Christina's Summer Plans

 While Christina was enjoying our new family pool on Sunday, I shocked her by reminding her that she began summer school the next day. She shook her head to say "NO" a few times, however, once she dried off, she rummaged in the hall closet till she found her backpack and put it near her shoes by the back door. She was ready for the inevitable, and even though she had to be sent to school in her pajamas today and yesterday, she seems to have adjusted pretty well. Its only for 2 and 1/2 hours twice a week for a total of four weeks, just so she remembers the routine, because she gets in a groove and it VERY hard to get her out of it. But there's much more to our summer plans than summer school.

There's Boot Camp at Crossroads Physical Therapy on Wednesdays. Christina does mat exercises for two hours once a week with other special needs children, and is learning to walk on a treadmill and throw a weighted ball. She hasn't had PT for months at school since her PT read my book, "A Special Mother is Born" and was inspired to spend more time at home with her preschool children. I was so happy for her, I couldn't object to my daughter's loss of therapy. So, FGod sees and provided us with Crossroads to facilitate some PT this summer.

Once a week, she will attend Farm School at Farmer Sally's Organic Farm. Bella is one of her instructors, and, for the third year in a row, Christina will learn what grows on a farm, how to plant, weed, water and harvest, care for goats, chickens and a donkey, and I will learn the difference between Swiss Chard and Bok Choy. We will learn how to eat more greens and to work the land together. I always arrive home with fresh smelling bags of organic produce, inspired to cook mountains of greens for my family. Expect some photos from this adventure!

And then there are visits to the beach, the mountains, and Grandpa's on Long Island. Summer ends with a long trip to Ohio to bring Gabbi to Franciscan University of Steubenville in August. Sounds like fun, right?

Mom's summer is more complicated.
In this time I hope I can convince United Health Care to pay for Christina's speech therapy at UCONN, and her Special Ed Director to allow her to bring home her Ipad from school. We are working with DDS to obtain this permission and a customized speech therapy education plan so that she will be helped to communicate better. IF I can get all these objectives met, then, my goals for Christina for this summer will be accomplished!