Inspired by my friend Rob’s Facebook status today about Special Education Week, I decided today had to be the day I shared an old article I ran across the other day. I had saved it because I wanted to share it with friends whose new baby has spina bifida. It is Ticket to Ride in the October 4th People Magazine.
Because I know several families with special needs kids, the article struck me as very special. Here was a dad who could do something – and DID it – to make the world a better place for not only his own special needs daughter Morgan, but for others as well.
Gordon and Maggie Hartman created Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas. It is a place where kids can ride a train, a carousel, a swing or they can experience sensory activities such as the interactive music garden – all independent of their physical or mental abilities. Actually it is even better than that because special needs adults can also have these great experiences – maybe even for the first time in their lives.
Jimmy Carter declared Grandparents Day a national holiday in 1978. Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day. Read the history on Grandparents.com. There is a whole page of info and activities all about it!
What impact have grandparents had on you?
If you are a grandparent, what impact have you made on the younger generations?
If you are any where near Long Beach this weekend, this is an event you surely would have a laugh at! Lots of teams have been working very hard in preparation for their flights:
Saturday Details:
What: Long Beach Flugtag Competition
Where: At Rainbow Harbor (Pine Avenue and Shoreline Drive)
When: On Saturday, Aug. 21, 2010
What Time: Gates open at 11 a.m.
Cost: No cover charge
Schedule:
First flight of 35 at 1 p.m.
Last flight at 3:30 p.m., followed by an awards ceremony
Listen in on the radio at 91.1 FM
No food, alcohol, tents or pets are allowed but food and beverage vendors will be available inside
Road closures: Eastbound Shoreline Drive from Aquarium Way to Pine Ave will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To get a reserved parking spot with the city, go to www.thepermitstore.com/lb/event/ and also be sure to utilize the free downtown buses.
America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better this year with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees. Fee waiver includes: entrance fees, commercial tour fees, and transportation entrance fees. Other fees such as reservation, camping, tours, concession and fees collected by third parties are not included unless stated otherwise.
Mark your calendar for fee-free days left this year:
* August 14-15, 2010
* September 25, 2010
(Public Lands Day)
* November 11, 2010
(Veterans Day)
And to make the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors on this summer’s fee free weekends with the their own special offers.
Here’s a tip – many of your 392 national parks NEVER charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!
Do click the links to get to additional information!!
If you are in the San Francisco area with your family, a fun adventure awaiting you is the Presidio Habitats exhibition at the Presidio of San Francisco, a 1,491-acre National Historic Landmark and national park site. The FOR-SITE Foundation is partnering with the Presidio Trust to sponsor the exhibit through May 2011, Wed-Sun. See the Walking Map to find the eleven artworks scattered in the northwestern corner of the park. The pdf brochure can be downloaded here. The July 2010 Sunset Magazine had a nice article about it but I could not find it on-line. Here is another Sunset Magazine article about rediscovering the Presidio.
Penny Lane (and proud owner Trish Ausilio of Buena Park, California) was this year’s winner of the 15th Annual Wienerschnitzel Wiener Race at the Los Alamitos Race Track in Cypress, CA, took place last weekend (Saturday, July 10, 2010). Here’s a short blurb from the Orange County Register. The fun outing proceeds benefited the Seal Beach Animal Care Center. The Los Alamitos Race Course presented an additional $5,000 donation to the Seal Beach Animal Care Center.
Also — check out this fun website full of dachshund information and hilarious songs: National Dachshund Races from Findlay, Ohio.
And then here you can meet Sammy Davis, a famous dachshund from Pleasanton, CA. This article has nine photos, too. Patrick Major is his owner.
Lemon pucker power! Austi had me laughing so hard when he kept putting the lemon in his mouth over and over while he winced every time. His face-making was so similar to these kids trying it in this video that I saw on Grandparents.com! Some think it is terrible, but I remember doing it myself as a kid, too! It had me in tears because I was laughing so hard!
If you happen to be looking for some fun activities for your kids or grandkids to do this weekend with a theme of Fourth of July or Independence Day, check out the grandparents.com website – Here are some pages for coloring. While there I laughed while watching a video of kids telling jokes interspersed with laughing babies. You may have seen this already, but it is still funny.
A friend of mine shared this video of her granddaughter singing Jesus Loves Me.” It is darling! Notice how decked out she is for her performance – just like many other little 2-5 year old girls I know and love! You go, girl!
Posted by mygrandmasue 
MyGrandmaSue 