A twist of fate

In a very pleasant twist of fate, the boys actually slept in this morning. In fact, I didn't get out of bed till almost 8:30 am and that's almost unheard of. I let Lizze continue to sleep because she needs her rest.  The boys and I are waiting for the outside temp to climb out of the 30's today before hopefully going back to the park for some exercise. I'm hoping that today goes smoothly and we are meltdown free.  Meltdowns are really rough on the boys and my sanity.  :-) This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism…

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Today’s #Autism Victory: Grocery store success

I wanted to share a victory we had today.  Lizze and I took the boys to the grocery store this afternoon,  on a day that the boys were having a pretty rough time.  We explained to the boys that we really need their help to make sure we don't forget anything at the grocery store. I'm pleased to announce that the boys did amazingly well. There wasn't any fighting and no one had the gimmes. Great job boys. :-) This site is managed via WordPress for Android, courtesy of the @SamsungMobileUS Galaxy Note 2 by @Tmobile. Please forgive any typos as autocorrect HATES me. ;-) Check out my #Autism Awareness Store to find really cool and unique #Autism Awareness Clothing and Accessories, designed by me. ;-) For more ways to…

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Confessions of #Autism Dad: The weight on my shoulders

I want to share something with all if you that I have never shared before because I am ashamed.  Perhaps your imaginations are running wild, but it's nothing really bad.  Either way, it's something I'm not proud of but I'm no longer going to allow this to control me. You might remember how I push for special needs parents to take care of themselves.  This is something that I take very seriously myself and here's why.  I used to be a body builder and was in really, really good shape.  I would hit the gym daily and I took really good care of myself. In my prime, I was right around 220 lbs and solid muscle. Everything changed after  I suffered a major back injury and I eventually became a…

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Why are we chosen to be special needs parents?

As a parent to a special needs child, it can be very easy to find yourself in uncharted territory. There is never a set of directions telling you what to do.  So often, I find myself in a situation where there are  no good choices.  Sometimes, I literally have to choose from several bad ideas and pick the one that's less worse than the others.  It's important to know that sometimes you are going to make mistakes.  We weren't picked for this job because we were perfect.  We were picked for this job because despite everything that can and will go wrong, we are somehow the best fit.  Speaking for myself, I frequently question why I'm the best fit, especially when I can't seem to do anything right.  Thankfully, we…

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Why do you have to have #Autism to advocate?

Why is it that so many people in the Autism Community feel that you have no right to advocate and raise awareness for Autism if you aren't Autistic yourself? I'm sorry but this is something I find incredibly frustrating and short sighted.  Not to mention counterproductive. I would never presume to be a voice for anyone else but my own family.  My number one priority is to advocate for my own kids until they have a voice of their own.  When my children are this young, I feel that it's my responsibility to help educate the world about my kids, while I work to educate my kids about the world.  When they are ready to speak for themselves, I'll stand with them in support. I absolutely agree that the Autistic…

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#Autism: Finding Help and Support

One of the toughest and most helpless feelings when it comes to special needs parenting is the feeling of isolation. It's so easy to feel that way because it can be so incredibly difficult to find any type of support.  All too often parents get discouraged because of a lack of support.  Let's just be honest, there aren't too many things that are more difficult than special needs parenting.  Having said that, sometimes you have to turn to the Internet to make connections and find moral support. Unfortunately, there aren't a great many places to go.  There is a a lot of bullying that takes place online and that really tends to scare people off and who can blame them. This is precisely why I created the My Autism Help…

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Kuts 4 Kids: #Autism Friendly Haircuts

Whenever I come across a business that works very well with the Autism community, I like to shine the spotlight on them because quite frankly, they deserve it. Kuts 4 Kids is the latest to receive this recognition for working well with my kids on the Autism spectrum. As many of you are aware of, taking a child with Autism to get a haircut is very often a traumatic experience for all involved. When it comes to the Lost and Tired family, our experience with haircuts is hit or miss.  Sometimes the boys do really, really well. Others times, especially with Emmett in particular, we struggle and very often won't even make it out of the car. We have been going to Kuts 4 Kids for a few years now…

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What is it about haircuts?

I feel that there is always something to be positive but not at the expense of being realistic. In my opinion, dealing with reality is absolutely crucial, especially when it comes to raising special needs kids.  There is a very fine line between being positive and approaching a situation in a realistic manner. As silly as it sounds, Lizze and I are getting ready to approach a situation that many parents of Autistic kids would avoid like the plague. Can you guess what that is? That's right, haircuts. There are so many other things in the world my boys would rather do than get their hair cut.  To be completely honest, there are a million  and on things that I would rather do than take them get their hair cut.…

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