NO MEETING

NO MEETING WEDNESDAYS!! 

 I am so sad to say, that for a while, there will not be a support group meeting on Wednesday mornings or Tuesday evenings.  I have started homeschooling my oldest and will be unable to make the meetings.  This is not the end of Making Lemonade.  I am in the process of making arrangements so that I may have a morning that we can meet.  I will keep you posted.  Please stay in contact through this FB page, email and the blog: 

www.parentsmakinglemonade.blogspot.com

Lee Anne

MAKING LEMONADE NEWS

Spring is here and the sun is out - today!  After a few weeks of my family having some sort of illness, I am revitalized by the sunshine!!  My boys have started baseball practice with the Westerville Challenger's Baseball and Equestrian Therapy with EquiValent Riding Center.  These are both special needs related programs that provide outdoor fun!  You can find details for these programs, and others, at http://parentsmakinglemonade.blogspot.com under the "resources" tab.

Weekly Making Lemonade support group meetings are held every Wednesday morning at 

9:30 am at DCBDD in Lewis Center.  See the "support group meetings tab" within this blog for additional details.  The meetings will continue throughout the school year, take a summer break and resume when school begins in the fall.

DATES:

Last spring meeting:  Wednesday, May 29, 2013

First fall meeting:  Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Monthly Making Lemonade support group meetings will be held throughout the entire year on the first Tuesday evening of each month at 7:30 pm. Our next meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at Pediatric Therapy Partners.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER: 

Delaware County Sheriff's Office will have a representative at our Wednesday morning Making Lemonade meeting on Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 9:30 am at DCBDD in Lewis Center.  Lt. David Butler will be presenting information on the "PROJECT LIFE SAVER" PROGRAM.  The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s, autism, and other related conditions or disorders.  

Check out:

http://parentsmakinglemonade.blogspot.com/2013/04/tips-for-special-needs-families-from.html 

for my latest post on tips for parents.  These are ideas and resources provided by parents that attend our weekly meetings.

Have a great week!  I hope to see everyone again tomorrow morning at Making Lemonade!!

Tips for Special Needs Families From the Pros (Mom's)

Tips for Special Needs Families From the Pros (Mom's)

Making Lemonade is a support system for parents of exceptional children.  Our goals are to share support, encouragement and resources with other parents.  Our children are not exactly alike, but as parents of exceptional children, we have a lot in common.  Being able to relate to each other and learn from each other is invaluable.  

At the Making Lemonade weekly meetings we have an opportunity to express our joys and challenges with each other.  This is therapeutic and revitalizing.  Sharing resources is something else that we can take away from each meeting, blog post or email.

We have started a "TIP JAR"  at our local group meetings on Wednesday mornings.  This has been a fun way to learn about helpful tips that have been tested and proved to be effective.  These tips vary from helpful items to concepts that have proven successful. One week we did a "Real Food" recipe exchange.  

TIPS:

LOCK LACES - Some of our kids have difficulty learning how to tie shoe laces.  Whether there is a fine motor delay or the concept is hard to grasp, elementary school aged children with exceptions take longer to learn this skill.  Once a child passes kid's size 3, it is very difficult to find shoes that velcro shut.  Lock Laces are an elastic shoelace and fastening system designed for runners and people with special needs.  The laces have a plastic slide that locks in place, no tying necessary.

IF YOU CARE - Unbleached, non-toxic paper baking products.  Their variety of products include muffin liners, parchment paper and coffee filters.  

LEGOS VS. CANDY  - Rather than candy in Easter Eggs, place Lego pieces in each egg.  No high fructose corn syrup or dyes!  Plus, how fun to be able to put together Lego's after the Easter Egg Hunt.

SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER TUTORING - Year round tutoring services for all grades and college prep.  They DO offer tutoring for EXCEPTIONAL LEARNERS!  Whether your child has a learning delay, autism or just difficulty in a particular subject, Sylvan instructors work with ALL types of students.  

