Read more about the article #Autism Parenting Confessions: Does anyone else ever feel like giving up but won’t?
Autism Parenting Confessions / My thoughts

#Autism Parenting Confessions: Does anyone else ever feel like giving up but won’t?

This is by far, one of the worst mornings we've had in a very, very long time. Emmett was in full meltdown mode over his clothes. Emmett's only been able to wear this one pair of pants for the last two school years. Unfortunately, the knees are blown out and are beyond repair. I've stitched them up so many times there's nothing left to hold a stitch. Iron on knee patches aren't an option for Sensory reasons. I wish I could say that I handled this morning with grace but I ran out of patience. I should say that me running out of patience means that I might raise my voice and that's it. This morning, 8 definitely raised my voice and that only made things worse. The big issue…

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January 22, 2018
Read more about the article Making More Time For Yourself & Your Family
Contributed / Sponsored Post

Making More Time For Yourself & Your Family

This is a collaborative post and does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of this blog or its author. Image Credit Time is an overlooked and under-appreciated gift.  You are blessed with 24 hours each and every day, yet how many of these hours are spent doing the things that truly matter to you - that fill your heart with joy and happiness?  Imagine the heartbreak of leaving your autistic child at home, when all they want is to be with you, it can be heartbreaking - yet we all have to make a living. See, many parents nowadays, particularly those having to pay for medical treatment and care for their children are not only full-time carers, but having to work such long hours they end up missing out…

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January 22, 2018
Read more about the article Should Special Needs parents be worried?
My thoughts

Should Special Needs parents be worried?

There are a few things I have going on over the next week but in light of the government shutdown, I'm not sure if they're still going to happen. On Friday, Gavin has a meeting with SSI. He's due for an update and we have to figure out the whole guardianship thing. I don't know if the Federal Building will even be open this week. I know they said SSI checks would still go out as scheduled but they didn't say anything about the local offices. On the following Monday, I have an appointment with HEAP/PIPP. We have to update our income and recertify for continued access to the program. I don't know if this will be impacted by the shutdown either. With any luck, our ridiculous government leaders will…

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January 21, 2018
Read more about the article Behind the Scenes – Downtime with my youngest
Emmett John / My thoughts / Photography

Behind the Scenes – Downtime with my youngest

There are times where the only thing I can do to help Emmett is to simply stop everything and snuggle. Emmett hasn't been feeling well and on the edge of a meltdown for the last couple of days. Many kids with Autism don't like to be touched but Emmett is someone who responds positively to affection. No matter how upset he is, I've always been able to call him over and hug or snuggle him. It usually helps him, at least to some extent. This is from the other day when Emmett was really struggling.

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January 21, 2018
Read more about the article Sadly, he’s hearing voices again
Gavin / My thoughts / Schizophrenia

Sadly, he’s hearing voices again

Gavin had a pretty good day, at least physically. On his first full day of being an adult, he spent a large part of it hearing voices. Gavin's was officially diagnosed with Schizophrenia a few years ago. This is far from the first time Gavin's heard voices. In fact, he sorta lives in a perpetual hallucination. He has friends that only he can see and he goes on dangerous missions with them on a daily basis. These are the typical voices he hears. Unfortunately, what we're seeing now is that he hears us talking to him when we aren't. He's constantly keeps finding us because the says we called for him. I'm not sure what's going on with this but it's not something that's been very common over the years.…

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January 20, 2018
Read more about the article Trying to get exercise while doing chores around the house
My thoughts

Trying to get exercise while doing chores around the house

I'm pretty proud of myself. Our dryer has been broken for a couple of weeks now. I tore it apart a week ago and discovered that it was simply the belt that was broken. I was able to order one on Amazon and it finally showed up today. Emmett, Gavin and I went into the basement and replaced the belt. It literally took less than five minutes. Gavin and Emmett each held a part in place for me while I put the new belt on. Emmett even used his little tool kit to secure all the screws again. They were both a big help and we are finally able to use our dryer again. ☺ I hate doing laundry but I'm excited to get the floors in as I take…

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January 20, 2018
Read more about the article I’m making progress
Fit4Autism / My thoughts

I’m making progress

Today is my second full day with the Fitbit Ionic. I'm really pumped to be using this to help me with my weight-loss journey. I'm very motivated to make the changes in my life that I need to, in order to improve my health, both mentally and physically. I'm setting reasonable goals and achieving them. Once I feel I've mastered a certain goal, I'll set a new one for myself. The Fitbit app helps me set, monitor and achieve my goals. Check out the screenshot from the Fitbit app, detailing my efforts for today. I still have a long way to go but every step forward gets me one step closer to my goal. If you have a Fitbit account and want to friend me, that'd be awesome. We can…

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January 19, 2018