Gainfully EMPLOYED!!!

That's right....I have finally found a job! I will be working as a speech pathologist at Children's Hospital Boston in their Early Intervention program (a government funded program for children ages birth to three years for those of you that don't know). I start on August 11th. I'm WAY pumped...talk about a DREAM JOB!!! This was always what I wanted to do, and now I feel like I've found one of the best places to do it! Tea parties, children's books, snack and circle time here I come :)

Gainfully EMPLOYED!!!

That's right....I have finally found a job! I will be working as a speech pathologist at Children's Hospital Boston in their Early Intervention program (a government funded program for children ages birth to three years for those of you that don't know). I start on August 11th. I'm WAY pumped...talk about a DREAM JOB!!! This was always what I wanted to do, and now I feel like I've found one of the best places to do it! Tea parties, children's books, snack and circle time here I come :)

Oops......oh well!

So...I bought this today. I don't have a Mac. Problem. Best way to solve the problem? Getting a Mac. Darn.

Oops......oh well!

So...I bought this today. I don't have a Mac. Problem. Best way to solve the problem? Getting a Mac. Darn.

Join me!

So this is the scoop...I saw this on a blog the other day and decided to give it a shot. It has been years since I have done any strength training, and dang, I'd love to have more sculpted arms!! So this is the deal: do a push-up test, aka how many guy push-ups you can do without stopping, (believe me when I say that mine was humiliating...) and then follow the chart based on where your baseline is (mine was the 0-5). I only started it this week but it has been FUN! I love following routines because I feel like I push myself so much further. Already I've noticed that I can do a few more push-ups and my form is a lot better. PLUS my stomach is a lot tighter and sore (that is one of the best feelings in the world to me! :))

SOOOO...........join me! Will I actually be able to do 100 push-ups in a row...I don't know. But I'm sure I'll be able to do a heck of a lot more than I can do now! I'll post how it goes for me and I want to hear from you.

WHO'S WITH ME?!

Join me!

So this is the scoop...I saw this on a blog the other day and decided to give it a shot. It has been years since I have done any strength training, and dang, I'd love to have more sculpted arms!! So this is the deal: do a push-up test, aka how many guy push-ups you can do without stopping, (believe me when I say that mine was humiliating...) and then follow the chart based on where your baseline is (mine was the 0-5). I only started it this week but it has been FUN! I love following routines because I feel like I push myself so much further. Already I've noticed that I can do a few more push-ups and my form is a lot better. PLUS my stomach is a lot tighter and sore (that is one of the best feelings in the world to me! :))

SOOOO...........join me! Will I actually be able to do 100 push-ups in a row...I don't know. But I'm sure I'll be able to do a heck of a lot more than I can do now! I'll post how it goes for me and I want to hear from you.

WHO'S WITH ME?!

Recipes and upcoming posts...

I just posted a lemon rosemary cupcake recipe from my dear friend Megan on my joint recipe blog here. Check it out!


(ha ha, I did NOT take this beautiful picture :))

Soon to come:
4th of July fun and not so fun
Adventures with the Bassett's and Walker's
Newly decorated apartment!

Recipes and upcoming posts...

I just posted a lemon rosemary cupcake recipe from my dear friend Megan on my joint recipe blog here. Check it out!


(ha ha, I did NOT take this beautiful picture :))

Soon to come:
4th of July fun and not so fun
Adventures with the Bassett's and Walker's
Newly decorated apartment!

Autism and vaccines

My professional journal just released this statement regarding the connection between autism and vaccines. I thought it was very interesting...

In response to their public statements linking autism to vaccines, ASHA President Kate Gotffred has sent letters to the two presumptive presidential candidates asking them "to consider strongly the critical need for evidence-based decision-making."

A long-running court case alleges a link between autism and thimerosal, a preservative in some vaccines given to young children. Three leading medical organizations—the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—have rejected the link. At least five major studies have found no link between autism and thimerosal, including a California Department of Public Health study that found an increasing rate of autism in children even after manufacturers stopped using the preservative in vaccines (see The ASHA Leader, Mar. 25).

