Read more about the article How we used our Ping Camera by Vivint Smart Home to protect our cat 
My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

How we used our Ping Camera by Vivint Smart Home to protect our cat 

This is an unorthodox use of our smart home technology, but I'm always looking to share the creative things we've been able to do with our smart home technology by Vivint Smart Home. We've been having a problem with one of our cats. Our oldest cat Cleo is being bullied by our younger one named Greysha. She and her brother Blue were adopted as feral kittens, three or four years ago. Over the years, Blue has adapted well and enjoys his life as part of our family. Greysha, on the other hand, hasn't. She's always been easily frightened. She's retained her feral instincts, and we will only be seen when she wants to eat. Lately, she's been appearing more often, but when she does, she's very aggressive. We've spoken to our…

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April 22, 2017
Read more about the article How to get the technology needed to help keep your wandering kids with #Autism safe
Vivint Gives Back

How to get the technology needed to help keep your wandering kids with #Autism safe

It's Autism Awareness Month and one of the biggest concerns that Autism parents face is wandering. Children with Autism have a tendency to wander away from a position of safety, only to find themselves in danger. Unfortunately, these situations don't always end well and we know that the faster the intervention, the more likely we are to have a positive outcome. Having a child safely recovered is what matters most. Did you know that there is a foundation out there that wants to provide you with free Home Automation and Security technology to help prevent your child from wandering in the first place? To that end, I was to share a partnership I have built with an amazing company called Vivint Home. They have a charity division called Vivint Gives…

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April 7, 2017
Read more about the article Why I’ve had a change of heart about #Autism Awareness month
Autism Awareness Month / Inspirational Posts / Vivint Gives Back

Why I’ve had a change of heart about #Autism Awareness month

As one ages through life, one tends to gain wisdom and insight that they were previously lacking. What I mean by wisdom is learning from one's past and gaining insights into different ways of thinking. I'm absolutely no exception to this, and I want to share something that I've recently had a change of heart about. We all know that April is Autism Awareness month. This is the one time of year where the world's eyes and ears are pointed in our direction (the Autism community). In the past, I've taken a pretty hardline stance on the Autism Speaks Light it up Blue campaign. I've been very vocal about how I feel that buying a blue light bulb is more about padding the bottom line than raising Autism Awareness. While…

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March 23, 2017
Read more about the article 3 items are helping my son with #Autism gain independence  
Gavin / My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

3 items are helping my son with #Autism gain independence  

I've spoken about this a few times before, but I wanted to share something we've done, to help our low functioning teenager with Autism, gain a bit more independence. Gavin is seventeen years old and struggles in most areas of his life. He's unable to remember things, and his cognitive ability is in a slow, unending decline. One of the things that we've recently done to help him better manage his daily life, weekly schedule and bedtime routine, is introduce some home automation into his room. I've been working on automating our home over the last year or so. For whatever reason, Gavin was resistant to being included in this process but a few days ago, he decided he'd like to give it a try and that's pretty exciting because…

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March 5, 2017
Read more about the article How automating the lights in my house helps my son with #Autism to sleep
My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

How automating the lights in my house helps my son with #Autism to sleep

If you're a regular reader, you know about all the struggles we face in regards to sleep with two of our three kids with Autism. The biggest challenge over the years, has been with Emmett.  We've never been able to really nail down what his issues were related to, and we've only been met with sporadic success until recently.  I've spoken many times before about Vivint and how I've implemented their technology throughout our home, in order to make it safer. Since our initial installation, I've been finding more creative ways of using this tech to help my wife and I better care for our three boys with Autism.  It's safe to say that I've been inspired by my Vivint experience, and bitten by the home automation bug.  As I've made small…

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February 24, 2017
Read more about the article #Autism families are sharing about how @VivintGivesBack has improved their lives and given them peace of mind
My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

#Autism families are sharing about how @VivintGivesBack has improved their lives and given them peace of mind

For a while now, I've been talking about how I use the home automation/security system I received from the Vivint Gives Back Project to keep my kids with Autism safer. You can read all about my experiences by clicking here. I thought it might be beneficial for you to see what other families are saying about their experience with the Vivint Gives Back Project. As a reminder, the Vivint Gives Back Project is devoted to providing Special Needs families with peace of mind. They do this by donating home security and automation equipment that helps parents both monitor and provide a safer environment for their Special Needs Kids. Monthly service rates are based on income and range from $15 - $40/month. You can apply for a system of your own,  you clicking here. Please…

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February 8, 2017
Read more about the article Talking safety and peace of mind for special needs families
My thoughts / Vivint Gives Back

Talking safety and peace of mind for special needs families

As many of you know by now, I'm working very closely with Vivint, and the Vivint Gives Back Project. I'm also intimately involved with Guardian Locate, and we are partnered with Project Lifesaver International. This puts me in a unique position to help your voices be heard. I would like to know specifically, what you think you need to make your lives easier in regards to the battle of keeping your kids from letting themselves out of the house and wandering off or getting into things that could be harmful. What kinds of things would help you more easily keep an eye on your kids and frankly, sleep better at night? While technology can't fix everything, it can make things easier to manage. I'd like to know what you would…

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January 23, 2017