Somewhere in Time Movie Review

Somewhere is Time is one of my all time favorite romantic movies.  It is hard to believe, but it was released over 35 years ago.  To this day, I can hear Elise (Jane Seymour) calling out through time to "Richard" in my mind.  The agony and desperation in her voice is heart-wrenching. 

Scenes from this movie were long ago impressed on my mind and they haunt me to this day.  The exquisite and beautiful Jane Seymour reaching out in time to the young and handsome Christopher Reeve is an unforgettable image of timeless love.

In case you haven't already seen the movie, allow me to introduce you.  If you have seen it, I recommend watching it again.  The beauty of a romance that erases the walls of time is just as poignant and gripping today as it was 37 years ago.  Perhaps even more so.

Synopsis of the Movie Somewhere in Time

The opening scenes of the movie take place at an after play party on May 19, 1972.  Richard Collier, a young play-writer, is celebrating the success of his play with friends when an elderly woman approaches him.  She gently places a beautiful pocket watch in his hand and softly says "come back to me".  Then she turns and leaves the building.  Since Richard has never seen her before, he is somewhat mystified by her gift and words.  

 Somewhere in Time (Collector's Edition)Eight years later, Richard is a writing a new play, or at least trying to write one.  It is not coming together easily for him.  Even listening to his favorite soothing music, Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini", is not helping.  Out of sheer frustration he decides to take a trip, to get away from the monotony of the routine of his life in Chicago.  He simply starts driving with no apparent destination when he spots the Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan.   For some inexplicable reason, he is drawn to the hotel and signs in to stay one night.  The elderly bellboy, Arthur, thinks he recognizes Richard, but a lot of people have come to the Grand Hotel since 1910 when he first arrived there with his father.

When Richard goes to dinner, there is a 40 min wait, so he starts exploring.  He discovers a picture of Elise McKenna in the hotel's Hall of History and is captivated by her beauty.  He wants to know more about her.  He goes to the local library to research Elise McKenna and found she was a great box office draw in the early 1900's.  She was born nearly 100 years earlier in 1885.  When he finds a photo of her in her later years, he realizes she is the woman who gave him the watch at the party back in 1972.  Now, he must know more!

He located the home of the biography writer to get more information on Elise.  The writer had a collection of McKenna's personal items, including a dress from her last play and a book she was particularly fond of on time travel.  He found out that Elise had died the same night she had given him the watch.  

Somewhere In Time (1998 Re-recording)
You can hear the beautiful redition of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini , along with John Barry's score here. Purchase if desired.As he continues to explore Elise's belongings, he is drawn to a music box designed as a replica of the Grand Hotel.  When he opens the lid, he is surprised and further intrigued to hear it plays "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini".

Later, when he is back at the hotel, he searches for the hotel registers from 1912 and finds his signature in the register confirming what he already suspected.  He was a guest at the Grand Hotel in 1912.

He immediately went into action.  He bought a suit from around 1912, cut his hair to match the style of the early 1900's, purchased 1912 money, and returned to the Grand Hotel.  He removed everything that was current day from his sight and made a recording to help "hypnotize" himself to travel back to June 29, 1912.  He laid on the bed, played the tape and started the process of traveling back in time.  Back to 1912.  

Back to the Grand Hotel of 1912  where she preformed, and back to her.

He closed his eyes and woke up in the past, 1912, but in the wrong hotel room.  As soon as he escaped that room, he went in search of Elise.  He found her walking by the lake and approached her.
Her first words to him were "is it you?"  He answered, "yes".

   

One of my personal favorite scenes in the movie is when Elise is having her photo taken after her final performance at the Grand Hotel.  Richard enters the room and right as she looks at him, the photographer captures that expression of love on her face.  That photo is the picture that is hanging in the Grand Hotel's Hall of History. 

Somewhere in Time Movie Trailer

Add Somewhere In Time to Your Romantic Movie Collection Today!

Learn more about the man and his journey back to love!

