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).

You can get extra entries by doing any or all of the below. Each entry needs to be a separate comment.

1 Extra Entry - Follow @taless on Twitter and leave your twitter id in a separate comment
* 1 Extra Entry - Twitter this giveaway and leave your twitter name in a separate comment (You can get up to one extra entry by tweeting each day and leaving a comment here each day.)
1 Extra Entry - Follow my blog and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Subscribe to my RSS feed via email and let me know in a separate comment
1 Extra Entry - Write a post on your blog linking to my blog, and let me know in a separate comment

Interview With A Wonderful Nonverbal Autistic Adult

I had the opportunity to interview Jenna Lumbard by email. Jenna is 21 years old, autistic and nonverbal. As a mom on an autistic, nonverbal child, I was honored for this opportunity. Here are the questions and answers for the interview. It's short, but revealing. Thank you, Jenna.


1. Hi Jenna. Can you introduce yourself to my readers and tell us a little about yourself?

I would be happy to introduce myself to your readers. My name is Jenna Lumbard. I’m 21 years old and I live in Camas, Washington with my mom and dad. I have lived in Camas my whole life. I went to school here and I graduated from Camas High School in June of 2006. I enjoy watching videos and spending time in the water. I also like to surf the internet whenever possible.

I am nonverbal and I have autism, but that didn’t stop me from following my dreams of being a writer. I have written one book and have had it published. It is called “Worried Wendy Goes to School” and I have a second book in the process of being published right now and it should come out in June of this year. I have always enjoyed writing and I find I have an abundance of words and pictures in my head that I want to share with the world. I’m happy, funny and at peace with who I am.

I hope this has given you a little insight into who I am.



2. As a mom of an extremely intelligent, nonverbal child, I am always irritated (to put it nicely) by people that assume that a child that doesn't talk is intellectually low functioning. What I don't know, (because my son has difficulties expressing his feelings) is how it affects him. Did you face this growing up, and if so, how did it affect you?

I’m glad you asked this question, because that has always been a concern of mine. I have a wonderful friend and mentor that has been my aide for the last seventeen years and whenever I met someone that I didn’t know I always ask Janet to be sure that they knew that I was not retarded and I was not deaf. For some reason people always assumed that just because I couldn’t talk it meant that I also couldn’t hear so they would yell at me and then they would talk about me like I wasn’t in the room or they talked down to me like I was a small child. I found that to be very frustrating and demeaning. If I was able to talk to them for a while they learned very quickly that I was smart and able to communicate via my computer, but if I was not around my computer I was always irritated by their behavior. It’s important that people don’t make assumptions about someone’s intelligence by their appearance or by the label of a handicap placed on them by the medical community.

3. Do you have any advice for other non-verbal children and their parents that you wish someone had told you growing up or told your parents?

There is one thing that I think is of the utmost importance and a piece of advice that would have served me well growing up. The advice is, it’s okay to be autistic. You don’t have to strive to be something else or wait for a miracle cure to go on living your life. As I mentioned before I had a wonderful aide who always told me the only thing she expected of me was the best I had to offer. She didn’t care if I was autistic or not she expected me to always try my hardest and never give up just because I had some obstacles to overcome. My family is very supportive and they have loved me through a lot of challenges, but they never expected less from me just because I have autism. I love them for that.

What Happens When Autistic Children Become Adults

I conducted an email interview with Dan E. Burns, Ph.D., author of Saving Ben about the new autism rates. His son is currently 22 and is dealing with issues now that will only get worse when the rising number of children now being diagnosed with autism become adults. After you read this, I urge you to leave a comment about your concerns. We need to make our voices heard.

You can also join me, Stacie with Super Mommy to the Rescue and Jon Gilbert with Same Child, Different Day in our email campaign to the government. You can read more about our efforts here, Government Officials Need to Respond to Rising Autism Rates. A copy of the email we are using can be found on my post, Reaching Out to the Government to Help Our Children.

Here are the questions and answers for my interview with Dan E. Burns is author of Saving Ben:

Question: What was your reaction to the new CDC autism rates?

Answer: I was surprised that the CDC rate 1 in 110 was not higher. The commonly quoted prevalence rate from October 2009 issue of Pediatrics was 1 in 91, and anecdotal evidence suggests that both rates understate the problem. Dallas Independent School District (DISD) had three or four autism classrooms fifteen years ago, when Ben entered the system. DISD is planning to open ten new special education classrooms this year, mainly to serve ASD students. Big picture, we are looking at a 10-fold increase in ASD students in the last decade. Clearly, there is a growing wave of ASD students rolling toward graduation.

Question: These rates are based on children diagnosed with autism. How do you see this affecting children when they are adults?

Answer: When Ben was diagnosed, his pediatric neurologist said, "Save your money for his institutionalization when he turns 21." Ben is 22 and has aged out of the school system and related support services. He is at the lip of a tsunami of aged-out students who are about to hit the impact zone and will need jobs, homes, and supportive communities.

Question: Do you think the government will be prepared to assist such an increase in autistic adults in the future?

Answer: Governments are unprepared for the impact. As an example, last October, Ben interviewed with the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services in search of a job. He was informed by letter that "It has been determined that an employment outcome cannot be achieved because of the severity of your disability. Therefore, you are not eligible for vocational rehabilitative services." Without a job, Ben's opportunities to live in a group home are severely limited. And the supportive community that surrounded him at school has simply disappeared. Ben is left in the shore dump.

Question: 3. Do you think that the government is currently meeting the needs of autistic adults? If not, what will this mean for the rising number of autistic children when they are adults?

Answer: No, government is not currently meeting the needs of autistic adults. According to a CARD in Florida, "The Current State of Services for Adults with Autism," 74% of autistic adults want to work, but only 19% are currently working.

As usual, policies pressure for a solution must come through parents. Advancing Futures of Adults with Autism (AFAA) is holding national town hall meetings and is preparing a national agenda for presentation to Congress and President Obama. Meanwhile, there are some things that parents can do for children who have not yet aged out. Here are five things I wish I'd done before Ben graduated:

Institute a rigorous program of household chores and savings.

Consider a summer job instead of summer school.

Participate in weekend work retreats with your ASD child.

Work with the school system to create internships in sheltered workshops.

Resist school system dependency. Teach your child to advocate for himself.

Whether our children are school age or adults, we are in this together.

Dan E. Burns is author of Saving Ben: A Father's Story of Autism. See a 2-minute video review of the book, HERE.