This is a re-post but if you need equipment it is worth the five minute read.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:


The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is seeking grant
applications from families in need of financial assistance to help pay for
their child’s health care treatments, services or equipment not covered, or
not fully covered, by their commercial health insurance plan.


Qualifying families can receive up to $5,000 to help pay for
medical services and equipment such as physical, occupational and speech
therapy, counseling services, surgeries, prescriptions, wheelchairs,
orthotics, eyeglasses and hearing aids.


To be eligible for a grant, children must be 16 years of age or
younger.Families must meet economic guidelines, reside in the United States
and have a commercial health insurance plan. Grants are available for
medical expenses families have incurred 60 days prior to the date of
application as well as for ongoing and future medical needs. Parents or
legal guardians may apply for grants at www.uhccf.org, and there is no
application deadline. Organizations or private donors can make
tax-deductible donations to the foundation at this website.


“The UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation is dedicated to improving
a child’s health and quality of life by making it easier to access
needed medical-related services. The grants enable families to focus on
their children’s care instead of worrying about how they’ll pay their
medical bills,” said Matt Peterson, president, UnitedHealthcare 
Children's Foundation. “Eligible families in need are encouraged to apply
online for a medical grant today and take advantage of this valuable
resource.”


In 2011, UHCCF awarded more t han 1,200 grants to families across
the United States for treatments associated with medical conditions such
as cancer, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, hearing loss,
autism,cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome, ADHD and cerebral palsy. As
successful fund-raising efforts continue to grow, UHCCF is hoping to help
more children and families in 2012.

Frances Purdy, MEd JD
Certification Program
National Federation of
Families for Children's Mental Health
9605 Medical Ce nter Drive, Suite
280
Rockville, MD 20850
(240) 403-1901, fax (240) 403-1909  Direct
line: 240.406.1472
http://www.ffcmh.org/certification


Trish Thomas
Family Voices Natio nal TA/Partnership
Coordinator
National Center for Family Professional Partnerships
3701 San
Mateo Blvd. NE Suite 103
Albuquerque , NM 87110
(505) 872-4774 x
5
(888) 835-5669 x 5
(505) 872-4780 fax
tthomas@familyvoices.org


www.familyvoices.org

Onwards and upwards!

Life is busy. I knew it would be... but it always seems to be.  I laugh at how busy I thought I was when I was single and working at Veritas Software while commuting to see Brien on the weekends as we lived in different cities for the duration of our pre-married life. We were kid-free and largely responsibility free - no mortgage, no pets, no MBA loans... just working away trying to build our respective careers.  Fast forward to three kids, 2 careers, one tiny non-profit and a host of kid activities... there is not one second of the day that seems to be "schedule-free" so I'm trying to ensure we don't forget about the little things and that we enjoy the day no matter how busy it may be... Cecily soaks in everything! She takes the time to study the details, to listen and to watch.  I often find myself in a trance watching her watch things because I want to know what she is thinking.  I am pretty sure when this photo was taken she was thinking that this was the closest she'd been to the baby without direct supervision...time to try something! (that photo was not included...)

And here is our little Noah. To him life is a big party and everything is fun from surfing to swimming to skating and soccer and eating... he finds fun in everything he does!  He loves to paddle out with Daddy and this weekend he told me he thought Daddy needed more attention so Daddy should take him to soccer and to surfing while I stayed home with the babies... I took this photo so I didn't heed his advice as I believe if there is a beach outing we should ALL go no matter how busy or crazy it may be... What I wish I had a picture of was the proud Daddy as he watches his son embrace his passion for surfing and the beach.

And here is our little guy thinking he is so very cool on this ramp at our local YMCA.  He is so focused when he skates and Brien and I enjoy watching him have fun with one of his best friends, Max.  When I see Noah on a skateboard my stomach gets a little nervous but I love that he is not nervous at all... so I try and put on a brave face and support his passion because he loves it.  I am proud of him for going for it... no matter how many times he falls!

And here is another shot... he is holding his coach's hand as he takes on a pretty big drop.  I thought Sway was crazy for taking him on this ramp during his 2nd lesson but what do I know?... nothing! He loved it as did his buddy.  They just roll with the punches and laugh when they fall down.  They pick themselves up with a big smile and a go get 'em attitude that I admire and attempt to deploy when I fall for very different reasons...  If only there were armor for the job of Mom... (Noah refers to all the pads we make him wear as his armor...)

