Creating #Autism Awareness and Providing Support Through Honestly and Android
Give-A-Way
Sensory Bombs [Giveaway]
113 months ago
I have partnered with the Jillian McCabe, the maker of Sensory Bombs, to provide three of my readers with five FREE Sensory Bombs. Sensory Bombs are a tool to help your special needs and/or typical children with bath time and subsequently bed time..
Sensory Bombs are calming tools that offer a highly effective sensory experience. In essence, they are like a weighted blanket for the bathtub; they make the water heavier and provide evenly distributed pressure that “hugs” the muscles and joints. As a result, the child is relaxed, moisturized and able to transition into a restful sleep.
You can also read my review (See: Sensory Bombs [Review])
Jump in and enter to win 5 FREE sensory bombs, shipped directly to your doorstep. This giveaway is once again run using Rafflecopter. Should you have any questions, please feel free to Contact Me.
**Thanks for reading**
-Lost and Tired
[Giveaway] Win a FREE Box4Blox
13 months ago
by Lost and Tired
in Give-A-Way
I have partnered with the makers of Box4Blox to provide one of my readers with a FREE Box4Blox. Box4Blox is the ultimate solution for your child’s Lego collection. Below is a brief video explaining what Box4Blox is.
You can also read my review (See: Box4Blox is the solution to scattered Lego’s)
**Thanks for reading**
-Lost and Tired
Dr. Aardsma’s Drills [Giveaway]
04 months ago
by Lost and Tired
in Give-A-Way
Dr. Aardsma’s Drills Giveaway
I’m pleased to be able to offer this giveaway to my readers. I have been playing around with this website for the past week or so and I think it’s a great idea. It’s pretty straight forward and easy to use. Before I posted this I was doing a 40 word spelling drill and actually did quite well 
Anyway, below is a description of what this site offers. Everything is subscription based, so there is no software to install and it can be accessed from the iPad as well (if I understood it correctly).
Basically, you select the drill you would like to subscribe to and go through the subscription process (very short). To access the drill, simply click the link at the top of the page that corresponds to your subscription. From there, you simply log in and the drill begins.
You can visit Dr. Aardsma’s Drills and try a free demo. I think it’s more than worth the trip to their website.
What I really like is the accountability. You can have progress reports emailed directly to you about your child’s progress based on a customized schedule. Very cool…..
This is right up Gavin’s alley and he loves both Math and Spelling but could always use the practice.
A little more about Dr. Aardsma’s Drills
“The math and spelling drills are taken online. The drills track the student’s daily progress and emails the parents with the results. These drills have been available to homeschoolers for 15 years via CD software and were sold by Christian Book Distributors, Timberdoodle as well as other vendors. In March of 2010 we launched www.DrAardsmasDrills.com, taking advantage of new technology and stopped producing the CD versions. The spelling drill uses a real human voice, making it the first of its kind in the industry. We have a “Group Reseller Program” (http://www.draardsmasdrills.com/group_reseller_program.php) which can be used to make quantity purchases of drills for a discounted price. The drills can then be resold at a profit. You may be interested in reselling drills to your members.
One of our most popular items on www.DrAardsmasDrills.com is our FREE Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee. Spelling Bees provide healthy competition with the goal in mind of becoming better spellers. Kids love the challenge of trying to be the winner, and parents love all the extra spelling practice this gives their students!
But Spelling Bees are so much work to prepare, you say?
Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee, makes having regular spelling bees as easy as 1-2-3. The good news is that Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee it is absolutely FREE for you to use!
In minutes, you (the Spelling Bee administrator) can set up Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee for your homeschool group, or even just your own family — all absolutely free! The only requirement is that each student participating in the Spelling Bee must be registered in one of Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Drills. (www.DrAardsmasDrills.com)
Each Spelling Bee participant competes at their Dr. Aardsma’s Drill grade level. That is, the student will only be asked words at his or her own grade level. For example, suppose Susan is registered for the Spelling 1 drill and Tom is registered for the Spelling 6 drill. They both sign up to participate in Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee. Susan and Tom will compete against each other, but Susan will only be asked Spelling 1 words and Tom will only be asked Spelling 6 words. In addition, they will be asked words from the list of words they have mastered before being asked any new words. Whoever can get the most words right will be the winner.
Students wishing to participate in your Dr. Aardma’s Spelling Bee practice their spelling words by doing Dr. Aardsma’s Online Spelling Drill every day as part of the school work. The more they practice, the better spellers they get to be and the better their chances of winning Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee!
