Wow how things change.

We are approaching week 4 since my husband left, and I have seen a remarkable change in my daughter. I know that she is having a hard time dealing with out having her daddy around, but she is truly making such remarkable progress. I have finally made great progress in her potty training journey. I have not changed a wet diaper in 2 1/2 weeks now, yes we are still dealing with bowel movements in the diaper) but I can remember just two short weeks ago I was still changing on average 5 to 6 pee pee diapers a day.

Her anger is still real strong at times, she still asks for her dad but tonight she actually called him Clayton instead of daddy. Threw me for a loop there. She has also learned the letters: A, B, G, J, K, L, R, Y, & Z by looking at her flash cards. She actually attempted to draw a picture of her family and you could pretty much tell that she was trying to draw people. I am so proud of her. She is eating dinner with the family at night and not 2 hours after everyone else has eaten. She is also eating with her silver ware.

After seeing all of the progress in the past 3 weeks I am beginning to wonder if maybe she is not as delayed as we all thought. Maybe she was just feeling the same stress as I was and it was holding her back.

Single Motherhood.

Please do not think by the title that I am expert on this subject. I know I am not since I am very new to this. On the Friday before Father's day my husband and daughter's father walked out on our marraige. It has been very hard I know the trauma of it is is just beggining to rear it's ugly head.

I know that my daughter can feel my anger and hatred towards her father. Every time I hear her say daddy it really just grates my teeth. I really do hate that but must make sure that she does not see what it does to me.

No matter what pain I am feeling I know that she is also having pain. Since she has autism she can not express her self very good and when she does in is through anger and often violence. All I know to do is let her get it off her chest and not show any emotion in front of her. I feel like I have to be a huge stone. No fear no emotion.

For this reason I have not been able to write on here. I had recently started back to college befor all of this happened and wether I had wanted to admit it or not I actually seen all of this comming for a few years now. I will continue to try to blog as much as I can and share with you any things that make not only raising an developmentaly challenged child a bit easier but I will also try my best to tell you single parents out there what I am finding works best.

My first tip is every time your child says I hate you or I hate this just remember your child is angry just like you and is frustrated. She or he will change his or her mind before bed.

The Movers and the Shakers Part II

Photo gotten from http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/04/americas-next-top-model-finalist-turns-to-game-design/2

Heather Kuzmich, born April 19, 1986, in Valparaiso, Indiana. She is an art student and an American Model. She currently lives in Chicago, Illinois, where she is studying to be a video game designer. She is best know for her fourth runner up position on America's Next Top Model, where it was made known that Heather has both Asperger's and ADHD. She was diagnosed with asperger's at the age of 15, right around the time that her father passed away. She has said in interviews that it was not the easiest time in her life. She says that she struggles with approaching people and with her communication skills.

The movers and the shakers.

Image can be found http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin

Given that April is Autism Awareness month, I thought it would be nice to do a little segment on famous people with Autism. Some are high Functioning some have Asperger, and some are just on the spectrum.


Today's high light goes to Temple Grandin.

Temple Grandin (born August 29, 1947) is a doctor of animal sciences and professor at Colorado State University, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior. As a person with high-functioning autism, Grandin is also widely noted for her work in autism advocacy and is the inventor of the hug machine designed to calm hypersensitive persons.

Grandin was born in Boston, MA, to Richard Grandin and Eustacia Cutler. She was diagnosed as autistic in 1950. Having been labeled and diagnosed with brain damage at the age of two, she was placed in a structured nursery school with what she considers to have been good teachers. Grandin's mother spoke to a doctor who suggested speech therapy, and she hired a nanny who spent hours playing turn-based games with Grandin and her sister.

At age four, Grandin began talking, and she began making progress. She considers herself lucky to have had supportive mentors from primary school onwards. However, Grandin has said that middle school, and high school were the worst parts of her life. She was the "nerdy kid," the one whom everyone teased and picked on. She would be walking down the street and people would say "tape recorder," because she would repeat things over and over again. Grandin states that "I could laugh about it now, but back then it really hurt."

