tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post4145531776638413242..comments2024-03-28T21:36:55.157-04:00Comments on Love That Max : A place where we can all relaxEllen Seidmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01433429847255621203noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-11994788468834796312011-09-09T02:59:08.204-04:002011-09-09T02:59:08.204-04:00What a lovely picture of Sabrina - little Miss fre...What a lovely picture of Sabrina - little Miss freckle face.BW aka Barbara from Bostonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-44748202820135552402011-09-08T17:45:41.435-04:002011-09-08T17:45:41.435-04:00What a wonderful post. It takes a lot from strang...What a wonderful post. It takes a lot from strangers to make me smile as I did. I have reminisced for over 24 hours. The beach vacations were such great times. The family beach times were the best. I was trying to work in one more beach vacation with my Mom and Dad, knowing it would be the last. Then Dad passed away very unexpectantly and Mom spiraled.<br /><br />Max and Sabrina look so happy. One would never know that he has special issues. Just another kid on the beach, having loads of fun with a kite, sand between his toes.<br /><br />Definitely, pack up the oatmeal and rent a place on the beach for several days. Cooking is not always work. Bake some potatoes, buy some slaw and go to the local fish market along the beach. Boiled shrimp. Mmmmm. My whole family enjoyed that meal like it was Thanksgiving. We live flat dab in the middle of the country, so each trip was not so easy. But worth it, annually, as long as we could physically do it.<br /><br />Having your own place for several days a stay will make it less stressful for everyone. Private bathroom, control of the kitchen, etc.<br /><br />Who doesn't find the beach theraputic? Its good for the soul(as long as there are very few people around.) <br /><br />I hope you can take Max and Sabrina often, weather permitting. If you have your own place its even great on a rainy day. Watching sheets of rain move across the water. Catching raindrops in your mouth. Designing the castle you'll build tomorrow. Waiting for the rainbow.<br /><br />I'll bet they sleep well after a day on the beach. I'm glad its such a good place for your family. The memories make me smile, inside and out. Hopefully they will do the same for you. And don't forget to get pictures of you and your husband. Get strangers to take them of all four of you together. Trust me, one day they will be very, very much cherished.<br /><br />The good times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-56381656123976413962011-09-08T10:51:46.618-04:002011-09-08T10:51:46.618-04:00That was beautiful. Your pictures are very good, i...That was beautiful. Your pictures are very good, it is nice to have time to actually take pictures like that isn't it? Haley loves the beach too, our outings have changed over the years. She used to face plant in the sand. Now she has to wear gloves because she doesn't like the sand on her hands. We stay at a house on the beach that allows us to relax and cook our own meals. Still work, but better than meltdowns at a busy restaurant. Great post!Haley's Momhttp://haleysmomwonders.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-31495056841647501632011-09-07T21:29:09.433-04:002011-09-07T21:29:09.433-04:00Wow! Max looks so big next to Dave!Wow! Max looks so big next to Dave!Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07817068811697813717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-77871621417897932382011-09-07T21:11:01.187-04:002011-09-07T21:11:01.187-04:00We go to the lake, my dad has a little piece of un...We go to the lake, my dad has a little piece of unimproved property and we camp on it. We can stay for three or four days and just enjoy one another. We bring a little portable DVD and have movies under the stars!<br /><br />As for the screeching, if I were you I'd remove Max if he's in a public place, say, to your car, and let everyone else go on with their fun (making sure he knows it, too), grab those earphones of his, and PUT THEM ON. And, by PUT THEM ON, I mean PUT THEM ON YOU, not him. <br /><br /> Then I wouldn't give him any more input--tell him when he's ready to calm down, to give you a poke, and you two can go back to whatever you were doing and have fun with the rest of the group. You might also want to have a book in your pocketbook so you can read while you wait him out, but whatever you do, don't give him the impression that you give much of a hoot either way and don't give him any attention. When he pokes you to go back, make him do it twice like you aren't paying attention--then ask him if he is SURE and get the vigorous head nod before you resume the activities with the others. If you are in a restaurant, grab your dinner and take it with you, but leave his behind--he needs to get the "actions have consequences" connection, without being mean about it. Maybe keep a collapsible tupperware in your "go" bag with a plastic fork...just in case! <br /><br />A young one having