 Somewhere in Time - Watch Now on Amazon.com Somewhere in Time DVD
(Collector's Edition) Somewhere in Time (Blu-ray + Digital HD with UltraViolet) by Universal Studios

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Somewhere in Time Movie Review Written by:

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Review of Tips to Photograph Florida Birds

Black Skimmer

Discovering Florida Birds

This past year I have really gotten interested in photographing birds, so it is only natural that when we were planning a trip to Florida I also planned on discovering a new variety of birds to photograph.  I started out by purchasing a good bird book on Florida birds and spent some time reading and studying the different types before our trip.  I found that many of the birds common to my area of the mid-west also resided in Florida.  Many birds that I commonly see in my own backyard such as the: Cardinal,  Robin, Goldfinch, Starling, Robin and several different woodpeckers also call Florida home. Florida, however, also has a wide range of birds that I never see in the mid-west and it was this set of birds that I was interested in photographing.  I started my exploration by going to a pier near where the inlet joins the ocean.  On the first day I saw a lot of Rock Pigeons and several Brown Pelicans.  I was just leaving the pier when the colorful bird in the photo above flew in and landed on the beach.  I thought he was very unusual looking with his distinct black and white coloring and the bright orange at the base of his bill and orange legs.  With his distinct colorings he was easy to identify in the bird book.  My book states that he is 18 inches and has up to a 3 1/2 foot winspan.  We were in Florida a month and this was the only time I saw this bird.  I feel fortunate to have been able to get a good photograph.

Bird Book for Florida

Here is the book that I used to identify the birds I photographed in Florida.  It is laid out with sections on birds of various colors.  That made it easy to find a bird from my photo.  It also has a great index in the back to cross reference various birds.

Birds at the Beach

When taking a walk on the beach I was delighted to see a wide variety of birds.  When I had been to Florida in past years I had noticed the gulls and the little birds that ran in and out of the waves, but I had never really realized how many different varieties there were.

When I took the photographs and then went back to our condo to look them up in the bird book, I found there were several different types of gulls and the little birds could be sanderlings, terns, or perhaps even a Ruddy Turnstone.  I learned to pay attention to the size and shape of their bills, the color of their legs, their basic shapes and their colorings.  Even when I had all these characteristics figured out I learned within each specie there were different colorings for summer vs winter birds, breeding vs non breeding and male vs female birds. Identifing these birds was sure more complicated than it first appeared.
Below are two of the different gulls I photographed and identified.

Laughing Gull

Ring-billed Gull

The small little birds that seem to run in and out with the waves are always fascinating.  Here are a few I captured in photos.

Royal Tern

Sanderlings

Ruddy Turnstone

Birds by the Lakes

I also took several walks around nearby lakes and found some very interesting varieties of birds.  Some of these I had to work a bit harder at identifying.

This bird is a Little Blue Heron.  It is 24 inches and is a dark slate blue color.

This next bird is a Double-crested Cormorant.  I had a bit of trouble deciding on this bird, but after Looking at both of these photos I narrowed it down to a Double-crested Cormorant.

Birds of Florida Throw Pillow
by mbgphoto

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Reviews of Picture Books for Teaching Difficult Math and Science Concepts

Picture Books Clarify Science and Math Concepts 

Big, small, tall, fast, heavy, old -- what do these words mean? Maybe each person has a different idea about them. Author and artist Robert E. Wells wrote a series of books, The Wells of Knowledge Science Series, that illustrates these concepts. Although they seem to be about math, math is so tied to science that readers will learn a lot of science as they grapple with math concepts. Even though these are picture books designed for children, I confess I also learned a lot from them. 

What's Smaller Than  Pygmy Shrew?

What does the word "small" suggest to you? A marble? A bee? Robert Wells introduces his world of the small with a pygmy shrew, which is three inches long. He then challenges readers to think of what's smaller. He contrasts the shrew with an elephant, which in comparison makes the shrew look very small indeed. He then contrasts the shrew with the ladybug, which is smaller yet. 

Then he introduces the creatures that can only be seen under a microscope -- the ones you might find in a drop of water. He explains what cells are and then shows us the animals with only one cell -- the paramecia and amoebas which are both protozoa. Wells' imaginative drawings will bring them to life for you and younger readers. Before Wells is through, he has explained and drawn bacteria, molecules, atoms and their parts, and has challenged readers to guess how many atoms are in a pygmy shrew. There is a small glossary at the end to help children remember unfamiliar words. 

Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is?

