Professionals and parents were taken back to the very root of who we are, who our kids are, and what they need! Even though I work in this field, I left rejuvenated! I saw the same sparkle in the eyes of each person and it was clear HOPE was restored.

Jodee Kulp was energetic and full of compassion. She held the audience captivated and shared her vision. Chris and Sheryl educated everyone on the FASD brain, reminding us all to dig deeper to get to the root of what was going on. Will reminded us all that there can be success in schools while Johanna gave great ideas for theraplay! Sara and I got to inform others on equine therapy and the impact it can have on any human being!

We had great food and support from our board members! Overall, the team left excited about what the future holds! Most importantly, participants left with the reminder to play with their children, a knowledge on how that little brain works, and the hope that their child will find his place in this world! Not bad for a days work!

-Gidget Leonard, ES

For additional information about nutrition for kids from hard places, consider www.adoptionnutrition.org which is a website created by the Spoon Foundation and the Joint Council on International Children’s Services. Another resource created by the Empowered to Connect team is a video entitled “Engaging Food Battles with Connection in Mind”

Just another opportunity to embrace the needs of our kids and meet them where they are!
Sheryl Findley, M.S.

Email: sheryl@papillioncenter.org

Chris Troutt, LMFT   Email

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From the Globe and Mail, Canada

Crystal Piquette is 31 and ripped, her biceps and flat tummy a testament to the rigours of her factory job. Her life seems ordinary – she has a boyfriend and five cats, does handicrafts and dreams of buying a home – but it’s a quantum leap for someone who ran away from home at 17 to live on the street. Back then, whatever she earned as a panhandler, or as one of Toronto’s infamous “squeegee kids” washing windshields, went toward drugs, “wino drinks” and a man far older than she was.

“I was definitely the outcast,” Ms. Piquette recalls. “I didn’t get along with anybody. I still don’t. I don’t have any true friends.”

And yet her troubled background fascinates the woman with her, who has wanted to hear about it for years. “She’s kind of my hero,” Kathy Moreland Layte admits, dabbing her eyes.

And while Ms. Piquette has no friends, she thinks highly of Ms. Layte: “I wish she was my mother.”

The two were brought together by parenthood. They are both mothers of two young children – the same young children. Ms. Layte, 52, has adopted the son and daughter born to Ms. Piquette during her previous life. Alexis was conceived under the viaduct near the Air Canada Centre, and her mother says that during the pregnancy, she and the father “didn’t have a roof over our heads. We had to beg for food.”

She also had no medical care until just before the baby arrived, small and as fragile as a “porcelain doll.” Twelve years later, Alexis has difficulty with her hearing and speech and, unlike most kids her age, still plays with stuffed animals. Utterly without the guile seen so often in prepubescent girls, she seems warm and calm – a description rarely applied to her little brother.

Continue Reading >>>

by Johanna Powell

As we are all grieving in our own ways over the loss of life at Sandy Hook last week, I am struck by so many different reactions.

I have seen tears in the eyes of parents as they imagine what the victims may have experienced, feel the loss that the many Sandy Hook parents are experiencing, and face the more than overwhelming reality that safety is not something that can be taken for granted.

I have also heard of children’s responses that range from fear to relatively numb with a sort of matter of fact response alluding to a “crazy” man who shot some kids.

As I take in the details and the various reactions, I am left with the reality that nothing is simple. There are so many layers and feelings beyond a black and white description of the events, that so rarely answer the question of “Why?”

It can feel so overwhelming and our heart here is to let you know that you are not alone.

We are here to support you and point you to the One who is the Great Counselor who calms all our fears and lights the way to wholeness.

Here is a list of some resources that may be helpful in this difficult time: (compiled by Brene Brown Ph.D.)

Holidays are meant to be joyful, happy occasions.Do the best that you can. You do not have to apologize for doing what is appropriate for your family. Meltdowns are not pretty and very few people understand they are not enormous temper tantrums. They can last anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and when they are over everyone is exhausted. What has your family done to make it easier for your young people? Following is our recent discussion on FASD Think Tank – we hope our cumulative experiences will help your families enjoy brighter holiday celebrations.

Continue reading ThinkTank_HolidayStrategies for over 100 ideas for celebrating the season!

Read Psalm 121 >>>

Blessings,

Gidget Leonard ES

http://specialchildren.about.com/od/christmastips/tp/Tweak-Your-Traditions.htm

Advanced thought and planning can sometimes avert a meltdown and provide relief for your entire family!

Sheryl Findley, MS

The smalls love sensory play. It’s a fact. And why not? Through their senses, is how they learn. If children can see, touch, smell, listen, and sometimes even taste their play activities, just think of the information they will process. Experimenting, thinking, practicing small-motor and cognitive skills, learning cause and effect, honing their imaginations…all of this is done during sensory play. All of these reasons, plus the fun factor, is why we love sensory play so much here at Small Potatoes.

I decided it was time to put all our sensory activities in one place so you can find what you’re looking for without going on a serious hunting expedition!

See the list >>>

We want to introduce you to our newest part-time team member Stormy!  Stormy is part of our equine therapy program headed by Gidget Leonard.