As much as possible, stay organized and try to fit in some flexibility wherever possible.  Often, a better camp opportunity may come up after you’ve just booked one.  You want to be able to cancel if needed and get your funds back.

As you figure out what to do with your kids while you work, here are some resources to consider:

Colorado Kids

Denver Post 2012 Summer Camps Listing (Part 1)

Summer Camps 2012:  Day Camps – Part 2

Mile Hi Mamas – recommendations

Some sites will allow you to create a “scheduler,” which will allow you to select different camps the company offers to fill in your time.  An example is Colorado Academy.  An option to consider to fill in gaps between camps can be to utilize your area’s recreation center.  Many offer summer programs that you can take advantage of weekly, part-time or drop-in at affordable prices.  This can give you some flexibility as well since you can pick and choose the days you may want your child to attend.  Maybe there is a particular field trip that interests your child.

Unfortunately, many camps and other summer activities are filling up, so act fast!

The most obvious way to save money if it applies to you is to stop paying someone else to do it for you.  There are many way to efficiently clean your house and save money at the same time.  As a bonus, you will be burning more calories and losing weight.

Here are some tips to get you started with saving money on your house cleaning:

• Use mild dish soap or water for general cleaning around the house.  Mild dish soap can clean most areas of your home such as your kitchen and carpet stains.  Hot water also works well on carpet stains.
• Buy in bulk and use store coupons.  Being a member of a warehouse club like Costco or Sam’s Club can help save money on cleaning products.  It is ok to buy cleaning products in bulk since they have a long shelf life.
• Clean regularly to avoid having bigger messes that are harder to clean later.  As soon as you see a spill or mess, clean it up.
• Use reusable cloths whenever possible.  When clothes become unusable, cut them up to use as rags around the house rather than using paper towels.  Use dish cloths for wiping counters and spills instead of paper towels.
• Simplify your supplies by buying products that can do double duty.  Maybe a cleanser can clean the kitchen and bathrooms including the toilet bowls, tubs and sinks.
• Reuse grocery plastic bags as liners for your trash cans.  You are also helping the environment by reusing any plastic bags.
• Wash your laundry in cold water and line dry whenever possible.  This will save money on utilities.
• Run the dishwasher only when it is full.  This will save on your utility bills and make the process of taking dishes in and out of the dishwasher more efficient since you will do it less often.
• Make your own cleaning supplies using items you have around the house like baking soda and vinegar.  Baking soda can also be used to reduce odors anywhere by placing some in a small glass jar half full.
• Reduce clutter.  When you have less stuff, you have less stuff to clean and maintain, saving you time and money.  Buying less stuff also saves your money.  Selling some of your current stuff also brings in more money!
• Have your kids help.  Your kids learn responsibility and you save money on hiring cleaners!

What you also realize with the diagnosis is that you have a new part-time, unpaid and frustrating job.  You seek out help only to get resistance.  Your insurance company will tell you services are not covered that you find out later should be.  Schools will try to find the quickest way to get your child’s IEP done if they do it at all.  For anything you hope to accomplish, you must push, prod, strategize and fight at times.

All of this will leave you exhausted at different levels.  You will realize that along with the diagnosis, you needed a mentor to help you navigate this new unpaved path.  You soon realize that priority one may be to find support from those who have already tried to muddle their way through this difficult path.

CDC Report

Within a few minutes, I could smell fumes from the pot.  I put on ventilators, put could still smell it.  My daughter soon got up from her nap and complained of being tired and sick.  Later, she vomited.  It is possible she picked up a bug from preschool, but it is also possible she developed symptoms from the fumes of the non-stick cookware.

I had purchased a better cookware set within the year and was aware of not heating up an empty pot due to potential fumes.  At this point, I did not want to risk accidentally having this occur ever again.  After doing some research, I decided to go with cast-iron and purchased some reasonably-priced cookware from Target.  I will also use stainless steel and glass for baking.  I have some steel cookware and will eventually replace my bakeware.

