One Crafty Christmas!

So, as some of you might know...I am an occupational therapist at a pediatric hospital in Dallas! I love my job! Not everyone knows what an occupational therapist does though! I find it interesting to ask the kiddos what they think my job is during the initial evaluation. Here are some of the answers that I have heard:
1. To make kids feel better!
2. To help them ride a bike!
3. To make their arms and legs work!
4. To help them have fun!

In some ways, all of these are right, but there is more to it! Here's my simplified explanation of what I do. An occupational therapist helps a person learn or relearn how to use their arms and hands for functional tasks that they need to or want to complete throughout their day! And, for those who cannot use their arms/hands, then I help teach them adaptive ways for functioning through adaptive techniques and/or equipment.

Most of the kiddos that I treat have some sort of fine motor delay; therefore, their treatment plan includes a goal requiring drawing/writing, cutting, buttoning/unbuttoning, and Theraputty (which is similar to what you might get if you mixed Play-doh and silly putty). With goals like these, I try to come up with crafty ideas that are themed with the time of the year. Infact, Halloween was a blast. Our clinic did a "Super Kids" theme. Each therapist dressed in our custom made super OT, PT, ST shirt (depending on their title), and we wore capes and masks. In order to help incorporate the kids, I took large trash bags and cut them down the seams. This gave me to capes our of each bag. The kids were allowed to use construction paper, scissors, crayons/markers, and glue to decorate their cape. As an added bonus, I drew up some masks (Spiderman and Batman) for the children to add to their homemade "superhero" costume.

With Christmas around the corner, I have already made many many crafty plans. For each week, I have come up with one or two activities for the kids to complete. I have listed each idea below. Please remember that most of these activities can be adapted for any child of any age. Just be creative!

Frosty the Snowman!
On white construction paper, have the child draw or trace 3 circles (1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large).
Using black/brown/ or the color of their choice, draw a top hat, gloves, scarf, two eyes, and a nose.
Cut out each item and glue them together on a whole sheet of construction paper.
Have the child personalize their snowman by naming him/her and writing the name at the top or bottom of the paper!
**Another cute idea is to use paper plates (1 dessert size, 1 dinner size) instead of the paper, but I am trying to teach most of my patients to draw shapes, so I use the circle idea!

Reindeer Craft
Trace the child's hands on construction paper.
One another piece of construction paper, trace one of the child's feet.
Cut out each hand and foot.
Glue the two hands to the top of the foot.
Using the foot to serve as the reindeer's face, have the child draw the eyes, nose, and mouth.
**You can use fun squiggly eyes, draw in a bell collar, or some holly to add a little character to reindeer if you wish!

Santa Face
Trace your child's hands on 2-3 pieces of white construction paper.
Using manilla construction paper, have your child draw/trace a large circle.
Cut out the hands and glue them in an overlapping pattern around the base of the circle (making Santa's beard)
Using a pencil, curl the finger portions of the hands to add some "curl" to Santa's beard.
Have the child draw and large triangle on a red piece of construction paper.
Cut the triangle out and glue to the top of Santa's head.
Using cotton balls, add some "fur" around the base of Santa's hat and the tip.
Have the child draw Santa's face.
**Again, you can give Santa some character by using squiggly eyes!

For more wonderful and cute Holiday craft ideas, go to www.enchantedlearning.com!

This is also a wonderful time of year to do for others! So, I came across some interesting information and decided that I would get my patients involved and encourage anyone and everyone to participate. Macy's department store is donating $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every Santa letter "mailed" in their special mailboxes located in their stores!

I had already planned to ask each child to write a letter to Santa, so I was thrilled to hear that I could actually "mail"/donate them to a good cause! Anyone of any age, size, or shape can participate. You can use any paper, or you can download their specialized stationary from the website. If you go to www.macysbelieve.com, you can find out all of the information about this holiday donation. Just think, by writing a letter to Santa, you are helping to donate $1 to a wonderful foundation that just happens to grant wishes of many the children that I treat! And, it is at no cost to you! It truly is a gift that keeps on giving!

So, today, I encourage you to find a way to do for some one else during this holiday season. Whether you adopt an angel, donate to a food drive, or write a letter to Santa and mail it at Macy's, remember the true meaning of Christmas! Merry Christmas to you and yours! May God bless you this Holiday season and provide you with happiness, joy, and cheer to last you throughout your year!

Tis the Season to be Merry!

If you haven't met me, then I should start off by saying that Christmas is my favorite time of year! Why? Well, let me make a list...

