Kids and Parents love Jump Start World

Wondering where I've been this week?

See that cute little girl over there using MY laptop. =====>>>>>

Yeah, that is my very soon to be 4 year old who comes home from preschool and now instead of wanting to turn on the TV to watch "one of her shows" (oh... not DORA again...) she successfully takes over my laptop to play on Jump Start World.


And, I let her... why? Because it is fun and educational - and she loves it. When my son gets home from school around an hour later - guess what he wants?
Yeah.. Jump Start World. Let the fights begin! Mama wants her laptop back but the kids wanna play!

Seriously, if you have a child between 3-10 you should check out this site (at the risk of losing your computer to them). Both my 3 year old neurotypical daughter and my 8 year old son who has autism are hooked on Jump Start World. My daughter enjoys the Storyland games section and also the "adopt a pet" game. My son is off exploring waterfalls and all over Jump Start world collecting gems. Both kids like to play with the Jumpee creator which is similar to making miis on the Wii. There is even a contest going on right now where you can enter your Jumpee for a chance to win $10,000 dollars - now wouldn't that be super cool to win??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6mm2cIaLTQ

I'm thrilled to offer a Giveaway to my readers from Jump Start! One lucky Bon Bon Gazette Reader will win a free 3 month full membership to the Jump Start World website. This includes access into a members only areas, software downloads, and more.

To enter: Visit the JumpStart website and check out the free areas, then come back here and leave a comment on this entry telling me what you/your child likes about the site. I will need a way to contact you, so please be sure an email address is listed.

Extra Entries: Earned for following me on twitter (@hellokittiemama) and tweeting the contest, Following/Subscribing to my blog, Writing a blog entry on your blog linking to the contest. Maximum total of 4 entries per person.

Enter through February 7th, 2009

JumpStart World
With JumpStart 3D Virtual World, our latest and greatest, kids learn through endless gaming adventures in colorful, musical, magical and safe 3D virtual worlds. By blending learning and entertainment, these new games have created the perfect development environment for kids. Underwater adventures, icy mountain quests and exotic jungle challenges are just the beginning of the fun. These amazing new virtual playgrounds are already a favorite with kids ages 3-10.

****THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*** Congrats to @Twincident!

*Thank you to Sweeties Sweeps for listing my blog giveaway.

GFCF Friday - Chocolate Chip Cookies made easy by GFMeals

Photo: My kids devouring Chocolate Chip Cookies from GFmeals

It's been a while since I've done a GFCF Friday review but today I felt compelled to share the newest gluten free chocolate chip cookie that we taste tested. I recently was turned on to GFMeals.com, a website that makes serving up Gluten & Casein free meals quick and easy. One thing that caught my eye is that they sell pre-made frozen cookie dough that you can simply scoop and bake like the mainstream cookie-doughs that you'd find in the grocery store. Usually, I bake my son's cookies from scratch or use a mix, like Pamela's Incredible Chocolate Chunk Cookies (read my review here) but the allure of pre-made dough was simply irresistable - what a very handy thing to keep on hand for occasions when I needed to make up cookies quick with no mixing and no mess. Pre-made dough is absolutely a convenience that I've missed since switching to the GFCF diet - no longer being able to just pick up cookie dough from the grocery store, warehouse club or the school fundraisers.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough from GFMeals.com is

• Gluten-Free
• Casein-Free
• Dairy-Free
• Nut-Free
• Wheat-Free
• Yeast-Free

It ships frozen and ready to use (once thawed). I gave one kid a spoon and the other a fork and with a little supervision the cookies were ready to go in the oven. To reinforce cooperation I had one child scoop the dough out and then my other child pressed it down a little with the fork - as always there were a few minor squabbles about who did what - siblings! The cookies bake at 350 for 12 minutes - quick and easy. The whole container of dough made 2 dozen large cookies (2 cookie sheets worth). Next time I will use smaller scoops, so as to not use the whole container at once and get even more cookies out of the container. (Regular price is $15.97/1.25lbs)

INGREDIENTS: GF-flour blend (brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch), brown sugar, chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, anhydrous dextrose, soy lecithin, GF vanilla extract, non-hydrogenated expeller-pressed natural oil blend (from soy, palm, canola, and olive oils, natural flavors and colors), granulated sugar, soy milk, eggs, GF pure vanilla extract, baking soda, xanthan gum. Contains: Egg, Soy

Verdict: My kids gobbled up the GFMeals cookies and enjoyed them equally as much as they love Pamela's. The cookies from GFMeals cost a bit more than Pamela's but are quicker and easier to make. I can't pick a favorite - I have a feeling that I'll continue to buy both. One thing is for certain, the kids need a treat now and again and being GFCF shouldn't mean no treats, and seriously - nothing beats the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

Mercury is not just for Fish & Vaccines anymore - Many High Fructose Corn Syrup foods mercury-laden

Mercury..is not just for Fish and Vaccines anymore.

First it was Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs... now its Corn Syrup.. What Next?

Oh yeah, I'm mad - and you should be too. I read articles today about detectable levels of Mercury being found in many foods also containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. If you've been wondering about those TV commercials lately from the Corn industry about how HFCS is safe and golden.. well, think again.

When looking at products with High Fructose Corn Syrup as the first or second ingredient - one 1 out of 3 of those products had mercury above the detection limit. Out of the 55 "sample" products - 17 came back bad.. That is 1/3 of them! Ridiculous. Outrageous. I am disgusted.
And I am quite certain that this problem is much bigger than the 55 products tested.