PALEO "GIRL SCOUT THIN MINT" RECIPE - My all time favorite Girl Scout cookie in a gluten free version!  Find the recipe at Elana's Pantry or click here:  Paleo Thin Mints

Meeting Tonight and Tomorrow Morning

Hello!

Tonight is the evening Making Lemonade meeting at 7:00 pm.  We will be meeting at Pediatric Therapy Partners in Lewis Center.  

Tomorrow morning is our weekly Wednesday morning meeting.  We start at 9:30 am and meet at DDBDD in Lewis Center.  

Hope to see everyone either tonight or tomorrow morning!  Please spread the word!!  

Also, TODAY, Tuesday, April 2, 2013 is Autism Awareness Day!  Stop by Home Depot to purchase blue light bulbs so you can "Light it Up Blue" this evening!!  

No Meeting Wednesday

Reminder: there is NO Making Lemonade meeting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Hope to see everyone next week!

Light It Up Blue for Autism April 2, 2013

Light It Up Blue For Autism April 2, 2013

Light It Up Blue For Autism April 2, 2013.  Autism Speaks started the concept of using blue light bulbs for one day during April to kick off "Autism Awareness Month" and help in raising awareness.

Home Depot - Blue Light Bulb $1.99

You can also go to my page that is set up at http://lightitupblue.org and donate to Autism Speaks.

Bulbs can also be purchased at most Walmart's and lanterns can be purchased on coleman.com .  A portion of the purchase price for "Light It Up Blue" will be donated to Autism Speaks.

Another way to show your support for is to wear blue on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 also.  These blue tees can be purchased through Autism Speaks for $12.00.  They are dark blue and GLOW IN THE DARK!

Each April 2, Autism Speaks celebrates Light It Up Blue along with the international autism community, in commemoration of the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day. Light It Up Blue is a unique global initiative that kicks-off Autism Awareness Month and helps raise awareness about autism. In honor of this historic day, many iconic landmarks, hotels, sporting venues, concert halls, museums, bridges and retail stores are among the hundreds of thousands of homes and communities that take part to Light It Up Blue. Last year the Empire State Building was lit in blue lights!!

It's easy and fun to Light It Up Blue! Register your Light It Up Blue events today. Whether you're joining as an individual, or the manager of a building, store, school, cultural institution, restaurant, or media entity, you can pledge to Light It Up Blue!

Making Lemonade Upcoming Meetings

Tomorrow morning is our Wednesday support group meeting at 9:30 at DCBDD. The weekly meetings have been going very well. There are quite a few regular attenders!! I walk away inspired and a little wiser every time!!! Thank you everyone.

We will NOT be meeting next Wednesday, March 27, 2013 due to Olentangy Schools being on Spring Break. I hope everyone gets to enjoy their extra time with their precious children!!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 will be our next evening meeting. The meeting will start at 7:00 pm at Pediatric Therapy Partners.

Wednesday AM Meeting Cancelled

MEETING CANCELLED

The Making Lemonade support group meeting for tomorrow morning, Wednesday, March 6, is cancelled due to overnight winter storm warning and potential school delays.

We will meet next Wednesday morning at 9:30 AM as usual.

Meeting Cancelled

MEETING CANCELLED

TUESDAY:
Tomorrow nights Making Lemonade support group meeting is cancelled due to the winter storm warning for Delaware county and anticipated snow.

The next Tuesday evening meeting will be on the first Tuesday of April, 4/2/13.

WEDNESDAY:
We will still plan on meeting Wednesday morning assuming weather conditions improve.

SUMMER THERAPY PROGRAMS

SUMMER THERAPY PROGRAMS

Summer is approaching and quickly!!  Now is the time to research what programs are available for your child to attend during the school break.  Most programs have started their registration processes.  Many will fill up soon.  

I will add information on programs as I learn about them.  

iCAN BIKE - (formerly Loose The Wheels) iCan Shine - This "I Can Bike" training camp is offered June 3 - 7, 2013.  This is a camp offered to children with special needs to assist them in learning how to ride their bicycle without training wheels.

