Your Everyday OT

02/11/2022

November is the month of thankfulness so we are creating an opportunity to give thanks every day in our home!

We created our thankful Turkey. We worked together to create the turkey’s body, cut out the feathers, and tape him to the wall. Every day, we will write one thing we are thankful for & watch our simple Turkey turn into a beautiful creature of gratitude!

This is an activity I do with my students in the school setting every year to promote fine and visual motor skills, but also build life skills!

It’s so easy to get caught up in negative thoughts & emotions which cloud our ability to see the good in other parts of our lives.

Taking a moment to look for the good, in ourselves and others, will drastically impact our outlook on each day.

My challenge for you is to take a moment, every day, to find the good.

In yourself.
In your opportunities.
In your achievements.
In your environment.
In your friendships, family, and faith.

20/06/2022

“The why matters”

I just spent the past few days with the most incredible women and like minded professionals learning all about how to effectively ADVOCATE, EDUCATE, and TREAT patients from prenatal care through adulthood.

We learned all about the impact of restricted tethered oral tissues (tongue, lip, and buccal/cheek ties) on current and future function.

We learned best practice for treating and educating others from birth through adulthood and maximizing their quality of life.

We learned the importance of diving deep and asking questions that no one else is asking in order for our patients to feel seen and heard.

Best of all, a lot of what we learned are strategies that we already implement at Covenant Chiropractic and Wellness.

The difference is, now we have the evidence based research, international case studies, and contacts from all over the US to give our patients the absolute best care and answer their “why” with a plan!

26/04/2022

🌟Let’s talk Sensory Paths 🌟

With warmer weather on the horizon, it is the perfect time to make sensory paths.

They promote so many skills our children need and there is no wrong way to make one.

My favorite things to include:
1. Hopscotch
2. Animal walks
3. Leap pads
4. Walking paths with a twist
5. Directional hops

Educational skills:
1. Following multi step instructions
2. Use numbers and letters to scan and sequence
3. Attention to the task
4. Initiation & planning skills
5. Color coding or matching

Sensory skills:
1. Proprioception (joint input)
2. Vestibular input (up/down, twirls)
3. Auditory
4. Vision
5. Interception (awareness of feelings inside body)

Developmental skills:
1. Fine motor to use chalk and draw
2. Gross motor to hop, crawl, walk, run
3. Imagination
4. Social interaction
5. Language development

If you make one, please tag me

I love seeing kids BE kids and enjoy the outdoors!!

23/04/2022

Some think I’m crazy, I think of it as driven!

Working multiple jobs, juggling life as a wife and mom to 3 while still seeking out friendship and time for myself.

This is no easy task. And I have to lean on others often for guidance and support.

But life is too short for taking the easy path or waiting for your dreams to happen.

If you have a dream, stop making the vision board and start living it!!

02/02/2022

This cold weather has us wanting some s’mores over a hot fire so we decided to “make” one!

Skills we worked on:
* Cutting which works on hand eye coordination, pace, and use of two hands
* Finger strength with tearing paper
* In hand manipulation by crumbling paper
* Fine motor skills by placing marshmallows on a toothpick

Imaginative play is the best way to work on fine motor skills in a fun and functional way!

16/11/2021

Have you ever felt like throwing an adult tantrum because life is getting the best of you? Have you ever wondered why some days feel more overwhelming than others?

In this post, I talk about sensory regulation: the parenting version.

Which sensory system tends to be a trigger for you?

Have you ever had “one of those days” where you want to stomp your feet or scream out for help because you have hit the brick wall in parenting? When  I work with children on regulating their …

16/11/2021

Have you ever had “one of those days” where you want to stomp your feet or scream out for help because you have hit the brick wall in parenting? When I work with children on regulating their sensory system, I talk with them about identifying their feelings and using their “tools” when they are feeling overstimulated or overwhelmed by sensory input. ...

Have you ever had “one of those days” where you want to stomp your feet or scream out for help because you have hit the brick wall in parenting? When I work with children on regulating their senso…

21/01/2020

Have you ever had a person in your life that tests all of your patience? I know I have! I can think of a variety of challenging moments in both my personal life and my career where my response to a situation either escalated or diffused the situation. Over the past few years, I have developed various strategies to help me be more mindful of… [ 1,251 more word ]

Over the past few years, I have developed various strategies to help me be more mindful of why these situations arise and why the individual is acting in a specific way. Rather than react – I…

09/01/2020

What is a routine and why are they beneficial to have? A routine provides your life structure and allows you more opportunities to spend time doing the things you enjoy. Routines are intended to help make your life easier by opening up your schedule, promoting consistency, and can vary based on your season of life. I personally love routines, for myself and my family. [ 1,486 more word ]

What is a routine and why are they beneficial to have? A routine provides your life structure and allows you more opportunities to spend time doing the things you enjoy. Routines are intended to h…

28/12/2019

As January 1st is approaching, I have been working on what 2019 looked like and what 2020 will bring.
Are you a goal setter or a new year's resolution person? I'd love to hear from you and hopefully we can keep each other accountable!

I recently had a meeting with a life coach and the focus was on Vision. During the session, we first talked about looking at the past year and discussing how it felt and then how it looked. The nex…

28/12/2019

Meal preparation is a life skill that can be started from a young age and continue to grow as we do!
Here are some strategies that we use to meal prep in our home.
Do you have anything that helps you meal plan or prepare foods with ease?

From birth, one of the first things that the newborn seeks is their mother’s milk. At 4 to 6 months of age, we start promoting table food and self-feeding. As a toddler or sometimes into school age…

28/12/2019

One of the main things I focus on as an OT is promoting independence.
Here are some tips, equipment, and strategies I like to use.
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

When working in a hospital, home health, rehab or nursing home setting, I am often asked what items will help promote independence and safety during daily living tasks. The answer to this varies ba…