Super Beans - Lynnea's Story

Lynnea is a beautiful and bright little girl who has always been so happy and full of life. In October of 2013 she started showing signs that something was just not right, her activity levels dropped and she was much more tired than usual. It was not until late in October that a little tumble with her brother sent her into the ER, she seemed to have injured her leg and we had never heard her scream in such pain before. We rushed her in to the emergency and after a two hour wait she was up and running around again so we took her home. That evening after she awoke from her nap that same pain was back and she could not bear weight on her leg. 

In the weeks that followed we had seen several doctors who diagnosed the pain as a sprain. Seeing her deteriorate so much and her no longer being able to walk we begged for x-rays, the ER doctor was quite astonished that the level of pain Lynnea was exhibiting could not be explained and the x-rays showed nothing. The ER doctor immediately referred us to a pediatrician and Lynnea was seen that same afternoon. After combing through Lynnea’s medical history and all the events that had led us up to that day the Pediatrician ordered a simple blood test. The blood test revealed the answer we were looking for and it was not anything we had ever expected.

Lynnea was air lifted to the BC Children’s Hospital immediately, it is a 5 hour drive from our home town. We arrived there in the early morning hours on November 11, 2013 completely exhausted with our emotions in over drive. No one had been able to explain what was happening with Lynnea or what her test results revealed but when I saw we were being brought to the Oncology ward the terrifying reality set in. I spent hours talking with Lynnea’s new doctor and she explained that Lynnea’s blood test reviled a Type of Leukemia and after a series of tests it would turn out to be Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Lynnea’s cancer cells were found both in her peripheral blood and her spinal fluid. Lynnea’s blood counts were at such a critically low level and she needed multiple blood transfusions before she could even begin chemotherapy. Lynnea was diagnosed just 2 weeks before her 2nd Birthday.

At the age of two and a half she has already undergone more than anyone should, she has had multiple surgeries and surgical procedures. Lynnea has had blood work and chemotherapy treatments every single week at minimum since diagnosis. These medications have left her almost unrecognizable at times, they have made her body swell and loose weight, caused pain and nausea and for her to lose her beautiful brown curls. There is not a single day where she has not been required to take some form of medication, many of which have serious side effect and required a great deal of planning in order for her to take them.

Throughout all of this she has managed to keep a vibrant and incredible smile on her face while growing into an intelligent and happy little girl. Although she is still very limited in her activities she continues to grow into her own true self. She still had 18 months of Chemotherapy treatments ahead of her and many trips to the BC Children’s Hospital in the next few years. This past few months have been extremely difficult to put it mildly and we would never have made it this far without the generosity of our community and loved ones. I wanted to provide a safe place for people who still continue to support her in her journey. This is proving to be far more expensive than anyone could have predicted with all the travel and unforeseen medical costs that are not covered. We are truly grateful to all her supporters and followers who have allowed me to spend every moment I can caring for her.

Lynnea loves clothes and the Peekaboo beans lines have meant the world to her, she love to dress up and it even makes her feel better.

Click HERE to find out more and support Lyneea. 

Raising children in a digital world

Email us at play@peekaboobeans.com to SAVE YOUR SEAT. 

And don't forget to bring a friend and your husband! 

Find out more about Dr. Deborah MacNamara and the work she does with the Neufeld Institute HERE

Tweens Need to Play Too!!!

First off, let me explain why I want to share our community of amazing educators with you, and why I am a stand for our series “PLAY-ducation”.   

We are suffering a Play Deficit.  It isn’t hypothetical, it isn’t some social media farce gone wrong.  It is true.  Canada received a failing grade in the area of play.  A big F!  What would you do if your bean came home with an F on their report card, you would certainly pay attention.  So we are!  Play will not die off overnight, it will be a slow process and in generations to come, there will be no such thing of Free, Unstructured Play.  And generations will suffer. We will lose the vital skills that we need to grow into healthy, well-adjusted communicative adults.  

Insert our Play Series.  Different topics, amazing speakers, a night out to grow, learn and feel supported in your family values.  

