Blog Posts
IDon’t believe it!
The thing you are looking for furiously is usually the thing you just cannot find. As we idled in the entryway of the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve with a string of cars behind us, I searched the glove box and the seat pocket for the disability pass I knew we had; it would allow us to enter for 50% [...]
Special Needs Trick-or-Treating Tips
Credit: foter.com Here is my latest blog for Sacramento4Kids.com. Ghosts, goblins, and ghouls: it’s almost Halloween time again and that means trick-or-treating is around the corner! For special needs kids, trick-or-treating can literally be a scary event. Any child or teen with autism may have sensory challenges that can be triggered by costumed trick-or-treaters showing up randomly [...]
What Kind of Person?
Gripping granite with my fingertips and toes a thousand feet off the ground is not my idea of fun. With feet firmly planted in the Merced River’s sand banks, I peered through binoculars to locate the orange dot I saw about halfway up El Capitan’s granite face. Binoculars make me feel dizzy, and the angle of the afternoon sun across [...]
Advocacy: What Does It Take?
Here is an article I wrote for the special needs blog in Sacramento4Kids. As the school year gets underway, it’s important for parents and caretakers to advocate for their special needs child or teen. Did you see the film “The Walk” starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit, the high wire artist? His daring walk between the Twin Towers in 1974 [...]
Pin(e)s and Needles
A true vacation. If autism allows – and especially if it doesn’t – a family must go on vacation. Home can sometimes feel confining. With therapy, homework, special diets, poop accidents, rituals, and more, a vacation provides a welcome remedy. Never mind that a third of the contents of our house comes with us. We are going on vacation! Several [...]
Sacramento4Kids: Articles on Autism
Sacramento4Kids is where I got my start in blogging. Sacramento4Kids is a terrific online resource guide for families in the Sacramento region. It houses a vast online directory with things to do, child care resources, art classes, sports programs, camps, Kids Eat Free venues, birthday party places, and more. I am impressed with everything about this site, and I have [...]
The First One
The first one. The first blog post on my new website, kerimehome.com. It has to be perfect. It has to impress. Has to be a home run. As a dozen topics swirled in my head, I walked along the path that engulfed my neighborhood in a large concrete square. “No, that’s not good enough,” my mind said about the first [...]
Have Pumpkin Will Travel
Keep in mind it’s June. Autumn is a season away; Halloween, four months down the road. I stuffed a backpack and a duffel bag with simple overnight supplies for a quick trip: clean underwear, pajamas, toiletries, a t-shirt and a hoodie. Marin County is known for its cool ocean breezes and rolling fog banks that creep over Mt. Tam. My [...]
From Queens to Cali
I’m Keri. I’m originally from New York. Queens to be exact. Not far from where Doug Heffernan drove his fictitious IPS van and spent all his life driving home to Carrie (and her father Arthur). And I too recall sittin’ there in traffic on the Queensborough Bridge…it’s part of my childhood! Worth mentioning: my name is not the same as [...]
Heavy Metal Healing
Heavy metal was not my thing as a kid. With its distorted beats and aggressive vocals, it was discouraged by my parents (and every other adult with authority over me). Although plenty of my friends and classmates liked it and wore those black concert t-shirts to school, I preferred bands like Air Supply, The Beach Boys, and Journey. As my [...]
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