tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58579520867468736752024-03-12T20:54:14.407-07:00We Aut To Be At HomeA blog following the homeschool journey of two work-at-home parents and our ASD son. With candor and humor, I hope to inspire other parents of autistic children who are exploring homeschooling as an option.Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-5331770971075165722017-12-20T16:51:00.001-08:002017-12-21T14:35:46.770-08:00Raging Rapids<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a while since I've updated the blog. This year has been a raging rapids of changes. It's been a challenge just to keep moving and navigate the waters.<br />
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At the end of summer, we were planning to continue with enrichment classes through the homeschool hybrid program Liam attended for the past 2 years, along with his fine art, music and band rehearsals. I thought we had our rhythm down. <br />
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Then the currents shifted. After a year and a half, the band hit a big, creative rock and broke apart. We tried to keep things going, but the now-adolescent band members were developing very strong musical ideas of their own and they were growing apart. So Liam's band broke up in late summer, and he went off with the bass player, guitarist and one of the drummers to form a new band, named after the famous mountain lion in Griffith Park, "the P22s."<br />
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Instead of the mid-summer recording session we had planned, the new band holed up in a rehearsal studio and started writing new songs and learning new covers. Even though they'd all played together for over a year, it took a while for them to find their new groove as a foursome. Fortunately, we kept the amazing band director who had helped them grow this far. The P22s owe a huge debt to the incomparable director, Dan West, and his talented and generous wife, Azalia Snail. <br />
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By fall, the kids were ready to rock, and we looked for a regular rehearsal time. Most of what I do for the band involves balancing the schedules of the band members, their parents and siblings, to find a day and time for rehearsals that works for everyone. We thought we'd found a good solution by offering to pay the hybrid homeschool to rehearse on the campus with the Dan there, where he was also teaching. But that was not to be. Our request revealed a number of large changes in the school's policies. As they'd grown, they had started to implement a more rigid set of rules. I've seen these kinds of growing pains before - the more students you have, the more structure you need. So we left the school to find a new rehearsal venue and seek out new educational communities.<br />
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The kids enjoyed rehearsing at AMP over the summer, so we decided to continue there. It's good for them to have a professional space with all the backup that entails. It's also good for them to have the minor constraint of "time is money," as the parents kick in to cover the space and they cannot go "over" time. <br />
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In researching images for the new logo, one of our parents discovered that there is a "P22 Day" in Griffith Park, to raise awareness of urban wildlife. I was able to get the kids a spot on the stage for the special day. It was a great, first public appearance for the new band (the previous band had had 8 shows prior to breaking up). Here are links to their music "Running Down A Dream," the encore they played at "P22 Day" and an audition video for an upcoming gig at an all-ages Punk club downtown, "The Smell."<br />
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"Running Down a Dream" is here: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://vimeo.com/245321542&source=gmail&ust=1513903267222000&usg=AFQjCNHZKieKnEhqGoMuU0qvvqYYIbUJww" href="https://vimeo.com/245321542" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/245321542</a><br />
Their Punk, compilation demo is here: https://vimeo.com/245987681 <br />
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One last surprise remained. I had applied for Liam to join an animation program in Eagle Rock that meets twice-weekly for 6 hours a week from October through June. It sounded promising. He was accepted and has been enjoying learning from the graduates and grad students from Cal Arts. He completed his first group-project, which was screened just before Christmas break.<br />
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I finally felt the rapids calming and the river running smoothly again. We hit the eddy and could relax.<br />
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Did I mention we're remodeling the kitchen? I think I hear the river rising again. Note to self - "never take off your life-vest!" <br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-45684327917878673272017-08-20T22:32:00.000-07:002017-08-21T19:10:40.495-07:00The Reviews are In After three years of Liam's autodidactic exploration, and a few wonderful teachers who have helped him build on his passions, he's started to create art, video and music to be seen by others. Lots of others. <br />
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This year, Liam was invited for the first time, to display one of his pieces in the Burbank Art Show as part of Pastimes for a Lifetime and I've gotten several requests to purchase his paintings. This one was a big hit at the art show and has gotten the most "print" requests.<br />
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Liam just performed his 9th live gig as a musician with his new band the P-22s (named after the famous Griffith Park mountain lion). His band-mates appreciate what he does on the keyboard and are accepting of all of his quirks. When the old band split, they asked Liam to be part of the new group. I always hoped people would appreciate him for those things he does really well. This was the first real test of that hope. We're very lucky to have found such an amazing group of kids and a teacher who helps them all to play well and grow as musicians. <br />
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He's spent countless hours teaching himself advanced techniques on video editing programs and I expected that eventually, he'd create content that others might find interesting. As of today, his YouTube channels have 1,116 subscribers and 2,015,299 views. Many viewers are parents with kids, who love his countdown and alphabet videos, created in stop-motion, Sony Vegas Pro, Animate or After Effects. He also applies special effects to bumpers and clips (the Clasky Chupo "Splat" is a popluar one, as well as the PBS logo and the animated sequences from Sesame street). <br />
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Here are links to the most-viewed videos from two of his channels:<br />
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<a href="https://youtu.be/yxzNdr_Jk5M">https://youtu.be/yxzNdr_Jk5M</a><br />
<a href="https://youtu.be/uJcKWHF2ygQ">https://youtu.be/uJcKWHF2ygQ</a><br />
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There is a whole community of YouTubers modifying videos with layers of effects, and they like to give detailed instructions on how to create them (or ask each other in comments how it was done). Liam has started to make short, tutorial videos of his process, as well as making comments on other videos. <br />
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He's produced several music videos and intro bumpers for his music teacher, which he uses on his own YouTube channel and for social media.<br />
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And he's starting to appreciate people liking his work. It's slowly dawning on him that you can make things FOR someone, and that it is cool when they enjoy it. After making the music videos and intros for his music teacher, he said, "I think Dan will love this!"<br />
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I'm so happy that we decided to let him spend as much time as he wants on his passions. The world is a much more welcoming place, when you enter it with something interesting to share. And Liam's work is always interesting, as are the people with whom he shares it.<br />
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Liam is now entering what would be 6th grade, in a typical school setting. I am more excited than ever to see where his talents take him and find out who else will be joining us along the way. <br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-56455952413009963772017-04-23T11:25:00.002-07:002017-04-23T12:52:19.928-07:00Mythical Beasts and Where to Find Them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our 10 yr. old neighbor rolled up to the house on Easter morning, as I was out having a cup of coffee with my neighbor/buddy cat, Henry. "Hey - check out what the Easter Bunny brought me!"he chirped, and flashed his new, white sneakers. "What did the Easter Bunny bring Liam?"<br />
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I hesitated for a moment.<br />
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In our house, there isn't a big deal made of presents around holidays. Family members ask what Liam might like for his birthday or Christmas. Usually, we suggest money, or art supplies, since Liam never really asks for anything. And while he'd readily identify the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Santa Claus, if shown a picture, he never really associated them with getting gifts. So on the one hand, we've never been pressured about presents for weeks (or months) prior to big holidays and birthdays, nor could we use the threat, "if you are naughty, Santa won't bring any presents." We just got used to doing without the mythical beasts that dwell in most young children's imaginations.<br />
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So, to answer my young friend's question, I simply said, "Liam didn't get anything for Easter. He didn't ask the Easter Bunny for anything." It was clearly an unsatisfactory answer. As it is when I tell my parents the same thing around Christmas or birthday time. "He doesn't want anything." I've heard this line used by parents trying to ward off a slew of presents for the child who has enough, but in our case, it's the honest truth.<br />
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When Liam asks for something, it's usually something like a graphics package or a plug-in for an editing program - something for which the giver needs passwords and access codes. This year he DID ask for a special birthday present. He wants a kitten, to replace our 16 yr. old kitty, who passed away a couple of months ago. <br />
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That doesn't mean that Liam lacks imagination. Instead of talking about the childhood trifecta of holiday heroes, Liam ascribes personalities to inanimate objects. He's been known to hug a road sign, say, "hello" to a traffic cone and the other day, he discovered our P-Touch label maker and gave names to all of the objects in my husband's studio (Barry, Benny and Bruce, the drawers, were my favorites).<br />
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A big part of our life with Liam is completely letting go of what's "typical" and seeing what "is." As he matures, it's clear he's aware of the world around him, but he is revealing more and more of the world inside him. So, instead of excitedly showing off his Easter gift, Liam calls us into his room to see his latest video creation on YouTube, Adobe After Effects or BlocksWorld.<br />
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Last week, he produced a music video for his band director, Dan West. I'd trade his excitement in creating that video for any holiday gift you could name.<br />
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Just before posting this, he wanted to show me something else - an amazing re-creation of a Mark Raetz sculpture, done in BlocksWorld. His understanding of how to create this dimensional illusion blew us away.<br />
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I used to feel sad that we didn't share the same, magical
universe as other families. Now, we're finding the joy of watching the
Universe that Liam creates for himself.<br />
<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-14711935991177331082017-04-03T18:40:00.001-07:002017-08-21T19:18:04.142-07:00Always Have an Escape Plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As anyone with an autistic child knows, in any new, public situation, there is <i>the plan</i> and then there is <i>the escape plan</i>. <i>The plan</i> may be to go see the latest blockbuster animated film. <i>The escape plan</i> involves taking seats on the isle, just in case the movie was mastered at "Voice of GOD" levels and your child starts to try to burrow under the seats to escape the noise. Or, <i>the plan</i> might be to attend a dear friend's wedding. <i>The escape plan</i> involves sitting in a less-populated pew, in the back of the church, again on the end, in case your child's inability to understand the protocols of church cause the need to exit quickly. As time goes by, you find you need the escape plan less and less. It might almost make you forget to make one. Don't.<br />
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Last night, we attended what we hoped would be a cool experience for Liam, especially with his newfound interest in organ music. We went to Walt Disney Hall to hear organist Felix Hell, perform a Bach concert.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walt Disney Hall</td></tr>
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The concert hall is an architectural masterpiece, a sweeping, soaring building on the outside and an interior designed to naturally amplify and reflect the tiniest of sounds. Visually, the space was captivating and normally the sonic sensitivity would be a dream-come-true for someone wanting to taste every note of a delicate piece of music. The seats are designed so that no-one is ever blocking anyone's view. In fact, everyone can pretty much see everyone else when the house lights are partially up, as they were in this performance - a fact I would later come to regret.<br />
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My husband said he knew we'd made a mistake when he read the evening's program: "Goldberg Variations, BWV 988." Did you know that the history of this piece is that it was written to help the Russian ambassador to Saxony with his insomnia? Yes. It is lovely, well known, popular and so goddamn tranquil that it only took about 10 minutes before trouble started. Don't get me wrong, the organist was brilliant, but this piece, full of gentle, quiet passages was death-on-toast for an autistic 11 yr. old who loves the booming, soaring Bach of "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor."<br />
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The hall amplifies EVERY sound - not just those on stage, but a quiet rustling of a jacket (did I mention Liam was wearing a windbreaker?), a cough and of course, my son saying "I think I might have an allergy." With those words, it felt like a prison-yard search light had been turned on us. We started whispering quick directions to Liam that he couldn't talk during the concert AT ALL. He nodded and began to fidget instead. His feet tapped on the ground behind what was, in Disney Hall's seating, the head of the person behind him. Both John and I put our hands on his legs, and whispered to stop, which only escalated the fidgiting, the rustling of his windbreaker sounding like a thousand candy wrappers adding to the thumping of his feet. We tried again to still him, which only resulted in his plainly spoken, "why are you saying "SSSSSHHH?" We were in real trouble.<br />
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And we were completely trapped. I'd purchased the tickets on Goldstar. Part of my "new experience" strategy is to buy discounted tickets to events, to make the possibility of ditching less painful. I had not had the option of choosing our seats, which were smack-dab in the middle of a row of about 15 people on either side of us. There was no extra space in front of our feet to scoot out past the people beside us. Also, the folks in the row were mostly elderly, so asking them to move or even making them aware they'd need to move was going to be next to impossible. I was keenly aware that before the show even started it took about 10 minutes for an usher to explain to a very elderly couple in front of us that they were in the wrong seats and another 5 for the gentleman to stand, shakily and move down a seat. Glancing at the row of white heads to either side, I could not imagine a quick or quiet exit that way.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior
