My Whac-A-Mole Life: Wordless Wednesday

Wordless (As Possible) Wednesday (Or Thereabouts): Personalized Whac-A-Mole Game

Uh, guys? I'm rarely "Wordless" and it's the opposite of Wednesday. (I think it's Saturday - so we can pretend this is really early or really late. I think we all know the obvious answer.)

So this, THIS new product from Hammacher Schlemmer*:

And it gets better! Here's the description:

The Personalized Whac-A-Mole Game
This is the Whac-A-Mole game that can be personalized to replace the standard mole heads with molded caricatures using pictures of members of your family, past managers, boyfriends/girlfriends, or any desired combination of personalities. The game operates exactly like the ones found in amusement parks and carnivals--five mole heads pop up randomly while you attempt to bash each with a mallet for points--but this one comes in a walnut veneer cabinet (with hardwood inlays) that automatically opens and closes at the touch of a button from the included remote. When closed, the game assumes the form of a bookshelf, but when commanded to open, both halves swing open to reveal the game, complete with full-color artwork. A storage shelf for your preferred beverages sits above the game, so libation is always at an arm's reach.

I mean...Wow! Awesome, right? Just one itty bitty concern: It's $35,000! So yeah, if you're into this sort of thing, you might stick with the poor-man's version and just paste little color printouts of your nemeses on the critters in the Toys R Us version...maybe with a Pabst stored in a nearby milk carton for the full effect.

Or how about my "free" version: play it virtual reality style. Every Single Day. In Real Life. So where's my $35,000?

* I am receiving no compensation, freebies, trades, publicity or even a note of thanks from this company in return for this post. Natch. (If you ask me, that's just wrong.)

Wordless Wednesday: Lockdown

She is a stealthy, speedy scavenger, famous for her "snatch and go" move. Refrigerator locks? Child's play.
This improvised lock slows her down just enough for me to catch up and command a teachable moment. So many educational opportunities:

Using language
Communicating requests and feelings
Counting how many cups of juice we've already had
Telling time; sequencing that lunch comes AFTER breakfast
Flexibility and handling disappointment

It's always fun to pretend that I'm in charge.

Wordless Wednesday: Pressure Vests - For DOGS!

Most of us already know about pressure vests, right? These vests - often weighted - provide proprioceptive feedback that (theoretically) calms and grounds kids with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, and so on. Weighted blankets are a big thing, too.

Whenever an OT introduces this type of vest to my daughter, I can't help but wonder whether the benefits outweigh the fashion fail.

Well, never mind all that. Have you seen THIS? It's Thundershirt for your special needs pets, and I couldn't make this stuff up. For more information (and I assure you, I get nothing out of this click), check out www.thundershirt.com. Don't miss the free embroidery!

Screenshot from www.Thundershirt.com

And for cats too!

Wordless Wednesday: The Language
Of Love

She tries to speak, but her body won't listen...so my daughter must fulfill her human drive to communicate in other ways. How would you do it?

Through sign language, grunting, pointing, screaming and "approximating" (sounding out words as best she can), she gets what she needs. The larger challenge, however, is understanding and expressing her feelings, motivations, abstract thoughts.

While we focused on teaching her to "look into our eyes" and "properly" play with dolls, she taught herself to read and write (with some help, of course, from phenomenal teachers and therapists). How lucky we are that we have access to technology that can serve as a surrogate voice for this expressive, nonverbal 7-year-old.

Often, it's still easier and more satisfying for her to stage a tantrum, but slowly we are uncaging our daughter's inner voice.

Perhaps the words never will readily flow from her mouth, and that's okay. That's not really where words come from anyway, is it?