It’s almost here…the first total solar eclipse to cross North America since 1979 begins in just under 3 hours. About 30 million people live in the path of totality and more than 90 percent of people living in the US will see at least a partial eclipse. The next total solar eclipse won’t be visible again across the US until August 22, 2044. It’s kind of a big deal!This article got us over-the-top excited about it, even though the DC area won’t experience full totality (only @85%): https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/04/05/total-solar-eclipse-phases-timeline/But there are need-to-know things for the eclipse (Solar Eclipse Top Do and…
Author: Lee Lynch
Neurodiversity /Autism Awareness Month (April) is upon us! It’s a month to celebrate neurodiversity in all its varieties and the estimated 15 to 20 percent of people around the world are neurodiverse. It’s a month also to build awareness about neurodiversity to foster more inclusive and supportive environments.As a family of authors, illustrators, and self-publishers of our own books specifically designed for neurodiverse kids (but that can be enjoyed by any kid), we love books for neurodiverse children, but there’s still a need for more of them! Which is why we chose to publish Rocket Around Washington DC storybook (Ebook also available) and Rocket Around…
This is an occasional blog series on easing our neurodiverse family into foods from different cultures.By Emma LynchRecently, we went to a Korean food restaurant called Bonchon. Bonchon means “My Hometown” in Korean, and a Bonchon may be in your hometown – there are more than 400 of them around the world, and more than 120 of them in the United States.I’m a really picky eater so I didn’t get to eat much, but I tried a lot of different things.I tried the fried chicken – which is probably Bonchon’s most famous dish, and it tasted like honey, but it was…
A week ago, the cherry trees around the DC Tidal Basin hadn’t blossomed.They were getting closer, but the blossoms were still bottled up inside their buds…But yesterday we drove into the District and ran into significant traffic on the short drive. When we finally got into DC, we realized why… Thousands of cherry trees – DC’s most famous Springtime draw – had exploded into bloom seemingly overnight and the crowds of local and visiting tourists have turned out in droves to welcome them.The trees went from buds to “peak bloom” over the course of just one week, and have reached…
If you live around DC, Spring means cherry blossoms – the flowers and the festival celebrating them. This year, we have an enhanced interest in cherry blossoms since our family will be in DC as the cherry blossoms start to bloom, then one of our family members will make their way to Japan – the epicenter of cherry blossom celebrations – as the cherry trees around Tokyo are likely to go through their bloom season. We did our first check of the cherry blossoms around the DC Tidal Basin a few days ago – here’s what they look like now……
The past few months have proven two things for me – first, stress causes writer’s block – I haven’t written anything lately because of the stress. And secondly, today’s middle school girls are definitely NOT okay.Our girl had, until recently, been in a @1,500 student middle school and when she started there, she seemed okay. When she headed into middle school in August 2022, she was excited about new challenges – couldn’t wait to take Chinese class, start a debate club, and find new friends to mix in with her old friend crowd.She got herself up each morning at 6…
Happy President’s Day! Is neurodiversity presidential? You bet your bottom dollar (and penny, nickel, quarter, half-dollar, $2 bill) it is. Here are 7 presidential ties to neurodiversity (note: in numerous instances below, neurodiverse conditions are assumed since diagnostic tools were not yet created), starting with three of our founding fathers… George Washington: “Washington was able to achieve all of this despite having dyslexia.” “As the first Commander-in-Chief of the United States, George Washington was able to make a variety of achievements, including creating treaties with the Native Americans and setting up the fundamental principles of the presidency, such as a…
We’d heard about the Museum of the Bible (400 4th St SW, Washington, DC) for some time but had never been to it until last weekend, when my daughter’s Sunday school class took a tour of the all-decked-out-for-Christmas center, and the rest of us tagged along. Launching in 2017, the museum is a massive (430,000 square feet), wall-to-wall, multi-media ode to the best-selling book of all time. Let me preface this next comment by saying I am a practicing Catholic and see tremendous value in the Bible as a moral and spiritual guide, with a significant amount of allegory throughout.…
Although it’s been featured on TV (e.g., The Travel Channel’s Mega Mansions), and in books and magazines, The Mansion on O Street (2020 O Street NW, Washington, DC) has to be one of the coolest museums many people have never heard of. When I say it’s cool, that’s not just my opinion – the so-called “O museum” has been recognized as a top cool and historic place by booking.com and Smithsonian Magazine, and listed as a Top Hotel in DC by Forbes (did I mention it’s also a hotel?). I had lived in the DC area for 15 years, oblivious…
Halloween is a holiday that I look on more fondly now that my kids have just about outgrown it. I don’t mean to be glass half-empty, but it can be seriously challenging for neurodiverse families.Now that most of my kids would rather hand out candy then go door-to-door for it, we can just sit back and enjoy the costumes. So, I offer you a few things as a neurodiverse parent who for years went into Halloween not knowing whether the memories for that year were going to be good or otherwise: first, a frank and sadly true comment from someone…