March 2012 - Journeying Outside My Box

Thought Bubble vs Talk Bubble

March 28, 2025 By Rebekah 1

For some time now, Picasso has been working on a certain concept in his Speech therapy.

Thought Bubble:

vs. Talk Bubble:

See the difference? The Talk Bubble has solid, well formed edges. The Thought Bubble is more nebulous with ‘niches’ for things to bump around inside.

Picasso has lots of things that bounce around in his mind - all sorts of creative ideas, possibilities, actions. The problem is transferring his plans, thoughts, and ideas into actual conversation. So his speech therapist has been using the Thought Bubble vs Talk Bubble as a reminder that while it’s in his head, she doesn’t know what it is because he’s not expressing it to her. She commented on some moderate success.

We began implementing this at home, to some extent, and have seen a great response to it. We don’t use it always, or even often, just sometimes, as we see need. But it makes a huge difference to be consistent across home and therapy, in things like this.

On Monday, we had a huge success. He was working with some clay in his Speech session and he was building his “creation” while the therapist built hers. He seemed intrigued by what she was making and asked, “Would you put your Thought Bubble into your Talk Bubble and share your plan with me?” SUPER cool! She was thrilled that he was able to use that to ask her a question about what she was doing. It serves as a reminder for him, but he’s now starting to carry it over into regular conversation and realize that others have a Thought Bubble and a Talk Bubble as well, and unless we ask for things to be put into the Talk Bubble, we may not know what their thoughts are.

Additionally, he identified another of his own emotions on Monday - anger. We haven’t heard too many of the “good emotions” yet - happy, playful, silly, funny. But we’ve heard frustrated, anxious and angry. Those - especially anxious - can be tough to internalize, and he’s described his feelings using those words, correctly, at least once. It’s great to see such progress!

Thought Bubble Source

Talk Bubble Source

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Starting Small

March 27, 2025 By Rebekah 4

This is the first post for the new blog. A small joy which I love is feeding my family well. That often means healthy foods, fruits & veggies, and other good foods they enjoy.

Sometimes, though, feeding my family well just means giving them a tasty snack like warm chocolate chip cookies, right out of the oven. Yum!

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Filed Under: family focused

Character Traits

March 23, 2025 By Rebekah 2

Helpful. Honest. Brave. Kind. Funny. Wise.

These were the character traits for Picasso’s assignment. He was to complete 2 sentences which said, “I am _____ because I _____.” He needed to choose one of those character traits for the first blank and then give a reason why for the second blank. The third sentence said, “Here is a picture of me being _____.” Fill in the blank & draw a picture.

I could immediately think of so many possible outcomes for this assignment and thought it would be a lot of fun for him!

For example:

I am helpful because I put away my own laundry. Or -

I am honest because I can tell the truth. Or -

I am brave because I can go upstairs by myself now. Or -

I am kind because I help my sister clean up her room sometimes. Or -

I am funny because I tell great jokes. Or -

I am wise because I know a lot of things.

In my excitement at how fun I thought this assignment might be for him, I forgot that, at the core, this is a multi-step task:

*Understand the assignment

*Focus on Sentence #1

*Choose a word from word bank for first blank

{And this is where it fell apart. Why? Because he struggles to understand emotions. He struggles to understand how to express emotions AND to understand how he feels in any type of emotional situation. He struggles to understand (let alone describe) himself in terms of “traits” of any type - emotional, physical, character, or otherwise.}

*Come up with a reason to go along with the word he chose for the first blank (and write it, which involves thinking through the words, organizing the words, then attempting to spell them) - but not just “choose” a reason; rather, think through all sorts of things he’s done in life and try to match something he’s done with one of these traits

*Continue to sentence #2

*Choose new word from word bank for first blank

*Choose new reason for second blank (and write it, organizing words and then spelling them)

*Choose a word for the third sentence

*Sort through things he’s done in life to match an appropriate activity with that word

*Draw a picture (to his own liking…there was a lot of erasing)

He tried to choose “helpful” twice. For sentence two, he tried to add the word “also” before the first blank so that he wouldn’t have to think of other traits and reasons - he had a good thing going on with “helpful” and wanted to continue on that track.

