Insta-Friday, Take 2

WOOHOO! Thank GOD it's Friday!

I'm joining my pal Jeannett over at Life Rearranged again this week and her awesome Insta-Friday meme which consists of sharing mobile photos you have taken during the previous week.

Thankfully, Instagram released its mostly awesome Instagram 2.0 on Tuesday and so we have new filters and options to play around with and incorporate into our shots.  I say mostly awesome because they did get rid of a favorite filter of mine (bye-bye Gotham...you will be missed!) and a number of people have said that their update did not activate and so they both lost the Gotham filter and didn't get any new ones in return.  Not sure why that happened....but I digress.

So, here are some of my shots from this week and I hope that you'll pop on over to Life Rearranged and check out the other awesome participants!  

I went on a walk last Friday while the Trouble Brothers were in school and couldn't resist snapping this pic of little thingies growing on the side of a downed tree.  I equally could not resist the caption, "Thank you all for lichen my pictures".  

I know what you're thinking....and yes, I do need to get out more often.

Saturday was pretty rough around our house.  Sam was in an especially aggressive mood and I was laid up half the day nursing a sore back.  I cannot tell you how much the combination of those two events do NOT go well together.  So, Saturday night Mike and I decided to get the boys out of the house for a spell and take a walk on the nature trail.  It was during a pit stop that I snapped this photo of the sky.

Thankfully Sunday was a better day and I took Sam and Noah to a local playground after doing some grocery shopping and all was right in their world.

Sunday evening one of my IG pals Brett (@BirdsongPhoto on Twitter and Instagram) was driving home from Canada and in the midst of many hours of both no sleep AND bumper to bumper traffic decided that his hammerhead shark "mascot" needed a name and an IG hashtag.  He informed us that the shark is in a rather pissy mood so I suggested #PissyShark and thus a new friend for Mr. and Mrs. #OstrichStalker was born.

If you are female you will completely understand my angst-y look in the above picture.

I have double pierced ears and when I went to bed Monday evening I had 2 earrings in each ear.  When I woke up Tuesday morning my left ear has somehow lost one of its accessories and it was nowhere to be found.

Sad panda is the result.

My hubby Mike and I like to keep the warm and fuzzies going week-long and so we send each other text messages throughout our day to let the other know we are thinking about sexsexsexesex how deeply we care about the other.

Clearly I love him much more than he loves me because not everyone can love with their spleen.

I can so I win.

For all of September I have been voting for the awesome folks at A.Skate twice per day (once via text, as shown above, and once via my Facebook login) through the Pepsi Refresh Everything grant.  A.Skate is in the top 10 to receive a $50,000.00 grant and it is my goal to keep them there.

If you have some extra time please consider reading the post I did this week about their creator and founder, Crys Worley, and learn a bit about her son with autism.

If you don't have that much time then would you please just send a quick text vote for A.Skate?  All you have to do is text the number 108814 to 73774 (PEPSI) once per day!

It would mean the world to Crys and me if you did.  Thanks!

The Trouble Brothers' Guide to The Best iPad Apps!

Over the summer break the boys' dad surprised Sam and Noah with two iPads.  It is quite possible they love those iPads more than all the chocolate chip cookies, Dora the Explorer episodes, and Ikea snakes in the world.

Except, of course, for the gazillions of apps you can fill them with.

So when the time came to pick which apps to download I was at a loss as to what to choose first.  I knew the boys would like Angry Birds because they have always enjoyed playing it on my iPhone so that was an easy choice but what about apps that would help enhance their language and sociability?  Which ones would be best to help them with their IEP goals?

Thankfully I knew I could turn to my Twitter pal Shannon Des Roches Rosa of Squidalicious with my questions.  Over a year ago her son Leo won an iPad in a raffle contest and she created an awesome spreadsheet detailing dozens of apps in various genres for parents like myself wanting to know which are the best of the best for children with autism.

Her list did not disappoint!

So, to expand upon her list I thought I'd share with you some of the Trouble Brother's favorite iPad apps:

Talking Tom 2 (FREE!)
Tom is an incredibly annoying cat who will repeat everything your child says in a silly voice.  This app is great for promoting verbalization children.  My boys especially like petting him so he makes a sweet purring noise.

Well, that and the fart sounds.

National Geographic World Atlas HD ($1.99)
Noah loves maps and if he could have a real globe he would gladly spin it and name the states, countries, and oceans for hours.  Lucky for us the iPad had an inexpensive app that was perfect for my little world explorer.

iTubeList (FREE)
One of the first things I did when the boys got their iPads was to disable the YouTube app.  If you've ever done a search for "Dora the Explorer" in YouTube you'll know why.  Apparently there are hundreds of sick people out there who like to take a perfectly innocent children's program and fill it with foul language, violence, and inappropriate music.

Thankfully the iTubeList app allows parents to locate child-friendly material from YouTube and organize it by genre or keywords such as silly songs or cartoons.  Then your child can watch those episodes and ONLY those that you have pre-approved.

