Read more about the article My son was stabbed multiple times with a sharpened pencil at school today
Emmett John / My thoughts

My son was stabbed multiple times with a sharpened pencil at school today

I was waiting for the boys to be dismissed from school, as I do every day. About thirty minutes before dismissal, Emmett's teacher came out to let me know that one of his fellow classmates had stabbed him in the hand with a sharpened pencil. His teacher explained that this classmate was having a rough day and a difficult time controlling himself. I can can honestly understand that because I live with three kids that can have the same problems. This kid stabbed Emmett in the hand, shoulder, wrist, and leg with a sharpened pencil. His hand was the worst as the skin was broken and it bled. There is a pencil scratch on his wrist, as well as marks on his shoulder and leg. Emmett is okay but doesn't…

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February 28, 2018
Read more about the article Important advice for new and experienced #Autism parents
Autism Parenting Advice / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

Important advice for new and experienced #Autism parents

Being an Autism parent is difficult, in every sense of the word. I have good days where I feel like we make forward progress and I'm filled with hope. I also have bad days where it can seem like moving forward is an impossible task and giving up is a reoccurring thought I can't get out of my head. Sometimes I have days that are somewhere in between. Something that I learned early on was the importance of being positive. Being positive doesn't mean that I sugar coat anything or try to see the things in my life through rose colored glasses. While that may put a more positive spin on things, it wouldn't be truthful and therefore unhelpful to anyone, including myself. In my experience, being positive means celebrating…

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February 28, 2018
Read more about the article My major back injury
Link / My thoughts

My major back injury

I'm not doing so well today. You may recall that I suffered a serious back injury when I was working as paramedic. I never had the surgery to fix it but I've been doing pretty good the past few years. It flares up every once in awhile and lasts for a few days before I'm okay again. My back went out a few days ago but I don't remember doing anything that triggered it. I've been walking for the last few days because that's the only thing that has ever helped. It's been recommended that I see a chiropractor to help with my back. Walking has helped the muscle pain from all the compensation they've been doing to take the stress off my spine. That's a positive thing because I…

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February 28, 2018
Read more about the article Living with #Depression is a war, not just a battle
Depression Confessions / My thoughts

Living with #Depression is a war, not just a battle

I wanted to take a few minutes and share what I consider to be a major milestone in how I'm managing my Depression. Depression has been a part of my life since my early teens and will likely be an indefinite part of my life. While Depression is a consistent part of my mental and emotional health, how I choose to manage it can change from time to time. The three most important parts of managing Depression involves therapy, medication (if needed) and exercise. Everyone is different but generally speaking, the three pronged approach tends to be the best fit for most people. I'm not like most people and things like talk therapy, have never really been that effective for me personally. My weapon of choice has been medication and…

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February 28, 2018
Read more about the article The main way I’m coping with the stress of being an #Autism parent
Fit4Autism / My thoughts

The main way I’m coping with the stress of being an #Autism parent

One of the things I'm pushing myself to do right now is manage my stress in more natural ways. My life is so full of stress, there's times it hard to find room to breathe. What I'm trying to do is make the room for me to breathe and in doing so, give myself a better chance to cope with the things going in in my life. I always have things to worry about. Gavin's declining and thinking about where that is going to take us, scared the shit out of me. Emmett is dealing with this fever disorder, nightmares and whatever is causing these tummy aches. Elliott is an emotional train wreck right now. Autism, extreme anxiety and puberty are not being kind to him. Lizze is miserable most…

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February 27, 2018
Read more about the article Hopefully he’ll feeling better as the day moves forward
Emmett John / My thoughts

Hopefully he’ll feeling better as the day moves forward

Emmett woke up about 4 AM with a tummy ache. He climbed into bed with us and snuggled me. I don't think he ever fell back asleep. It was pretty clear that he was miserable. There's a stomach bug going around the school but to be completely honest, this could also just be an Emmett thing. At the moment, Emmett is laying down in our bed resting. He's watching Netflix while he's buried in blankets and surrounded by pillows. He's not eating anything and that's another sign that somethings not right. Hopefully, he will feel better as the day moves forward.

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February 27, 2018
Read more about the article A quick update about the school safety meeting
My thoughts

A quick update about the school safety meeting

I wanted to just push out a quick update in regards to about how our meeting at the school went tonight. The meeting went well. Unfortunately, only five or six sets of parents showed up but whatever. We learned more about the safety steps they are implementing in order to keep our kids safe. We also talked about setting up a PTA type group. The principal and I will be working on some fundraising projects. There are a few other parents who are join us as well and that's really awesome. It was a positive meeting and I'm glad we made the time to go..

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February 27, 2018
Read more about the article We have a parent meeting at the school in regards to safety
My thoughts

We have a parent meeting at the school in regards to safety

Heading out to a school/parent meeting in regards to school safety and a few other things. I'm not sure how long this is going to last or how many parents will actually show up, but we're going to be there. Historically, not many parents show up to these meetings but I'm hoping that in light of all that's happened in recent weeks, we have a good turnout. The only way we can make sure our kids have the safest educational experience possible, is to be actively involved and helping any way we can. My hope is that the changes we already know about, in conjunction with those we'll learn about tonight, will go a long way towards ensuring a safe, secure school building.

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February 26, 2018