#sarabourgaize

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We are now on our return journey back to Florida after a beautiful stay in France, Guernsey and the UK. This is one amazing reason why we homeschool, we have a great planet, that can teach our children so much more than a classroom. I feel so proud and privileged to travel this journey through their childhood with them, picking them up when they fall down and turning each failure into a success.

From Southampton on the Celebrity Silhouette to New York, Boston, Bermuda and Bahamas, what an adventure we have had! Autism affects everyone in the family, not just the kids...we are blessed to have Mai Li help make these journeys more easier for us all.

I wish though that instead of talking about supporting families like ours, who silently have to deal with the nasty effects of Autism and ADHD, PTSD behind closed doors, without help, without that night off for a breather or respite, tohave to cope silently with meltdowns, disputes and disapproval from onlookers when they ignore them or simply these kids need space to be silent, not touched, restrained, locked up for being a human being with needs.

Governments around the world need to care for these kids and their families, wrap love around them and help support them to become wonderful adults. How dare anyone lock a child up?!? I go through hell some days, but believe me, stand in their shoes for a day and you may understand that what they need, is for you to love them, unconditionally, understand that when you stare at them and they cannot look at you, it’s because they feel awkward and scared, they don’t understand..if they want to not wear the right clothes because it hurts their skin, yep..it hurts them, just because things feel normal to you, doesn’t make YOU NORMAL! OMG despite being on vacation in the mid Atlantic Ocean, we got to hear about these poor children locked up because they had Autism! If their families aren’t coping, then surround that family with love, care and true support, an afternoon off , a day out for the kids, a phonecall and access to outreach help at all hours would keep a lot of these families together. Don’t spend thousands locking kids up because they have a disability, spend those thousands on the families!

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Paper pumpkins from old books. It’s a great project for the girls and I to make. I love it! #wemakecreativity #tildenvillemarketplace #sarabourgaize (at Le Quillio) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2qxTnFlEiE/?igshid=14rvg9backwdg

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I have recently taken a course in Art therapy and have started using this to help my two adopted children manage their feelings through art mediums.

We have two journals, one is an art journal and the other is a nature journal. Both are dotted on the inside to help the girls plan their layout and keep their sentences as straight as possible. I also have a huge box full of bits and pieces, such as paper that would normally go into the recycling bin, plastic, card stock, washi tape, numerous pens and pencils, paints and even wool, fabric and an old book.

Our art journal is really a secret therapy journal, I encourage them to try different pieces of art medium, such as water color, acrylics, mixed media, mosaics, Mandalas and so on. We have studied artists such as Van Gogh and his Starry Night painting, learning all about where he was when he drew and painted these paintings. We have looked at drawing flowers, insects, trees, including paper folding too! But interspersed within these journals are deeper works where we focus on our feelings, wishes, worries and how we can resolve them.

Just yesterday we made a jar full of emotions drawing, drawing the outside of the bottle and then little pencil circles inside. I then asked them to describe an emotion by colors, Happy was yellow, angry was red and so forth. I also chose the word Dark, and explained that this was a feeling that made us feel so low, we wanted to cry or feel so sad that nothing seemed to make us smile. Well, I was blown away as it triggered a shut down on my eldest daughter who immediately put her head on the table and wouldn’t talk or do anything for over half an hour.

I continued with the lesson and finished off the days journal and then quietly went over to chat with my daughter who was obviously in distress. By now, she had started drawing her jar with lots of dark circles and words that showed me she needed to talk...so we did talk...she let out all of her sadness and worries. After that she was back to her happy self again and she told me that she felt so much better after talking to me. We all have to remember that art is a medium to be able to express our innermost feelings and thoughts, this was an amazing opportunity for her to let go of some really sad memories and recover in a positive way.

I’ll talk about the Nature Journal in our next post, remember that this is a perfect way for kids to explore art, life and learn so many mini lessons in a fun and exciting journey. Perfect for every family regardless of whether you homeschool or not.

But I would never have known that I could do this, if I had not have met a good friend called Tina La Vallee from Tildenville Marketplace. Our adventure started early on this year when a group of amazing like minded women decided to launch We Make Creativity in Winter Garden, Florida. Together we want to share our love for arts, communities, children, older adults and those who may be disabled in some way or just want to learn a new skill, to join us all in bringing spirit, live and self love and belief that we can be creative.

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Tilly the giraffe is always trying to get in the way of a good photograph! She’s been busy checking out some of photographs displayed on the wall in the hotel. #tillyattildenville #sarabourgaize #tildenvillemarketplace #wemakewintergarden #kidsart #arttherapy #gofundme https://www.instagram.com/p/BwUWOrRBGgt/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=bjggyefoswql

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Tilly is off, off and away! She snuggled in tightly to Mai Li who kept her safe on the long car journey to the airport. She was missing Tina and her friends at the Tildenville Marketplace and had never flown on a plane before! Luckily for Tilly, the Captain of the Silver Airways plane was great and although it was a tad bumpy, Tilly loved looking out of the window, watching the clouds below her and secretly wondering if they were like candy floss to eat! #tillyattildenville #tildenvillemarketplace #sarabourgaize #wemakewintergarden #gofundme @silverairways @tildenvillemarketplace @nutsandcoguernsey (at Orlando International Airport (MCO)) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwLLgckByf5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=qxwjz8w9bjm1

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This is the story of a little Giraffe called Tilly, who lived in a beautiful home, a little rusty and worn at the edges, historic home...filled with love, empathy and kindness. This home is called Tildenville Marketplace and is filled to the brim with arts, crafts and antiques. Now Tilly loved sitting on the shelf watching the children paint with their families and friends, but wanted to offer them more. Then, today, Tina from Tildenville Marketplace said, ‘Tilly, you need to go out into our world and help spread the love that we have here in my little store.’ So, suitcase in hand, Tilly’s adventure began, now where will it end? Help us raise money by spreading the word of Tilly, the giraffe, handcrafted with love and care by a local craftsman, so we can raise funds for kids art workshops for our local community. https://www.gofundme.com/manage/help-me-create-an-Art-Therapy-space#tillythegiraffe #tillyattildenville #sarabourgaize #tildenvillemarketplace #art #wemakewintergarden (at Tildenville Marketplace, LLC.) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwK1Rp8hppX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c6qroysgzsuc

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Our amazing Mai Li enjoyed the cold Florida sunshine today. Yes, it was 8 degrees centigrade today in Florida but that didn’t stop her from resting outside #coldflorida #wintergarden #servicedog #sarabourgaize https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqvl-u4Drrr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16bzunvd8ba75