After graduating from Hampshire County School, a boarding school for gifted children in Rindge, NH in 1966, Grandin went on to earn her bachelor's degree in psycology from Franklin Pierce College also located in Rindge) in 1970, her master's degree in animal science from Arizona State University, in 1975, and her doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1989.

All of the above information can be found, and was copied from here.

Temple went on to have one of the greatest achievement in the livestock industry. She realized that the treatment of cattle at the slaughter yards was to stressful on the animals. She invented what was known as weeping curved corrals, which helped lower the stress level of the animals being lead to slaughter. She was quotes as saying: "I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do, but we've got to do it right. We've got to give those animals a decent life and we've got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect." —Temple Grandin. Her hard work towards the respect for animals up for slaughter, were proved to be time and money saving investments.

As a mother with a daughter who is a high functioning autistic, here is one of those stories that gives me hope that my daughter can be any thing that she puts her heart to.

On the job hunt.

I had 2 job interviews yesterday, and thanks to the wonderful managers who interviewed me I found out that after almost four years of staying home, all I am qualified to be is a mom. Some days that are real trying on me I really feel like I am not truly qualified to be a mom. We have regressed recently Elizabeth was doing so good about doing #1 in the potty and now today she has had nothing but accidents. I sit here and wonder what it is that I am doing so wrong that causes her to take so many steps backwards. All of my friends keep telling me that it is just because Elizabeth has autism, and to tell the truth all that statement does is anger me. I do not see my daughter as a person that needs to use this as an excuse so it really upsets me when others do it for her. It is almost as if saying that because she has aspergers autism that will be her life long definition. I feel totally different I do not want her autism to define her I want her to have the ability to define her autism.

Free Pull Ups potty training dvd

I am struggling with potty training my three year old. I do not know about any of you but I have been told that potty training a child with autism is almost impossible. When I was first told this by my daughters doctor all I could think was "Oh no we can do this she is high functioning." So far with a year into potty training we have her broke on wetting herself, but she is still having bowel movement accidents, and I guess since she has only ever went poo 2 times in a potty, and she will tell you I will not go in the potty. I hold it, I do not believe these can be called accidents any more. We were recently interviewed by out local Head Start and we were told that if she has not been completely potty trained by the new school year she can not attend. Every 30 min in my day I take the time to put her on the potty. She will not tell me when she needs to go ( unless it is in the middle of the night). When you ask her " Elizabeth do you need to go potty?" and you know she does she will still tell you no. As soon as you put her on the potty she pee's so much. I have been searching for tips on helping her go potty. I ran across this offer and figured I would pass it along. I know it is only available while supplies last. Click here to fill out the form to get your free potty training tips DVD.

I need a favor

Please take a second of your time to vote for my entry for a Fry's reusable bag design.
Click here to go straight to my entry.

Lots to do.

As I have been blog surfing recently I have found so many that are great. To all of my followers he is a little list of my 5 most favorite.

1. It's All about the Savings this girl always has a ton of stuff to take part in. She has great giveaways and reviews. She also has a ton of money saving tips.
2. Life of Logan For any mother struggling with an ill child, this blog will inspire you. It makes we smile every time I go there.
3. Mama to 3 blessings- Our Homeschool Blog I love this blog because it has some great advise on home schooling. in this day and age with our schools being so horrible I am considering home school. It is great to know all those tips and tricks. Plus she has great giveaways.
4. Hearts Make Families I love to go to this blog and read her great stories. She really does take away the mundane in a boring day.
5. All About Entering Giveaways The name says it all. All this lady does is post giveaways she finds on her blog sufin' days.
   

Fire station visit

Izzy really did have fun today. Of course it all had to be on her terms. We will be going back out for she would only talk to the female firefighter and at the end of the visit all she did was talk. She refused to look at the trucks. She would not get dressed in an outfit. Over all it went well she learned the difference between hot and cold for many things. Even though we have gone over them at our home it seemed a firefighter really helped to ingrain it in her. At the end of the visit when they re asked the question what should you do if your house is on fire she still gave the answer hide under the table. :(

Did you know

This will not be long but I figured I would pass this along. Did you know that if you are using an older child safety seat you should look on it for an expiration date. If it has expired you need to replace it because it truly is no longer safe to use.