Checking out the list you will find many popular family-oriented and kid-friendly products like chocolate milk, juice drinks, condiments like bbq sauce and ketchup, yogurt and pop-tarts.
In a nutshell we are slowly killing and harming our children's brains and bodies through food that we feed them.

Corn Syrup related Mercury laden products included: (Details of levels found on this list)
Quaker Oatmeal to Go bars
Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
Manwich Gold Sloppy Joe
Market Pantry Grape Jelly
Smucker's Strawberry Jelly
Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
Coca-Cola Classic: no mercury found on a second test
Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
Minute Maid Berry Punch
Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
Nesquik Chocolate Milk
Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Mercury is a known neurotoxin. It shouldn't be in our foods, in the shots we give babies, in the lightbulbs we use, or in the air we breathe. But, it is. Do not buy products with high fructose corn syrup as a main ingredient. (1st, 2nd in the list) or at all if you are worried about Mercury - which you should be. Be sure to check out the EPA's Database on Mercury-Containing Products and Alternatives

Reference Links:
Studies find mercury in much U.S. corn syrup
http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE50Q5IA20090127
Researchers Say 17 Products Tested Had Some Mercury; Industry Group Says Syrup Is Safe
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20090127/mercury-in-high-fructose-corn-syrup
Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup
http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026
Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/26/AR2009012601831.html

GFCF time & money saving tips

So many parents that I talk to about the GFCF (Gluten & Casein Free) diet state that the primary reason holding them back is money. The next biggest reason people give me for hesitating on the diet is that they "do not have the time" to make everything from scratch.

Thankfully, I have found quite a few ways to save both time and money and serve the GFCF foods that my son enjoys and does so well on. I would feel like a heel if I didn't share these tips with all of you.

First, if you find a product that your child likes and consumes lots of : See if the manufacturer has a website that you can order directly from and look into buying by the case. Also check with the health food stores in your area and ask about buying by the case. Looking for chicken nuggets by the case but don't want to pay $8 a box...try Ian's directly.

Want more gfcf products by the case? Well, Never fear --- because Amazon.com is here. I was amazed the first time I turned to Amazon.com and saw just how many GFCF food options they had. One of the best things is that you can order by the case and many times the orders qualify for free shipping because they are over $25! Amazon.com also offers subscription service so you can set up automatic re-orders... Super convenient and saves both time and money. If you can't find the brand you are looking for on Amazon check out sites like Gluten-Free Mall and glutenfree.com for a variety of brands.

Are there coupons for GFCF & Gluten free Foods?
I love using coupons at the grocery store and at one time was a self proclaimed coupon-queen. Sadly, the grocery store circulars usually don't contain coupons for gluten and allergy-free products and brands. But, that doesn't mean that these coupons do not exist. Once again - the manufactures webpages are the place to go. Go to these pages and sign up for their newsletters and mailing lists. Many also offer on-site coupons that you can print out. There is a fairly new website called BeFreeForMe.com that launched in October 2008 - the site offers a newsletter and a way to sign up for free samples as well as discounts for allergy-free and gluten-free products!

More coupon links to get you started:
Ian's Natural Foods - sign up for coupons, offers $1 off AlphaTots printable coupon
Turtle Mountain
Enjoy Life Foods Save $1.25 off any 2 Snack Bars
Enjoy Life Foods $0.55 off of any Enjoy Life product (go to bottom left of website)
Arico Foods - Sign up for newsletter, they also post coupons on their blog
Bob's Red Mill - doesn't offer coupons but has a newsletter with specials and savings
Nana's Cookies - sign up for their newsletter to receive discounts & coupons by email
*note: these coupon links are valid as of 1/25/09 and are subject to change in the future.

Looking for gluten free meals made easy?
I've long been a fan of meal-prep places where I used to frequent and make up a months worth of meals in just a few hours time - bring them home and load up my freezer. But, since my son has gone onto the GFCF diet, I don't go as much. I recently learned about a GFCF meal service that is pretty comparable and can allow you to stock your freezer affordably - gfMeals.com. At the site you can order single entrees, products by the case, or meal packages. I plan on placing an order here soon and will be sure to report back with how my son likes it. Have you used gfMeals.com? Let me know how you like it by leaving a comment with what you've tried and think of the service! You can also connect with this company on Twitter

Roni Piterman is co-owner of gfMeals, by Your Dinner Secret, and mother of a son in recovery from ADHD. gfMeals makes feeding a child a gluten and casein-free (GFCF) diet easy, delicious and stress-free. Offering a vast menu of family-friendly, ready-to-cook entrees and sides, as well as the most delicious GFCF baked goods, gfMeals ships food nationwide to your door. Every meal comes frozen, with simple cooking instructions. Children will be delighted by our chicken tenders, meatballs, turkey burger macaroni, polenta fries, faux buttermilk sliced bread and chocolate chip cookie dough, just to name a few.

What's YOUR money and time saving tip for GFCF foods?

Yes, The Apple Does not Fall Far From the Tree

January 21, 2009

Yes, The Apple Does not Fall Far From the Tree

I have hot buttons. Topics that when they come up, I will put in my 2, 20 or 99 cents worth. Why? Because I care. Because I have very strong opinions and feelings on the issue and I like to share our story. I don't even care if my story doesn't totally convince you. But, I feel better once I put it out there. Food for thought, I like to think of it as. What's my hot button? Shots. Vaccinations. And, who should call them - the government, or parents?

Here in New Jersey, the government is definitely calling the shots by mandating flu shots among others for school children. A few months ago, my children and I attended not just one, but two, vaccination rally events where we stood up for Vaccination Choice in New Jersey. So yes, Shots are definitely my 'hot button'.