of the music hall for a different concert. If you start at the top of
the picture, center and look in the second row of the balcony, you can
see where we were sitting.</td></tr>
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Meanwhile the writhing and stomping had increased and was about to reach critical mass. Liam was grabbing onto us, pushing his head into our bodies and we were practically laying on him, both to give him reassurance and stop the stomping, but I could hear small noises rising in his throat and see a panic creeping onto his face. He could not contain himself at all and we couldn't help him.<br />
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I knew that whatever we did next would be seen by a nearly full theater of people, but not doing something would result in ruining the rest of the performance for everyone there. My husband and I sent urgent glances to each other. We could tell we were running out of time. We waited for a slightly louder passage in the insanely quiet music so we could make a plan.<br />
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He leaned in and whispered, "I see a way out," glancing behind us at open seats that extended to the last row of the balcony about 4 rows away. "I see it too. Over the top?" He nodded "yes." The music dropped again to a quiet passage and Liam was holding John's hand over his mouth. Liam knew it was a bad situation too, but he was about to lose it. I watched him contort his face as he tried to contain his mounting anxiety. I slid the Etch-A-Sketch Liam had been holding into my purse and snapped it shut. The snap sounded like a bullet. <br />
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Finally - another loud passage. "Now or never," John said, hoisting Liam over the back of the chair, and with his extra-long limbs, carried him over the rows of seats - straight to the last row and out the exit. Thankfully the people to either side made no disparaging remarks. They wanted us gone as much as we wanted to go. I was able to climb over the first seat, but my short legs weren't going to make the other 3 rows. One woman leapt to her feet and tried to pull me over the next row. I thanked her but said I wouldn't make it. Instead, I saw that there were only about six people in my new row. By this point, there was no need to alert them - they all saw me coming, stood quickly and accepted my whispered apology "so sorry, we're leaving!" as I dashed down the row and followed my family out of the hall to the lobby where we regrouped.<br />
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<br />
We made it to our car and back out onto the highway. "OH MY GOD, THAT WAS STRESSFUL!" he said - bursting with relief. "I've never felt so trapped!"<br />
<br />
"I know. I kept hoping we could make it to intermission. I'm glad the people were helpful about getting us out of there!" (note - when we got home and studied the program, I saw there was to be NO INTERMISSION - see below).<br />
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We got home, made a shaker of martinis and went over the events, while Liam went happily back to playing Angry Birds on his iPad.<br />
<br />
We didn't blame Liam for not being into the music - with apologies to all Bach/"Goldberg" fans, we weren't really that into it either. It was insane to ask any kid, let alone an autistic one, to sit perfectly still for that. We concluded that, after experiencing the incredible acoustics of the hall, we wouldn't bring Liam back there, unless it was a loud performance and we had aisle seats. <br />
<br />
For those people for whom we caused a distraction, we are sorry from the bottom of our souls. But at least they'll have a great story.<br />
<br />
And from now on, the first thing we'll do in a new space, is look for the emergency exits. <br />
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Footnote: In relating this story to my mother-in-law, I found out that at least one of her friends was AT the concert last night. I guess I'll find out what stories others will tell about us, after all. Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-2728437025388110552017-03-23T11:39:00.001-07:002017-03-23T11:39:57.716-07:00Keys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rkZr99-DE7Yq_QUHzlA-zFB6xGEfkuhNWXnjrvAX_VbXNP-DcwZ6mcTtQAH0hHSrrkG0MGA2DmQK_UQWBgMePi6jupuaGRIXePLkDjPcNJ5sHARnkfpdWPXX8yNSWHV6UOAqHSi3IDQ/s1600/keys-525732_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_rkZr99-DE7Yq_QUHzlA-zFB6xGEfkuhNWXnjrvAX_VbXNP-DcwZ6mcTtQAH0hHSrrkG0MGA2DmQK_UQWBgMePi6jupuaGRIXePLkDjPcNJ5sHARnkfpdWPXX8yNSWHV6UOAqHSi3IDQ/s320/keys-525732_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The organ teacher asked him to play. So Liam sat down to play his version of "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" on the Steinway piano in the church. He seemed to be enjoying the perfect tuning and rich tone of the instrument as he worked his way through what he knew of the piece. He still uses odd fingering and his pace is all over the place.<br />
<br />
I watched Liam and I watched her face. Wonder and concern flitted across her features in turn. We talked about the difficulty in getting him to practice skills outside of a piece itself. She reached around him and demonstrated a simple piece of music to work proper fingering. He followed her clam, insistent hands.<br />
<br />
She invited him to join her at the organ. He could finally hear the piece as it was intended, on the full organ. She showed him how the stops worked and he played with sounds, finally letting loose with all stops out. Aware of the folks working in the church office, the teacher tried to push some stops back in, but he would have none of it - he wanted that big, full sound. Sonically, as usual, he made it sound good, but technically, as usual, it was a slippery mess.<br />
<br />
After some time, my husband and I discussed her assessment. "He's very talented - such ears! And I want to work with him, but I worry, in my heart, that I won't know how to reach him."<br />
<br />
"Oh, that's fine." I said, "We feel that way every day."<br />
<br />
She smiled, but still looked a little worried. "If you'd rather not take him on, I understand, but you should know that every teacher who meets him feels the same way. You will find a way to reach him. Just be direct and insistent. Make the boundaries clear, and he will learn to follow your lead. We don't know where it will lead, either, but if he's excited about something, you can use it to your advantage!"<br />
<br />
We agreed to go for it and see if they can find their groove. When he finished his first lesson, Liam shouted from behind the huge instrument, "I'm an ORGANIST!" then raised both arms with thumbs-up.<br />
<br />
And so we've added another teacher to Liam's life, with another set of keys. I know from experience that all teachers (myself included) spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to unlock his potential. Sometimes it feels like coming home late on a Saturday night with no porch light as you fumble to find the right key and get it into the lock, before either dropping the damn keys or scratching the hell out of the door.<br />
<br />
But I also know that with patience, and persistence, talent and imagination, potential becomes reality. Liam's art teacher Linda, at Pastimes for a Lifetime, has helped him grow in this way. His raw talent is apparent, and now it's taking form in ways that other people can enjoy. Here are a few of his recent works, unlocked by a teacher who found the right keys:<br />
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Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-35873219862243002072017-03-16T13:50:00.000-07:002017-03-16T13:50:18.342-07:00The One Even Less Traveled By<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Two roads diverged in a wood and I</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I took the one less traveled by</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Until my son grabbed my hand</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And together we made a third path</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Where no-one else had been</div>
<br />
Walk with me.<br />
<br />
I'm listening to my son's piano lesson in the next room, as I write this. Last year, he started teaching himself Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor," by ear. About the same time, he joined a rock band class. The bond with his band teacher, Dan West, allowed him to transition back into private piano lessons at home. He had hit a wall in playing the piece and needed to learn technique to proceed. Dan also directed his band, P.A.N.D.A., and Liam was able to see that practicing songs led to playing with others and playing for other people. It gave music a "why." <br />
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Now, bit by bit, he follows his teacher through the piece, improving, goofing, learning. It will be rewarding to hear him wander over to the keyboard later in the week and play it, just for pleasure.<br />
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Recently, we got a notice from Goldstar Tickets about a Pipe Organ Concert at Disney Hall. Liam has been watching performances of "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" on YouTube, featuring amazing organists. (In fact the technical skill of those players made him want to play at the same breakneck speed - a hard habit to break). I showed him a video of the featured organist and he ran over to his keyboard saying, "I want to play the organ with my feet!" He proceeded to play his piece, while pretending to play bass notes with his feet on the floor. I bought the tickets.<br />
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It got me to thinking, I used to sing in a choir, directed by one of the top concert organists in town, Christoph Bull. I reached out and asked if he, or anyone he knew, offered lessons on the pipe organ. As it turned out, one of his former students, Dr. Namhee Han, was giving a concert at Our Lady of Angeles the following day. I wrote to her and asked if she might consider meeting Liam as a prospective student. We went to the concert and Liam listened and watched and asked if he could play that organ. I told him he'd have to wait to have a lesson and we agreed to meet with Dr. Han at her church in Westwood the following week.<br />
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The steps that led to these discoveries began long before I even met my son. Because I sang in a choir 18 years ago, I knew a brilliant organist. Because I have been improvising since the late 80's I know that "yes" leads to far more interesting options than saying, "no." And because we chose to allow Liam to lead the way, all of these past experiences have converged into a new path.<br />
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On days it feels like we are wandering in the woods, I remind myself that this is not the road I imagined, or the one most others take, but that makes all the difference. <br />
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Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-6487692718514597702017-02-12T17:25:00.001-08:002017-02-12T17:25:57.117-08:00Accidentally Perfect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Letting things happen, as opposed to making them happen, has its share of magical moments. Last week, the Natural History Museum had another free homeschool day on a day we happened to have free. We hadn't been in a while, so we grabbed our TAP passes and headed out to the Metro train station down the block.<br />
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Liam listened to the announcer and decided to re-announce each stop as if it were a bumper for a TV show. "Hollywood and Highland, coming up next - part of the Red Line family of stations."<br />
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When we got to the museums, the rose garden approach to the NHM was closed and we were closer to the Science Center. Since the California Science Center is always free, I had planned to visit the NHM first, but decided to take advantage of proximity instead.<br />
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As we entered, we were greeted with signs announcing a special exhibit of the art of Pixar animation. Holy crap - how perfect could it get? The exhibit cost extra, so we hurried to the ticket booth and threw down for two tickets. Let's just say, we never made it to the Natural History Museum.<br />
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Liam stopped to play at every station. Digital animation incorporates math, science and art. Liam doesn't think about the mechanics, but he intuitively grasps visual concepts. At each station, there was a visual puzzle to solve and he was in Heaven.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Designing a virtual set</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Programming the visual effect of grass</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making robots from various shapes</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this simulation, the visual effect of Miranda's hair was added and taken away, which Liam found to be endlessly funny.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here, Liam plays with lighting colors, effects and sources in a scene from "Finding Dory."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing with extruded 2D shapes to create 3D objects</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening to descriptions of the various character models</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working at the stop-motion station to create the video below</td></tr>
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At the end of the day, we exited through the park and back to the subway, taking a moment to enjoy a natural wonder.<br />
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Proving once again, that the most beautiful discoveries are often made by accident.<br /><br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-58682897305829033442017-02-04T12:18:00.000-08:002017-02-04T12:18:58.799-08:00The Pimple of Doom (or Autism and Adolescence)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My son got his first pimple. "Well, here it comes," I remember thinking. And it did.<br />
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If you asked an adult if they wanted to go back and relive any part of their early life, I'd be willing to bet nobody would choose the middle-school years. Nobody.<br />
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I knew that pimple wasn't just a blemish, but a bright, red sign, signalling the start of the Hellscape known as puberty - new interests, new passions and new hormones making everything more dramatic.<br />
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Life was about to get. . .exciting. . .<br />
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It started in a way which would annoy anyone - an operating system update. I'd been pressing the "remind me later" message for a few weeks on my own phone. It never occurred to me to tell Liam that he might want to do the same.<br />
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A few days ago, I heard "IT'S UPDATING THE SYSTEM!!!!" from my son's room. I thought he was upset because the iPad wouldn't respond while the system was updating.<br />
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"It's OK," I said. "It will work again as soon as it's done." I removed it from his room for the update and then returned it when it had finished. <br />
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A few moments later I heard, "It's OS 10.2 - I don't like 10.2! MAKE IT 9.4!" <br />
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"It's just a system update. There is nothing wrong with your iPad. Try it like this for a while!"<br />
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"Put it back to 9.4 please, put it back to 9.4 please, put it back to 9.4 PLEEAAASSEEEE!" With each "please" he was getting more and more upset. I even went online to see if it was possible. I tried the suggestions I found. I tried three different suggestions. None of them worked. <br />