We spent nearly 10 minutes just choosing the reason to go with “helpful” in the first sentence. He really struggled with this and had a tough time coming up with answers. I tried to encourage as we went along, reminding him that I think all of these things about him, for so many reasons. But that just doesn’t help when he’s in a mood and is struggling with SUCH a multi-step problem. To so many others, this is a simple exercise. I want to reach the point where three sentences is a simple exercise for him. Let me clarify that - I want to get to the point when this type of exercise is easy for him. He can write three sentences with no trouble. Do they always go together? Not perfectly, but then we can edit or plan to clarify for the next time. But he can do it.

But to choose character traits about himself and give a reason why he feels he’s that way, and be able to do it with ease - not there yet. Yet.

This took nearly 45 minutes. And almost all my patience to not just *give* him some answers. (Pardon my not-so-great editing out of his name at the top.)

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Filed Under: autism spectrum diagnosis, character traits, homeschool family, writing

A Little Kindness May Go A Long Way

March 22, 2025 By Rebekah 2

I’m always so proud to hear my oldest & youngest figuring out ways to help take care of Picasso! It really does my heart good!

Tonight, Mozart to Tim: “Know how Picasso gets really mad at Princess and gets in a fight and punches her sometimes? Maybe we could find a really old pillow and teach him to punch that instead.”

I love so many things about this -
*that he’s thinking about his brother (when it wasn’t even a fighting moment)
*that he realizes the sensory issues behind all of this - hence the pillow to punch
*that he realizes that punching is probably not actually what Picasso *wants* to be doing in that moment
*that he realizes that maybe he can offer a new & helpful solution
*that he isn’t afraid to speak up and offer a suggestion to try and help his brother.

I’m so proud! So we will work on this. I think we’ll let big brother choose a pillow and then suggest the punching of it as an alternative to punching someone. Picasso’s become a lot more socially aware recently, so maybe hearing this from someone else will help it sink in!

Photo Source

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Filed Under: family focused, sensory issues

Good Morning!

March 15, 2025 By Rebekah 2

I haven’t written a blog about the kids in a while, it seems. That’s actually a really good thing - it means nothing drastic has happened to cause me to put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard) to share with you.

However, some fun things have been happening!

Mozart is practicing for his recital in early June. His piano has progressed to such a nice level! His schoolwork is going well & in a week and a half he starts his state standardized testing. That’s always a fun time for him (yes, really!) to get to see some of the staff & interact with other kids.

Our Princess had her first (ever!) piano performance last night. The kids group at church did a talent show & she played “Twinkle, Twinkle” (or ABC’s, or Baa, Baa, Black Sheep - all three have the same tune). She played with just one hand, but was so proud of herself for learning a song. She’ll be taking piano lessons starting in the fall.

Picasso fared moderately well through the time change this past weekend, but has struggled each afternoon since then. Along with the time change came some unseasonably warm weather, and he always seems to struggle through temperature changes as well, so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with him. On the other hand, he has completely finished his History for the year. So we’ll spend the remainder of the school year finishing up Math, Language Arts, Science, and a little Art & Music.

His therapists are saying some great stuff after his sessions - that’s always encouraging! He’s getting stronger, he’s beginning to exhibit some motor planning skills and some problem-solving skills. He seems extremely happy being there for his sessions; I’m glad for that!

We’re off to start our day - actually, the kids have started without me & I must catch up! Have a great day everyone!

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Photo-A-Day Catch-Up

March 13, 2025 By Rebekah 0

I jumped into the March Photo-A-Day Challenge. Technically, the pictures are all supposed to be with the Instagram app on my phone, but real life happens, and so I let that aspect of it go as I worked to play catch-up here. I had *NO* idea I’d be having to catch up this much! Sigh - need to get back on the ball and on track! So without further ado, I give you Days 4-13. To see how it started off, and to see the original list, view Day 1. You should check out Day 2 and Day 3 if you haven’t seen those yet.

