Non-scary Halloween

For many kids, Halloween is a frighteningly fun holiday. One that is filled with costumed friends and lots of sweet candy. There are kids however, who find Halloween daunting. The masks, the tricks, even the candy can be intimidating and horrifying. Halloween is so mystifying for some kiddos that they would rather not participate at all than deal with so many things they don't understand.

B is a kiddo who enjoys Halloween to a point. He enjoys the fun of dressing up and getting candy, but does NOT like to be scared. He does not enjoy scream masks, ghouls, or bloody faces or axes. He may be bothered some during the day by these scary costumes, but at night for a week, he'll be sure he's seeing things in his room, in the mirror, down the hall. He knows it's his imagination working overtime, but that doesn't stop the startling fear that someone or something might hurt him or his family.

Good thing, that there are now activities and non-scary places where kids and families can go without being afraid of what they may see there. One of those places is the Enchanted Forest in Independence, MO. The family can go and see skits and interact with story book characters. Other options are the popular Trunk or Treats that many churches have for the community. If you have a kiddo who prefers non-scary Halloween, that's okay. There are ways to make it work so they can have fun too!

Review of Dr. Scholl's Fast Flats

A while back, my hubby texted me that while at Walgreens I should pick up a pair of Dr. Scholl's For Her Fast Flats. I had seen them advertised on TV, and since I enjoy going barefoot or wearing minimalist footwear I thought I'd give them a try as an everyday minimalist shoe.

Just a little insight into why I don't wear more traditional shoes: About seven years ago I was diagnosed with tendinitis in my toes from wearing shoes that were either too tight or had a heel. The recommendation from the doc was to wear round or square toed flats. I also found as a special education teacher that I needed to be able to wear shoes that I could easily run in. So that is when I stopped wearing most heels and started wear minimalist footwear.

So here is what happened when I wore them and how the shoes held up:

Style
The shoes are a cute ballet slipper type. They have a bow over the toe box and have a leathery feel. There is an elastic band sewn into the top of the heel which allows you to put on and take off the shoes easily. The band also helps the shoes stay on without slipping. The shoes look a lot like many of the other ballet slipper types out there, and most people wouldn't know that they're Fast Flats unless you tell them or they have some of their own. I did notice that Fast Flats only come in black. At least, this only color available where I bought mine. That's not really a problem unless your wanting brown or gray or any other color. ;-)

Quality

I've worn the shoes nearly every day since I purchased them. The quality isn't what I had hoped for. I'm one of those people who keeps shoes as long as I can, and if I really like them, I wear them, A LOT! After having them for just a few weeks, I am disappointed in the quality of the shoes. They are showing wear around the toe box where the sole and body are sewn together. In most places it's just the covering wearing off, but at the ball of my large toe, the seem is actually splitting (pictured below). :-(


Keep in mind, however, that these shoes are NOT meant to be regular footwear. They are intended as a "club to car" shoe with limited long-term use. That said, it's not overly surprising that they're not terribly durable, but it's worth noting IF you're considering these for more everyday use.

Cost

The shoes are relatively cost effective (at a suggested price of $12.99 USD), but like I said earlier, I like my shoes to LAST! I also like a good bargain and rarely pay more than $20 for a pair of shoes. (Since I often go barefoot, that doesn't tend to be a problem.) The Fast Flats were $12.50 where I bought them in a suburb of Kansas City. M: Other retailers have been found that sell them for $9.99. Dr. Scholl's does offer a money back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the Fast Flats.

Fit and Comfort

Seeing that these shoes are similar to slippers, I expected them to fit well right away. That's not exactly what happened. At first glance, the Fast Flats appeared to be non-foot specific. When my hubby put them on me, they felt awkward right away and the toe box pinched. After I switched them, I realized they are foot specific and the awkwardness went away. Unfortunately, they still pinched my toes and felt too small for my feet. I normally wear between a 4 and a 6 so I bought the 5/6. I thought it was pretty strange that the shoes felt too small and almost went back to the store to buy the 7/8. I decided to wait and see if the shoes began to feel better with time, and I just needed to "break them in." Even now, my toes feel slightly pinched. I did trim my toe nails (they were not exceeding long) and that helped them feel less tight on the tips of my toes. My feet are pretty average width, and I'm not sure that Fast Flats would fit well on someone with narrow or wide feet. There are a variety of sizes, but I didn't see any that were mad specifically for someone who does not have average foot width.

Barefoot Sensation and Movement

The soles on the Fast Flats are remarkably flexible and thin and yet don't pierce easily. My first real trial wearing the Fast Flats was at my husband's work picnic where the trails were gravel. The soles were thin enough to make it feel almost as though I wasn't wearing shoes at all, yet thick enough to not be pierced by the rocks. When we arrived home that evening, my feet hurt and I chose to wear a different pair of shoes the next day that had a thicker, cushier sole. The sole does have traction on the bottom, and sliding has not been problem like with other footwear. They are also thin enough to feel the different temperatures and wetness.