In this book, Robert Wells explains to all ages the relative sizes of large from a blue whale all the way to the whole universe. The opening picture shows an elephant, horse, and lion standing on a pier watching the tail of a blue whale that is larger than all of them combined. Then he shows the same animals looking at a jar that contains 100 blue whales. He then puts two such jars on a platform with the animals between them. 

With the animals still standing on the bottom platform, Wells draws a stack of platforms ten high and then on the next page puts them on top of Mount Everest to show how small they are in comparison. By this time the animals are no longer visible. Wells goes on and on until he reaches the universe itself, having introduced numbers in the millions and billions along the way. Even adults will find this book, and others in this series fascinating.

What's Faster than a Speeding Cheetah? 

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This book explores speed from that of the ostrich and cheetah to the speed of light. I love the illustrations which show the race between some children, an ostrich, a cheetah, a swooping peregrine falcon, and a propeller plane. Soon the children, ostrich, and cheetah are in the plane with a frustrated falcon trying to catch up. The falcon then lands on the tail of a jet and passes them. 

Readers then learn about the speed of sound and space travel as all the characters get into a rocket ship. Just as we see a meteoroid whizzing by, we learn that all of us have something that's even faster – something we can hold in our hands. The book concludes with is a chart comparing how long it would take at all the speeds from runner's feet to light to get from the earth to the moon.

These Books Are Great for Unit Studies in Home Schools

 What's Faster Than a Speeding Cheetah? (Robert E. Wells Science Series) How Do You Lift a Lion? (Wells of Knowledge Science Series) Is a Blue Whale the Biggest Thing There Is? (Wells of Knowledge Science Series) Can You Count to a Googol? (Wells of Knowledge Science Series) What's Smaller Than a Pygmy Shrew? (Wells of Knowledge Science Series)

The Wells Knowledge of Science Series is Ideal for Unit Studies

When I was homeschooling, I was always on the lookout for engaging books that targeted visual learners. These books fit into that category. Jason understood what he could see better than what he only read or heard. He was a hands-on kind of child. He also loved animals, and all three of these books have some animal characters.

 One of more of these books could fit into a unit study about light, sound, astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics or transportation. Instead of just reading a definition for a word like protozoa, a child will see a large illustration showing its relationship to other objects it is part of, as well as things that are part of it.

See all the books in  The Wells of Knowledge Science Series, which are recommended for ages 7-10. I believe they are good also for those over ten who want to understand these science concepts. The pictures are imaginative and fun and keep science from being dull. I suggest you get a physical edition rather than a Kindle edition because your children will want to pour over these books. I wish I'd had these for my own children, but they weren't written yet back then.

Find more of my reviews for picture books at Books to Remember.

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Clorox Disinfecting Wipes With Micro-Scrubbers

Perfect For Bathroom Cleaning

Bathroom sink image from Pixabay.com

Today, I would like to review the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes with micro-scrubbers for you wonderful readers. I absolutely love to use these handy wipes to clean my bathroom but they also work in other rooms in the house.

I have used the regular Clorox wipes for quite a few years and was delighted when I found the ones with the micro-scrubbers! One side has these little bumps in the fiber to better attack that nasty soap scum that develops on the sinks and shower. 

One thing that I have always loved about the Clorox disinfecting wipes is that these little cloths  kill 99.999% of bacteria that may be lurking on our counter tops and other surfaces in our homes. Cleaning with them can destroy cold and flu viruses and even staph, e. coli, Salmonella and Strep! 

They are so convenient to use, too. Just pull a cloth or wipe from the container and begin to clean. It is that easy. Once you have finished with the wipe just toss it in the trash. 

I also love that these wipes do not smell like clorox bleach but come in scents that are not so offensive. I particularly like the citrus blend. 

Clean and Disinfect

The wipes work well in the kitchen especially when something sticks on the stove-top or counter. Those little scrubber fibers help to loosen the dried on mess and clean the surface without leaving a scratch. I love that!

I keep a container in each of the bathrooms and in the kitchen at all times. I also have one stored with my cleaning supplies for when I am cleaning any of the other rooms that might have a surface that can be cleaned with the wipes.

