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When I learned of Madeline Spohr‘s passing last week I wanted to do something, anything to help your grieving parents whom I had come to “know” through the power of the internet and the wonderful world of mommy bloggers. I wrote a tribute post in honor of Maddie, I donated to March for Babies in her name, and I donated money to the family to help them with their upcoming expenses. But it didn’t seem like enough, I wanted to do more.
I decided to join a March for Babies team here in St. Louis that is walking in honor of Maddie, St. Louis Team Maddie. On April 25th I will be participating in this annual walk to help raise money for March of Dimes so that one day all babies will be born healthy and no parent has to suffer the incredible loss that Heather and Mike Spohr are now suffering. I will be pushing Maya in her stroller so one day I can tell her she was part of an amazing thing. We’ll both be wearing purple in honor of Maddie and in support of March of Dimes.
Please, if you can, click on the badge at the top of the page and make a donation. Every dollar helps.
The world lost an adorable, sweet, loving little girl yesterday. Madeline Spohr, daughter of a fellow blogger, Heather Spohr, passed away last night. Although I have never met Heather or Maddie in person I feel like I knew them through Heather’s blog, The Spohrs are Multiplying and was saddened this morning to find out about Maddie’s passing.
November 11, 2007 - April 7, 2009
The Spohrs are big supporters of March of Dimes and were planning (and still are I believe) on participating in this year’s March for Babies walk in Los Angeles. You can donate to March for Babies in Maddie’s honor here. The outpouring of support for this beautiful little girl and her family has been amazing.
Maddie was just a few days younger than my own daughter. I loved hearing about all the little things she was up to, especially since they were often similar to things my daughter had started doing. My thoughts are with Heather and Mike, as well as all of their family and friends. This is a sad day, good-bye little Maddie, we’ll miss you.
Hug your children a little closer today, life is precious and far too short sometimes. Never forget to tell them that you love them.
You can learn more about Maddie by visiting her mom’s website or a close family friend’s website, A Mom Two Boys.
With Easter coming up this weekend you may find yourself interested in tackling some fun Easter-themed art projects with your children this week. Holidays and other special occasions are a great time to introduce your children to new and fun arts and crafts. Below you’ll find some links to fun Easter-themed art projects.
Easter-themed Arts and Crafts:
- Bunny Ears for you kids to make and wear!! (I’m going to try this one with my daughter)
- Handprint Bunny Puppet
- Bunny Egg Holders
- Tissue Paper Easter Eggs
- Bead Bunnies (these look super cute)
Some cute printable coloring pages:
- Easter Egg Hunt
- Easter Bunny’s House
- Easter Bunny Painting Eggs
- Easter Bunny and Egg (your child can create their own egg design)
Of course, you can always dye some eggs too. Kids love this messy Easter-themed craft!
Are their any special craft projects that you do with your children every Easter? Please share them with us.
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. In 2007 the United Nations adopted a resolution creating World Autism Awareness Day as a way to bring the world’s attention to the disease. The participating countries are encouraged to take steps to heighten the awareness of autism, and to encourage measures to help with early diagnosis and early intervention.
I thought today would be a fitting day to share a few facts about autism with you.
What is autism? : Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain impacting the development of social interaction and communications skills. Children and adults with autism will typically display difficulties with communication, both verbal and non-verbal, social interactions, and leisure/play activities. Autism is a spectrum disorder so it affects people in varying ways from mild to severe.
Common Characteristics of Autism:
- Difficulty with language development.
- Difficulty initiating or maintaining a conversation.
- Some autistic children and adults may exhibit aggressive or self-injurious behavior.
- Difficulty expressing needs.
- Resistance to change.
- Preference to being alone.
- Difficulty mixing and interacting with others.
- Make little or no eye contact.
- Obsessive attachment to objects.
- Non-responsive to verbal cues.
Early Intervention and why it is important: Early intervention is any therapy or measure taken between the ages of birth and three years of age (previously the normal age of diagnosis). By diagnosing autism earlier parents, educators, and doctors can begin therapy during the time when the child’s brain is most receptive. Early intervention has been shown to have a very great impact on reducing the symptoms of autism often reducing the need for intensive support when the child enters school.
What causes autism? : There is no known cause for autism. Researchers are investigating possible causes including heredity, genetics, environmental factors and medical problems. More research is needed and the more awareness there is of autism the more push there will be for broader, stronger, more effective research.
For more information on autism and World Autism Awareness Day visit these helpful websites.