Garage Band ($4.99)
This app was created especially for kids like my son, Sam.  Sam is a huge fan of music and especially drumming.  When he was 12 months old we went for his well baby checkup and the pediatrician commented on how he was drumming in near perfect rhythm with the crayon she had given him to color with.
However, given that we live in a condominium and don't lavish the idea of our neighbors showing up at our door carrying pitchforks we have never bought him a drum set.

Which is exactly why Garage Band is a GODSEND!  The following is a description of the app from their website.  They can describe it so much better than I ever could!

GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio — so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iPad. They sound and play like their counterparts, but let you do things you could never do on a real instrument.

iWriteWords ($2.99)
Handwriting is every mother's kryptonite.  It seems our kids are either born with the gift of good penmanship or they aren't.  And if they aren't its like pulling teeth to teach them and it ends up being very little fun for anyone involved.

This is why iWriteWords is so awesome.  It makes teaching handwriting fun!

Drawing Pad ($1.99)
Do you have a little artist in your house?  Or perhaps you have a little crayon yielding terrorist who has turned their bedroom walls into works of "art"?  If so, this app is going to save your sanity as well as the need to repaint on a yearly basis.





Sesame Street Monster Maker ($3.99)
Sam LOVES this app.  Even though it is meant for younger children and is overpriced (in my opinion) I love that it makes him so dang happy.  His favorite part is that each season the app updates with new backgrounds, new props, etc. that reflect that season.

Ruckus Media Group ($3.99 each)
Ruckus is one company that has hit gold when it comes to churning out quality educational apps for children.   Ruckus began with classic children's stories (such as The Velveteen Rabbit) narrated by famous actors and actresses.  My favorite feature was the option to record the stories in my own voice given my boys were more likely to tune in to the story if it was read in Mommy's voice.





Today Ruckus has expanded its company to include a number of educational apps, including: Spot the Dot by children's author David A. Carter and Rainforest Survival Challenge which turns your child into an amazon conservationist as they help animals and plants thrive in their habitats.

Word Wagon by Duck Duck Moose ($1.99)
This is another app that was recommended to me by Shannon and my boys have really enjoyed it.  Word Wagon teaches your child letters, phonics, and spelling and awards them with correct answers with stars that  are placed in the sky to solve a constellation puzzle.
As of right now we only own the Word Wagon app but after looking at the other apps offered by Duck Duck Moose  I do believe we will be expanding our collection in the coming weeks.

I'd love to know what apps are you and your kid's tried and true favorites.  Please leave me a comment sharing your favorites!  

Who knows?  I might have to do a second iPad app update in a few months!

ASkate: On a wheel and a prayer

I have been blessed with a number of very strong women in my life. My mom, my grandmother, my aunt Richadene, and my older sister, Caryn. Each of these women have imparted their wisdom and their strength upon me and their gifts have helped mold the woman and mother that I am today.

But I have also met many inspirational woman through my work in social media and as a member of the autism acceptance community.

One of these women is my friend, Crys Worley.

Crys is a mom of two sons, Sasha and Fallon. She spends her days working in the dental field and running her non-profit organization, A.Skate, which she founded in honor of her son, Sasha, who has autism.

Sasha's two favorite things in the entire world are car washes and skateboarding. Car washes are a bit of an obsession with Sasha and as a parent of two boys with autism I know all too well how difficult that can be to manage on a day to day basis. After all, a car can't get very dirty when you're washing it two or three times a day.

But skateboarding is Sasha's passion. It is what he does to center himself, to clear his mind. It's also the way he allows others, like his mom, to join his inner world.

Skateboarding, it seems, is so much more than just an activity or a form of exercise.  For Crys it is a way of receiving love and affection from her son.  Something that is not easily come by when your child has autism. 

The following is a video from Vans that is both moving and encouraging. I'd be willing to bet that after watching it you'll understand why Crys is such an inspiration to me and so many others.

She's pretty damn amazing, huh?

In fact, she'd be at the top of my list of amazing and inspiring women even if the only children she made a difference for were her own.

But she is so much more full of awesome than that.

Crys' A.Skate Foundation brings the excitement of a skateboarding clinic to thousands of children with autism across the United States; and most recently, they held their first international clinic in Ireland!  The best part of all is that the clinic, equipment, and necessary materials are 100% free to the children who attend.  In fact, to date every single one of A.Skate's clinics has been filled to capacity.   Nothing hurts them more than having to turn a child away because they have run out of time, equipment, or volunteers.

But very soon they may not have to worry about that happening ever again.





A.Skate is currently listed in the #9 position to receive a $50,000.00 grant from the Pepsi Refresh Project.  If they can maintain their top 10 status for the next 10 days straight they are guaranteed that money.  And that money would mean more clinics, more equipment, and more smiles, laughs, and high fives from the children they strive to help.

And this is where all of you, my readers, family, and friends come in.

• Each and every one of us can vote twice per day for The A.Skate Foundation.  The first way is by texting the number 108814 to the number 73774 (PEPSI) once per day.  
• You can also vote via Facebook by visiting the Pepsi Refresh Project's website here and signing in with your Facebook account.  
• You can enter "Power Votes" anytime day or night by collecting Pepsi bottlecaps and 12 or 24 pack boxes with the codes printed on the inside.  To enter you simply visit here to enter them one by one.

