5 mins read

The Value of Pictures for Children With Special Needs

Autistic kids are visual learners. They often understand and can handle visual input much better than they can absorb visual or auditory words. Our child has been receiving autism-related services since he was fifteen months old. We learned a long time ago how to help him when he’s struggling, we use pictures. One way was social stories. What is a social story? A social story is a tool used to help a child who struggles to understand their social world. Social stories do this by showing a child a social situation explained in pictures.

4 mins read

A Picture Perfect Family? OH PLEASE…

My Wednesdays are starting to feel like Fridays. After two long days at DWTS, I start to unwind mid-week and rest up for the rest of the craziness. Yesterday in the midst of my chaotic studio demands, I was doing a long, but very deep interview, for Shape magazine. Surprisingly it was less about my body and more about my head. I am shooting a cover this week, which has been a longtime wish of mine. I will be sharing inspirations from my book, philosophies, and of course what I do to stay in shape. The meat of the interview was about what I do to stay sane in this crazy business with the chaos of raising my blended family.

1 min read

How to Decorate a Wall With Picture Frames

Whether you have just moved to a new location or are ready for a new look in the room of your choice, put up a picture frame collage. You can make a statement with any group of pictures — of your child, from your wedding, of your favorite locations or from your childhood. If you can imagine the collage theme, you can create it. Purchase a set of frames or gather a collection of antique or eclectic frames, and create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.