I am an Army wife. We move where the Army tells us to go and we live in the house the Army provides. This is our house right now and we love it. It's simple by design, it's not large, every house in the neighborhood is the same, many have lived in it before me, and many will live in it after me. That's kind of like my site and my activities - they are simple by design, they may look the same as things you have done, many have used them before me, and many will use them after me - they have withstood the test of time. However, you can't see the inside of my house. It may have the same floorplan as the other 34 in the neighborhood, but I have put my touch in it to make it a home. The walls have been painted, pictures have been hung, curtains don the windows, and the sounds of my family fill the home. The same goes for my site and my ideas - they may be simple, but I've added my personal touch to them. They are filled with my livelihood and my family has shaped what I know to work and doesn't work. I can't change countertops like most can in their homes, but I wouldn't want to drastically change the focus on simple ideas that get kids to talk, either.
Do I sound sad or envious or others? I surely hope not. I enjoy my simple life. It's a good life. It's filled with friends who come and go, but whom we often meet up with again down the line. It's a go-getter kind of life where you don't have time to "get to know people", you just have to be instant friends (like when your neighbor knocks on your door in the middle of a snowstorm to get you involved in the neighborhood activities because she sees you moving in). I have the rest of my life to live in a house with stainless steel appliances and built in cabinets. For now, we will stick with our simple furniture (that gets knocked around ever 2-3 years and we'll keep covering up those knicks the movers leave) and our simple homes, but always leave a mark on each place we live. I hope, too, to leave a mark on each child I meet and each family I help. This site will be my one constant through the moving and hopefully will leave a mark on you. (if you message me, then you too can leave your mark on me, which I would love)
My plan is to take a simple toy each week and blog how it can be used in every different area of speech therapy. They are simple things that have stood the test of time, but may be used in a way you had not thought of before and that is my mark on it.
Look forward to next week's simple toy (blocks) with many ideas.