Or, to make things even easier on you...

• Send me an email to sunday@extremeparenthood.com with the power codes listed and I will enter them into the Pepsi website for you.  
• Call me at 443-379-2352 and I will come pick up the codes, bottlecaps, etc. directly from you if you live in the Baltimore metro area.

I am THAT passionate about the A.Skate Foundation, people!

I want A.Skate to win the grant they need to make more clinics possible.  Maybe even a skateboarding clinic in Baltimore or Washington, D.C.?  I want to see The Trouble Brothers on a skateboard in the very near future but I need your help to make it happen!

It would mean so much to me if you would share this post with your friends, your family, and on your various social media sites, such as: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Digg, etc.  

If I know anything at all I do know this.  Whether A.Skate wins the $50,000.00 grant from Pepsi or not Crys is going to keep holding these clinics.  She may not be able to expand them as far and as wide as she would like to but she will not let something like money stop her from reaching out and helping other children like her son.

Like my sons.

Maybe even a child like yours.

It's Insta-Friday!

My pal Jeanett of Life Rearranged has a weekly meme consisting of dozens of people who chronicle their week via pictures from their cell phones.  For those of us with iPhones Instagram is the photography app of choice and its not hard to see why.  I like to describe Instagram as being a visual twitter where instead of sharing information or thoughts you are sharing photos that you can love by double tapping or leave a comment.  Its not hard to see why it has become so popular so fast.

This week was a mish-mash of activity for #TeamXtreme with my hubby Mike (@xtremestepdad) and The Trouble Brothers, Sam and Noah.

Last Friday was the beginning of the labor day weekend so Mike got to come home from work early and we decided to snap our #FeetupFriday pic together laying on the couch like big slugs.  For those of you who aren't familiar with #FeetupFriday its basically just a bunch of people who take pics of them kicking back with their feet up on the desk at work, home, or where ever you are that day.  Its a popular hashtag on both Instagram and Tumblr too.

First thing Saturday morning came rather abruptly when I realized I had absolutely no coffee in the house.  This seems to happen to me at least once a month so once Mike woke up he hung out with the boys while I made a Starbucks run just up the hill from our house.

A week and a half ago I got my third tattoo, a cardinal, in memory of my mom.  As you may or may not know tattoos typically begin peeling by day 4 and so by Saturday morning my poor cardinal looked like he was molting.  It doesn't hurt at all but I knew all too well that the peeling meant the itching stage of healing was not far behind.

On Saturday afternoon we decided to take a trip out with the boys to the Maryland State Fair.  They had never been to a fair of any sort and so they were both very excited to see all the rides and especially the ferris wheel.  It cost $24.00 for the four of us to ride once but it was totally worth it to see their excited faces and whoops of laughter as the wheel went round and round.

We actually rode it twice.  Best $48.00 I've spent in quite some time.

Sunday brought the beginning of intense amounts of rain that still hasn't stopped.  To date we have got over 8" of rain in Maryland causing widespread flooding.

Clearly nothing combats rain and dreariness like a large bouquet of gerbera daisies from my sweetie.  He likes to pick me up flowers randomly and it always brings such a huge smile to my face.

In related news:  If your husband doesn't buy you flowers and wish he did I have a secret......TELL HIM YOU WANT FLOWERS!!!  Works like a charm.  ;-)

Monday was Labor Day and so we all just vegged out like slugs on the couch and at one point Mike decided to grab himself a nap.  Personally, I prefer to nap in my bed where I am away from small children launching themselves onto my body when I least expect it but Mike likes to live (and sleep) on the edge.

Tuesday was pretty slow around here and the highlight seemed to be me banging my hand not once but TWICE on my middle knuckle and thereby announcing itself as officially the worst spot for an owie.

I had a number of men on Twitter attempt to inform me that they can think of an area that would be much worse but given I don't share that particular piece of anatomy I am sticking with what I know.

Nice try fellas.

Wednesday brought more rain and thunderstorms (they never actually stopped but these seemed stronger than the previous days storms).  I took this shot with my iPhone and then applied the Dynamic Light app which really brought out the ominous clouds.

I couldn't think of a better way to burn off a little stuck in the house cabin fever than with some good exercise so I did a new workout video I found On Demand through my cable company and all I had to say about that is Jillian Michaels must have an older, much meaner brother out there that also enjoys torturing the masses.

I'm looking forward to seeing what next week brings to my Instagram feed and the sort of pictures I will be sharing with you.  Its my second wedding anniversary on Friday and so Mike and I will try our best to keep our #FeetupFriday pics rated PG.  ;-)

Have a great week IG'ers!

All a part of the plan

When I was nineteen years old I cared for a young boy with severe autism.

If someone had told me that this little boy would profoundly change my life I would have never believed them.

However, just ten years later I would realize he was all a part of God's plan for my life and that I would be forever changed because of it.

If you would like to read more about my story please visit my post today at Life Rearranged.

Because "Life doesn't always go as planned.  Help others anyway."