Tag Archives: future

Life is Tastier When You Create Your Own Recipe

Have you ever taken a bite of something so delicious your entire body could practically taste it?  Ever wonder how you could replicate that mouth watering savory sensation?

Stop wondering, because you will never be able to duplicate that exactly as the chef prepared it.  And seriously, why would you want to?

Why not take it, and make it your own?

I have a new motto I want to share with you.  “Life is tastier when you create your own recipe.”

For example, that box of Bisquick in your pantry.  The recipe calls for

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Box of Bisquick

Why stop at just that?  Why not add

blueberries

strawberries

bananas

chocolate chips

coconut flakes

oatmeal

nuts

What could be better than starting your day with smiley face pancakes with blueberry eyes and a strawberry mouth?

smiley face pancakes

For Valentine’s Day, how about strawberry heart pancakes?

Valentine's Day pancakes

I hope you realize that I’m not just talking about pancakes here.  Where would the world be if we all stuck to the recipe on the box.  Just imagine…

What if Thomas Edison stuck to the recipe on his box?

What if Dr. Martin Luther King stuck to the recipe on his box?

What if Bill Gates stuck to the recipe on his box?

What if Steve Jobs stuck to the recipe on his box?

Ever think about the box the blind are placed in?

Blind people are often placed into a soft, padded, protected, illiterate, unemployable box with low expectations.

What if Dr.  Jacobus Tenbrook, Dr Kenneth Jernigan, Dr. Marc Maurer, and Mark Riccobono stuck to the recipes on their box?  Who are these men you ask?  These are the past and current president of the National Federation of the Blind.  In 1940 Dr. Tenbrook organized the National Federation of the Blind.  This is an organization of the blind, not an organization for the blind.   We are changing the misconceptions about blindness, a movement tearing down the walls of inequality, we are blind scientists and blind engineers inventing our future, and we are blind educators and parents teaching the next generation of blind children that they CAN live the life they want.

Marley on the Braille writer

Do you remember Christine Ha?  Just a few years ago she was the winner on the show the Master Chef.

People!  We are all master chefs!

Get out of that box.

Make life zestier.

Make life sweeter.

Make life spicier.

Whatever you do, just make it YOUR recipe.

grilled chipotle chicken salad

 

 

 

Calling all Parents of Blind/visually Impaired Children in Nevada

Are you a parent of a blind/visually impaired child living in Nevada?  Do you know a parent of a blind/visually impaired child in Nevada?  Are you a teacher of a blind child, or a medical professional who works with blind children?  If  so, than I am looking for you.

Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Terri Rupp.  My almost 5 year old daughter and I both have Optic Nerve Atrophy.  I wrote about the discovery of our daughter’s diagnosis earlier this year in my blog, “Marley and Me Musical Chairs.”  I feel fortunate to have my own experiences of growing up as a blind child, the opportunity to attend the Louisiana Center for the Blind where I learned Braille and other blindness skills an where I was introduced to the positive blindness philosophy of the National Federation of the Blind.  The foundation has already been laid for my daughter through my own blindness for her to grow up knowing that blindness isn’t anything to be ashamed of.  It will NOT hold her back from a bright future, rather it will  give her strength to overcome any and all obstacles if given the proper training and opportunity.

My husband and I want to share our positive outlook on blindness with other parents.  In all honesty, we both went through our own grieving process upon the diagnosis.  However the self pity, anger, guilt, and tears quickly tried up, and we both realized that this is just another mountain for us to conquer as a family.  During our frequent visits to the pediatric ophthalmologist, we have observed countless distraught, lost, and grieving parents of whom we just want to shout at, “YOUR CHILD IS FINE!  YOUR CHILD IS NORMAL!  YOUR CHILD HAS A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE!”

My dream is to get this message to every single parent in Nevada.  You are NOT going through this alone.  There are so many us out there just like you.  We are dealing with understaffed and underfunded school systems.  We live in a state with very limited resources for equal opportunities for the blind.  We CAN change this!  With the resources and support of the National Organization of Parents of Blind Children (NOPBC) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), we can change what it means to be blind, and give your children the future they deserve.

Please join us in organizing the Nevada Organization of Parents of Blind Children.  You can reach me at terri.rupp@gmail.com or join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/653738258066532/.

Sincerely Yours,

Terri Rupp

Oh, and PS, did you know that October is National Meet the Blind month?