This week we had the AMAZING Andrea Chatwin, our resident Play Maven and Certified Childhood Development Specialist come and talk about Tweens.  I was particularly excited about this topic because I have a tween. I see how my five year old plays unleashed and perfectly without any restrictions, but I notice as my first born, a once unleashed little girl now turned tween, is still young at heart but craving to be mature and grown up.  

So we created a presentation “Tweens Need to Play Too” and as always Andrea Chatwin NEVER DISAPPOINTS. 

Although hard to articulate the impact of what I learned, I will share a few key points:

Tweens need to play in order to develop into confident and competent young people. Their need for self directed, unstructured free play remains consistent even as they enter middle to late childhood, and moreover Neuroscience is telling us that children need to play for optimal brain development to occur!

What symptoms of over-scheduling may look like…

Psychological - Irritability.  Difficulty focusing. Difficulty concentrating. Behavioural difficulties.

Physical - Poor eating habits. Sleep difficulties. Headaches. Stomach aches.

Understanding the Pull to Electronics:

Artificial Mastery – electronics easily and quickly give the child/tween the feeling of “I did something well”. Making actual, real life mastery some what boring.

Immediate Gratification – the user feels relief and/or feels better faster than it takes when one goes out to play. 

Dissociative State – “I am no longer available emotionally in this situation”. children/tweens can shut out the outside world, they don’t have to feel anything or be connected with their inner worlds. They can be emotionally blank, yet still get immediate gratification.

Coming down from the technology high:

Mood differences post electronic play; Limited patience or impulse control; Difficulty focusing or attending to tasks; Impact on parent child relationship

Responding to your child/tweens behavior:

Step 1 – Empathy, Empathy, Empathy. Express to your child/tween that you fully understand what their experience is right now and why their request is so important (ie. I want to watch more tv). Get alignment.

Step 2 – Set your limit clearly and firmly (ie. tv is not for today).

Step 3 – Give your child/tween choices to return some control back to them. Refocus the issue on to something they do have control over (Ie. no tv before school, but when you come home you can decide if you want to watch 1 hour after school or after dinner).

How to Play with Your Tweens:

• Offer joint attention. Focus and value something just as much as they do. Join their experience. Find what lights their eyes, what causes them to be interested.  If only for 30 minutes a week be with them in whatever capacity they desire.  
• Playing with a younger child helps your tween to engage in healthy play activities without the concern that it is too babyish.
• Keep toys accessible. Even when kids/tweens claim that they are finished with “toys”, if they are accessible they will likely gravitate towards them in quiet times.
• Encourage natural play. Kids need to be outside, whether this is at a local park or in your backyards
• Play together as a family. Indoor games, outdoor activities, sports, crafting.

Join us Wednesday, October 29th for the next talk in our PLAY-ducation Series, "Raising Children in a Digital World" with Dr. Deborah MacNamara. Admission is by donation. All proceeds will be donated to Playground Builders. Please SAVE YOUR SEAT and RSVP to play@peekaboobeans.com.

In love and play, 

We are launching... and filming... our Fall Pop Up Playdates

This Friday, we are hosting a Pop Up Playdate at the brand new Terra Nova Park in Richmond.  We have heard from many MANY of our VIPBs that this park is.... AMAZING!  We hear this new 1 million dollar innovative 1-hectare rural park is equipped with many custom-made features like a tandem zipline, a farm inspired water and sand play area, a log jam, a 10-metre treehouse, and an aerial rope walkway.  Obviously this park has been built for some SERIOUS PLAY!! 

So come going us at 10am tomorrow for some playtime and Mommy social time.  Of course we won't be forgetting the Starbucks coffee!  

Also, Peekaboo Beans Marketing and Video Team will be on hand to film the Playdate for an upcoming promotional video.  So if you would like to see our head office peeps in action, be sure to show up by 10am.... you never know, you and your Beans might get the chance to be showcased in our exciting home-grown Pop Up Playdate video.  Keep on playing!