We have an insanely busy week planned

The boys only have three days of school this week before Christmas break begins. Lizze and I have to finish up some last minute shopping but upon further review, we don't actually have that much left. We have quite a bit going in this week as well.  The boys have therapy. We have family therapy and marriage counseling as well. We have the boys Christmas program at school. Elliott has the dentist and Lizze has a doctor's appointment also.  We also have our rescheduled Vivint installation as well because the tech became ill last week and wasn't able to make it out here. As Christmas gets closer and closer, the boys become more and more anxious. This is a really difficult time for them because the anticipation and excitement is…

6 Comments

#Autism Parenting Victory: Everyone is asleep in their own beds

The boys went to bed without much trouble. We welcomed bedtime because the boys were more than a handful since they came home. We tried to have a calm night but that didn't seem to work. Thankfully, they are all sleeping now and doing so in their own beds. Awesome sauce.... ☺  Lizze and I started watching The OA on Netflix. That's a crazy new series that's part mind fuck and part fascinating enough that you have to keep going.  I think we're gonna try to get to bed early tonight because it's been a long day and we have a busy week ahead of us. 

0 Comments

Our kids have returned but how are they doing? 

The boys have been home for a little while now and seem to have settled back into their routine. For the most part, everyone's in a good mood but some of us are pushing buttons.  By some of us I'm referring to Elliott.   I think part of the problem is that he's overstimulated and what we are seeing is very much a kid with ADHD, Autism and almost no impulse control. This isn't unheard of after a visit to his grandparents or anyone else for that matter and it has nothing to do with them. It's just sorta par for the course with kids like mine.   Emmett's been doing pretty well and so has Gavin. Although truthfully, Gavin's been talking nonstop and OMG is that exhausting already.  While…

0 Comments

#Autism Parenting: What’s the point of getting a break? 

The boys are on their way home, while Lizze and I are just starting our day. We have lots of sleep under our belt and are feeling pretty good right now.  I've no idea what the boys are going to be like when they return but I feel like we're in a much better place to handle whatever comes our way. That's sorta the whole point of a break for us.  It's not really about getting ahead. It's about gathering the strength and courage to keep fighting the good fight. 

0 Comments

A long overdue update on Elliott

It's been a really long time since I've updated on how Elliott's doing, outside of the shit that was going on with the bully at school.  There's actually quite a bit to bring you up to speed on. There's lots of good news but also some struggles as well. With Elliott, things are kind of a mixed bag right now.  For starters, the bully situation seems to be completely resolved at this point and Elliott's attitude about it has changed for the better. He no longer feels like a victim and that's huge.  He's also doing better with the after school program. Both he and Emmett go on Thursday's only and that seems to be the compromise that works best. Continued on next page Lastly, as far as good news…

17 Comments

Does your child with #Autism still believe in Santa Claus? 

We all know that Santa Claus is a huge part of celebrating Christmas and believing in him is part of the magic. There are many things that can impact the way our kids with Autism perceive the world and that got me thinking.  I'm wondering if your child with Autism still believes in the magic of Santa Claus?  Our three boys on the Autism Spectrum are hardcore believers, especially our oldest who's almost 17 years old. The other day, Gavin had made a mistake and broke something on accident. He was so upset and there wasn't anything we could say to him that made him feel better.   Once he settled down, he explained that he was afraid Santa was watching and wouldn't bring him any presents because he broke…

0 Comments

I wish we had the energy to do more. Can anyone relate to this story? 

Lizze and I have had a large part of the day to ourselves.  The boys are at her parents house and won't be home until Sunday afternoon. We spent the afternoon relaxing before running some errands and having a nice quiet dinner at home.  I want to get to a point where we have the energy to actually do something fun when the boys aren't home.  When the boys leave, Lizze and I tend to go to sleep because we're so exhausted. While we desperately need the rest, I also feel like we're missing out on things because we're so tired.  Anyone out there able to relate?

0 Comments

My son with #Autism needs everything to match. Does yours? 

I woke up to the boys fighting this morning. Emmett was freaking out because he needs everything in his life to match and when it doesn't, he panics and melts down.  This mornings disaster was caused because Elliott had been playing the Xbox for about an hour, while Emmett had only played for about half that amount of time. That was simply the way it worked out.  Emmett began to get really upset because the times didn't match. He wanted to play the exact number of minutes needed to match Elliott's time but that wasn't possible at the time. This led to a pretty shitty start to the day a massive meltdown.   All of Emmett's life, he's had to have things match. Christmas presents, pizza slices, how much drink…

4 Comments