Earth Monkeys is excited to have Valerie with us today because we need all the help in the crafty department as we can get!  Val is mom, wife, business owner and sewer extraordinaire (if there is actually such a thing) and with all this talent, comes gobs of beautiful things you just have to see to believe!  Check out Vali D. Designs on FB or visit her adorable store inside the Candy Shoppe in Jacksonville.





    I have made a couple of these and they are so comfy!! I wear them to the gym, bed, out everywhere. I think I have a pretty average head size, so this should work for most adults. If you need to adjust add length to your fabric. This uses basic sewing skills, if you need help in that department, email me or use the internet for help; there are a lot of good websites out there for learning basic sewing skills.

{Even Drying Towels Can Be Cute With A Simple DIY}

I found this hook plaque in an antique store and paid way to much for it, but i wanted to copy it and make some of my own!! (is that bad?) I knew these would be perfect to hang out on the back patio to dry my kids towels! I hate when I find them in wet wadded up balls on the floor after they have been running in the sprinkler!! So this is a cute way to let them air dry outside!



{Materials}

1 piece of pine from lowes or a discount store like your local builders bargain center about 3 ft long or

Jami... is a mom to teenaged quadruplets and wife to her best friend, her knight in dented armor. Her "almost 15" year old crew consists of one girly tomboy and 3 strapping young men, one who was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 7th grade. With kids now in high school [the same school she and her hubby shared a locker in!], keeping up with everyone keeps her busy as a stay at home mom. Being "on call" for the lanky, bright, and fiesty son has kept her from rejoining the paid work force as of yet. Her passion for God/teens/sports is a perfect combination for her position as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes weekly Huddle Leader.

{3}While your jewelry box is drying, get your fabric of choice ready. Cut your fabric to fit your cardboard backing. Don't forget to leave enough material on all sides to glue down on the reverse side.

{4}Using a hot glue gun, run glue down the edges of the reverse side. Immediately pull the fabric tight and press it down onto the hot glue.

{5}Once your Shadow box is dry screw the hinges back on and place your fabric backing inside the box. You're ready to put your jewelry in!!!!

{6}This design is created to lay on a flat surface vs hanging it on a wall, so display options are unlimited! For those with a lot of jewelry, find shadow boxes that will stack (in a pyramid shape) giving each type of jewelry it's own box and create a pyramid of color!



To donate and be entered into the giveaway, click here: http://maryandnathanthew.blogspot.com/

This week I made a special toy to share with the Earth Monkey Mom community!!! I call it the Super Fabulous Sporty Activity Center, but you can call it whatever you like. My main “ingredients” in cardboard box toy making are: a cardboard box, a box knife, colored duct tape and a hot glue gun with a good many glue sticks. I usually have a plan in my head of what I want to make, but the toy really takes shape as I start and I usually think of extra things to add or other materials to use as I’m making it.

Anyone who has read this blog knows that I'm not the queen of "How To's" but rather usually "How To Not..." But today, my man hands and I are going to take a leap into the unknown and share a little sumpin sumpin about how to "de-crack" "un-hyper" and "sedative-ize" your crazy monkey ... special needs or not, this post is for any mom who has ever muttered "Are you on crack?  Why in the heck are you so hyper?" (Oh, is that just me??)



As the mom of special needs boys I have tried ALL different kinds of therapies to help tame their sensory and communication "issues".  Along with being a curtain climbing ape very active, Sawyer (my oldest) struggled hugely with violent aggression, tantrums and a slue of other sensory issues.  I remember one night after we realized that the heavy duty anti-psychotics we had him on weren't working, my husband and I just sat at our kitchen table and cried together... we felt like we were out of options. We lived less than a mile from one of the world's leading pediatric biomedical specialist (specializing in treating kids with autism through bio-medical means) but our insurance wouldn't cover treatment and we didn't have the $1000 for the initial appointment. We felt like failures... and honestly we didn't know what to do with our special little man.



That week our OT (occupational therapist) contacted us about a new study going on a little over an hour south of us. It was a deep compression massage training called Qigong. I had no clue what it was and I didn't care... it was free and offered to address all of the issues Sawyer was struggling with at the time. After getting past my initial skepticism, my husband and I committed whole heartedly to the study... and... IT CHANGED OUR LIVES!!!



Every night I gave Sawyer the 5 minute massage that left him calm and focused. He could literally be stemming (self soothing) and going bazerk and a couple of minutes into the massage he was a limp noodle (in this case, it's a good thing:))... after three months of doing this daily we noticed a HUGE difference in Sawyer's sensory issues, he started sleeping better, talking more, having less accidents, less melt-downs and he was dramatically less aggressive. I have since become a HUGE advocate for the Qigong Sensory Training Institute in Salem.... because they gave us our little boy back.



We still give "Pat-Pats" (that's what we call the massage in our house) pretty routinely... and honestly they're NOT just for kids on the spectrum. Lots of typical kids have sensory issues, melt-downs, trouble sleeping and are hyper... this can help them too! I use it on my youngest, who is not on the spectrum and have seen great results!



So here it is... 12 simple techniques that could make your life ohhh so much better! 

{All information from the Qigong Sensory Training Institute... I am not a trained professional... I am a mom... try at your own risk... don't sue me if you don't get the results I did... okey dokey that's my waiver:)}



Cup you hands and starting at the top of the head pat with one hand down to the heal... following the dots on the diagram. 

{For Calming}





Similar to movement 1 start at the top of the head and pat down the body to the heals with both hands. 

{Helps Skin Feel Better}











Starting on top of the head use both hands to pat down the outside of the body to the ankles. (we just cup and press over ears... we don't pat)

{Helps With Temper}









Start at the ear (make sure you don't pat too hard over the ear and that your fingers are a little open) pat down neck over shoulder and then to the tips of the fingers on each side.

{Helps with Listening}





This is one of my faves... it encourages eye contact and is a sweet social time. Just wiggle their arms like a spaghetti noodle up and then back down on each side.

{Helps With Social Skills and Opening Up To People}





Rub each finger and thumb three times... if it seems to tickle you can just grab all fingers and compress three times and work towards doing it on each individual finger.

{Helps With Connection and Communication}







Slowly press with both hands on the front of the chest down to the ribs.

{Helps Calm}













For a little one with "normal" tummy function rub the stomach firmly and slowly clockwise 9 times, counter clockwise fast 9 times and then clockwise 9 times slowly... IF your child is constipated start with counter clockwise 9 times then clockwise 9 time and back to counterclockwise 9 times.

{Helps With Tummy Problems}









Using both hands pat down the thighs to the tops of the feet three times.

{Helps Keep Tummy Working}

Here's a video of the massage... we have modified some of the moves to fit Sawyer's needs... you will also have to figure out the right amount of pressure to use on your child.





Firmly rub from back of the knee to back of the heel 9 times or until the leg relaxes.

{Helps With Sleep}







Massage each toe three times. Again in your child is tickelish, just grab all toes and squeeze them 3 times... working towards the goal of doing each one individually.

{Connects Back To Belly Center}





Grab both feet using your pointer and thumb, squeezing firmly right under the ball of the foot, and push the feet towards the rest of the body.

{Helps Brain To Learn}



Let child lay down and rest until they are ready to get up afterwards.





For more information or to order your own DVD/book visit www.qsti.org