Category: Opinion

Opinion

In Honor of our Veterans

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Over the weekend, the Marine Corps celebrated their 243rd birthday and we celebrated Veterans day.

Since my husband was in the Marines, he always celebrates the Marine Corps birthday by calling all his buddies he served with to just catching up and reminisce on the memories they share.

For Veterans Day, we usually will go somewhere significant to veterans (memorials or monuments) and just enjoy our time there.

I feel like in today’s political climate, veterans are neglected and forgotten. Not as many people talk about Veterans Day or actually “thank” a veteran at all.

So I would just like to say thank you to all service members – past, present and future – for the time and effort you put towards protecting this great country and all our freedoms. Without your sacrifice, none of the luxuries we have could be enjoyed. Thank you!!

Family, Opinion

Autism: Different Therapy Options

cloepottorff

April is Autism Awareness Month so I have decided to go into the different therapies that my son receives and just explain the purpose of each.

All of the following are my own personal experiences and understanding of each type of therapy. None of this should be taken for what you will experience. This is for informational purposes only.

ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)

I feel this one is the most important for kids with autism. It is an in-home therapy that works on behavior, areas of developmental delays and almost any issue that your child is dealing with that is not age appropriate.

Right now, my son receives 10 hours a week of therapy and during those sessions, they work on:

  • Speech
  • Fine Motor Skills (Cutting, coloring)
  • Basic Social Skills (His name and age, turn taking)
  • Self Care (Washing hands, brushing teeth)

Speech

This one is a given since our biggest issue with my son is a speech delay. He has broken sentences and about 50 to 75 words but most people have a hard time understanding him since he has a mild slur as well.

He goes to individual speech twice a week for half and hour each time. Plus, an hour once a week as preschool.

Since he started speech, I’ve notice an improvement in his receptive speech, expressive speech and articulation.

OT (Occupational Therapy)

This one is helpful for some of my sons more mild challenges of sensory issues.

They help him with eating – he is a VERY picky eater and does not like too much variety. When I say this, I’m meaning he I’ll only eat a few things.

  • Chicken nuggets
  • Apple sauce pouches (only in the pouches)
  • Bananas, strawberries, apples
  • Muffins
  • Eggs
  • Nutella Sandwich
  • Chips

That is it. No other foods. So daily, this is all he will eat. He won’t try anything else.

So they help try to expose him to new foods and get him to at least taste the food. He goes to OT once a week for an hour.

Special Autism Preschool (IEP)

This may be my favorite therapy for Leo. He gets to go to a preschool, specific for kids with mild disabilities, for a little over two hours every day during the week.

I enjoy knowing Leo is getting social time with peers, he is out of the house and they work on things to prep him for kindergarten. Plus, they incorporate speech and OT into his learning to help reinforce what he is learning outside of the classroom.

I’ve notice a boost in Leo’s confidence and all other areas since he started preschool. Also, he loves school! He will get sad when I pick him up and is so excited when I drop him off. Knowing he loves school makes it easier to drop him off.

Well, that’s all the therapy Leo gets but I know there are a ton more out there for kids with different issues or more severity. Currently, Lexi is also taking part in all these therapies but for slightly different reasons, she does not have a diagnosis yet.

If you have any questions or would like to share a different therapy you, a family member or friend takes part in, feel free to share in the comments!

Thank you for reading!

Cloe 💋

Opinion

Autism Awareness Month Q&A

cloepottorff

So I’m just going to post a few questions I received and my answers. All answers are my opinion or point of view, not all my experiences will be the same for someone else dealing with autism. No two people with autism have the same symptoms or issues. 

Q: What did you think when you found out he had autism?

A: Surprisingly, I was more relieved than anything because now had a plan of how to deal with whatever was thrown my way. If you are wanting more of my diagnosis experience, check out my past blog post on it. 


Q: How has that changed your life?

A: It hasn’t changed that much. He goes to preschool like other kids but it’s a mild special needs class that works on speech. My life with autism isn’t that much different besides making sure he gets therapy to help in the areas he has delays. 

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Q: Is there anything he isn’t able to do since he’s autistic?

A: Not really. The only thing I can think of is maybe some independent things since he can’t talk too much yet and isn’t potty trained yet. 

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Q: Is he on a special diet?

A: Yes, but very mild restrictions. He can’t have dairy but that is it. I substitute milk with coconut milk and chocolate with carob chips. Cheese is the only hard one since there are substitutes but he doesn’t like the taste. 


Q: How did you know he was autistic?

A: When he was about 1 years old, he was very antisocial, didn’t babble or make eye contact, didn’t play with toys but was fascinated by wheels and light up toys. He didn’t respond to his name or understand simple instructions. Had issues with textures and restrictive clothing. They just seemed odd and I asked to make sure he was ok. Nothing wrong with those behaviors unless they would interfere with his future life. Started therapy and saw major improvements. 


Hope this was informational and thank you all for the questions. Let me know what you thing in the comments!

