Autism Archives - Page 426 of 714

Why I take time to myself everyday

As an Autism parent for almost sixteen years, I can say that it's a stressful job. I've often said that it's 25/8/366 because of the nature of Autism. I want to take a minute and share why it's so important for me to take time to myself. For starters, I know that it's not always easy to physically remove myself from the equation because life has a way of making it so I'm always putting out fires. Plus, finding a sitter for three kids with Autism isn't an easy task. None of the challenges associated with taking time for myself, negate the importance of it. As someone who lives in a constant state of hypervigilance, I often feel like I'm on the brink of insanity. There's so much that goes…

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February 15, 2017

Gavin / My thoughts

That was incredibly cold but absolutely worth it

Gavin and I challenged ourselves to walk the track on the way home from taking the boys to school. It was in the high twenties or low thirties and quite snowy but Gavin really wanted to walk. We ended up doing really well and it was great way to start the day..

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February 15, 2017

Elliott / Gavin / My thoughts

I’m too tired to talk but here are the pictures I promised

It's been a really long day and I'm not in the best place right now. Either than force anything tonight, I thought I would share a picture I've been promising but haven't yet delivered on. The main reason for the picture is to show what Elliott looks like after his haircut from a week or so ago. They took off at least four or five inches and it took him a little bit to adjust before he was willing to pose for a picture. The last picture here is of Gavin. He actually got a haircut today because it was far to long and if we don't keep in short, we run into hygiene issues. I happen to think he looks really good and I'm not just saying that because…

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February 15, 2017

Depression / Inspirational Posts / Mental Health / My thoughts

I’m in a relationship with depression and it f@cking sucks

If you're new to the neighborhood, you might be interested to know that I like to speak very openly about mental health. I'm a firm believer in the there's nothing to be ashamed of approach. Over the years I've spoken very candidly about our Autism journey and every other thing that we've found in our life path. When it comes to myself, I'm no exception. I've been warring with depression since my early teens and I'm not ashamed to speak to my experience. Now that we've been introduced, let's get down to business. Depression is kicking my ass right now. I'm taking my meds, speaking to a psychologist and I'm generally a positive person but right now it just doesn't matter. My relationship with depression, and it is a relationship,…

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February 14, 2017

My thoughts

Thank God it’s the thought that counts

Both boys had a great day at school. They celebrated Valentine's Day and made out like little bandits. I got Lizze some chocolates and a this stuffed animal weiner dog. Thank God we subscribe to the whole it's the thought that counts philosophy because she broke out in hives within minutes of coming into contact with it the stuffed dog. 😲 Gavin's having a challenging day and I've just about gone bankrupt in the patience department but he's had worse. He's trying and that awesome. In a little bit, we will be in another family therapy session with Dr. Pattie and I've promised the boys the last if they cooperate, we'll have pizza for dinner. So far so good on that front.. ☺

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February 14, 2017

My thoughts

#Autism Parenting and the battle with insomnia

I fought a losing battle with insomnia once again last night but I did fall asleep around 4 am and I'm grateful for at least getting that.. ☺ Lizze didn't sleep well either and ended up downstairs at some point because she needed to sleep propped up and that's much easier on the couch. While she was downstairs, Emmett climbed into our bed and glued himself to my arm, at some point after I did finally fall asleep. As a result of all this lack of sleep, we got a late start and things didn't go as smoothly as they could have. Emmett in particular, had a very unpleasant meltdown, not that any meltdowns are pleasant. He did however, get off to school with his shoes and socks in place.…

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February 14, 2017

My thoughts

How I know when it’s best to keep my son with #Autism home from school

At the advice of one of my readers, who suggested providing more insight into the how's and why's of our life, I thought I would take that advice and begin with a decision we often struggle with, every single morning. I want to take a few minutes and explain what goes into deciding whether or not we keep Emmett home from school. This may seem like a weird topic but I know many parents in my situation, likely struggle with the same thing. Emmett is our youngest of three with Autism, at eight years of age. He's profoundly impacted by sensory processing disorder. He struggles with things coming into contact with his skin. Wearing clothes, shoes, socks or anything else can be very, very uncomfortable for him. In fact, it…

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February 14, 2017

My thoughts

Here’s my day so far

So far, today's been a total wash. I think it was probably doomed from the get go because I had insomnia once again last night. Truth be told, I was dragging after getting Elliott to school. Another nail in the coffin is the fact that both Emmett and Lizze are sick. Gavin fell asleep after his morning meds and I sent Lizze back to bed when I got back from taking Elliott to school. I spent some time working on rebuilding my photo gallery on this site, using the native WordPress gallery feature, so I could get rid of the plugin I was using, while Emmett snuggled me. I soon hit a wall and crashed with Emmett for a bit. Feeling much better after waking up, sorta cancles out the…

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February 13, 2017