Well, even after the disappointment that Grandad’s long awaited trip was postponed (thanks to the icy weather we had here in Texas), Little E’s still had a fantastic Saturday – she attended her very first concert!

Yes, the Imagination Mover’s “In the Big Warehouse” concert was her very first.  

The Imagination Mover’s were doing two shows here in Houston, but we choose to go to the early show so we didn’t conflict with Z’s special time that evening.  

We left the house around noon, picked up some lunch from E’s favorite fast food place, and headed into the Verizon Wireless Center in downtown Houston.

We made really good time and were anticipating have some extra time beforehand, but unfortunately hit road construction just before our turn off and ended up being  late

But the staff at the Verizon Wireless Center were great. We picked up our tickets from Will Call and an usher took us to our seats, navigating us through all the preschoolers dancing in the isles.

Geniveive and D.C.  from Choo Choo Soul do the pre-show for the Imagination Movers Big Warehouse Tour, which really appeals to the little ones.  

Because of our late entrance, we missed most of the pre-show, but our timing had us  face to face with Geniveive  while she was performing in the isle. (whoops!)

Little E had a fantastic time watching the Imagination Movers perform, and particularly loved seeing Nina perform with the Imagination Movers. Rather than describe her reactions, I thought it would be more fun for you to see it in this video of snapshots I took during the show:

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Little E was probably the oldest kid at the show, as the audience was mostly made up of preschoolers , including a few little fans in their own blue jumpsuits . But E thoroughly enjoyed the show.

The Imagination Movers do a great job of connecting with the kids, and take turns going out into the audience, and covering the various areas of the floor crowd. 

Mover Smitty did a really good job making eye contact with the kids in the audience in front of him, which thrilled the little boy sitting  in front of us. 

Little E really wanted to meet Nina, but that opportunity didn’t come up. So instead she really studied Nina’s costumes, dancing, and singing style, and took those lessons home to pratice in her own “performances”

After the show, the ushers handed out pamphlets which turned out to be mini-posters of the Imagination Movers.

E was thrilled at that too, jumping around later exclaiming, “My first poster! I can’t believe I have my first poster!”  It is now hung prominently on the back of our front door for all to see

In all, it was just as fun to take her to the Imagination Movers concert as I thought I would be. My kick though was in watching my girl’s eyes shine and all her facial expressions as she took in the show.

Many thanks to Tiffney with the Imagination Movers Street Team for making this experience possible for Little E.

If you’d like to check out if the Imagination Mover’s “In the Big Warehouse” Tour is coming near you, be sure to visit the events page at http://imaginationmovers.com

Exciting News!  Little E and I get to head out to the Imagination Movers’ concert this weekend! We’re so excited!

E and I have been fans of the Imagination Movers since their music videos first premiered on Playhouse Disney and on “unschooling” days we’ll often watch their television show on Playhouse Disney.

When the Imagination Movers’ Big Warehouse Tour was first announced, Little E asked if she could go, but it’s just not something we normally would do, for multiple reasons.

But I did look into it, because I knew it would be a fun special thing for Little E and I to do together.

But unfortunately, the tour dates for Houston conflicted with one of K’s activities and with a rare visit from my dad (who lives on the west coast.)

But at the last minute, K’s activity was cancelled and Dad’s trip was postponed.  BUT… just a few hours after I told the kids that their Grandad wasn’t coming this weekend, a last minute opportunity to go to the Imagination Mover’s concert arose. Very cool!

Surprised that I even like the Imagination Movers, K asked me why. After all, she’s a teenager, and she doesn’t get why a mom would like a kids show with four guys dressed up in jumpsuit dancing around and signing.

Well… the answer is quite simple.

Because… they reinforce messages and values that I want my kids to learn -and it doesn’t hurt to have the same messages reinforced in my own brain.

Just take a look at their motto:

” Reach High, Think Big, Word Hard, Have Fun”

What mom doesn’t want her kids to have that message reinforced? 

If my kids learn that motto and take that into their adult life, it’ll be a good thing.

Besides the Imagination Mover’s music is fun, high-energy, and catchy – and that helps drive home the message too, especially in kids that love music, like Little E and Z.

I love the fact that the Imagination Movers reinforce problem solving and that encourage big ideas, and lots of them. There are too many other things out there that will steal our kids dreams, they need the messages that their dreams are worthy, that their ideas are good, and that they can accomplish what they set out to do.

If you are new to the Imagination Movers, here’s a couple video clips. The first is their theme song – sung with every episode. You can’t beat the message:

“We had a problem, but we figured it out…”

And then here’s a clip of their Brainstorming song. What a powerful message to learn, and reinforce.

Anyway, The Imagination Movers’ Big Warehouse Tour is going to be here in Houston, February 11th and 12th at

Verizon Wireless Theater
520 Texas Avenue
Houston , TX 77002

The complete Imagination Movers’ tour schedule can be found on at http://www.imaginationmovers.com  The Big Warehouse Tour runs from February 2011 to May 2011, hitting most major and mid-sized cities in the U.S.