1. Chistmas music on the radio
2. Fun with family and friends
3. Santa
4. Food...food...and more food!
5. Christmas lights!
6. Giving gifts!
7. The nostalgia in the air!
8. Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks! Party in my mouth!
9. Shopping!
10. Making Memories!
11. Cold weather!
12. Fun wrapping paper!
13. Christmas decorations! (I, typically, decorate the weekend after Halloween! Try it...it's fun!)
14. Making Christmas crafts with my patients!
15. Letters to Santa!
16. The smiles you receive from strangers just because it is Christmas!
17. Fun Christmas movies! (See my list of favorites below!)
18. Holiday Sales!
19. Time off of Work!
20. After dinner naps!
21. Christmas Dishes!

I could keep going, but well...by the time you finished reading, Christmas would have come and gone! I have to give my parents the credit for instilling in me this love and appreciation for Christmas! First of, I should say, that luckily...I do know the true meaning of Christmas! Our family has always loved celebrating the birth of Jesus, and we have always celebrated in many many BIG ways!

First, my Dad is referred to as "Clark Griswald" around the holidays because of the amount of lights that he used to decorate our home with! Let's just say, there was a reason why we were on the front page of the town newspaper, not once, but twice! It was awesome! I didn't particularly care for staying out until dark and freezing my rear off while helping decorate, but the end result always made it worth it!

Mom always made decorating the inside of the house fun, too! She would always put on some Christmas music or put in a Christmas movie, and then we would bust out the tree, garland, white twinkly lights, stockings, and Santa pictures! Mom and Dad did a great job of filling our home with Christmas cheer!

As I have moved out on my own, I have enjoyed decorating our home and continuing family traditions! One tradition that Brent and I have continued is watching a Christmas classic: Christmas Vacation! While it isn't a family friendly movie, it is enjoyable for adults!

Here are a few other Christmas movies to try out!
1. Christmas Vacation! (Our family enjoys quoting this one year around!)
2. A Christmas Story!
3. Burl Ives' Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the old claymation is fun! I used to watch this every year on CBS!)
4. Home Alone
5. Elf
6. Miracle on 34th street (new and old)
7. Family Man
8. The Family Stone
9. The Santa Clause
10. It's a Wonderful Life!

There are so many! To get started, try these! And...stay tuned! For December, I am going to try to post some fun Christmas activities and tips for places to shop and find fun deals after the holidays!

My Little Man!

Me and Aiden cuddling on the couch!

First, I would like to apologize for taking a long brake from blogging! This past month has been a whirlwind... good, but a whirlwind! First, as stated in the previous blog, we found out that Kelcie and Taylor are having a boy. Secondly, Brent celebrated his 29th birthday! Happy Birthday, Sweetie! And, thirdly, we found out that Brandon (Brent's brother) and Mandy are having a boy, too! We are still so excited about these two beautiful boys that will be entering our lives come the spring!

I am so excited about being an aunt again! And, as I have been thinking about these two little ones, I have been reminiscing about another little man in my life!.....Aiden! Aiden is my almost (come Dec.) 5 yr old nephew! For the past 5 years, Aiden has been the "little man" in my life! While Brent and I have been blessed with several kiddos to love, spoil, and play with, Aiden has been our little man!

For fun, I decided to post some pictures of Aiden through the years! Aiden is going to be a big brother come March, and everyone seems to be a little concerned as to how he is going to react to the change in dynamics with the family! However, I know what it is like to be the older sibling, and I think that Aiden is going to be a pro!

Last weekend, Brent and I were at his parent's house! Aiden had just woken up from his nap and decided that he needed a Capri Sun with Uncle B (Brent)! When they came into the living room, Aiden walked over to me with his arms open wide! I was sitting on the couch, so naturally, I picked him up and squeezed him for a bit. We were sitting there, and I said to him,

"Aiden, you are going to be the best big brother the baby could ever ask for!"
And, he responded (in his sigh-like, most calm voice) "I know!"
This is Aiden! So very matter of fact and honest!

So, here is to Aiden...my "little man!" Thanks for always being a wonderful playmate, making me smile and laugh, for being a strong wrestler, and for always eating Oreos with me! I love you, little man!

Aiden about 14 mos! Isn't he precious!

Aiden and me snuggling! He has always been so squeezable!

Uncle B feeding Aiden lime! Those Gartrell boys love limes!

Aiden looking at himself on the camera screen! He was always facinated by this!

Aiden and me wrestling on my bed! He is so tickelish!

Aiden and me taking a break to smile for the camera!

Aiden and me making pancakes! It facinated me that he could tell me everything that we needed in order to make them from scratch! He is so smart!

Aiden drinking milk during one of our "Oreo" dates!

Aiden and Uncle B sharing some ice cream at May Fest!

Aiden and Uncle B laying in the fort they built during our sleepover!

Aiden being goofy! I love this face!