As a mother, I will never give up on my child. As a mother of a child who has autism, I will never give up hope.
I look into his eyes and I see all the potential that he has to offer to this beautiful world and I just know that one day the world can see what I see.

Follow my blog as I share my life and my experiences as a person who loves someone with autism.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

A Grand Night At The Grand Villa Winner

Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket for A Grand Night At The Grand Villa raffle. We raised $159.00 for the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund.

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

Watch the video below to see if your name was drawn! Good luck!

A huge and special thanks to the Executive Leadership Team at Grand Villa Casino for providing a Grand Night At The Grand Villa!

Have a Grand Night At the Grand Villa Casino: An incomparable gaming, dining and entertainment experience awaits you at the Grand Villa Casino.

About Grand Villa Casino:

An incomparable gaming, dining and entertainment experience awaits you at the Grand Villa Casino. And you’ll receive a welcome that befits our Guest of Honour at the Lower Mainland’s newest and largest gaming facility. Lose yourself in a soothing atmosphere created by rustic, golden hues and the majestic marble columns that evoke the sophisticated charm of an Italian Villa. The spacious gaming floor, spread over two levels, is alive with the energy of over 50 gaming tables and 1000 slot machines. With 100,000 square feet of gaming space, two bars, restaurants and a show lounge, Grand Villa Casino will be your preferred destination for an unrivalled entertainment experience.

About EBO Restaurant:

East of BOundary, where local ingredients find a fresh direction. Experience new boundaries at EBO. Share the Passion. EBO possesses symmetry and harmony between Executive Chef, Vintner, and local food producer - sharing the same passion for quality, creativity and local sustainability. The Room Eclectic and sleek with warm rich colours. Lose yourself in a cozy banquette or dine in a semi private table enclosed with silk sheer curtains.

EBO is 100% Oceanwise - only serving the freshest of ingredients.

About Delta Hotel:

Unwind amidst contemporary sophistication. Our Delta Rooms welcome you with attention to detail, rich hues and plush fabric. Flat screen televisions, generous work stations, full length mirrors, high definition movie options and Delta Sanctuary bedding compliments the sleek furnishing and artwork.

 

Prize generously donated by the Grand Villa Casino.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

One love that is shared by two.

Two years ago today my brother walked me down the aisle into the arms of Daniel.

Happy 2 year anniversary, Daniel. I love you.

Love,
Tanaya

Our Wedding venue: Brock House Restaurant, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and North Shore Mountains, located on Jericho Beach.

Our Photographers: Simple Details Photography, an artistic husband and wife team of Vancouver wedding photographers with a passion to create simply timeless images as you tie the knot and begin your lives together.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Blind

Blind
a poem written by Tanaya

When you look into my eyes,
What do you see?
Do you see autism?
Or do you see me?

Autism doesn’t define me. I define me.
I am a person.
I belong.
I am your friend, your sister, your brother, your child.

I am more than just a puzzle piece.
I have potential. I am a star.
And if you can’t see that,
You are blind.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Bubbles Do Make Him Smile

See we told you! You didn’t believe us... but we told you! Now we have photographic evidence! Enjoy :P

Daniel

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Exploring Whistler

Today we did some sightseeing, but it wasn’t intentionally. Between finding certain restaurants to eat at, and finding where we parked our car, we have explored Whistler Village to the max.

During our exploration we found a little playground, took some photos with the famous inukshuk, and witnessed an interesting car wash.

An inukshuk is a stone landmark built by humans. The inukshuk may have been used for navigation, as a point of reference, a marker for hunting grounds, or as a food cache. It was also the mascot for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

It looked like the local fire fighters were holding a car wash by donation, and they had a pretty interesting way to clean the cars.

In the evening we decided to go to Meadow Park Sports Centre to go swimming in their kids pool that had a lazy river. We put Bryce in a life jacket, and it was the first time he was ever in the water without holding onto somebody. He was scared at first, but then he started ‘swimming’ back and forth between me and Daniel. Later we went for our weekend before our 2 year anniversary dinner at The Keg Steakhouse. Unfortunately we didn’t bring the camera for either of those events, but it was a fun night.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Take a great vacation with Marquise Holidays!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Whistler weekend

We're all in Whistler, BC, Canada for the weekend, enjoying a beautiful condo provided by Daniel's office as a gesture of appreciation to all their employees.
We arrived in the evening, and headed out for some Old Spaghetti Factory (no surprise that Bryce ate his whole dinner). Then we hopped in the pool and hot tub for a quick dip.

This weekend is also the weekend just before me and Daniel's 2 year anniversary, so it's extra special for us.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Take a great vacation with Marquise Holidays!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

To All The Mothers

I found this beautiful poem the other day and wanted to share it with all the mothers (and fathers) who have a child with autism and that can relate with the poems message.

To All The Mothers
by Meshell Baylor

My mother loves me unconditionally.
Even though I repeat the same old things.
My mother loves me so well you see.
She's patient when I cannot be.
She doesn't mind me pacing back and forth.
She doesn't mind the jibberish.

When I am frustrated beyond my means.
She sings, Don't worry the storm is over."
When I feel no one understands,
Mom is there to hold my hand.
To all the parents around the words whose
journey seems like this.
We know that you love us dearly.
But having you in our lives makes us blessed.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

My Boys

Between Bryce’s birthday party and Yoga for Autism this past weekend, and Daniel being the Sunday blogger, I didn’t get a chance to write a Father’s Day blog to return the favour and kind words my dear, sweet husband wrote about me on Mother’s Day blog.