"We understand that the vast majority of people with disabilities never have the experience of independently riding a conventional two-wheel bicycle during their lifetime. Research shows that over 80% of people with Autism and 90% of people with Down syndrome never experience this thrill. Defying these odds is why we exist!" ~ iCan Bike

THE LEARNING SPECTRUM -  offers programs during the summer months. Check with them to see what is available this year.  I know in the past they have offered full and half day sessions as well as special weekly classes.

BARN BUDDIES - Barn Buddies is a "Horses Teaching Social Skills" program offered in the spring and summer.  Equi-Valent Riding Center offers equine therapy programs. 

"Our Equine-Assisted Therapy and Learning Center includes Equine Specialists, Mental Health Professionals, and Therapeutic Riding Instructors and is a PATH International Center Member (NARHA).  Through the use of our Equine related regime, our team mission includes fostering positive mental health strategies which are geared toward improving Social Skills, Healthy Living, Academic Achievement and Leadership Development.  We specialize in the overall physical and mental health of children on the Autistic Spectrum as well as other Developmental Disabilities.  However, our program has the ability to offer a variety of learning opportunities for all types of clients as we explore concepts of respect, trust, and empathy.  Our client's quality of life is elevated through this compelling therapeutic perspective which unlocks the ability to improve and increase strength, balance, coordination, mobility, independence and confidence, which we have found time and again leads to increased overall self esteem." ~ EVRC 

SOCIAL BUGS - Cornerstone Speech Therapy and We Joy Sing offer:

A Language Learning Enrichment Group

Developed Together with We Joy Sing

**Registration Now Open!!**

Social Bugs is designed to enhance language, social, and friendship making skills.  These skills will be nurtured as a licensed speech-language pathologist from Cornerstone and a licensed music therapist from We Joy Sing lead you and your child in various types of play, movement experiences, and music activities.

We invite both typically developing and children with special needs to participate in this FUN-FILLED program along with one adult.

This 8 week program will run June-August 2013 and will be held in the Westerville area!

Groups will be held for the following ages:

• Toddler 1: ages 14-24 months
• Toddler 2: ages 24-36 months
• PreK: ages 3-5 years
• School-Aged: ages 5-8 years

Contact us today for more information!

 614-973-9755

 Various types of funding are available!

Meeting Dr. Herbert, Autism Specialist

Meeting Dr. Herbert, Autism Specialist

I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Martha Herbert, MD, Ph.D. yesterday!  Not only did I get to meet her, I got to visit with her about several topics.  This was a unique opportunity that was also unexpected.  If I had know, I would have been more organized in my thoughts.  But, maybe it was best this way.

As noted on the back flap of her book cover "The Autism Revolution", Dr. Herbert is an assistant professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a pediatric neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she is the director of the TRANSCEND Research Program.  She also sits on the Scientific Advisory Committee for Autism Speaks.

I love the full title on the front of the book, "The Autism Revolution, Whole Body Strategies For Making Life All It Can Be".

By meeting Dr. Herbert and being able to visit with her for approximately 30 minutes, I walked away with answers to concerns, valuable information and enthusiasm.  I did not realize who I was meeting at first.  As our conversation proceeded, so did the realization that I was with someone that held a wealth of knowledge!

Dr. Herbert is a pediatric neurologist that has evolved into a specialist in the world of autism.  My youngest son Jackson gave us a scare last year.  Actually, it was a pediatric neurologist that provided us with results from a MRI that was done on Jackson that gave us the scare.  In his words "There is a spot in the center of his brain that may grow.  He will need to have another MRI in six months to see if the spot grows".  My husband asked him point blank if that would mean a tumor, and he answered "yes".  I spent the following six months holding Jackson in bed each night praying over him.

Long story short, the neurologist we had seen said the spot did not grow after he reviewed the second MRI.  In doing our due diligence, we got a second opinion.  The new neurologist reviewed both MRIs and told us that he did NOT see a spot at all.  So, both answers relieved my anxiety.  This "spot" had either not grown or did not exist at all.  I gave it a rest, but continued to watch for any symptoms that would cause concern.

