Read more about the article In the continued spirit of we can’t catch a break, Gavin found a concerning mass in his arm
Gavin / My thoughts

In the continued spirit of we can’t catch a break, Gavin found a concerning mass in his arm

I haven't had a chance to talk about this yet but I'm making the time to do so now. Gavin came home from his Grandparents house on Monday afternoon. Shortly after he got back, he brought to my attention that he found what he describes as a lump on his right forearm. I didn't think anything of it because Gavin freaks out about everything and most often there's nothing to worry about or it's all in his head. Lizze or I will always check things out anyway but we don't assume the worst, if that makes sense.. It was my turn to check things out and when I did, I calmly called Lizze over to look for herself. What I found on Gavin's arm is definitely concerning but I don't…

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October 2, 2018
Read more about the article As an #Autism parent, I have to celebrate the wins, even if no one else gets it
Autism Parenting Insight / My thoughts / Today's Victory

As an #Autism parent, I have to celebrate the wins, even if no one else gets it

I know yesterday was a rough one for me and I was run pretty ragged but there were some positives. I wanted to quickly share one of those positives with you and encourage you to try and focus on the positives in your life. ☺ One of the big frustrations I have at home is the amount of screen time the kids have. In a more typical situation, it's much easier to limit that screen time and sorta tamp it down to a more reasonable level. Most kids don't like the idea of giving up screen time in general. For kids with Autism, it's a much more complicated situation and I know many of you out there may shudder at the idea of taking your child's tablet away. It's not…

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October 2, 2018
Read more about the article Here’s a MASSIVE update from just the last 24 hours
General Update / My thoughts

Here’s a MASSIVE update from just the last 24 hours

The last 24 hours have been quite challenging and I'm going to explain why over the next few pages. Last night, Lizze and I did end up seeing a movie. It was awesome to get out for a little while. Unfortunately, Lizze wasn't feeling well after the show, so we cut the night short. No sooner did we get home than I got a call from Elliott saying that while they were visiting family, Emmett got bit by a dog that was there. Elliott was freaking out, Emmett was freaking out and I was trying to piece together what happened. Lizze's mom was trying to explain but Elliott wasn't making it easy. Long story short, I was pissed the fuck off about the dog. It's family, which complicates things. m…

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October 2, 2018
Read more about the article As an #Autism and #SpecialNeeds parent, I sometimes desperately need a sense of normalcy
Autism Parenting Insight / Inspirational Posts / My thoughts

As an #Autism and #SpecialNeeds parent, I sometimes desperately need a sense of normalcy

Lizze and I might have the entire night to ourselves. I'm not sure what we're going to do with our free time but I at least a tiny bit of walking will be part of it. I want to finish the month strong. Money is really tight and a huge source stress/anxiety. Now we have at least a $1,000 deductible to come up with related to our homeowners claim in regards to the storm damage to our house, garage, yard and tree (see It's pretty bad but thank God no one was hurt). Our car is really beyond repair and things like groceries or other everyday expenses aren't getting any cheaper. We're also taking Zane, one of our service ferrets to the vet in the morning because something isn't right…

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September 30, 2018
Read more about the article My 18 year old with #Autism did two amazing things this week
Autism Parenting Insight / Gavin / My thoughts

My 18 year old with #Autism did two amazing things this week

I was incredibly overwhelmed last night but I'm feeling a bit better this morning. As a result of feeling a bit less overwhelmed by life, I'm able to puts some focus on a couple really positive things that Gavin has done over the last week. There are loads of concerning issues as well but he's done two things in particular that I want to talk about because it shows that there's always hope. ☺ In order to appreciate these things, you need to adjust your expectations and keep in mind that Gavin is a six year old trapped inside an eighteen year olds body. Perspective is important. That said...... Gavin came to me yesterday and informed me that he has diarrhea. Why is this significant? The fact that he has…

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September 30, 2018
Read more about the article WordPress is killing me right now
My thoughts

WordPress is killing me right now

I'm incredibly frustrated with this site right now. For some reason, entire months of images are corrupting and featured images are disappearing. It seems to be happening to older entries and not more recent ones. I'm finding that a large number of images are missing from posts written in 2015. It's really weird because in most cases, the image is still visibly embedded in the post itself but is broken in the media gallery and no longer available for the featured image. There are potentially hundreds of posts that need fixed and hundreds of images that need to be recreated, resaved, reuploaded and reconnected to their respective posts.. I suspect it to be a database issue and I can't find the problem. I don't know if it's going to get…

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September 30, 2018
Read more about the article #ADHD can make maintaining the house very challenging
My thoughts

#ADHD can make maintaining the house very challenging

I'm feeling pretty good this afternoon and even a little motivated. I got my walking in and met my goal for the month. Now I want to spend some time today on the house. We have to get caught up. I live in a house with 4 people who have ADHD. People with ADHD tend to be a bit less organized, are pretty impulsive and struggle with paying attention. That can make keeping up with the house, difficult on a good day. As the odd person out (the only one without ADHD in my house), I find this frustrating because I'm a very organized person and while I struggle with chaos, others seem to thrive in it. ☺ My goal is to find a way to work within everyone's limitations…

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September 29, 2018
Read more about the article I will be achieving a MAJOR goal today
Inspirational Posts / My thoughts / Self-Care

I will be achieving a MAJOR goal today

I'm really excited about today. I spoke yesterday about my current struggles with depression and anxiety. Sometimes I have good days and sometimes I have bad days. Today is a mixed bag for me but I'm going to focus on the positive. In a few minutes, I'm going to go walking and if everything goes as planned, I'm also going to reach my goal for the month before I'm done. Over the past 29 days, I climbed into the car and drove to the park to go walking a total of 35 times. The total mileage of those walks is GPS tracked and clocks in at 77.68 miles. My goal is to hit 80 miles this month and I'll do so before the end of my walk today. For me…

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September 29, 2018