Happy KNOWVember! One of my favorite months, the holiday we celebrate this month revolves around food, thanks, and gratitude. I love the gathering of loved ones and traditions of food and sharing together. I know this month also brings some stress for many with the anticipation of December and the holiday madness that can easily take over. I will be sharing some ideas for this later this month.
Today is our daughter’s 19th birthday. It is the first birthday we won’t be together to celebrate and although it is all part of the life process, it is hard and I am missing the old normal. We will head to Charlottesville this weekend to celebrate with her and new traditions will create new memories. I wrote this poem a few years ago, it still rings true.
We change our clocks this weekend, be sure to plan for that in any way that will help it be the smoothest transition. We share some ideas here.
~~~~~~~Our Halloween was a great day, it is our guy’s favorite holiday, I shared this on our Facebook page and wanted to share it here :
Halloween & Autism
I shared this on our Facebook page on Halloween.
16.5 years old, a little older than the average trick or treater, but it is his favorite holiday. He loves it all, and I will never tell him he cannot participate.
But, it tugs at my heart.
Here are my observations tonite that made my heart smile :
My guy says TRICK OR TREAT at every house.
My guy says THANK YOU at every house
My guy shared his name and his character at some homes
My guy even danced for one home when he got a candy he was excited about
My guy held my hand and had a smile on the whole night
My guy was embraced by the community
He may have been the oldest in costume and the only 16 year old holding his mom’s hand
BUT, there was not a happier more appreciative, respectful and excited young man … and for that, I am thankful.
If I had a few moments of wishing he had a group of friends to do it all with, I tried hard to let it go and appreciate his joy!
Autism, we may have won this night. ~~~~~~~~~~
Next week, November 7, is the first Toast To The Autism Community hosted by the Autism Society of Centra Virginia. It is not too late to grab a ticket and join the incredible night planned. here are the info and link for tickets.
Check out the great Inclusive Teen Dance that Jacob’s Dance has planned! It is going to be a great night. Our calendar has some great events coming up including the Thanksgiving Trot hosted by We Heart Harlie, you can learn more here.
I have been busy this last month meeting and talking to many new service providers in our community, it is my goal to increase the info, resources, and knowledge we share on this site. I am excited to be able to offer you as much as we can!
This month we welcome 2 new businesses in our directory.
Balance RVA
Balance RVA is a full-service co-working space offering private office rentals, dedicated desks, and general access memberships. Childcare is available.
Organized Advocacy
Organized Advocacy is a business dedicated to helping individuals, caregivers and families of loved ones that are medically complex, developmentally delayed, our senior citizen population, and the veteran community. The goal is to be able to use their well-organized records to confidently advocate in medical and health settings.
Looking for some ideas of what to with all your candy from Halloween? Look no more, we have options for you here.
Don’t forget to check out the first playlist of music on Spotify! Here it is for anyone that would like to listen. We keep adding to it!
Here is our first of November faves. Books & Fave Things will be in the mid-month issue.
Apps of the month
Recipe Of the Month. Continuing with some recipes for you, this month we have my favorite banana bread! Midmonth I will share my favorite side on Thanksgiving.
Be sure to check the site and Facebook to stay up to date. If you have anything you want to share or add, please get in touch. This site is for you, we need to and want to know what works! You can email Carissa or Tricia.
KnowDifferent.net is a site for all special needs families that have to do anything “KNOWdifferently”. No matter what the diagnosis, our site will offer you a place to learn, a place to share and a place to feel KnowDifferent.We have some great community events coming up, be sure to check our calendar frequently as we add to it daily. Some more detailed info is included here about Winter sessions for our kids to keep busy as well.
To our readers, we thank you for being a part of our network. To our sponsors, we thank you for trusting our platform to help make a difference. To our community, we are so grateful for you all and look forward to growing together.
Wishing you a safe and enjoyable KNOWvember.
With Gratitude and Commitment,
Carissa