neckline has a firm feel (they refer to it as a scrunch collar designed to keep the neckline safe from spills and staining. One side is a great terrycloth, and the other side a wipeable side. It even has a food pouch to catch all those stray crumbs.

I am proud to recommend it to any newborn family as an excellent bib, and also to any special needs family, as one that is suited to your needs also. Don't you love things that are versatile?

Now you can have your very own Da Bib for your munchkin. This Giveaway is open to US residents only, and will run through April 4, 2009 until 12:00 midnight CST. If you leave an anonymous comment please also leave your email address so that I will be able to reach you.

1. First Entry (Mandatory) please visit Da Bib and tell me which style you would choose to win. Leave a comment telling me the style
2. Second Entry: become a follower of my blog and leave me a second comment telling me that you are
3. Third Entry: Twitter this post and leave me a URL to find it in a separate comment
4. Fourth Entry: Post my button on your sidebar, and let me know in a separate comment
5. Fifth Entry: Blog about this giveaway on your own site and leave me a URL address in a separate comment.