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"I'm sorry, buddy, but I can't change it. It can't be put back."<br />
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"FUCK you!" he shouted. My husband spirited him away to his room, letting him know it was not OK to say that to Mom, but afterwards, we smiled. Why? Because it was a clear, direct expression of how he felt to the person he needed to hear it. He didn't say, "through the park," an expression of discontent he uses, by equating his least-favorite way of getting to Urban Homeschoolers with whatever unpleasantness is happening at the moment. He dug deep and let me have it in the way every 10 year old has (at least under his breath), for all time. It showed that there were new connections to us and to his own emotions.<br />
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To be clear, I don't relish verbal abuse from anyone, and we made it clear that it wasn't OK to scream that at people, but we did acknowledge his frustration - something I'd have to do for the rest of the week, because he's also holding onto things longer. The difference between his childhood meltdowns and now seems to be his attempt to manage it - himself. He does keep trying to get me to fix it, but after each rebuttal, he goes muttering off, then finds something to cheer himself up. He's learning.<br />
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Now we jump off of the big cliff. The precipice of adolescence, where most people start to use justification and rationalizations to handle the bigger problems that come with a more complicated relationship to the world. But for Liam, those concepts of "justification," "rationalization," and sometimes even the more general "cause and effect" are meaningless.<br />
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He posts his visual effect video clips on YouTube where there is a whole community of kids modifying and re-posting the same clips. And he's even learned to write descriptions for others to read (he didn't realize there were other people watching for the longest time). But he doesn't understand the difference between posting his own work and re-posting someone else's work (and why that might piss someone off). I still have to monitor his channels and moderate the comments and explain some angry responses to him. He's started to add new channels, but originally, he just hijacked mine (with permission). Most of the effects were created in Sony Vegas Pro: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV2lCvbfWcq50_OuZbSK0lQ?view_as=public<br />
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Now we have to help him grow his talents, grow his new-found communication skills and find new ways to bridge the gaps in his understanding to allow him, if not empathy, then at least a sense of the "rules" of the game.<br />
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Music is also helping him forge some bonds. He "gets" music and how to listen and be a part of a musical dialogue - much more easily than engaging in a verbal one. Band rehearsals have been bumped up to once-a-week and they even entered a video audition for "America's Got Talent." I never dreamed he'd be writing songs and playing in a rock band. Here's the "official" band picture included with their audition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISGrpTaT5Az95t8-tTKxzMOa14_D0kKAjLAQQ0ekrGWantas3IbPVDBZ0bLTHGE9SA1bnyruoAlpDXq4XjNna1ifYXFM2t4PtBP7rB9DEwlirin7rQwH-4Az2SmK5anxnGEUdANH86YM/s1600/PANDAPORTRAIT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISGrpTaT5Az95t8-tTKxzMOa14_D0kKAjLAQQ0ekrGWantas3IbPVDBZ0bLTHGE9SA1bnyruoAlpDXq4XjNna1ifYXFM2t4PtBP7rB9DEwlirin7rQwH-4Az2SmK5anxnGEUdANH86YM/s320/PANDAPORTRAIT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
All of the kids picked their own outfits for the photo shoot. Liam picked a graphic tee and wore a necklace I let him choose on Etsy (it's imprinted with the coordinates of our house). It looks like he's found his "cool." Usually, when we take a picture, he fixes a goofy grimace. We also set up a YouTube channel for their songs, so the producers could hear them playing in front of an audience: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGGbqqtQ4tykh3D_3frSN7w?view_as=public<br />
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While puberty scares me, it also holds the seeds of adulthood and I'm very excited to see what kind of man my son will be. <br />
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In the meantime, I guess it's time to get him some facial cleanser. It's going to be a "bumpy" ride!<br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-48392538146585971062016-12-19T16:01:00.000-08:002016-12-19T16:01:47.919-08:00A Steady Gig<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddOjkTSHgFH3TTE4NAVHjqIFic8cK8r8NlehmNoeqChk9R9r5QxV8uBil0PB68SJ0cV5zqIB42EIKMiHXLnLjcbBqyygO5o0qunVC2uIn1eI-T9bcBarMw9LJhQ0jXqFf05f4QILRYmc/s1600/15442388_10212003496829132_7435541172842716096_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddOjkTSHgFH3TTE4NAVHjqIFic8cK8r8NlehmNoeqChk9R9r5QxV8uBil0PB68SJ0cV5zqIB42EIKMiHXLnLjcbBqyygO5o0qunVC2uIn1eI-T9bcBarMw9LJhQ0jXqFf05f4QILRYmc/s320/15442388_10212003496829132_7435541172842716096_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam singing with P.A.N.D.A. He's on the far right, singing on the song he wrote.</td></tr>
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Like many parents of kids on the spectrum, we wonder what Liam might do for work, or if he will be able to hold down something resembling a job, or contract work. He has crazy skills, but planning and executing a project, especially one that someone else initiated, is still out of reach for him. Lately though, he's been taking small steps out into the world and sharing his talents.<br />
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I began to receive email notifications, asking me to take the final step to upload my video to YouTube. Since I haven't created YouTube content in ages, I realized Liam had figured out how to upload his Adobe After Effects projects, using different effects on his favorite television bumpers. So far, he's uploaded over 70 videos. He even has some subscribers (who aren't spammers). <br />
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The most collaborative thing he's been doing, is playing in the band that formed over the summer (see the post entitled "Tribes." They all worked hard and ended up sounding good enough to be asked to join their teacher on actual gigs around town. So far, P.A.N.D.A. has three covers and five original tunes and Liam wrote one of them. They're planning a recording session in January, to lay down all of their originals and will be playing a show on New Year's Eve. Not bad for a band ranging in age from ten to thirteen years old. <br />
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He's continuing to grow his talents as an artist, beyond his favorite digital mediums. Right now, he's working in acrylics and loves using the paint itself to create texture. He just went to a birthday party at an art space that teaches graffiti art and stop motion animation. When we left the party, he said, "I really like that place." After I finish this post, I'll be signing him up for the winter session. Some day, one of these things may turn into a steady gig for him. For now, I'm happy to encourage the exploration. <br />
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With schools all over the country dropping art programs for lack of funding, I love that Liam's passions turn the traditional model on its head. What happens when your academics serve your art? And can your art, in turn, power your future? We're going to find out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_A28dGLQsYaUVREMTCo687WK8zaWP0LDkj7iJpZfCJeIuVM7hsRMRbJCSKjnvm3wa6cIxF5adQMZbpAYp2nA7YLFVGFIw7A6wPqr-GpQ7RNtuT8Yq71ulhKHjfV0MTB4FYkDThyphenhyphenCDvI/s1600/photo-5854346565386240.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi_A28dGLQsYaUVREMTCo687WK8zaWP0LDkj7iJpZfCJeIuVM7hsRMRbJCSKjnvm3wa6cIxF5adQMZbpAYp2nA7YLFVGFIw7A6wPqr-GpQ7RNtuT8Yq71ulhKHjfV0MTB4FYkDThyphenhyphenCDvI/s320/photo-5854346565386240.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam giving himself a stencil tattoo at Art Rebel in Sherman Oaks</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq8dqhT178JxJuDJew4u9b0UzQ-hCVzQalJtJSwVkaHsyKhSG58aAd7t9mlYWXsJ6U2rjOymTAt2HkfADXWbq3qkD4MixqWuKp7CqgClsZbKBwwwvWJAITw7JvfzQqKYFl6YHAHpJVL0/s1600/15369104_10153865901646511_3769410412806272687_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglq8dqhT178JxJuDJew4u9b0UzQ-hCVzQalJtJSwVkaHsyKhSG58aAd7t9mlYWXsJ6U2rjOymTAt2HkfADXWbq3qkD4MixqWuKp7CqgClsZbKBwwwvWJAITw7JvfzQqKYFl6YHAHpJVL0/s320/15369104_10153865901646511_3769410412806272687_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam's latest acrylic painting from Pastimes for a Lifetime in Van Nuys</td></tr>
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Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-46388997296319124992016-12-07T17:55:00.000-08:002016-12-07T18:57:17.173-08:00Evolution<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvY6llsxzwd6lQTBGCA7Sa2r_wtOKKkNNw5XZG4iA456cs7gDUj0KUDovSHCiIwhp_VnWr9RW8qlZCXekAidqLA_b-BIeBECDUj5g9nMp5yhqG1cCZrz6xCO9GIIQ8QR89KYTVjp1KI4/s1600/EB87DFD4-1669-4374-9FC4-6A9695EC8EE9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyvY6llsxzwd6lQTBGCA7Sa2r_wtOKKkNNw5XZG4iA456cs7gDUj0KUDovSHCiIwhp_VnWr9RW8qlZCXekAidqLA_b-BIeBECDUj5g9nMp5yhqG1cCZrz6xCO9GIIQ8QR89KYTVjp1KI4/s400/EB87DFD4-1669-4374-9FC4-6A9695EC8EE9.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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"Ponat!"<br />
"What?"<br />
"Ponat! That's Liamese for pine cone!"<br />
Liam was swinging on our neighbor's swing and referring to a large pine cone in their yard.<br />
"Eesh ta Ponat. That is a pine cone," he continued.<br />
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What had started as an inside joke for words Liam made up, had suddenly gelled into a fully-conceived language. He began to recite the Liamese alphabet, as he swung back and forth. It sounded like a synthesis of all of the languages he had listened to over the years, French, Russian, Cherokee, Spanish, Polish - all of the sounds combined into "Liamese."<br />
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I started pointing to other things around us. Gesturing to a chair on the porch I said, "what's Liamese for "chair?"<br />
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"GHRES," he said, without hesitation. The first sound was throaty as in Hebrew. We had fun naming things. This morning, while petting the cat, I said, "Jake likes to have his pets - how would you say, "I like pets" in Liamese?"<br />
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"Ee loo paas." Verbs. Cool. In a million years, I couldn't have predicted that Liam would take his interest in other languages and invent his own.<br />
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It makes me wish I could watch his brain forming all of the new pathways that come with adolescence. Lately, there have been many more "a-ha" moments.<br />
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One that felt like the sky breaking open, was Liam agreeing to use the Roto Clipper I'd bought from a TV ad, to trim his nails. Nail trimming has been a problem since he was old enough to pull his hands out of mine. For a wee while, I could sneak in a trim while he was napping, but soon, he learned to curl his hands into fists while asleep. Therapists tried. I tried. Eventually, I let him bite his nails. He is even flexible enough to be able to bite his toenails (gross, but impressive). He would agree to use a nail file on the rougher edges, but it wasn't pretty. <br />
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Yesterday, he was changing clothes and when he pulled off his socks, I could see a few nails that were getting too long. "Time to file," I said. I went into the bathroom and reached into the drawer where we keep the files and saw the Roto Clipper. We'd tried it once before and only succeeded in munching a small hole in a shirt (yes, it will eat fabric). I almost left it in the drawer, but decided on one more try.<br />
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I came in, trimming one of my own nails. "You should really try this. It's so easy- and better than the other file." I'm not sure what prompted him to take it from me. He first held it up to a fingernail and pushed the nail into the little slod. "It doesn't tickle."<br />
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"Nope. Try one of your toenails - the big one. Then I'll leave you alone." I guess the prospect of Mom getting out of his face was enough for him to try anything. He started to work on his nail and he kept at it until it was a reasonable length and smooth. I suggested he look at the next nail. In no time, he'd done one, whole foot.<br />
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"I did it!" He said, more as a cue for me to leave than in triumph. I knew it was risky to push it, but I had to try.<br />
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"Yes - you did a perfect job, but you have two feet! You need to make them both look good." I guess that made sense enough to go ahead and tackle the other foot. My husband's face appeared in the doorway for a moment. I smiled and shooed him away - afraid to break the spell.<br />
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When Liam finished the last toe, I told him what an excellent job he'd done and told him he'd earned a treat. Liam chose Gummy Tummies. I gave him the treat and his wish - I left him alone. Then I did a happy dance!<br />
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Last week, in World Literature at Urban Homeschoolers, the kids were using staffs they'd made to drum out the alliteration in a Viking play (have I mentioned how freaking cool this teacher is?). Unfortunately the wooden dowels were not so smooth and Liam was the second kid to get a splinter. It obviously bothered him, but he didn't cry or scream. He tried to work it out, and when it was clear that the splinter would be the all-consuming focus, I took him to the office to beg a pair of tweezers. I offered to take it out, but he refused and carefully, deftly took it out himself.<br />
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I had long suspected that things which were frightening for him would become easier when he developed the dexterity to deal with them himself. This is the year that dexterity has met desire and created confidence.<br />
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Patience is hard, for all of us, but it has been the key to his growth. In his own time, in his own way, he's developing skills in language, communication and self-care.<br />
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Excuse me, I think I feel a happy dance coming on again.<br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-67624817880803675692016-11-27T20:12:00.001-08:002016-11-27T20:15:47.060-08:00A Change of Clothes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I once joked that, with my luck, my son and I would hit puberty and menopause at the same time. I really need to be more careful when throwing those ideas out into the universe!<br />
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Due to menopause, my body has gone through some interesting changes (see the post "Mom Reset" for details). At the same time, Liam had his mid-ten-year-old growth spurt, and began to have very clear ideas about what he would and wouldn't wear. I bought us <i>both </i>some new, better fitting clothes and assembled bags of our used things for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission.<br />
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Digging deep into the front closet for out-sized coats, I found a forgotten plastic bin full of hanging files and plastic baggies. It was the box we hauled to Liam's ABA clinics every month from age three to age eight-and-a-half. There were sheets to track his programs and Sharpie-labeled bags full of pictures related to people, transportation, school-related objects, actions, gender and more.<br />
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Despite the fact that it has only been about three years since we discontinued ABA and began to homeschool Liam, it feels like we have been away much longer. Or, maybe it's that we've come so far from the thinking we had at the time we started with that therapy. Much of it had been focused on getting Liam to interact in "an appropriate manner."<br />