Do the research for yourself and make the best choice for yourself.  There is much on-line regarding the topic.  I did not want to risk even the constant emmission from regular everyday cooking with teflon and potential carcinogenic effects.  The addition of extra iron from cooking on cast-iron was attractive and am beginning to love using the pans for their even controlled heating as well.

My amazing kids

There was an interesting article in The New York Times recently (published 1/19/12) about autism.  According to the article, the definition of autism is being modified, which would mean some would not meet the criteria for the diagnosis.

<Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and might make it harder for many people who would no longer meet the criteria to get health, educational and social services, a new analysis suggests.

The definition is now being reassessed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association, which is completing work on the fifth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the first major revision in 17 years. The D.S.M., as the manual is known, is the standard reference for mental disorders, driving research, treatment and insurance decisions. Most experts expect that the new manual will narrow the criteria for autism; the question is how sharply.

The results of the new analysis are preliminary, but they offer the most drastic estimate of how tightening the criteria for autism could affect the rate of diagnosis. For years, many experts have privately contended that the vagueness of the current criteria for autism and related disorders like Asperger syndrome was contributing to the increase in the rate of diagnoses — which has ballooned to one child in 100, according to some estimates.

The psychiatrists’ association is wrestling with one of the most agonizing questions in mental health — where to draw the line between unusual and abnormal — and its decisions are sure to be wrenching for some families. At a time when school budgets for special education are stretched, the new diagnosis could herald more pitched battles. Tens of thousands of people receive state-backed services to help offset the disorders’ disabling effects, which include sometimes severe learning and social problems, and the diagnosis is in many ways central to their lives. Close networks of parents have bonded over common experiences with children; and the children, too, may grow to find a sense of their own identity in their struggle with the disorder.

The proposed changes would probably exclude people with a diagnosis who were higher functioning. “I’m very concerned about the change in diagnosis, because I wonder if my daughter would even qualify,” said Mary Meyer of Ramsey, N.J. A diagnosis of Asperger syndrome was crucial to helping her daughter, who is 37, gain access to services that have helped tremendously. “She’s on disability, which is partly based on the Asperger’s; and I’m hoping to get her into supportive housing, which also depends on her diagnosis.”

The new analysis, presented Thursday at a meeting of the Icelandic Medical Association, opens a debate about just how many people the proposed diagnosis would affect.

The changes would narrow the diagnosis so much that it could effectively end the autism surge, said Dr. Fred R. Volkmar, director of the Child Study Center at the Yale School of Medicine and an author of the new analysis of the proposal. “We would nip it in the bud.”>

This is more interesting and personal to me because exactly a week ago, my thirteen year-old son was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.  I wonder if he was tested in a year, whether he would meet the criteria.  This comes six months after hearing of my two year-old’s diagnosis of high-functioning autism.  I am still trying to understand the full scope of what she has and what I can do to address it.  I now need to do the same for my son.

Today is interesting and unique because I have a meeting this afternoon to work on my daughter’s IEP (Individual Education Plan) with the district, while a meeting for the same is occurring for my son at his school.  I need to be focused on my daughter’s 12-page IEP for now so I can best advocate for her.  Soon I will need to shift my focus on the specifics of my son’s plan.  It is quite a mental shift to think about what a preschooler needs and then what a teen needs.

1.  Keep your hands clean!

Make sure to wash your hands whenever possible and keep sanitizer handy.  Even when you are getting together with friends and family instead of going to the mall, you still need to make sure you keep your hands washed frequently and before eating.

2.  Stay hydrated!

Keeping your body hydrated with plenty of water keeps your system less susceptible to viruses.  Water is necessary for our body and mind to function at optimum level and most people don’t get enough.  It is an easy fix!  Always have some with you.

3.  Get enough sleep

Getting at least 6-7 hours of sleep will allow your body to repair itself better and fight sickness.  Make sleep a priority and do what you need to make sure you get enough.  This might mean you need to cut down on alcohol, caffeine or sugar to sleep better.  Make certain your environment and bed-time routine enables you to get the best sleep.  Make sure to get enough sunshine daily to help your body have enough melatonin to help sleep.