In our home I find them very convenient to use when I need to do a spot clean or when I am deep cleaning a room. They work well on glass surfaces, toilet seats, enamel sinks, faucets and my stainless steel sink. I have not really found a surface that I can't clean with them. If you haven't tried the micro-fiber scrubber wipes; I can highly recommend them to you. I think you will be pleased with the results you get. 

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Reviewing Picture Frames for Photos of Grandchildren

Grandchildren are special blessings. And they grow so fast. As a long-distance Gramma, I am amazed at how quickly they grow between visits.  I have many photos of my grandchildren but those photos are all digital. There is nothing wrong with that at all. After all, it's fun to be able to change the desktop photo from favorite photo to the next favorite photo.  However, recently I've had a desire to have printed photographs in frames on display. I've started to narrow down the frame choices and I am sharing a couple of these wonderful picture frames with you.

Desktop Photograph Frame for Grandchildren

This desktop photograph frame has good reviews. It is simple yet unique.  It visually displays exactly how I feel about my grandbabies - a metallic word "Grandkids" followed by a heart. 

I like that this desktop frame isn't a typical frame with four sides. And that it has a base.  I think it is a perfect frame for the office. An interesting way to display photos on my desk or file cabinet.

wood and metal picture frame

Photograph and Frame Gift for Grandparent

A wonderful gift idea is a photograph of the baby in a "Best Gramma" frame. Or, even better, in a personalized frame. These wooden frames are handmade.  

This is the "natural wood" color choice, but there are several color options. You can also specify the name - "Grandma", "Gramma", "Nana" or something else. And note the personalized "love, Raven" on the bottom right corner. How much fun is that? Each grandchild can send their own framed photograph to grandparent. 

personalized handmade wood frame for grandma

During my next visit with the grandbabies, I am sure to take many photographs. That is a given. But this time I will print some and display them in frames. 

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A Unique and Easy Way to Add Art to a Room Without Painting, Art Prints or Wall Decals

Scenery Art Drapes Available on Amazon - Plus Additional Drapes Can Be Found Here

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to add art to a room without having to hire someone to paint wall murals or to go through the work of putting up vinyl wall decals, then try this; draperies that feature art on them.

When it comes to giving a room a facelift, we rarely think to use draperies ... Our minds normally gravitate to paint color and furnishings and the drapes are either omitted or an after thought; it's as though we're trying to do things the hard way.

If the window in your room is a fairly good size, you can use that full space to feature lovely scenic or artistic draperies. In fact, 3D Drapes are a stunning way to not only add art, but to add depth to a space. Because patio doors normally have to be kept clear, they're a good place to feature 3D scenery drapes.

Don't worry if the window is smaller either because you'll find artistic drapes in just about any size to fit: And hey, go ahead and use longer drapes on shorter windows, that way, when they're closed you get the benefit of a larger scenic display to look at.

The ease of interchanging draperies make them an excellent redecorating choice. With several artsy drape styles ready to go in your linen closet, you can change your room for any occasion or season. How about spring flowered drapes, then beached themed drapes, then autumn trees and leaves, and lastly, a gorgeous snow scene on drapes to end the season.

A major drapery change can absolutely alter the look and feel of the space. Since there are practically endless amounts of artistic styles to choose from, you can plan to use several season changes in just about any color combination to match your room.

Go ahead, give it a try ... When you're itching to redecorate but can't stomach the idea of all the work it entails, painlessly scratch that itch by putting up 3D scenery drapes.

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Add a Large Image to Tweets on Twitter with Twitshot

Twitshot makes adding large images to your Twitter tweets easy! 

Most of us don't have enough hours in the day to spend a lot of time on each social media site to share each article.  Finding an easy way to share eye-catching images quickly, makes every blogger's daily schedule more manageable.  

Twitshot is my all time favorite shortcuts to beautiful tweets that include big images with the necessary textual information.

Normally a tweet includes a thumbnail size image that is often overlooked when scrolling through tweets.  Large images are not as easily overlooked or bypassed.  

Getting traffic to your article often starts with catching a readers attention.  The best way to do that, is with images and not words.

NOTICE:  Unfortunately, Twitshot has closed.  We do not know if this is temporary or permanent.  I recommend using Buffer (there is a free option) instead.  Please check back later.

