Our Favorite Easter Traditions

Easter is just a few days away, so we are talking about our favorite Easter related traditions. 

Dying Easter Eggs

To start off the Easter fun, the day before or a few days before, many enjoy dying eggs bright colors and patterns. We all remember buying special kits, some with stickers or other ways to decorate your eggs. You can create natural dyes with ingredients like beet powder and turmeric. If you weren’t into dying your eggs, you could always buy reusable plastic eggs and put candy or small toys in them.

Easter Basket

On Easter morning many children receive a basket full of candy, small gifts and other goodies from the Easter Bunny. A chocolate bunny is usually an essential part of any Easter basket. There are different camps of people who prefer a solid chocolate bunny versus a hollow bunny. Cadbury eggs and egg shaped Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are another favorite. Jelly beans are often found in a big nest of fake grass. Egg shaped malted milk balls and other egg shaped chocolates are usually included as well. Love them or hate them, Peeps are a cute addition to any Easter basket. Small toys are also sometimes a part of an Easter basket. Some of us received frisbees, bubbles, hair accessories, cute socks, slinkies and noise makers.

Egg Hunt

According to Easter mythology, the Easter Bunny hides the decorated eggs (usually outside) for the children to find. They carry their basket and look for hidden eggs in trees, bushes and behind rocks. The White House also has an annual egg roll.

Easter Dinner

Easter is a holiday that is often celebrated with a large meal. Some families eat lamb, and ham is very popular. Since it’s the beginning of spring, many people serve fruit salad. Cake and other desserts round off the meal. 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite TV Shows from the 80s

1.  Cheers (NBC, 1982-1993)
2.  Newhart (CBS, 1982-1990)
3.  St.  Elsewhere (NBC, 1982-1988)
4.  Full House (ABC, 1987-1995)
5.  Growing Pains (ABC, 1985-1992)
6.  Murder, She Wrote (CBS, 1984-1996)
7.  The Cosby Show (NBC, 1984-1992)
8.  Married...With Children (Fox, 1987-1997)
9.  The Wonder Years (ABC, 1988-1993)
10.  The A-Team (NBC, 1983-1987)

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite TV Shows from the 1970s

1.  The Waltons (CBS, 1972-1981)
2.  Eight is Enough (ABC, 1977-1981)
3.  Happy Days (ABC, 1974-1984)
4.  Laverne & Shirley (ABC, 1976-1983)
5.  Fantasy Island (ABC, 1978-1984)
6.  The Love Boat (ABC, 1977-1986)
7.  Taxi (ABC, 1978-1982; NBC, 1982-1983)
8.  M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-1983)
9.  WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS, 1978-1982)
10.  Dallas (CBS, 1978-1991)

Don’t Pinch: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a Friendly Way

You know that person, the one who shows up to school, work or a celebration on St. Patrick’s Day and they aren’t wearing green! What do you do? You might feel the urge to give them a pinch, but please don’t. It may be tradition to pinch someone for not wearing green, but many do not appreciate it. Maybe they don’t like being touched, especially by strangers or someone they’re not close with. Maybe they’re embarrassed. Maybe they forgot to wear green, and they already feel like they stand out like a sore thumb. Maybe they’re just not in the mood for someone to pinch them, even if it’s all in good fun. 

Instead of pinching someone or embarrassing them for not wearing green, why not bring an assortment of green accessories with you to give to someone who isn’t wearing green? Or even St. Patrick's Day stickers. 

So just remember that celebrating St. Patrick’s Day should be fun. So spread some joy (and some luck), and don’t pinch!

Arts Connections: Our Program So Far

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year and day programs like the North 4th Arts Center and Adelante shut down, a group of concerned citizens got together on Zoom and brainstormed a way to keep individuals connected and engaged while things were shut down. Thus the Arts Connections program was born. It began with free sample classes in July 2020 on Zoom and just a handful of students. In less than a year the program has grown to offer 14 virtual classes a week, including Theater Circus, Recycled Music, Blog (of course), Cartooning, Life Skills and more. Arts Connections also offers free classes, like Move & Groove, Bingo Blast and Self Advocacy. In addition an informal drawing and conversation group and other workshops have just been added to the program.

As vaccines are becoming more and more available, we are starting to look forward to the end of the pandemic, but that’s not the end for Arts Connections. Virtual programming will continue, but there are also plans for small groups to meet in person at various locations in downtown Albuquerque. There will also be chances for participants to sell their art, and we plan on having a booth for students at art markets, like ArtWalk. We would also love to highlight our students with gallery shows in the future. 