YOung Kids and Fire Safety.

Did you know that :

• There were 3,320 civilians that lost their lives as the result of fire.
• There were 16,705 civilian injuries that occurred as the result of fire.
• There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
• Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters combined.
• 84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
• There were an estimated 1.5 million fires in 2008.
• Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $15.5 billion. This figure includes the 2008 California Wildfires with an estimated loss of $1.4 billion.
• An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted in 315 civilian deaths.
• Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $866 million in property damage.

I personally find these numbers to be extremely high, yet as of August 27, 2009 these were the facts. The death toll from fires is unbelievably high. I personally feel that alot of those could have been prevented by proper fire safety and prevention. Such as did you know if all of us had at least one fire extinguisher and one smoke alarm for every 3 rooms we could save many lives. You should also check the batteries to your smoke alarms every month. It is also imperative to have a fire plan. You and you family should set aside time once a month to review this plan. The plan should include a trip to your local fire station (me and my family are doing that tomorrow) the good thing about visiting the station is it can show your young frightened children that firefighters are just like you and me and even with a ton of gear they are good guys. You also need to teach your children the stop, drop, and roll plan. The next thing is to teach them to crawl out of a burning house instead of walking since smoke rises. You need to go through and review your escape plan once a month.

If every one in this nation would do this imagine how many lives could be saved. I will let you all know how our visit goes tomorrow since she is so easily frightened. I am hoping we will all learn something new and that it will instill the notion that firefighters are friends.

Truly cheap and easy way to make money.

The reason the I say this is cheap is because you do have to invest time and a little money. Please do not do this unless you really can. I was invited to BIDZ.COM I decided to try it out. I spent maybe 45 min on there and spent a total of $7.95. I purchased a white gold ring that had 4 heart shaped rubies in it. I also got a yellow gold necklace that was 16 in long and the charm on it was oval and said love and had a red gold rose on it. Now please remember I only spent $7.95 on both items. I went to my local pawn shop yesterday and sold the ring for a total of $225.00. What a huge profit and investment. I am sending the necklace to my mom for mothers day.

Yes this was my big news for today. I know to some it might not be much but for me since my husband has been out of work since November it was great for us.

If you decide to do this good luck.

Here are a few tips for you that I used. I only bid on items that were worse than $10.00.
I only bid on items that had less that 1 min on them because I was more likely to win it.

Free Pacific Rim Winemakers Calender Cube and Rules Book

You need to have a facebook account so if you do not you need to make one if you want these. It is easy to get either of these items all you need to do is click here fill out the form and get your calender. I think in is cute but am still waiting on it to arrive. The click here for their riesling rules book.

Free sample of Jarrow Formulas Dietary Supplments

These are really awesome and what can be better than getting a free sample. Click here and sign up for the news letter to get your free samples.

100 Free Disney Movie Rewards points

All you need to do is click here and enter these codes to earn 100 free Disney Rewards Points.
The codes are Popular, Partners, Wildflower, Online, Green.

Another apology

I guess this is the hard part of being a mom to a child with health problems. We have been so busy that I have not been on. I really do want to apologize and I do promise to be on time with my posts and more productive with my blog. Please bear with me as I continue to learn the ins and outs. I have something very exciting to share tomorrow. I look forward to hearing from you then.

Apology and Recipe

I want to apologize for it being so many days since I have written on here. Between trying to get my financial aid in order for school and my Internet going in and out I just have not been able to post. Here is a great recipe that is very quick to make on those busy days.

Quick 'n Crunchy Potato Chip Chicken
(gotten from my Betty Crocker Cook Book)

Add great crunch and flavor to chicken. Choose
your favorite flavor of potato chips, like Cheddar
for a cheese flavor, BBQ for that great BBQ flavor.
Crush them into a tasty coating. In fact to save
some money which we all like to do why not save
your crumbs in the bottom of the bag to use. If
you dont want to do that just pour some chips into
a food bag and crush them up.

prep time: 5min cook time 12min serves 4

4 cups flavor chip of choice
(once crushed will be 1 cup)
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 large egg
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
(about 1/4 lb)

1. In a shallow bowl, mix crushed potato chips and parsley. In a shallow bowl, beat egg and Worcestershire sauce.
2. In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with the potato chip mixture.
3. Cook chicken in oil 10 to 12 minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown and juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170 degrees).

