Sensory Friendly Films

As long as I can remember my only wish has been that despite any challenge that D&Z face that they have as normal of a childhood as humanly possible.  So like any other parent a few years ago we thought it was time for them to experience their first feature film!  At the time they were completely consumed with Shrek, so when Shrek 2 was announced it seemed a perfect fit.  What we failed to consider was that the opening film previews for Shrek 2 would be for loud action films.  I'll never forget the preview for Transformers coming on and Dom having a complete meltdown. 

We almost left....it was that bad.  However, we stepped out for a bit and returned once the movie had started.  The movie was loud, the theater was dark and scary to them.  It was not the bet of experiences (despite our good intentions.)  That is why when a friend of mine recently told me about Sensory Friendly movies I had to take some time to mull it over.  Would they truly benefit from trying again.  Granted they were older, but I didn't want to have the same disasterous result.  But I looked into it and this is what I found.

• A sensory friendly movie is simply a movie meant to be enjoyed by everyone.  The theater has the lights turned up, the sound turned down, and audience members are allowed to get up, talk, dance, shout, (or even roll down the aisles as we saw some children do. haha!)  Essentially it is an opportuntiy for everyone to come together to watch a movie without fear of being judged because your child is acting inappropriately.  Sensory Friendly are not just for people with developmental disabilities.  There were also some families with young children who were out for their first movie.  I loved that.  :)
• The people that ran the sensory friendly movie and concession stand were amazing!  When Dom kept leaving the theater to visit the game machines they didn't care.  And since the movie is usually a matinee there was no one else in the theater to have to worry about him getting lost or in any sort of danger.  It was perfect!

When we finally arrive at our theater we selected our seats (spilled our pop all over the floor Oops!) and then relocated so the cleaners could clean up.  The movie started and I have to say...it was an amazing thing to watch.  D&Z were calm with the lights on, the sound volume was perfect (no louder than our normal television) and when we had to get up to move around or use the restroom it was no big deal.  There was probably a total of thirty people in the theater an no one was concerned or bothered by what anyone else was doing.  It was a great experience that I wanted to pass along to others. 

If you are interested in trying out a sensory friendly movie click the link below.  It heads directly to the AMC website.  They hold these movies all over the country so there is a good chance that there is one near you.  Enjoy the movies!

http://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-filmshttp://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films

Gearing Up!

Ok....We are approximately 20 days away from our first camping trip of the 2012 season and gearing up for another year of fun and adventure!  With the help of Pinterest I have been able to create a HUGE collection of fun ideas to do with the boys this year during our camping trips.  I can't wait to try out the glowstick in bubble solution to make glow in the dark bubbles!  Since they were born D&Z have always been faithful about getting 10 hours of sleep.  However, since they turned 10 years old they somehow decided that they need to stay up later.  There are pros and cons to this new development.  It's great to see them for an extra hour (Last night we were able to take them outside to see the BEAUTIFUL moon!)  However, it definitely means that I am getting a lot less done!  haha!  The tradeoff is well worth it!


Unfortunately, we just found out that one of the boys has a severe milk allergy that we were not aware of.  As a result, many of my fun meal ideas are no longer going to happen.  It's funny because one thing I have always said was despite their challenges, I was thankful that we never had any allergies to worry about!  haha!  Karma came and bit me in the butt!  While I'm learning more about how to adapt my cooking, I also need to come up with some fun new camping recipes!   It will definitely be a fun adventure!  


Now that the weather is nice outside, it is time to start checking and packing the camper.  We generally keep our camper well stocked (it has an extra set of dishes/pots/pans) so I don't have to keep moving things from the main house into the camper for each camping trip.  However, I created a simple checklist of all things that we need in order to have a happy camping trip.  Your list will undoubtedly be different, but feel free to use mine as a jumping off point as you create your own.  I print out a new checklist for each camping trip and put in in a clipboard to check off before we leave.  Some of the items may seem obvious (ex. camper keys), however when you are rushed to leave....even those can sometimes be forgotten!  Thank goodness for good friends who will bring them to you!  Enjoy the checklist, modify as needed, and Happy Camping!

Pinterest Camping Board

Camping Checklist