You know, I try not to complain too much. I can look around for a whole five seconds and always find someone that has it worse than I do. In the big grand scheme of things, my life is very do-able.
And most of the time I manage to keep that perspective based on one condition: life is great as long as I stay in what I call my bubble. Let me explain. When you have a special needs child your day to day life takes on a different meaning. You tend to even have a vocabulary that most people don't hear i.e. developmental delays, therapy goals, sensory input, spectrum issues, etc. These are also part of my 'bubble.'
Since I am blessed enough to be a stay at home mom, it also enables me to be at almost EVERY therapy appointment 2x each week. I like being there during the therapy transitions so I can hear firsthand how my little man did and what they are currently working on. So it's always awesome when you hear how great he's doing and how he's meeting his goals and how they can tell I work with him A LOT at home. ;)
However, all it takes is one moment around NT (neuro-typical) children Aden's age to burst my bubble. Literally. About the time we have several good therapy sessions in a row and I think, 'Wow, I so got this!' then reality kicks me in the butt. I am already having a panic attack thinking about things like VBS coming up this summer. There are so many precious little ones there the same age as Aden. They are potty trained, talking, coloring pictures, can sit and watch videos, and the list goes on. My chunky monkey can't do any of those things. Last year during VBS I volunteered in the preschool class like always and it almost killed me. After coming home from Church (yes, I know), I would grab the biggest wine glass I could find and fill that bad boy to the rim. Then my poor wine glass and I climbed into a bubble bath and cried. Every. Single. Night. For a week. It was great.
So that leads me to this: How do you keep from just completely flipping out on a daily basis? How do I keep from worrying about his future and just make it through the next day, week, or month? How do I keep from wondering if he will ever have a girlfriend, go to college, have a good job, be self-sufficient? I halfway jokingly told a mom at therapy that I needed to figure out how to take the man approach. You now, if I don't think about then it's all ok. LOL
I guess time will only tell, huh? In the meantime, I hope the people at the liquor store don't have the chance to know me on a first name basis. ;)
June 07, 2011
April 19, 2011
Autism Awareness
April is Autism Awareness Month. I am aware of autism every single day so here is the story of our journey so far:
I am the mom of some seriously amazing little boys. Yes, I am just a little biased. ;) But being a typical mom I also panic when something isn't quite right with one of the munchkins. Fevers, colds, boo-boos always make me nervous but thankfully they are almost always temporary. Almost.
There is no way you are ever prepared to deal with something that will have a negative affect on your children for the rest of their lives. Even the good stuff can throw you for a loop. But already having have one kiddo on the spectrum (Ethan is a very high-functioning Aspie), you would think I couldn't have been shocked by much. Guess again.
Ethan actually went through Early Intervention Services and tested out by the time he was three. I was a little thrown by his Aspie dx a couple of years later but it was do-able. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for Aden's. I still remember the day I realized he had not said a single word to me in two days. He had recurrent ear infections so I could only hope he had another one and just couldn't hear me. Yeah. Right. After a trip to the doctor that gave him a clean bill of health, that sweet little voice didn't return. Then I realized he wouldn't look at me anymore. Actually, he wouldn't look at anyone or even acknowledge someone else unless you were right in his face. The final heart-sinking moment was when he started randomly rocking. He rocked to the point he busted out the back of an overstuffed chair in the living room. I remember standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room just watching him until I ran to my bathroom because I couldn't fight off being sick when it finally clicked about what was wrong with my Mr. Chunky Monkey.
After the shock wore off, the phone calls and appointments began. An endless string of hearing checks, evaluations, paperwork as tall as Aden, etc. Even though I already knew in my head that he was autistic, I still got physically ill every time I read how delayed he was/is and then when he was officially diagnosed I had one major pity party after seeing it in black and white.
However, due to some AMAZING therapists I began to slowly but surely get my son back. It has taken over a year but Aden is able to say a few words and is learning sign language to fill in the gaps. He will now look at me again and even laughs at his goofy big brothers. :) He loves to be tickled and will do just about anything for apples. He will notice us in the same room. Well, most of the time. And the best part? I got to hear him say 'mommy' again for the first time in almost two years.
I hope someday he is talking so much we will be begging him to shut up. I hope someday the big world around him isn't so scary that he covers his ears, tightly closes his eyes, and tries to make it go away. I hope I get to someday hear him add the words 'I love you' to his verbal vocabulary. I hope someday he will be able to hold down a job, get married, and make beautiful babies with his big brown eyes. I hope he becomes the very best Aden he could ever be, no matter what his future holds.