By having this chance meeting with Dr. Herbert, she was able to look at the pictures of Jackson's brain and provided some much needed relief!  She explained not only what the spot could be, but why there could have been to different opinions.  Both essentially being the same answer.  It made perfect sense.  BUT, only because she is an expert in pediatric neurology AND autism, could she provide the complete answer.  The mainstream neurologist and radiologist that reviewed the MRI results are not familiar with the world of autism and are not trained to see past their what I consider to be black and white world.

This was so valuable and enlightening to me to be able to have this conversation!  Previously, I had told my husband and a close friend that I wish I could present all of the information about my children to either a panel in one room or ONE person rather than hopping around to many physicians.  Only a few of the doctors that I work with understand autism, the others do not and they are never in the same room.  Imagine that.  Dr. Herbert was an answer to prayer.

Wait, it gets better!  We also talked about the hopeful future of education in autism reaching to more professionals in the medical community.  In addition, I was able to discuss the benefit of specific diets and the idea of working with national organizations through Making Lemonade.

I am elated and my head is spinning!  I purchased her book "The Autism Revolution" right on the spot. I am thrilled with what I have read so far.  I totally agree with her philosophy, and have said many times myself, that approaching autism needs to be done from many angles, not just one.  It is so irritating that I have to put the book down to do things like feed my family and shower. I know, I crack myself up.

Do not walk, but run out to buy this book!  It is not just specific to autism as the title may imply.  Dr. Herbert's approach can be applied to many neurological issues such as ADHD, SPD, etc.  The whole body approach that is presented by Dr. Herbert in this book can provide positive results to the many issues and challenges that your child is dealing with on a daily basis.

Soodles Bake Shop Guest Speaker

Soodles Bake Shop Guest Speaker

Amy, owner of Soodles Bake Shop here in Columbus, OH will be our special guest speaker at tomorrow night's Making Lemonade support group meeting.

Please join us to learn about gluten free baking and to try some delicious samples!

Baked goods from Soodles are gluten, dairy, nut, soy and egg free.  Most of all, they are delicious!

Tuesday, February 5, 2013
7:00 - 8:15 PM
Pediatric Therapy Partners 640
Enterprise Drive, Ste C, Lewis Center, OH

Gluten Free Super Bowl Appetizers

Gluten Free Super Bowl Appetizers

Gluten Free Super Bowl Appetizers are the reason for the Super Bowl?  Right?  I mean, Beyonce concert appetizers.  Hee Hee!

So much for pre-planning. I sat down this morning, THE day of the Super Bowl, to devise a list of gluten free appetizers to serve my family.  With sooooo many diet restrictions, I did a lot of soul searching (and internet searching) for the perfect combination of ideas.  The largest appetites win out with the largest variety of nibbles.  I want to include my children in on all of the excitement, so I need to add some bite sized goodies to the menu for them.

Here is a list of each individuals allergies and diet restrictions just to give you some insight into what I am working with:

Me - Gluten

#1 Son - Dairy, Gluten, Eggs, Pork, High Fructose Corn Syrup

#2 Son - Dairy, Gluten, Nuts, Beef, High Fructose Corn Syrup

Hubby - Anything healthy.  He is a firm believer that "Football Food" must be high in fat and calories.  Deep fried is best.

Let the creative juices flow.  Tick Tock, Tick Tock.  Creating my list took about two hours.  One, because I didn't want to forget anyone.  Two, and most importantly, because it's fun to me.  Now that I'm showered and Eric has taken the boys out to play in the beautiful snow, it is time to begin.  I do realize that my list is a little lengthy.  The plan is to have leftovers to give myself a break tomorrow after cooking so much today.

SUPER BOWL MENU:

Spinach Dip - because mommy loves it and I will always have spinach dip when serving appetizers.

Warm Sausage Dip - see recipe below - a family tradition served anytime we get together and have appetizers.  Most commonly used for game nights and nights before holidays when preparing food for the next day's big meal.

