Read more about the article Shoe shopping online for my #autistic son
COVID19 / Emmett John / Lockdown / My thoughts

Shoe shopping online for my #autistic son

Let me just start by saying that I hate shoe shopping for Emmett, even in the most perfect of circumstances. I love Emmett to the moon and back. The issue is not that I don't want to spend the time or money, it's that sensory processing disorder makes finding things like shoes, socks and clothes difficult at times. Although, as he gets older, he's doing so much better. It can still be frustrating though, for both of us. I've talked about this a million times before but people suffering from SPD, and I use the word suffering on purpose, face challenges that the rest of us can't even imagine. In Emmett's case, he's very sensitive to things like texture, taste and smell. He doesn't like the feeling of clothes on…

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September 20, 2020
Read more about the article My kids cooked me dinner and I’m blown away
Elliott / Emmett John / My thoughts

My kids cooked me dinner and I’m blown away

One of the things we've been working on during lockdown is life skills. I try to make the best use of all the time we have available to us and it's paying off. First of all, while Elliott and Emmett are both on the autism spectrum, they're incredibly high functioning. Aside from anxiety, SPD and ADHD, they do very well. The reason I point that out is because when I work on life skills, there's a difference between the way I approach the boys and the way I approach Gavin. They're two very different situations. For the last few weeks, Elliott and Emmett have been learning to cook. They never really showed much interest until recently and have picked it up very quickly. Elliott's big thing is scrambled eggs and…

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September 16, 2020
Read more about the article I’m really proud of what we accomplished today, even if others don’t get it
My thoughts / Today's Victory

I’m really proud of what we accomplished today, even if others don’t get it

I've not talked about this much but I've started working out again. While I really, really want a treadmill, I'm making do with some free weights and a set of BowFlex kettlebells. There are some serious cardio exercises that can be done with kettlebells. Anyway, I was feeling pretty good today and so I suggested we go to our favorite outdoor location, Quail Hollow. We didn't have a whole lot of time because the boys had therapy but we got in a short hike. Elliott's eyes kill me here. He was goofing around and that's a positive thing. I mean the drive was longer than the hike but the boys got to take some awesome pictures and we found some cool little creatures along the way. We set out with…

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September 15, 2020
Read more about the article We kicked off our first full week of school
My thoughts

We kicked off our first full week of school

We just kicked off our first full week of school. As I've stated previously, we've chosen the remote learning model for a number of reasons. Today was largely a success because everyone got into their respective classes and did well. The boys seem to really be enjoying this experience better and I'm so happy with that. They love the face time with their teachers and friends. That's very positive and frankly, a huge relief. In other news. I've been thinking and I spoke with the kids today. Rebuilding my podcast studio has inspired me to make changes throughout the house, one room at a time. This has inspired me to work on the rest of the house It's important to me that we make the best of our current situation.…

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September 14, 2020
Read more about the article Okay, that’s a little over the top
Gavin / My thoughts

Okay, that’s a little over the top

The boys and I have been keeping things pretty low key today. One of the reasons for that is that Gavin's behaviors are way over the top. By over the top, I mean exaggerated. He's finding everything hilarious and is very loud and excitable. This is actually common with autistic kids but it's not super common for Gavin in particular. To be clear, he's not misbehaving in any way. He's just being a bit annoying to everyone around him. LOL That being said, it's still cool to see him in such a good mood. Gavin doesn't really have a sense of humor that most people will get and doesn't like making jokes. Today however, he's making all kinds of jokes and is goofing around. Despite it being a bit much,…

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September 13, 2020
Read more about the article It’s been a difficult week and I just realized why
My thoughts

It’s been a difficult week and I just realized why

Milestones and anniversaries are things that I can sometimes get hung up on. I've talked about that before. I'm a bit sentimental. I realized why I've been having a tough week. The reality is there's a million reasons why I've been having a tough week but there was something that overshadowed everything. I know that it's silly but there are pivotal moments in my life that will forever hold meaning for me and this past week held one of the most important. September 3rd was my 17th wedding anniversary. Yes, I know divorce is outside of my control and has proven to ultimately be for the best, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. I was aware of the date but was so overwhelmed with everything going on that…

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September 6, 2020
Read more about the article It’s been a really shitty week and I’m down but not out
General Update / My thoughts

It’s been a really shitty week and I’m down but not out

This week has been pretty rough, and that's by our standards. Thus far school has been a technical frustration for the boys and they're quickly forming an opinion that will be difficult to work through. The boys are very turned off to school at this point and there are only so many battles I can pick right now. I need this to work. Admittedly, I'm really frustrated with it myself and have questioned whether or not we chose the right school. I will say that the school staff seems really cool. I've spent a good bit of time on the phone with various teachers and administrators this week. Everyone is super nice and wanting the boys to have the best experience possible. These technical issues will hopefully be resolved in…

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August 21, 2020
Read more about the article What do I mean when I say we’re on lockdown?
My thoughts

What do I mean when I say we’re on lockdown?

I wanted to clarify something. When I say that we're on lockdown, I'm referring to the fact that 99.95% of the time we're at home. We have zero contact with other people. The boys have seen their mom twice because everyone needs to quarantine for 14 days prior to the kids going over. It's not as easy for them to do that. We connect with my parents through Facebook portal and the kids love it. They've stopped by and we've visited from good distance away but that's pretty rare because my neighborhood is pretty active and no one is following the mask mandate. I don't want my parents taking any chances either. That said, I do try to get the kids out into the woods a few times a week…

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August 12, 2020