1 serving:
Cal 305 ( Cal from fat 155);
Fat 17g (sat.fat 3g);
Chol. 125mg;
Sodium 200mg;
Carbs 9g (fiber 1g);
Pro. 29g.
% Daily Value:
Vit. A 2%;
Vit. C 2%;
Calc. 2%;
Iron 8%
Exchanges:
1/2 Starch, 4 lean meat, 1 fat.
Carb Choices: 1/2

I just love this I use sour cream and onion chips, and I also use Nacho Cheese Doritos. I love it because it is just enough for our small family. It is so cheap and easy to make as well. I usually get the chicken on sale and then freeze it until I am ready to use it. I also get the doritos when they are on sale in the family sided bag 2 for $3.oo or I buy the store brand chips when they are 3 for $5. I hope you all will try and then fall in love with this great meal idea.


Now I would not just write done the main course with out having the sides. We are gonna make this a full meal deal.

I do not know about where you live but I am always finding 5lb bags of potatoes on sale for $0.59 a bag. So I love to make a fried potato cake to go with this and deep fried green beans.

Potato Cakes

• 6 cups cubed (1-inch) Yukon potatoes
• 3 1/2 cups bread crumbs, divided
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
  

Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine potatoes and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and mash.

In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 2 cups bread crumbs, egg, cheese, bacon, onion, butter, sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper. Form potatoes into 3-inch patties; dredge in remaining bread crumbs.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add potato patties, and cook, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown and crisp. Serve immediately.

Deep Fried Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut to preferred length
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Oil for deep frying Wash and trim green beans. Pat dry. Mix the flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder in bowl. Dip the green beans in buttermilk and then roll in the flour mixture. Deep fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Now I do not deep fry mine instead I preheat my over to 425 degrees and bake them for 12 min, you still coat them the same way.

I really hope that you enjoy these recipes. I know me and my family do. Have a great day and enjoy dinner.

Karen's Scraps And Graphics Blog.

I ran across this wonderful graphics site that does autism graphics. She also has some of the most tear jerking and wonderful heart felt poems on there. As of this time she is not doing layouts but after talking to her is is hoping to do them in due time. Please check out her blog and support her. Here is the link http://karensscrapsandgraphics.blogspot.com/

There really is not much else I can say but that this is a wonderful Autism graphics web blog.

Looking for a review.

If you are looking for my review for this week I am a bit late. For some reason I can not seem to find a moment to gather all of the information I need. I really hope to have it up before tonight. Please be patient and bear with me.

Here is my Happy Deal.

This is the best deal I have seen in a while. If you are anything like me you are always looking for ways to get rid of the clothes your child has out grown, and get ones that will fit. I am always taking my clothes to the second hand store Twice As Nice. I will take in 3 boxes of clothes and after they sort through them I will walk out with $10.00 in store credit and 2 of the 3 boxes. So I still have not gotten rid of all those clothes. Well it looks like I have found a new way.

ThredUP is offering free kids clothes and promo code for WalletPop

ThreadUP, the online clothing swap shop WalletPop covered last year, is launching the "seeding phase" of its kid-sized style solution. No hemming or letting out seams required. Instead, ThredUP will enable parents to facilitate equitable clothing trades online. Members will list outgrown clothes (in good condition) in exchange for sizes and styles they need. Does junior need ski pants? Just ask. Do perfectly good clothes crowd closets and drawers? Box 'em up and ship 'em out. Starting now, beta users can earn a swap on the site for free.

s a result, ThredUP is conducting a 1,000 box countdown. Once the site has logged at least 1.000 entries, they will officially launch. Each person who contributes one of the first 1,000 entries, or "boxes," will earn a credit on ThredUP.com equal to the price of one swap ($13). Free clothes! Motivated moms and dads who upload descriptions for five "boxes" worth of clothing will also earn a six-month ThredUP Pro membership valued at $20. Those participating in the beta launch will also have first dibs on getting started. WalletPop readers can use promo code WALLETPOP.

