Welcome to “On the Horizon”
Issue 38: Holiday Tips (and a few great excuses) for Families
On the Horizon is an award winning weekly ezine for parents of children with developmental disabilities who want simple, effective strategies to reduce stress, support their child’s development, and improve quality of life for the whole family.
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Help for the Holidays
 A Note from Nicole: Holiday Gifts and Ideas
Idea of the Week: “I’m Thankful For…”
Feature Article: Holiday Tips (and a few great excuses) for Families
The Horizons Team Recommends: Adventures in Eating Set; Sibshop
Upcoming Events: Parent Chat; Sibshop; HANDLE® Intermediate Training
Hi Everyone!
I’m sitting here in my dark living room hoping I can get this edition done before the battery on my laptop dies. Why am I sitting in the dark you might ask? Well, for some unknown reason the power on our entire block decided to shut off an hour or so ago. I had a load of wash half-way through the cycle, my oldest son using his bathroom downstairs in the basement, and (of course) no flashlights with working batteries to be found anywhere remotely within reach. Makes for an exciting evening!
Since the holiday season is upon us, I thought for this week’s feature article I’d offer some ideas for surviving the holidays. I’ve got a great combination of real tips and innovative excuses. If you have a great holiday story, idea, or excuse to share, please email us and we’ll print them in the next couple of newsletters!
Speaking of holidays—don’t forget about all the great gift options we have available in our online store. And, I’ll tell you a secret…later on today you’ll be getting a special email from us with a very special offer. Make sure you look for it!
Enjoy your week, and for those of you in the US—Happy Thanksgiving!
Looking to the horizon,
“I’m Thankful For…”
While the family is sitting around the table for a meal, have a tablecloth that you don’t mind everyone writing on. Use permanent markers and let everyone write or draw pictures on the tablecloth of things they are thankful for. This way you each time you sit at the table you can be reminded of all the many things your family has and is thankful for.
Holiday Tips (and a few great excuses) for Families
By: Nicole Beurkens, M.Ed.
The holidays can be both a joyful and stressful time for all families. This can especially be the case for families of individuals with autism or other neuro-developmental disabilities. If you’re racking your brain to come up with some excuses you can use to avoid a holiday event you dread, here are a few you can try out this year::
Top 10 Great Excuses to Use at the Holidays
- There is a Sponge Bob marathon on TV, and we have to be home to tape it…all 24 hours of it.
- The neighbors have had the flu, and I’m pretty sure we’re going to come down with it.
- The kids hid the car keys—both sets.
- Oh, was that today? I thought you said NEXT week!
- The dog ate the green bean casserole we were supposed to bring, and we’d hate to show up empty handed.
- I’ve gained a bunch of weight this year, and just won’t fit with 7 other people at a card table made for 4.
- We’ve all developed a rare turkey allergy—can’t even be in the same room with it!
- Sure, we’d be glad to come. Of course, we’ll have to bring our set of 3 new not-yet-house-trained puppies with us so they don’t get lonely.
- We’ll be celebrating with the other side of the family this year.
- We’re boycotting the holidays due to over-commercialization.
Don’t think any of those excuses will fly? Here are some real tips for reducing the hectic-ness and increasing the happiness in your holiday season:
Explorations in Eating Audio Program, Calendar and Journal Set
Making Eating an Adventure and Expanding Your Child’s Food Preferences.
If your child is a picky eater or has feeding issues, mealtimes can feel like a battle zone. Try to introduce a new food and you’re surely buying a front row seat to a meltdown. His limited diet makes it difficult to enjoy a meal out or eat at friends and relatives’ homes. And you can’t help but worry about the impact such a limited diet will have on his health and development.
But there is hope. Over the years we’ve found that if a child has the opportunity to explore new foods in a non-threatening and playful way, she will eventually taste it—and often, ends up liking it. So, we’ve created a few easy-to-use tools to help you follow the same process at home.
Discover how to start broadening your child’s food preferences by ordering your Explorations in Eating Audio program, Calendar, and Journal Set for just $49.95 today!
For more information, click here
Sibshop – Horizons Sibling Network!
Next Session: January 17th, 2009
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM at our center
We feel strongly that as part of our family-focused mission we need to be attending to the needs of all of your children, not just the ones with disabilities. Siblings of children with disabilities have their own unique needs and experiences, and we will be using the renowned Sibshop model that is designed to provide them with support, education, and fun.
Limited to 20 children. Participants must have a sibling with disabilities and be aged 7-14. Lunch will be provided. The cost is $20.00 per child for Horizons families and $30.00 per child for non-Horizons families.Click on the links below for more information or call the office with any questions!
To sign up online, click here
Please join us!
See our Event Calendar for more details…
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