Happy Easter!! 🐣🐇🐰 
Love, Cloe 💋

Advice/Tips, Family, Food, Opinion

Autism: Dairy Free Diet

cloepottorff

Since we have gotten the autism diagnosis, we have researched every option to help with Leo’s symptoms and behaviors. The one that seemed like a simple change that could have a big impact was switching off of dairy completely. 


It was a little more difficult than expected because I didn’t realize that the only foods my son liked to eat was all dairy products. Milk, string cheese, mac&cheese, quesadillas, yogurt, ice cream and chocolate. 

The first two days were rough, he was extra fussy and didn’t want anything. I had substituted milk with almond and coconut milk. No cheese at all or yogurt. There is coconut milk ice cream and carob chips (similar to chocolate), so he wasn’t completely cut from everything. 

By day three, we started to see a difference in Leo’s behavior. 

  • He had better attention
  • Willingness to try new things
  • More vocal
  • Fewer tantrums
  • More responsive 


With the results we saw, we were going to stick to a dairy free diet. So we all have been dairy free since October and I can’t go back. I tried having milk and I got stomach aches. It has helped all of our health, not just Leo’s. 

I would highly suggest anyone and everyone to try removing dairy from their diet and see what results they notice. The time it takes to see results vary from person to person. We were lucky to have some results within the first week but it can take up to a month to start seeing a change. And for some, it may not help at all but it is worth a shot. 

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I hope this was informational and helpful. If you have more questions or comments, feel free to send me a message!

Love, Cloe 💙

Advice/Tips, Family, Opinion, Relationships

Marriage Tip #3 – Compromise

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Every couple comes to a point when both want different things. When we reach that point, we have three options:

  1. Argue your point and why it’s better
  2. Give in to what your partner wants
  3. Both of you compromise

To come to a compromise, both parties need to be willing to work together. It takes an open mind to consider the possibilities and self-sacrifice if you want to please your partner. Below are some basic steps to reaching a compromise:

  1. Start with the right tone. Don’t come off attacking or irritated. 
  2. Find a common ground. Don’t focus on what you and your partner disagree on but what areas you are similar. 
  3. Brainstorm some new ideas for you and your partner to decide on. 
  4. Be willing to change your mind. Sometimes changing your mind becomes the best decision and you love what you thought you never would. 

Some examples from my own life now to show areas where either my husband or myself has made a compromise. Let me first explain that me and my husband are complete opposites but we complement each other very well. 

  1. We have different tastes in music. I couldn’t stand his so he gave mine a chance. Now he loves the same music so there are no issues. 
  2. My husband loves computer games and I’m usually too busy to play them or care for them. He waits until the kids are asleep to play so he’s not leaving me when I need his help or want to get out. And I make sure to get the kids to bed early enough so he has time to play. 
  3. I love taking pictures of the things I love but always end up missing from them. My husband hates being in pictures. So he will ask others to take the picture for us so I am in them and he gets passed his annoyance of photos so I am happy with the photos we got. 
  4. My husband alway leaves his clothes in the bathroom and I used to continually ask him to bring it back to the room and put in a basket. Now we have a small clothes hamper in the bathroom and that’s pretty much always his clothes so no pre sorting. 

I know there are probably more but I can’t think of many cuz we have always found a solution. 


So, my advice to you is, don’t be so hardheaded that you won’t give the other persons perspective a chance but don’t be too passive that you become someone you’re not. 

Let me know in the comments of this helped you or seems to be true or not for you. 😊

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Pokemon Go

cloepottorff

As many people may already know the smart phone game, Pokemon Go, has come out recently and tons of people are jumping right into the game. I won’t deny it either, I totally have been playing it too. 

It’s very simple and easy to play but a little confusing considering there are no clear directions of how to play the game. 

I’m no pro but here are the few tips I have if you are gonna play and some basic info on gameplay. 


When you start out, three Pokemon pop up on the screen for you to choose from. Move away from them 3 times and the fourth time they resurface, Pikachu is in the selection options. 

Your main objective at the start is just collect Pokemon. Once you reach level 5, the real game begins. That is when you choose a team – red, blue or yellow. The team you choose has no effect on your game play. It just separates people so they have opponents. Then you’ll want to join a gym to gain items over time.

At a teammates gym, you will fight other Pokemon to train yours and make the gym stronger. When you duel other teams gyms, you are training yours and weakening their gym. 


Then there are these poke stops. They are at local landmarks, statues and even intersections. Here you can pick up more items for free. The turn over for another pick up is about 5 minutes. 


Once you have done these few steps, it’s all up to you on what you do next! 

Let me know if you have any other secrets or tips! And enjoy! 

Opinion

Fourth of July, 2016

cloepottorff

Independence Day is one of my most favorite holidays due to the reason behind it. It is the day we, the United States of America, became our own independent country. I am extremely proud to call myself an American and because of what the forefathers did, we can enjoy “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” 


I think many people have lost that passion, that respect, and pride for representing the country they live in. It makes me sad to see that people don’t care to be patriotic and take for granted what this country stands for. Freedom! But we only have this freedom because of those who have served to protect this land. Loving this country means supporting our troops. 