Ok - moving ahead!

Day 4: Bedside

This picture is on the wall beside Picasso’s bed - Bedside

Day 5: A Smile

This picture is also for Day 11: Someone I talked to today

Yes - 1 picture, 2 days…trying to save a few seconds here & there today!

Day 6: 5pm

Time to fill some plates for some growing kiddos!

Day 7: Something I Wore

And technically, this is not something I wore today, but the directions don’t specify that!

The scarf & necklace are 2 of my favorite things to wear. By the way - the necklace says Think Outside The Box. Perfect!

Day 8: Window

This is a scrape I got on the inside of my arm, from cleaning the window.

Day 9: Red

Love this picture!

Day 10: Loud

His words speak very loudly here:

Day 11: (Above - with Hubby & kids)

Day 12: Fork

This was a great start to my day a couple weeks back!

Day 13: A Sign

Really - speaks for itself & sums up exactly how I feel some days!

Maybe, just maybe, I’ll keep up daily again! Or maybe I’ll post a weekly round-up. Who knows!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Filed Under: everyday photography

Vegetables - The Good, Bad & Ugly

March 13, 2025 By Rebekah 2

Vegetables can be such a touchy subject - literally! I have (at least) one child with sensory issues as it relates to food, and hopefully I’m learning from my mistakes in making them eat all their food.

I’ve read a lot of reports of how actually making someone clear their plate at each meal can lead to obesity. On the other hand, I know we all hate to waste food. Additionally, now that I realize that he has food sensitivities, the other 2 might, to some extent, as well.

I’ve given up forcing vegetables on them. Don’t worry - they still eat them. Plenty of them!

They’re old enough that they can “eat what’s prepared”, however, I don’t force the vegetable issue, except to make sure they have some vegetable(s) with their meals. In other words, if I’m planning to make peas with a meal, I know I have one who won’t eat peas. I’ll make corn, too. Or if there are carrots, another won’t eat those, so I’ll cut cucumbers. There have been a few meals where I’ve made up to 3 vegetables, in addition to the salad. I would much rather present a table with various healthy options, than to skip out on vegetables.

Additionally, to aid in their vegetable eating, I will buy ANY vegetable they ask for. The only thing I ask in return is that they try 2 bites. Why 2? Why not just 1? Because MY kids will take a first bite of something new and say, “Mmm, this is good!” Upon hearing that, I think I’ve struck gold on a vegetable-of-the-week, only to serve it up again and have them say, “Ewww!” Frustrating. So - two bites. The first one to get the cursory, “Mmm, this is good,” out of the way; the second to get an accurate description of whether or not they like the veggie. (See, I’m learning things in my ~~old age~~ parenting journey!)

Taking them shopping with me has led to a couple AMAZING finds:

1. They eat Brussels sprouts - well, at least 2 of them. I saute’ them in olive oil & garlic, chop them in small pieces, and they eat them. I was amazed. (I don’t even eat them!) So I figured if my kids were brave enough to try them, I could, too. That’s another thing - I don’t convey my own personal feelings on a particular vegetable to the kids. They had no idea that I didn’t like Brussels sprouts. So I decided to try them, since I was trying to get the kids to try them. Guess what? I like them. Seriously. It’s so shocking - they’re SO good!

2. They eat asparagus. All 3 kids. Their favorite is when it’s sauteed in olive oil & garlic, then added to pasta - along with meatballs, tomatoes & sometimes even some spinach. Such a delicious meal and they eat the asparagus!

3. They eat spinach - they prefer raw spinach, but they’ll also eat it if I cook it up. They don’t care too much for frozen spinach although sometimes I can get away with it in the pasta meal mentioned above, or in a lasagna. They will eat huge salads (well, huge when you consider their age) with fresh spinach as the base & all sorts of added veggies.

4. They think they’ll like squash - all varieties - but they never do, no matter how I prepare it. That’s ok! Tim & I enjoy butternut squash soup in the fall, and sometimes they’ll eat a bit of that (meaning, about 1/8 cup, if that).