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When we left therapy and school, we decided to discard the word "appropriate," both in education and in personal development. In the post "Free Falling," I noted how terrifying and liberating that choice had been. It would take some time of growing into our new life choices, to see how they would fit.<br />
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Now, instead of choosing from among those things proscribed by the school district, or the state or the insurance companies, we choose from among those things that make us happy and work for us, as a family. Accepting Liam's growth, as it happens, as a natural consequence of him following his passions, has allowed us to let go of anxiety over where he is, compared to his peers, in education or personal development.<br />
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Without that tried-and-true (or not so true, but accepted) road map, we have to find our own way. We accept that our lives will not be like other lives and we will not celebrate the milestones we were expecting to celebrate. When I saw my Facebook friends' posts about their children's plans to graduate from 5th grade and go on to middle school, I will admit to a momentary pang of "oh, yeah, Liam would be in that group." But beyond the image of him in the auditorium, "graduating," there was the memory of the overbearing curriculum, and the knowledge that his peers would soon expect even more of him socially, as they entered the painful middle-school years.<br />
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By allowing him to participate only in classes where he has an intense interest, among other homeschooled kids of varying ages, there is a greater deal of acceptance, a joy in learning and budding friendships born of common interest. He is also developing relationships with clerks and baristas and the staff at the bank, who seem to really enjoy him and even ask after him, if he isn't with me.<br />
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As a menopausal woman, it would be foolish for me to expect my body to look like those of the twenty or thirty-somethings that take my spin classes. I am a fit fifty-two, but I <i>am</i> fifty-two. There's no sense pretending otherwise. Likewise, it would be a mistake to expect my autistic son to look and behave like someone who is not autistic. He is sweet, brilliant, funny and talented, but he <i>is</i> autistic. There's no sense pretending otherwise.<br />
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Freedom from expectations has brought a number of changes, but one of the nicest is that we are now much more comfortable in our skin and our clothes. It just occurred to me that this discovery came, almost to the day, on the third anniversary of our journey. I can't wait to see what's next.<br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-15626031932273105032016-11-24T07:10:00.002-08:002016-11-24T07:13:54.205-08:00Gratitude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFfguQB8kswNnyQZl-RHT97DsVvAXpTAB-1nV0JHFIiWLrDc0o7aORTlWWzAh03ThfqvGWSudS18RGFW5D-8f-HPYDAV1Qh47ugoPfy-qdTIgmo9TKoa2TZRFv9dNlvRLZ7pSwkEoDkQ/s1600/ocean-1491896_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFfguQB8kswNnyQZl-RHT97DsVvAXpTAB-1nV0JHFIiWLrDc0o7aORTlWWzAh03ThfqvGWSudS18RGFW5D-8f-HPYDAV1Qh47ugoPfy-qdTIgmo9TKoa2TZRFv9dNlvRLZ7pSwkEoDkQ/s320/ocean-1491896_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sometimes life appears to me like swirls of dye suspended in oil. The patterns shift, coalesce into beautiful patterns, then bleed into visual noise before coming back together again. It is never fixed - always fluid and dynamic. Today, on Thanksgiving, I see jagged eddies around the edges of this life, but in the center, something truly beautiful has emerged.<br />
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I am grateful for so much right now. That I am here, in this house, with a cat curled up on the pillow beside me, my son and husband sleeping peacefully nearby. We are healthy, we are together, we have food to eat and clothes to wear. And we are all able to pursue our passions. My home is filled with instruments and art supplies. Two days ago, we drummed together in a community drum circle. In three weeks, Liam will perform again with his band. And tomorrow, I will be honored to teach a spin class.<br />
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Just now, the pattern has shifted again, as my son has joined me on the bed, the cat has moved to a nearby bench and dawn creeps around the curtains. Soon, a parade will begin and kitchens will fill with the smells of sage and butter. There will be turbulence in the oil, as people reach for respite from the lingering malignancy of a bitter election in familiar rituals and tradition.<br />
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But as comforting as traditions can be, I'm grateful for the communities of people that our non-traditional choices have brought into our lives, and the friends and family who have supported us from the beginning. I'm ever hopeful that my words, shared in groups like Unschooling Special Needs, Homeschool/Unschool Bloggers and Secular Homeschoolers, help give some support to parents who haven't found it close at hand.<br />
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And in the constant ebb and flow, I hope everyone can find a few moments of pure beauty. Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-78818970915155860912016-09-28T11:20:00.002-07:002016-09-28T15:11:27.804-07:00Variations on a Theme<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KH-FbrzU6LteqbaSiCSwMueLwJ65xD79kk9sh9x058ra5bTYY4w90AuPzWl3HRqOAGmBcVf6yR5oa3shVvqqQGeC2jEtGEOagakWHSDzbqDPFp_yfQ8HxX_H5ZjOW56LxIb5JT4yKeQ/s1600/IMG_5680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KH-FbrzU6LteqbaSiCSwMueLwJ65xD79kk9sh9x058ra5bTYY4w90AuPzWl3HRqOAGmBcVf6yR5oa3shVvqqQGeC2jEtGEOagakWHSDzbqDPFp_yfQ8HxX_H5ZjOW56LxIb5JT4yKeQ/s400/IMG_5680.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "Q"</td></tr>
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One of the reasons we walked away from behavioral therapy when we left traditional school was ABA's focus on working away from areas of intense interest (the clinical term would be "perseverations") and towards more "age appropriate" activities. With ABA, his areas of interest were often used to entice him to do other things which would connect more with his peers, or make him function better in a classroom setting. While introducing Liam to games like Mario Brothers was a hit and definitely expanded his universe (and every kid gets it), he's never lost his love of alphabet and number sequences. We had a choice - worry that our kid was fixated on what would be a preschool aged interest, or allow him to enjoy something that obviously still brings him great pleasure. We went for door number two.<br />
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At times my husband has said that he wished he could be as excited about <i>anything</i> as Liam is about numbers and letters. I honestly didn't know if there would be any practical applications for his interest, and it's only now that I can see the growth that happened at every stage, as he explored his passion:<br />
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In preschool, this interest led him to develop extremely delicate fine motor skills as he would cut various alphabets in all shapes and fonts from paper and draw them on anything and with anything.<br />
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Between ages 5 and 6, he realized that he could create his own alphabet videos, which led to him learning how to do stop-motion animation and teaching himself video editing software including VideoPad (around age 8) and Adobe After Effects (around age 9). <br />
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And looking at different alphabet videos of course led to "related videos" in other languages. This has been ongoing since about age 3. On his own, Liam learned to decode and read Japanese, Spanish, Russian and recently Cherokee (at one point he could count in as many as 20 languages). His Mandarin teacher was amazed at how quickly he picked up both the written and sound sequences of Chinese. And last semester, he surprised his Urban Homeschoolers teacher by demonstrating that he already knew the entire Greek alphabet and could speak/decode it as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZpe1AvrqAFAraMs1sDNV2xo_hm2pZzXsXanAdhoZez4h5EOrMpnCchrSRp4OiKC1a7GYkEO-xRLSkgE2XOQaNQsocIzsRjGOyYBXFqi3n5lrUqsffCvKI9vGzzXbZYGyP8FQmKZicbo/s1600/IMG_4914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwZpe1AvrqAFAraMs1sDNV2xo_hm2pZzXsXanAdhoZez4h5EOrMpnCchrSRp4OiKC1a7GYkEO-xRLSkgE2XOQaNQsocIzsRjGOyYBXFqi3n5lrUqsffCvKI9vGzzXbZYGyP8FQmKZicbo/s320/IMG_4914.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherokee</td></tr>
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Eager to see different alphabets expressed in unique fonts (in English or other languages), he's learned how to create fonts in iFont Maker. He started taking photos of found-object alphabets, then imported the images into his font program and created usable, fonts based on the photos. He's memorized thousands of Fonts and will often point out the fonts on signs around town or in ads on TV.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb6vdszYFoTaOfhOCmx6RnLoLPRmV6WUt5AzgsHkhSedg3W4SyFnHxTdu_leuReQlA1ADR9Ep7dFBKPJcLGKebhe312jtxs4dEA6JDkrhme9Qa9NbfH1N_1qQULcmRrcuo4xKwTqiZsg/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpb6vdszYFoTaOfhOCmx6RnLoLPRmV6WUt5AzgsHkhSedg3W4SyFnHxTdu_leuReQlA1ADR9Ep7dFBKPJcLGKebhe312jtxs4dEA6JDkrhme9Qa9NbfH1N_1qQULcmRrcuo4xKwTqiZsg/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The font Liam created from photos</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDIrwSn5orG71i1elyx-Ekm73LZTrpdnKgAUeUje-KoNWtyE1P9eOW3DIWgzc-VfuHr8145gmEpcARjLKQDk7Yxr619a_rVdtENhk_o-E8HwTOFA_s7Iz47tpUgZscPtKNdJSK4_IMsE/s1600/IMG_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDIrwSn5orG71i1elyx-Ekm73LZTrpdnKgAUeUje-KoNWtyE1P9eOW3DIWgzc-VfuHr8145gmEpcARjLKQDk7Yxr619a_rVdtENhk_o-E8HwTOFA_s7Iz47tpUgZscPtKNdJSK4_IMsE/s320/IMG_0008.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The reference photos before he imported them to iFontMaker</td></tr>
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The most important thing about all of those achievements, is that they were self-initiated. During traditional school classes, every task was prompted and monitored. Liam happily works for hours on his ideas on his own and will come out to tell us to "come into my room" to see some really cool work. I even caught him in his room, watching an instructional video on how to create a specific font, and another one on pixel art. He's learning to find and use tutorials to further his skills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK3zQfBo9XnG7vPKgSN9qr7bDrfWFoGmbC0JSPizqYwPpEdjF2tv2tsfkVBFCstLEoz7kZaesTqUa6zNcZIuw4YKt7vwFmYSLHgiAT8nPrJ4PL0EtMwsE4FHGu6R46Eab5njvAdeELzs/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuK3zQfBo9XnG7vPKgSN9qr7bDrfWFoGmbC0JSPizqYwPpEdjF2tv2tsfkVBFCstLEoz7kZaesTqUa6zNcZIuw4YKt7vwFmYSLHgiAT8nPrJ4PL0EtMwsE4FHGu6R46Eab5njvAdeELzs/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pixel art Yoshi that Liam drew while watching a how-to tutorial. I gave him some graph paper and he came up with the idea to do this, after creating a few on his own.</td></tr>
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What might not have been evident in a clinical setting, is setting the stage for what may become his life's work, or at least, his life's joy. On the iFontMaker site, I found his creations and discovered many similar variations on a theme (or a
font). Looks like he was perfecting, experimenting and refining each
time.Check out another font he created. Very cool. And it looks like 37 other people thought so too (see below). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcpDHAfyBmll0M1MKnDU8uVkIVvJpJmNBI1wUaGFVQTYlLryehnffsDCm4xv5zd-d5Dazl8je20_9ZjWlh3kObGIVdGMwA5A5JiEPLOQx_60JmBtV2CQjz3gq8Cdb0vMMSEP7EtcerDA/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcpDHAfyBmll0M1MKnDU8uVkIVvJpJmNBI1wUaGFVQTYlLryehnffsDCm4xv5zd-d5Dazl8je20_9ZjWlh3kObGIVdGMwA5A5JiEPLOQx_60JmBtV2CQjz3gq8Cdb0vMMSEP7EtcerDA/s320/IMG_0011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCFgTQeWqzPsEFSVlbjaXdi3GVS8V-90DkIrWRyIdpmW7ObIjJjZ9hMEvCGJaxSjwQfO9qyhONqIoPAL-nXJkkpg90r4ZWOh9We1bShYl9wghbfevlcoC8NLjwTDelNLp9GUQVJ51kM0/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipCFgTQeWqzPsEFSVlbjaXdi3GVS8V-90DkIrWRyIdpmW7ObIjJjZ9hMEvCGJaxSjwQfO9qyhONqIoPAL-nXJkkpg90r4ZWOh9We1bShYl9wghbfevlcoC8NLjwTDelNLp9GUQVJ51kM0/s400/IMG_0012.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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For anyone else on this journey who worries about screen time, or one, single "obsession" that seems to drive your child's life - instead of judging it, watch it, study it, try to understand it. If you can introduce something to add to it, try that. Otherwise, relax. You may be amazed at what's growing in those minds. Here are a few of my favorites, from the alphabet photos, blown up to see the detail. Enjoy!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbf6bjA8EUknhFIxqyjQhB2FGI7dSJSMl-7G40ETEK7XqdT4zFiT5_eQ-nzfDttrCUBnau4W5Rqqk0VV9tRSG1_YzimT66IVoDIXRmWqcRrPMRJQyxShMrxmEM92rY3pXvFUiVX7Erf4/s1600/IMG_5676.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbf6bjA8EUknhFIxqyjQhB2FGI7dSJSMl-7G40ETEK7XqdT4zFiT5_eQ-nzfDttrCUBnau4W5Rqqk0VV9tRSG1_YzimT66IVoDIXRmWqcRrPMRJQyxShMrxmEM92rY3pXvFUiVX7Erf4/s320/IMG_5676.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "M"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "P"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT6KxlLOmv5HCgHCBwhQyNePKWoIjwSVRUTT5inLYJfmXvd-s8bOfEWRbSZPmHl82GtXFxIdIt7T9ZNxAHkyqUaHRTssHDB94Qy-8yZeVlEearV-K8ZUSdb0AVJP07KAt1rMwfKxFj4s/s1600/IMG_5686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT6KxlLOmv5HCgHCBwhQyNePKWoIjwSVRUTT5inLYJfmXvd-s8bOfEWRbSZPmHl82GtXFxIdIt7T9ZNxAHkyqUaHRTssHDB94Qy-8yZeVlEearV-K8ZUSdb0AVJP07KAt1rMwfKxFj4s/s320/IMG_5686.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "W" (also happens to start with "w" so bonus points there)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTt75JFz2Z9vXB7rGYu4167oVaYm8RWZzRGiwVYu7Hz3M6wChtGpIjOCrk6RB-VHgsTYBdDaquMV5rRNYuZpogTWbiom0K2iSMNF3mYeDKfpf5h5QAzAz9hTbS2DiBTL1lXax_Vuvhnw/s1600/IMG_5687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTt75JFz2Z9vXB7rGYu4167oVaYm8RWZzRGiwVYu7Hz3M6wChtGpIjOCrk6RB-VHgsTYBdDaquMV5rRNYuZpogTWbiom0K2iSMNF3mYeDKfpf5h5QAzAz9hTbS2DiBTL1lXax_Vuvhnw/s320/IMG_5687.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letter "X" (which took a long time to make in iFontMaker, as he had to use vectors to get the curves right)</td></tr>
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-8203076799032729412016-08-18T19:13:00.000-07:002016-08-20T17:40:25.032-07:00Season Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jDEsHbnDb9trqW2LcCd_KDHVenKFXEP70BYqsuetxbFw73oCoqrSa-mMYyyKSWBiXEsZwtaTP2ClJzcTgmUuKTyAnX5atbAuniA9hP-2G9RTtaoWN8_XgUdsKr2QMaC5i3iakX7-ayE/s1600/back-to-school-1576793_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jDEsHbnDb9trqW2LcCd_KDHVenKFXEP70BYqsuetxbFw73oCoqrSa-mMYyyKSWBiXEsZwtaTP2ClJzcTgmUuKTyAnX5atbAuniA9hP-2G9RTtaoWN8_XgUdsKr2QMaC5i3iakX7-ayE/s320/back-to-school-1576793_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It's the first week back-to-school for kids in Los Angeles Unified School District. Across LA, moms and kids wake up earlier and rush to get to school before that 8 am bell. I see proud pictures that my friends post of their kids, in front of their school, proclaiming their grade level. Liam would be in 5th grade this year. So, I figured we should slide back into it as well. On Monday, we opened up the ST Math program and picked up where he had left off, 25% through the 5th grade program when we took a break for the summer.<br />