Hot Wings - of course.  I've found a brand that I am loyal to because they are not breaded and gluten free.  Plus, they are delicious!  Must serve with a chunky blue cheese dressing.

Broiled Shrimp with Thai Peanut Sauce - this gives me a lower calorie option.  Plus it's quick, easy and delicious.  Doesn't even need a fancy recipe.  Brush shrimp with gluten free teriyaki sauce and broil for 3-4 minutes.  Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce (make sure it's gluten free). Voila.  Can also be served over rice noodles.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs - see recipe below now I can check fattening foods off of the wish list for my sweetheart.

Mini Hot Dog Muffins - maybe overkill on the hot dogs, but I am craving corn dogs.  I do that, often.  It's a result of growing up driving through Sonic in the summers in Oklahoma.  I am making these with a gluten free cornbread recipe.  I have extra batter that I can make some cornbread muffins to serve with a meal in a day or two.  Use a mini muffin pan, cornbread batter and 100% beef hot dog pieces.  Place a teaspoon of batter in each hole, insert a cut up piece of hot dog.  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 11 minutes.  I think I'll use a spicy Cajun mustard for dipping.

Apple Slices with Brie - Mmmmm, Brie.  The world would be a better place if every meal included Brie and/or Goat Cheese.  No recipe required for this one.  All you need is some apple slices, slices of brie, walnuts and honey.  Stack in that order.

For The Kids:

Chicken Nuggets - a treat for BOTH kids that are never able to eat fast food chicken nuggets like their friends.  Simply dredge pieces of chicken breast into gluten free flour seasoned with seasoning salt, garlic powder and black pepper.  Deep fry in pre-heated canola oil over medium-high heat.

Tater Tots - simple, yet bite sized so they can feel a part of the festivities.  Another Sonic vice.  I will melt dairy free cheese onto Jackson's and he'll be thrilled.

Apple Slices - for Davis I add some peanut butter.

Tortilla Chips

Gluten Free Pretzels

Note that the only vegetable you see is the spinach in the Spinach Dip.  Thought I'd get crazy and serve some apple slices with the Brie.  This should meet my husband's "football food" criteria while making me feel better about myself.

RECIPES

Warm Sausage Dip

1 - 1 Lb              Breakfast Sausage - roll

1 block               Cream Cheese

1 - 16 oz             Sour Cream

1 - 14 oz             Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies

In a large skillet, crumble and brown the sausage until fully cooked.  Add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Add sour sour cream and tomatoes.  Stir and cook until bubbly.  This can keep in a crock pot set on low.  Serve with tortilla or corn chips.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

14                    100% all Beef Hot Dogs

14 slices         Bacon

1 1/2 Cups     Barbecue Sauce - gluten free

1/4 Cup          Brown Sugar

3-10 shakes   Red Pepper Sauce (depending upon taste)

Set oven to broil. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.  Spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Cut each bacon slice crosswise into 3 pieces. Cut each hot dog into thirds. Wrap each piece hot dog with one piece of bacon.  Secure with toothpick and place onto broiler pan.  Broil with tops about 6 inches from heat 12 to 16 minutes, turning once, until bacon is crisp.

Meanwhile, heat your favorite homemade (or store-bought) gluten free barbecue sauce in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Add brown sugar and red pepper sauce.   Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until warm.  Barbecue sauce already has sugars, but the extra brown sugar thickens the sauce and creates a caramelized texture.  I like the sweet and spicy combination of the sugar and pepper sauce.

Heat oven to 350°F. Transfer the hot dogs from your broiler pan to the reserved glass baking dish. Pour sauce over hot dogs; turn to coat with sauce. Bake about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

I hope everyone enjoys their "football food" for the Beyonce concert as much as we will!!

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month!  What is your school or community doing to raise awareness?  Please share your ideas with a comment!!!

Here in Columbus, Ohio Autism Speaks has a large presence.  There is an annual walk that raises approximately $1 million dollars each year that is used for research and awareness.  The Special Learning Centers in our school have created our own t-shirts and walk together as a team at the Autism Speaks walk.

