Making Connections

I'm a person who loves to make connections! Whether it be between people, topics, or things I'm learning. This is why I wanted to do a post on Audrey Hepburn today. Why? Well, even though she's known for her unconquerable talent as an A-list actress, Audrey Hepburn is also known for her dedicated work with UNICEF. As, you may know by reading my blog I love supporting and writing about charities and because of this I'm a huge fan of Audrey Hepburn and her work with UNICEF.

Talking about charities and such, check out this AMAZING charity, Kelly's Kidz, that gives assistant to families of kids with Special Needs (including Cerebral palsy).

Did you know...

That Audrey received a thank you letter from Noble-Peace Prize winning activist Elie Wiesel for co-hosting the gala "A Tribute to Peace from Oslo with Gregory Peck?"

Or

That Audrey visited such countries as Sudan on behalf of Unicef?

You can find amazing photographs and pieces of Audrey's work with UNICEF in this fantastic interactive book The Audrey Hepburn Treasures.

"It would be nice to be an expert on education, economics, politics, religion, traditions, and cultures and I am none of these things. But I am a mother and will travel."

-Audrey Hepburn

A Little Early

So, I was going to wait a few days to post number 3 and 4 of my favorite exercise equipment, but after finding the greatest website I couldn't resist posting at least number 3.

3. Exercise Ball: Oh, the exercise ball, great for sore backs and such. A large variety can be found here.

The website featuring the exercise balls had some other great products as well. Here are two of my favorites:

I've heard of Bilibo's, but it never occurred to me how great they could be when used in therapy.


Learning to ride a bike can be very difficult for kids with Cerebral Palsy because balancing is especially challenging. As a result, the Skuut™ Balance Bike would be the perfect solution to help your child learn to balance before actually learning how to ride a bike!

A Potential Routine: Part 1

Exercise is important for anybody, but it is even more important for people with Cerebral Palsy. Although the actual event of me exercising either rarely or never happens...I confess. So, I'm writing this post tonight with the hopes of inspiring myself to put only FIVE minutes of exercise into my daily routine, but most importantly I'm inspiring you, the reader of this blog, to do the same! Don't worry there will be no exercises shown today, just a display of the fancy schmanzy equipment! Conclude with: THAT WAS DRAMATIC!

***As always, I am not a doctor so please consult with yours before you take any of my advice!

Here it goes:

1. Yoga Mat: You are going to need a comfortable surface on which to do your exercising. Personally, yoga mats work best for me! I've seen them being sold at thrift shops for around five bucks! There are some pretty good deals on websites like Amazon. For the adventurous types, there may be some steals/deals on your local Craigslist.

2. Resistance Band: Does anybody else think these smell like fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, or am I just weird? These are great for stretching out tired, sore muscles (As always check with your doctor first before using a resistance band). Anyways, I just found a great deal on resistance bands: one band for 1-2 dollars depending on the intended resistance.

More to come later!

Just As Good As Vogue...

Apparently, there is a magazine of all things CP called "Cerebral Palsy magazine." Subscriptions are available in many ways and forms: they can be ordered by mailing in an order form, digital forms of each issue are available for purchase on a CD, and there are FREE PDFs of each issue available online. I might get my own subscription and if I do I'll post about it. Though the magazine, in my opinion, does look very informative with covers featuring prominent figures in the Cerebral palsy world.

The Rolling Exhibition

Thanks to my dear friend Molly for providing the idea for this post!


These pictures are taken by Kevin Connolly, who is currently a student at Montana State University, a talented photographer, and an avid skier. Oh, and, just as a side note, Kevin was born without legs, which gives him the ability to take these absolutely AMAZING photographs at such unusual and interesting perspectives. Seriously, talk about making lemonade when life gives you lemons AND dwelling in the possibility of a seemingly negative situation! His work is called the Rolling Exhibition and can be found here.

Pondering

When I feel like this...

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

I go here:

http://perezhilton.com/

Here:

http://www.etsy.com/

And most definitely here:

http://www.facebook.com/

This leads me to a question: What are your favorite Cerebral Palsy website resources?

Multimedia Extravaganza

1. Comedians 

I absolutely love and admire two comedians with Cerebral Palsy: Maysoon Zayid and Josh Blue. These two people are extremely amazing role models for anybody living with Cerebral Palsy. I really encourage you to visit their websites and watch their videos to see for yourself! 

Maysoon Zayid 

Website 

Article 

Video 

Josh Blue 

Website 

Video 

2. Books 

Most of these books are around the young-adult level, though I do think adults would enjoy them as well! Plus, Small Steps is by the author of Holes. 

Petey by Ben Mikaelsen  

Small Steps by Louis Sachar 

3. Movies 

I have never seen these movies, but they are  supposed to be really good! 

My Left Foot 

Gaby: A True Story