Spring Break Time

Gone...
Be Back Soon...

Anticipation

Two more nights until our family vacation? Think someone might be just a little excited?

Yes, that's her suitcase. And yes, she slept in it last night. And no, it's not that big. She was all curled up inside it. Mark couldn't stand to see her cramped up. I told him to leave her and if it hurt her that much 1) she wouldn't have stayed in it or 2) she would wake up a little sore in the morning and know not to do that again. He moved her to her bed anyways. I woke up in the middle of the night to a screaming, panicking little girl (Mark of course, blissfully slept through the whole episode). She was freaked, not knowing how she ended up in her bed and desperately wanted to be back in the suitcase.

The next morning Morgan had a little "chat" with her dad. Next time, he will leave her be.

Extreme Sorting

One busy afternoon with several trip up and down the stair created this chaos.

But look closely. There is a method to her madness. All felines and bears are piled up here.

All dogs belong here.

Along with many others properly categorized items such as rabbits, horses, cows (who knew we had so many stuffed cows??!!), insects and humans.

And one uninvited guest who would not cooperate and be sorted into his proper category.

Easter Eggs

This weekend we colored our Easter Eggs. In years past, it was a quick dunk in one color and she was ready to move on. This is the first year that Morgan was able to get really creative with her eggs.

She waited patiently as she colored half an egg one color and the other half another.

She carefully blotted the eggs.

Mark and I finished our eggs before she had gotten half way through with hers.

Her finished project included an egg with a butterfly and an egg with a carrot draw on it as well as several multi-colored eggs. That egg in front, second from the right is Mark's. It says "Bunnies Taste Good". Morgan was very concerned about the Easter Bunny seeing this one and getting mad at us!

After an hour of coloring, eggs weren't the only thing that ended up more colorful then they started out as.

Sitting Still

Having Sensory Processing Disorder, especially being a sensory seeker causes Morgan to appear hyper, like her engine is away on the go (this blog isn't called "Whirlwind" for no reason!) Needless to say, this makes it very difficult for Morgan to sit still in the classroom. She was getting into trouble on a regular basis. The therapist at the Center recommended we wrap a thera-band around the base of her chair. That way she would get the muscle workout she craves by kicking her legs against it.

We've had this thera-band in place for a few weeks when we received an e-mail from the teacher that it was no longer working. Morgan had been setting her chair on the floor, backside down so that she could bounce on the band. Not exactly using the chair appropriately and not exactly safe. It was apparent that she needed more then just feedback back to her legs muscles, but to her whole core as well.

After observing her in the classroom, the school OT suggested we bring in a small rocking chair.

The rocking chair provides full body sensory input without being a distraction in the classroom. We have had this chair in place for a week and I'm happy to report that her teacher has said it is working wonderfully. She is more focused and is getting up less often.

Hmmm... maybe I could convince my work that I need a rocking chair, preferable a nice comfy Lazy Boy one, for my job too!

Rainbow Pancakes

In honor of St. Patty's Day, I made leprechaun rainbow pancakes inspired by Momma's Gone Over the Wall. Two holiday-themed breakfasts within a couple of months - I'm becoming a regular Martha Stewart.

The Magic Tree House

Morgan has discovered the Magic Tree House Chapter books and loves them. They are about two siblings who are teleported back in time or to distant lands by a magic tree house. We started with the Riddle Series (books 9-12) so we have not read the first book and we do not know how the kids meet Morgan Le Fay, the lady who send the kids on their adventures. It is apparent their parents do not know Morgan Le Fay and their adventures are a secret.

So my Morgan has a good question. A smart question: If their parents don't know Morgan Le Fay and Morgan Le Fay was a stranger, why did the kids start going away with her? Don't they know about Stranger Danger?

I guess we'll have to read the first book and see if the author Mary Pope Osborne handles the stranger danger issue because Morgan is very worried.

Playing Hookie

Friday was yet another Teacher Work Day so Morgan had off of school. My friend April and I decided to play hookie from work and have a girls out day. The weather was beautiful so we headed to the zoo. I must say, this was one of the most relaxing trips I've ever had at the zoo. I don't know if it's because the kids are getting older? Or it could be because we had a day were we said yes to just about everything. The girls got to ride both rides, have lunch, a snack and one toy from the gift shop, which ends up making a free with membership day, not so free.

You'll notice a theme with the following pictures. Rather then getting their pictures taken with the real animals of the zoo, you they wanted their pictures taken with all the status and such. The real animals were second class.

Show-Offs

Morgan: This is how show-offs walk

She puts her hands on her hips, swinging them from side to side as she does a dramatic stomp walk.

Morgan: They are called show-offs because they show-off the clothes.

In case you couldn't tell, she's talking about models. She's picked this up from watching Project Runway on Lifetime. Surprisingly, she's fascinated with this show. She's fascinated that people can make their own clothes and even more fascinated that boys sew as well as girls. She also has an uncanny knack for picking out the winning outfit.

If she doesn't become a rock star, perhaps she will be a future designer?

A Rock Star

Apparently a rock star puts huge ink stamps across their cheeks. They also decorate their entire face (nose, cheeks, forehead) with lip gloss so they are sparkly. At least this is what I was told by my five year old who went to school this morning as a greasy, glossy mess!

The Simple Things

You know how when you watch Supernanny and she introduces the simplest technique or idea to the parents and you want to scream at your tv - duh, that's so obvious, how do the parents not know that? Well, Morgan's therapist introduced us to a why-the-heck-didn't-we-think-of-this technique that has made our life tons easier.

Morgan has always had big issues with transitions. I can't tell you how many times a verbal warning of five more minutes would lead to a full blown melt down. She also needs constant verbal reminders and redirecting when she is trying to complete a task. We've turned blue in the face with the amount of times we've said, you have 10 more minutes before we leave and you still need to do A, B and C. We were exhausted!

Morgan's OT introduced us to the most wonderful invention ever - the time timer which gives her a visual reminder of how much time is left.


We don't have to prod anymore and when the clock dings, letting her know the time is up, she knows better then to throw a fit at an inanimate object.

But the reason I really, really love this clock, is the new found independence it has given Morgan. In the morning Morgan sets the clock for an hour, plays by herself and then wakes us up when the hour has passed. The girl who gets upset when she needed to go into a room RIGHT NEXT DOOR to you by herself is finally learning to be on her own. We were so happy this weekend when we heard her little feet pitter pat down the hall, the beep of the clock as she set it, the pitter pat down the stairs, the sliding of the back door as she lets Champ out and the quiet that followed allowing Mark and I to get some more rest.

Yes, I love these clocks.

The Learning Plate - Take 3

Since so many people were interested in this idea, I thought I would give another follow-up now that's be in place for a while.

We still have not had to introduce the Learning Plate, but Morgan is definitely testing the concept. She isn't eating as many foods anymore, I think, in an attempt to see if we really won't press the issue. It's hard to bite your tongue, especially when you see her leave food she usually tries untouched on her plate. As we stay quiet and continue to disengage, I'm hoping that she starts to try things again. I'm 99% sure this is the strong-willed child testing the boundaries to see if we go back to our previous battles.

I'll keep you posted.