I never realized how much my involvement in the Vax Choice movement would have as much as an impact on my children. But, they clearly do "get it". Yes, even my 3 year old gets it.

And just how do I know that. I'll share. You see, last week she had a typical little 3 year old playdate with her BFF when something pivotal happened.

The girls sat playing quietly and contented with my daughter's Animal Hospital playset where they tended to the pets by checking their heartbeats and feeding them with playfood. They were having a blast when my daughter's friend pulled out the play syringe "shot" from the toolkit and after giving some of the pets a shot or two she turned and attempted to give my daughter a shot with it.

The look on my daughter's face was priceless. Of course I didn't have my camera ready, but what she did will forever remain embedded in memory.

Her response, "Um, no thanks. Do you know we have a NO MORE SHOTS sign?"

At that moment, there was never a prouder mama. The apple sure did not far fall from the tree. Nope, not far at all.

---
Original New Jersey Moms Blog post. Read more adventures in vaccination from MaryTara at her blog The Bon Bon Gazette where she shares Jersey Shore life with autism and without it.

In My Mind Virtual Book Tour: Journey Into the Mind of a Child with Autism

In My Mind Virtual Book Tour

Join Adonya Wong as she trots around the globe for autism, visiting various websites and blogs during her first-ever virtual book tour! She will be sharing thoughts about life with autism, writing, the publishing process, and discussing future projects. Along with insightful interviews, you can read reviews of In My Mind and listen to an audio interview by Autism Hangout.

Welcome to the 3rd stop of the In My Mind Virtual Book Tour. If you are a reader of The Bon Bon Gazette you probably already know that I am a huge fan of Adonya Wong and her book, In My Mind: The World Through the Eyes of Autism. Take A look at "In My Mind" to see what happened when I received my autographed copy from Adonya or check out My Epinions.com Review.

My Thoughts:

"Appropriate for children and adults a like. In My Mind... is not 'just another children's book' nor is it 'yet another book about autism'. I believe this book absolutely holds a place both in the autism and special-ed classrooms and on the shelves of every school library." - MT, The Bon Bon Gazette

There's only so many ways for me to say it, I love this book!

As a mother of a child with autism, I immediately felt a bond with the author Adonya Wong when we "met" through reading each other's blogs and then getting to know each other more on twitter. When I learned about the book, I was curious to how she would portrayAutism as envisioned through her son's eyes. The author, Adonya Wong has a son Nicholas who is a happy, healthy, 7 year old boy - close in age to my son Alex (who just turned 8 last month). The child in her book In My Mind (modeled after her son) is shown happy - much like my own son who always seems to have a great smile on his face. This smile that is such a source of joy and strength - that helps get through the bumps in the road of our Autism journey. In a recent news article, she describes her son: affectionate, funny, and artistic. Indeed! This could easily be describing my own Alex. Yes, the boys both have Autism - but there is so much more to them than that. I'm reminded of an old button/bumper sticker saying "See the person, not the disorder". Adonya's book, In My Mind, sheds a much appreciated positive light on Autism.

As part of the Virtual Book Tour, I got to ask Adonya Wong a few questions about In My Mind:

Question 1: How long did it take you to write In My Mind?

Adonya Wong: 5 minutes! I'm serious, it only took 5 minutes. One minute, I wasn't even thinking about writing children's stories; the next minute, I've typed one out. I couldn't believe it. Some would call it Divine Intervention. I don't know what to call it myself, all I know is I was minding my own business when the story "came to me".

Question 2: Did your son give you any input on the text or illustrations?

Adonya Wong: No. Nicholas doesn't communicate with me like that. If I were to ask for his input, he would have difficulty processing what it is I am asking. As for the illustrations? Well, my publisher provided all that for me. I only requested that the character be modeled after my son, that was it. I was just very fortunate to have an illustrator who saw what was going on in my mind without a lot of input from me.

Because I am a rule breaker, I asked her a few other questions about how her book has been received by family and friends. Adonya's response was not surprising

"My friends, whom I consider my family, have given me very positive
feedback."

I also wanted to know if any more books were in the works and learned that Adonya has already written several others, including 12 of which that were written the same week as In My Mind.

"However, I don't spend my days stressing about what to write. I actually wait for the words to come to me in their own time".

Lastly, I inquired if she had thought about marketing the book for use in schools curriculum and/or to libraries.

"I have been seriously, seriously considering just that. My husband is
a professor, so I'd have a lot of assistance in compiling the information into a
teaching format. Additionally, I will be marketing IMM as a companion for
the Libraries and Autism program I want implemented in Oklahoma."

Thanks, Adonya, for stopping by.

Adonya's next stop on the Virtual Book Tour will be Rawtism.com on Friday January 23rd. Be sure to stop by to learn more about her and to place your daily entry for her awesome giveaway...

"One lucky reader will win a beautiful gift basket containing an autographed copy of her book, a copy of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, packages of Enjoy Life™ and Namaste Foods™ goodies, an eco-friendly cleaning starter kit (Whole Foods® 365™ brand), and (1) $50 Amazon.com gift card!! This prize is valued at $200!!!"

How to Enter: **Simply comment about your relationship with autism, what you are doing to raise awareness, and how In My Mind has touched your life. Be sure to visit all of her stops for more chances to qualify for this amazing prize!**

To learn more about Adonya Wong's book In My Mind and living with autism, please visit her website and blog

Adonya's book is available at Amazon.com, Tate Publishing, as well as a bookstore near you!
Pick up your own copy here:


In My Mind: The World through the Eyes of Autism (Tate Publishing 2009)
Published: January 6, 2009
Genre: Children’s Fiction
ISBN 10: 1-60696-601-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-60696-601-3
28 Pages (full-color paperback)
$9.99 (includes audio book version)

A portion of the author’s proceeds benefit Autism Center of Tulsa (formerly Tulsa Autism Foundation)

Obama's Inauguration Day- Will he be a voice for Autism & Children?

