A fun little project my kids and I are doing over the winter

Something I haven't talked much about is the fact the boys and I are growing plants in the house this winter. I've not been avoiding it. I just keep forgetting. I was thinking about it tonight and thought I'd close the day off with a quick update. We aren't super gifted in the art of botany or gardening for that matter but we're growing some simple things like fresh mint and some other herbs that A) smell good and B) I can use in cooking. I use the mint in my smoothies because I like mint and it's really good for you. We wanted to start growing edible plants and figured it would be a cool little project for over the winter. The boys really want to grow a lemon…

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Creative ways my kids avoid talking during therapy

The boys had an emotional therapy session last night. Gavin didn't participate outside of briefing us on his rather bizarre missions he's been going on lately. Frankly, it was weird and kind of uncomfortable to listen to. Elliott and Emmett had some things that were upsetting them. These were things that I couldn't help with because I don't have any control over other people's actions. They didn't want to talk about it but they eventually did and I'm very proud of them for doing so. Mr. Emmett went and found a blue bucket, cut out facial expressions, and taped them to the outside of the bucket before putting it over his head in an attempt to avoid talking about these things. He evertually opened up but it took some time.…

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Being a single parent to 3 #Autistic kids is NOT easy but it IS worth it

I've spent the day trying to get a million things done and accomplishing very little. When you're a single parent to 3 kids, life doesn't leave you much wiggle room. When you're a single parent to 3 Autistic kids, there's even less wiggle room. When you're a single parent to 3 Autistic kids and 2 of them are sick at the same time, you begin to question if there's even a God. Anyway, I've been planning for a couple of podcast interviews and closing out the season. I'm hoping 2020 is a year of growth for the pod. I'm getting more and more work as an influencer and it's helping to pay the bills. I'm apparently listed in a bunch of databases like https://findyourinfluence.com/the-platform/ and brands find me and reach…

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Becoming a single parent is proving to be very overwhelming

Emmett is home sick again and that throws a wrench into my schedule today. I called the school and apparently, this respiratory thing going around the school, seems to last forever. It certainly feels that way. Elliott got to school without any problems and Gavin is still healthy as he can be. I imagine the IVIG infusions are helping him to avoid what his brothers are dealing with. I'm dragging today and I'm not entirely sure why. I haven't been able to go walking in a little while now and it's driving me crazy. I'm trying to do things like walk to the stairs in my house and even jogging in place. I don't get the same emotional boost out of those things though and I'm struggling. I'm going to…

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I’m so overwhelmed but incredibly grateful as well

It's been a very challenging day today but we've made it through. Emmett was home sick today and I'm not sure he's going to make it back tomorrow either. In fact, if he doesn't show improvement, I may need to get him back into his pediatrician. Assuming he has what Elliott had, it may be a few days still. Elliott was sick for over two weeks and Emmett became sick about halfway through that. Right now his cough is getting really bad and he's miserable. Gavin has been excessively talkative today, even for him. He would not stop talking and I honestly felt like I was going to go fucking crazy. I never lost my patience but I did tune him out when it got to be too much. I…

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Hair cuts can be challenging for #Autism families

One of the things we still work on in my Autism family is hair cuts. For the most part, Elliott and Emmett do pretty well. Gavin shaves his head and he's learning to actually do that himself. He doesn't use a straight blade but an electric razor. In fact, I actually need to get his his own electric razor, because he likes the idea of having his own and it's a bit more independence. I can check out some place like Omnicord for this type of thing. Maybe this would make a good stocking stuffer. Anyway, Elliott and Emmett very much dislike getting their hair cut but they are often cooperative. It's totally a sensory thing and while I don't experience the same challenges on a personal level, I get…

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It’s an unpleasant Monday but we totally got this

I had a really hard time sleeping last night. Elliott didn't fall asleep until early this morning and that's got him dragging. Emmett isn't feeling good and isn't wanting to go to school. Even Gavin is wanting to wake up today. Walking looks to be not happening due to weather and so I will likely just take Gavin for his blood work instead. I've got some jobs that need my attention this morning and I'm grateful to have them, just in time for Christmas. I also have to figure out what I'm doing with Emmett. Maybe we'll try a late start. That seems to help and it doesn't count against him. As an aside, the state just changed the ridiculous way they were tracking attendance and we're in good shape…

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I feel like I’m just f*cking everything up

It's been a stressful afternoon and evening. The kids came home after what seems to have been a very positive visit with their mom, and just fell apart. Holy shit has it been a rough day. The kids have been fighting and bouncing off the walls. Gavin has been overwhelmed most of the evening and had a meltdown after dinner. He actually did very well and got through it without hurting himself or breaking something but he was over the edge for sure. I write this off to fallout from the visit and that's probably right on the mark. Something people seem to misunderstand is that fallout isn't always the result of a negative experience. My kids love seeing their mom but it's very emotionally charged and they struggle with…

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