And check this out! LOLOL!!!! The MYSTERY was who put these ads around Toronto.

Jiminy Cricket this is JUST what I needed today! No, really. This is really funny! A new vaccine that even I get can behind! Oh, if only it had been available when I was 11 and Kenny Fisher touched my arm!!!!!

WATCH THIS!

Happy 11th Birthday, Betsy Spelman!

My childhood friend from The Bearcroft Swim Club was a leap year baby. So today, Betsy turns 11!

I'm having a forshit week. No explanations just yet. We're all healthy, so don't worry about that. My book didn't get wiped off my hard drive. My hair didn't fall out overnight. I'm not pregnant. (Dear God, cross your self and toss some salt over your shoulder!)

Suffice it to say I'm in reminiscing mode about easier, carefree times. And The Bearcroft Swim Club was just the best.

My Mom would bundle us into the Electra 225 and off we'd go - I can still hear "RESPECT" playing on the car radio. The club had 4 pools, tennis courts, a playground and a snack shack (next to the shuffle board court) that sold frozen Charleston Chew candy bars. The smell of Heinz ketchup on french fries transports me back to the slightly dark, camp-style building where we sat and giggled and licked out fingers clean, savoring our indepedence as Mom tanned back down by the pools. We never worried if our bellies were sticking out.

My stomach lurches still as I imagine those terrifying leaps off the high dive into the deep blue diving pool. Howie the evil swim instructor with the flat top crew cut would make us cry as we went under the depths to retreive large heavy discs.

Orange Bain de Soleil gel on my Mom's smooth stomach in her bikini. The whistle toot commanding us kids to jump back into he water while the old (50!) ladies with rubber flower swim caps and iced pink lips scuttled out to the safety of a lounge chair.

I'm growing tired of being pushed off the high dive. Oh, to be 11 again. Maybe I'll have french fries for lunch.

Are the autism "voices" going to bash NFL quarterback (and my fellow Boston College classmate) Doug Flutie the way they have Jenny McCarthy for saying our vaccination protocol is behind the autism epidemic?

These words from Doug Flutie talking about the MMR and autism on Larry King Live ten minutes ago: "I draw a parallel. The Gov't would be afraid to admit it. At least spread them out." Tony Braxton said she points the finger at vaccines. Is Autism Speaks going to disown her tomorrow on their site? Stay tuned. Jenny McCarthy and Katie Wright opened the door. Now a crowd is bursting through it.

New Jersey: Medicaid spent $73 Million on Anti-Psychotics for children '00 - '07.

I've been blogging about the overuse of anti-psychotic drugs for children. Here are stats from one state in the nation, Medicaid ONLY - you can bet private insurance covers much more. These drugs are BIG BUSINESS, not healthcare.

See the full article HERE. Below is a preview:

New Jersey’s Medicaid program spent more than $73 million on antipsychotic medications for children less than 18 years old between 2000 and 2007, according to state records, even though the drugs weren’t approved by the FDA for treating kids. And a state official acknowledges the drugs may have been prescribed for conditions other than schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the approved uses. As a result, a state legislator is calling for an investigation and is formulating legislation.

“There are horror stories about these meds and there’s a reason they’re not prescribed for kids,” says New Jersey assemblyman Pat Diegnan, who adds that he plans to draft a bill to change the practice and to hold talks with the New Jersey attorney general’s office, which recently formed a task force to examine interactions between pharma and docs. “The entire issue is frightening and the state should be taking a closer look at this. I’m concerned about the casual prescribing by doctors and the enormous amount of money being spent.”

The disclosure comes amid growing debate over antipsychotics. At issue are fears that children are misdiagnosed; drugs are inadequately studied; some docs presribe the pills too readily, and drugmakers promote the meds improperly. As reported previously, a growing number of states are suing various drugmakers over marketing that led Medicaid programs to pay unnecessarily for the meds.

Storm cloud. Ominous. Threatening. Frightening. Dangerous. Storms destroy lives. They make the news. People hate them. They can also blow over. Head out to sea. Relief. For some. Stay tuned.

David Kirby: US Government Concedes Vaccine Autism Case (the sentence below is a link.)