And then there is cuddle time with Cason.  We all take our turns loving on the new guy. We call him our meatball because he is round as round can be and he eats and eats and eats.  He is entirely his own person but he does remind us of his very proud, big brother in a lot of ways.  They share a passion for food, big cheeks and for stealing my heart.  I adore that Noah wants to hold and cuddle and feed Cason.  Tonight they even wore matching jammies...And yes, I got that photo, too.  Cason has been such a gift to our family.  We are very busy... but oddly we are taking more time to lay on the bed and giggle.  To read ten stories instead of two before bed... and to sit around and admire our new little bundle of love.  At the end of the day life isn't about the big things... it is the little things that matter and we're doing our best to make sure we make the most of them!

Onwards and upwards!

Cecily’s Closet has been selected as the Featured Charity of the week on the San Diego weekly deal site GiveTheDeal.com. This means a portion of every
deal sold will be donated to Cecily’s Closet this week Monday May 21st to Sunday night May 27th. Give The Deal has a deal for everyone – check out the deals For
Him, For Her, For You and For Home! Go to GiveTheDeal.com today to help support Cecily’s Closet.

We are so grateful for the additional exposure to help our little organization grow and thrive.  We are committed to helping children with special needs in San Diego. 

For people new to Cecily's Closet - Cecily's Closet is a 501c3 non-profit that provides assistance for children with special needs and their families in San Diego.  In conjunction with local artists and businesses, Cecily's Closet provides room makeovers for children who spend a considerable amount of time in their home.  In addition they help recycle durable medical equipment, provide free belly bands for children with feeding tubes, and host a web site with resources about the various services and early intervention programs available for children with disabilities in our community.

Together we're making a difference in the life of a child one family at a time!

Onwards and upwards!

  


For more information, please visit http://www.cecilyscloset.org/


 

Another Mother's Day... when I looked across the table today as we sat for Sunday brunch I couldn't quite believe that I was a Mom to three little ones... I kept thinking am I really equipped for this? And the answer that I kept coming back with was no! I looked at my Mom and my sister - both who are all-star Moms - and just kept thanking God that I have them in my life! My kids essentially have three Moms and together we rock!

I could write a novel about today... so much fun... so many funny kid comments... but I'm tired so I'll just sum it up with the top 10 highlights of the day...

10.  I took a shower AND washed my hair...
9.  Treats from VGs... A Cardiff classic 
8. The Moms were served brunch by our husbands AND they cleaned up, too!
7.  It was my first Mother's Day with three little ones! 
6.  Noah rode a 2-wheel bike by himself for the first time! (Daddy got a really good work-out!)
5.  Noah tackled several ramps and the half-pipe at the YMCA today!  He fell many times but just got right back up and kept going for it!
4.  Cecily made me a present - handprints and a jar that she glued papers on.  I
cried... I was so proud.
3. Noah made me a special card that I will keep forever and he made me a jewelry box with his picture on it. 
2.  A card from Brien with words that mattered. He has a knack for this... and I love it!
1.  We had a wonderful day as a family - Grammy, Grandpa, Auntie, Uncle Keith, the cousins, the hubby and the kiddos!  What could be better?

Onwards and upwards!

Oh... and Noah keeps asking us a lot of questions about God.  He also keeps telling us that God is everywhere - in the food, in the air, the beach, his skateboard, everywhere.  But the best part of this conversation was after he listed dozens of things that God made he wanted to know if God was responsible for Texas?  LOL!  That kid is funny...

A dear friend of mine shared this great information about Friends Like You. Friends Like Me.  Check it out!

About the Initiative:
Friends Like You. Friends Like Me. is an educational community outreach initiative of Children's Specialized Hospital, designed to help educate children about autism spectrum disorder and provide the tools necessary to facilitate friendships among children.

This program encourages recognition of children's similarities, reinforces the common desire to be accepted and have friends, demystifies autism in an age-appropriate manner, and promotes inclusion, respect, and friendship between children of all abilities in all facets of their lives. Use these materials and resources to encourage understanding and acceptance and to reduce intimidation and bullying.

http://www.childrens-specialized.org/CSRedsign/media/Autism/FLYFLM/FLYFLM-FactSheetF_022112.pdf

Educational Film:
This enlightening video explains ways to educate children about autism spectrum disorder. It offers strategies and resources to encourage interactions and friendships in school environments as well as in the general community. School administrators, students, and professionals share ideas and strategies to
facilitate positive peer relationships and friendship development.

http://www.childrens-specialized.org/Newsroom/Videos.aspx?id=10
 
 Onwards and upwards!
 