Dr. Aardma’s Spelling Bee can happen as often as you wish; Weekly, monthly or yearly. You could have a final Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee at year end, inviting family and friends to attend. Winners (you could choose to provide prizes, if you wish) could be announced at your year end/graduation activities. Photos could be sent to your local newspaper announcing the winners.
Groups could even compete against each other, creating an area wide Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee.
Students must be registered for Dr. Aardsma’s Online Spelling Drill in order to participate in Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee. You can purchase a one year registration of Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Drill for as low as $5.14 per registration by buying the drills in quantity (http://www.draardsmasdrills.com/_quantity_discounts.php) The more registrations you buy, the cheaper you pay for each one year registration.
We also offer a Group Reseller Program where your homeschool group can purchase the spelling drills in quantity and then resell them to your members for a profit, earning money for your group, for individuals or for prize money for the year end winner of Dr. Aardsma’s Spelling Bee. (http://www.draardsmasdrills.com/group_reseller_program.php).
You can read more about our products by visiting www.DrAardsmasDrills.com. ”
The Giveaway
Dr. Aardsma’s Drills is graciously providing two of my readers with a FREE, one year subscription to the Math or Spelling Drill of your choice.
The giveaway is being run by Rafflecopter.
**Thanks for reading**-Lost and Tired
DreamCatcher Custom Weighted Blankets Review
75 months ago
I don’t typically do reviews of products on this site but every once in a while I’m presented with a product that has truly benefited one or more of my children. This is one of those occasions. As many of you are likely aware, weighted blankets can have a profoundly positive impact on kids with sensory related issues. In Emmett’s case, he finds the constant pressure provided by the weighted blanket to be calming as well as comforting. The following opinion is based on my personal experience with DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets: Why weighted blankets?
A little while ago I was contacted by a very nice woman at DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets. She had been referred to my blog by a customer. This customer suggested that my son Emmett would benefit from a weighted blanket. DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets was wondering if they could provide Emmett with a custom built weighted blanket, no strings attached. I had to read the email twice just to make sure I was reading it correctly. Emmett could absolutely benefit from a weighted blanket.
I visited their very impressive website to see what DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets were all about. They specialize in custom & pre-made weighted blankets and lap pads, among other things. Their website explains in great detail, all about the process, proper cleaning and how and why weighted blankets can help your special needs child. Here is an excerpt from their site explaining just that:
In researching weighted therapy for sleep and calming, we talked with many therapists, medical professionals and experts in the sensory integration field, and have learned a great deal about how and why weighted products work the way they do. The very short version of the theory behind how DreamCatcher tm weighted products work, is the deep pressure touch stimulation (DPTS) supplied by the weight in our products , is believed to release a chemical in the brain, which naturally calms.
Serotonin is the chemical that functions as a neurotransmitter (chemical communicator). Serotonin is thought to be involved in inducing sleep, sensory perception, temperature regulation, and control of mood. Studies have shown that serotonin may be released by deep pressure touch stimulation. Massage and deep pressure releases both serotonin and endorphins. The serotonin acts as a calming mediator for the body while the endorphins act as a happy stimulator for the brain. Together they can bring pleasurable feelings and general elevated moods in both your body and mind. It calms you when feeling anxious.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets: Custom building
This was a really unique experience. You would not believe the amount of thought that DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets puts into each custom blanket. I was really, quite surprised by the factors they take into account before building Emmett’s blanket.
I was asked questions about Emmett’s sensory needs as well as height and weight. They also ask things like size of the bed and whether or not Emmett needs deep pressure. Then came the hard part, deciding on the design. Since I know Emmett pretty well (obviously), I had a pretty good idea of what he would like. After talking with Lizze, we narrowed it down to a few ideas. I visited their website and browsed through their virtually limitless fabric patterns and types.
At the End of the day, I choose Disney’s Cars as the pattern for the blanket. Emmett seems to respond very well to fleece as that’s what his favorite snug-a-bug blanket is made of. With that knowledge in hand, I also choose a fleece backing. You really do need to check out their site in order to get a better idea of just how many options there really are. I felt the staff was very helpful with design choices and answering the questions I had along the way. I honestly had quite a few questions as I have never ordered a weighted blanket before.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets: The final product
Does Emmett like his new Cars weighted blanket? Judge for yourself as you watch Emmett open up his brand new custom built Disney Cars weighted blanket by DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets.