 

Appearance of a Regular Tweet 

If you use the Twitter button on an article, this is the way a published tweet will look.  As you can see, it has the small thumbnail picture.

Appearance of a Twitshot Tweet

If you use Twitshot, this is the way your tweet will publish.  The photo is center stage and very eye-catching due to the size of the image.

 

You can even include a short text description if you need or want that article summary normally shared beside the thumbnail image.  140 characters are allowed on Twitshot with your large image.  In the case of the movie review below, I had to shorten the summary for it to fit, but the text is still descriptive enough for readers.

How to Use Twitshot

It is so easy to use Twitshot.  You simply enter the article url into the box on Twitshot and select the image you want to accompany your tweet.   

Hover over the image to optimize your image to the recommended Twitter image size (1135 x 600).  However, you can select an image that is square instead of oblong.

When You Enter The Article Link, This is What You See

Here is a Mark-Up of Exactly What to Do to Add and Tweet With a Large Image

If you don't like the images that are auto selected, you can paste an image url, search for an image, or upload an image.  

Click Here to Visit Twitshot Today and Start Tweeting with Large Images!

You can also add a TwitShot Button to your Site for Sharing.  Click Here to Get the Code

More Tips & Tutorials for Blogger

 
 
  
 

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Add a Large Image to Tweets on Twitter with Twitshot Written by:

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Stop Littering: How to Keep Your Community Beautiful

Photo from southpaw2305 via Creative Commons 2.0 

It's springtime, that time of year when most of us do at least a cursory "deep cleaning" of our house, maybe even our yard, and call it spring cleaning. But what about the bigger picture? Could our surroundings, our communities, use some spring cleaning? How about the litter and other trash that's accumulated along the roadways and waterways since last summer? Let's review how we might apply spring cleaning to the great outdoors and help make, and keep, our communities beautiful in the process.

Take this quiz: You're standing at a bus stop with an acquaintence when she pulls a candy bar from her purse, opens it, eats it, then drops the wrapper on the ground. What would you do:
A. I'd pretend I didn't notice.
B. I'd ask her to pick up the litter and dispose of it properly.
C. I'd pick it up myself.
D. I'd ignore the wrapper. It's just a piece of paper, after all.

I'm not going to tell you how you should have responded, but I can tell you what I did when this exact scenario happened to me. It was many years ago, when I was a very young adult and hadn't yet learned to stand up for what I knew was right. Because of that, I have to answer "A" on the quiz. Even though I had been raised during the "Don't be a litterbug" generation of the 1960s and took that philosophy seriously, I remained quiet and pretended not to notice. Shame on me.

Where Does All That Litter Come From?

I think these days most people have a pretty healthy respect for the environment and probably would either pick up and dispose of the litter themselves or ask the person to pick it up. But if that's the case, where does all the litter that accumulates along our nation's highways and byways come from? Well, it starts out as just one piece of paper (like the candy wrapper mentioned above) or one water bottle, soft drink can, plastic bag, or fast food bag-full-of trash, and it accumulates.

Here's a video that I found quite interesting. These garbage trucks weren't just hauling trash to a landfill, they were losing litter along the way to the tune of an average 15 plastic bags a trip. Watch the video to see how quickly that adds up. (Happily, that problem in the Raleigh area has been resolved.)

Littering Is Illegal 

Cleaning up litter is an expensive proposition. Most states have laws against littering, but someone still has to clean up the mess. Chasing down drivers who throw trash out their car windows isn't the best way for a law enforcement officer to spend his or her time, but have you ever seen someone throw out trash and wish you had a badge? In some states, citizens are encouraged by road signs to report littering from cars. In Arkansas, where I live, the state uses the program as a positive approach, educating those driving through our state about fines for littering and the importance the state places on the subject. Hopefully the signs alone help people think twice before they throw that candy bar wrapper out the window.

Three Ways to Stop Littering (Litter Prevention)

1. Teach children to respect their surroundings by not dropping litter anywhere except in a designated litter bag or trash can. Pick up other people's litter if they miss (or ignore) the container. Participate in community or neighborhood clean-up events. Can't find one? Contact your local city or county. Many have websites and participate on social media to keep their citizens informed.