"Science is critical to the enlightenment and facilitation of decisions regarding health care and public policy," Gottfred said in identical letters to Sens. Barak Obama and John McCain. "Parents who think that vaccines cause autism may not have their children get the vaccinations they need, a choice with serious potential health risks.

"Moreover, these parents are making this choice even though the scientific evidence supporting it is quite weak and indirect."

In an April rally in Pennsylvania, Obama said, "Some people are suspicious that it's [autism] connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it."

McCain made a similar statement at a February meeting in Texas, saying "there's strong evidence that indicates it's [autism] got to do with a preservative in vaccines."

"As you help lead the way toward meeting the many challenges facing our nation with respect to autism," Gottfred said in the letters, "we urge you to do everything you can to ensure that the way is informed by an evidence-based approach."

I know that it must be VERY hard to be a parent of a child with autism. Finding a cause or source might make it feel more justified. But the truth of the matter is, there is no conclusive evidence at this point to say that there is any connection between late "onset" of autism (when a child appears developmentally normal until a certain point, and then exhibit a regression) and administration of vaccines. I think that there are a variety of things that can "cause" autism. Not one thing is going to be pointed out. Some kids respond to a change in their diet, suggesting that there may be some sort of metabolic contribution. Some kids don't. Some kids respond to controversial medical procedures, most do not. There is not one right or surefire way to treat autism. The best thing to do is to identify early and enroll in services quickly.

Sorry for the soapbox, but it just really makes me sad and a little angry that certain theories and cures are propogated by individuals and groups that are either very poorly informed (giving people hope) or are not shown to work for the majority of cases. I've read a few blogs lately, if you can't tell. There is SO much that has been done in autism research...let's use those things that we KNOW work.....

Autism and vaccines

My professional journal just released this statement regarding the connection between autism and vaccines. I thought it was very interesting...

In response to their public statements linking autism to vaccines, ASHA President Kate Gotffred has sent letters to the two presumptive presidential candidates asking them "to consider strongly the critical need for evidence-based decision-making."

A long-running court case alleges a link between autism and thimerosal, a preservative in some vaccines given to young children. Three leading medical organizations—the World Health Organization, the Institute of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—have rejected the link. At least five major studies have found no link between autism and thimerosal, including a California Department of Public Health study that found an increasing rate of autism in children even after manufacturers stopped using the preservative in vaccines (see The ASHA Leader, Mar. 25).

"Science is critical to the enlightenment and facilitation of decisions regarding health care and public policy," Gottfred said in identical letters to Sens. Barak Obama and John McCain. "Parents who think that vaccines cause autism may not have their children get the vaccinations they need, a choice with serious potential health risks.

"Moreover, these parents are making this choice even though the scientific evidence supporting it is quite weak and indirect."

In an April rally in Pennsylvania, Obama said, "Some people are suspicious that it's [autism] connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it."

McCain made a similar statement at a February meeting in Texas, saying "there's strong evidence that indicates it's [autism] got to do with a preservative in vaccines."

"As you help lead the way toward meeting the many challenges facing our nation with respect to autism," Gottfred said in the letters, "we urge you to do everything you can to ensure that the way is informed by an evidence-based approach."

I know that it must be VERY hard to be a parent of a child with autism. Finding a cause or source might make it feel more justified. But the truth of the matter is, there is no conclusive evidence at this point to say that there is any connection between late "onset" of autism (when a child appears developmentally normal until a certain point, and then exhibit a regression) and administration of vaccines. I think that there are a variety of things that can "cause" autism. Not one thing is going to be pointed out. Some kids respond to a change in their diet, suggesting that there may be some sort of metabolic contribution. Some kids don't. Some kids respond to controversial medical procedures, most do not. There is not one right or surefire way to treat autism. The best thing to do is to identify early and enroll in services quickly.

Sorry for the soapbox, but it just really makes me sad and a little angry that certain theories and cures are propogated by individuals and groups that are either very poorly informed (giving people hope) or are not shown to work for the majority of cases. I've read a few blogs lately, if you can't tell. There is SO much that has been done in autism research...let's use those things that we KNOW work.....