Happy Father’s Day, Daniel. You are not only a caring husband, and my best friend, but you are a great daddy, and remarkable and patient father. You already know Bryce thinks the world of you, and I kind of fancy you myself. ;)

I love you. Happy Father’s Day, hun.

Love,
Tanaya and Bryce

And Happy (belated) Father’s Day to all the father’s out there!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Bubbles Make Him Smile 100th Blog Post Entry

Bubbles Make Him Smile t-shirt design

This blog entry marks our 100th blog post! Thank you to everyone who have been reading our blogs, joined us on Facebook, and followed us on Twitter. And a special thank you to those who have donated to the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund.

Coincidently, some promotional items for our website arrived today and I thought I’d share them with you. Thank you for your continued support and please share our website with your friends!

Our VistaPrint.ca order included:

  • ‘I heart <message>’ t-shirt (our t-shirt says: ‘I heart someone with autism’) – Daniel’s wearing it
  • small car door magnets x2 - I’m holding one
  • a baseball cap - Bryce is wearing
  • a small vertical banner - behind us on the wall
  • 250 vertical business cards - Daniel’s holding one

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Our Bubbles Make Him Smile logo was created by James Will Power.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Reinforcement and Punishment

This is a summary of the basic concept of reinforcement and punishment and outlines the criteria that needs to be met for it to qualify as reinforcement or punishment.

Reinforcement is said to have occurred when we add or take away an item/activity/attention following a specific behaviour and as a result that behaviour INCREASES in the future.

Punishment is said to have occurred when we add/take away an item/activity/attention following a specific behaviour and as a result that behaviour DECREASES in the future.

Any stimulus (activity, item, attention) following a behaviour becomes a reinforcer or a punisher based on the EFFECT it has on the future probability of that behaviour.

June 21st, 2010

The following conditions MUST be met in order to say REINFORCEMENT/PUNISHEMENT has occurred.

Positive Reinforcement

  • A stimulus (item, activity, attention) is ADDED
  • following a specific behaviour and
  • that behaviour INCREASES in frequency

Example: When Sam uses his words to get his mother’s attention she responds to him and he has a good conversation with her. Sam uses his words more often in the future.

Negative Reinforcement

  • A stimulus (item, activity, attention) is TAKEN AWAY
  • following a specific behaviour and
  • that behaviour INCREASES in frequency

Example: When demands are placed on Sam, he screams, or throws things. His parents think he needs to calm down and all demands are removed. Sam yells and screams more often now than before.

Positive Punishment

  • A stimulus (item, activity, attention) is ADDED
  • following a specific behaviour and
  • that behaviour DECREASES in frequency

Example: When Sam completes his chores, he is given another chore to do. Sam completes less of his chores each day.

Negative Punishment

  • A stimulus (item, activity, attention) is TAKEN AWAY
  • following a specific behaviour and
  • that behaviour DECREASES in frequency

Example: When Sam yells and screams the TV is turned off. Sam loves to watch TV so Sam yells and screams less often in the future.

We have a new Behavioural Consultant for Bryce and I have permission to post some of their ideas and information on our blog. So stay tuned for some more helpful resources.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Information provided by our Behavioural Consultant

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Yoga for Autism Event

Today The Yoga Studio hosted Yoga for Autism in Squamish, BC, Canada. Kimberly Beck taught a passionate and intimate session and offered her services to help raise awareness and funding. We had a good turnout, raising $65.00 towards the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund. Thank you so much!

Bryce even took part in some Yoga stances and stretched himself out.

We would like to thank Kimberly for her compassionate support, The Yoga Studio for hosting the event, and everyone that participated and donated, from the bottom of our hearts.

Namaste.
Bryce, Tanaya, and Daniel

Saturday, June 19, 2010

9 Balloons

Today we celebrated Bryce’s birthday early and had a party at Crash Crawlys. (His birthday is July 2nd). He was a little overwhelmed with the environment, but after his friends started to arrive, and Daniel went up with him into the tubes, he started to warm up a bit. It was hectic and chaotic at times, but in the end, it was a success and we had a great time.

After two hours of playground time it was time to round up all the children and eat lunch and then eat some cake. I custom ordered my amazing Backyardigans cake, and the bakery did such an awesome job on it.

One of my favourite parts of the day was when it came to the group shot of my little birthday boy with all his friends. They were all wanting to stand next to Bryce for the picture. It was really a beautiful sight. After food and cake came presents. Unfortunately the time allotted for food and cake and presents is a short 45 minutes, so we had to go through the presents a little quick. But Bryce’s friends helped him unwrap some of his gifts. What started as everybody sitting at their spot turned into a swarm of children surrounding Bryce because they were all wanting to help.

Crash Crawlys is such a fun place and you know all the cool people go. We even saw the Kung Fu Panda himself, actor Jack Black, sitting in the lounge area during our time there. Daniel asked Mr. Black if he could get a picture of him with Bryce and he was extremely kind enough to take a moment out of his time for a quick photo. (Thank you so much Mr. Black!) I don’t know if Bryce recognized Mr. Black’s voice, but he was the voice of Lenny in Bryce’s favourite movie Shark Tale.

I really thought that was just the icing on the cake for a great 9th birthday!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya