tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72991743380176803502024-03-06T00:23:14.535-08:00Life With Sweet Pea and AngelSweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.comBlogger368125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-89761584637350430102017-06-11T13:05:00.000-07:002017-06-11T13:05:13.136-07:00Special Olympics Summer Games 2017 Gymnastics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Wow! Just WOW! Yesterday was one of my favorite days of Sweet Pea's life! </div>
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She turned 8 in March which meant that she was eligible to participate and compete in the Special Olympics. She has been asking to do gymnastics for a couple of years and we kept telling her...when you turn 8. We are sure lucky that Special Olympics Southern California didn't decide to end gymnastics last year instead of this coming year!<br />
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The first weekend of March was her first practice with her Westside team. Her coach, Natasha, is beyond amazing and all of the volunteers are incredible! During this first practice Sweet Pea lasted about 30 minutes (out of the total 90 minute practice) before she was done. The volunteers learned that she wants to do what she wants to do, when she wants to do it. She had a meltdown when she got scared on the "high bar" (it is just slightly taller than Sweet Pea). She needed to hold someone's hand every time she did the balance beam. To say it was a challenging practice would be an understatement. However, they were very encouraging and asked all sorts of questions to see how they could try things differently next time to try to get her to participate longer. I told them that she didn't have a lot of endurance and so I really wasn't surprised with the 30 minutes that they got out of her, but that hopefully it would improve over time.<br />
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Well, fast forward to the end of the season, just 3 months later...Sweet Pea was participating in the entire 90 minutes of practice and doing amazing! She would stay with her group. She would wait her turn for various activities. She had learned an entire floor routine. She was having fun on the high bars (and we saw this carry over to her school playground too which was super awesome)! She would do the balance beam without support! And when she would bounce her way down the trampoline at the end of every practice, the smile on her face would light up the darkest room. To say she loved gymnastics is an understatement!<br />
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Yesterday was the culmination of a hard and challenging season when her team got to compete in the Special Olympics Southern California Summer Olympics 2017. I teared up numerous times during the event and watching all the competitors was so wonderful! Talking to a variety of volunteers that have no direct tie to a person with special needs, but they give freely of their time and energy to allow this and many similar events happen for all of those with special needs. To say we are blessed to be a part of this community is to put it lightly.<br />
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Here is a <a href="https://youtu.be/qpCSGbYQans" target="_blank">video</a> I compiled of some of the excitement from yesterday:<br />
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Special Olympics Southern California has decided to stop offering gymnastics and switch to cheerleading. We aren't sure what sport Sweet Pea will do in 2018, but I assure you, she will be doing something! This program is so wonderful and I thank everyone who volunteered during the season, during the summer games, or donated money to Special Olympics at any point in their lives. I highly encourage everyone to find your local chapter and cheer on the athletes at their next competition!<br />
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Sweet Pea, we are all so incredibly proud of you and all that you continue to persevere through. You are a special light in all our lives and we promise to keep giving you opportunities to shine for the world to see! We love you!!!!!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-52696080451422931422016-02-21T10:33:00.001-08:002016-02-21T10:33:29.988-08:00Spelling WordsWe are still alive! Life has been more than a little busy and I'm not really sure what I want to do with this blog, but for now, I might use it as a place to share ideas that we come across that seem to be working for us. Sweet Pea is fully included in the 1st grade now and she is doing very well. She has her struggles, but she is blessed with a great team and we are all working together to try to give her the educational support that she needs to be successful.<br />
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Spelling tests have been a major issue for us. At first the tests weren't modified at all. Full number of words (10), same complex sentence, everything was the same as every other student. This did not work for Sweet Pea and she had almost no success with them. We have started implementing different ideas over the course of the school year and I feel like we are finally getting traction.<br />
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What is working:<br />
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<li>We have shortened her list to only 6 words.</li>
<li>Letter blocks to show general outline of words (you will see this used in the video). </li>
<li>Her sentence is simpler and shorter.</li>
<li>Her sentence is tested by:</li>
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<li>using word blocks that she picks from including punctuation</li>
<li>then she copies the sentence that she created from the word blocks</li>
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We also have been creating videos to help her practice both her sight words and spelling words. I used to make them all myself, but after hearing that she could use the app Explain Everything on the classroom iPad, I thought I would incorporate her into this weeks video. <a href="https://youtu.be/vURMdwhrPGg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Here is the final outcome</a> and she is very proud of it! <br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vURMdwhrPGg/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vURMdwhrPGg?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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A great program that we have also enjoyed using is Spelling City which is accessible via both their website and an iPad app.<br />
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Hope this helps others! Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-77041011348321286862014-08-26T16:31:00.000-07:002014-08-26T16:31:13.177-07:00First Day of KindergartenIt is so hard to believe that Sweet Pea started Kindergarten today! It was only for an hour and parents were there the entire time, but it was her first official day. She is in a typical kinder classroom with a 2:1 aide there to assist when needed. She really does a good job following her peers so I think this will be another good year for her, but it is still nerve wrecking!<br />
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Tomorrow will be a full day so let's hope she does just as good!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-73851514058776687772013-12-21T21:40:00.002-08:002013-12-21T21:40:32.096-08:00Sweet Pea Started Dance Class<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0_74GF1FdIM/UrZ7J9A-9uI/AAAAAAAAG7I/dgHtd5Vpc50/s1600/20131204-IMG_4024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0_74GF1FdIM/UrZ7J9A-9uI/AAAAAAAAG7I/dgHtd5Vpc50/s320/20131204-IMG_4024.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Sweet Pea has fallen in love with dancing since the Twinkle Toes movie has played about 5,000 times in our house. A friend finally convinced me that I should try a dance class at a local studio and I could not be happier that I listened to her! Sweet Pea has now gone to class twice and she absolutely loves it! The other students have been in the class for a few months, but Sweet Pea is trying her best to keep up and I think you will agree, she is doing a darn good job too! Way to go Sweet Pea!!!!!!<br />
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Here are videos from her first week:<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/lnWr7U8QJkM" target="_blank">Video 1</a>:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/lnWr7U8QJkM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/8CProHWVY5Q" target="_blank">Video 2</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/hmY5Zb8mU4g" target="_blank">Video 3</a>:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/hmY5Zb8mU4g" width="420"></iframe><br />Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-42564437333997170072013-12-21T21:29:00.000-08:002013-12-21T21:29:22.238-08:00Merry ChristmasWe have been very busy enjoying the Christmas season and here are a few pictures to share with you all.<br />
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Sweet Pea's preschools holiday breakfast: <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa came to visit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their friend L did face/hand paintings</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel made snowman & reindeer donuts and enjoyed the frosting the best</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids sang a few holiday songs</td></tr>
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Angel's preschool did a holiday concert as well. We were fairly positive that Angel would not sing or even go on stage, but she did! Cookie bribe apparently worked! She sang most of the songs and looked pretty happy doing it. Here is a <a href="http://youtu.be/gk7Rr-_aGj8" target="_blank">video clip</a> of one song. She is sitting on the ground, the third row back so it is hard to see her:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is at the end of the performance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angel being cute while dressed up</td></tr>
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We have enjoyed Candy Cane Lane:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm scared of the Grinch"</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The irony is that Angel is the Grinch!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Pea enjoyed visiting with Santa again...Angel, not so much</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet Pea's favorite mode of transportation</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv6GeXRV24E/UrZxyVJn5QI/AAAAAAAAG6E/LV-BYa4WOz4/s1600/20131220-IMG_4071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv6GeXRV24E/UrZxyVJn5QI/AAAAAAAAG6E/LV-BYa4WOz4/s320/20131220-IMG_4071.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the activity of the night...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QUYUV2z8Bb8/UrZxxJ-tHVI/AAAAAAAAG5o/4FxBvl8qeLA/s1600/20131220-IMG_4052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QUYUV2z8Bb8/UrZxxJ-tHVI/AAAAAAAAG5o/4FxBvl8qeLA/s320/20131220-IMG_4052.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a variety of forms...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the trains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5MB-rh2C1AU4F2enuf0IXlGhM28GtxBfrpI4-oxh4QRVggx6EdXUwAjHiXZg5MjRgd0GONPK1vZSZ_6nZFoNNjuUBL2Pi4bAYxCJksyeKzRTyvifpgM5qflBt9HPalkkWgdYPLxhpzM/s1600/20131220-IMG_4038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5MB-rh2C1AU4F2enuf0IXlGhM28GtxBfrpI4-oxh4QRVggx6EdXUwAjHiXZg5MjRgd0GONPK1vZSZ_6nZFoNNjuUBL2Pi4bAYxCJksyeKzRTyvifpgM5qflBt9HPalkkWgdYPLxhpzM/s320/20131220-IMG_4038.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for Santa...she loved this Magnolia pod</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Angel's preferred modes of transportation</td></tr>
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Tonight they even sold hot cocoa to Candy Cane Lane visitors. They made $18 in 10 minutes! Do these kids have a sales career in their future? <br />
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We've done a few other things, but photos either weren't taken or can't be found. :-)Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-88485235488582659642013-11-01T20:21:00.001-07:002013-11-01T20:47:51.118-07:00Trouble Times TwoWe captured another <a href="http://youtu.be/SzrFvRGNS50" target="_blank">video</a> tonight that was just too good to pass up posting. Just a taste of the chaos that happens in our house. Angel teaches Sweet Pea things all the time...they just are not normally quite this entertaining. The upside is that it is a great example of taking turns! The downside is that nothing will ever be safe in the fridge or freezer again.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SzrFvRGNS50?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-47982984224247718072013-11-01T13:52:00.000-07:002013-11-01T13:52:05.821-07:00Twinkle ToesSweet Pea is INFATUATED with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00857E7J0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00857E7J0&linkCode=as2&tag=life04d-20">Twinkle Toes: The Movie by Skechers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=life04d-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00857E7J0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.
She was given the DVD by the amazing people at Skechers last Thursday and hasn't stopped watching it in a week! It's about a girl who has terrible stage fright, but with the help of some friends she overcomes it. She wears shoes that sparkle and light up and you will notice that Sweet Pea is wearing a pair of them as well in this video (also courtesy of Skechers). While the story is cute, what we like most is that it is getting Sweet Pea to dance! She rarely dances, but she is dancing along with this video! Her dancing is getting better and more involved with each viewing. I get the biggest smile when I watch her. The problem is...she doesn't like me watching! If she turns around and see me watching she stops, sits down and yells at me to go away. Lovely! Luckily, Mommy is a little sneaky and I turned my back to her with the camera in between my arm and body to record this video. You will see her looking back to see if I'm watching and watch for her huge grin when she thinks I'm not! It's priceless! I hope you all enjoy this <a href="http://youtu.be/7Dyc6uHNYUY" target="_blank">video</a> as much as we do!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7Dyc6uHNYUY?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br />Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-44525139812842442562013-10-01T17:24:00.001-07:002013-10-01T17:24:55.409-07:00Learning ProgramToday is October 1st and marks the beginning of Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I don't have any big plans to celebrate it this year on the blog, but who knows...maybe I will actually make a few posts! Here is at least one for the month that shows how my little girl is learning to read and loving every step of the process.<br />
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I enrolled Sweet Pea in Level 1 of the Learning Program this fall and I'm very happy with the program that is being run by <a href="http://clubtwentyone.org/" target="_blank">Club 21</a> in partnership with <a href="http://dsfoc.org/learning-program%E2%84%A2" target="_blank">DSFOC</a>. I've had some of the materials for a couple of years, but I needed to actually enroll to get my behind in gear to use them regularly. I've only attended one class so far, but I'm getting into a good routine of pulling out the books and working with Sweet Pea regularly. She LOVES the books and requests them regularly. I try to not let her access them without me, but sometimes she gets her hands on them and I'm happy that out of all the toys in the house she wants to play with those!<br />
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Here are some videos that I wanted to share of Sweet Pea reading through our session. <br />
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The first <a href="http://youtu.be/fJlysnjFiII" target="_blank">video </a>is what initiated this post. I wanted to share a cool technique that is really working for us. The books are all available via pdf so I used the iPad to screencast me reading the book using a laser pointer to highlight the words. She LOVES the 3 books that I did this with. She follows along and engages verbally as it is being read to her. I am going to have Daddy and Grandma read some too so she has more variety and we can keep them fun. I am happy that she is actually looking at each word as it is being said as when I read the books in person with her she is normally looking at everything in the room EXCEPT the words when it is my turn. This was my first attempt and I will record future ones a little slower, but I'm still happy with the result. Hope you like the idea and might be able to incorporate it into other uses too! (BTW I used <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8" target="_blank">Explain Everything</a> to create the video. The app came highly recommended from the <a href="http://lifewithsweetpea.blogspot.com/2013/09/club-21s-technology-for-journey.html" target="_blank">Technology for the Journey Conference</a> so I decided to splurge and pay the $3 for it. So far I'm happy with the purchase as it is very easy to use.<br />
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This <a href="http://youtu.be/Qoweqol3fn8" target="_blank">video </a>shows an example of how Sweet Pea isn't looking at the words as I point to them. It's not the best video as I'm holding the camera so I can't be at the normal angle so that I'm not covering the words with my pencil, but she does the same thing when I'm in the preferred position as well. Sorry for the bad audio!<br />
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This next <a href="http://youtu.be/nP4BAI1xAmY" target="_blank">video </a>shows how she likes to assume she knows the words without really looking at what she is doing. She catches on though...<br />
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Now this <a href="http://youtu.be/b1CmpfD77kc" target="_blank">video </a>is just strange. You get to watch her recognize a word upside down, a freak out because the card isn't staying put and her guessing two words before even turning the cards over to see the words. But she enjoys this activity and I just recently added the part where she picks the card and she is a big fan of that change.<br />
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The final <a href="http://youtu.be/_XMCilurLbM" target="_blank">video </a>(ran out of space on my phone partway through it) was Sweet Pea doing one of the accompanying worksheets. She requested this activity by saying "write" so I gladly gave this sweet little girl what she wanted. <br />
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I look forward to lots of progress in the next few months and I will have a reader on my hands before I know it!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-81793795125484312282013-09-14T22:40:00.000-07:002013-09-14T22:46:31.522-07:00Club 21's Technology for the Journey ConferenceWow! I have to start with just, Wow! I attended the Technology for the Journey Conference that <a href="http://clubtwentyone.org/" target="_blank">Club 21</a> put on and I am blown away. I've written before about their <a href="http://lifewithsweetpea.blogspot.com/2010/04/tools-for-journey-conference.html" target="_blank">Tools for the Journey Conference</a> that they have historically hosted around February, but this year they listed to their members and created a conference that focused on using assistive technology. The Friday session was geared towards parents, educators, therapists, etc who have/work with children who are non-verbal. Sweet Pea doesn't fall into that category even though her intelligibility is a challenge. Today's session focused on using assistive technology to allow our kids to have the same level of independence as others in their environment.<br />
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To start with, I think that is a pretty amazing way of looking at success and assistive technology. We have always used "independence" as a goal, but I have never really equated her/our success with that when really I think we should. If we can use technology to bridge the gap that separates her from what her peers are doing, I want to do it! <br />
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Before I get into what the presentation, let me share the bios of the three amazing speakers as shared in the brochure for the conference:<br />
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<a href="http://www.integrateat.com/" target="_blank"><b>Gayl Bowser</b></a> is an independent consultant whose work that focuses on the integration of technology into the educational programs of students with disabilities. She is the former Coordinator of the oregon Technology Access Program (oTAP). Ms. Bowser provides assistive technology consultation, training and technical assistance throughout the United States and internationally. Gayl has authored numerous publications. The most recent is the 2012 edition of Education Tech Points: A Framework for Assistive Technology. In 2013, she is co-author of the 2013 edition of Assistive Technology Pointers for Parents, which will be released in November. Ms. Bowser’s passion is for collaborating with families and educators to discover all the exciting ways that technology can help kids with disabilities to be more independent and self-determined.<br />
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<a href="http://aacintervention.com/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180028743&sec_id=180009852" target="_blank"><b>Dr. Caroline Musselwhite</b></a> is an assistive technology specialist with more than 30 years of experience working with children and adolescents with severe disabilities, in a variety of settings. She is known for her expertise internationally. She has authored a number of textbooks and software on a range of topics from Literacy to Communication Programing for Individuals with Severe Disabilities. She is a founding member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). Dr. Musselwhite’s passion is seeing students achieve literacy skills well beyond all expectations!<br />
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<a href="http://www.sheldonhickey.com/inclusion/inclusion_main.html" target="_blank"><b>Erin Sheldon</b></a> is a parent, advocate and educator. Her journey began when her daughter, Maggie, was diagnosed with Angelman syndome, low vision and a dual diagnosis of autism. Erin focuses on the use of assistive technology to support literacy development for students with significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Maggie was the first student in her school board to use an iPad as assistive technology. Maggie's success with the iPad led to her school becoming a demonstration site for using iPads to support access to the general education curriculum. Erin has a Masters in Education from Queen's University in Canada. Erin’s passion is problem-solving to support students with significant disabilities to participate and contribute in friendships, recreation, and in the classroom.<br />
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Below are some bullets on highlights from what I learned today. I hope I walk the delicate line of sharing some important topics for so many parents, and not sharing too much as these wonderful women have to make a living!<br />
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<b>Gayl Bowser</b> - SETTing up Cognitive Supports<br />
<ul>
<li>Once assistive technology services are in place, school district has to make it work</li>
<li>Reasons to use AT</li>
<ul>
<li>increase levels of independence</li>
<li>improve quality of life</li>
<li>increase productivity</li>
<li>enhance performance</li>
<li>expand educational/vocational options</li>
<li>increase success in regular education settings</li>
<li>reduce support services needed</li>
</ul>
<li>Assistive Technology Assessment is:</li>
<ul>
<li>a process</li>
<li>a group process</li>
<li>an on-going IEP Team process</li>
</ul>
<li>AT Assessment Process:</li>
<ul>
<li>Frame the question!</li>
<ul>
<li>Define the task which causes the child difficulty, the child's present levels of performance and why you think child isn't making enough progress</li>
</ul>
<li>Clarify the problem</li>
<ul>
<li>Use <a href="http://www.atstar.org/docspdfs/laura/LauraSETT1.pdf" target="_blank">this framework</a> as an example</li>
</ul>
<li>Try tools and strategies</li>
<li>consider the need</li>
</ul>
</ul>
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<b>Dr. Caroline Musselwhite</b> - Write On! Supporting Emergent Writing Through Technology - Linking Reading & Writing!!<br />
Graphic from <a href="http://sda.doe.louisiana.gov/ResourceFiles/IEP/IEP%20Makeover%20LADOEl%5BHO%5D.pdf">http://sda.doe.louisiana.gov/ResourceFiles/IEP/IEP%20Makeover%20LADOEl%5BHO%5D.pdf</a> <br />
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<ul>
<li>Research shows students who write become better <b>readers</b>. Students learn to write when given daily opps to see <b>others </b>write. Students need frequent opps to write <b>without standards</b>.</li>
<li> 3 main supports for writing for students with significant disabilities </li>
<ul>
<li>Closed, Activity Specific Vocabulary - Word banks, symbol banks - Allows early success, modeling great vocabulary, however it's temporary and not self generated</li>
<li>Core & Content Vocabulary - lots of words to pick from and consistent, but finite vocab</li>
<li>The Alphabet - </li>
</ul>
<li>WRITE from the start - Use some type of alternative pencil</li>
<li>Form follows function - Kids will learn how to write AFTER they learn purpose of writing. A primary focus on form may interfere with the development of understanding of function.</li>
<li>Focus on form in stand alone tasks, but for most activities make it easy for the child to learn function without difficult task of form</li>
<li>Encourage scribbling!!!! Set a purpose for scribbling (gives us context to make guesses about possible meanings) and model scribbling for the student but choose a slightly different topic (so student can't copy your ideas), read what you wrote, then turn over. Give reinforcement feedback (Good writing, awesome work, you really paid attention, etc) during and informative feedback (I see some letters from your name - let's find them, you have a lot of "C"s in your writing - let's find all of them, etc) after. </li>
<li>Assessing Progress: Typical order of progress</li>
<ul>
<li>repeats letters in order - student repeats the letters in order they are presented. Doesn't include all letters, but most.</li>
<li>repeats letters out of order - continues to repeat letters, but not always in the order they are presented. May include single letters. jjjjjiorttghhhhhhemae</li>
<li>letter patterns - selectively experiments with a pair or small group of letters to make repeated patterns - hrhrhrhrwwwlwlwlwlllqwllrttytytyty</li>
<li>random spaces - experiments with using spaces - rr l l l w www qw eeeeeee fhfhfhfhfhfh w w </li>
<li>word like groupings - contains word like groupings - kjl ryry ruaiu jdjdjdjdj ajlkj ffff</li>
</ul>
<li>Beyond Scribbling = Developmental Spelling (vote by letters)</li>
<ul>
<li>Use first letter of word</li>
<ul>
<li>For a break do you want to go for a walk or play on the computer (w or c) </li>
<li>Read a book about hurricanes or tornadoes (h or t)</li>
</ul>
<li>Do this at least 10 times per day to see real improvement!</li>
</ul>
<li>Publishing is powerful! frame it, read it, put it on the wall, occasionally publish it more formally.</li>
<li> Apps Recommended: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sticky-notes!/id545991455?mt=8" target="_blank">Sticky Notes</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-magnetic-alphabet-lite/id389132393?mt=8" target="_blank">Magnetic Letters (lite might work enough)</a></li>
</ul>
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Erin Sheldon - Parent advocacy and assistive technology<br />
<ul>
<li>When children as old enough, use person centered planning. You bring the focus onto what is important to the child (now and future) and bring their peers in to help identify the issues and solutions.</li>
<li>The purpose of assistive technology is to create a match between our biology, environment and the contexts which we need to function.</li>
<li>Paras, generic support and hand over hand are just bandaids in achieving all the things the other kids are doing. Once the child ages out of school, those supports aren't there. Finding a way to create independence is key.</li>
<li>I love her 3rd rule of assistive technology - Our kids time is valuable. Lets not waste it. Yes!!!!!</li>
<li>The access barriers that are a nature of the disability are intrinsic and can be solved with a mix of human resources (teacher, therapist, peers, older/younger students, etc) and technology (high and light tech).</li>
<li>Opportunity barriers cannot be removed by assistive technology and need to be problem solved by the IEP team.</li>
<li>"How can we do this?" and "What would it take to..." are great phrases to use!</li>
<li>Separate the cognitive task from the sensory-motor act.</li>
<li>Need an IEP goal for the task and then you match the tool to the task</li>
<li>Assess each of the following areas to identify strengths and weaknesses: communication, cognition, physical abilities, sensory, attention, affect and medical needs. These can give you very valuable insight as to what types of supports will be most useful. It's essential to have clarity about the nature of the barriers and that is what this can help do.</li>
<li>Most important take away for me: There are red tasks (requires high cognitive engagement) and green tasks (require low cognitive engagement). With red tasks you MUST pair a green tool so that cognitive engagement is reserved and available for the task not the tool. With green tasks you can use a red tool. Don't mix hard with hard! Example: Spelling test, don't have child who has a hard time writing use a pencil to write when spelling the words alone is complex for the child.</li>
<li>Recommended a few apps, not all of which are applicable to Sweet Pea: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pictello/id397858008?mt=8" target="_blank">Pictello</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abilipad/id435865000?mt=8" target="_blank">Abilipad</a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explain-everything/id431493086?mt=8" target="_blank">Explain Everything</a>, <span id="goog_1839658310"></span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordtoob-language-learning/id651639627?mt=8" target="_blank">WordToob<span id="goog_1839658311"></span></a>, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animoto-video-maker/id459248037?mt=8" target="_blank">Animoto</a>. Not an app we will be buying anytime soon, but she couldn't stop raving about it: <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gotalk-now/id454176457?mt=8" target="_blank">Go Talk NOW.</a></li>
<li>Summary: "Effective advocacy leads to effective problem-solving. The tool, the technology, should be the result of individualized problem-solving of specific barriers. Tools require instruction until they become automatic. Prioritize the tool that provides many supports over many tools that each provide one support." </li>
</ul>
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There was so much more but hopefully that gives you a place to start! Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-69491846048383270242013-09-07T19:41:00.000-07:002013-09-07T19:41:13.622-07:00First Day of Soccer!Sweet Pea had her firsts soccer game today. She is playing in the youngest group of kids that are 4-5 years old. They don't have set teams and call it Jamboree. The first 30 minutes is for skills practice and the last 30 minutes is for scrimmages. It is very cute to watch and Sweet Pea did a lot better than I expected. She didn't participate in the scrimmage at all, but maybe next week she will.<br />
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Enjoy the overload of photos...<br />
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Getting ready to hit the field:<br />
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She is running and excited! (almost dead center #4)<br />
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The last one to huddle up, but making her way there... <br />
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Oh wait...maybe not...</div>
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Daddy, "Go back to the group" and Sweet Pea "No" <br />
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Everyone lined up: </div>
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Dribbling practice:<br />
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Trying to keep up with the group (coach is looking at her to his left) <br />
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She wanted to practice putting her foot on top of the ball, but needs help balancing to do that skill:<br />
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Angel wanted to be on the field too so she wasn't so happy: <br />
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There is room for improvement, but we survived the first day. Think good thoughts next Saturday!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-61592198181735406012013-09-03T20:01:00.001-07:002013-09-03T20:01:09.134-07:00Sweet Pea is Drawing!<div>
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Last week Sweet Pea was drawing with sidewalk chalk and said "moon" and sure enough...there was a drawing of a crescent moon! <br />
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Then today, as we were driving home from dropping off Angel's blanket at preschool, Sweet Pea was drawing on her magna doodle in the backseat. I heard her say "apple" and for some reason I decided to pull over and have her show me. When she turned it towards me I couldn't believe my eyes! Here is what she drew:</div>
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Now I have no idea if this was on purpose or if she was just drawing randomly and noticed that it looked like an apple, but either way I will take it! It was only a few months ago that she started labeling what she was drawing even though there wasn't any obvious correlation to the untrained eye to what she said and what was drawn. Random scribbles are normally "birds" and I was still proud because it showed progress. Now I'm even more proud of my Sweet Pea!</div>
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Her first day of school treated her and mommy well! Can only imagine what this year is going to bring!</div>
Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-60262101829409060332013-09-03T17:30:00.002-07:002013-09-03T17:30:47.733-07:00First Day of SchoolAngel and Sweet Pea both celebrated their first day of school today! Maybe Mommy celebrated it most of all! We had fun this summer, but I am sure glad that Sweet Pea is back in school full time and very excited that Angel starts going to school twice a week now too!<br />
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Angel's school doesn't have specific drop off/pick up times so we had a little flexibility so I decided to drop her off first. The walk from the parking lot to the school was great!<br />
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She was a big girl carrying her own backpack and lunchbox.</div>
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And once we crossed the threshold into the school it went downhill. No pictures as I was focused on trying to calm her down. I ended up leaving while she was still crying, but I knew she would be fine. I only received one call from the school and we gave in and brought her favorite blanket for nap time. I had hoped we wouldn't be bringing the blanket to school, but it doesn't look like it is a battle worth fighting. She was more than ready to leave when I picked her up this afternoon, but I know she will enjoy the school once she gets used to it.<br />
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After Angel was squared away I took Sweet Pea to her school. She was supposed to carry her backpack and lunch bag, but I only succeeded with her carrying her backpack. It's a step in the right direction and walking down the steps might be scary if she is holding her heavy lunch bag too.<br />
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Showing off her last grape that Grandma gave her to other families. She was savoring that grape and excited to tell anyone about it that would listen. <br />
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We were able to borrow a sign a friend had made. I'm not the crafty mom, but I love that others are! <br />
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When the door had been opened she was ready to go inside. I wanted to get a picture of her in front of this cute welcome apple on the door, but she just starting yelling "come on" and waving me into the room. Parents were laughing as many other kids wanted nothing to do with the new classroom. I was very happy that I had at least one daughter that was excited for school!<br />
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Sweet Pea is in a class that goes from 9am until 2pm, but we are currently pulling her at 12:30pm. Our plan is to stretch the time she is there and hopefully have her attending until 2pm relatively soon. Time will tell if this plan works out, but if today is any indication, I think she can handle it. She was NOT ready for a nap when I tried to put her down at 1:30pm. Fingers crossed!<br />
<br />Let's hope that this is a great year for both girls!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-53422018198351129372013-08-15T22:41:00.001-07:002013-09-03T13:36:02.201-07:00Trip to the LibraryThis photo could either be titled, "Check out the new releases" or "Why I rarely leave the house." This is what happens when it takes less than a minute to pay for overdue books at the other end of the library. Luckily the librarian found it entertaining!<br />
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Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-38604583575411503092013-07-27T22:26:00.000-07:002013-07-27T22:26:15.335-07:00ABC Dancing FunEnjoy a little <a href="http://youtu.be/KxDM-FgXH0M" target="_blank">video</a> of these two cuties being cute...they started this a week ago and it's still going strong. Glad we finally got it on camera!<br />
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Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-3918452821776015672013-07-26T21:00:00.000-07:002013-07-26T21:00:28.758-07:00Ice SkatingDaddy is now working 9/80 which means he works 9 hours a day M-F, but gets every other Friday off. This was his first Friday off and we decided to do something special instead of the piles of projects around the house...we went ice skating! We didn't think that the kids would last very long so we went for the last portion of the public skating time which is much cheaper.<br />
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Skates were put on...<br />
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Enough sitting around Mom...let's get on with this! <br />
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Their first time walking on the skates was fun (<a href="http://youtu.be/n69RCcCg8pg" target="_blank">video</a>)...</div>
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Daddy had the "honors" of taking the girls onto the ice for the first time (<a href="http://youtu.be/uThImiChVrM" target="_blank">video</a>).</div>
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Unfortunately, this is the only picture, or rather <a href="http://youtu.be/ThkpToFcAnA" target="_blank">video</a> I have of Daddy with Sweet Pea. She did much better than this video shows as this was her first attempt. It was really good exercise and a great experience for her and I'm positive that we will be going again soon. Maybe next time I will take more pictures of her!!!! (Thanks Daddy for being so good about taking pictures of Mommy when this was YOUR day!)</div>
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Angel was a natural from the start...(<a href="http://youtu.be/lOPcsKTEtng" target="_blank">video</a>)</div>
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And Daddy might have been most surprised by the fact that Mommy could skate! I'm by no means good, but I can get around at least! I have more admiration for my grandmother every time I think about her going out on the ice with me and helping me get around the rink! I love and miss you Grandmother!!!! (<a href="http://youtu.be/2V5wi7xnBpA" target="_blank">video</a>)</div>
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And finally, the girls improved their ice skate walking as well...(<a href="http://youtu.be/3LdSk1jIzsk" target="_blank">video</a>)</div>
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It was a great morning and I look forward to the next time we have Daddy home for an extra day! We love you Daddy!</div>
Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-43325417029480613592013-07-20T11:51:00.000-07:002013-07-20T11:51:17.628-07:00Climbing a New LadderI've been MIA for a long time and I think the only way I'm going to
continue posting is if I do posts without much content. I know that life
is already too filled with such short interactions, but at this point, it
is better than nothing!<br />
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Here is a <a href="http://youtu.be/H1jzKP3TjYU" target="_blank">video</a>
of Sweet Pea climbing a difficult ladder. She has worked on it for a couple of
weeks, but has finally mastered both the ladder and her fear! We used to have to hold her completely and encourage every next move...today she was doing it all by herself.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/H1jzKP3TjYU?rel=0" width="420"></iframe><br /></div>
Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-90391902365357548192013-03-15T12:25:00.000-07:002013-03-15T12:25:06.695-07:001st Regular Therapeutic Riding Lesson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aM7soVyc5ik/UUNM9tCKLmI/AAAAAAAAGh0/PqciSRVUdMg/s1600/20130314-IMG_2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aM7soVyc5ik/UUNM9tCKLmI/AAAAAAAAGh0/PqciSRVUdMg/s320/20130314-IMG_2349.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Sweet Pea has been waiting since before Christmas to get back on a horse and her day finally came yesterday! I was a little nervous that she wouldn't remember how much fun she had 3 months before on the horse, but I shouldn't have worried at all! I mentioned to her a couple of times throughout the day that we were going to go ride a horse after nap and she even piped in "helmet" because apparently she remembered that she had to wear a helmet when riding last time. <br />
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When we got to the stables she was almost immediately comfortable and walked away with strangers to go mount her horse, Gracie. She was grinning from ear to ear for the entire lesson and looked so confident and comfortable on the horse. This lesson confirmed my original feeling that these lessons are going to be amazing for her. Between the confidence that it is building and the muscles that it is working, it is a no brainer. Ellen is a generally a fairly happy girl, but when she is on that horse, she is the happiest girl in the world. It makes me so happy watching her be so happy!<br />
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Thank you to those that are helping to make these lessons possible!!!! We are going to be attending weekly sessions for the time being.<br />
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Enjoy this compilation <a href="http://youtu.be/4ZeNtDlk1IQ" target="_blank">video</a>:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4ZeNtDlk1IQ" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<br />Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-3429740469550796702012-12-21T22:02:00.000-08:002012-12-21T22:02:26.382-08:00Sweet Pea Starts Therapeutic Riding!Today was our trial of a therapeutic riding facility not too terribly far from us. I've heard about the wondrous things that horses can do and was hopeful, but cautiously optimistic as Sweet Pea has NOT been a fan of horses (or ponies) recently. A friend had recommended the facility, <a href="http://www.dreamcatcherla.com/" target="_blank">Dream Catcher of LA</a>, and their fees were somewhat reasonable since it's only therapeutic riding and not full hippotherapy. Our lesson was this afternoon at 3:30 so we left in what should have been plenty of time...except that it was Friday afternoon and even worse it was the Friday before Christmas and even worse...I took a wrong turn because Google Maps didn't give clear directions. Oh well...turned out to be okay as Sweet Pea got to sleep an extra 20+ minutes and they were running late so it all worked out.<br />
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When we arrived Sweet Pea wanted nothing to do with any horse and kept saying "all done horse". Having a little free time to just sit and watch the horses, have a little snack and just hang out was by far the best thing we could have done. By the time it was Sweet Pea's turn she was willing to have me carry her up to a horse. I would put my hand out for the horse to smell and she would watch, but wouldn't do the same. She wouldn't pet the horse or touch her in any way. I just held her and talked about the horse. One of the ladies brought over a helmet and so we made a game out of putting it on and that didn't work real well, but I think she finally forgot about the helmet.<br />
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We then took her over to a ramp and I carried her up it and then passed her to Joan, the owner of the facility, at which point Sweet Pea started freaking out. She had clearly dealt with lots of fighting kids before because it didn't phase her one bit and she got her on the horse with ease even though Sweet Pea was struggling against it. I walked down the ramp as soon as I passed her off and got out my camera to photograph whatever was about to occur. I honestly was not expecting much success! Here is the <a href="http://youtu.be/1eN-UhRTO9w" target="_blank">video</a> that started recording about 10 seconds after she got on the horse:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1eN-UhRTO9w" width="420"></iframe><br />