4.  Eat healthy

Eating a healthy diet will ensure that your body is getting all the supplements it needs to be healthy and have all the supplements it needs.  It never hurts to take supplements such as vitamin c and zinc as insurance, but keep in mind they do not replace eating well.  The holidays can pose a challenge to our efforts to eat well.  This might mean you need to eat healthy prior to an event or make a commitment to eat small portions of foods that do not help your immune system.

5.  Get enough exercise

Exercise reduces stress and maintains a stronger immune system, making you less prone to illness.  Get out there to burn some calories and boost your spirits at the same time.  Try yoga at home or partner up with a friend to take an aerobic class at your local gym.

“Meditation is the practice of going inward to access awareness that is deeper than thought.  Meditation isn’t just a time for peace and quiet, although both are needed.  You are returning to your source.  Make it your habit to find time alone, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening, in which you can close your eyes and go inside.

There are many forms of meditation.  A simple but effective one is meditation on the heart.  Sit quietly for a moment, placing your attention on your heart, at the center of your chest under the breastbone.  When you are settled, repeat the word “peace” silently, and see its influence radiating out from your body in all directions.  Do this three times, and then say the word “happiness” the same way. Repeat three times, then go on to “harmony,” “laughter” and “love.”

For longer meditations, you can use these words for as long as you like.  Start with five minutes a session and work up to half an hour.  Sit quietly for a few minutes after each session with eyes closed and simply appreciate the simplicity of quiet awareness.”

Source:  Deepak Chopra

The results were primarily that there was a speech delay.   She then began to see a speech therapist and occupational therapist.  This service will end when she turns 3 in February.  Soon she will have an evaluation to see if she qualifies for services through the district once she is 3.

Earlier in the year, concerns had been brought up by a therapist regarding autism.  The ball to have her evaluated for the disorder started rolling and was blocked repeatedly by her insurance.  After much pushing and coordination between Child Find and myself with Maya’s insurance, she was given a referral to be evaluated.

I filled out a mountain of paperwork and waited for her evaluation on June 24.  We were lucky to not have had to wait too long, as many people wait a while on a long wait list.  As the evaluation approached, we heard increasingly that she did not seem to have the disorder.  I was just glad to be able to rule it out.  This of course made the actual diagnosis of her having high-functioning autism even more mind-boggling.  Every day, we look at her wondering if there was a mistake – at times it seems it was, and at others it achingly does not.

The material and books to read and learn about autism are immense and daunting.  How does a parent even find the time when we are overwhelmed and exhausted from the extra effort involved in raising a child with autism?  What little I have managed to read so far stands out with the message to look at my daughter specifically as the wonderful human being I know her to be and to learn directly from her about her and not get worried or weighed down by a label.

More shopping is done on-line, saving fuel, and there is consideration of electronic holiday greetings/cards rather than hard-copy using snail mail.  Some are opting to make cards using recycled materials.

Some green (and inexpensive) gift ideas include offering services such as massage or your own special talent.  This could be a painting you’ve created, special edible treats, babysitting or house cleaning.  How about a baking mix with instructions or a spice mixture you have created?  I have created my own chai mix with loose tea and spices.  Another creative and treasured idea is to videotape elderly parents or grandparents about their childhood memories along with their photos and heirlooms while they discuss them.

You could designate a dollar limit on gifts, prompting everyone to get creative and maybe end up with the added result of humor.  The lower the limit, such as a dollar or two from a thrift shop, could end up with even more humor.  And of course, less ends up in the land fill.

Resources for a greener holiday:

www.simpleliving.org

www.altgifts.org

www.consciousconsumer.org

www.giveforchange.com

www.coopamerica.org

www.tenthousandvillages.org

www.newdream.org/holiday

www.treehugger.com

www.ucsusa.org/publications/greentips/1203-tips-for-a-merry.html

http://frugalplanet.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/frugality-not-just-for-the-poor/