2. Keep litter bins and bags handy in your car, truck, and even your boat, at your campground, and at public parks and gathering places. Be sure to use a lid to keep the trash contained. Container getting over-filled? Close and dispose of the old trash bag liner and replace it with a new one.

3. If there's an accepted method of doing so, report littering. Some states have "report littering" phone numbers on signs along highways and byways. Some people honestly don't realize how quickly trash accumulates and the damage that it causes to wildlife, not to mention the tax money that it costs to clean up the mess. Education and prevention combine to create a better, cheaper choice. 

Resources To Help Stop Littering

Here are just a few links that I found when reading up on the topic of how to stop litter and littering. To find more that are relevant to you and your state, simply search "keep [insert your state's name] beautiful."

Keep Arkansas Beautiful Commission

A pristine New River Gorge in the author's birth state of West Virginia.
Can we each do our part to keep it that way?

~ Susan

Read more of my reviews.

Posted by Susan Deppner

About the Author

Susan Deppner is a baby boomer, a cancer survivor, and a Southerner who believes in the Golden Rule. She enjoys writing about food, faith, and fitness; health, home, and holidays; people, places, pets, and patriotism, and more. Follow Susan on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder, a Rainbow of Ability and Disability

April, The Whole Month is Dedicated to Autism Awareness! Let's Review What We Know!

April from the 1st right through to the 30th is National Autism Awareness Month in Canada and the United States.  People are asked to learn more, and help Light up the World with the color Blue in Honor of Autism Awareness.
Autism Speaks for many people who are afflicted with this disorder.  There are an estimated 1 in 68 children will fall somewhere under the Autism Spectrum according to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention.  "We" have become much better at recognizing the symptoms of Autism and because we are better at the recognition, the numbers seem to have jumped in the last few years.

The Symbol for Autism Awareness

Autism Awareness often is Symbolized by a Multicolored Puzzle Piece.

I won't go into a whole discussion on whether it's a good symbol or not, but personally feel that it fits the "disorder" quite well.  It is a puzzling disorder, that does not have a "set" standard of qualifying attributes like other diseases.  Childhood diabetes and/or chicken pox have a "set" bunch of attributes that makes them much easier to diagnose.

Autism does not Play by these Rules

Autism by its very nature has many different facets and degrees of severity and no one knows for sure what causes this disorder to begin with.

It is a disease that is more prevalent in Boys.  It is estimated that one in 42 boys are afflicted to one in 189 girls.  These are just estimates, and there is no way of knowing the exact numbers.  Suffice it to say that the CDC estimates that 1.2 million US children are afflicted in some way.

The Puzzle Piece Ribbon is also used for Autism Awareness

Why is Autism such a puzzle?

 All people who have autism are not the same.  People with autism are stereotyped as either: 1. having special abilities or 2. mentally challenged.  There are a whole bunch that fall into neither of these categories. That is how varied Autism can be.  Each diagnosis is unique to each child, with varying degrees of ability/disability.

We have seen the amazing abilities in some autistic individuals who can either draw or figure out complicated mathematical problems, to those who can play an instrument with ease and dexterity and at the same time, they have difficulty with eye contact, or speaking or simple tasks.  That is how varied Autism can be. Check out the link below, and you will get just a little glimpse into a family with a child diagnosed with Autism.  It truly is an amazing story.
What Autism Can Look Like.....

Autism is NOT a mental health disorder. Autism is a Neurological Disorder marked by abnormalities in the brain.  Research is pointing to a disorder in the Genetic makeup of a person.  It is in their DNA.  Some research in Canada has pointed to a single protein that is lacking in the brain, for being responsible for over 1/3 of the autism cases. Research continues in this whole area, as there are many avenues that are being researched with different types of Autism.

What Can You Do to Help?

First of all, if you know someone who has a child with Autism, be a friend.  Learn about the disorder and how you can help them with their child (ren).  Early diagnosis of children who are "different" could be the answer to making their "differences" easier to cope with.  Noticing that your friends are struggling with a new baby, might give them clues as to what is happening with their child.  Outside eyes sometimes see things that a parent may not understand. Encourage your friends to get medical help if you suspect that there might be some abnormalities in a child.  Then be there to help, console, encourage and possibly even help the parents adjust to their new situation.