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She is doing it!!!!<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8kKVPt9MrPw/UNU8fTPh2sI/AAAAAAAAGew/AC2CAcxSXog/s400/20121221-IMG_1449.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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Hi Mom!<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-a7DyYAcNWQA/UNU8fNYLS5I/AAAAAAAAGek/gVagAJKbthE/s400/20121221-IMG_1452.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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She looks so small on the big horse! <br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Vn9UqXEAbGc/UNU8fT0DdwI/AAAAAAAAGes/7FTJSrHsj1M/s400/20121221-IMG_1454.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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Having a good time!<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sw52ISvEA3k/UNU8f4pye9I/AAAAAAAAGe8/5X6dRws_qzU/s400/20121221-IMG_1456.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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Half smile: <br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1jdKqt8m4Co/UNU8gLAhyVI/AAAAAAAAGfA/AKVZiFgqANg/s400/20121221-IMG_1457.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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They walked her around for quite a while getting her more accustomed to the horse and I loved how they aren't really holding her directly. The sidewalkers (amazingly that is what they call the people walking on the sides of the horse) hold the saddle and kind of trap her leg under their arm in the process. I think that will make it much easier to move away more and more as she gets better (yes, that would be WAY down the line, but I always think way too far ahead).<br />
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This <a href="http://youtu.be/OtufSRLb18c" target="_blank">video</a> is from just a couple of minutes into the session and you can see a marked improvement in her confidence on the horse. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OtufSRLb18c" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Then they had her do a small amount of movement on the horse as you can see in the below video. Joan was doing an evaluation of sorts on Sweet Pea to see what she could do and what kinds of activities would be best for her. She had her put rings on a pole and you could see how unsure Sweet Pea was about leaning very far to reach the stick in the below <a href="http://youtu.be/6M6bG4LCvnM" target="_blank">video</a>:<br />
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After they were done in the ring they went on a tour of the stables and Sweet Pea never once complained or whined at all. The horse even tripped a little at one point and she just kept on going! I was so proud of her!!!!! It was amazing to see the change from when they first put her on the horse until they took her off about 20 minutes later. I am excited to begin doing sessions regularly (or as regularly as finances will allow at least) as I know that this is going to help her in so many ways! Here are a few that I am hoping might be impacted:<br />
<ul>
<li>Core strength</li>
<li>Sensory integration and willingness to try new things</li>
<li>Confidence</li>
<li>Speech & Language (she was chatting up a storm tonight after the session!!!!!)</li>
</ul>
The Dream Catchers of LA website lists a bunch more, but those are my top reasons for wanting to try this and why I am so happy that I found a place that wasn't too far away and that is willing to work with Sweet Pea. Many facilities won't work with children under 4 years old, but Joan doesn't buy into that and Sweet Pea will be 4 in just a few months anyway (hard to believe!!!!). We are figuring out the schedule now, but hopefully we will be seeing horses a couple of times a month come January!Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-8976360243355367952012-11-19T20:37:00.002-08:002012-11-19T20:37:25.938-08:00Tiny Prints Holiday Cards to the Rescue<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Disclosure: This sponsored post was written for Tiny Prints and I was
compensated. However, all opinions expressed are completely my own.</span></span> <br />
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I'm not sure about you, but in our house getting the annual <span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Christmas card ordered is a big accomplishment and sign that the holidays are almost upon us. While I'm old fashioned and the Christmas season doesn't really start until the day after Thanksgiving, I think I can start to knock a few things off my to do list without the holiday cops being called on me. Today was a productive day and thanks to Tiny Prints, I was able to create our <a href="http://bit.ly/R7ULIE" rel="nofollow">Holiday Cards</a>.<br />
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Their new 2012 holiday cards have been released and there are some wonderful options to choose from. Tiny Prints site is easy to use and I love that I can select how many pictures I want included and it will narrow down the search of cards for me. Who has time to waste looking through cards that only have space for one photo when I know I want six this year! Their collection includes all sorts of designs from traditional to modern, flat to tri-fold, and themes that include, among others, Happy Holidays, Christmas, Hanukkah, and even New Years (makes me think of the year that I didn't get them sent out in time so they turned into New Year's cards). One new feature they are offering for 2012 is their Premium DoubleThick™ Matte Paper, their most luxurious cardstock yet.<br />
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And now...drum roll please...here is the card that I put together to showcase our girls playing in the snow last weekend. We were in our local mountains celebrating Thanksgiving with our extended family (yes, it was a week and a half early, but it is better than not getting to celebrate it at all!) and a cold storm had dropped some snow the day before. It's a little early for snow there, but we will take it! The only other fun/good photos I have are from Halloween or summer pool time...somehow, neither of those seemed fitting for a Christmas card. (Thanks Uncle A for taking most of these photos!)<br />
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Go take a look at their designs and I know you will find the perfect one for your family too! While you are there, be sure to check out their <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/promo/tiny-prints-coupon-codes-promotions.htm" target="_blank">Special Offers Page</a> for the latest deals. Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-16060090595875576982012-11-07T20:52:00.000-08:002012-11-07T20:52:45.059-08:00Announcement: New Family MemberWhen you have a sun room that looks like this...<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6PgCvByczcU/UJs2agp02qI/AAAAAAAAGcE/ntpPDO2h-V8/s400/20121104-IMG_1367.jpg" width="400" /><br />
And the kids have to climb into and on top of boxes just to reach their climbing structure...<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/--9q3RZfN6QI/UJs2akXkErI/AAAAAAAAGcA/RfhBNp2Bg_M/s400/20121104-IMG_1368.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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You never know what you will find has moved in...<br />
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in addition to a few spiders (luckily no black widows were found)...<br />
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and a few silverfish (yucky things that they are)...<br />
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we found that this had decided to join our family...<br />
<img height="400" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-sVsjW0lRiVg/UJs2auuRzjI/AAAAAAAAGb8/ztR6WeMGo88/s400/20121104-IMG_1369.jpg" width="266" /><br />
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We sure were lucky it was only a strong willed tomato plant!<br />
<img height="266" oncontextmenu="alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7G0yumJC5Do/UJs2bU3mU4I/AAAAAAAAGcI/AmWRpCv_lcg/s400/20121104-IMG_1372.jpg" width="400" /><br />
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It took me quite a while to notice it initially when I was cleaning the sun room and it took quite a while longer to get the area cleaned enough to see how it got there. When I did I was pleasantly surprised that it hadn't done any damage, but had casually climbed through a tiny gap between the screen frame and the window that was open. I haven't had the heart to cut it off yet, but the plant should be dying soon enough now that fall has finally arrived!<br />