If you have the ability to expose your children to the Imagination Movers -either through their music, the television show on Playhouse Disney, or even to make one of the concert dates, I recommend doing so.

Enjoy!

…Shannon

I’d like to invite you to follow along on a wonderful international adoption story. Adoption has a special place in my heart, for seveal reasons, but this adoption story is special because it came from a dream that God put in the heart of one of my daughter’s friends – Emma.

Emma is a sweet girl, with a big heart, and because of her dream and persistence with that dream, this month, God willing, her family will be adopting a new brother or sister for Emma and her sister from the Ukraine.

Yes, this month my friend Courtney, her husband Cliff, and their daughters  are in the Ukraine on the next step in their international adoption journey. 

I have been so lucky to have this amazing family part of my life for the last four years, and I know that they are going to be enriched beyond measure through this adoption.

Courtney is chronicling their international adoption story and sharing bits of their experience in the Ukraine and the process of adopting internationally. She’s a beautiful writer and their story is captivating. 

I invite you to head over to her blog “Emma’s Dream Come True: Our Ukrainian Adoption Adventure” to follow along on their journey. 

And, if you are up for it, please join me in praying for them as they find and meet their new son or daughter, navigate the paperwork and approval process, and bring their new child home.

…Shannon

P.S. If you are considering adopting internationally, be sure to read through the archives on Courtney’s blog. She’s done a fabulous job of sharing the steps they have gone through, the milestones and the trials. It will give you a very real example of what it’s like to adopt internationally.

Raising Boys with Special Needs like I am?  Have kids with ADHD, Asperger’s, ADHD Inattentive, Sensory Integration issues, learning disabilities, or who just have a hard time paying attention?

Are you ready for some encouragement from a mom who has been there?

Well, good news, the transcript from the Raising Special Needs Kids interivew I did with Kayla Fay,  is now available. And it’s free!

Kayla Fay is the mom of 4 boys, three of whom have ADHD Inattentive, and one with a learning disability and the mom behind the wonderful parenting site about raising kids with ADHD Inattentive, ADHD-Inattentive.com.

 Kayla has also written several parenting books including Focus Pocus: 100 Ways to Help Your Child Pay Attention and  Waking Up from the Homework Nightmare.

During the interview Kayla and I discuss what it’s like to parent boys to adulthood, and how to help our children who have special needs succeed through their school years and into adulthood. 

She generously shared the insights and lessons she’s learned from raising her four boys and gives you encouragement that there is a light at the end of what sometimes seems like a long tunnel. 

Some of the topics covered in this free download include:

• How you can help your children pay attention and  focus, whether they have ADHD or not
• Tips for working with your child’s teachers and other extracurricular activity leaders
• The importance of routines and transitions, but also the importance of teaching your kids to be flexible, especially when they aren’t inclined to be
• How to get to school activities, church, and sports activities with as few battles as possible
• How the food your children eat affects their focus and self-control.
• How time outdoors impacts your children’s ability to focus and succeed in school.
• What battles are worth fighting and which are not
• Memorization tips for students who have difficulty with spelling, bible verses, and other facts

To download your free copy of Raising Boys with Special Needs, click the image above or the link below:

Raising Boys with Special Needs: An Interview with Kayla Fay (321 KB – opens in a new window)

Enjoy!

…Shannon

P.S., Feel free to share this with anyone who you know may be struggling with parenting special needs kids, especially raising boys who have trouble focusing or are diagnosised with ADHD, ADHD Inattentive, Asperger’s, Sensory Integration issues, or learning disabilities.

I can’t be the only parent who has done it. You know, compared my child to another.

When K was 3, she decided she’d learn to tie her own shoes, so she spent a month stealing every shoe lace she could find out of shoes and tying them to whatever she could find – chairs, door knobs, you name it.

Greg wasn’t thrilled that every time he went to put his shoes on, he had to hunt down the shoe laces. But in a month, she know how to tie her shoes, and it was over.

And when K was 6, playing on a soccer team, I remember being increduous that the coach’s little girl had to have her daddy tie her shoes for her. Afterall, K had being doing it for years.

And then, came my other three children. None of them learned to tie shoes before they were 6. In fact J was 8 or 9 when he learned. And Z, at almost 9, is just now learning.

Does that make K better than them? No.

It’s so easy to compare what our children can do or can’t do, and forget that all children are given gifts and abilities, and development rates are different.

I look at Z, who is amazingly talented in some areas, and struggles so deeply in others and know there is no way to compare who he is and where he is at with  other children.  It wouldn’t be fair – nor an accurate measurement of who he is.

And the same with all four of them, including Little E, who at 6 was reading better than any of the other children were at that age.

Each and every child is different. And it’s natural I think that we want to think that our child is special, because they are.

But it’s dangerous to start comparing them to each other and to others.

God has given us all, including our children, our own unique talents and gifts. Thank goodness. Because this would be a very boring world if we were all the same.

More food for thought.

…Shannon