My #specialneeds #immunocompromised son is terrified by #COVID19 and afraid of dying alone

I just spent a good chunk of time trying to convince Gavin that he does not have COVID19. This is heartbreaking and becoming an ongoing struggle that's proving difficult to navigate. In case you're one of my many new readers, here's a little background on Gavin so you can put this into perspective. Gavin is 20 years old but emotionally and cognitively, he's somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 or 6 years of age. That's the best guess as to where he is developmentally. Gavin also has many health issues that render his health fragile. While they all matter, the biggest concern in regards to COVID19 is that he's significantly immunocompromised. This means his immune system doesn't function properly and in order to stay healthy, he needs to infuse a…

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Breaking the monotony of lockdown with some backyard fun

The boys and I have been working on setting up a fire pit in our yard. We're cleaning out the back half, and building an area were we can spend time together and sorta feel like we're escaping all this insanity. Our first planned fire is this Friday. We have to register with the city and wait 48 hours before using it. We have some food to cook over the fire and the kids are really looking forward to seeing all their hard work pay off. It's still bittersweet because there are four seats instead of five but that's okay. We decided this would our guys spot. Maybe we'll add a fifth seat for when the pandemic is over and their friends come to visit again. I'm looking forward to…

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Focusing on the positive

There's so much going on right now and our lives are on hold in many ways. The stress is getting to all of us and it's quite common for me to hear the kids fighting throughout the day. They are so overwhemled by everything and I just don't know how to help them purge some of that stress and anxiety. Anyway, I wanted to share this because it made me so happy to see. I was working and when I realized how quiet the house was, I went to check. I wanted to make sure everything and everyone was okay. It's not a common occurance for the house to be quiet during the day. When I walked into the living room, this is what I found. Elliott and Emmett were…

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How To Make Sure Of A Great Fishing Trip

As a country, the United States is able to boast a wealth of world-class fishing locations. According to the most recent statistics, as of 2017, 16.5 percent of the population in the United States over the age of six-years-old have been fishing. There is something for absolutely everyone when it comes to trying to land a great catch and nowhere better to do it than in luxurious fishing waters such as the ones Miami has to offer. With that in mind, in this blog post, we will reveal what you need to consider when you are booking a fishing trip, as well as why Miami is such a great choice. https://www.pexels.com/photo/beach-clouds-daylight-fishing-848737/ What should you consider to ensure your fishing trip is a great one? For someone looking to book their…

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The biggest challenges I face with my #autistic kids on #COVID19 lockdown

I've been talking to some fantastic experts on my podcast recently. My goal is to help parents better help their kids navigate the COVID19 lockdown. The feedback thus far has been very positive and I have more interviews coming. One of the most common things that everyone is saying is essential, especially in regards to autistic kids, is routine. Routine is paramount to helping our kids feel safe, secure, and in control during these scary, uncertain times. Generally, autistic kids require a very rigid structure and a strict routine in their daily lives. I'm not going into the whys at this point, so please just accept that as fact, because it is pretty common knowledge.  COVID19 and our response to it has thrown our lives into chaos. Schools are…

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Safe and Healthy Is The Goal

I kinda exhausted my writing resources today working on a new project that I'll tell you more about when I can. That being said, I committed to writing at least once a day and I'm trying to live up to that commitment. I thought I would drop a quick little update on how we're doing. Big picture, we're doing pretty good. There are many things that are major challenges right now. Those challenges don't undon the fact that we're all safe and healthy. At the end of the day, safe and healthy is the primary goal. One of the things that I wanted to acknowledge is how difficult it's been for Lizze. I don't know what goes on in her life anymore, as my contact is limited and only in…

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It took 56 days but it finally happened

I really wish I had the energy to write more but the reality is, I don't. It's not even a close call either. I'm really trying to push myself because writing is so important to me for a million reasons but one of the biggest is that it's a form of therapy. Without writing, I tend to carry a ton of shit around that isn't healthy. My goal is to write at least once a day. I feel like that's very realistic. It's a far cry from what I used to do but it's better than giving up. I'm starting tonight, even though I'm exhausted and wanting to crash, I want to get some writing done, because I'm hoping it will help me to sleep. There were many challenges today,…

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No Regrets: Trading One Dream For Another

I wanted to share something that happened recently. There's so much going on that sorta drowns out moments like these. The other day, Elliott was digging through some drawers and he found a very special piece of my past. I don't talk about it much because it doesn't really matter anymore and truthfully, it sometimes makes me sad to remember all I gave up. The picture above shows my old uniform shirt from when I was a fire medic. I haven't seen it in I don't know how long. For those that don't know, when I met my soon to be ex-wife (I fucking hate saying that but I don't know how else to say it anymore), I was just finishing up medic school and already working at the fire…

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