So this is what my day will look like

The kids don't have school today and that means less distraction for me. At the same time, that means less distraction for them as well. Unfortunately, that also means I'm going to have to run interference because they're likely to get on each other's nerves. I need to accomplish a couple of things today and one of those things is getting today's episode up on time. That means I'll be staring at this screen for the next couple of hours. I really enjoyed this weeks conversation and should have it ready for your ears later today. The other thing I have to do is mulch the goddamn leaves again. It's only like the 4th time this week. I'd say about 90% of the leaves are down and so this should…

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When it comes to remote learning, my youngest is out of shits to give

It's been a frustrating day for me and if there was a circus nearby, I might have just run away and joined it. The day started out rough and it just went downhill from there. Actually, it was a rough night prior because Emmett struggled to sleep and literally glued himself to me and that pretty much killed any hopes of me finding sleep. The boys did great in class today. Good for them, I'm very proud. Emmett is struggling a bit with what amounts to the remote learning version of homework. He keeps falling behind and it's clear that remote learning is a struggle for him. It's frustrating for me because I know this isn't what he normally does and trying to constantly stay on him about it, without…

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It’s not been a terrible day

It's not a secret that I struggle with sleep. Most autism and special needs parents struggle with sleep. I'm simply following that same unwritten rule that we must constantly function while chronically sleep deprived. Anyway, I had the best night of sleep last night. My sleep score was in the 80's and I woke up feeling pretty goddam amazing. Emmett slept in his room all night long and I'm sure that helped. I'm also sleeping on a new Purple mattress and OMG, it's amazing. My back is a little sore because I have to get used to a completely different type of mattress but it's amazing. I've been waking up in the same position I feel asleep in and that's unusual for me. I'll have more on that later. Anyway,…

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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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It’s frustrating but melts my heart at the same time

I had an awful nights sleep last night. Emmett woke up at some point and climbed into my bed. My bed is a huge and he literally has to cling to me like if he let go, I'd disappear. I'm reviewing a brand new king size Purple 4 Hybrid matter with 4 inches of Purple grid and I woke up with back pain because I was twisted into uncomfortable positions by my 12 year old all night. He's been doing pretty good lately but is really stressed out with school and COVID. When he's stressed out, he doesn't sleep well. Of course, his current fever flare doesn't help either. It's frustrating for me because I need to get some sleep and that's difficult when he's clinging to me all night.…

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(Poll) Does your child with #Autism have trouble sleeping?

Lizze and I are facing a growing challenge when it comes to putting the boys to bed at night and having them go to sleep. Elliott and Emmett went from falling asleep within about thirty minutes of laying down, to being up until midnight almost every single night. This started during Christmas break for some reason, and we can't figure out why. I guess the reason doesn't matter as much as finding a way to fucking fix this because this is getting old. We had finally gotten Emmett through his I have to fall asleep in your bed, and then you can carry me back to mine when you go to sleep phase, around Thanksgiving. It was a glorious time, short-lived as it was. Nothing changed during the break. We…

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Why this Dad is sleeping on the couch tonight

Let me tell you about my favorite way to start the new week. By favorite I mean the absolutely worst way to begin the week cause it sets a tone that seems to follow me through the rest of it.  Picture this, the boys are in bed, and I just hit the Walgreens to pick up a gallon of milk and some ice cream. It's Sunday and that means Lizze and I plan on being parked on the couch, killing time until Last Week Tonight begins at 11pm. This is our Sunday ritual and the way we say goodbye to the weekend and hello to the week ahead.  Unfortunately, on this Sunday, Mr. Elliott decides he's not going to be able to fall asleep. Did he plan this out because…

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Why #Autism Parents sleep when they can

I slept for a couple of hours after dropping the boys off at school and feel so much better now. There were a million things I needed to get done this morning, but none of that was going to happen without at least some sleep. This morning's nap puts me at a total of only four hours of sleep but sometimes I get must less and so I'm grateful for what I can get when I can get it. Gavin and Lizze are both sleeping right now, and that gives me some time to myself to get some writing done. Writing helps me to clear my head, deal with my depression and also provide a better life for my family. In other words, it's very important to me. One of the…

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