Just look at the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock signed his name overly large out of pride for what this new country was standing for. 


So while we are all out enjoying the BBQ food, sun and the fireworks, we need to remember what it means to be proud of our country. Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Independence Day!

Opinion

The Worlds Wrongful View of Christians

cloepottorff

In today’s society, everyone argues for equality, fairness and tolerance. If anyone disagrees with a viewpoint then they are a “hater” or are being “racist”, “sexist” or “homophobic”. I don’t have a problem with anyone stating their opinion but there is a difference between stating an opinion and stating something but not accepting a different opinion. This is where I get frustrated with today’s society. 


I am a Christian and really try to hold true to what Christ has laid out for us to behave like. That does not mean I am perfect. I fall and have to work better the next time. But, I do have a strong opinion on controversial topics as it relates with my faith. The topic I want to cover today is homosexuality. I am wanting to clear up the issue with why we believe against it and touch on some of the common responses from homosexual people. 

The most obvious and most heard reason is that it goes against the Bible.

  • 1 Timothy 1:10
  • 1 Corinthians 6:9
  • Leviticus 20:13
  • Leviticus 18:22
  • Romans 1:27

These Bible verses state that it is immoral to have sexual relations with the same sex. But there are many other verses that tell us, as Christians to not judge others. For this reason, I do not “hate” homosexual people – in fact, I have a few friends that are homosexual and bi – but they all clearly know I don’t agree with them. We stay away from the topic and neither one of us shoves our opinion down the others throat. More people need to be like that. 


Without further ado, I just want all homosexual, bi, and transgender people out there to know that we don’t hate them but we can just agree to disagree. I don’t tell you how to live but don’t tell me I need to be all for homosexuality either. Just as some people like a certain style doesn’t mean it’s wrong, it’s just what they like and stand for. 

So I will not and do not post things like “Love Wins” or “Love is Love”, not because I hate them but because I won’t post something I don’t believe in. 

I know many of you will have different opinions and I welcome them! Please be kind as I have been. 😊

Opinion

Vidcon 2016

cloepottorff

I haven’t written in a few days because I was attending Vidcon 2016. It has been two years since I attended but this year my husband was able to watch the kids. I was able to see my brother for some of his appearances and he had gotten me a full access pass. This pass meant I was able to go wherever I pleased including backstage, eat and drink for free and skip lines. 

Siblings: Mia, Sam and myself

I was able to meet a few people and hangout with my brother and his friends. It was a busy day of talking to companies, brands and influencers. I had a wonderful time and met amazing people from all over. Can’t wait for next year!

Below are some of the people I was able to meet and hangout with. 

with @glozell
with @amymarie
with @brodiesmith21 and my brother levi
with @jennamarbles
@rickydillon, @andrearussett, myself and my brother levi
myself with @maxnosleeves

But as always, my family is a crazy bunch so we have our own set of photos 😋


If you’d like to share an experience or just have something to say, comment below! 😊

Advice/Tips, Opinion

Tips and Advice for Coping with PTSD

cloepottorff

To conclude my series of PTSD Awareness Month, I’ve decided to write some tips for people dealing with PTSD – coping skills – and what you can do to help others with this issue by understanding components of PTSD. 

Part 1 – Dealing with PTSD

  1. Exercise – It will release endorphins and help you focus your thoughts. 
  2. Self soothe – Finding what calms you down will help when you really need to get back to what you were doing. 
  3. Connect – Find others who share the same struggle to connect with and help each other. 
  4. Self Care – Take time to relax, eat healthy, stay away from alcohol and drugs, get a good amount of sleep. 

Different things will help depending on what caused your PTSD. 

For abuse, writing out the whole traumatic experience will be difficult but is a great way to feel like you’ve moved past the event. 

For combat, connecting and seeking out some kind of counceling will help. Finding the right counselor is a big part of getting better. 


Part 2 – Supporting Someone with PTSD

  1. Don’t pressure – It can be difficult to express what exactly they are feeling or what they experienced. 
  2. Listen – Most of the time, someone dealing with PTSD need to talk about their issues. Help guide them with what to do by their cues. They may need to just talk about the event over and over again, other times they just need someone to hangout with that doesn’t pressure them. 
  3. Understand Triggers – This could include anniversary dates; people or places connected with the trauma; and even certain sights, sounds, or smells. By being aware of the triggers that may cause a reaction, you are better able to help and understand them. 
  4. It’s not Personal – Dont take certain behaviors personal like anger, irritatable or being closed off. Accept you may never fully understand what they are going through.
  5. Balance – Taking care of yourself and keeping a level head works wonders. Also, learning more about PTSD will help you to understand better. 


So I hope you can go out there and use these tips to help aid yourself or someone else deal with this issue. It can be difficult but with support and determination, you can accomplish a better life. 😊

Let me know if you found these to be helpful or if you have your own tip to add. Just comment below 👍