All of this information is available on the walletpop web site. All you need to do is click here to get there.

Thumbprint Cookies

This is a simple recipe that will get you and your little ones high praise. Me and my daughter love to bake. This is one of those fabulous recipes that she can help with.

Prep time: 30 min Bake time: 10 min per sheet.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
( I use margarine cause it is already softened)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or brewed coffee
1 large egg yolk
1 cup all purpose flour
~If using self rising omit the salt~
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1 cup finely shopped nuts
About 6 tablespoons jelly or jam. ( any flavor)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowel, beat brown sugar, shortening, butter, vanilla and egg yolk with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour and salt.
3. Roll dough into 1in balls. In a small bowel beat your egg whites. Place the nuts into another small bowel. After you have finished rolling the balls dip them into the egg whites and then roll them in the nuts. You can skip the nut part if your child or some one else has an allergy to nuts. Place the balls onto the cookie sheet. Let your child place his/her thumb into the center and make a thumb print. Try not to let him/her push through to the cookie sheet.
4. Bake about 1o min or until lightly brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cool. Do not coll on the cookie sheet because the bottom of cookies may burn. After allowing to cool completely top thumb print with about 1.2 teaspoon of jelly.
   

Health Care Reform.

I really do believe this is a very important subject since my child is at the doctors almost weekly if not more than once a week. I do not know what many of you may feel about it. I for one am very saddened by it passing on the abortion side only because I know that if the doctors had done their genetic testing on my daughter I would have been pressured to have an abortion. I do not know that I could have ever done that since she is the love of my life. I do know that there are times that she is in pain and that she suffers but she is a very happy child all around. You can see it in her eyes daily. Now it will be so easy for parents to go for that perfect child. If they know that something is wrong with their child they can now have the government pay for that abortion.

Now on to something that does not involve my beliefs because I do not want to push them onto you. I am still confused where this will leave those with incurable diseases and disorders will they just be left behind now? Please if you have an opinion no matter what it is agreement or disagreement with the passing of this bill weigh in. I really would like to know what each and every one of you think.

8 childhood illnesses: Get the facts.

You may not have heard of these childhood illnesses, but they are more common than you think.
By Martin F. Downs WebMD Feature and Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD.
All of this information can be found on the Web MD web site. You can got to their site by clicking here.

Sick days are part of being a kid; worrying about childhood illnesses is part of being a parent. You wonder, what's that weird rash? Does that cough sound worse than before? Am I going to catch this, too?

Parents quickly learn from experience all about ear infections, pinkeye, stomach bugs, colds, and the flu. These things may be most familiar to you, but there's a whole world of childhood illnesses out there that you may not know about. Let's get acquainted with some of these nasties now.

Six of these eight childhood illnesses are viral or bacterial infections. That means they are preventable to some extent by encouraging your child to keep his or her hands clean with old-fashioned soap and water. Practicing good "cough etiquette" is another important way of reducing the spread of childhood illnesses. Kids should be taught to cover their mouths when they cough and wash their hands afterward.

1. RSV

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a very common childhood illness. It's even more common than seasonal flu. "It causes a lot more problems for children than influenza does," says Michael Brady, MD, an infectious disease expert at Nationwide Children's Hospital, in Columbus, Ohio.

Most of us have had exposure to RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) by the time we're 2 years old. RSV causes some of the same symptoms as cold and flu, such as fever, runny nose, and cough.

For babies less than 1 year old, RSV is the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small air passages in the lungs. Wheezing is a telltale symptom of these conditions, which sometimes have to be treated in the hospital. Only about 25% to 40% of young children with their first RSV infection will have any noticeable wheezing, however. Even fewer, 2% or less, are hospitalized.

RSV infections last about one to two weeks. You're not immune to RSV once you've had it. You can have an RSV infection at any age, but "after you get it a few times, it's just a cold to you," Brady says.

2. Fifth Disease

Fifth disease has been called the "slapped cheek" disease because it causes a red rash on the face that looks like a slap mark. A lacy red rash may also appear on the child's torso and limbs. Fifth disease doesn't always make a child feel ill, but it can feel like a cold early on, before the rash shows up.