The National Autism Association conducts fundraisers across the country to support families.  The Southeast Ohio NAA chapter raised approximately $60,000 that is offered as grants to many families in their area to get biomedical treatment, therapy and iPads.

The National Autism Association will receive proceeds from the purchase of this adorable Autism Awareness T-Shirt.

AUTISM AWARENESS T-SHIRT

Autism Awareness T-Shirt

WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL OR COMMUNITY DOING FOR AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH???  Please share your ideas in a comment below!!

$8.95 Each

* Personalization is free on orders of 12 or more personalized shirts. Different personalization styles cannot be mixed in the same order. The same text appears on each shirt in your order. Visit ourPersonalization section to learn more.

DESCRIPTION

Show support and help raise awareness for Autism with these "Accept - Understand - Love" t-shirts with colored puzzle pieces.

Pizza Night, Gluten Free Style

Pizza Night, Gluten Free Style

Pizza Night, Gluten Free Style.  Oh, and must be Dairy Free.  Oh, and one child is allergic to beef, the other pork.  One son loves red sauce, the other despises it.  Then there's the meat-loving, gluten and diary eating husband.  By the time it comes to me, I just give up.  Pizza night was not a weekly dinner tradition in our family.  My boys would hear about other families having pizza night on Friday's and their school serves pizza for lunch every Friday.  Birthday parties are the same.  There is always pizza and birthday cake which are considered special treats.  Our family has gone for years without being able to take part in these traditional rituals.

Enough is enough.  It is my responsibility to make an extra effort to accommodate my children's special diets.  I needed to step up to the plate.  Batter up!!

This challenge really isn't that big of a deal once I quite trying to make a big deal out of it. I tried making homemade gluten free crusts as well as a regular crust for my husband.  I had flour everywhere and wasn't even sure the crusts would turn out.  You see, baking IS NOT my forte.  Then, I had to decide what to top the crusts with.  It was easy for my husband - meat, meat and more meat.  However, my boys have allergies and one's allergy is not the same as the other.

Solution:  Purchase the crust, have toppings on hand and make Eric pick his up on the way home.  Simplicity is my new motto.  I end up spending all day in the kitchen between cooking and cleaning so I can serve different meals to serve picky children with special diet restrictions.  That is fine, sometimes.  But there are days when I either need a break or have a million other things to do.  I need some simple solutions in my back pocket since driving through fast food restaurants is not a good option for us.

I wish I would have taken a picture of Davis and Jackson's faces the first Friday night that I announced pizza night and they both had an entire pizza to themselves.  Even if I would have taken a picture, the pure joy on their faces would have been difficult to capture.

I have two separate recipes for pizza night.  Each are super duper easy and inexpensive.  I buy one package of gluten free pizza crust that contains 2 crusts.

D's Turkey Bacon Pizza - Gluten Free and Dairy Free

1               Gluten Free Pizza Crust

1/2 Cup   Organic Pizza Sauce (make sure it is dairy free)

4 slices    Turkey Bacon

Place crust on cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Spread with pizza sauce covering entire crust.  Cut up uncooked turkey bacon into bite sized pieces and evenly distribute over entire pizza.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes.

J's Meatball Pizza - Gluten Free and Dairy Free

1               Gluten Free Pizza Crust

2 Tb        Dairy Free, Gluten Free Butter Spread

1/2 tsp    Garlic Salt

1/2 tsp    Italian Seasoning

5               Meatballs (also under "Recipes")

1/4 Cup   Dairy Free Mozzarella Cheese

Place crust on cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Spread with pizza butter spread covering entire crust.  Season with garlic salt and Italian seasoning.  Cut meatballs into quartered pieces and evenly distribute over entire pizza.  Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Making Lemonade Meeting Updates

MAKING LEMONADE MEETING UPDATES:

There will NOT be a meeting tomorrow evening, Tues. 1/29/13.

