How to Talk to an Autistic Child about Death

As a guest blogger, I have been popping in from time to time to try to learn about autism and to help those who may be too scared to ask their own questions. Today the topic is death. I have several questions, and I'm hoping some autistic moms will help me learn the answers.

First, let me explain, my own mother has been diagnosed with malignant melonoma cancer. She's been given six months, per doctor diagnoses, as an estimate of how long she may live IF she takes chemo and radiation to help slow the cancer growth.

So, when I popped in today I noticed I had not been active lately on Tammy's blog. Because of my mother's condition, it was easy to come up with a topic.

Do autistic children have a different understanding of death? Is there a special way to talk to an autistic child about death? Does the child have different reactions after losing a loved one? How do you help your autistic child cope with the death of a loved one, or even of a pet?

Thanks to anyone for your willingness to help me understand autism and those it affects.

May July Be A Great Month For Sales

July can be a great month for sales. My mantra these days is “May July be a great month for sales.” Specifically, sales on camping equipment. Here are some great sales I have found going on online.

REI
REI Quarter Dome T3 Tent Reduced to: $229.99 Originally: $299.00








Primus EtaPower EF Trail Stove Reduced to: $79.99 Originally: $115.00






Sears

Coleman 12ft x 10ft Sundome Tent
Reg Price: $99.99
Savings: $20.00
$79.99
2-day sale







Kelsyus Convertible Canopy Chair - Blue
Reg Price: $39.99
Savings: $10.00
$29.99








Gander Mountain
CampRight™ SUV Ten
Reg. $309.99 Sale $269.99 Web Price Only
Plus a 3-day only special. Save $20 on orders of $150 and up








Wal-Mart


Ozark Trail 16' x 10' Dome Tent
$60.00
Was: $78.00








Ozark Trail Queen Air Bed Kit
$29.88







I consider these to be good sales, if you need camping equipment now. I like to wait until the end of summer. Last year, I was able to buy my tent ant 50% off. This year, I am watching for a Coleman tent to be marked down to 50%. There is a risk to this way of shopping. First, there’s no guarantee that they will still have the Coleman tent I want when it’s time to mark tents down. Second, if they do, there’s no guarantee that I will get there first.

Aang The Airbender and Avatar in The Last Airbender Movie 2010 Trailer and Review

Last week, The Last Airbender started playing on the big screen. I have placed the Last Airbender movie 2010 trailer at the end of this post. I hope you enjoy it. I took my family to see it the first evening it was out, and thought I should write a review for it. We followed the cartoon, and had been looking forward to seeing this movie. The four main characters Aang the airbender first and then Avatar (Noah Ringer), Prince Zuko, firebender (Dev Patel), Katara, water bender (Nicola Pelz), Sokka, warrior and brother of Katara (Jackson Rathbone) were well cast. They successfully brought their cartoon based characters to life on the big screen. M. Night Shyamalan (Writer, Producer, Director) put out a family film.

My kids enjoyed the movie. We went to an evening showing of The Last Airbender. My daughter was really tired, and ended up resting her head on me during the movie. My son sat up in his seat and was focused completely on the movie the whole time.

I was pleased that the fight scenes did not show any type of blood or core. Fight scenes are important for the movie, as they were in the cartoon, but M. Night Shyamalan kept his target audience in mind when shooting them. That being said, this is not a G rated movie. Parents need to keep that in mind when determining if you want to take your child to see it. My youngest is 7 and I was a little concerned. In the end, I’m glad I decided to take her. I feel she sees a lot worse on television.

If you have never watched the cartoon, you might have a little trouble following the movie. I do think that by the end of the movie, you will understand. The explanations of what is going on, and why, are slowly explained to the viewer throughout the movie. The ending of the movie sets the viewer up for a second The Last Airbender.

My daughter is already asking me when the next one will be out. I told her she will have to wait and see. If you want more information about the movie and the characters, you can visit online avatar The Last Airbender website.

Aphrodite Review & $25 Gift Certificate to MyPleasure Giveaway (Adults only)

Yes, I did it. I accepted a review for a sex toy. For the record, I picked one that has two uses. One is, of course, to stimulate your erogenous zone. The other is for muscle relaxation. I don’t need help with the first, my husband can take care of that. What I needed it for was for muscle relaxation.

I spend the day on a roller coaster ride. I juggle doctor and therapy appointments. I have to be mom, therapist, and teacher for my son. It’s summer, so I also have to entertain my daughter during the day, too. By the time evening comes around, I am stressed out and exhausted. I want to sleep, but I can’t. I have too many things going on in my head. I think about everything that happened during the day. I think about what I need to do the next day, and the next day. I can’t relax in order to fall asleep. AND, I have a hard time relaxing in order to be with my husband.

He understands and is very good at helping me relax. It takes time, but he doesn’t mind. Nice, long back rubs with massage oils is great for helping me relax. So when I saw that the Aphrodite can be used for muscle relaxation, I decided that it was the one I wanted to review.

The first thing I needed to do was charge it. It requires a 12 hour charge, and you get 1 hour of use from it. At least, that’s what the instruction sheet says. I haven’t used it for a solid hour, so I can’t attest to that. Once charged, it’s good to go.

The Aphrodite comes with 3 attachments. I picked one and used it on my husband. He has really tight muscles in his back, and I was wondering if this would help. He said it felt nice, but it didn’t get deep into his muscles. Then it was my turn.

I turned over and he used it on my back. Where I had it set on high for my husband, he turned it down to low for me. The vibrations that went through my skin and into my muscles were heaven. I immediately felt my muscles relaxing. Then my husband decided to see how good the other use was. I’m not going to go into details, but it was awesome.

Later, we went back and tried the high setting on my back. It really helped the one area on my lower back that gives me the most pain, because the muscles are so tight. The Aphrodite is regularly $74.95, but is on sale right now for $59.95. For a product that can help you relax and feel better, I think it is worth it.


This contest is sponsored by MyPleasure, a leading online retailer of sex toys.
It begins now and ends July 20, 2010. This Giveaway will be for a $25 Gift Certificate that you can use on the My Pleasure website. You must live in the US to win.


Main Entry: I’m keeping this entry simple. Just tell me what stresses you out the most. (If this rule isn’t followed, no additional entries will count).

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