Read more about the article What does sleep look like for #autism parents?
My thoughts

What does sleep look like for #autism parents?

Parents often struggle with sleep, especially when their kids are younger. Parents of special needs kids struggle with sleep all the time. I'm one of those parents. If I had it my way, I'd be in bed at 10pm every night and sleep straight through until 7am. Unfortunately, my kids don't cooperate with that. They each struggle with sleep disturbances, that we haven't been able to work through. For the most part, Gavin's doing really well with sleep. The issue is with Elliott and Emmett. Elliott claims to be a night owl and needs to be awake at night. His doctor and I call bullshit on that. The issue is sleep hygiene and poor sleep habits. In other words, he needs a better bedtime routine and a reset to his…

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October 28, 2020
Read more about the article Exhausting efforts and interventions
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Exhausting efforts and interventions

It's been a really frustrating day. Gavin's been struggling behaviorally and I honestly don't have the patience to deal with the outbursts. In fairness, Gavin is doing so much better overall and he's come such a long way. I'm incredibly proud of him. At the same time, there are things we need to work on. Gavin has a really short fuse and it doesn't take a whole lot to set him off. Today I was watching Bob's Burgers, and Gavin sat down to eat lunch. He's got this weird thing with shows like this and I'm not sure I understand where he's coming from. Usually, he will get up and leave the room if something he doesn't like comes on. Today he was eating lunch, so he didn't really have…

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October 26, 2020
Read more about the article Update: It’s been 234 days of #COVID lockdown so far
COVID19 / Lockdown / My thoughts

Update: It’s been 234 days of #COVID lockdown so far

Life is getting a bit more challenging. For those who don't know, COVID is significantly worsening in Ohio. As of writing, we're a stone's throw away from 3,000 cases a day. There's a nursing home about a mile or so from my house with over 80 confirmed cases. It's really getting scary. My cars still in the shop and will be for a couple of weeks. That's a bit stressful because we truly are trapped at home. It's not like we would be going anywhere, especially since COVID is so bad locally, but looking out the window and seeing the car missing is an emotional blow. Maybe that doesn't make sense.. I've been insanely busy with work related things lately.  I'm trying to get season 3 of the podcast finished…

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October 25, 2020
Read more about the article You may not know this but I adopted my oldest
Gavin / Gotcha Day / My thoughts

You may not know this but I adopted my oldest

You may not know this but I adopted my oldest. I don't talk about this a whole lot because frankly, I never really think about it anymore. The only time it's at the forefront of my mind in on October 22 of each year. As it's October 22, or will be by the time you read this, it's been on my mind. I'm not going into the whole back story because frankly, you can read that yourself. Just search the archives, it's there. ☺ On October 22, 2008, shortly after Emmett was born, I adopted Gavin. Gavin is Lizze's son from her first marriage. He was 8 years old at the time and I'd already been raising him as my own since he was about 15 months old. In a…

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October 21, 2020
Read more about the article I’m trying to give my kids a better me and it’s not easy
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I’m trying to give my kids a better me and it’s not easy

It's been somewhat of a stressful day for me personally. I'm feeling very isolated, which is by design at the moment and that's important. The point is, I feel very much alone. It is what it is and I'm doing what is necessary to protect my kids, especially Gavin. I'll continue to do the same as long as is needed, but it's not easy and the longer this drags on, the harder it gets. I'm trying to find a better balance in my life because my kids deserve a better me. I've been working out with some regularity and back to using Myfitnesspal. It feels good to move in the right direction once again. I've not gained any of the weight back that I'd already lost and that's a good…

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October 20, 2020
Read more about the article We’ve had some struggles with remote learning but we’re going to do better
My thoughts

We’ve had some struggles with remote learning but we’re going to do better

I've been getting some really positive feedback for the first Parent to Parent episode. If you've not listened, you can do so by clicking here or stream it where you get your podcasts. Waking up to tons of positive feedback and parents wanting to take part is pretty amazing. It feels good to have a positive impact on peoples lives. Thank you everyone for all the support. Moving on.... The second quarter started today and I'm hoping that it will be better than the first quarter. Remote learning is a huge change from being in the classroom and the boys are struggling with it. It's not just them, it's pretty much most, if not all of the kids are having similar struggles. There's been homework that never got turned in…

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October 20, 2020
Read more about the article OMFG!! He tried a new food!!!
My thoughts

OMFG!! He tried a new food!!!

I know I'm behind on writing and it is what it is. I'm doing the best I can at the moment. I wanted to close the weekend off with a brief update because it's been a pretty good weekend for us. Aside from groceries and a few other deliveries, it's been a quiet weekend. We did some yard work and cleaned up the first round of leaves. I finally got everything worked out with State Farm and the repairs on the car have begun. It's gonna be about three weeks before she's all repainted, refinished and ready to come home. Thankfully, we don't need to go anywhere. Anyway, for the most part, everyone's gotten along and fighting has been minimal. That's always a good thing. I finally replaced our UNO…

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October 19, 2020