The cryptic name is a holdover from medical lingo a century ago, when a French physician assigned numbers to the common childhood diseases characterized by rashes. For example, measles was "first disease," scarlet fever was "second disease," and so on.

We now know that fifth disease is caused by a virus called human parvovirus B19. Up to 20% of children may get the virus before age 5, and up to 60% have had it by age 19. Infections are usually not very serious and go away in seven to 10 days. Many children infected with the virus don't show any symptoms. "In most cases, it's a pretty benign situation," Brady says.

3. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease, which infects only livestock. A common childhood illness, hand, foot, and mouth disease causes a fever with blisters or sores inside the mouth and on the palms and soles of the feet. The blisters may also appear on the buttocks, "but we decided to leave that out of the name," Brady says.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by a variety of viruses called enteroviruses. In the United States, the disease is usually caused by a virus known as coxsackievirus A16. This virus usually goes around in the summer and early fall.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease may cause a lot of discomfort, but for most children it isn't very serious and goes away on its own after a week to 10 days.

4. Croup

Croup is a childhood illness usually caused by a group of viruses called human parainfluenza viruses, which also cause the common cold. The main symptom of croup is a "barking" cough, sometimes likened to the barking sound a seal makes. Croup can be serious enough to require treatment in a hospital. Up to 6% of children with croup are hospitalized, but it is very rarely fatal. For severe cases, treatment helps to keep the sick child breathing normally until the infection ends. A case of croup typically lasts about one week.

It's estimated that six in 100 children get croup each year. Children who get it tend to be between 6 months and 12 years old, and it's seen most frequently in 2-year-old children.

5. Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is a rash that sometimes appears with strep throat -- an infection with a bacterium called group A streptococcus. A child with strep throat will usually have a very sore throat and high fever. The scarlet fever rash starts on the chest and abdomen and spreads all over the body. It is bright red like sunburn and feels rough like sandpaper. The color of the rash may be deeper around the armpits. The child's tongue may have a whitish appearance, except for the taste buds, which look bright red, a symptom known as "strawberry tongue." There may be some flushing in the face, with a paler area around the mouth.

Scarlet fever was once a feared and deadly childhood illness, but it is easily cured with antibiotics. Now scarlet fever is just another kind of rash.

6. Impetigo

Impetigo is a bacterial skin infection. It's the third most common skin condition in children, seen most often in children aged 2 to 6 years. It's very contagious, and adults can get it, too.

Impetigo appears on the skin as clusters of itchy little bumps or sores that weep fluid, forming a honey-colored crust over them. Touching the fluid from the sores can spread an impetigo infection to the skin on different parts of the child's body, as well as to other people.

Prescription antibiotics are needed to clear up an impetigo infection. The sores heal without causing scars.

7. Kawasaki Disease

Kawasaki disease is a very rare childhood illness with no known cause. It is a peculiar combination of symptoms including a high fever, rash, red palms and soles of the feet, swollen hands and feet, bloodshot eyes, swollen lymph glands, and chapped lips. The disease can cause the vessels of the heart to become inflamed, damaging the heart. In the hospital, doctors treat Kawasaki disease with high doses of drugs that boost the body's immune response. Most children recover with treatment, but the disease is sometimes fatal.

A doctor named Tomisaku Kawasaki first discovered the disease in Japan in the 1960s. It's still most common in Japan, but each year in the U.S., hospitals admit about 4,000 children suffering from Kawasaki disease. Most of them are children younger than age 5.

Whatever makes these children sick has eluded researchers for decades. But an idea that has some traction among scientists, Brady says, is that an infection, maybe a virus, triggers this reaction in children who have a certain genetic trait.

8. Reye's Syndrome

Reye's syndrome is a very serious but now extremely rare childhood illness. If you've ever wondered why you shouldn't give aspirin to children, Reye's is the reason. Reye's syndrome comes on suddenly after a viral illness like chickenpox or the flu. It causes liver problems and brain swelling, leading to radical behavior and personality changes, loss of conscious, seizures, and coma. About 30% of children who have fallen ill with Reye's syndrome die from it.

