Read more about the article It’s so easy to forget he struggles to express himself
Autism Parenting Insight / Emmett John / My thoughts

It’s so easy to forget he struggles to express himself

There's something that is often overlooked when it comes to Emmett. He's incredibly intelligent and I mean scary smart. Academically he's way ahead of where he should be and just keeps going. This is something we feel blessed to be able to witness but there is a downside. Emmett is so smart and so articulate that it's incredibly easy to forget that he has a very, very difficult time with expressive language. Majority of the time, he's unable to tell us anything about how he's feeling or what's upsetting him. Tonight is a perfect example of this. Lizze and I are catching up on some shows we recorded and out of nowhere, Emmett appears. We can see he's in distress but the only thing he can say is I don't…

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January 13, 2018
Read more about the article It feels good to hurt like this again
Fit4Autism / My thoughts

It feels good to hurt like this again

I'm working in getting my fitness goals back on track. The holidays were rough and so were the first couple of weeks of withdrawaling from Paxil. As I'm feeling better, I'm trying to make a consistent effort to get things back on track. There are a few key areas I need to focus on: Improved sleep (both duration and quality) Increasing my activity level Further fine tuning a more healthy diet Strength training As far as sleep is concerned, there's only so much I can do at this point in time. Most Autism parents struggle with sleep as well and there isn't always anything that can be done. Having said that, I want to make the best out of the hours I do get and make them as beneficial as…

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January 12, 2018
Read more about the article We’re storm prepping right now
My thoughts

We’re storm prepping right now

Our first day of our four day weekend is off to a decent start. After this morning's meltdowns, things got better. The boys have been playing together without much problem and I love seeing that. Any plans for going anywhere or doing anything are shutdown because of the weather. We are currently in an ice storm and everything is covered. This will be followed up with a massive snow storm that is supposed to drop up to twelve inches on us today and tonight. I'm having the kids charge all their batteries so they can charge their tablets if the power goes out. We have food and water to last at least a few days, not that things will get that bad. I also realized that I'm going to have…

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January 12, 2018
Read more about the article The only thing that could make it worse
Autism Parenting Struggles / My thoughts

The only thing that could make it worse

It was rougher night last night because Emmett woke up about 2 AM and was unable to go back to sleep. If at all possible, I don't like to go to sleep while one or more of the kids are awake, especially in the middle of the night. I've been known to grab a nap on the couch while the kids are watching a movie or something but I'm right there in case anything happens. I assume that Emmett had a nightmare again but he doesn't like to talk about it and if I ask, he gets upset. Generally speaking, nightmares will wake him up and make it difficult for him to go back to sleep. He and I ended up sleeping in the living room last night. It took…

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January 12, 2018
Read more about the article Caring For Yourself When You’re Responsible For Others
Contributed / Link / My thoughts / Sponsored Post

Caring For Yourself When You’re Responsible For Others

This is a collaborative post and doesn't necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author. Do you ever feel like you’re constantly running around or working on a to-do list? Is your time occupied by looking after others? Do you find it hard to put yourself first sometimes? When you’re responsible for others, it’s very easy to lose sight of the importance of caring for yourself. If you have children or you care for members of your family, hopefully, you’ll find this guide useful. Taking time out Parenting is a 24-hour job, and if you have children who require constant support, there may be times when it seems impossible to enjoy a moment to yourself. Of course, as a loving parent, you always want to do…

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January 12, 2018
Read more about the article When You’re Done With The Daddy Train
Contributed / My thoughts / Sponsored Post

When You’re Done With The Daddy Train

This is a collaborative post and does not necessarily reflect the views of this blog and its author.   Deciding whether to keep popping out children is a big decision. Family planning is a big part of life for a couple, and it can feel a little bit too final to close the door on having more children. It leads to a lot of long conversations about whether you feel complete as a family. The idea that the pregnancy that has just been completed with a healthy, bouncing baby at the end could be the last one is a tough pill to swallow, but it’s a conversation that has to be had. It’s a tough call even if you have a large family because it’s the memory of all those…

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January 11, 2018
Read more about the article The good kind of exhausted
My thoughts

The good kind of exhausted

We're beginning another four day weekend tonight. We're also bracing for a some bad winter weather as well. I think we're just going to keep things mellow tonight. Maybe order a pizza and watch some Netflix with the kids. I've had a pretty decent day. I didn't sleep well last night but after a morning nap, I was able to get some work done, get the boys home from school and even squeeze in a TRX workout as well. I've got to admit, I'm fricking exhausted but it's the good kind of exhausted. ☺

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January 11, 2018
Read more about the article Finally, some good news
Gavin / IVIG Infusion / My thoughts

Finally, some good news

About mid-morning, I received a phone call from the pharmacy responsible for my recent stress level increase. They informed me that Gavin's pump had to be ordered, but it had arrived and was going to be delivered today. I'm glad it's going to be here today, assume it arrives because it hasn't yet. The frustrating part remains though. When it's known that something is this important and it won't arrive when promised, a quick phone call would have alleviated a great deal of stress from the last week or so. Shit, for that matter a returned phone call would have worked as well. At this point, as long as it arrives today and Gavin can do his infusion in the morning without having to worry about the pump dying on…

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January 11, 2018