The blanket we had built was made for a twin bed as hopefully we will be transitioning Emmett into a twin bed. However, for now it still works out great on his toddler bed. Check out the photo to the right and see this blanket in action. I was very impressed by the quality of the fabric and the stitching
used to construct this blanket. Something else that really impressed me is how the weight is evenly distributed throughout the entire blanket. The weight is also used in such a way that it doesn’t slide around. For example, if I pick the blanket up from one side, the weight doesn’t shift to the opposite side…if that makes sense.
The cotton fabric seems very durable and the fleece is definitely Emmett approved. Emmett also LOVES the Cars characters covering his blanket. He tries to carry this thing around with him where ever he goes and with his blanket weighing in at about 9 or 10 lbs that’s quite a chore.
So far this blanket has helped Emmett stay asleep for longer periods of time. Needless to say that really helps out a very tired Mommy and Daddy. It really does seem to have a calming effect on him. You can almost see the relief in his face once the blanket is in place across him. He will even climb under it while on the couch watching Netflix on TV. So far this is really helping him to settle down and decompress. We told his OT about this and she was thrilled that he would have the benefit of the weighted blanket while at home.
We opted for a heavier blanket as Emmett needs deep muscle pressure to really derive any benefit. The blanket serves Emmett quite well and should withstand most the loving abuse it will receive.
I would like to thank DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets for providing Emmett with some much needed sensory relief.
DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets: The Give-A-Way
Not only did DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets provide Emmett with a complimentary custom build weighted blanket, they also want to do the same for one of my readers. That’s right, you heard me correctly. DreamCatcher Weighted Blankets is providing one of my readers with a custom build weighted blanket worth $200…free of charge.
Details on the Give-A-Way will be posted soon.
**Thanks for reading**
-Lost and Tired
Elliott announces the giveaway winner
18 months ago
by Lost and Tired
in Give-A-Way
Congratulations to the winner of the Lost and Tired, Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic movie giveaway. Elliott Announces the winner below. I will contact you shortly with instructions. Thanks for your participation and congrats for winning.
-Lost and Tired
A <em>Loving Lampposts</em> GIVEAWAY
98 months ago
LostandTired.com has partnered with Cinema Libre Studio to give away a FREE copy of the award winning film, Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic by Todd Drezner.
Here is how we are going to play this game. I’m going to keep it VERY simple (for my benefit). All you need to do is leave a comment on this post. As EVERYONE will get ONE entry per comment. Comment as many times as you would like. I said I was keeping this simple….remember. The winner will be selected at random via Pick Giveaway Plugin for WordPress. Also please feel free to “Like” my blog. The “Like” button is on the top right.
This contest will run from the time this posts until Friday , May 27th @ 8pm. The winner will be announced in a new post at that time. So be sure to check back on Friday around 8:30pm. You will have 48hours to contact me in order to claim your prize. The DVD will be shipped to your address directly from the Cinema Libre Studio. 
Please feel free to share this on twitter and Facebook. The more the merrier.
This is open to US residents ONLY.
Read about Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic below.
Synopsis
“As autism has exploded into the public consciousness over the last 20 years, two opposing questions have been asked about the condition: is it a devastating sickness to be cured? Or is it a variation of the human brain — just a different way to be human?
After his son’s diagnosis, filmmaker Todd Drezner visits the front lines of the autism wars. We meet the “recovery movement,” which views autism as a tragic epidemic brought on by environmental toxins. Operating outside the boundaries of mainstream medicine, these parents, doctors, and therapists search for unconventional treatments that can “reverse” autism and restore their children to normal lives.
We meet the ‘neurodiversity’ movement, which argues that autism should be accepted and autistic people supported. This group argues that the focus on treatments and cures causes the wider society to view autistic people as damaged and sick. Acceptance is the better way, but how do you practice acceptance of autism in a world where the very word can terrify parents?
And we meet a too often ignored group: autistic adults. It’s these adults who show just how tricky it is to judge an autistic person’s life. Is an autistic woman who directs academic research about autism recovered? What if the same woman has trouble speaking and uses text-to-speech software to communicate? Is an autistic man who lives in his own apartment recovered? What if his mother must hire people to do his laundry and take him out in the evenings?
This wide angle view of autism makes clear what’s at stake in the autism wars. Will we live in a world dominated by autism conferences where vendors hawk vitamins and hyperbaric chambers to parents desperate for a cure? Or will we provide the support that autistic adults need to lead the best lives they can? And can these two worlds possibly co-exist?” -lovinglamppostsmovie.com
Here is the official movie trailer:
Loving Lampposts Trailer from Loving Lampposts on Vimeo.
**Thanks for reading**-Lost and Tired
