Happy New Year! I hope everyone is ready to say goodbye to 2013. For me, 2013 was a giant stressball of work and home--with some great times wedged in the chaos. I am ready for something different.
I asked E and Viv for their input for these goals. Here we go!
1. INITIATIVE. I'm not sure how to measure this, but I want Elena to respond quicker to just about everything. Getting to the table when we call her, starting her homework, doing what her teacher asks, moving toward a destination. She waits until the third or fourth time we ask, and frequently until we get upset at her for lack of starting an activity. She is late at school when leaving a room, starting work, cleaning up, etc. My guess is part of this is learned, b/c until end of 2nd grade, she typically always had an adult helper for clean up, carrying, escort, etc.
2. Summer of Independence. We usually work on something giant during summer break--before it was No Carrying, then transitioning to crutches. This year it will be self-sufficiency. Dressing herself, brushing her own teeth, taking her own bath, making her own breakfast, etc. She does these things individually, but never together (due to time constraints and school).
3. Have another stretching trial. We'll be using the stander from now until her birthday in an intense regimen to try to keep her legs from getting too tight. E has approved the plan.
4. SWIM LESSONS.
5. Have a playdate twice a month.
6. Take a trip to visit a friend.
7. Go camping in our new tent!
8. Run a race.
9. Go to an aquarium.
10. Go kayaking.
11. Go up and down the stairs, with one hand on the railing, the other free, regardless of footwear, on a regular basis.
12. Do the cha-cha slide (or other dance) without crutches.
13. Write a story/poem/comic and submit it to a contest (there are a few we like, either in the paper or on radio).
14. Ride her bike (with training wheels) independently. Meaning, if she has to brake, she does. If she has to get on/off, she does. If she falls, she gets back up and on the bike. Right now, she's done everything but the fall independently, but with very close supervision.
15. Hunt for shells at the beach--standing up, carrying a bucket.
16. Try to FaceTime (or other video chat) with a friend.
New Years Goals for Vivian:
1. Make her own breakfast (cereal, toast, or some other low-maintenance option).
2. Put her laundry in a clothes hamper.
3. Ride a bike without training wheels.
4. Roller Skate with her new skates.
New Years Goals for Me:
1. Have a regular exercise regimen. It doesn't have to be the same thing every week, but the frequency of activity should be more than once a week.
2. Do two large races. I've already signed up for a bike race (ride, for me--I'm not racing). I hope to enter a short triathlon as one of them (but we'll see).
3. Reduce clutter in the house/clean the house. I'm doing a good job on this, but I'm not finished.
4. Make some sort of beach shoe for Elena to wear with her KiddieGaits. I have some ideas we'll be testing out before our summer beach trip.
5. Grow a garden for food and flowers. We didn't get much to grow last year.
6. Volunteer at school.
7. Add enough fiber to our diets (specifically, Elena's) to try to eventually discontinue use of her laxative.
8. Read five books (or more) this year.
9. Visit a new city, with the kids, on a school break.
10. Go out for a family movie.
HERE WE GO!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
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2 comments:
I have SDCP. In regards to your comment about speed, if the thing she is doing requires a motor skill do NOT encourage speed. Speed equals Spasticity. When I was little like Elena some of my family stressed going fast so I ignored my physical therapists advice to go slow and ended up with an attitude where I didn't care how tight I was as long as I got the activity done. Now that I am a young adult in my 20s I have come to realize that if I had gone slow and cared about what was happening to my body I would have saved a lot of trouble(and probably money for that matter) If you have to change your schedule so Elena could feel relaxed enough to go slow do it. I'm almost completely sure this will reduce the risk for contractors and need for constant stretching. I ended up kind of resenting my family stressing speed all the time. I had aides too and I know it made me a bit lazy with school work since the aides tend to do everything for the kid whether they admit it or not. I would only say nag Elena about speed if she is just sitting around doing nothing to avoid doing school/homework or chores. If she is at least trying to do what you tell her give her all the time she needs to go slow so the movement can be done in a way where she is focused and her muscles can relax. Good goals though everybody!!
Would not recommend cereal as a low maintenence option for younger children. Milk can be really heavy, and sometimes it's hard for kids to control the tilting motion needed to pour into the bowl with something that weighs so much. This ends with you cleaning up a lot of milk.
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