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I was pleased to see he was into the puzzles, and after a few minutes, he was back to where he'd been months ago. We've also been pushing forward with the animation program from JAM - "Animate with the Cartoon Network" (https://jam.com). The course has kids building an animation short from brainstorm to post production. Coming up with a basic story line and honing characters is a great way to ease back into writing. And communicating online with the instructor and mods helps him be specific in what he writes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0-iur3enCJjwd1VK6UnKv5x5x_FGQCW3I1Rp1FKW6MazKNLnrZYhb3pYB7MEPCeIp8FcRmc65p7PdHsEF0Ngu06fAp42FEywHpbAI2FvMfW3ADOPUtQFeSX19hSrZpBX5PSqFPSqa78/s1600/IMG_5409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0-iur3enCJjwd1VK6UnKv5x5x_FGQCW3I1Rp1FKW6MazKNLnrZYhb3pYB7MEPCeIp8FcRmc65p7PdHsEF0Ngu06fAp42FEywHpbAI2FvMfW3ADOPUtQFeSX19hSrZpBX5PSqFPSqa78/s320/IMG_5409.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A synopsis of Liam's idea. Drawing done in a coffee shop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB-9SoAcMgtqj-NfjprZg_lDi2b2xNjpya32k1hKzWa9VIgBfS72lTCn6oiWFXaKJq6-ufdPIjoyJAgm-UbqqqbvFn0-j8dczM90lPiPrr77H78lmg57we7xlXEm6gbxTE4mj2iYEAFc/s1600/IMG_5314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQB-9SoAcMgtqj-NfjprZg_lDi2b2xNjpya32k1hKzWa9VIgBfS72lTCn6oiWFXaKJq6-ufdPIjoyJAgm-UbqqqbvFn0-j8dczM90lPiPrr77H78lmg57we7xlXEm6gbxTE4mj2iYEAFc/s320/IMG_5314.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A free-form spider diagram of the second version of his Spiffyman Show Idea involving the Russian letter "Yus."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Actually, that last bit is important, since Liam is used to using text in a graphic way - playing with fonts and texts and not so worried about content. He typed a note in the comments section of one of his assignments and sent it before I had a chance to proof it. It was just a few, fun-sounding words that had nothing to do with his post. Unfortunately, I couldn't delete the comment, so I did the lame "autocorrect!" follow-up and talked with Liam about what his words meant. My husband had a brilliant idea of setting up an IM account between us, so Liam can get used to communicating on screen. I'm excited to see how this idea pans out, as it could really open up some new possibilities for him. Keeping it inter-office, so to speak, will let us work out the kinks before he heads off to the wide world of online social interaction.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, Liam wanted to go to a coffee shop we've been going to since he was in a stroller. I brought his sketch book and iPad, so we could complete one of his animation assignments and post it to JAM. I smiled to see that, just like me, he loves working at a table with a drink, a pad and a pencil.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3vcctYMwzNaLQ2WR16JzlJqJ2zZwzRJreIcgHXhSnuDGshSMIq3F8QkmrYLzglLEHt2TRJDs6-4k6IQDsEUPxhR6F26dklsybXHSa5vvCMgLCEBqIJO2XoqObSnc93zzsI_ojERD-F8/s1600/IMG_5316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3vcctYMwzNaLQ2WR16JzlJqJ2zZwzRJreIcgHXhSnuDGshSMIq3F8QkmrYLzglLEHt2TRJDs6-4k6IQDsEUPxhR6F26dklsybXHSa5vvCMgLCEBqIJO2XoqObSnc93zzsI_ojERD-F8/s320/IMG_5316.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The story has changed to include characters that are mash-ups of Mario Brothers and his original Spiffyman Show designs.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXIs7VTEbnnDPAzbMw10ZvuSo53jEsNENAtfBx0Hn0PgbvXNv34qy1-KHs_K2T-z5Oz-KN59SYsNfpZ7510xW5YA2-6BveAhnv-Z6UdGr7ht24nu50WQvvA7XdlOsabDBXGk69QhletU/s1600/IMG_5318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfXIs7VTEbnnDPAzbMw10ZvuSo53jEsNENAtfBx0Hn0PgbvXNv34qy1-KHs_K2T-z5Oz-KN59SYsNfpZ7510xW5YA2-6BveAhnv-Z6UdGr7ht24nu50WQvvA7XdlOsabDBXGk69QhletU/s320/IMG_5318.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There will be Mario-esque spikes and "Spiffy-Thwomps!" Danny Tree has been replaced by "Spiffyguy."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-F44ySO2OK1xRxZG8dfYjoA5KOP2MGnfEtyvoBGSOrzekWRcqLhzOysetm1WFTr4AAOVgugYJ4U92GvhfKtMIGmEOx5TK0NTBVjQuOXRn-O6Ta2vleTbgkQvd4bdvWRTPdcxVnLFbE6Q/s1600/IMG_5323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-F44ySO2OK1xRxZG8dfYjoA5KOP2MGnfEtyvoBGSOrzekWRcqLhzOysetm1WFTr4AAOVgugYJ4U92GvhfKtMIGmEOx5TK0NTBVjQuOXRn-O6Ta2vleTbgkQvd4bdvWRTPdcxVnLFbE6Q/s320/IMG_5323.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working on a detailed drawing of "Spiffy Thwomp."</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<br />
Today was a slow day. I've been sleeping poorly lately, due to some kind of repetitive stress injury to my shoulder. I was up and down all night long and really hit the wall around 2pm. Today was a day that I was very happy to be free of the morning rush, and the need to head back for pickup by 2:30. Liam had a piano lesson at 1 and learned a five-finger drill along with a review of "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor." <br />
<br />
When bedtime rolls around, Liam is allowed to read with a flashlight until he's ready to sleep. He's been taking a book of Japanese Hiragana and Katakana to bed along with a Magna-doodle to write out the sounds and words. Listening to him happily reciting in Japanese, I'm grateful to be able to allow him to learn as late as he wants, and wake when he's ready.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ufKsEx6eJ2fTesIJxSKdJ-BGRs-ksJZ-F-4VhkUq6uFbN2sosqOoMNIx-6pt_Mpjd5gStSy0VHyuJMqRvuFyWQWYSj-YzZbuTFCqZY55aueIr2E1F2OEC7NGhQpN535S57aZRMmGmPU/s1600/words-955946_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ufKsEx6eJ2fTesIJxSKdJ-BGRs-ksJZ-F-4VhkUq6uFbN2sosqOoMNIx-6pt_Mpjd5gStSy0VHyuJMqRvuFyWQWYSj-YzZbuTFCqZY55aueIr2E1F2OEC7NGhQpN535S57aZRMmGmPU/s320/words-955946_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiragana blocks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sometimes it takes a show a couple of seasons to find it's feet. This year feels like the third season of a show that finally clicked. We know our roles and it is going to be a very exciting season. Stay tuned. <br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-35540658942741246582016-08-11T17:50:00.000-07:002016-08-11T17:50:03.170-07:00Well, That's Not What I Expected. . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UgyrZJqwlCoubGeu8tLri70ll8dvOp6XUWKUwHfCFO9jz4PgJqOmWUKhNpz6KCcPDWufmilub1-rYC_uU3gD4yv9ANNaM_WpF8kn9IxTV3KfMnxTBgR90UbHm0ghh8igEXYaNLfetN0/s1600/moth-238937_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UgyrZJqwlCoubGeu8tLri70ll8dvOp6XUWKUwHfCFO9jz4PgJqOmWUKhNpz6KCcPDWufmilub1-rYC_uU3gD4yv9ANNaM_WpF8kn9IxTV3KfMnxTBgR90UbHm0ghh8igEXYaNLfetN0/s320/moth-238937_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was sound asleep. Finally. Sometime after Liam's endless serenade before passing out, and despite at least one full-costume change due to night sweats, I had managed to fall into REM sleep. I know it was REM sleep, because the next sequence of sounds first worked their way into my dream world (the denizens of which fought bravely to keep me unconscious). But, "mom brain" clicked in and at my cat's "alarm mew" and the sound of something very large flapping.<br />
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I could tell from the force of the wings hitting the floor and then the window, that the mystery animal was about the size of a bat. I lay very still. If it was a bat, shouldn't I hear some cries? I did not want to open my eyes, let alone wander around in the dark to be sure, but I managed to follow Jake's chirpy, hunting mews behind the bay window curtain in the living room. To my relief, I didn't see anything dark and furry, so I stumbled to the couch and tried to find that happy, sleepy place again.<br />
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Whatever was hiding behind the curtain didn't have enough sense to stay there. I could hear the epic battle winding around the living room. I hoped Jake would have the decency to drag his kill onto the back porch. Part of me felt bad for the creature being tortured to death by my indoor kitty with no clue how to finish off his prey. And part of me was happy that my 15 yr. old cat still had the energy to hunt like that. I decided to let nature take its course.<br />
<br />
When I finally woke up for good, I'd almost forgotten to look for what remained of last night's fight. I might not even have seen the body as it blended so well into the colors of our dusty-blue, living room rug. But a beam of morning light revealed the bump on the carpet. I slowly approached the body of a moth as big as my hand. Holy crap. My cat killed MOTHERA! Upon further investigation, I discovered that, sadly, MOTHERA was still clinging to life, so I gently placed him in the garden and wished him swift passage.<br />
<br />
The past few weeks have been full of funny little surprises like that. Not bad, just unexpected. <br />
Like pushing forward with the "becoming a spin instructor" part of my "Mom Reset" (see previous post). Vanessa Giorgio, the owner of Lotus Kitty Hybrid Fitness, had been coaching me to lead a class. I had to prepare examples of a spin set and floor work (abs and arms). I was surprised by how happy I felt, revisiting some of my favorite tunes and exploring new music to add to my sets. I was dancing around my bedroom, counting out moves and having the time of my life.<br />
<br />
As a mental exercise, I began to construct sets to substitute teach any spin or combo classes on the Lotus Kitty schedule. I played a game with myself, tweaking sets just before going in to take a class, as if I were being called in to teach it.<br />
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While waiting for a slot to open up or a chance to substitute, I showed up to take a 5:30 pm class and fond the sign-in sheet missing. The class was about to be cancelled because the teacher's car had broken down. "Hey! I'm a sub!" A quick phone conversation with Vanessa allowed me to be the surprise guest teacher of my first class. <br />
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And as the new school year dawns, I am surprised by how easy it is not to think about what other 5th graders will be doing. We've been finding our rhythm, both in how we learn and how we relax. Last year, our first "full" year of homeschooling/unschooling, I still carefully constructed a series of lessons and time tables, which relaxed more as we incorporated more music, art and time with Urban Homeschoolers. I had expected to have to muscle through lessons and push my son and am happy to have discovered that the best learning comes from things sketched in ever so lightly - easy to erase or fill in with vibrant color. <br />
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I will sit down tomorrow to do my "sketching" and thinking about where we are and where we might go - no longer worried about <i>outcomes</i>, but seeing <i>what</i> comes. And it's usually better than what I expected. <br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-34604368695509358562016-07-15T19:11:00.001-07:002016-07-16T07:47:46.132-07:00Mom Reset<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_whHxfSoZcn2hGc_SIDGZVdeqeLK-5e1cpHJptJhoPqZ-u_XKc9YiDf113nvbwrdurhjnfaHxzwBHBUsaGMX3gSZVT8P0fz1Oh0RzBPd4Nu_tkPsWnNQIrge5xCit08Y9HyJoSjuiYlM/s1600/button-31199_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_whHxfSoZcn2hGc_SIDGZVdeqeLK-5e1cpHJptJhoPqZ-u_XKc9YiDf113nvbwrdurhjnfaHxzwBHBUsaGMX3gSZVT8P0fz1Oh0RzBPd4Nu_tkPsWnNQIrge5xCit08Y9HyJoSjuiYlM/s320/button-31199_1280.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Homeschooling is a full-time job for all parents on this journey, but homeschooling a child with special needs is 24/7. I used to hate that term, "24/7," since it was usually used as an exaggeration, so know, when I use it, it REALLY means all-day, every-day. This is a commitment like no other. I have to admit that I'm a little envious of families who can send their kids to day or sleep away camps, then enjoy some child-free time. If Liam goes to a class or camp, I go too, since his language processing and pragmatic speech problems might get in the way of his or others' learning.<br />
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This summer, I became a roadie for my son in his rock band. I follow along to art class (and sit in the next room, but ready if I need to step in and help re-focus him) and attend classes with Liam at Urban Homeschoolers as well. I actually get more of a break during private, at-home sessions in piano and Mandarin, since I can go into another room and still be close enough if needed.<br />
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In the beginning, I didn't know how we'd handle all of this togetherness, but we've found a balance. My husband and I work from home, so there are times I retreat into my studio, my husband goes to his studio and my son happily creates in his room. I am forever grateful that we have three bedrooms - three retreats.<br />
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My husband and I also have a regular workout routine. He does Muay Thai and I Spin (indoor cycling classes). We've been doing it since our son was diagnosed, seven years ago. With all that has come and gone, I'm proud of us for our commitment to fitness.<br />
<br />
Over the past year and a half, in addition to adjusting to our homeschooling/unschooling life, I hit the "pause" in Menopause. I was thrilled. No more missing exercise class because of random bleeding, or watching the return of fibroids (for which I'd previously had a major surgery). Yes, there are residual hot-flashes and night sweats, but my body is free from the hormonal roller coaster!<br />
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The celebrations were dulled slightly by an almost immediate gain of 5-7 lbs. Even though my weight had crept up a little since Liam's birth, I had not had to buy a new pant size until last summer. A need which revealed itself, inconveniently, as I was getting ready for a party and found that ALL of my pants were now too small. Harmmf.<br />
<br />
At my recent yearly exam, my GP affirmed that "from now on, maintaining weight will take a lot of work - and losing weight will require a Herculean effort."<br />
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I am of Polish/German heritage and, don't get me wrong - I love and respect my parents, but I watched their gradual transformation into Keebler Elves as they aged and am determined to "fall far from" that cookie "tree". I decided to fight my genes to fit into my jeans.<br />
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So I said "Cue Hercules!" and made some big changes before my 52nd birthday:<br />
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First, I upped my fitness game. I'd been toying with becoming a spin instructor for the past few years. So I registered and did it (and got my CPR certification too).<br />
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I lost a few pounds after certification, but needed to drop a few more to avoid endless letters from Kaiser Permanente reminding me of how I was still "overweight" according to my BMI.<br />
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So, I did something I had not done in my entire adult life. I signed up for a diet. As someone who had a teenage eating disorder, I've been wary of anything which makes me pay attention to a scale. Technically, what I was doing was a cleanse, but I knew that one sure result would be losing the final 5-10 lbs. The diet was appropriately called "Food Reset." I realized that a reset is exactly what I wanted. Not a reset to my 20s or 30s, but a reset to what will be my new normal. <br />
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I know full well that it will take focus and attention to keep myself fit, but it is essential for my own well-being and for my son. I'm almost 52. He is 10. He will need me for a long time. I will need me for a long time. And, yes, there is more than a little bit of me that wants to look as good as my husband does with his boxing-toned arms. One final treat has been reconnecting to my favorite music as I build song-sets for classes.<br />
<br />
How does all of this fit into unschooling? I now understand that the core principle of unschooling is allowing children to learn based on their passions. In that spirit, I believe it is important for Liam to see us pursuing OUR passions and taking care of ourselves. Unschooling is a lifelong adventure that we take together and it is important for all of us to be well and strong.<br />
