Welcome to “On the Horizon”

Issue 129:  Parenting Thoughts For the New Year

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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Ideas for the New Year

A Note from Nicole:  2011 is just around the corner

Idea of the Week:  Easy Gingerbread House

Feature Article: Parenting Thoughts For the New Year

The Horizons Team Recommends:  Do Something Daily

Allergen-Free Recipe of the Week: Gingerbread Muffins

Upcoming Events:
Horizons Events & Workshops

Hi Everyone,

I hope this edition of our newsletter finds you well and surviving this busy holiday season.  Whether you’ve already celebrated your major holiday, or will be this coming weekend, it’s a busy time of year for sure!  Our team is seeing clients through Wednesday, and then will be taking time off until January to be with family and friends.  I hope that whatever your holiday season brings that it includes quality time with the people in your life who mean the most to you.

Since 2011 is just around the corner I wanted to share an article with you about changing “I should” to “I could”.   I find that this is a great way to reframe parental duties and desires for myself, and many others have shared how it has helped them as well.  I hope you find it beneficial as you think about the New Year, resolutions, and your children.

As we wrap up another calendar year I want to thank you for being a part of our community.  It brings me great joy to connect with you in this way each week, and we love hearing from many of you throughout the year.  Whether you receive services from us, purchase our products, attend our workshops, or just enjoy reading our articles each week – we are thankful for each and every one of you.

Enjoy the rest of 2010 and we’ll see you back here in 2011!

Looking to the horizon,

Build an Easy Gingerbread House

This gingerbread project is so easy and yummy, your kids will want to build a whole gingerbread neighborhood!

Materials needed:

• 8-10 graham crackers
• Empty milk carton (school size)
• Styrofoam tray or paper plate to build on
• Tube frosting with varied tips
• White frosting

Use frosting as mortar to keep the sides of your house on the milk carton foundation (and to keep the house attached to the foam or paper plate ground). Frosting can also be used for attaching candy shingles, chimneys, windows, decorations, etc.

Parenting Thoughts For the New Year: Changing “I Should” to “I Could”

By: Nicole Beurkens, PhD

The start of a new calendar year tends to be a time for us to reflect on the past year, and also make plans for what we envision in the 12 months ahead.  Some people make resolutions, write to-do lists, or set goals for themselves.  What often happens with these lists and resolutions, however, is that they fall by the wayside shortly after they’ve been written.  One of the reasons for this is the pressure we put on ourselves to accomplish these things; and that pressure and level of expectation leads to stress, resentment, and ultimately giving up on what we originally set out to do.

I recently heard someone talk about changing our “I shoulds” to “I coulds.” That really resonated with me on a personal and professional level, as it seems so easy to get caught in the trap of stressing about everything I “should” do.  When we think of things in terms of “I should,” we exist in a pressured state of feeling forced to do something.  Thinking about what I “could” do shifts us into a mindset of choice—I am deciding in this moment whether to do this thing.  It not only sounds different, but it feels different to phrase options from the perspective of “I could” instead of “I should.”  There is an internal mindset shift that occurs when we do this; and it allows us to move forward with trying to do the things we could, instead of getting stuck in the mode of pressuring ourselves to do what we should.

Read more …

Gingerbread Muffins

Whether you have just started a special diet with your child or you have been following one for years, it can be difficult to come up with what to serve. We decided to try to make that just a bit easier by providing you with a new allergen free recipe each week.

While it is impossible to meet every person’s unique food sensitivity needs, we hope you will find these recipes helpful and delicious. Please feel free to adapt the recipes to meet your needs and taste buds; we do it all the time.  Enjoy!

Gingerbread Muffins

(Recipe comes from “The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook,” by Cybele Pascal!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 3 cups Basic Gluten-Free Flour Mix (Gluten-Free Flour made by combining 4 cups brown rice flour, 1 1/3  cups potato starch and 2/3 cup tapioca flour. Keep in the refrigerator until use.)
• 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Get the complete recipe…

Please join us!

• Sibshop
  (for Everyone)
  January 15th from 10:00-2:00 PM
• Horizons Family Fun Event – Bounce Party

  (for Horizons client families only)

  January 29th

• Rhythmic Movement Training Levels 3 and 4

  Hosted by Horizons

  See http://www.rhythmicmovement.com for details

  February 24th – 27th

• Michigan Council for Exceptional Children annual convention in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 3rd & 4th

• It’s Your Time Conference at GVSU in Grand Rapids

  Nicole and Erin will be presenting

  March 5th

• Autism Society of Wisconsin Annual Conference

  Nicole will be presenting

  April 14th – 16th