After years of insisting there is no evidence to link vaccines with the onset of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the US government has quietly conceded a vaccine-autism case in the Court of Federal Claims.

Bye, girls! Mommy loves you! Bye, bye!

By the grace of God February vacation is over. We had snow. We had the end of a sinus infection and colds. We had boredom. We had a nice camp too from THIS wonderful organization.

Today I crack my knuckles and start to put the final polish on my MS. I'm really fired up about the edits I have. They rock. They make the book better. And my pal Pat made a statement that struck me -I'm really submitting my second book. The final MS is so different from it's earlier versions. Dang, this is fun.

Happy Monday!

Lenten Checks Sent to NH to all who helped. THANK YOU. K

Overmedicated Kids: From NYT

My kids had a babysitter who went off to college many years ago.One day, her mother told me she'd put her 18 year old daughter onto Zoloft because, "Freshman year is so stressful." To which I thought - "Christ, I just got blottoed at Sigma Nu to relieve stress." If her daughter had started smoking pot daily to relieve her stress, I'm sure this Mom would have been horrified.
This blog piece from the Times is very interesting. What happens to the 18 year old who relies on Zoloft when she hits 40? Do all of life's stresses require medication?


".......In this age of personal trainers for tots and pre-K tutors, isn’t everyone always fighting to do whatever they can do to give their kids an advantage? Take away test jitters with Zoloft, super-prime their minds for cram sessions with Adderall, chemically lobotomize them into the kind of docile behavior that wins a spot in the very, very best private preschools?"



Read the full piece HERE.

Snow Day in New England. What to do???

Blogger Polly Kahl sent me a disturbing article today about a 13 year old with Asperger's who stabbed schoolmates - and was "committed." The article pisses me off for many reasons. Not the least of which is the portrayal of Asperger's a "mental illness." You can read the article HERE.


Last year a boy with Asperger's in Sudbury, Massachusetts murdered a schoolmate with a knife.


But there's no emergency. No epidemic. Autism is beautiful. Really. Trust us. Or ask those young men. Visiting hours are......


I also ran this over at Age of Autism to reach a large autism audience.

It's the economy, stupid.

Two retailers filed for Chapter 11 today. Sharper Image (remember Samantha from Sex and the City returning her "neck massager" to Sharper Image?) went bust. So did the catalog company Lillian Vernon. Good sized companies with a national presence. GONE. 2008 is going to be interesting. Hang on for the ride.

Are you watching the lunar eclipse?????? It's beautiful. I can see how ancient humans would have been terrified by the moon disappearing like this. I'm using binoculars and you can really see the surface of the moon. THE MOON!!! Space is cool.

Okey dokes my astute readers. This is a real estate ad from a national site for a house in my town. Can anyone tell Miss Kim why this house hasn't sold? Keep in mind, I live in Fairfield County CT, one of the most expensive counties in the nation. A 7 BR house would sell for well over a million in my town. Need hint? I have a feeling you don't have to turn on any lights for the house to glow.

$439,900. 3200 Sqft, 7 bedrooms, 3 baths, full basement. Bonus 3 Bay Garage, with 800ft loft. 1.40 Acres. Extras include Power Lines, Substation and Easement Make an offer, we are ready to move.

The house in the photo is 1313 Mockingbird Lane. Do you recall that address?

I met an autism Mom today dropping off my girls at a vacation camp. She had triplets in tow - darling boys. I asked. "Do all three have autism?" Her answer: "Oh no! If I had three with autism I'd blow my brains out!" To which I responded, "I have three with autism and I still have a brain." Then I turned on my heel and walked away.

Can you imagine? What a disgusting way to talk about your own child, my kids, your kids. "I'd blow my brains out." I'm guessing that autism takes away from her tennis court time.

I mean, I'm not bucking to take Fifi Bresci's crown or anything but..... (That blurry photos says, "Italian Mother of the Year Fifi Brescia" and is from dear Cleveland, Ohio's 2006 Columbus Day Parade, in Little Italy I gather. Around the corner from where Mia and Bella were born.

AUTISM IS TREATABLE. SOME KIDS RECOVER. AUTISM CAN TURN A GOOD PARENT INTO A MONSTER.