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If you're on this path, make sure you check in with yourself to see what YOU need, physically and psychologically and look to friends and community if you need help to get there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOdoYXj90L_Q3UWh-1DXSByOenoi_wEBBAL3aHyZFv7WUGeJD0gBIuXDrXlBBf8TZsRG-gQfBoEBnfxM10iFPB2ZuYgeXnoSlcpGtC4CJES4xhCUJsZlaw7dnGw8H6He-Bbo3KI72M3U/s1600/spinning-1171843_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOdoYXj90L_Q3UWh-1DXSByOenoi_wEBBAL3aHyZFv7WUGeJD0gBIuXDrXlBBf8TZsRG-gQfBoEBnfxM10iFPB2ZuYgeXnoSlcpGtC4CJES4xhCUJsZlaw7dnGw8H6He-Bbo3KI72M3U/s320/spinning-1171843_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a>If you have a favorite way to reset - let me know in the comments section! Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-29434810028921821052016-07-08T21:10:00.000-07:002016-07-09T10:05:52.462-07:00Isn't it Romantic?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With Band Camp over, it's time to find another focus and, just in time, DIY announced it's relaunch of their popular courses. Liam took two stop-motion and one special effects course when it was called "DIY Camps." Now, as "JAM," (https://jam.com/) they're relaunching with what looks like an even tighter program with online monitors who comment on posts and encourage the kids (we had to fix our intro video because mentioning our city was in violation of their safety policy - good catch, guys!). We're taking an animation course run by an animator from Cartoon Network.<br />
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At first, I thought it would be cool to have Liam write out everything he would say for his introduction and other posts and read it like a teleprompter. It worked, but he was a little stiff. I reverted to an interview style in helping Liam post his videos, since linear thinking is tough for him. We had to restart a few times when the interview strayed too far from topic. On one of the last passes, as we were discussing his favorite characters, Liam revealed, much to my surprise, that his favorite part of most of the movies he'd seen were the boyfriend/girlfriend relationships! I dared to ask if he liked someone and he said, "yes!" I will not reveal his crush, but it made me smile.<br />
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He also showed that he was pretty well aware of the major plot lines in the films (if not the minor ones). It's not surprising that a 10 yr. old would like girls, but since Liam never talks ABOUT anyone or anything, I never knew his secret love of romantic themes.<br />
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Of course, as I write this, he's staging a major battle to the death in Blocksworld. Boys are funny like that. You never know what they're thinking! Oh, and if you were wondering how Rock Band Camp worked out, you can see the mini concert they gave for friends and family here: https://youtu.be/R70GGk_9ywE. Peace, Love, and Rock and Roll!Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-61061379418361742202016-06-20T19:39:00.001-07:002016-06-20T19:39:50.137-07:00Tribes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the heart of unschooling is the idea that a person should let their passions guide their learning. As Liam's interests bring him in and out of various groups, I also hope he will find people with whom he can connect - his "tribe."<br />
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It happened at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, when we met a couple of young adults who were happy to cast spells and write about them in special spell books, excitedly and lovingly sharing details of the movies with Liam, a new inductee into the fan-world of Harry Potter. I could see that in this group, he was immediately accepted.<br />
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It happened the first time Liam sat at the keyboard during Rock Band class, he was fully engrossed in the musical conversation and was able to follow along. He "got it" and he was in.<br />
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Today, we're taking a bigger step and starting Rock Band Camp - three hours a day, four days a week for two weeks. I hope the smile I often saw on his face during Band class stays. I hope that music can be for him what Theater became for me.<br />
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I was the kind of kid who was perfectly happy to spend hours reading, drawing or writing by myself. It wasn't until I fell in love with acting, that I found something that REQUIRED me to be fully engaged with a whole group of people. Music may do that for Liam. Or it might not. At the very least, it will shake up our daily routines and that is never a bad thing.<br />
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Rock On!Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-30634707345623805412016-06-16T10:06:00.000-07:002016-08-11T17:58:14.672-07:00Double Digits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Since Liam loves numbers, I thought it only fitting to share that he achieved double digits at the end of May. The big one-oh. On the day of, we returned to his favorite place, with a new friend from Urban Homeschoolers, Jasmine. Universal Studios gave him a birthday pin and he got lots of special treatment, from being invited up to do the show in Olivander's Wand Shop to front of line passes for his favorite rides.<br />
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On the weekend, we had a party with a theme Liam chose - a Goombirthday Party. Temperatures soared over 90 degrees (and our back patio is all concrete), sooooo the outside party I'd planned was quickly re-invented as an inside party. We had 9 kids and 11 adults in our little house. I set-up t-shirt painting using drawstring garbage bags as aprons and larger, cut-open lawn and leaf bags as a dropcloth in our newly-airconditioned sunroom.<br />
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Around the house we set up "Goomballoons" - balloons with sets of eyes I drew, attached with double sided tape and mouths drawn on with a sharpee to look like Goombas from Mario Brothers. Brown cake plates were cut for feet. Liam created a Goomba cake topper too.<br />
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After the planned activity in the sunroom, which is usually our gym, the kids spotted the mini-tramploine leaning against the wall. John helped break down the tables and chairs and what started as a "bounce-off" turned into a full cage match. The girls at the party are both studying Krav Maga, so they were in the mix too (and kicking the boys' butts, by all accounts). In the end, my husband had a pile of kids on him, all trying to do a takedown. By that point, Liam had retreated to his room, as he had off and on throughout the party. He never minded kids coming in and joining him there, but I think the chaos of so many people kept him out of the mix.<br />
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For the record, it was Liam who insisted on a party. And ironically, every year, he insists on having a cake, which he never eats. I think he just associates birthdays with blowing out candles on a nicely decorated cake while everyone sings "Happy Birthday." And so we did. This year, I picked the cake - Chocolate Grand-Marnier Mousse from the best cake-shop in town - Porto's Bakery. The kids may have come for the shirt painting and cage match, but the grownups come for that cake!<br />
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And I know it was a great party. Because I forgot to take a single picture of it. That's right. Not one picture! Later, John and I joked about the Louie CK routine about parents watching their childrens' recital through the lens of a video camera,"Check out the definition of the live performance - it's incredible!"<br />
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There may have been no pictures, but I got several wonderful take-aways from that day.<br />
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1) Our friends are awesome. The people at that party came from many different areas of our lives and they all meshed together so nicely.<br />
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2) Liam is different than other kids, and kids are cool with that. There is something about Liam that engenders acceptance and kindness in kids around him. Liam recently got hooked on singing old nursery rhymes and was singing a few during the party. Instead of teasing a 10 year old for singing kiddie songs, the others joined right in!<br />
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3) Planned things are fun, but unplanned things are even better. I was a little worried that I wouldn't have enough in our wee space to entertain the kids. I forgot how easily a group of kids can make their own fun.<br />
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After the party ended, we left the Goomballoons to gradually deflate and have enjoyed watching their expressions change. Here is all that is left of a happy, 10th Goombirthday!<br />
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Happy birthday, kid!<br />
<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-85980334633781208292016-05-16T12:19:00.000-07:002016-08-02T11:12:18.200-07:00Free-Falling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bringing a child into the world was amazing and terrifying. Holding a new life in my arms, I was overwhelmed by feelings of love, protectiveness, devotion and the sudden, jolting realization that I had brought both life and death into the world. After all, we can only promise one thing about life, that it will end. His life, my husband's life, my life are finite. What could I give him between the entry and exit points on this trip?<br />
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No parent outruns these thoughts. We all race to provide enough of a foundation, enough education, enough wisdom to see our children off onto a future we may or may not join. We all feel, from time to time, that we cannot possibly be enough. And if your child has special needs, there is another, terrifying thought, "what if they CAN'T make it on their own? What if life claims its promise of us before we can prepare them to make their way, or protect them from those who could harm them if they can't?"<br />
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So we run harder, faster from the fear and towards the hope of help from "experts" and those that came before. Hoping that their answers will be THE answer to see us through.<br />
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Early on in the "race," my husband and I started to sense that "fear" and "hope" were far more the enemy than inadequacy. Our son's brain is unique. There is no expert who knows him as we do. Our templates for how life is "supposed to be" and our "hopes" that he could have the lives we've had, needed to be re-examined. What does HIS life look like? What does HE love? What is that thing we are filling in between jumping on and jumping off of this ride? Do we want a life of constant therapy, working to fit into a school system that we don't see as all that useful, even for typical kids, towards a future we might have wanted for ourselves, but may not be at all useful or happy for him?<br />
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It can be hard to walk away from institutions and even
well-intentioned friends, family and others "with children like yours"
nearly shouting at you that, "you want to do EVERYTHING POSSIBLE for your child,
don't you - because look how well it's worked for other people and some
people don't even have access to these services and what if he wants to
go to college someday and I know someone who did this and their child is
graduating with honors now and you have to try gluten-free, chelation, RDI, Dan Protocol, ABA, Special Oils, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Allergy Testing, or you AREN'T TRYING HARD ENOUGH!"<br />
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Enough. <br />
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One thing my autistic son is, is very present in his NOW. He is usually happy in his NOW. What if we let go of the supports and the voices telling us what we should be doing and let his strengths, joys and struggles guide us? What would it be like to free-fall? Scary? Of course. But liberating too. Realizing that there is no ONE WAY to do something - that the ride is as different as each brain is different, is a source of power.<br />
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And that may sound lonely, but we've found that there are others walking this path, without judgement, offering friendship and sharing stories to take or leave if it serves us. Facebook groups like Unschooling Special Needs and Homeschool/Unschool Bloggers offer tips and advice and you can ignore posts that don't fit. There are blogs by adults on the spectrum that shed light on their personal experiences and what helped or hurt them.<br />
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And once you find some like-minded folks, you can even meet some of them in person. Maybe there will be one group that is great for outings, another that has some learning ideas, or unschooling support. <br />
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And you will learn that the eclectic life you create with your child and family in mind, is perfect for you and for them. And you'll learn to ignore the critics, and those with methodologies too rigid for your needs. You'll find a community you never knew existed, and a life that is nothing like what you imagined, because you never imagined what free-falling would feel like - glorious, terrifying, surprisingly fun, sometimes disorienting, but FREE.<br />
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For those of you along on this jump - welcome. If I learn any cool tricks, mid-air, I'll be sure to pass them along. And you are always welcome to share your own stories, ideas and observations in the comments section.<br />
<br />
Allons y!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuclbt6dMMWX-KUlcUhmSavTPekxnBHvj1i_0J17gs0R8SdR0pdJZi7Zb9v94rKlLgyW35sbLQoxDsxE8JPDOqz75Zp_odbFgJj_QJ0-kOCKr7DawaGB-q7Kq4FO7IDMlg0mHaa849P6Y/s1600/skydivers-81778_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuclbt6dMMWX-KUlcUhmSavTPekxnBHvj1i_0J17gs0R8SdR0pdJZi7Zb9v94rKlLgyW35sbLQoxDsxE8JPDOqz75Zp_odbFgJj_QJ0-kOCKr7DawaGB-q7Kq4FO7IDMlg0mHaa849P6Y/s320/skydivers-81778_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-72946566553712796092016-05-12T22:18:00.001-07:002016-05-12T22:18:31.475-07:00What I Got For Mother's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQpyGXJhKdmconAaJe0xLgOfX1F0yVmgFEEzclvYj3XR5VZH6N5TeoMJRmzC8pKGG5gIN-bu_mKJSwFmdmwKGFJYlS7TO_ezYhhxV2KdmpqhpMCxkjooGrv7shVGH5vYu-Z1nUojMuo/s1600/IMG_4767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmYQpyGXJhKdmconAaJe0xLgOfX1F0yVmgFEEzclvYj3XR5VZH6N5TeoMJRmzC8pKGG5gIN-bu_mKJSwFmdmwKGFJYlS7TO_ezYhhxV2KdmpqhpMCxkjooGrv7shVGH5vYu-Z1nUojMuo/s320/IMG_4767.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The short answer to "what did I get for Mother's Day?" is "the stomach flu." But in fact, I got hit with some life-lessons as well.<br />
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These are the things I wish I hadn't learned while curled in a ball in front of the toilet on Mother's Day weekend:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCI_4qZJsb5TU0kMsoLCk0_7GEsVODrphGENjuG63YsRKp7zlxmV1c84Ir7Xc7SoTmkzCQiVgoVVK5L4RkZs3mGdAiASi1CB2taBeLDg5iowqIILy9B6b6EKL91rb7QB9bWfVT4udeDcs/s1600/IMG_4768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCI_4qZJsb5TU0kMsoLCk0_7GEsVODrphGENjuG63YsRKp7zlxmV1c84Ir7Xc7SoTmkzCQiVgoVVK5L4RkZs3mGdAiASi1CB2taBeLDg5iowqIILy9B6b6EKL91rb7QB9bWfVT4udeDcs/s200/IMG_4768.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
1) The OxyClean boost in the Arm And Hammer laundry pods really does get out blood stains.<br />
<br />
2) The Dyson vacuum can pick up even the finest shards of glass.<br />
<br />
3) Advanced Formula Nature's Miracle will remove cat urine from wood, carpets and fabric.<br />
<br />
4) I would, without hesitation, voice a commercial for any of the above products.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
These are the things I was happy to discover, while considering whether or not I'd need to go to the hospital for dehydration:<br />
<br />
1) My son is brave enough to pour Peroxide on his own wounds.<br />
<br />
2) My son can now empty the dishwasher and handle all aspects of doing the laundry (except folding) all by himself.<br />
<br />
3) My son now has a concept of when someone is feeling crappy and can ask about it.<br />
<br />
4) My husband has my back and knows just when to step in and when to back away.<br />
<br />
In case you were wondering, here's the expanded version:<br />
<br />
<span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span>
With my brain wrapped in cotton, still shaking and sweating from the
last, violent bout of vomiting, I staggered into my son's room, drawn by
his cries and the sound of something shattering. My son launched into an
