Read more about the article I think my soul needed a recharge
Give Kids the World / My thoughts

I think my soul needed a recharge

I've been unusually tired this week. I suppose I need time to recover from our vacation. It's also possible that I'm fighting off what Lizze, Elliott and Emmett have been dealing with. Either way, while I'm short on energy, I'm feeling a renewed sense of hope and that's priceless. While we were at Give Kids the World, I didn't have to worry about anything. It was an escape from a significant amount of the things that cause me distress. I've been trying to figure out a way to better explain what happened to me while I was on vacation and I think I know how to do that now. The best way that I can describe what happened to me while staying at Give Kids the World is this: I've…

0 Comments
October 13, 2017
Read more about the article The transition home is proving more difficult
Emmett John / My thoughts / Transition

The transition home is proving more difficult

The transition home from Florida is proving to be a but harder than originally thought. The most profoundly impacted is of course, Mr. Emmett. He's still very easily overwhelmed. Dr. Pattie suggested that it could take awhile before things get back to normal. One of Emmett's biggest struggles involves sleep. He's not able to fall asleep in his own bed. Right now, he's having to fall asleep in our bed, and even that's a struggle. I'm hoping that as more time goes by, he will decompress and feel more comfortable in his own bed again.

0 Comments
October 13, 2017
Read more about the article #Anxiety and #Autism can be fucking exhausting
Autism Parenting Woes / My thoughts

#Anxiety and #Autism can be fucking exhausting

The moment Elliott climbed into the car after school, he brokedown in tears. The problem revolved around his makeup work from when we were on vacation. It's not that he can't do the work or that it's too hard. The problem is that he's overwhelmed by the amount he has to do. Elliott has always struggled with anxiety. Sometimes it's relatively minor and other times it's absolutely out of control. Today was a particularly hard day for him. Simply trying to communicate with him was challenging because he was so far over the edge. The bits and pieces of information I did manage to get from him told me that there was clearly some kind of misunderstanding between him and his teacher. Once I got him into the house, Lizze…

0 Comments
October 12, 2017
Read more about the article It’s not about the #flag or #patriotism
My Opinion / My thoughts

It’s not about the #flag or #patriotism

Donald Trump has stirred up a huge amount of shit in our country over his perception of what NFL players mean when kneeling for the National Anthem. There is a huge divide in this country and frankly, Donald Trump's responsible for a large part of it. It seems as though the NFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame are sending a message in response to all the controversy surrounding the players taking a knee during the National Anthem, as they peacefully protest racial inequality. https://youtu.be/LunHybOKIjU This is a very powerful message from Eminem, in response to Donald Trump's actions. This isn't everyone's cup of tea but he's not wrong. They have placed 310 full sized American Flags pretty much anywhere they could stick one in the ground. I've never seen…

0 Comments
October 12, 2017
Read more about the article Have I mentioned how much I hate my neighborhood
My thoughts

Have I mentioned how much I hate my neighborhood

So I woke up this morning and found this. Someone fucked up our car last night and can't even begin to imagine how this happened. It looks like something hit the trunk and then was dragged up and onto the back window. I don't think you can see it well in the picture, but the gouges are deep into the metal and into the glass. I pulled all the camera footage to see if I could see what happened and oddly enough, the camera stopped records at about 8:30 PM last night. Weird right? The estimate is taking place on Monday morning and I need to get it fixed. Shit like this happens in our neighborhood on a relatively frequent basis. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time something like this…

0 Comments
October 12, 2017
Read more about the article WTF? Is he trying to send me a message?
Emmett John / My thoughts

WTF? Is he trying to send me a message?

Emmett left me a little present the other night. One one hand, it's really sweet of him but on the other, I wonder if he's trying to send me a message. Creepers are not considered friendly creatures and leaving one on my pillow seems, at the very least, like a mixed message. lol

1 Comment
October 12, 2017
Read more about the article My number one tip for vacationing with #Autistic children
Autism Parenting Insight / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

My number one tip for vacationing with #Autistic children

I've never been a huge fan anyone telling anyone else what to do when it comes to an Autistic child. The reason being, every child is different and just because they may carry the same label, doesn't mean they have anything else in common. That being said, there is value in sharing one's personal experience because everyone can learn from the experience and decide if or when it applies to their particular situation. Having just spent ten days on vacation, four of which involved were simply driving, I learned a few things that worked for my three kids with Autism. At this point, I only want to focus on what I believe to be the most important thing I learned from this experience. This may or may not benefit your…

4 Comments
October 11, 2017
Read more about the article Major Gavin Update: Clozapine change
Clozapine Crisis / Gavin / My thoughts / Schizophrenia

Major Gavin Update: Clozapine change

You may remember that we began reducing the amount of Clozapine he's taking to manage the symptoms of Schizophrenia. Due to negative side effects that involve serious issues with his blood, we are reducing the dosage. Before we left for Florida, we worked with Dr. Reynolds to move Gavin from 600 mg/day to 500 mg/day. We didn't notice any Earth cracking changes and so once we returned from our trip, we made the next move. As of Monday morning, Gavin is only taking 400 mg/day. We haven't noticed anything at this point, that would make us want to return to the higher dose. That doesn't mean we aren't seeing concerning regression, because we are. The thing about the regression is that it's not likely tied to the Clozapine or the…

2 Comments
October 11, 2017