genuine sensory overload needs to be helped by getting the child away from the overstimulation until they can calm down, but beyond that, you don't want to make the "cure" more attractive than the cause. It's not punishment if you don't indulge them. <br /><br />dderbyDave's suggestion about texting is a good one (e.g. "Don't let the waiter take his food, he looks like he's calming down" or "Box up that dinner, he won't be coming back in"). Or, if you want to drive the point home, talk to your husband on the phone, saying things like "Oh, Sabrina is playing with the pinball machine? What fun!" He's got to get to the point where he figures that "there" is better than being with you or Dave missing out on the action, and he's got to learn to use what he's got--like the earplugs or focusing on his iPad-- to block out the stuff that is "too much" to deal with. If he likes or at least can stand the big earphones, maybe he'll also like the small wax blobs that you shape/soften with your fingers--they really cut the sound. Maybe you can find them in purple!!<br /><br />I dealt with this a LOT. In my case, repeated removal with no other input worked (FINALLY--took a long time). No praise, no blame, no nothing--I just got real quiet and didn't say squat--and that includes no hugs or "poor baby" soothing. Sounds a little cold, but when there's no reward, like pats, massages, or hugs/snuggles, there's no incentive for the full volume screaming to get some personalized attention. Every case is different, but this worked for me, and it only worked because I was at the end of my rope and had tried pretty much everything else, from bargaining to bribing to redirection to individualized attention--nothing stopped it save removal/ignoring. <br /><br /> It's not easy--you feel like a real shit. For me, though, it did the trick after years of having to abandon shopping carts in the middle of aisles, walk out of fast food places, with a pile of sloppily wrapped food, etc. We can even go to the afternoon matinee now without much, if any, drama. <br /><br />Wax ear plugs: http://www.amazon.com/Ohropax-Wax-Ear-Plugs-plugs/product-reviews/B0006NXBVQ<br /><br />They make better ones (cloth covered) but they cost way more.<br /><br />As for staring, I've gotten great at either ignoring or smiling/confronting with a big howdy-hi introduction. Shame 'em, that's what I say!Felicianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-86777943633864551082011-09-07T21:09:23.241-04:002011-09-07T21:09:23.241-04:00Love it! And I love Max's shirt... I've be...Love it! And I love Max's shirt... I've been to the site that sells them but don't seem to remember it. Please share where I can find one. Thanks!<br /><br />Love the pics!Mohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10083710958029714414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-62565922307380843172011-09-07T11:28:22.986-04:002011-09-07T11:28:22.986-04:00Such a great post! Moe loves to be out and about a...Such a great post! Moe loves to be out and about and he loooves the beach. Unfortunately that means we spend the entire time chasing him as he tries to run straight into the ocean.<br /><br />Still looking for the place we can be relaxed as a family. Our backyard is our best sanctuary.Wantapeanuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11993949583915924482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-81373942596296667152011-09-07T10:20:43.946-04:002011-09-07T10:20:43.946-04:00This is so beautiful, Ellen. I'm glad that the...This is so beautiful, Ellen. I'm glad that the beach is such a wonderful place for you all. I, too, am always happy when we can just be together as a family, enjoying everything that life has to offer...just like the other families I see around me.<br /><br />Oh, and lovely photos, too. :)Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14597901803216176184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-19611799407135517732011-09-07T10:00:39.801-04:002011-09-07T10:00:39.801-04:00The zoo works for us. It's never that crowded ...The zoo works for us. It's never that crowded and if it is we can always find quieter spots.<br />We all take turns pushing Ashley and if it all gets too much I can push him off to a quiet spot and keep in touch with the others by text so we can meet up when he settles.<br />Access is great although viewing can be limited as windows are set at adult and child heights and not the inbetween wheelchair height.<br />Fab pictures - amazing purple t-shirt and well done Max for the kite work!dderbydavehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07448901859808979140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-401303964563152307.post-9227314144871480862011-09-07T07:51:09.713-04:002011-09-07T07:51:09.713-04:00Oh I LOVE this! We still haven't quite found o...Oh I LOVE this! We still haven't quite found our 'place' yet but the safari park is pretty great. Mikey gets a car trip, Dan gets animals and we get to see them both happy. XAlicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08233341615710498901noreply@blogger.com