We talked with some of our participants and asked what they like about Arts Connections. Joseph enjoys the opportunity to sing with peers in Sing Along, one of his favorite classes. He also enjoys socializing and using the skills he has gained through the program to use in his every day life. Crystal really loves People Drawing, when she works on her teamwork skills with Candice. She also likes the program, because it keeps her busy and connected, and she enjoys meeting new people. Mark likes to learn new things and keep busy while staying at home. Rachel loves Sing Along and ASL, and she also likes to make new friends. We’re all excited to see what the future holds for Arts Connections.

If you are interested in our program, check out our class offerings on the OT Circus website. For any question regarding Arts Connections, please contact Program Director, Margaret Govoni at otartsconnections@gmail.com or call 505-750-7146. 

“I’m a helper”: An Interview with Roni

Roni is a teacher with OT Circus’s new program, Arts Connections. She teaches Sing Along, which is one of our most popular classes, as well as Life Skills, which she co-teaches with Margaret. She is also the Program Assistant for Arts Connections. She does things like sending out class reminders and connecting with participants and their caregivers to make sure they have everything they need and to answer any questions. She even created a survey to get feedback about the program. Roni started as a volunteer in August, when Arts Connections was just getting started, and she became an employee in September. Many participants in our program know Roni from VSA/N 4th Arts Center, where she was the Direct Care Supervisor for several years until the day program shut down permanently due to COVID-19. “After working at VSA and all the day programs shut down, I didn’t do much aside from help my daughter at school and keep house,” Roni said. But after Arts Connections started up, she was eager to reconnect with former clients and to make new friends on Zoom. 

Roni has many interests and hobbies, like crocheting. “It keeps me busy, keeps my mind focused, and helps me relax,” she says. After she took a fashion design class, she became interested in sewing. She also loves to paint and collects bugs and curiosities. Her daughter, Stella, even gave her a dead lizard once! When asked whether she likes clowns, Roni said, “NO. They’re kind of a little creepy.” Her sister made her watch Killer Clowns From Outer Space as a kid, and she has been anti-clown ever since. As for TV shows, “Right now I’m really into Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist,” which features the cast breaking into song. Speaking of music, Roni loves music and singing. “I do not have a favorite musician, because I can’t narrow it down. I enjoy so many different kinds of music, but one type of music I don’t vibe with is reggae.”

Roni grew up in Albuquerque, where she lived with her mom, dad, step dad, three sisters and four step brothers. She now lives on the Westside of Albuquerque with her husband, Casey, and five year old daughter, Stella. They also have three cats: Ebony (14), a grumpy old lady, Cupcake (almost 2), who is very snuggly, and Bruce Wayne Willis (9 months), who has SO much energy. 

Roni’s favorite part of working with OT Circus and the Arts Connections Program is teaching and connecting with people. When asked what drew her to this line of work, she said, “I’m a helper.” We love Roni for the good support she gives participants during the pandemic and for her outgoing nature and compassion. 

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Shows of the 1960s

1. My Three Sons (ABC, 1960-1965; CBS, 1965-1972)
2. Family Affair (CBS, 1966-1971)
3.  Petticoat Junction (CBS, 1963-1970)
4.  Green Acres (CBS, 1965-1971)
5.  Hawaii Five-O (CBS, 1968-1980)
6.  Adam-12, (NBC, 1968-1975)
7.  Mannix  (CBS, 1967-1975)
8.  Get Smart  (NBC, 1965-1969; CBS, 1969-1970)
9.  The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS, 1961-1966)
10.  Bewitched (ABC, 1964-1972)

Top Ten: Mark’s Favorite Television Shows From the 1950s

1. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (ABC, 1952-1966)
2.  Leave it to Beaver (CBS, 1957-1958; ABC, 1958-1963)
3.  I Love Lucy (CBS, 1951-1957)
4.  Make Room for Daddy/The Danny Thomas Show (ABC, 1953-1957; CBS, 1957-1964)
5.  Bachelor Father (CBS, 1957-1958; NBC, 1958-1961; ABC, 1961-1962)
6.  Bonanza (NBC, 1959-1973)
7.  77 Sunset Strip (ABC, 1958-1964)
8.  The Untouchables (ABC, 1959-1963)
9.  The Millionaire (CBS, 1955-1960)
10.  The Jack Benny Program (CBS, 1950-1964; NBC, 1964-1965)