The T21 Traveling Afghan

There is a very special blanket making it's way from one family to another all over the world.

The common tie? Down syndrome.

Each family who receives the afghan for one week has a member with T21.

They get the blanket, take photos with their family and pass the blanket (and an accompaning journal) on to the next recipient.

One blanket. Fifty US states. Many countries. Hundreds of families. One common thread.

 

 

The T21 Traveling Afghan Project - PHOTOS

 

There is a T21 Afghan is making an amazing adventure!!

The handmade blanket is traveling from one family to another who has a family member with Down Syndrome. The family member can be of any age, from birth through the senior years. The family can also be located anywhere on the globe.


The afghan will travel from one family to another, along with a journal.

Each family, upon receiving the afghan, takes a picture of their family member with it and we post it on on this blog under the Label "T21 Travelling Afghan". After having the afghan for bit, the family writes a note in the journal and sends it off to the next family,who's address I will email to them.

I would like to see the afghan leave each family within a weeks time. You may certainly ship it out sooner than that, if you prefer! While we would all love to hang onto it for as long as possible, we have a huge list of families waiting for their turn!


I would LOVE to see the afghan hit all fifty states and as many countries as possible! Let's send this baby far and wide to include all the families who would like to participate!


To sign up, please click here.


Please post about this on your blogs, FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. with a link back to this page. That way we can spread the the word out as far and wide as possible.

Shipping cost will be the responsibility of the sending party, therefore, I will make a smaller sized afghan.

Please feel free to respond or email with any questions, comments or specifics I may have overlooked!

Creed Of Babies With Down Syndrome

My face may be different

But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry
And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you
To teach you to love
As God in the heavens
Looks down from above
To Him I'm no different
His love knows no bounds
It's those here among you
In cities and towns
That judge me by standards
That man has imparted
But this family I've chosen
Will help me get started
For I'm one of the children
So special and few
That came here to learn
The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance
It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose
Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life
To live and embrace
And I'll do it as you do
But at my own pace



-author unknown

"I only have Down Syndrome sometimes"

Some of you have likely seen this blog link already, but if you haven't it's a FABULOUS reminder that our kids are not to be defined by this pesky and perky extra chromosome.

But we ALL can find some great encouragement through this post. The root argument is that for those of us who are prone to over-parenting ... don't. And don't put them in a box based on a diagnosis... or a character trait... or birth order... or whatever.

I'm definitely not saying you should have a boundary-less parenting philosophy. I think the key is having the wisdom to know when those boundary lines can be pushed out.

Thank you, Dave Hingsburger, for eavesdropping. You shared something we ALL need to hear.

They make, if not the best, a very serviceable eggplant parmigiana. We don't go there often, but when we do, we each always get lunch from the same vendors. As they are at the start of the food court, we grab a table right at the entrance. It's perfect for people watching, eavesdropping and is almost always the source for amusement. The parmigiana comes from the vendor right at the start of the court, Joe gets soup from the vendor next door but one. I grabbed a table just two in, with a chair removed, there is enough room for me to pull in and be out of the way.

We'd just sat down for lunch when we both heard that pronunciation of the word, 'Mother' that communicates so much. 'Muhhhhh-therrrrrr'. I glanced up and saw a frustrated and harried woman, carrying packages from the Bay and her son, a young man with Down Syndrome who was in his pre-teens.

Of course, I listened.

(Realize that I would have listened irregardless of the boy's Down Syndrome. I would have listened if it was a couple having a spat, if it was a businessman mumbling to himself, if it was someone having an animated conversation on a cell phone. That's what I do.)

So, aside, aside, I listened.


It seems that the mother wanted to go with him to get his food and then have him go with her to get her food, then they would eat together. Son, thought this was silly. Why doesn't she get hers, he get his, then they meet for lunch. She did an admirable job of keeping herself calm. I did an admirable job of just listening, not judging. Who knew what kind of experiences she'd had that led to this arrangement? They had been standing arguing and just before she moved again towards the court he said something that had a profound impact on me as a listener and she as a mother.

'Trouble is you think I have Down Syndrome all the time and I don't,' he said with real frustration.

She stopped again, 'What?'

'I only have Down Syndrome sometimes, when I'm learning something new or if the words are real hard. I don't have Down Syndrome the rest of the time when I'm doing what I know how to do.'

'And you don't have Down Syndrome now?' she asked.

'No, I know how to get my lunch, I buy my lunch at school all the time. I don't have someone with me all the time you know.' he was frustrated, he didn't even realize he'd said something of real importance, to me and to his mother.


'So,' she continued looking at him hard, 'you don't feel like you have Down Syndrome all the time.'

'No, most times I don't even think about it,' he said.

She said, her tiredness seemed to be gone, 'Go ahead, we'll find a table after we've got our food.'


They disappeared from view.

Joe and I looked at each other. I said to him, 'That kid should teach classes to parents of kids with Down Syndrome.'

Kid Friendly Fish Tacos

Fish Stick Tacos

If your kids haven’t started school already I’m sure they will be soon. Fast, yummy recipes for a week night dinner are always a plus. This one has been kid tested and passed with flying colors so I though I would share.


Do you have a favorite week night recipe that your kids love? Please share! You can email me at redbride05@aol.com and I will be more than happy to post it for you!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Yield: Serves 4
Cost per Serving: $1.76

Ingredients

8 6-inch corn tortillas
1 11-oz. box frozen breaded fish sticks
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili (canned in adobo sauce), seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
5 cups coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
Salt
1 cup tomato salsa

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 475ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil. Stack tortillas in a microwave-safe dish. Lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel; wring out any excess water. Cover tortillas with towel and microwave at 50 percent until warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep covered until ready to use.

2. Arrange fish sticks on baking sheet and sprinkle with chili powder. Bake until fish sticks are crispy, 11 to 13 minutes.

3. While fish sticks are baking, stir together mayonnaise, chipotle, lime juice and coleslaw mix in a medium bowl. Season with salt.

4. Place a tortilla on a work surface and top with a bit of slaw mixture. Add 2 fish sticks and top with a spoonful of salsa. Fold up taco. Repeat with remaining tortillas, slaw mixture, fish sticks and salsa. Serve immediately.


Nutritional Information
Calories:390
Fat:17g (sat 3g)
Protein:13g
Carbohydrate:49g
Fiber:8g
Cholesterol:30mg
Sodium:1301mg

The special place I had envisioned

My dear friends, I am so sorry for showing such neglect to our blog. Life has thrown me a couple of curve balls and as a result – I have not had the time or the energy to make our little site the special place I had envisioned.

 

With the ever growing world of social networking, I wanted the families of the DSC to have a place where they could explore, and express their interests, share information, make friendships, and meet new people.

Our blog has been up and running for almost a year now. My vision for the Blog ... 

• Interact with your friends, families, support groups, etc.
• Let everyone know your child’s accomplishments (the big and the small) , give us updates, share upcoming events and stories. 
• Get the word out on important issues and causes and inspire others to take action 
•  Exchange parenting tips and help benefit the community from your experiences 
• Connect with people in similar situations.
• Help your friends and family with Down Syndrome get online.
• Learn new techniques and mentor new and expecting parents.

Oh yeah, and one of my favorite things in the world – PICTURES! 

If you want to contribute to the blog or need help with posting please don’t hesitate to ask. Please email me at Redbride05@aol.com.