I wore Fast Flats on a Saturday to one of my husband's races. The pavement was quite warm (80+ degrees F outside) and the soles of my feet felt rather warm too. Not really uncomfortable, but noticeably warm. When shopping in the grocery store, the freezer section made my feet uncomfortably cold. I also accidentally stepped in a puddle which made my foot damp. It wasn't too bad, but somewhat irritating.

Extras

Dr. Scholl's For Her Fast Flats come with a small gold purse that the slippers are literally rolled into cylinders to fit into. This is how the shoes are packaged and how they are purchased. It would be difficult to try these on before purchasing, but as noted earlier, you can receive a full refund if you're not satisfied. You would not, however, have a place to put your heels when switching to Fast Flats as shown in the commercial. The gold purse is stylish and has a small pocket inside perfect for your license and cash. I can fit my cell phone, clip on sun glasses case, and a package of Tic Tacs in mine. My wallet and keys are too big, but I suppose I could take my car and house keys off the ring and slide them in the small pocket as well. The purse has a small wrist handle to make it easier to hang onto it.

Final Words

Honestly, I've never been in the club scene. I'm sure these shoes would be good for giving your feet a break while dancing and clubbing and general indoor use. Since I am usually barefoot indoors, I only really wore the Fast Flats outdoors which is probably why they started to wear in just a few weeks. For me, Fast Flats are ideal for a "back-up" shoe in places where I can't go barefoot. I can simply roll them up in the purse and keep them in my glove compartment to use when the need arises. Fast Flats are a fair quality, cute shoe. I'm not sure they're the best minimalist shoe because of the toe pinching and lack of quality when wearing them out doors, but I did enjoy wearing them until them I wore them out.

School Days

The beginning of school causes major anxiety in my house, or at least in my stomach. Last year was almost too good to be true. For the first time in 4 years, B had a classroom teacher who truly enjoyed having him in class, not just a teacher who tolerated him. (The previous years were bad dream after bad dream with some nightmares mixed in.) The only other teacher that enjoyed B was his gifted teacher at his former school district. Last year he changed schools and it made a huge difference. He never had to be sent out of the room for melt-downs, he usually finished his work and didn't have to go the principal! It was an AMAZING year!!!

So now it's the beginning of 4th grade. Same school, new teacher. The principal and third grade teacher feel that this teacher is a good fit, but I've heard that before and last time it didn't work out so well. (Not that I'm wanting for things to go wrong, I just don't want to get my hopes up just to have them dashed again.) He came home from school and told me the 1st day was so-so. The teacher talked a lot and he fell asleep. His teacher told him he should go to bed earlier. (Probably not such a bad idea. Then again it could be all the talking. B tends to tune out when there's too much talk and sometimes it puts him to sleep.) He also seems concerned about the new schedule. Something about math being both before and after lunch and then recess. My concern is they have changed the specials to a block schedule, so instead of having PE and music twice a week, they'll have them once a week. (I don't know if they increase the time of specials though.) I believe PE is every "B" day. For most kids this will still work out because they have recess every day, but for B, having a place to expend energy is imperative. Without it, tics become worse, he can't sit still and melt downs can become a regular occurrence. (Third grade teacher worked breaks into her daily schedule which, I think, was probably what really made the year go well for him.)

Last year the school had an information night the first or second week of school. (That's where we find out where B is sitting and get the handbook and how much homework there will be, etc.) Although B has already informed me that there will be a homework packet every week. Woo hoo!! That's what every kid needs when coming home from working all day is more of the exact same kind of work when he/she comes home. (At least when I was teaching, the work I did at home was different!) I understand why teachers give homework and that there is that notorious test near the end of the year that determines if teachers are good at teaching, but for a kid like B, this is a HUGE waste of time and causes arguments and melt-downs almost daily! Then you have the issues of eating supper and getting ready for bed. Let's just say that I have learned a tremendous amount of what it's like for parents with special needs kiddos than I ever knew as a sped teacher. Anyway... time for me to get off my falling apart, neglected, soap box. We put him in public school, we have to deal with it!

On a somewhat separate note, a pet peeve for me is when a person (teacher, doctor, family member) pretends or insinuates knowledge on a subject to not look "dumb" rather than admitting ignorance and willingness to learn. At meet the teacher night, B's new teacher acted as though she knew about Tourette Syndrome and OCD characteristics and such, only for us to find out from last years teacher that she really doesn't know anything. UGHHHH!!!! We won't be upset that you don't know. Ignorance does not equal stupidity. Ignorance has the ability to change through education and leaning, stupidity is knowing and not caring! Please ask questions!!!!! We don't bite, and we want our son to be successful! We want the year to go well for you and him. Here's hoping for an enjoyable and successful school year for B and us. I hope all of you who are starting a new school year, whether public, private, home, or unschooling, have a fantastic time watching your children learn!