autistic roun</span></span><span><span><span>d of self recrimination and
it took me a few moments to swim through the fog to see that his
anxiety was not just about a broken coffee cup, but over the cut on his thumb,
dripping blood down his arm. While my husband dealt with the broken
shards, I steered my son past my my bathroom encampment and offered
him hydrogen peroxide, which, after a brief protest, he applied to himself. I opened a bandage and sent him to the living room to await an
all-clear on his room, then sank back to my knees on the thick towel
before the commode in anticipation of the next round.</span><br /><br /><span>Feeling
somewhat better the next day, I returned to the encampment to break it
down and disinfect the area, when I was knocked back by the
strong scent of cat urine, just feet away. My husband's weekend house project
had involved installing plastic sheeting around the
doorway of his studio, across the hall from the bathroom. Perhaps it was the odd, flappy material, my unavialability, sounds of construction, or just plain,
old-age-orneriness that drove the cat to pull down a corner of the plastic sheet
and pee in such a way as to saturate the hardwood floor, doorjamb and
studio curtain. I grabbed what was left of a gallon of Nature's Miracle
and poured it everywhere, using a microfiber cloth to work it into the floor and door jamb, pulled down the curtain for a
pre-soak, then washed it on "sanitize" setting (using more Nature's Miracle as
detergent). My husband hauled the plastic to the garbage for immediate
disposal. I briefly entertained the fantasy of including the cat in
that package.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="UFICommentBody _1n4g"><span><span><span>My son's thumb, the hardwood floors, my stomach and the cat are all perfectly fine now. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
But the biggest lesson for Mom was: <br />
<br />
Let the guys do more. They can. Be less available sometimes (not just when it's physically impossible). And always, ALWAYS keep a sense of humor. <br />
<br />
It was a terrible weekend, but it makes for a great story, giving me a Mother's Day where my family took care of themselves - and me. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH6s5jXdMrBrzQ_TP5hNUE2e3_ujMnVQD5a42s-NiGYXpONtVcCQZg0fa9sq1BpU6wWS6yvXd40b-Mx77mvBln6-eCatVoVQQ8NJG6sDJQ8c1L2Kiazofybw7tIP6Qb4lS5C7bIyHTMs/s1600/IMG_4769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGH6s5jXdMrBrzQ_TP5hNUE2e3_ujMnVQD5a42s-NiGYXpONtVcCQZg0fa9sq1BpU6wWS6yvXd40b-Mx77mvBln6-eCatVoVQQ8NJG6sDJQ8c1L2Kiazofybw7tIP6Qb4lS5C7bIyHTMs/s320/IMG_4769.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also got these flowers!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-63183756999415983172016-04-30T10:49:00.003-07:002016-05-01T17:48:18.861-07:00Real Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG5RZITuU7S_xb2aBWg-R-H080p6OMr31UHVBBy89IqHdK1PwCFbATriVw7KD3_5bowGibaq_K_le2gb0ZVOUonoNYGEXln_ckJLFFr-pMN08MPdRsa3iC3VpDtv2eIxWZx9HY18_8Yc/s1600/IMG_4502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtG5RZITuU7S_xb2aBWg-R-H080p6OMr31UHVBBy89IqHdK1PwCFbATriVw7KD3_5bowGibaq_K_le2gb0ZVOUonoNYGEXln_ckJLFFr-pMN08MPdRsa3iC3VpDtv2eIxWZx9HY18_8Yc/s320/IMG_4502.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Nothing has quite ignited Liam's imagination like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, Hollywood. It is the only place Liam has repeatedly asked to go. He loves to take his wand and do the magic that makes the animations work in the shop windows at Hogsmeade. Since there are a limited number of spells, I thought it would be fun to invent some easy ones to use on the staff (if they were up for playing along).<br />
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This morning, I thought about simple commands like "laugh," "sneeze," and "hop like a frog" and looked up their Latin translations. I presented the new spells to Liam with accompanying wand movements. He loved them and added them to the leather-bound "Ravensclaw" spell book that we got on our last trip. Below are the spells he remembered from Universal and wrote in his book, including the placards in front of each window, as well as our "original spells." He did the work all on his own and added drawings and descriptions of what the spells did.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsW3WMh_Nof-BLz13GY40V_IQ8kJ8sDaPktgePWzIWFAmT_Pkk_iB_Cv-6Q8xVpRL7vnFS3himTgXrBFyiwLcUA4uDH9KC4mIezmr6x3YGmKkJpdybKERcoP02qMvrmfKm1oZHQlUyDs/s1600/IMG_4503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvsW3WMh_Nof-BLz13GY40V_IQ8kJ8sDaPktgePWzIWFAmT_Pkk_iB_Cv-6Q8xVpRL7vnFS3himTgXrBFyiwLcUA4uDH9KC4mIezmr6x3YGmKkJpdybKERcoP02qMvrmfKm1oZHQlUyDs/s200/IMG_4503.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell makes a large Quiddich ball levitate.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAMk_T-_euM_qZlC3Lr0Y_ovah5J2Ew20mwtgb0qAJWScOb2OyEAkCjJwMl42QJAsKMbQo-D3yXkSzOts62ua619JHR-TOlSqsf_qnjERmKqGZ7gPJIkrLI6VGdeIjwZMNqPBrBevq9M/s1600/IMG_4470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAMk_T-_euM_qZlC3Lr0Y_ovah5J2Ew20mwtgb0qAJWScOb2OyEAkCjJwMl42QJAsKMbQo-D3yXkSzOts62ua619JHR-TOlSqsf_qnjERmKqGZ7gPJIkrLI6VGdeIjwZMNqPBrBevq9M/s200/IMG_4470.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLu3mJKdEsNiKRthX3xz1vC8MTO_HFHsbRLfh0G6p0Kuwq6fVqZLPiiqfbclGXwlYTpIgA80FV6jWIpDv_A9H_h3_UGYy88XqMOlQfwtGqv3YYEAs0kPtZC7u6ootYMo33b7F4OGu7FI/s1600/IMG_4504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGLu3mJKdEsNiKRthX3xz1vC8MTO_HFHsbRLfh0G6p0Kuwq6fVqZLPiiqfbclGXwlYTpIgA80FV6jWIpDv_A9H_h3_UGYy88XqMOlQfwtGqv3YYEAs0kPtZC7u6ootYMo33b7F4OGu7FI/s200/IMG_4504.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell makes a bubbling cauldron stop making the bubbling noise.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohj_jPMlXS3gikNMVSncQZWKMaOR8pe3fwuDmwoCrg5oa_bL3FxuCU7a_4dcTV_S_0hCEYprQcsCM_Map04Qk_05DQohssQzLdRKiZmmO2Ul3FeBCherjs1aVaSbHXQ2bwbc4NtWdxL0/s1600/IMG_4469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjohj_jPMlXS3gikNMVSncQZWKMaOR8pe3fwuDmwoCrg5oa_bL3FxuCU7a_4dcTV_S_0hCEYprQcsCM_Map04Qk_05DQohssQzLdRKiZmmO2Ul3FeBCherjs1aVaSbHXQ2bwbc4NtWdxL0/s200/IMG_4469.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW30MbFpFPfGvO0zhliQ4g2YsTGJRAVsr92jTiZi3PhRQQqR3-VvgFZK5HH8tx3El9_YiuKyDJqGIuEr7vqqhglTHVanfe4hF5BeN02l-Omw6AeBIxWnyrgM-BdP6fjRSGORHUotlRtzI/s1600/IMG_4505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW30MbFpFPfGvO0zhliQ4g2YsTGJRAVsr92jTiZi3PhRQQqR3-VvgFZK5HH8tx3El9_YiuKyDJqGIuEr7vqqhglTHVanfe4hF5BeN02l-Omw6AeBIxWnyrgM-BdP6fjRSGORHUotlRtzI/s200/IMG_4505.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell makes wind blow, which plays a number of wind instruments and stirs sheet music.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrPh_ACI2YEqPLgI5cRTllIW0AZu_iGxXI99GZLeZgWuhY6Q7QJ6RtxI-ExMlz5yVE5VIqY3JthELXwLR8jueBa-EkS0xekYSQy9ycBdDTWBEzHDPeVr0CiDUbeYY7NyaIR2o1Hcse2o/s1600/IMG_4465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZrPh_ACI2YEqPLgI5cRTllIW0AZu_iGxXI99GZLeZgWuhY6Q7QJ6RtxI-ExMlz5yVE5VIqY3JthELXwLR8jueBa-EkS0xekYSQy9ycBdDTWBEzHDPeVr0CiDUbeYY7NyaIR2o1Hcse2o/s200/IMG_4465.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM_BVu_CnxxajWSO_vTr6CoDeJ0CBTFlFRzxeSL2SQCTS-ScoJksX2NcoUfYg0KT247JUz0jox6RyyCJE4RSdTNNqeIDgUcP3Qs2njb0ubZ-wC5HGbDlMHwY5mY19kbf7Csk6YgBTjfk/s1600/IMG_4506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM_BVu_CnxxajWSO_vTr6CoDeJ0CBTFlFRzxeSL2SQCTS-ScoJksX2NcoUfYg0KT247JUz0jox6RyyCJE4RSdTNNqeIDgUcP3Qs2njb0ubZ-wC5HGbDlMHwY5mY19kbf7Csk6YgBTjfk/s200/IMG_4506.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell reveals a chocolate frog in the window of the candy shop. The frog coaks and wiggles!</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKusxk1wAKxAF6PscwDFpJdpu6fJ8IebnkEz8gOskO3dX4jVr2r6libgc8KQs-SLul0LLiTMHNcc6V7TtIKLnQ71OS9tbhAdroKpgd3LTb_CFnbAiNNiHdGP7yOshC1rLwLv9fu0HcWuw/s1600/IMG_4464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKusxk1wAKxAF6PscwDFpJdpu6fJ8IebnkEz8gOskO3dX4jVr2r6libgc8KQs-SLul0LLiTMHNcc6V7TtIKLnQ71OS9tbhAdroKpgd3LTb_CFnbAiNNiHdGP7yOshC1rLwLv9fu0HcWuw/s200/IMG_4464.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0X5HWJntMRjyUjNY5rbul6lrV2CmK_SHCuDVWYWRZRNZbW5d7WMrX7YrJobRDqBcrKxXIl1hLU2OSt7qp1s-NX81hVpF0mNzSFeIxpe7X1bvpGrqArRiAtAcMPjaE_CksLrAcI-vwg/s1600/IMG_4507.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnq0X5HWJntMRjyUjNY5rbul6lrV2CmK_SHCuDVWYWRZRNZbW5d7WMrX7YrJobRDqBcrKxXIl1hLU2OSt7qp1s-NX81hVpF0mNzSFeIxpe7X1bvpGrqArRiAtAcMPjaE_CksLrAcI-vwg/s200/IMG_4507.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell lights lamps.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBUHNMsQWewQmvGE5m-55-aIU3qIEImatkDc5w2zxHTbO4XWgjHzSZmTtzNHUChGq89Eae7fSUYjtlZx9mi1yVEDGvUNIT1yi5OCxLixSJ9En47n0AdVWP3KBZaLqGtY8_VpaNv5C5Xc/s1600/IMG_4463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYBUHNMsQWewQmvGE5m-55-aIU3qIEImatkDc5w2zxHTbO4XWgjHzSZmTtzNHUChGq89Eae7fSUYjtlZx9mi1yVEDGvUNIT1yi5OCxLixSJ9En47n0AdVWP3KBZaLqGtY8_VpaNv5C5Xc/s200/IMG_4463.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAfRUZ78l8Bs-ynUGkPebgNU5iI3dJcoUwADB-7s01vLu5bFgEg_0eAvYwXbA-NOVcfadyFn4uV8396w5pRUpPydUQzPBzYVl97dbpW-Hha26eW84l0mB9_k-ui1e1iTt9mJuUGU6mnY/s1600/IMG_4508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQAfRUZ78l8Bs-ynUGkPebgNU5iI3dJcoUwADB-7s01vLu5bFgEg_0eAvYwXbA-NOVcfadyFn4uV8396w5pRUpPydUQzPBzYVl97dbpW-Hha26eW84l0mB9_k-ui1e1iTt9mJuUGU6mnY/s200/IMG_4508.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this one makes plants grow and move!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkf6qbZoCqvTZ6fR5ydWHg-AIXxut-0Skjg8JIGtuJY5mZcma8Om_DcmOEKZvb3gCCxXo22JZ4EcF1LeGSeU-157Dk221q5nRmZH7m07C17Yy-7vqe0KVeQb-b8iTQbM7T1ifOdxCgXIs/s1600/IMG_4481.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkf6qbZoCqvTZ6fR5ydWHg-AIXxut-0Skjg8JIGtuJY5mZcma8Om_DcmOEKZvb3gCCxXo22JZ4EcF1LeGSeU-157Dk221q5nRmZH7m07C17Yy-7vqe0KVeQb-b8iTQbM7T1ifOdxCgXIs/s200/IMG_4481.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ypucTi_8v9yX1179Nqc_P9JSZV_9P4Dil6GLvH1DZI3a7X_qqAB0CaoOpsNGoAzdtLOvd-8kzJG5gctv5kfKTC8REOJmgM1DIFIP0me-EGFQBiQVoF6vf5OJCQkczT9H2BaegA0wzc/s1600/IMG_4509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2ypucTi_8v9yX1179Nqc_P9JSZV_9P4Dil6GLvH1DZI3a7X_qqAB0CaoOpsNGoAzdtLOvd-8kzJG5gctv5kfKTC8REOJmgM1DIFIP0me-EGFQBiQVoF6vf5OJCQkczT9H2BaegA0wzc/s200/IMG_4509.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is one of Liam's favorites. It makes the cakes spin on plates. The second spell stops the motion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAS8o-gfTJCFwI_G9qSOtC_aN_bdVG9AkEkUJ5KPhNAPImSgh-EoAC38Micf2RGBrrowem1sQwF_uZ0noQcvXCtRW5CvIsb1gpYXBH8oO85dhu5uJwVCS-dlM7ix1PsZMRpnUD5dii_U/s1600/IMG_4478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkAS8o-gfTJCFwI_G9qSOtC_aN_bdVG9AkEkUJ5KPhNAPImSgh-EoAC38Micf2RGBrrowem1sQwF_uZ0noQcvXCtRW5CvIsb1gpYXBH8oO85dhu5uJwVCS-dlM7ix1PsZMRpnUD5dii_U/s200/IMG_4478.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsexFLrbKTEKhWaMgbla5oetU-WCKRlufifz6OFLLPCzSyJDXTmnoBzp4kX2X95Wp5EIJd0sx40QooAzze4eeE1m8hFm4sO5Mv10VsU-r321VSn7igsjH-oN4GShnejghhX2kPq4kAFo/s1600/IMG_4510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsexFLrbKTEKhWaMgbla5oetU-WCKRlufifz6OFLLPCzSyJDXTmnoBzp4kX2X95Wp5EIJd0sx40QooAzze4eeE1m8hFm4sO5Mv10VsU-r321VSn7igsjH-oN4GShnejghhX2kPq4kAFo/s200/IMG_4510.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell stops a pen from writing in mid-air.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRLuk8TlgxZn4cl8GNeSRwNHTdwZ2pD5CpsSN8N3UOe9YyVc-87Symx6DwzcBYfmk8DiEYJo59s8YvN-1dPNfSeVvXQnX4wjp8F4KXSuThw12Q8lKX3oa1UVqyXcBp2nwpHGlSxuTJMs/s1600/IMG_4475.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSRLuk8TlgxZn4cl8GNeSRwNHTdwZ2pD5CpsSN8N3UOe9YyVc-87Symx6DwzcBYfmk8DiEYJo59s8YvN-1dPNfSeVvXQnX4wjp8F4KXSuThw12Q8lKX3oa1UVqyXcBp2nwpHGlSxuTJMs/s200/IMG_4475.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzKw8XtA2h7UzUuQY48_WS_zZ9K5Blo60lSPYajmK7lALhA6ZT4MCpYHTJHhN1fzrXyKCkzPffJAtK1wBFaEtVwu4X3VI_R0bwWTST515QOZdNqEEze8nu1eMaL1k-QIh1X2KzzV7GG8/s1600/IMG_4511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzKw8XtA2h7UzUuQY48_WS_zZ9K5Blo60lSPYajmK7lALhA6ZT4MCpYHTJHhN1fzrXyKCkzPffJAtK1wBFaEtVwu4X3VI_R0bwWTST515QOZdNqEEze8nu1eMaL1k-QIh1X2KzzV7GG8/s200/IMG_4511.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell unlocks a box and all of the draws slide open.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPFCVHaHen5t6iMO5RvU-PWl2r7PJSnNkZiFuP_jtMOWm6H-JWnW5g-AjqhNa6g4Yic56N-El1Kghci8ntClAJH-D_-2x9rnqATd8VrY0Rf_gQQQqXbetmtRdRaaZsGC7JP6Bh9nwGOQ/s1600/IMG_4472.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPFCVHaHen5t6iMO5RvU-PWl2r7PJSnNkZiFuP_jtMOWm6H-JWnW5g-AjqhNa6g4Yic56N-El1Kghci8ntClAJH-D_-2x9rnqATd8VrY0Rf_gQQQqXbetmtRdRaaZsGC7JP6Bh9nwGOQ/s200/IMG_4472.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2x2weo3O_PNWhbG64vcWG5bQ1AxtnbfGaaXPR9mChRj87G7kGF1ipGfwjnxHb_Z1oXL9QIYe4x2Jb-P1dDzoLSqmsDzSk6tgO0GTiW3Ia94qYWgw_f8ZJupvP37V3TzbcKnnPotl7tE/s1600/IMG_4512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq2x2weo3O_PNWhbG64vcWG5bQ1AxtnbfGaaXPR9mChRj87G7kGF1ipGfwjnxHb_Z1oXL9QIYe4x2Jb-P1dDzoLSqmsDzSk6tgO0GTiW3Ia94qYWgw_f8ZJupvP37V3TzbcKnnPotl7tE/s200/IMG_4512.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell makes a dress-maker's measuring tape rise and fall in the shop window.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDab-HfDxTDCFxit5qiGSepPhgROKkBVqKWF79-Pk0J5DkB01YN8TvgBo-ZIshVMimnWLsWYPkmnn_bWypecrlRQbjO28AOIYX9BaYrQqz4e1KemLsey79llTenuFO3cq0bkpKZKQP6w/s1600/IMG_4471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPDab-HfDxTDCFxit5qiGSepPhgROKkBVqKWF79-Pk0J5DkB01YN8TvgBo-ZIshVMimnWLsWYPkmnn_bWypecrlRQbjO28AOIYX9BaYrQqz4e1KemLsey79llTenuFO3cq0bkpKZKQP6w/s200/IMG_4471.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16l99DFQq9lNs0qQxqzfBh1cEGi0ouwD6b8QJIHhfwYwUGBrEjChy0zaNWCQ4WMqqPi-quAoPYVNb7g1z8He7lerErXrqmRTIsntEPRxotNZk26FKuj0HqZs7978B-cqqD3UD9Ugv6hU/s1600/IMG_4513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj16l99DFQq9lNs0qQxqzfBh1cEGi0ouwD6b8QJIHhfwYwUGBrEjChy0zaNWCQ4WMqqPi-quAoPYVNb7g1z8He7lerErXrqmRTIsntEPRxotNZk26FKuj0HqZs7978B-cqqD3UD9Ugv6hU/s200/IMG_4513.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This spell animates a music box with a dragon chasing Harry.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO2DXQMBqFyuIYMKvhW6yDCPnXuqn8OoxtgkxW5BxaMrWEQt1NI1M8MWb8xtMQN9HVgtYoAFJ8NSwG93kBqYtGWRuCPDERQkXjgrhfPZYPOwL7OQOlh5zYvrcYF4or-Ssd5J55Jv1P9I/s1600/IMG_4468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO2DXQMBqFyuIYMKvhW6yDCPnXuqn8OoxtgkxW5BxaMrWEQt1NI1M8MWb8xtMQN9HVgtYoAFJ8NSwG93kBqYtGWRuCPDERQkXjgrhfPZYPOwL7OQOlh5zYvrcYF4or-Ssd5J55Jv1P9I/s200/IMG_4468.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsUZ6k1Rqd4yNh7ADiw8Z76g_ksQjkApQ_gkJbnRquk9M4Fq5_sSxfd6hqkJNlX8WV6IWKelvQu573AP8FfN-vr5SNlcZS_OMhy-O5spR_F3XrhAlfsgvMtkD7taILzYvfOnH6rMJT_o/s1600/IMG_4514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsUZ6k1Rqd4yNh7ADiw8Z76g_ksQjkApQ_gkJbnRquk9M4Fq5_sSxfd6hqkJNlX8WV6IWKelvQu573AP8FfN-vr5SNlcZS_OMhy-O5spR_F3XrhAlfsgvMtkD7taILzYvfOnH6rMJT_o/s200/IMG_4514.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wizard in Olivander's Wand Shop used this in his show. It watered a flower.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxP7TnC-R02cLTziCColtLnw-V9baXuAVf2iK39xbnWQiUZOQAeKfeoaBN7C3T9LB2LYq-ujo6FlYVW9f_f4c-3PsHi3iojwPqyKLK4OPxGUQnGVlS4b3g-Aa3WUmHjeJUvFygXlXSlY/s1600/IMG_4515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxP7TnC-R02cLTziCColtLnw-V9baXuAVf2iK39xbnWQiUZOQAeKfeoaBN7C3T9LB2LYq-ujo6FlYVW9f_f4c-3PsHi3iojwPqyKLK4OPxGUQnGVlS4b3g-Aa3WUmHjeJUvFygXlXSlY/s200/IMG_4515.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the first spell I wrote - it makes someone dance. The second spell stops it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmkyp7YWzRMLL4fDVLjMZSySy41CE_g0vzYpJvn-eaWAc-X0xi6NpEvAq9ghWL2B2Shzt5I4eBSx21t7XykeM7uPmxpz0I-Dgmfdpytfnf-4NbLIiPV3c8c_qbgXpbS9T727ar0em83M/s1600/IMG_4516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmkyp7YWzRMLL4fDVLjMZSySy41CE_g0vzYpJvn-eaWAc-X0xi6NpEvAq9ghWL2B2Shzt5I4eBSx21t7XykeM7uPmxpz0I-Dgmfdpytfnf-4NbLIiPV3c8c_qbgXpbS9T727ar0em83M/s200/IMG_4516.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is another original. It makes a person sneeze. The second spell stops it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI_fUWvrIbVsLteh5jhZ_On5NvLdt4TFkULQqdI_VvFp1CMcyMq60GvsEFOoHtbF53LZtzRPKNo6VBH7zzIKCnBUUL7NK3b4OHoR17z2xE8A_K8qJhFgxIMgPkhPO5G6xpzb7JrbR48w/s1600/IMG_4520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrI_fUWvrIbVsLteh5jhZ_On5NvLdt4TFkULQqdI_VvFp1CMcyMq60GvsEFOoHtbF53LZtzRPKNo6VBH7zzIKCnBUUL7NK3b4OHoR17z2xE8A_K8qJhFgxIMgPkhPO5G6xpzb7JrbR48w/s200/IMG_4520.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a fun one. It makes a person jump like a frog. Second spell stops it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTu3ph5TIeZpYa68_5t4A_zpNAudZ9Jfh1SnnzFsdiRO1sAGg2odwFK_Gc4zN3-quAuX9KIw-MlhiFEPU9fu017LFijBWyj8XapvxKdC7xHtEsmq4c1mkQIhyphenhyphenkLrCr1AGKojP277UMrUU/s1600/IMG_4517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTu3ph5TIeZpYa68_5t4A_zpNAudZ9Jfh1SnnzFsdiRO1sAGg2odwFK_Gc4zN3-quAuX9KIw-MlhiFEPU9fu017LFijBWyj8XapvxKdC7xHtEsmq4c1mkQIhyphenhyphenkLrCr1AGKojP277UMrUU/s200/IMG_4517.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a laughing spell. Second spell stops the laughter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QfROuOGtoUbBm__T6HLP4_KpOIa2g_4Eol-G1GIutwFOF04b5pAovSCZDi4F7SQQj7wxwfe4Lq5ojbMosmpAh4JplpBglVtAG_K3aaF0jNGoW6WWWQgWMlxHGjrRmJQrVcCok-mC1eU/s1600/IMG_4518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1QfROuOGtoUbBm__T6HLP4_KpOIa2g_4Eol-G1GIutwFOF04b5pAovSCZDi4F7SQQj7wxwfe4Lq5ojbMosmpAh4JplpBglVtAG_K3aaF0jNGoW6WWWQgWMlxHGjrRmJQrVcCok-mC1eU/s200/IMG_4518.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full spell here is "Rhyme Loqui," which makes a person rhyme with everything you say. "Prosia" lets them speak normally again.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The local wizards were playful and willing to let Liam cast his simple spells on them. And we met two young men who were also doing a circuit of magical spells. One was a park employee who went by the name of "Wolfman" (his costume during Halloween Horror Nights) and his friend, Ben. Both were obvious Harry Potter fans and among the many, I've learned, who come JUST to cast spells, like Liam. </div>