Their favorite, still, is a large plate of fresh veggies, with some dip. Along with the main course and a salad, they will eat assorted veggies when set out for them - carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, snow peas. A lot of times I’ll cut up a plate of veggies or arrange a tray of fruit and set it on the bottom shelf in the fridge. We have no rules about fruits & veggies in this house - I say yes, even 5 minutes before a meal. If they’re wanting something healthy, I will say yes. (Now please understand, they don’t sit there and eat all day long - they just come asking for a quick bite of something, so I say yes.)

You can see - it’s taken a lot of figuring to get this “sort of right” in our house. I love that they eat healthy & I love that we don’t have to have the veggie fight!

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Filed Under: parenting, sensory issues, writing

Get Out of Your Own Way!

March 13, 2025 By Rebekah 1

Good morning! My daughter decided she wanted to join us for homeschooling activities today, so I’m already a little behind on my usual Tuesday schedule. Usually she draws or colors or takes time to play alone without a brother hovering over her. Today, though, she wanted right into the mix of things doing Math at the table with us! It’s great preparation for next year.

Since I don’t make to-do lists very often, I’m not often discouraged by what I don’t get done, but rather I’m encouraged by what I do get done each day. So I’m not worried that I’m behind on my “Tuesday schedule” because it’s not carved in stone anywhere. It’s a small shift in thinking and perspective, but it’s doing wonders for me!

The picture below seems to adequately capture some feelings I have, and some that I hear from others. We have things we want to do, or say, or be, but we’re afraid to take that first step, let alone subsequent steps. We’re afraid we don’t have the necessary skills or talents or abilities to do what we need to do, or what we want to do.

What if, instead of worrying about what strengths we may or may not have, we determined to take the first step and just do the job set before us, or carry out the dream in our heart. How about those big decisions that are difficult to make - for me, it’s homeschooling my 3 kids, all at very different levels, while still keeping my sanity! I’m a trained educator, yet the prospect of being in charge of my own children’s education is always slightly frightening. What if I mess it up? What if I don’t know the answer to their math problem and seem to be very uneducated?

I can tell you the answer to all those questions because I decided one day to get out of my own way and follow the calling I felt to keep my kids at home. I have messed up - and it gives me the opportunity to teach about grace, mercy and forgiveness. What about their math problems? Often, I don’t know the answer - especially as Mozart progresses into higher levels of math. What then? First we take a minute to say, “It’s ok; I don’t know this.” (That’s a great thing to teach kids - that even the grown-ups don’t always have ALL the answers!) Then we think through the problem together. Sometimes we’ll pull out the Teacher Guide to see if we can work backwards to unravel the Math Mystery. When that fails, we decide who we’re going to ask. Thankfully Tim can do some of the math. Other times we have asked other people. But Math is hard - and just this morning I was having no luck with a 2nd grade geometry lesson. I’ve come to find that the kids don’t necessarily see me as “lacking education”, but rather they see me as a problem-solver. If they can’t solve the problem, and I can’t solve the problem, we’ll “problem-solve” together, and find someone who can help us!

What, today, is holding you back? What if, just for today, you allow yourself to scoot on out of your way, and decided to not hold yourself back from what’s ahead today? Do you need to give yourself that permission? You don’t need my permission, but if it helps, you can have it! ;-) Sometimes it just takes a good reminder that we were created in God’s image, and He already knows about our own little quirks & issues! A friend wrote a great post to that end & I’d encourage you to hop over to read Laurie’s post today. Because today is a great day to follow your dreams, and to realize that you were created as God’s masterpiece.

So go read Laurie’s post, give yourself permission to scoot on out of your way and see what lies ahead today! You’re a masterpiece!

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” - Ephesians 2:10 NIV

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Filed Under: daily blessings, family focused, homeschool family

10 Things Yet to Accomplish

March 12, 2025 By Rebekah 1

10 Things I Have Yet to Accomplish

(in no particular order)

*Wash the windows (it’s on my “non to-do list” list)

*Complete a knitting project

I have 3 going, but need to get them finished.

