Falmouth Road Race is a beautiful 7 mile race in August, on Cape Cod.
I am the team captain for Dogs for Better Lives – through the number for nonprofits program.
I was NOT planning to run this race.
I have an idea though, if I raise $820, the minimum we require our runners to raise – I will run the race too. (Team captains can do that without taking a bib from our allotment)
Dogs for Better Lives places hearing and Autism assistance dogs – at NO COST to the client. That’s where my job fundraising comes in. The funds I raise keep client costs to $0.
I’m counting the weights to make this 9 but beautiful art making at the Discovery Museum in Acton9 spokes on the boat steering wheel! Elise is having a wonderful time – also at Discovery MuseumElise squeezes the 9th balloon powering this music machine at the Discovery MuseumDad & daughter in wind machine as it hits 9 miles per hour – at Ecotarium in Worcester
It’s Autism Acceptance Month in April as I post this. Autism is neurodiversity – NOT a disease.
The need for order like the toys below can be one of the ways Autism presents.
9 toys lined up by Elise when she was playing
Last, here’s a bonus photo that in my mind fits the theme, but doesn’t really.
Humongous pigs larger than at least 9 piglets
The pigs are from Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm in Lincoln.
Looking forward to seeing what photos everyone else took!
I approach by taking pictures for the month and see if a theme reveals itself.
I thought my theme would be “oh the places you go!”
I think it turned into “4 year old point of view”.
Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did taking them!
Elise runs towards adventure with DadMaking muffins with Dad
This next photo just made me laugh. We let our daughter pick out 2 toys to bring with her on the car ride to school. Usually they’re mini stuffed animals. On this day, Elise grabbed the 2 largest stuffed animals she has.
Frog and Shark on the way to preschool
February in MA had quite a few snow storms.
Adventure girl loves to climb snow piles
We’re MA Audubon members and in late February, we visited Moose Hill in Sharon, MA.
Elise investigates moose antlers
Looking forward to seeing what everyone else came up with!
Last week I was bored and wanted to do something different for dinner.
I’d been mailed a copy of the Satisfy cookbook to try out some recipes but time warped in the pandemic.
I knew what protein we had in the fridge, so I used the by protein index to find a chicken recipe that we had the ingredients for (well, nearly all).
Dinner for the evening would be Apricot Chicken!
We improvised a little with what ingredients we had but it was delicious!
Here’s while cooking:
Love one pan meals
The final product was delicious but if I were cooking for just me, I would have left out the pepper flakes. My taste buds are weird and don’t handle spice well.
Yummy!
I definitely will be trying out some more recipes with planning ahead so I have all the ingredients needed
Here’s some information on the cookbook and the author from her press release:
Nutritionist and culinary expert Mona Dolgov has the perfect holiday gift – a cookbook that has solved the longtime challenge of maintaining healthy eating habits and being gluten-free. Her newest cookbook, satisfy, does just this by focusing on plant-forward meals, gluten-free options, kitchen confidence, and more importantly, realistic portions. Finally, a cookbook that allows you to eat well and build healthy habits into 2022.
“It’s been an interesting year and many of us have either created healthy habits that are going to get tested by a return to old routines or are looking to get back into healthy habits we’ve neglected a bit,” Dolgov said. “My goal is to develop cookbooks with healthy, easy recipes that help you feel full and satisfied. That’s important. Behavioral research shows that if you feel like you’re sacrificing too much, or things are unrealistic, you’re not going to stick with and build those healthy habits. If you can learn some new and simple recipes, culinary tricks and nutritional swaps, you become empowered and excited to share with family and friends. You’ll feel great from the inside out. And those habits will stick.”
satisfy (978-0-578-71699-2, $29.99), is based on creating balanced meals from minimally processed ingredients that provide generous and satisfying portions. Each recipe is gluten-free and includes at least 2 cups of vegetables, making every meal nutrient dense while also staying under 500 calories. Recipes are quick and easy and can be prepared in less than 30 minutes. “I use a variety of spice blends, secret sauces, dressings and marinades in mindful portions that can provide a lot of variety, even with your own recipes,” Dolgov explains. To help reinforce the skills and techniques outlined in the book, Dolgov will also be teaching virtual cooking classes. You can find more information and sign up at her website, http://www.monadolgov.com.
Now, on to the photo blogging challenge. Let’s start with a unique to us photos.
One of our friends goes all out for Christmas decorations & this year he made stairs so the Christmas Village is viewable from outside! (COVID surge related reasons)
So here’s my daughter looking in at the Christmas Village and the sign inviting anyone to come see. Huge thanks to the Blue family for inviting us over!
Continuing with the theme of both unique and due to wonderful friends – the animal adventures at the home of my friend from high school, Jenn.