I wake up this morning... feed Cason, pump, then put him down in time to get Cecily dressed for school.  I look for her favorite book (misplaced) to prevent the expected tantrum from putting her down in order to redirect the abundance of
energy from Noah while looking frantically around for a share toy (cringe) and a coffee cup (dirty) only to find out that we are fresh out of coffee! (And yes, you're not supposed to have coffee while nursing but I'm not a saint and I need coffee if I've got a chance at getting all three monkeys (aka our angels) into the car by 7:40am in order to start the morning parade...)

Rewind. 

Prior to making it into the car, in my frantic state, I spilled six precious ounces of breast milk... and while this is such a silly thing to get upset about in the grand scheme of life (or even a not so grand morning) my sleep deprived body let me inch out a tiny scream and an exacerbated cry.  Then I hear a thunder of tiny footsteps... in flies Noah with a sign of worry and then before I realize what he is doing he is in the bathroom grabbing a towel and wiping up the milk.   He may be the most energetic little guy in the am bouncing off the walls and refusing to put on his socks but he is a little saint! He tells me not to worry and then smiles and asks when it will finally be Mother's Day because he has made me something very special. He even ran off with the dirty towel and put it in the laundry by himself! Coffee disaster averted.  I can move on wtih my day as it provided me with more energy and a renewed hope that today will be a wonderful day.

Onwards and upwards!

Kids are sleeping so this is short and sweet.  We have just received six more pieces of equipment so check out the equipment page and tell your friends!

Onwards and upwards! 

We just turned 2! We're admittedly a little late in celebrating our 2 year mark! Our web site launched March 17, 2010 and we received our recognition as a 501c3 tax-exempt organization from the state on April 29th, 2010.  It is hard to believe that 2 years have passed so quickly and even harder to imagine that we have volunteers all over San Diego who have reached out to us to get on board
and help our cause. We are touched to have such a dedicated crew that includes volunteers of all ages - from Girl Scouts, to teens to our wise seniors! We have sewers and artists, painters and organizers, handy men and handy woman and passionate souls who give and give and never expect a penny in return. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of Cecily's Closet.  Thank you to our community for reaching into their hearts and their closets to give back. 

When Brien and I decided to found this little organization we never dreamed it would take off.  We were just passionate about putting some of our free time into altruistic efforts and to try and make life a little better for the kiddos who are born with special needs.  Cecily changed our lives for the better and every day she reminds us to respect the gifts we are given and to try and be positive and see the good in any situation.  Cecily smiles through pain and works so hard to do the little things we all take for granted - like eating, sleeping, walking, talking, getting dressed and communicating.  We get joy of showing the potential all children with special needs possess and their unique abilities - versus the more readily seen disabilities.   We hope with every makeover, gift, belly band, and recycled piece of equipement that we're spreading a positive message and giving families a boost! We are so grateful for everyone who has supported our efforts and joined us to ensure our mission is achieved.

In two years together we have completed the following:
- 22 room makeovers with 2 more currently in progress
- Provided just shy of a hundred belly bands to children with feeding tubes
- Recycled durable medical equipment to children in need of resources to help them achieve their goals
- Provided Christmas baskets to 80+ children with special needs and their families
- And shared various donations with families in need - toys, books, and lots and lots of love and encouragement!

There are so many people to thank and we are afraid if we make a list that we'lll omit someone who was vital to our efforts and risk offending them by name.  We would be nothing without our passionate volunteers that work long hours to ensure our programs keep on trucking!  We are so grateful to our corporate donors that provided us the necessary funding to achieve our goals.  Thank you Websense for starting it all and giving us the encouragement and funding to make it happen!  Thank you to UPS for not only providing us with two amazing grants, but for getting hands-on and hosting a fundraiser in our honor and helping to make an amazing room for a sweet little angel!  Thank you to PaintGreen and Inside Emily Dolton's Head and all of the amazing artists who have given to our cause. Thank you to Beach Bungalow Designs for all the beautiful bedding and the generous donations to our organization! Thank you to San Diego Family Magazine for putting us on the cover of the 2011 Flourishing Families Guide and for the follow-up article in the 2012 Guide.  The media coverage it provided led to donations of time, talent and funds! We have amazing partners and hard-working, dedicated volunteers! We can say it is truly a pleasure to work with each and everyone of you.  Thank you for believing in us!

And a special thank you to my Mom, Dad, husband and sister Anita for believing in the organization and giving and giving and giving to help us follow our hearts and dreams.  We know at times we bit off more than we should have (yes... many times...) but you were always there to help us see our mission through.  It is because of our family that we can run Cecily's Closet. 

Thanks for believing!  Let's see what we can do in 2012!

Onwards and upwards!