Evening meetings will begin to meet on the first Tuesday of each month rather than every Tuesday.    Soodles Bake Shop will join us on Tues. 2/5/13 at 7 pm at Pediatric Therapy Partners, 640 Enterprise Drive, Ste C, Lewis Center, OH.

Wednesday morning meetings WILL continue to meet EACH WEDNESDAY at DCBDD, 7991 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center, OH.

See you soon!!

Chuck E. Cheese Offers Gluten Free Options

Chuck E. Cheese Offers Gluten Free Options

I can not tell you how many times we have been to Chuck E. Cheese for a birthday party, or just for fun, and I have had to take our own food.  My two boys love to go there with friends and play games.  I will pack our special gluten free/dairy free cupcakes to take to birthday parties.  I have also been known to take in Arby's roast beef and potato cakes.  I felt as if I were being tacky at first, but they were so nice about it at Chuck E. Cheese, I didn't feel so bad.  It is difficult for my children to sit there and watch all of their friends enjoying pizza and birthday cake.  I wanted my children's entire visit to be enjoyable and I certainly didn't want them feeling left out.

Chuck E. Cheese has just announced that they are offering a gluten-free cheese pizza and a chocolate fudge cupcake!  This does not address all allergy issues, so my children still can't have these items.  But, these foods may be a better choice for many children.  The pizza is cooked in an individually wrapped package to eliminate any cross contamination.  I'm anxious to hear how about the quality of  their new pizza and cupcakes.

The new gluten-free menu is being offered at over 500 locations across the U.S. and Canada.  I would call to verify if the specific location you will be going to has adopted this new menu yet.  Kuddos to Chuck E. Cheese!  Have fun and enjoy!

Rethinking Dyslexia

Resources

RESOURCES

It is a goal of Making Lemonade to be a "Go To" place for resources.  Another personal goal of mine is to not only provide resources, but to learn from others as well.  As I will say time and time again, other parents can be your best resource when needing information.  Not only can you find out details about a service, organization, clinic, product, etc., you get a first hand review.  

This is the type of information that I will continue to pass on to you.  Check back often and click on the "Resources" tab.  I hear from support group members, friends, teachers and other professionals that I speak to.  I will update this page as hear of new places, clinicians, services, etc. and as I hear reviews.  

Here are the details of some of the latest things that I've learned of:

1)  PROJECT LIFESAVER - MOBILE TRACKING SYSTEM 
     Delaware County Sheriff's Office 740-833-2810   / Project Life Saver 740-833-2800
     A rapid response partnership designed to save lives and reduce the potential for serious injury for those who wander due to Alzheimer's, Disease, Autism, Down Syndrome, Dementia and other related disorders.  Those enrolled in the program wear a personalized wristband that emits a tracking signal.  If a member is reported missing, Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies will respond and start a search with the mobile locater tracking system.  

2)  CHADD - Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
     The CHADD of Columbus has meetings at Marburn Academy in Columbus, OH.

3)  ADDitude Magazine - Magazine offering articles, blogs, and tons of information on life with ADD/ADHD.  I have had a member of our support group say that this is the best resource she has found.

4)  Flourish Therapy of Ohio - 571 High Street, Ste 13, Worthington, OH  43085
     614-545-8300
Therapy clinic that offers Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy, Social Group Therapy that offers in-home services.  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Good morning and Happy New Year everyone!!!  I am so excited to start 2013 and get back to having Making Lemonade support group meetings!  I am planning on more guest speakers and some fun meetings also.  I am so grateful for each one of you!  Looking forward to seeing everyone next week.

Tuesday evenings, 7:00 PM at Pediatric Therapy Partners

Wednesday mornings, 9:30 AM at DCBDD

Let me know how your holiday break is going!  Leave me a comment below!

See you soon!!!

How Much "Alone Time" is O.K. For Children with Autism?

How Much "Alone Time" is O.K. For Children with Autism?

Click on the link above to read an article I've posted on my blog Making Lemonade Lady with a question that I've been pondering lately.  Please feel free to provide your input in the comments!!  I see all sides of the story on this one.