*See the Pacific Ocean

*Sign the IEP paperwork - that will be done tonight

*Choose a paint color for the dining room

I really have a tough time making this kind of decision.

*Travel to Asia, South America or Australia

I’ve been to Africa, Europe, Central America & of course,
North America.

*Wash today’s dishes

*Schedule a doctor’s appointment for this year

*Change the light bulb in the fixture outside, by the front door

Now that I know how, it’s a lot easier!

Yes, I’m a little slow about learning these things! ;-)

*Write a real blog post this week!

Not that this one’s not real, but I actually have a few blog
things to catch up on!

Hopefully I’ll get to that today. Or soon.

The benefit of not making a to-do list is that I’m not
stressing about this at all!

Happy Monday, everyone! And don’t worry - this is *not* my To-Do list, ’cause I don’t really make those! ;-)

UPDATE:
*all windows washed! (huge gash in arm from scraping corner of window - not the glass, the actual window)
*IEP paperwork is ready to go!
*This IS a real blog post (thanks, Momto8!)

Not too shabby for a Monday! Happy Tuesday!

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Recipes That Baffle Me

March 7, 2025 By Rebekah 0

Blog Dare for March 7 - “Recipes that baffle me”

I’ll be taking a few creative liberties in this post. Just a heads up, here at the start.

I like to stick to cooking that I know, or can (relatively) easily figure out. However, on a recent attempt at fried chicken, there was some note about brining solution. I looked it up and could *not* figure out what all was meant by “all that”. So - skipped it. Chicken was still great.

{Now taking a moment to thank the good people of the south for things like fried chicken, fried okra, gumbo, collard greens, cornbread, grits - Thank you!}

There are a few other recipes that baffle me, and so for peace of mind, I just skip them. No kidding. While I’m sure I’d love to figure out how to make some of them, I usually run across them at inopportune times (like when it’s been a crazy day & I’m already late getting food for the kiddos), and then I forget to go back to them at another time. Sigh.

{Creative liberty coming up!}

Recently, another mom asked me to help her with something. Turns out it was a new “recipe” of sorts for both of us. It required following directions to produce the necessary outcome. She and I took time to review what we needed - we had the required ingredients. We re-read the instructions & understood the words. That’s the key - we *understood* the words, but yet, we had to each use a Phone-A-Friend to help us.

Our phone-a-friends might seem interesting in this situation. Remember, we were working on a new recipe, of which we *understood* all the directions. So who did we call? I called my dad (my husband was in a meeting & not immediately accessible). I finished my conversation by saying something to the effect of, “If you don’t hear from me within 30 minutes, we probably blew up!” I’m sure that’s what he wanted to hear. I was joking, but he still called back within 15 minutes to make sure we were safe! I can always count on my dad to make sure I don’t blow up. ;-)

So who did the other mom call for her phone-a-friend? Her husband. So there we were, 2 competent mothers, who understood what the recipe called for, yet still very uncertain as to how to proceed. Our phone-a-friends helped a great deal, clearing up the directions in words we were sure to understand.

So what “recipe” was it that had us so baffled?

Jumper cables.

Jumper cables were the “recipe” that baffled us. See, her cables came with step-by-step directions, but neither of us had ever used them before. We’d both seen people use them, we’d both been taught how to use them, but we’d never had to use them on our own. Between my dad and her husband, we felt confident that we could successfully get her van started again (the necessary outcome) and that we could do so without blowing up either vehicle.

So, my advice to you - try a new “recipe”, especially when someone needs your help. Follow the directions, use phone-a-friends as needed (or other lifelines like the Internet), and don’t be afraid to learn something new! After all, I had to get to 36 years old before I had my first chance to figure out how to use jumper cables when someone needed help!

{Happy “cooking”!}

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Filed Under: humor, writing

Thought Bubble vs Talk Bubble

Starting Small

Character Traits

A Little Kindness May Go A Long Way

Good Morning!

Photo-A-Day Catch-Up

Vegetables - The Good, Bad & Ugly

Get Out of Your Own Way!

10 Things Yet to Accomplish

Recipes That Baffle Me

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