Read this inspiring blog post and watch a movie on a recovered boy over at my other place THIS.

So, what's Hillary Clinton thinking today after last night's Wisconsin drubbing by Obama? Two photos for what she's "saying" and one for what she'd like to say....... Comment away!

Oh dear! I'm going to need a bigger hat!

5 quick facts about Kim Stagliano:


Kim Stagliano is the mother of three girls with autism...


Kim Stagliano has a similar game over at her blog today...

Kim Stagliano has written another brilliant autism piece over at the Huffington Post blog...


Kim Stagliano is rapidly becoming one of my favorite writers...



Kim Stagliano is a very brave, witty woman who is raising three daughters with autism...



LOL! This is from some blog grabby-info thingy called Pipl. Thank goodness it didn't grab my all time favorite tidbit: "Kim Stagliano's writing is pathetic" from some disgruntled autism dude.

Happy Valentine's day and all that. My brother, whose birthday happens to be today, sent me this link. It's clean, don't worry. From a Dutch department store website. Very funny! Open it and then watch what happens.

http://producten.hema.nl

What if Autism Were Contagious?

Read my piece at Huffington Post HERE.

And JB Handley's organization Generation Rescue ran an ad in USA TODAY today with support from Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy.

"Green our vaccines.And administer themwith greater care."

SEE THE AD HERE.

Monday! Bloody Monday!

My blog/writing buddy Manic Mommy is running a contest to encourage people to give blood. I got to my appointment today. Best part? I got weight checked! LOL! Almost as good as getting carded.

Lenten Living

I'm not exactly a textbook Catholic, after all I have two empty seats in my minivan that serve as proof. But Lent, the 40 days before Easter, is here. That means doing some penance, and doing without. No meat on Friday. Giving up something we enjoy. When I was a kid it was potato chips and mint chip ice cream. Now I'm a grown up. The stakes are higher.

I just learned of a family with a child with autism who is in need. They can not afford to heat their home. In New England. It's damn cold here in New England. I learned of this family from an autism list I am on for families with three or more kids on the spectrum. There are a lot of us on that list. Too many. We decided to send the Mom donations. Autism may bankrupt the checkbook, but never the soul.

If you would like to send a donation to this family, send me an email. You can send a check to me. I'll make sure it gets to Mom.

BLECH!

Ha ha, men! Now if they all have 9" penises this will be women's perfect revenge for size 0 models with 36DD boobs!

Mitt Quits!

And then there were two. Huckabee and McCain. Think either can beat Obama or Hillary? I just heard that Mitt Romney spent $35,000,000 of his own money on this campaign. Think he decided he just didn't want to spend any more? Hillary Clinton just lent her campaign $5,000,000. Can you hear Chelsea screaming, "GAH! Mother, what did you do?"

Interesting.....

Today I made history.

I am a registered Democrat in CT. Now, before you jump down my throat for my political persuasions, let me tell you that I was a registered Independent from age 18 - 36. I've moved several times, to different states. I've also been a registered Republican. I really am an Independent. I have only registered for a party when I had a real, heartfelt desire to see a certain candidate elected in the Primary. (No it wasn't George Bush when I was an (R).)

Today, I took the vote sheet in my hand and marveled that for the first time in the history of this nation, I was choosing for either a Black Man or a Woman. I felt a deep wave of emotion. I know that sounds sappy. I almost whipped out my cellcam to take a photo of the ballot, but I thought I'd launch a wave of heart attacks among the elderly poll workers. A man of color and a woman on the ballot. My oh my what a wonderful day.

Tomorrow is "Super Tuesday" in America. That means registered Republicans and Democrats in several states vote in the primaries.

Independents do not vote in primary elections. Only declared party members.

GO VOTE!

Monday Morning Quarterback says: Congrats, NY Giants. And Eli. Did I mention I was talking about looks yesterday when I first posted this? It's not going to be an easy day in the Stagliano household. Wow.

NO CONTEST.

BARBARIC


I could write for years about this. But I won't. I might get particularly ugly and downright offensive to many, many, many (did I mention many?) people. Fucking sick. That about covers it.