You know how we are always on the hunt to keep the girls occupied? Here's a secret: Sometimes I just get sick and tired of running around. So when I can find a good deal locally, I am thrilled! The girls are always asking what plans we have on the horizon. In fact we have multiple calendars around the house in hopes of taking their anxiety of empty days away...and hoping they will check for themselves. We have white boards, bathroom calendars, and graphics on their iPads. For Christmas we gave them a stack of little boxes, one for each of 6 months, with certificates to mostly local activities. My favorite way to find activities is to check out sites like Groupon, Living Social, and Local Flavor. I was happy to find these two Montgomery County activities that I knew they would enjoy. Front door along Main stret The first one was Scent and Sip in Lansdale, PA. Scent and Sip is right along Main street and accessible through double doors that are even with the pavement. I think the most difficult part of visiting is the parking. If you cannot find a place in the front Continue Reading
Enjoy expanded Philly Art Reach venues with your ACCESS card!
ACCESS cardholders are partially people enrolled in medical assistance in Pennsylvania . If you are a cardholder PLEASE be sure to take advantage of the Philly Art Reach Program. , The Philly Art Reach Program allows ACCESS members to present their cards to receive discounted admissions. Specifically a $2 entrance to two cultural types of venues: Art Reach Admissions and Art Reach Live Performances. At the time of posting, there are 46 venues that are participating! We have enjoyed MANY of the museums, gardens and historical locations. Some of our favorites have been the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, the National Constitution Center, multiple walks through the Morris Arboretum and Longwood Gardens. We even stayed somewhat local and visited the Michener Art Museum. Many of these outings were made during the dreary and cold winter months. Just as many were made as a complete family. (Which explains our trip to the Mutter museum. Definitely not my go-to form of entertainment! But it is interesting...and creepy!) The Art Reach Continue Reading
When you think accessible Colorado think YMCA of the Rockies!
That's NOT what I expected to say about our travel to Colorado. Or sleeping in a YMCA! This past summer we decided to use our $2000 in flight vouchers to head to Colorado for the first time. The rocky mountains are not the first place you think of for an accessible vacation, but we sure love to see the National Parks. (plus, we gotta use our free national park passes, am I right??) Our first leg of the trip was to fly into Denver, grab the rental car, eat dinner downtown, and drive to the YMCA of the Rockies. We planned to spend a long weekend before heading on to other parts of the state. I had no idea then that I would long to spend an entire vacation at the YMCA of the Rockies! In fact, I was really hesitant to stay at a YMCA at all. The first time I googled hotels, B&Bs and cabin rentals I was confused by the YMCA listing showing up. I don't know about you, but the Y is where I picture sweaty bodies working out at budget prices. (And then I picture ridiculous wedding reception dancing...you do, too, yes?!) The last thing I want to do is sleep there. However, time and Continue Reading
Using a portable ramp for access
Why we travel with a portable ramp in the back of our van... Several years back we began attending a new church and, along with that, making some new friendships. If you are a family affected by disability you potentially face different challenges in finding ways to meet up with friends. Sometimes it is obvious, for instance when you come via two power wheelchairs, that access is going to be difficult if not impossible. We were invited to a family's home to hang out and eat together. I needed to politely ask if there were steps into all the entrances or any flat level access for our wheelchairs. As luck would have it, it was a split level home and steps were everywhere. We debated whether we wanted to carry our then small-ish daughters into the house or move the party to a restaurant or even our house. (We continue to be fine with any of those options as the friendships are worth the effort!) I don't recall what we determined to do but I do recall a package arriving not much later...a portable ramp with the message "we always want you to feel welcome in our house...and anywhere Continue Reading