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Wolfman had a similar book to Liam's with more elaborate drawings and spells from the movies and books and even some originals. We traveled together for a while and Ben asked what Liam enjoyed doing. When I told him he was very into special effects and had taught himself how to use Adobe After Effects, Ben revealed that he was learning the same thing (and joked that he could use Liam as a tutor). I wished I had gotten a contact, so we could come back when Wolfman was doing his studio tour, but I have a feeling we'll meet this pair again.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Meeting Ben and Wolfman doing the same things that Liam loves to do, made me feel that we were moving closer to Liam finding his "tribe" and his path in life. Sweet, friendly, talented geeks with strong passions and generous hearts. The spells may just be special effects, but the magic of making connections was as real as it gets.</div>
Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-29225852845291932442016-04-17T20:42:00.001-07:002016-04-18T11:30:04.200-07:00Ventus!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTmFAyFOh9iPPbaq_172aPDCl-9N2PflkORDYPdb7fzQLrrRMlci2Bk9HmFjCGKpOItLUK-D_iX1JrYwwfMQUOzV4vl2R4bqUHQ764LVR_O5BkqOjfu-f9yPxfU4z7v0OCL4VjzZGMHM/s1600/IMG_4321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTmFAyFOh9iPPbaq_172aPDCl-9N2PflkORDYPdb7fzQLrrRMlci2Bk9HmFjCGKpOItLUK-D_iX1JrYwwfMQUOzV4vl2R4bqUHQ764LVR_O5BkqOjfu-f9yPxfU4z7v0OCL4VjzZGMHM/s320/IMG_4321.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
We live in a magical neighborhood. Literally. We live within walking distance of Universal Studios, Hollywood and the new "Wizarding World of Harry Potter." As subscribers to the "Globe Partner" program offered by Universal to residents within a few blocks of the park, we are invited to previews of new attractions. So, I was excited when we finally got the invitation for a preview of the new Harry Potter wing.<br />
<br />
Liam isn't much into watching movies at home, but he had never seen any of the Harry Potter movies, so I decided to rent the first one from Pay-Per-View before we went. We managed half of the movie before our preview, but that was enough for him to see the world we'd be entering, and become familiar with things like chocolate frogs, wands and spells.<br />
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Our first trip was with a friend. We rode the rides and went into the wand shop to see the show and purchase wands. I learned, to my delight, that the wands were fitted with a sensor in the tip, which activated "magic" in twelve of the shop windows, when you moved them in a certain pattern with the "magic words." The kids were smitten with spell casting and I got great shots of them being helped by friendly wizards, who are stationed near the windows (the sensors are very picky and don't accept any old wand waving!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2-ozt6ck5EQwtmojbMqVtYyQhEHuOi70h5RtwGaRWP1SLeh2byrLczWHKaqTtOJNh8pvrire-sf2IKPNUengyV_bci3gmiPZNQPqFiXK2_Y3bllxPRRYiaTDNdBeZUp-bvDPA8R59wI/s1600/IMG_4066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2-ozt6ck5EQwtmojbMqVtYyQhEHuOi70h5RtwGaRWP1SLeh2byrLczWHKaqTtOJNh8pvrire-sf2IKPNUengyV_bci3gmiPZNQPqFiXK2_Y3bllxPRRYiaTDNdBeZUp-bvDPA8R59wI/s320/IMG_4066.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the wizard that stayed with us when Liam strayed. I was able to thank him personally on our next visit.</td></tr>
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As I was taking a video of Liam's friend, he dashed off to a previous window, without telling us. This triggered my worst fear. By the time he dashed off, the area had been opened to the general park attendees and there was a sea of people around me. I am 4'11" tall. I hate crowds with a passion BECAUSE I can't see past them. I swallowed down the panic in my chest while my 6'2" husband scanned over the crowd.<br />
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It only took about a minute and a half for my husband to spot Liam in his bright yellow hat (he will forever wear that hat at the park). As I heard him say, "there he is" and dash through the crowd, I heard the voice of one of the friendly wizards at my left elbow. "Did you find him?" He must have followed us. I knew then that a whole series of "lost child" protocols were about to go into play if the answer had been "no." Fortunately, the answer was "yes, thank you!"<br />
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A week later, Liam said, "I want to go back to Harry Potter to do spells." In the intervening week, he'd been practicing his spells on us as we tried our best to repeat the animation in the windows. I had just renewed our season passes and was thrilled to take him back. We got up and got ready to head to the park just after opening.<br />
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"Should we get the ride pass? (the disability access pass that allows us to come back later for rides with a really long line). "No," he said, "just spells today." I was thrilled that 1) he was able to be so super-specific about what he wanted and 2) that we live so close that we could go to the park for just an hour or so and it wouldn't feel like a park-day wasted. He made the spell-casting circuit several times. By the end he had become an expert wizard, and he'd also learned a few more important lessons: <br />
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How to handle waiting your turn, when there is no CLEAR line - the markers for the spells are in random places and people don't really form a "line" so much as just gather around. He needs to learn to be aware of signals that others want to play (Are their wands out? Were they there before you got there?).<br />
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Listening to instructions - The wizards that assist with spells give very specific physical instructions. Because there are lots of people waiting, you need to listen and do your best to follow, so the spell works and someone else can have a turn.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He loved mastering the spells!</td></tr>
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Learning to TELL YOUR PARENTS when you want to go to a different place and to TAKE THEM WITH YOU. The older Liam gets, the more independence he wants. Being outside of a controlled school situation means that the boundaries are far broader and the need to communicate before heading off is even greater.<br />
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On that last point, I realize that I have lessons to learn as well. We need to learn to trust each other. He's more likely to tell me what he wants to do, if he knows I won't stop him. So when he wants to climb a tree, ride a bike or run around the track on his own, like any 10 yr. old, I need to let him. Watch him - yes, but riddle him with cautionary advice or look worried - no. In addition to living near a theme park, we also live near two parks with great climbing trees.<br />
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Time to let the wind blow through the trees - or as they say in Hogsmeade, "Ventus!"<br />
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<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-63692361155164847502016-03-14T21:51:00.005-07:002016-03-14T21:51:57.351-07:00Here Be Monsters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things we are working on daily, is Liam's ability to communicate the idea of "why." Although he clearly understands the concept of cause and effect, he's usually unable to articulate anything beyond the most direct physical observation (ie: Question: "why is the table wet?" Answer: "because I spilled the mug.")<br />
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Today we were driving home from Urban Homeschoolers and I took an earlier off-ramp than usual, to make a stop at Trader Joe's. I was surprised when Liam piped up from the back seat, "that's the wrong way!" <br />
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I explained that we had to go to the store before we went home. As we traveled down Alameda Ave., I glanced back to see that he was laying sideways in the seat (as far as the belt would allow). This isn't the first time he's done that on this particular stretch of road.<br />
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"Why do you hide when we are in Toluca Lake?"<br />
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"I'm scared."<br />
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"What are you scared of?"<br />
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No answer.<br />
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Later this evening, I heard a yelp from Liam's bedroom where he had been playing on his computer. It was the kind of high-pitched squeal reserved for moments of pain or peak frustration, so we ran to his room. <br />
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Once again, we tried asking what had happened. <br />
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"I didn't like it."<br />
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"What didn't you like?"<br />
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"I cry when I don't like it."<br />
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"I see that you are upset. What made you sad?"<br />
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Eventually, we teased out that something in the video he had been watching had disturbed him. I guessed it was the baby crying - he is really bothered by babies crying. <br />
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"Today has had a lot of scary things, hasn't it?" I offered. I was hoping that a little time might have allowed Liam to be able to talk about hiding out in the car.<br />
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"First there was a fly in science class, then you hid in the car in Toluca Lake and now this."<br />
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At the words, "Toluca Lake," Liam's eyes grew wide and he ran to me to give me a hug and keep me from going any further. "Don't talk about it!" <br />
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"OK. I just wondered why you are scared of Toluca Lake."<br />
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"Toluca Lake is a monster."<br />
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"A monster?" I ran through a mental roadmap of the area, trying to imagine what "monster" he had seen and then it made sense. "Does the statue in front of Bob's Big Boy creep you out?"<br />
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From his reaction, I could see I'd hit a nerve. I remembered that he always ducked down just before we reached the historic Big Boy's with the giant statue of a hamburger wielding Bob.<br />
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I don't blame him. It is a creepy statue. <br />
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It was a tiny, but important step - being able to tell me a detail about what scared him. But at last, I've solved the mystery of the Toluca Lake Monster!<br />
<br />Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857952086746873675.post-69152720227758057232016-03-07T20:36:00.001-08:002016-03-07T20:36:55.980-08:00Thunderbolts and Lightning, Very Very Frightening!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Los Angeles area is not known for thunder storms. I remember when Liam was in kindergarten and the kids were doing a play about weather. I was sure that most of the five-year-olds had never encountered most of the phenomena they were singing about.<br />
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But, as soon as Liam experienced rain, he loved it. When it's raining outside, he'll say, "another beautiful, rainy day." Even though we are in a drought, I make sure he always has rain boots that fit, because, when it finally rains, we are going out in it.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liam tromping around in a rainstorm a few months ago</td></tr>
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Thunder is another thing. During the day, it's just a curiosity, but when it wakes you from a sound sleep, it can be terrifying.<br />
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I was in the kitchen in the wee hours, awakened myself by the storm and checking on our new rain chain, which was being overrun by the torrents of water. <br />
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While I was staring out the window, I heard a thunder clap, followed by the pounding of feet on the hardwood floor and a flood of tears. Liam was up and clearly frightened. I tried to get him to tell me what had happened, but he was disoriented, so we cuddled in the dim, morning light.<br />
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Liam likes to have a "letter of the day" and we take out the big, "Concise Oxford English Dictionary" to find new words. He grabbed his flashlight and the dictionary, but soon abandoned the book and hid the light under his pajama bottoms, looking for a distraction from his obvious torment. "Look - you're bioluminescent! You GLOW - that's a "g" word!" Bioluminescent was an instant hit. We took turns placing the flashlight all over ourselves to glow. Then he placed it under the blanket and we got to talk about things that are alive "bio" and things that can just be luminescent.<br />
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The new word worked wonders and was the running joke for the rest of the morning.<br />
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Later, in Science class at Urban Homeschoolers, we were talking about the things in life which are seen and what is unseen. We talked about hopes and fears - each child taking turns talking about each. Hope was a little elusive for Liam, but fears were not. "What are you afraid of, Liam?" <br />
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"Flies." This is true. It started one day when we were hiking and pestered incessantly by flies on the trail. He's hated them ever since. There happened to be a fly in the room, and that probably helped.<br />
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Later in class, We drew pictures of places that represented our happiest and most uncomfortable emotions<br />
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and then I led the group in an improvisation where (as a group representing grass), they had to speak in unison to an Orchid (played by Mr. Guest). Without prompting, Liam joined right in. Some of the discussion had been too philosophical for him, but this he could do.<br />
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As we left and headed towards the car, he said "I'm biolumenescent!"<br />
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Yes Liam, you do shine.Etchamomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13229993758777218907noreply@blogger.com0