We Made It! Every so often something goes around on social media related to disabilities that gets posted to my page, or we get tagged in, repeatedly. Anyone else ever experience this phenomenon? There are a few videos I know by heart because of this: the track system to move from the bedroom to the couch, a type of harness that attaches to your front so your child gets the sensation of walking, and the ever popular Morgan's Wonderland promotional video. I used to say that I should charge a dollar for each Morgan's Wonderland Facebook tag so our trip would be funded! As it turns out, we did in fact make the trip to the amusement and waterpark. Not only that, but we ended up getting a waiver to fund the overhead tracking for the bedrooms/bathroom. I guess people should keep posting these to my wall after all. HA! (Now, does anyone want to strap a 5 foot young lady onto their front to give them walking practice?? Kidding! kind of...) We planned our trip to San Antonio, Texas with several goals in mind: visit the downtown Riverwalk, the Alamo, eat Tex-Mex, relax and Continue Reading
Archives for 2019
Daughters
https://instagram.com/p/B3FVfSMpMNq/ Daughters are dreamy #daughtersday #smallbeginningscoffee #allwerepreemies #excelsior #jbphotography đź’—đź’—đź’—wheellifeadventures.com Continue Reading
Simple strategies to show kindness and inclusion to families affected by disability.
When I read the viral Facebook post about the letter a family affected by disability received, I felt sick. (More on that HERE) In fact, it took me right back to opening a letter addressed to us. Additionally, that Facebook family from Newark Delaware has heard from countless others who have also been on the receiving end. I also know others. We all know about Facebook bullying and flaming, but apparently old school letters are still in production. Plus, they can be left anonymously. Cowards. Families affected by disability are already generally hyper aware of being in the spotlight. They don't need someone to enlighten them. When our two were still little we lived in a house on a corner...first one in a cul-de-sac development. The bus needed to park at the end of the driveway and load them up with the stop sign arm out. ONE AT A TIME. Believe me, I felt the pain of that for anyone who mis-timed their departure for work and had to wait once the stop sign unfolded. Each new bus driver would receive my pleas to let people pass the bus on our relatively quiet Continue Reading
Surprise companion wristband at OCNJ play area and how to request yours for free!
***see update at end! Annual bumper car Faceoff! We are blessed with an annual weekend of beach, boardwalk, great food and great friends in OCNJ. More and more I recognize what a gift it really is. To be honest, joining our complicated family for one event is already a special gesture. But to invite us back to the beach of OCNJ over and over again...well, that's a huge blessing. It's a non-verbal affirmation to say "we know you are complicated but we choose you in our life anyway." We feel loved and valued. Ocean City NJ has become a favorite weekend for our family. Loaded upThat time she got away...Breakfast of Champions There are many things that draw us to the beach of OCNJ. Inevitably, for our daughters, the beach and the boardwalk rides are at the top. We are so glad to be introduced to the joy of reserving OCNJ beach wheelchairs. You can read more about that HERE. Also, while I agree with those who have found some of the staff and regulations actually make the experience tougher than it needs to be, we still love and appreciate the availability. At Continue Reading
Why we stopped our delivery of free talking books
Talking books seem like a great way to occupy our girls. Perhaps, like us, you are coming to the end of a long summer break. Maybe you already ventured out and sat for long hours on a road trip. Or maybe you didn’t venture out and just sat for long hours. Maybe you are still dreaming of sitting peacefully lakeside while reading a book. I have that reoccurring dream often! Unfortunately, sometimes unplanned hours of quiet time (whether at home, in the van, or by a body of water) can feel like torturous monotony to our daughters affected by disability. I am always seeking ways to help occupy their time. This is how I became interested in the National Library Service for the Blind and physically handicapped and their program to borrow talking books. In a nutshell, this is a free library service to those who need assistance to read. This difficulty may be due to blindness or physical disability that make reading regular print material a hardship. Once forms are filled out and approved, braille or audio book readers are provided. In fact, Magazines and music instruction are Continue Reading
Accessible Day Trip to Ocean City NJ
After a really terrible spring season I became desperate to end the cycle of yuckiness. A chronic cough for one of the girls was a part of the crud. I always feel like salt air and salt water clears that up, so I did what seemed like an obvious fix: We packed the wheelchair van for a beach day in Ocean City, NJ. I almost always make a spring day trip to reassure myself that the ocean is still there and all is right in the world after a long winter. I never had time to do that this year so I definitely needed the reassurance! While it may not have changed anything physically, It sure helped us mentally! After recently reading about blue space and green space, I believe in the real benefit of time spent at the ocean! I find it to be such a healing place. Anyone else?? According to a study placed in Health & Space: Living in a neighborhood where you have lots of opportunity to gaze at blue spaces — bodies of water like the sea — is associated with lower levels of stress, researchers Continue Reading