Many children with Autism are encouraged with toys that help them develop their sensory systems.  These are toys that are colorful, have motion, encourage movement, or use up excess energy that is sometimes a symptom of Autism.  I have put together some possible types of toys for youngsters with Autism would benefit from and that even non-autistic children would enjoy.

What makes toys for an Autistic child different are the colors, shapes and tactile nature of the toys. Many will have different shapes or nubs and hairs even. Many autistic children are non-verbal so they will gravitate to colors, shapes, and sensations that are felt through their hands or seen through their eyes. These toys are recommended by therapists and teachers for children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ASD(Autism Spectrum Disorder). It helps them to develop their fine motor skills. Children with these disorders are sometimes lacking in these fine motor skills. They can appear clumsy, so tactile toys help them develop their sense of touch. Some of these toys are also used to relax the mind and fingers of youngsters. It can be a mindless movement of the fingers that in effect relaxes the whole person. Relaxing beads of water cascade gently through some of the tubes. Colors move and swirl, giving the child a sense of wonder as movement is added by their own hand. JellyBeadz Waterbeads grow when added to water for a sensory explosion. A great addition to any hide and seek,  type of game too. Colorful and fun for the child who needs that sensory boost. Sometimes children with Autism need a way to curb their high anxiety levels.  Stretching and pulling these strings can be the answer.  They can be knotted up and unraveled as need or want may be. Any or all of these toys are very affordable and will encourage all children to play in a way that will engage more than their eyes.  Sensory toys are great for Autistic children but loved by all children and even adults too.

What else can you do?

There are many organizations that are involved in raising funds for Autism and Autism Awareness.  You can get involved in a small way or a large way as your time and efforts allow.  I like this Link as it will help you start your own investigation into this Disorder and how to help!  Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions for families and children.  You can find a local chapter to get involved with if you should so choose. As a grandparent of a child that has been diagnosed with ADHD ( one part of ASD umbrella) disorder, I am very encouraged by all I have read and learned so far.  There is much more to learn and I won't stop, come join me on this journey. 

Autism Speaks (just in case you missed it earlier) is the link.....Check it out for yourself.

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Doctor 4 Paws Liquid Joint Support For Cats

When Your Cat Starts To Show Stiffness In The Joints

Cat resting image from Pixabay.com

Recently I purchased a liquid joint support supplement for my older kitty cat. She is not as active as she once was and was starting to show signs of arthritis in her back leg. So, I decided to try a non-prescription glucosamine and chondroitin product to see if I could ease her discomfort a little. 

I needed to find one that cats did not seem to shy away from because of taste or smell. My old kitty is pretty picky about food. I knew a tablet was out of the question for her (and me!) so, a product that could be mixed in her food was going to work the best. I read the reviews carefully looking for people who also had a picky eater to see if their cats would take the supplement fairly well. 

I finally found one that people seemed to be pleased with and ordered it for my kitty cat. I'm pleased to say that she takes it very well when mixed in her food. It does seem to be helping her a little. She doesn't seem quite so stiff and she has become a little more active than before I started giving her the supplement. 

Supplement For Cats With Glucosamine

This Liquid Joint Support comes in a bottle with a pump that actually gives you 1 dose per pump. I liked that idea a lot! No guessing as to whether I had the correct amount or not. Well, that sounded good anyway. The pump worked for about a week before it seemed to freeze up and wouldn't pump anymore. Oh bummer!

The pump issue seems to be something many people encounter with this product when you look at the reviews. In my humble opinion, the company needs to come up with a better design for the pump or come up with a solution or directions for the amount that should be given each day. I will say that the pump not working has not deterred my giving her the daily dose. By the time the pump stopped working, I had a pretty good feel for how much to put into her food. Now, I just "eyeball" it each morning and go on. I can do that because the top of the bottle screws off and I can just pour the amount on top of her food and mix it up.

I do like the product and most importantly my cat will take it. She has shown improvement in her flexibility. I will continue to use the product but do wish that the company would come up with a better plan for measuring the doses from the bottle.

If you have a dog instead of a cat that is showing signs of arthritis in their joints, Doctor 4 Paws also has a product with the same ingredients for your canine friend. 

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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