Jenn has “Christmas Giraffes” for lawn decorations!!!
Inside only got better! Jenn’s practically got an aquarium in her home!
Bearded DragonCrabs and fish for them to eat
Now, that would normally be where I stop, because I put up 5 photos. I’m still rolling with the jolly though because gosh darn it – I need positive in this pandemic scary!
Here’s 2 from meeting Santa at the Cape Codder Hotel
Oh lobster trap treeSanta was impressive and really good with my daughter being autistic
One last photo – from Christmas Eve
This is my Dad being a proud Grandpa – reading a book to his granddaughter (my daughter)
Looking forward to scrolling through everyone else’s photo blogging posts.
Hope you had a Holly Jolly December and a wonderful 2022.
The Photo Blogging Challenge prompt for November was “Give Thanks”.
Boy, do I have a lot to be thankful for.
This made me tear up when it came home with my daughter’s art from preschool
Let’s start with my daughter, Elise.
I was having Elise developmentally tested & we got an Autism diagnosis 2 weeks ago.
I’m really happy to have a name for the difference I see between my daughter and her 4 year old peers.
I’m also super lucky to already have a great group of Autistic friends – all thriving as adults. Positive is my only reference point!
Uncle God Dad Dave reading with Elise
I’m thankful for family!
My brother has been overseas for work (Qatar and Greece) so it was wonderful to see him on Thanksgiving.
Elise is obsessed with dinosaurs. Dave flipped each page and asked Elise to tell him the dinosaurs. I have cute video too.
Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod
I’m thankful for Mass Audubon Wildlife Sanctuaries and that our family was gifted a membership from Grandma on Dad’s side.
Our family of 3 can often be found exploring Mass Audubon sites on the weekends.
Barry Clifford – treasure hunter & historian
I’m thankful for the kindness of strangers.
A few weeks ago, my family and my in laws visited the Whydah Pirate Museum on Cape Cod. (The museum is very worth it and I recommend it.)
The museum goes over the history of the ship “Whydah” from origin until today – a wreck of Cape Cod that’s actively being searched for historical items.
Barry is also the man in the photo above. He was at the museum the day we visited and noticed my daughter investigating the cannons. While Elise was talking to Grandma, he hid 2 plastic coins in 2 different cannons for my daughter to find!
I cried tears of joy. Here I was worried Elise was getting bored and his kindness made my day.
Cape Cod beach sunset
Finally, I’m thankful for the beauty of New England nature – especially on Cape Cod.
You can find our family on Cape Cod at least 1 weekend a month, if not more. (My in-laws live mid-cape.)
Did you enjoy my photos? Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is thankful for – and their creative photos.
October with a nearly 4 year old has us appreciating play. I have a wealth of photos to choose from that would fit the theme. The hard part is picking 5.
Playground – free for anyone to use
We celebrated cousin Georgette’s 3rd birthday at a park in Walpole. I was extremely impressed by all the ride on toys at the playground for kids to use. Elise tried out a few.
Shells
My daughter finds play everywhere. She loves arranging shells when we visit her grandparents who live on Cape Cod.
Pumpkin Push Up
On the Cape, the town of Chatham hosts “Pumpkin People in the Park” every October.
The displays are always wonderful, but not usually interactive like 2 were this year.
Above, my daughter attempts a “pumpkin push up”
Beach
You don’t need any event to play. Here’s my daughter enjoying running on the beach. Later in the day she pretended she was rescuing sea turtle eggs and some adults turned to look. I whispered “they’re imaginary” and the adults smiled and walked on.
Froggy for Halloween
This last picture was in Dorchester at the Pumpkin Parade.
After a fun night of trick or treating and seeing family who were volunteering – Elise and Daddy walk back to the car. I liked her light up shoes and glow bracelet adding to this one.
So there you have my 5 photos.
Looking forward to seeing the other posts from those in the photo blogging challenge.
The theme for September’s photo blogging challenge was “It’s Your World”
September is National Service Dog Month.
Since I work in fundraising for a nonprofit that trains service dogs for the Deaf and Autistic, I hosted a few “Barks and Brews” fundraisers at local breweries.
Fountain in Quincy Center
I walk by this fountain often, about a 5 minute walk from my home.
Beautiful boardwalk
On Smithsonian Free Museum Day my family visited the Rhode Island Audubon. There’s a nice museum on the natural environment and then miles of beautiful walking trails.
Squash at Quincy Farmers Market
I’m a huge fan of the Quincy Farmers Market & I helped plan their 40th anniversary celebration.
The 40th anniversary celebration for Quincy Farmers Market was on the USS Salem and it was a lobster clambake. The food was amazing and the company quite fun.
So there’s a glimpse into what “my world” looked like in September.
Getting Fit in Massachusetts 