All posts tagged: parents and kids

Apraxia Monday: TALK YOGA creators Amy Roberts & Kim Hughes, both speech-language pathologists and certified yoga intructors talk about the value of kids, speech, & yoga

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By Leslie Lindsay  Yoga + Kids + Speech = some of my very favorite things.  ~APRAXIA MONDAY|ALWAYS WITH A BOOK~ Spotlight: TALK YOGA  I am so delighted to introduce you to two fabulous speech-language pathologists, Kim Hughes and Amy Roberts, both certified yoga instructors and pediatric SLPs. Their practice, TalkYoga is mentioned in the updated, 2nd edition of SPEAKING OF APRAXIA (Woodbine House, 2020) and with good reason—I love yoga! For years, I have practiced, but it wasn’t until the last five years or so that I really became a yogi. Before that, my daughter, Kate, now 15 with resolving CAS, participated in yoga-like poses during her combined ST/OT sessions. Kate is what we might call a ‘sensory seeker’ and so the movement—and the dedication—yoga provided important feedback and stimulation. Here, I ask Kim and Amy a few questions about how yoga practice can help kids with speech development. Please join us! Leslie Lindsay: Kim and Amy—welcome! I am so pumped about your yoga for kids, TalkYoga program. Can you tell us a bit about …

A little dog saves the girl he loves in a house fire–for young readers–DIGGER

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By Leslie Lindsay  A touching story for young readers about a little dog who saves the girl he loves when their house experiences a fire due to a gas leak.  Told in verse from the POV of little Digger, a blond terrier, and Kilee’s sidekick who watches as ‘his girl’ is badly burned during a home gas explosion. Digger barks and barks and barks, alerting neighbors that something is wrong, and waking Kilee when she falls unconscious. DIGGER THE HERO DOG is intended for young readers and their caregivers. The illustrations are bold and colorful and portray a very close likeness to the real Kilee and Digger.The traumatic pieces of the story are glazed over but the important message is about gas safety and the love of a dog for his girl. The end of the book contains information about Shriner’s Hospital, gas safety (including a scratch-n-sniff sticker so kids can identify the smell of gas). This is an important read and one kids—especially animal lovers—will identify. May is also National Pet Awareness Month, so what better time than …

BookS on MondaY: Certified health coach and plant-based chef Vicky Marquez talks about her newest book for kids, THE ROOTLETS, how eating healthy begins in childhood, kid-pleasing recipes, & more

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By Leslie Lindsay  As a vegetarian momma, I’ve always found it a fun challenge to raise healthy, independent food-conscious kiddos. When they were babies, my husband and I often got the question, “Are you going to raise your children as vegetarians?” Sometimes it came across as simple curiosity, other times, it felt judgmental. My response was always something along the lines of, “We’re providing a balanced diet with plenty of protein, fruits, and veggies, though I will not be handling raw meat at home.” That said, I was totally fine if my kids wanted to order chicken fingers at a restaurant, or have a bite of grandma and grandpa’s steak.  Food choices, we determined, were to be determined by the person eating them, what he or she felt comfortable with. In no way did my husband and I try to “force” a plant-based diet on our kiddos, but now, at nearly ten years old, our youngest almost exclusively rejects meat, all her choice. The oldest seems to think chocolate is its own food group! When …

The Teacher is Talking: The Whole-Brain Child Continues

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By Leslie Lindsay (image retrieved from Amazon.com on 9.4.12)  The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson (Sep 11, 2012) We have been discussing the book, THE WHOLE-BRAIN CHILD by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson.  The premise:  if you “speak” to both sides of your child’s brain (right=emiotion-driven and left=logic-driven) through 12 strategies, then you may have a better chance at picking your battles, helping your child, or problem-solve.  And who wouldn’t like to get better at those things?  Last week, we focused on strategies 1-6, today we’ll tackle the final 7-12 strategies.  Here goes: Strategy #7:  Remember to Remember–Making Recollection a Part of Your Family’s Daily Life.  For some, remembering things is well…a no brainer.  For others, it’s a little more challenging.  It’s an exercise, if you will–the more you work it, the better your memory.  Give your children practice with remembering things.  Telling and retelling a story works, so does remembering a list of letters or numbers (+/- 5 …

Apraxia Monday: Preparing Yourself for School

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By Leslie Lindsay Sending your child back to school–or just sending her there for the first time–is nerve-wrecking.  Will she be okay?  Will she be able to verbalize her thoughts?  Answer the teacher?  Get her basic needs met?  Deep breath.  I know you have concerns.  I have been there myself.  The best thing you can do as a parent is present a happy, carefree approach to school. Kids pick up on stress and anxiety like ants on a crumb at a picnic…if they feel your anxiety, they will carry it away, too.  Now, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t worry, or you shouldn’t have questions…you do and that’s a good thing.  Writing down a list of your concerns can help, as does talking them over with your spouse/partner, your child’s teacher, a trusted friend, even your child’s SLP may have some insight.   Worry about the things you can control.  I have been known to worry about things waaay out of my control, like how is she going to get from the bus to her classroom?  But the thing …

The Teacher is Talking: But Mom’s a Yeller!!

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By Leslie Lindsay Welcome to a new “column” of Practical Parenting with a Twist…”The Teacher is Talking.”  Here I hope to share with you some tips on helping your kiddos at home and school…bridging that connection for better, more rounded students.  You’ll find ideas here for how to help your child read smarter, how to talk with  teachers at parent-teacher conferences, the “new math,” (it’s always new to me!!) and more. Today, I would like to kick off the new column with a guest blog post from NannyJobs.org (www.nannyjobs.org).  The article, “Ten Tips for Nannies When Mom is a Yeller,” may speak to you http://www.nannyjobs.org/blog/10-tips-for-nannies-when-the-mom-is-a-yeller/.  While this particular article is geared towards nannies, you may still benefit…after all, how many of us parents have yelled at our kids?  I know I am guilty.  Plus, you may indeed have a nanny who could glean a little something from this. Finally, when we yell at our kids, we are setting a negative example of behavior.  We don’t want our kiddos to think it’s okay to yell when …

In My Brain Today: I hate the morning routine

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By Leslie Lindsay Like most harried parents, I hate the morning routine.  I didn’t think I would be in that group.  I used to think, “Oh, what’s the big deal?  Plan ahead, manage your kids, stay organized…how hard can it be, really?”  But that was B.K.  (“before kids”).  And now…well, let’s just say, “Me no like.” Here’s how it works at our house:  I hear my darling cherubs wake at the butt-crack-of-dawn (well, usually it’s Kid #1 who has ADHD and apraxia).  She heads downstairs for her early-morning cartoon time, yogurt, and general goof-off time.  Stools scoot across the kitchen floor with a lovely schreech and clunk (looking for any peanut butter cups or Oreos she can get her hands on).  Awhile later, Kid #2 rolls out of bed and takes care of her Pull-Up situation (she’s the resposible one) and is completely mouse-like in her movements. I lay in bed thinking, “Oh man…here we go.  Another day in paradise.”  Meanwhile, I am hoping that the girls remembered the talk we had last night–the talk …