Haunted State Hospital
Posted by Troy | Filed under Art/Design, Traverse City
It is starting to smell like winter outside.
So I took advantage of some unusually nice weather and shot some photos at Grand Traverse Commons.
The old state mental hospital.
Some say it is haunted.
Tags: ghosts, original photo, Traverse City
Pepperoni Pizza
Posted by Troy | Filed under Humor, Parenting
He was going to be a hippo
Then it was a pirate
Then a frog
Finally, with time running out we insist he make up his mind…
“Pepperoni Pizza!” he announces…
Tags: halloween, kids, original photo
Inclusive Education
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
Our son has Autism.
This fall, he transitioned from an ECP (early childhood special ed) classroom to a typical Kindergarten class.
We did so for a variety of reasons, one of which is the theory that Inclusive Education is beneficial for both the special-needs student and his classmates.
PBS released a really great article about this today.
We never really doubted that inclusion is best… the real question is…
are the public schools equipped for inclusive education?
When our son’s Kindergarten teacher already has 23 children to not only maintain, but to guide, teach and grow… how can she be expected to fully serve my son?
It doesn’t matter how great of a teacher you are, that order is just too high…
When everyone knows it is best… why does my wife have to fight through blood, sweat and tears to get him the aid that he is entitled? (any aid… even one without ASD training)
Of course it’s about money… the scary thing is that with Autism rising and school funding on the decline the future looks very bleak for any possibility that the public schools will be able to meet the needs of their communities.
I guess it’s a good thing that I believe in prayer… because I don’t know what else to do from here on out.
Tags: Autism, original photo
Broccoli-Cheddar Stuffed Chicken
Posted by Troy | Filed under Food, Last Night's Dinner
You know that Kraft Food & Family magazine that comes every so often? (I guess they are charging for subscriptions now)
It’s pretty much a 20-page advertisment, but every once in a while you can find a real keeper in there…
I don’t even like broccoli (even though I eat it almost every day), but I like this.
It’s pretty cool how their recipes combine pre-made shortcuts (like the Shake and Bake here) with fresh ingredients…
We cut out the bacon and served the chicken with a side of wild rice and fresh green beans.
My 4-yr-old chowed it down like it was ice cream (of course he eats just about everything like that—his favorite show is Man vs. Food)
Tip: Green beans often get overcooked. Steam them just long enough to get them warm… you should still be able to “snap” them even after cooking.
Tags: chicken, Food, original photo
Homemade Salsa
Posted by Troy | Filed under Food, Last Night's Dinner
OK, so this isn’t technically what we had for dinner last night… we had stir fry.
This is what Noël spent most the day working on though.
She’s been canning like a fiend this summer… first strawberry jam, then cherry, then blueberry… last week she canned some tomatoes which got us thinking…. salsa!!!
She makes fresh salsa quite regularly which is fabulous on just about anything… but we have a bunch of tomatoes from our church’s community garden and had already canned tomatoes…
So the hunt began…
She was quite determined to find a recipe that used no vinegar… usually a main ingredient in salsa…
Finally found one and it turned out super-fantastic!
Salsa has to be up there in my all-time favorite foods of any kind… this stuff is going to disappear way too quickly.
Tags: Food, original photo
First Day of School
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism, Parenting
Sometimes I’m surprised to hear parents excited to send their kids back to school… like having them around is a huge pain that they’d just as soon avoid.
I get that kids are a lot of work and they definitely have a way of wearing your nerves quite thin…
I’d still rather be around them most of the time than not…
My son went to his first day of kindergarten this past week.
It was tough enough with our oldest… we cried the whole walk home from dropping her off for the first time.
But this time is different.
Because he has autism, we have no idea what to expect.
Reassurance comes from friends in the form of “Oh, he’ll be OK… do great… etc.”
Which is more than likely true, but not really the issue.
We don’t want him to be OK.
We want him to get the most out of each day.
to excel…
to fly…
Will dropping him in the hands of an overloaded public school teacher give him that opportunity?
Would keeping him home with mom?
Nobody knows, and that’s just the thing… at some point you have to make a decision…
at some point you have to have faith.
Tags: Autism, Faith, original photo, Parenting, school
Vegetable Lasagna
Posted by Troy | Filed under Last Night's Dinner
Last night’s veggie lasagna.
Sorry… but it is just that good.
I’d share the recipe, but I don’t know if posting witchcraft spells from Hogwarts kitchen would get me in some sort of trouble with the feds.
Tags: Food, Last Night's Dinner, original photo
Insalata Caprese
Posted by Troy | Filed under Food, Last Night's Dinner
Tomatoes and basil from the garden with big fat slabs of fresh mozzarella.
An easy and refreshing salad perfect for the last evenings of summer.
We had it as a side to Pesto-stuffed Chicken with new potatoes from the neighbors’ farm.
Tags: Food, original photo
Eyes of Autism
Posted by Troy | Filed under Autism
So very deep
Like a black hole
At the very bottom is a person
But no fear.
The moment his eye looks straight into mine
Can he see that I’m terrified?
Tags: original photo
Kids Dance Mix
Posted by Troy | Filed under Family, Music, Parenting
My daughter got a CD player (I call it a boombox) for her seventh birthday.
She only has one CD and she really likes it.
I don’t like it so much.
Today I threw together (maybe 5 minutes spent) a new mix CD that the whole family can enjoy:
- Pork & Beans – Weezer
- No One – Alicia Keys
- Can You Feel It – Apples in Stereo
- I Need You Back – Ben Kweller
- No Rain – Blind Melon
- French Navy – Camera Obscura
- 1,2,3,4 – Feist
- Get Better – Mates of State
- Noticed – Mute Math
- Apple Trees – Ozma
- Flip Flops – Paul Wright
- Hey Sandy – Polaris (that’s the iconic band from the intro to Pete and Pete)
Tags: original photo
