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
Read more about the article I’ve crushed my first major weight-loss goal today
Fit4Autism / Link / My thoughts / Weight-loss Journey

I’ve crushed my first major weight-loss goal today

I'm super excited to share some amazing news about my personal weight-loss journey. I came into 2018 at 338 lbs. There are many things that contributed to me going from someone weighing 220 lbs and being solid muscle to where I've found myself today. There was a major injury that took me almost 15 years to overcome from and the pain prevented me from being as active as I once was. Antidepressants played a major role in the weigh gain as well, as did the stress of being an Autism parent. All that said, I also have to take ownership of the bad eating habits I'd developed over the years. Food became my way of cooping with my physical and emotional pain. Anyway, I've been working to make changes in…

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July 14, 2018
Read more about the article Here’s the silver lining to an otherwise very challenging day
My thoughts

Here’s the silver lining to an otherwise very challenging day

Today was full of challenging moments. Some of these moments I rose above and was a good leader for my family. Unfortunately, there were moments where I stumbled and fell. I didn't have the level of patience I typically have and my frustration threshold was pretty low. There were definitely moments that I'm not proud of and most of those were in relation to my lack of patience with the boys, especially Gavin. Gavin is such a good person and he tries harder than anyone I know. At the same time, he's really struggling in many areas of his life. We realized today that he can't remember how to write the letters of the alphabet and struggles writing his own name. When we try to help him, it's not uncommon…

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July 14, 2018
Read more about the article Confessions of an overwhelmed and struggling with life, #Autism Dad
Autism Parenting Confessions / My thoughts

Confessions of an overwhelmed and struggling with life, #Autism Dad

One of the things I try very hard to do with this blog, is be as honest and transparent as I can. There are always things that don't get shared and while I understand the desire to know more, we still need some privacy. This is why there are times when something I say or do seems really out of place and that's because you're probably lacking context that would make things easier to understand. Having said that, it's all about balance. I try to always be positive but not at the expense of the truth. The truth is, sometimes there's a silver lining and if you just take a second, you can find it. Other times the truth is that things just suck and there isn't any amount of…

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July 13, 2018