Read more about the article Trying to explain how I feel isn’t easy
Autism Parenting Confessions / My thoughts

Trying to explain how I feel isn’t easy

I thought I would take a few minutes and talk about where I'm at right now. I don't mean where I'm physically at, but instead where I'm at emotionally. I haven't really spoken about my mental health for a little while and because it's a huge part of my life, it's important to talk about. There are so many pieces and parts that make up the person I am but my mental health has an overwhelming impact on all of them. I would never represent myself as the picture of mental health because that couldn't be further from the truth. I struggle at times. In fact, there are times I struggle a great deal. Those struggles aren't always associated with my ongoing, lifelong war with Depression either, which you can…

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July 19, 2018
Read more about the article It’s a special day today
Happy Birthday / Lizze / My thoughts

It’s a special day today

Today's a special day in our house because it's Lizze's birthday. I won't mention her age, aside from saying that she's younger than me.. ☺ Lizze is difficult to plan a birthday for so we're gonna wing it. We did the movie yesterday and we'll probably do something small at home. We don't make big deals out of our birthdays, as we reserve our resources for the kids. Maybe we'll do take out for dinner and have a movie night with one or more of her favorite movies. She's a huge fan of the Now You See Me series and the new Jumanji. Those movies never get old for her. While we don't go overboard for our birthdays, we also don't take them for granted either. When Lizze and I…

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July 18, 2018
Read more about the article It’s so unbelievably frustrating but it’s also not his fault
Link / My thoughts

It’s so unbelievably frustrating but it’s also not his fault

We got back from our trip to the movies and it was an adventure but not always in a good way. First of all, the general consensus is that the movie was mostly terrible. It made us wonder why they didn't stop at two.. Anyway, for the most part, everyone behaved quite well. The behaviors that were problematic were basically owned by Mr. Gavin. Just so we're clear, most of Gavin's behavioral issues are not his fault and are instead, the result of his overall decline. While it's challenging for Lizze and I, we try very hard to maintain perspective but it's not always easy. The main issue we had with Gavin this afternoon revolved around movie snacks. Gavin has a very difficult time with self-regulation, especially when it comes…

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July 17, 2018
Read more about the article We’re planning special trip today but taking 3 kids with Autism is challenging
Family Fun / My thoughts

We’re planning special trip today but taking 3 kids with Autism is challenging

Lizze will be celebrating a birthday tomorrow and we're starting a bit early. One of her favorite movies is Hotel Transylvania. We're going to see Hotel Transylvania 3 this morning and everyone is pretty excited. Between our Cinemark Movie Club membership and a special they're running today, it's only $20 for all five tickets. That's a really good deal... ☺ Anyway, we're going to be leaving shortly and I've got to get moving. I wanted to share a little bit of what I think is good news or at least something positive. That being said, taking three kids with Autism to the movie theater can prove challenging and we have no idea how it's going to go, until it does. I'm feeling optimistic about this little adventure and I'll let…

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July 17, 2018
Read more about the article I received the absolute best news today and I just had to share
My thoughts

I received the absolute best news today and I just had to share

It's been a really long day but I wanted to share a bit of really good news. I mentioned the other day that I had my labs drawn. It's a cholesterol check before my next follow up at the end of the month. I figured I would find out the results at said appointment. Well, after lunch today, I received an unexpected phone call from my Doctor's office. I knew it had to be about my results and the rule of thumb is that they only call with bad news. This time however, they were calling to give me some good news. I never get phone calls from people telling me good news, especially when it directly impacts me. Turns our my lab work caught their attention and did so…

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July 17, 2018
Read more about the article Building Yourself Into A Better Dad
Contributed

Building Yourself Into A Better Dad

This is a contributed post and therefore doesn't necessarily reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author. (Image Source) Over the course of your children’s lives, you’ve worked extremely hard to give them everything you possibly can. From the little lessons, they learn from you to the gifts and treats you give them, being a good dad comes on loads of different levels. It can be easy to manage one or two of them, and the real challenge won’t start until you try to handle all of them. To help you out with this part of life, this post will be exploring some examples of it, along with some tips to give you plenty of support. Knowledge: There are a lot of things which a small child…

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July 16, 2018
Read more about the article There was a massive meltdown in my house last night but it wasn’t my kid with #Autism
Autism Parenting Confessions / Elliott / My thoughts

There was a massive meltdown in my house last night but it wasn’t my kid with #Autism

It was a another horrible night. Elliott was once again unable to sleep and we ended up having a meltdown at 2 AM. I know you're probably assuming Elliott was the one having having the meltdown but you'd be wrong, well sorta anyway. I was tired and Elliott was not in a good place, being uncooperative, disagreeable, unreceptive and I eventually ran out of patience. Elliott ended up melting down and rather than rise above and help him through it, I eventually met his meltdown with one of my own. I said some things I shouldn't have said and behaved in ways that I cannot condone. Lizze and I were trying to help him, while at the same time, prevent him from waking up Emmett or Gavin. I became overwhelmed…

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July 15, 2018
Read more about the article It’s been a really nice afternoon and here’s how we spent it
My thoughts

It’s been a really nice afternoon and here’s how we spent it

The boys came home this afternoon after having a great time with their grandparents. We were on our way out to go walking when we got the call they were on their way home. We circled back around, picked them up and took them with us. Ruby has become a staple on our walks now and the boys love bringing her with us. We ended up at the old cemetery by the McKinley Monument and we walked through it. It's sorta weird walking through a cemetery but there's so much history and we pay our respects to those we who have come before us. Anyway, we walked a bit under two miles but it was really hot and humid. Ruby pooped out about halfway and Gavin was having problems as…

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July 14, 2018