Remember, God smiles upon His children even when we don't see it!
Glenda

Taco Salad

So, I've been craving a taco salad lately. The light, crispy shell with beans, meat, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, black olives, salsa, and guacamole. YUM!!! Only problem is, it takes a while to put it all together and I can't be sure my family will enjoy it. I want the kids to try new foods, healthy foods, but sometimes the battle is exhausting.

Anyone with kids knows that new foods can be a struggle, but you add a 2 1/2 yr.old and kiddo with Tourette Syndrome to the mix, and dinner can feel more like war zone than a sweet family eating and talking about their day.

This is when all I can do is hope and pray that all goes well. That I make everything in a timely manner and that the kids don't throw fits when they hear taco salad before they even see or taste it.

God bless!
Glenda

Summer Reading Program 2010

Let me begin with a little back ground information, our local libraries have sponsored a summer reading program for as long as I can remember. My sister and I were a part of it as kids and thoroughly enjoyed reading during the summer and earning free books. My nine year old has been a part of the program every summer as well and felt proud at every list he filled and every book he earned. He especially enjoyed putting his name on the wall every time he completed a book list. So when I heard the summer reading program was beginning May 24, I naturally signed all three of my kids up, expecting them to earn books this summer by reading 20 picture books or 10 chapter books for each list. (For the little ones, it has always been listening to books.)

A few days ago, we visited the library and I picked up a notice about the reading program. To my surprise it has been totally changed for 2010. Instead the number of books read, it is the hours read. Instead of keeping a paper copy, the lists are completed on-line.

Obviously, the on-line part is not difficult me, but what about those who do not have internet access at home. Their alternative is to keep record on paper, and have a librarian fill in the minutes and titles of books. This seems like a waste of a librarian's time, in my opinion, and could very well deter many parents from allowing their kids to participate in the program this year. Even for parents who do have internet access, many do not have the time to put in the information on a regular basis, where as a paper list barely took any time at all.

I mentioned that this summer the library is asking for minutes read instead of books. How many minutes? 360 minutes, per list! That's six hours of reading or listening that must be achieved to earn the incentive. And this year, only 3 incentives may be earned. (In the past, it was five.) Now for my son, who loves to read, reaching a total of 18 hours reading to earn 3 incentives will probably not be an issue. But when I was speaking to the librarian about signing up my daughters (2 yrs. and 9 mo) she didn't seem to0 confident that they would even reach one goal of 6 hours of listening, but as she said, they have all summer to do it, so maybe.

Why did the library make such a drastic change to the reading program? Money, kids who weren't able to complete a list due to special needs, lack of staff to work the table. I don't know, but I'm sure that the new approach isn't right for all kids either. My suggestion would be to keep the old and the new, just separate it by age. For non-readers or kiddos going into kindergarten and younger, the old way (listen to 20 books to earn an incentive). For 1st grade and up, the new way (read 6 hours to earn an incentive.)

As a sped teacher, I found that society is constantly trying to make a level playing field. We need to make everyone feel good in the same way. But that doesn't work. It hasn't worked in schools, and I have a feeling, it's not going to work for the reading program either.

I did sign the kids up, and so far we're not doing too badly. My 9 yr old is already have way through his first incentive, and would have completed it by now if it weren't for the fact that they have to read library books and not books from other sources. The girls are at about 4% toward their goal. When each book takes an average of 3 minutes to read, and their average attention span is about 3 minutes, it's going to take a while.

Oh well, guess it's time to go read!

Welcome!

Well, I'm new to blogging. I know it's been around for a while, but I haven't been brave enough to try it out, so here goes. This blog will be a mish-mash. I won't have just one topic or subject that I will blog about, but several. It will probably depend on the day and what I've been spending my time doing.

Let me tell you a little about myself... I'm a mom of three of wonderful children, 9 years, 2 1/2 years, and 9 months. My children have taught me more about life, love, and patience than I could have expected. I have worked in education for 7 years, but am a stay-at-home right now. I do miss teaching, but I try to take the opportunity to "teach" my kids in every life. I enjoy researching different topics and advocating for children with special needs and illnesses. I also have my own business both as an independent Avon representative and as a creator of crochet projects on artfire.com If you're interested in seeing what projects I have made so far look up treasures from home.

I am on twitter and have enjoyed getting to know others tweeters!
I hope you will enjoy my blogs!
God Bless!