Helping kids learn to manage their big emotions with Mightier

Hey parents, some days don't you just feel like you're riding an emotional roller coaster? Trust me, I've been there. Navigating the stormy seas of big emotions with your autistic child can feel overwhelming. It's hard seeing your child struggle, and sometimes you might feel lost and alone. But I promise – you're not alone. You're doing an amazing job, and there's help out there. Have you heard of Mightier? I’ve been talking about it for years. This game-changing tool entered my life when I needed it the most. Developed by the brains at Harvard Medical and Boston Children's Hospital, Mightier is not just a collection of super fun video games. It's a lifeline, a guide to teach our kiddos how to better regulate their emotions. I know it might…

0 Comments

Some major updates about my kids

It’s been a little while since I’m written here. There have been a great many changes in my life and all of them very positive. I’m obviously still experiencing some writing burnout and I just don’t always have the bandwidth to put my thoughts into words like I used to. That said, I’m really trying to push through that and get back into writing again because it is a healthy outlet for me. For the moment, I’m just glad to be writing this. There have been so many changes over the last few months, some I’ll talk about and others, are going to remain private for now, but all are very positive. Let’s start with Gavin. Gavin has been working with a job coach to secure employment. We’ve been working…

0 Comments

We sign papers for day services today

Today is a big day for Gavin. Today is the day that we sign papers for him to begin day services. This has been such a long time coming and I’m so glad we’re finally here. As I understand it, Gavin and I will be meeting with his SSA and a representative from the day center. We will talk about Gavin’s needs and create a plan that best meets them. My guess is that he will be attending at least a few days a week but it won’t start for about 30 days. Everything has to be processed and transportation arrangements must be made. It may not take a full 30 days but that’s the current estimate and Gavin’s okay with that because it gives him some time to emotionally…

0 Comments

I think this was our last hiking trip for awhile

I took the kids out for a walk today. I figured if we could find a place that was isolated enough, we could safely get out for a bit. We ended up trying several places before settling on the Wellness Trail. There were no cars there and I felt pretty good about our odds. We came across a few people along the way. Only one person was wearing a mask and with as bad as things are getting, this might be our last trip for a little while. Not enough people are taking this seriously and it's getting too dangerous. While we were out, I was able to grab some pictures. It was a gorgeous day and we ended up walking about two miles before making our way back to…

1 Comment

One last trip before for the next few weeks

I took the boys to Quail Hollow for one last hike before the car goes in to get fixed. It's going to be a few weeks before I get it back. We don't go anywhere very often but it sucks anyway. We found an entirely new trail and it took us roughly 2.5 miles start to finish. Everyone did awesome and the weather was perfect. We were so far away from anyone else that we were able to take our masks for a little while and smell the Fall leaves. ☺ There's an abandoned house in the park that I've always wanted to know more about. You can see it in the gallery above. The trail we took today lead us right behind it. You can see the path we…

3 Comments

Easy Ways to get your Kids to Eat Healthier without the Stress

If you want to eat healthier food, then you will understand that a few simple lifestyle changes are all that’s required. For your kids, however, it is a completely different story. They may not understand the importance of eating healthily and they also might find it difficult to stick to their new routine. Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to try and help them. Don’t Place Restrictions on Food When you restrict food, you increase the risk of your child developing an eating disorder. It can also have a negative impact on your child’s overall development. Instead of placing restrictions on food, you need to try and talk about the healthy options that are available. This could include lean meats, low-fat dairy, and even fruit as…

1 Comment