Fun facts about Down syndrome

Did you know that 1 of five people with Down syndrome play a musical instrument? No?
Then hop on over to All About the Enskats to learn some fun and interesting facts about those who have designer genes!

Welcome Drew Mariani listeners!

It was my great pleasure to share with you my story of Christina's prayer to Our Lady in my time of need today as part of the Marian Retreat on the Drew Mariani Show.

Its a beautiful and humbling experience when our children's relationship with God takes wings. It was Christina and the Blessed Mother who spiritually carried me through the ordeal of my mother's suffering and death.
Remembering that Our Lady was calling Mom home helped me to see her hand in Mom's life and death. She suffered with Mom and taught Mom to offer up her sufferings for her nurses, her family and anyone she met. Priests left her room saying that she inspired them, and Mom was anointed many times before she died a happy death, after receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion, surrounded by her family just before the Hour of Mercy on a Friday. We prayed her on her way to God with the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

I told Christina that Grandma went to live with Jesus and she seemed to understand, nodding her head. I am so grateful that Our Lady sent me a little angel whom the world often rejects to lead me through the valley of death into the light of faith.

I'll be on the Drew Mariani Show today

At 6PM EST, the Drew Mariani Show, as part of their Marian Retreat In Mary's Hands, will be playing my story of  "The Prayers of  a Little Saint" from Mary's Touch Program on Catholic Radio International. Afterwards, Drew and I will discuss the story, and may even take calls. I look forward to telling you how much  my daughter Christina with Down syndrome has taught me though her simple trust in Our Lady.

You can listen to the show live by clicking on this link.

New reading methods for kids with Down syndrome being tested in UK

A well organized trial of new methods of teaching children with Down syndrome to read is underway in the United Kingdom, conducted by DownsEd International. The experiment will finish in summer of 2011 and the results evaluated. Few studies of this kind have been conducted due to lack of funding for Down syndrome when compared to other conditions, like autism, and resistance to change, which is a shame considering how promising  the preliminary results look,

The research team today presented their findings during a symposium on reading at the 3rd European Regional Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities. Dr Kelly Burgoyne, the psychologist leading the study at Down Syndrome Education International, reported that the children in the study made significantly better progress after only 20 weeks of teaching using the specialist programme, when compared to children with Down syndrome receiving ordinary classroom instruction. Dr Burgoyne commented: "This is exciting because it shows that the programme can be effective in a short period of time. We will now continue to follow the children to see if they make further gains in their language and reading skills."

I say, let our methods be informed by solid research and results, and look forward to reading the study when it is available.

Read the entire article at DownsEd International website.

I'm giving a talk on reaching the hearts and minds of youth for pro-life

Each year, at the March for Life, there are hundreds of thousands of youthful marchers, yet few of them are from the Northeast.Why is that?
 On Saturday, October 30, at the Holy Angels Pro-life Outreach Conference in South Meriden, CT,  I will be speaking on how to reach the youth of Connecticut with the pro-life message.
In preparation for this talk, I am looking up youth groups in CT to recommend.
My research on pro-life youth groups in CT has led me to YLife who are sponsoring a pro-life youth conference at Holy Apostles Seminary this Saturday from 9 to 5. The cost is only $15 including lunch, and the speaker, Fr Tad Pacholczyk of the National Catholic Bioethics Center is top notch. See their blog for registration information, but rest assured you can register at the door for the same low price.

Learn why the Church has always opposed IVF, and meet some pro-life youth.
Be inspired by the Culture of Life among youth.

Fall Family Fun Montage

Mount Greylock, Hurst Farm, Lapsley's Orchards in October.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Feast for the eyes

Check out Kelle Hampton's gorgeous photo blog to see stunning pictures of children with Down syndrome.

The Versatile Blogger Award

Thanks to Theresa Thomas and Patti McGuire Armstrong over at Stories for the Homeschool Heart blog for awarding me "The Versatile Blogger Award". They are the editors of the book I contributed to by the same name, and have given me the opportunity to be included with some of my favorite Mom bloggers.

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:

• Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
• Share 7 things about yourself.
• Pass it along to 5 blogs you’ve recently discovered and enjoy
• Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award

Seven facts about me:
1. I speak fluent Spanish and very halting French.
2. I love to garden but since I became a writer, well, the weeds won!
3. I am a diabetic, but thanks to "The Light Weigh" a wonderful Catholic weight loss program, I am replacing overeating with prayer. My goal is to throw out the diabetes and blood pressure medication, and keep up with my active girls. And look good for my upcoming television show. . .more on that later!
4. I stopped riding my bike for twenty years, but this summer, I began riding again.No accidents yet.
5. I love to cook old family favorite recipes handwritten by my Irish Gran and my Italian Nana.
6. I love to pray the rosary with the lights off and the candles burning on the family altar.
7. Something about mountains calls to my heart; last Sunday my family climbed Mount Greylock for the first time, the highest mountain in Massachusetts with Kristin's family (see nomination below).

I nominate the following bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award
Jean of Catholic Fire
Esther of A Catholic Mom in Hawaii
Kristin of 11 on my Own
Monica at Monkey Musings
Kimberlee at Pondered in My Heart

October is the month of the rosary

Here's a find from Facebook, it's called Come Pray the Rosary
It joins you with others who are on the site, and starts whenever you want, accompanying your prayers with beautiful views of the Holy Land Shrines for each mystery and heavenly music.

Today begins Down syndrome awareness month

Peter Elliot is the Director of The Downs Syndrome Research Foundation and he wants your help. 
They are a British organization which offers free online educational seminars about educating children with Down syndrome. 
Unlike NDSS, NADS, and NDSC, They are pro-life. 
He send me the following message on Facebook.

We have this NEW USA Website in development and we need lots of video clips.
Here is a chance to show off our kids young and old while they are doing interesting stuff and it can be dressing up or dressing down, action clips or having a rest, sking, swimming, running, playing football or playing darts, doing well or doing awful, these should be short clips you can post to UTube and let us have the copyright to put on our website.
PS: We dont care if you live in the USA or the ends of the earth we just need great video clips to let new parents and doctors see our kids as they really are.