The cause of Reye's syndrome is still unknown, but there's a lot of evidence to suggest that it's somehow related to taking aspirin during a viral illness.

The CDC first warned about the possible link between aspirin and Reye's syndrome in 1980. Afterward, the number of cases reported each year fell sharply, from 555 cases reported in 1980, to no more than two per year between 1994 and 1997. "It really isn't something we see more than once every 10 years now," Brady tells WebMD.

Since my blog is about raising children with rare childhood diseases and disorders I really thought this story is quite fitting. I do know that Autism is not as rare as many people seem to think it is, actually it's statistics are quit staggering. Hopefully next weekend I can post more on that subject. And please for any of you out there that are reading this I do not want you to think I am expert on any of this for I am not. Alot of what I do know I have learned through personal experience. Such as the fact that I had never heard of Riley-Day syndrome until my own child was diagnosed with it in November 2009. That disorder/disease is so rare it only affects 1 in every 3,700 people.

Recall Information

I know how much our families mean to each and every one of us. I have decided to add a special RSS feed to my blog for all recalls. It will not only have toy recalls but food as well. Please check it often. I would rather be a bit over cautious than to see someone get hurt.

A Mother's Autism Prayer.

Dear God:
Hear the prayers of a mother's lament,
For our child who's from Heaven sent;
We don't know where this child went,
Lost in a world that was never meant.

Guide my walk every hour I'm awake;
Don't let me give up when there's no more I can take.
Keep me from feeling my anxious heart break.
O help me through this journey, for Heaven's sake.

Give me the strength to endure each day,
When he's aloof,distressed, and has nothing to say.
Teach me, O God, how to live a new way.
I will stay on my knees; for strength I will pray.

O righteous God, please hold my hand;
Let me see your footsteps in the sand.
Hold me up when I'm to weary to stand,
And help me live each day by Your command.

Let us love our child like You love us so will not loose heart.
Let us love our child like You love us so we won't fall apart.
Bestow on me the deepest love that is true;
Help me to love the same way that You do.

~Elizabeth Burton Scott, MA
Author of Raindrops on Roman
Overcoming Autism, A Message on Hope

I found this poem on http://www.rdrpublishers.com/autism_prayers.html
The web site states that this is free to print so I decided to put it here. It is a great poem.

Product Review For 8TH Continent Soy Milk.

I never really saw my self as being the type of person to drink soy milk. Until recently I had never even tried it. My daughter was recently put on a Vegan diet for some of her health issues. When we were informed we would have to start giving her soy products, all that I could think of was yuck. On the way home from the doctors we stopped by our local Wal-Mart to pick up some soy milk. I do not know about you all but if I am gonna make my child try something new to eat I will also try it. I will admit that at first I was not overly fond of this "milk" but now after 4 days of drinking it I am surprising happy with it. At first it did taste a bit watery and bland but it really did go good my bowel of Special K. And we have also made pancakes with it since she can no longer have the boxed stuff for it usually contains milk products. Though it takes some getting use to this item I am surprised at how well it has grown on me. So if you do try it do not be discouraged at first taste it does get better.

Friday Follow

Welcome to the Friday Follow celebration hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families and Midday Escapades! We invite you to join us every Friday to get more blog followers and to follow other interesting blogs. It is all about sharing and having fun.

Here's how YOU can join the celebration:
--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below.
Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots. We will follow you back.

--Follow as many blogs as you'd like.

--Comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.
Friday Follow Blog Hop (March 19)
Hosted by Rita @ One 2 Try Tami @ Hearts Make Families and Lynn @ Midday Escapades . Join us every Friday as we celebrate followers! Link up your blog name and URL below to follow and be followed!
Want to be a part of this Blog Hop? Click here for instructions and code...

Gaddy Nipper crayon givaway on It's All About The Saving Blog.