Today, January 20th 2009- Inauguration day. A day that honestly, I don't remember for the former presidents who have taken office during my lifetime. After picking up my son who got sent home sick from school and getting my daughter from preschool I headed home and cursing just a little bit that my soap was superceded put the Inauguration on our 50" Plasma.



Today - Obama's big day.

You may recall that I wasn't 100% convinced about Obama. You see, we - parents of children with autism and other illnesses that stem from vaccine injury called out to him. We asked where he stood on the issue of Vaccination Choice. And, we were disappointed.

Still, on this Inauguration Day. I am hopeful.

I want Obama to be the voice of our kids, even though he has stated he is against selective vaccination. Our children with autism and other vaccine related illness need a voice. My autistic child needs a voice and so does my neuro-typical child.

The children of our nation, need and deserve a voice.

*Photos Taken by me at the Middletown NJ Vaccination Gathering 9/5/2008

I found this Vlog by a 29 year old with Autism on YouTube today that I must share with you:

Autism and an Obama Administration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dettpze95E8

Obama's Promise for Autism:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/AutismSpectrumDisorders.pdf
BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN: SUPPORTING AMERICANS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS

Coromega supplements - my Autistic Kid & his Monster pudding

Wondering about Omega Supplements for your child with Autism?
Check out this Study: Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help Autistic Children

On Autism Twitter Day one of the prizes that I won was Coromega Supplements.

I first learned about and tried Omega supplements, specifically Coromega, almost 6 years ago prior to my son's Autism diagnosis, back when we thought he was "just" speech-delayed. My sister recommended that I read The Late Talker: What to Do If Your Child Isn't Talking Yet from which I started researching supplements like Omega-3. At the time, I really didn't know where I was going with it, but the bottom line was that I figured giving him the Omega-3 wouldn't hurt and was worth a try. Read more about my first experience with Coromega here.

We did the Omega-3 supplements for a while, and then stopped. Though we'd seen improvements, the reason I stopped was out of frustration, mostly. Getting supplements into Alex is tough. The problem is that my kid can sniff out a supplement a mile a way. For a time, he would only drink a drink from a sealed container like a carton, bottle or juicebox and not something I poured into a cup. Likewise, with applesauce or pudding type snacks he wanted the single-serve portions that came with a sealed lid (that he could open himself). This makes supplementing him tricky. Hiding things, is near impossible.

Now, that my son is on the gluten and casein free diet and I've moved supplementing back to the forefront. I've decided to try some new approaches on getting things into him. Less sneaky, and more matter of fact. With this Coromega Lemon Lime I simply squeeze it out onto a spoon and feed it to him outright. And guess what.. that kid who is hard to supplement, is taking it. It really does not taste bad - not fishy at all.


My "trick" -

I call it "green monster pudding".

The Lemon Lime Coromega is a perfect Shrek-like or Mike Wazowski (Monsters Inc), color.


What I've learned... Sometimes you just need to be creative and stop trying to be sneaky. As evidenced by my son taking the Monster Pudding straight off of a spoon with no fight at all.

For more info visit the Coromega Website

A PSA on Vaccines - Sometimes 3 year olds know best!

From a medical exhibit at the Liberty Science Center which dealt with my (ahem) favorite topic:

Vaccines

What would you do?












My daughter selected:
Good job, princess! I'm proud of you and I can't blame you for picking NO MORE SHOTS.

This wouldn't be the first time my daughter has voiced her opinion on vaccines. To read more about my 3 year old activist check out Yes, The Apple Does Not Fall Far From The Tree over at NJmoms Blog.






In this world of "all or nothing"




Why is more, better?

Fact: More mandated vaccines has led to an increase in illness in our nation.

Why?
The bottomline is always about $$Money$$.

...Isn't it always?

When the CDC and Government hold stake in pharmaceutical companies afterall. Offit, anyone? This "spokesman" for vaccines to our nation is the voice of vaccine manufacturers, himself!

I personally took offense to this exhibit which presents the choices:

1. Nobody
2. Everyboy
3. Only those who can afford it

What about:

• Let people make their own decisions
• Do some more research about the ingredients and schedule of vaccines focusing on safety instead of on the dollar bill.

Give me Liberty...or how about walking toads & liquid nitrogen?

We took a family trip to the Liberty Science Center today, which by address is in Jersey City, NJ - though I am fairly certain we crossed into NY, as we saw the sign "Welcome to New Jersey" on our drive home. Hrm.

What a great day we had.

I can remember not too long ago, a time when I would never have imagined venturing to cultural destinations like a museum or a science center with my son in tow. Big crowds, hustle & bustle, potential for lots of clapping - a recipe for disaster with an autistic child. Still, we take a "proceed with caution" approach as we venture onward and outward into the big big world. Today's trip to the Science Center seemed too good for us to not try as we were treated to the museum as part of the SVmoms blogger community of which I'm a part of. Indeedy, if you haven't already you can read more of me over at New Jersey Moms Blog - please do check us out!

So, off we went, the whole family, to check out the Liberty Science Center where we spent no less than 4 hours exploring and learning and exploring some more. There is no way I could possibly wrap up everything we saw other than to say the whole family enjoyed the day. There was so much to see and do for both my daughter (not quite 4 years old) and my just turned 8 year old son (with autism).