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(Oh, and no...our house is a mess, but it isn't normally this bad! This was everything from the attic and other rooms that had to be moved out when we had a little construction done a couple of months ago. I wanted to get it organized before putting it away again and that kept falling lower and lower on my priority list. Finally got to a good chunk of it this past weekend.)Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-67095128717474145622012-11-01T18:58:00.001-07:002012-11-01T18:58:53.891-07:00Uplifting StoryI know October has ended, but I'm going to make an earnest effort to continue blogging regularly. It won't be daily, but hopefully at least a few times a month. I'll have to highlight some of the insanity that is Angel as well since there is certainly plenty of that going on in our daily lives! <br />
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This was a story that Daddy came across today and I thought you would enjoy it. Stories like this give me hope for Sweet Pea's future and I pray that she has a good set of friends surrounding her that will keep the bullies at bay. Kids are mean and I don't like thinking about what things might be said and done to her. We are including her in as many community activities as possible so that the kids get to know her early on in hopes that it will create a bond and an understanding that will save her from some meanness.<br />
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<a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8579599/chy-johnson-boys">http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/8579599/chy-johnson-boys</a>Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-79754627435308339422012-10-31T22:18:00.000-07:002012-10-31T22:25:20.994-07:00Halloween Part 1Too many photos from today to get through so here is what happened yesterday...because you know two days of Halloween is better than one! Sweet Pea had a parade and party at preschool and Angel got a chance to go with Grandma to story time at our library. Princesses were a last minute costume change as it had been so hot here so we raided our dress up box and found these. The girls LOVED them!<br />
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Before school photo shoot<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ReI915NLjt0/UJIBoW6yVVI/AAAAAAAAGZY/WIelH0MIi9U/s400/20121030-IMG_1066.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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<img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-RnEJZuEoMRk/UJIBoeAWPJI/AAAAAAAAGZQ/vg25ICS3pUE/s400/20121030-IMG_1067.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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Class photo before parade:<br />
<img height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2b0ZyjuZznw/UJIBoQCXBlI/AAAAAAAAGZU/U11XiaY_PDU/s400/20121030-IMG_1083.jpg" width="400" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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The beginning of the parade...excited, but she has no idea what is coming:<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qmiSJOnjoa8/UJIBpFjaE4I/AAAAAAAAGZw/aScgkE7Ult0/s400/20121030-IMG_1087.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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Did she really put candy in my bag?<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-T9wjKzER_cU/UJIBpUpfJCI/AAAAAAAAGZo/2g5KZ-OW3d4/s400/20121030-IMG_1097.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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Mommy! I got candy!!!!!<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-vS7XXWPQgDg/UJIBpoM8CkI/AAAAAAAAGZs/V5PV7AKUOBw/s400/20121030-IMG_1098.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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<img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-21nvm92x-IY/UJIBqRtHLeI/AAAAAAAAGbc/30ITevg353M/s400/20121030-IMG_1099.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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Constantly checking on her growing stash:<br />
<img height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPLGCAVPBNvsSyoQDslAggnJtQ7BbXRwyxlQezQDxfFtUw9W_K1PLfnC0t1pWBxoBTZ43YIQWPjrTK5m23b31vuydvo5WcSV1zO46lobm4reiui0E8-ZwxdOU_mF25oM1MSHepN_ixk-o/s400/20121030-IMG_1105.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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<img height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-UDQ5egpGPf4/UJIBrEj6TJI/AAAAAAAAGaA/QbiuQJ82P9s/s400/20121030-IMG_1124.jpg" width="400" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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<img height="266" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f1RL_V_Dy5M/UJIBrohztYI/AAAAAAAAGaQ/tAN2Ms6-Ijo/s400/20121030-IMG_1126.jpg" width="400" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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Enjoying the noodle bowl and tongs during the Halloween party. I was impressed she could work the tongs...and she figured it out all on her own!<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UMrpP-K0zDg/UJIBtcVfuEI/AAAAAAAAGaw/rXMuHtkj-sk/s400/20121030-IMG_1154.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/><br />
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And we can't forget Angel!<br />
<img height="400" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m2ipKuWZvoc/UJIBtnJtp3I/AAAAAAAAGa4/Tnf_NOIbWcU/s400/20121030-IMG_1156.jpg" width="266" oncontextmenu='alert("© Life With Sweet Pea and Angel"); return false;'/>Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-27277945669694239942012-10-30T17:43:00.002-07:002012-10-30T17:43:45.981-07:00Future Circus StarLooks like Sweet Pea might have another vocation possibility in her future...<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/wDHI2UqQAiU" target="_blank">Flying on the trapeze</a>:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wDHI2UqQAiU" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/jy1PFokys3U" target="_blank">Hanging on the trapeze</a>:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jy1PFokys3U" width="560"></iframe><br />Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-70813502896881961162012-10-29T21:51:00.001-07:002012-10-29T21:51:10.758-07:00Sweet Pea Riding a TricycleOn Saturday morning we attended a block party before we went to a birthday party. There was a tricycle that Sweet Pea climbed onto and before I knew it...she started pedaling it! I couldn't believe it! As you can see in the video she had to scoot far forward to reach the pedals, but she was able to do it. And she did it all by herself! She tried a few times and <a href="http://youtu.be/RM4jAAC5QIU" target="_blank">this first attempt</a> was her best. I need to speak with her PT at school and see if she has been working with Sweet Pea on the giant tricycles that they have a school. It would seem like they might have been, but who knows...<br />
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RM4jAAC5QIU" width="420"></iframe>Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7299174338017680350.post-27432889542044290392012-10-28T18:52:00.000-07:002012-10-28T18:52:28.601-07:00We Have a Rolling MachineSweet Pea discovered how to roll this week! I don't know who taught her, but I'm guessing it was someone at school. I love it and hope that she will start rolling down the grass hill at school with the other kids too.<br />
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Check out this <a href="http://youtu.be/n1qkmCnKcjs" target="_blank">video</a> of Sweet Pea steamrolling Angel and of Angel showing a little bit of her actual jumps. I love how at 1:12 she gets into steamroll position. Her left leg does
an odd buckling move that I just don't know how to describe, but it makes me
crack up every time she does it!<br />
<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/n1qkmCnKcjs" width="420"></iframe>Sweet Pea's Mommyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04865365312620255005noreply@blogger.com0