I ran across this wonderful giveaway on a blog I subscribe to. It is for the cutest crayons I have ever seen. They are made by Gaddy Nipper Crayons. you can easily get to the web site by clicking
here. These are way cute and eco friendly since they are recycled. The giveaway includes:

Lego Easter People Crayons Set of 5~ These little men look so real and fun. At only $2.50 a set this would make a wonderful gift for any child in your life. The colors are very vibrant and wonderful. One word of warning this set of crayons are very small and would not work well for any child still putting things in their mouth.

Easter Lego Brick Crayons Set of 5~ These legos look extremely real. My son thought they were real and the colors are so pretty... perfect for Easter. Don't worry Gaddy Nipper Crayons have colors perfect for anytime of the year! Again these retail for only $2.50..... what a steal!

Make sure you hurry over because the giveaway ends on March 28,2010.

Click here to get to the "It's All About The Savings Blog" and learn how to enter to win.

Ok so Here is a great buy for everyone with kids. It is a buy 1 get 4 free at all safeway stores. All you need is a safeway club card. So you will be getting the Princess and The Frog on DVD ($19.95) or Blueray ($25.99) plus one 6 pack of 1 ltr. bottles of water, 14oz straw cup, The Princess and the Frog coloring book with 4 crayons, and a box of jollytime popcorn. All of the price of the movie. Great gift for Easter. This sale ends March 23 and is only available while supplies last so need to hurry.

Blog Objective part 3

So as you can see our life is a bit complicated. We have a lot going on. Enough to last a life time if you ask me, but through it all we have found strength. Our daughter was diagnosed just before Christmas with a disease called Riley-Day syndrome. Although the doctors have said our time with her is limited we refuse to give up. We love our daughter very much.

We have also learned alot through all of this as well. Stress levels can get high. For not only mom and dad but for our daughter as well. We have found the comfort and strength from support by friend, family, and strangers. This blog is here to help all of us find the same comfort and strength.

I am also committed to helping every one save money with their everyday and not so everyday expenses. I know that having a child in general can be expensive but having a special needs child can be even more expensive. So as we take this journey through parenthood and life together, I look forward to hearing all of your stories, sharing your tears and fears and supporting you in any way I can. Who knows how far we can take this blog but as I have told my daughter many time nothing is out of our reach if we just have faith.

Welcome to the world of special needs parenting and learning how to keep your sanity and hopefully a little cash on the way.

The mission of this blog part 2

So we have come to the point that our daughter is ill and now at 3 years old she has had a surgery to help her bowels. But we are way ahead in our story because as I said before we had a very normal child. She crawled on time, climbed at an early age, and walked at about one. Then out of the blue she became angry all the time, she was crawling instead of walking and at 2 was still on her bottle. We tried to bottle break her but she would not drink to the point of dehydration. What was happening. We took her back to the doctor and we were told she was going through the terrible twos. Yet at 2 1/2 things were just getting worse. She was knocking her self out cold in fits of anger. So what would any parent do we began to fight again. Back to the doctor who still said it is just the terrible twos. Yeah we know that it is not just anger. She is falling all the time, having problems with her speech, not hitting her mile stones but it is nothing to worry about. I fought to get her into a neurologist. I finally got my way. After about 8 visits we were told that she has a for of autism called aspergers syndrome. So now with speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and seeing neuropsychologist, and a psychiatrist we are told she is developmentally a 1 1/2 or 2 year old.

The mission of this blog. Part 1.

Hello my name is Amanda Green. The reason that I have started this blog is to raise awareness of childhood disorders and rare diseases. My beautiful three year old daughter was born about 8 weeks early. We were told she was perfectly healthy given the circumstances. We lived our lives well. At about 6 days old she woke us up screaming as if she were being murdered. It really concerned us since she almost never cried. As we tried everything to get her to calm down we racked our brains to try and figure out what might be wrong. It hit us about an hour later that she hand yet to have a bowel movement since bringing her home from the hospital. We proceeded to call her doctor who told us to give her an enema. We did this frequently over the next year and a half and switched formulas and put her on different medications. Finally we got her into and gastroenterologist who proceeded to tell us that she was lazy. I could not bring my self to believe that by him glancing at her and us telling him that she has had this problem from birth that he could possibly be right. We fought and fought with him to run tests. Now at three in a half and after finding her a new specialist we are told that she suffers from hirschsprung disease.