When we got there we immediately headed into an up close and personal animal exhibit where the kids got to see and touch such niceties as a snake and a turtle. We also learned quite a bit about the Cane Toad, which to my surprise walked and didn't hop away! Of course, I had to catch this on my mino. Any excuse to mino, right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfuapWNngb4

I so appreciated the science guy who ran this animal exhibit. He stated several times to keep applause quiet for the animals sake, and this was just what my son needed also. Thank you, Mr. Science guy. You rock, lots.

Afterwards, we headed into a SubZero lesson to learn about liquid nitrogen and gasses. We took a brief cooldown and ventured into a hands-on area where the kids did worksheets all about the phases of the moon. My son is a big fan of the moon and has a solar system bedroom with the Moon in My Room remote control moon on his wall. So, it was no surprise he already knew all the phases of the moon and what order to put them in. That's my little smarty pants! We then waited patiently before entering an indoor solar system exhibit that my little guy just could not wait to go in. He's enjoyed similar solar system "stuff" at the nearby Monmouth Museum, so again this was not a surprise. What was a surprise was the fact that this LSC exhibit included Sesame Street characters.. did someone say Elmo? Yes! This was just what the doctor ordered for my little 3 year old who would have otherwise been bored by all that astronomy. Still, she soaked in quite a bit of it and was talking about the North Star and the Big Dipper (looks like a teaspoon to her!) during her bath tonight.

Once we'd "done" these fabulous shows, my husband and I decided that there was no reason to call it a day and we ventured out into the rest of the Science Center where we took in the exhibits on 2 of the 4 floors before calling it a day. Favorites included the Eat and Be Eaten exhibit on the 3rd Floor and the fish from the Hudson exhibit on the 4th. Somewhere in between there was a giant sneezing nose that gave the kids lots of laughs, also. We finished our day up on 4 with lots of hands on science perfect for the kids - making a giant bubble, suspending a ball in air, and climbing the rock wall.

At the end of day, I have a pretty good feeling that we'll go back to the Liberty Science Center again.

READER DISCOUNT: The Liberty Science Center would like to offer our readers a printable coupon. Print out THIS COUPON and bring it to the Box Office to receive one FREE child exhibition ticket with the purchase of a regular price adult ticket. This special offer expires March 31, 2009.

NJ Flu Shot D-Day - Preschoolers kicked out of school by the state!

Welcome to NJ.. Got Shots?
Get the flu shot, or no more preschool or daycare for you if you live in NJ and your child is under 59 months of age*!

Today, Wednesday January 14th is the flu-shot deadline in New Jersey for preschoolers (previously extended from 12/31). Those who don't have the shot will not be allowed to attend preschool or daycare until the flu shot is over (in April).

Today I am angry.

Even though my child will not be removed from school due to legal exempted status, I can only begin to imagine the blow that it would be to her (and me) if she could not go to school or daycare everyday. All over a flu shot?

Are you prepared to homeschool or have alternate child-care arrangements for your preschooler for 3 months? For the special ed population where will they receive their therapies while unable to attend preschool? Since NJ is forcing them out of school will they still provide therapies that they are by law bound to provide to these children who are entitled to a FAPE (free and appropriate public education?). And how much further behind will these children be when they return back to school in April. Will they be so far behind that they will not be ready to attend Kindergarten next year?

*NJ does allow for Religious Exemption or Medical Exemption

Read the steps at the NJ Coalition for Vaccination Choice on what you can do:
http://www.njvaccinationchoice.org/action.html

Visit the NJ Alliance for Informed Choice In Vaccination
http://njaicv.org/

Read My Stance on Vaccination Choice:

...And about those Autism Clusters in Brick Township NJ ....

The Age of Autism re-ran an article today by Mark Blaxill that was written about the "autism clusters" here in Brick Township NJ.

Best of A of A: Part 2, What Did the CDC Know and When Did They Know It?
http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/01/autism-prevalen.html#more


Though I live in Brick Township, we moved here in 2004 - well after all these studies took place. Since these initial "clusters" the population here in Brick of children with autism continues to boom, boom, and boom some more. Many are born here and Many move here because of the reputation for excellent school services.


Related Articles:
Prevalence of Autism in a United States Population: The Brick Township, New Jersey, Investigation
Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry: Public Health Assessment Brick Twp Investigation
U.S. investigates possible autism cluster
ABC news :Autism ‘Cluster’ Investigated
Prevalence of Autism in Brick Township, New Jersey, 1998: Community Report CDC
Possible Autism Cluster - First Ever Documented
The Autism Epidemic

ABC Private Practice airs a 60 minute Vaccine Commercial

Did you watch PRIVATE PRACTICE on ABC 1/8/09 entitled Contamination?

First of all, for those who did not watch. You can go to ABC.com and watch the full episode in a streaming video for free.

While you are there: Take the viewer poll and Vote!
The question is:
Did Arlene have the right to refuse to vaccinate two of her sons?

The episode featured a mom of a vaccine injured child (with autism) who did not vaccinate her 2 younger children. One child gets the measles and sadly dies. In the meantime she is admonished by the doctors and who even mention calling children & family services on her for neglect/abuse because of not vaxing her other children. When her middle child passes away the doctor leaves the room and goes and administers a measles vaccine to her youngest without the mother's consent.

The death of a child is horrific. But the portrayal of the mother in this episode as negligent and abusive is equally as horrifying. And when that doctor gave her child the measles Jab without her permission.... Lawsuit is what I've got to say.


Be sure to visit the National Vaccine Information Center and learn about the Stand Up and Be Counted campaign.

No Forced Vaccination.
Not in America.

EyeWhere - The At Long Last Eyeglass Locator

In 2008: my son got glasses, broke glasses, and lost glasses more times than I care to count.

Read about our eyeglass adventures here. My faithful readers will know that I have spent many a blog post crying out for an eyeglass locator device of some kind. Finally, my prayers were answered when the kind folks at Eyewhere, Inc contacted me to let me know that such a product does indeed exist. EyeWhere is a 2 piece system that consists of a small device you clip onto the temple bar of your glasses, and a remote.

Of course, as my luck would have it the day that we received Eyewhere in the mail, my son had broken his glasses at school. I then went online and ordered him 2 new pair from Zenni Optical while he wore a pair of his spares that were partially broken already. Finally when the spares were bent beyond repair I caved and took him to the local optical place and bought him a new pair on the spot. Of course this meant that the replacements that I'd ordered from Zenni would arrive the next day - and they did. Oh well, so now we are up to 3 pairs of glasses. One I have put away in a safe place and the other 2 pair are floating around the house.

I knew we had to try out the EyeWhere system because Alex is famous for just taking off his glasses and leaving them wherever. My husband set it up so we could try it out and my first observation is that it fits better on glasses like mine where the temple bar is wider. My son wears metal frame (the titanium kind) glasses that have a very thin temples. The Eyewhere apparatus slides onto your frames and is held in place by elastic bands - so on my son's glasses it is a bit too wobbly for my liking. Also, obviously because his glasses are smaller the device is quite obvious when clipped to the side of his frames. This is not so much of a big deal for home use, but for going out in public - not as good. Again, if I were to use this on my glasses it probably wouldn't be any issue since the device would like to be hidden under my hair.

When you lose your glasses, simply click the remote and listen for the beep - look for the flashing light. The beep is very high pitched and not real loud. It runs on 2 watch-sized batteries. I was expecting the alarm to be a bit louder and hope that the makers of Eyewhere would consider making the beep less high pitched and upping the volume!

If you lose your glasses a lot or have a child, like mine, who has autism and is not real good about keeping his glasses on his head... the Eyewhere may just be your answer. Of course, that is only until you lose the remote!

To see the commercial and view the products check out this youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYNcQqjGpYc


EyeWhere costs $44.99 and is sold through the EyeWhere Website

New DVD series helps kids with autism learn emotions

My son Alex has always had a tough time with recognizing and understanding emotions. In the past we have spent a lot of time using visual aids and books, such as Janan Cain's The Way I Feel*, to teach understanding of emotions. I recently learned about a new DVD series developed in the UK by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen from the Autism Research Center at Cambridge University that has been shown to help kids with autism recognize and understand emotions. The DVD series is called The Transporters and is available as of January 12, 2009.

When I saw pics of The Transporters it reminded me of Thomas The Tank Engine and Jay Jay the Jet Plane(transportation vehicles with faces). Alex has been a huge Thomas fan since about 2 years old. Now at age 8, his interests are more varied but Thomas still ranks high.

Great news is that I've been given the opportunity to try out The Transporters with Alex and so we'll be viewing it over the upcoming weeks before sharing our experience with it here at The Bon Bon Gazette.

Learn more about The Transporters:
The idea behind THE TRANSPORTERS is to help children to learn about emotions in a way that they enjoy. THE TRANSPORTERS features characters like toy trains and cable cars because children with autism tend to like mechanical objects that have highly predictable movement, while they shy away from people’s faces, which they find unsettling and unpredictable. By grafting real actors’ faces onto vehicles, the DVD attracts children with autism to look more at human faces and makes it fun and enjoyable to recognize and understand emotions. The DVD took almost three years of research and production effort to create and it has involved children with autism at every stage. [....]
The content-packed DVD consists of 15 five-minute animated stories (75 minutes), 30 interactive quizzes (70 minutes), and a 36-page booklet to help parents, teachers, and caregivers get the most out of the DVD at home and at school. The storyline involves a toy set in a child's bedroom that comes to life when its owner goes to school. Each episode focuses on a different emotion, beginning with the simplest (happy, sad, angry), and moving on to the more complex (proud, disgusted, jealous). THE TRANSPORTERS is aimed at children between 2 and 8 years old.THE TRANSPORTERS is available online for US$57.50 at http://www.thetransporters.com/. 25 percent of profits from sales go to autism research organizations and charities, including Autism Speaks.

How it Works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YbGMwyZv98


View a short 1min clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4yJ3cxT3qs

Watch Episode #1 of The Transporters here


More info at The Transporters website and check back, I'll post our experience with The Transporters in a few weeks.

*Related Link: My Epinions Review of "The Way I Feel"

In My Mind Virtual Book Tour Information

I'm excited to share that I will be part of the Virtual Book Tour for In My Mind.... The book has quickly become a favorite children's book (that's not just for children!) about Autism for me. The book tour will allow Bon Bon Gazette readers to get to know the author Adonya Wong through a series of interview questions, and also a chance to win some really great prizes.

The In My Mind Virtual Book tour will be stopping here on Wednesday January 21, 2009.

Take A look at "In My Mind" to see what happened when I received my autographed copy from Adonya or check out My Epinions.com Review.


Join Adonya as she trots around the globe for autism, visiting various websites and blogs during her first-ever virtual book tour! She will be sharing thoughts about life with autism, writing, the publishing process, and discussing future projects. Along with insightful interviews, you can read reviews of In My Mind and listen to an audio interview by Autism Hangout.

Adonya's "Globe Trottin' for Autism" VBT kicks off January 19 and ends January 29.One lucky reader will win a gift basket containing an autographed copy of her book, a copy of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wish You Knew, packages of Enjoy Life™ and Namaste Foods™ goodies, an eco-friendly cleaning starter kit (Whole Foods® 365™ brand), and (1) $50 Amazon.com gift card!!. This prize is valued at $200!!!

**Simply comment about your relationship with autism, what you are doing to raise awareness, and how In My Mind has touched your life. Be sure to visit all of her stops to qualify for this amazing prize!**

Excerpt:In My Mind, I see many colors, bright like a rainbow, shooting about like comets in the night sky. [turn page] What you see is a child staring into nothing.

Book Tour Schedule:
Monday, January 19: Host: Bonnie Sayers, Autism Family Adventures
Tuesday, January 20: Host: Matt Gilbert, Doctorious.org
Wednesday, January 21: Host: MaryTara Wurmser, The Bon Bon Gazette
Thursday, January 22: Host: Kartina Shanks, The Queen’s Pen
Friday, January 23: Host: Sunshine Boatright, Rawtism
Saturday, January 24: Host: Andrea S., My Autism Insights
Sunday, January 25: Host: Lori Guthrie, Rainbow Project DFW
Monday, January 26: Host: Tim Welsh, Tanner’s Dad’s Blog
Tuesday, January 27: Host: Kari Wolfe, Imperfect Clarity
Wednesday, January 28: Host: Tammy Lessick, Autism Learning Felt
Thursday, January 29: Host: Adonya Wong, Healing... Through the Eyes of Autism

Temple Grandin Video Clips

Some short video clips of Dr. Temple Grandin

*with apologies for shakiness and the fact that peoples big heads kept getting in the way!

Temple Grandin - Animals Make us Human Book Discussion - autism
Temple Grandin on Picky Eaters and Gluten Casein Free diet
Temple Grandin on Inclusion and Teenagers
Temple Grandin about the future of people with Aspergers
Temple Grandin - thoughts about DSMV and "autism gene"
Temple Grandin discussing best therapies for children with autism
Temple Grandin on Echolalia & "video talk"
Temple Grandin on broadening obsession
Temple Grandin on Animals and Children with Autism
Temple Grandin on Adults with Aspergers
Temple Grandin discusses stimming -Autism

Temple Grandin on Autism Inclusion and the "R" word

Temple Grandin talked about inclusion for kids with autism and the pros & cons. One area of concern she talks about is what happens during the teen years, especially for "smart aspergers kids". She referred to high school as a pressure cooker. Looking back on my own high school experience where I was popular AND and I also attended a private girls school, I do know what she means by pressure cooker.

Thinking about my Alex... well, he is only 8 and Bullying and teasing has been an issue for us already, so I do worry about what will happen come middle and high school.

In this short clip Dr. Grandin shares how she was thrown out of school because she threw a book at another girl as a reaction to being called the R word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5MPh2JiVNo

Temple Grandin on Picky Eaters and GFCF diet

The topic of Picky Eaters is universal for parents, but especially so for children with Autism.

As a baby and toddler my son ate everything in the sight. He was very adventurous and loved to try out new foods - even foods that are not exactly your typical "kid cuisine". But by the time he hit age two, he had self limited down to eating only a few things - he could live on yogurt, pizza and chicken nuggets. One of the goals when we put him onto the gfcf diet was to get more nutritous foods into him and hopefully expand his horizons. In addition to seeing improvements in his behavior, sleep, and bathroom diets - we have seen him become a bit more adventurous with eating though he is still quite picky.

Last night at the Temple Grandin book signing one of the audience members asked about picky eaters and she gave some advice on how to get a child to eat more foods suggesting that it could be sensory. And, though she did not advocate a child playing with food at the dining room table to maybe let them "play" or experience some foods away from the table. She also suggested using a favorite food on the plate as well as the adversive food with the promise of the favorite food when the adversive was consumed. She also mentioned the gluten and casein free diet and how 20% do well on the diet - stressing that the diet is not a cure.

Here's a short video clip with advice for dealing with Picky Eaters from Temple Grandin:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyYSwQVK0zY

Temple Grandin - Animals Make us Human

Temple Grandin discussing her latest book Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals.

Temple answers the question: Did Autism help me work with animals?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LPfCXH7amE

Temple Grandin Book Signing: Animals Make Us Human

Tonight I had the amazing opportunity to go to a book signing with Dr. Temple Grandin for her latest book, Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals. The event took place at the Barnes & Noble in Hamilton, New Jersey.

The talk lasted for about an hour in which Dr. Grandin addressed so many facets including her books, animal behavior, autism, and her own life. The crowd in attendance was definitely split among 2 crowds - animals vs. autism. I was impressed how Dr. Grandin fielded audience questions and how she wove the animal questions into autism questions and vice versa.

I found her to be so very fascinating to listen to and an hours time literally flew by. The most surprising thing about tonight for me was that Temple Grandin has a really wicked sense of humor. This I was just not expecting at all. One such moment was early into her talk someone had a smartphone out and she asked them if they were texting or emailing (they claimed they were taking notes) and it was a moment akin to a teacher catching a student passing notes in class. In fact, it made me so nervous as I sat there with my Flip Mino like I was going to get in trouble for recording the session. I was in about the 4th of 5th row back and wasn't being covert about it at all. The people at Barnes & Noble saw me and several times my friend and I were absolutely certain of it that Dr. Grandin was focusing right on me with the recorder. I certainly hope it didn't make her uncomfortable at all - she addressed multiple times about how she really disliked the overhead flourescent lighting. I'll be uploading the video that I took from the event soon.

In the meantime - learn about Animals Make Us Human:

A couple of pictures from the Temple Grandin book signing 1/9/09

Autism Prefers the Left Hand

Studies have shown that people with Autism spectrum disorder are more likely to be left-handed than the neurotypical population. But, this is not the case in my family. My husband is left-handed and I'm right-handed. Alex, who is autistic, is positively right handed. There was a time when we wondered if he'd be a lefty but the right hand won over. Now, Belle, the NT diva is shaping up to be left handed. She eats, grasps and tends to do most everything left. We do sometimes see a little switching of hands but a definite preference for left is making my lefty hubby quite proud.

So, as for the autism/left-handed correlation - this is a FAIL for us.


What about you?

Interesting reading:
Left or Right?

Journal Article: Hand preference and hand skill in children with autism

Autism Goes to the Movies

When my son was a toddler I used to take his carseat into the movie theatre so he could sit in a familiar seat, strapped in, during movies. A friend of mine taught me this trick because her son who had ADHD had difficulty in the movies. At the time, my son wasn't yet diagnosed with Autism but we knew "something was up" and he was in the various stages for evaluation. After receiving the diagnosis there was a period of time we just avoided going to movies in general. His behavior in movies was extremely disruptive and an unpredictable and with the cost of movies in theatres being as they are (pricey) we aired on the side of caution. Movies on DVD worked out better since they could be paused, stopped, played over and over, and fast-forwarded on demand - all while he was wearing only underpants.

As Alex got a little older we ventured back into the theatres. The lure of the big screen and popcorn as well as the ending credits was something that he clearly enjoyed. Movies no longer became a big ordeal for us and instead became a fun family outing - though not without some shaky (and funny) moments. I think I'll always remember him standing up on his chair in Madagascar, he was 4 at the time and announcing loudly "His name is Alex (referring to the lion in the movie), MY name is Alex!" My first reaction of course was to get him down off of the seat but what I really wanted to do was jump up and down and cheer for his revelation of sorts. Go Alex!

Fast forward, many many kiddie flicks later. We enter today's movie adventure. Somehow we missed Madagascar II in the movies, and he picked to see BOLT instead before the holidays hit. So, now today - post holiday I asked Alex if he'd like to go to the movies. He asked for Madagascar II but I explained to him that it was no longer in theatres. He took it better than I expected (phew). Instead, I thought he might want to go see The Tale of Desperaux but to my surprise he selected Bedtime Stories. He'd watched the trailers, and seen the gumballs falling from the sky - he wanted Bedtime Stories. Bedtime Stories it was. He even surprised me further by going online and looking up the movie times for the closest theatre. It shouldn't really surprise me that he did this 1) he has the movie theatre entered in my GPS and 2) he can use google - but when he does stuff like this, I'm impressed.

So, earlier in the day I had received an email from the ASA (Autism Society of America) about their Sensory Films program. Apparently they have teamed up with AMC theatres and are sponsoring a showing where the lights won't be as dim, the sound won't be as loud, and kids not in their seats, no "silence is golden" policy, no previews etc. The Sensory Films day this month is Bedtime Stories and taking place on January 3rd at participating theatres. Its a cool concept, and one that we definitely could have used when Alex was a little bit younger, during that time when we avoided movies entirely. But, for now, most of what Alex seems to enjoy the most is what they cut out (he likes the dark, loud volume, and adores the previews & trailers). We want to teach him that he needs to sit quietly (relatively) and not that it is ok to jump around out of his seat. So, for us - I think the Sensory Films isn't what we need. I'm happy to say, we are "past" this stage - that is exciting.

And yet, we did hit a bit of a snag today.. just a tiny snag, if you will. At the end of Bedtime Stories the entire audience (except for my family) applauded. I don't remember the last movie I went to that the audience clapped at the end of. Usually as soon as the movie ends and the credits start rolling people start barrelling out and we stay there as Alex absolutely under no certain terms has to watch every movie credit before leaving. Today, everyone clapped. And, while Alex has done much better lately (with kudos to wii therapy) about clapping, its not guaranteed. They clapped, he screamed. He turned around and wacked at his seat. The movie patron behind us flipped out, and she called my son names. It wasn't a child behind my son - it was an adult..a grown woman, much older than I am - probably old enough to be my parent. Mean old lady!

Now, in the only defense of this rude granny (I am really being far too kind calling her that) she did have a young child with her around my son's age. Maybe she thought my son was going to harm the child, and the child did seem startled by Alex's short outburst. I asked the little girl if she was OK and she nodded yes. I told Alex he couldn't yell and he stopped. He yelled for probably 3 seconds tops and probably the only ones who heard it were those seated immediately around us. The movie was over and people were clapping, he wasn't "adding to the soundtrack" or defeating any "silence is golden" type of rule. Sure, he shouldn't have screamed but maybe people just shouldn't have clapped either. Whatever. Done and over. We've learned when he 'loses it' from a clapping episode it is quick and easily redirected. As I said, 3 seconds.

Unfortunately the rude granny made it way more than what it was. She decided to call my son names - not nice ones. She's really lucky that there were kids around and that I have a cold because had I had a moment to digest what she said and respond accordingly it could have gotten very very ugly.

Instead, I found myself apologizing for my son's behavior because he has autism. I'm mad at myself, looking back on this. Sorry???? shaking my head. Yes, I am sorry that the little girl was scared (possibly). But - and that is a BIG but - the names and words this old lady used to describe my son (rotten, being one of them)... were way way out of line and completely uncalled for.

So, to the mean bitty sitting behind me

.... meet Autism.

It sometimes sucks and sometimes bites but it sure as heck is not Rotten

Autism is not the Tragedy.
Ignorance is the Tragedy.