In the meantime I will be ecstatic over those smiles that can melt steel. I will treasure every single hug and kiss he gives (especially since he didn't do that for a long time either). I will be his biggest cheerleader when he masters a new sign or reaches a milestone most children his age reached years ago. I will be thankful for this very special -in every sense of the word- boy that has taught me more than I could ever teach him. I will be thankful that for some reason God chose me to be his mom.
I am the mom of some seriously amazing little boys. Yes, I am just a little biased. ;) But being a typical mom I also panic when something isn't quite right with one of the munchkins. Fevers, colds, boo-boos always make me nervous but thankfully they are almost always temporary. Almost.
There is no way you are ever prepared to deal with something that will have a negative affect on your children for the rest of their lives. Even the good stuff can throw you for a loop. But already having have one kiddo on the spectrum (Ethan is a very high-functioning Aspie), you would think I couldn't have been shocked by much. Guess again.
Ethan actually went through Early Intervention Services and tested out by the time he was three. I was a little thrown by his Aspie dx a couple of years later but it was do-able. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, prepared me for Aden's. I still remember the day I realized he had not said a single word to me in two days. He had recurrent ear infections so I could only hope he had another one and just couldn't hear me. Yeah. Right. After a trip to the doctor that gave him a clean bill of health, that sweet little voice didn't return. Then I realized he wouldn't look at me anymore. Actually, he wouldn't look at anyone or even acknowledge someone else unless you were right in his face. The final heart-sinking moment was when he started randomly rocking. He rocked to the point he busted out the back of an overstuffed chair in the living room. I remember standing in the doorway between the kitchen and living room just watching him until I ran to my bathroom because I couldn't fight off being sick when it finally clicked about what was wrong with my Mr. Chunky Monkey.
After the shock wore off, the phone calls and appointments began. An endless string of hearing checks, evaluations, paperwork as tall as Aden, etc. Even though I already knew in my head that he was autistic, I still got physically ill every time I read how delayed he was/is and then when he was officially diagnosed I had one major pity party after seeing it in black and white.
However, due to some AMAZING therapists I began to slowly but surely get my son back. It has taken over a year but Aden is able to say a few words and is learning sign language to fill in the gaps. He will now look at me again and even laughs at his goofy big brothers. :) He loves to be tickled and will do just about anything for apples. He will notice us in the same room. Well, most of the time. And the best part? I got to hear him say 'mommy' again for the first time in almost two years.
I hope someday he is talking so much we will be begging him to shut up. I hope someday the big world around him isn't so scary that he covers his ears, tightly closes his eyes, and tries to make it go away. I hope I get to someday hear him add the words 'I love you' to his verbal vocabulary. I hope someday he will be able to hold down a job, get married, and make beautiful babies with his big brown eyes. I hope he becomes the very best Aden he could ever be, no matter what his future holds.
In the meantime I will be ecstatic over those smiles that can melt steel. I will treasure every single hug and kiss he gives (especially since he didn't do that for a long time either). I will be his biggest cheerleader when he masters a new sign or reaches a milestone most children his age reached years ago. I will be thankful for this very special -in every sense of the word- boy that has taught me more than I could ever teach him. I will be thankful that for some reason God chose me to be his mom.
April 07, 2011
Review Giveaway!!
Time4Learning is a flexible online educational program that I recently began using for my second grader. They offer a complete curriculum in language arts and math for grades pre-k through eighth. They also offer science, social studies and art as a bonus.
I arranged a Review Giveaway for the first 25 of my readers interested in writing an honest review in exchange for a FREE 30 day trial of Time4Learning. If interested, click HERE to get started. Also, don't forget to leave a comment below with a link to your blog. I want to be able to read your review! Have fun and good luck! :)
I arranged a Review Giveaway for the first 25 of my readers interested in writing an honest review in exchange for a FREE 30 day trial of Time4Learning. If interested, click HERE to get started. Also, don't forget to leave a comment below with a link to your blog. I want to be able to read your review! Have fun and good luck! :)
April 03, 2011
Bro Jitsu
Hi there!! In this crazy thing I call 'my life' I still try to find time for just me. Part of is accomplished in the wee hours of the morning since I don't seem to be able to sleep much. Some of the things I do when I can't sleep is check my email, harass my friends on Facebook, harass my friends in real life ;), I crochet a little, and I LOVE to read.
So when I get the opportunity to review books I get really excited! Awhile back I was asked to review a book called Bro Jitsu. The title alone cracked me up. Not only do I have three boys but as some of you know my oldest has almost completed his third year of Taekwondo. I figured this book was right up my alley!
Well, I have not laughed that hard in a while. Maybe it's from being around boys all the time or just remembering all of the Bro Jitsu movesy big brother and all of his friends tried on me at least once. Either way, it's hysterical and fun. :) Too bad I didn't have knowledge of some of the defensive moves when I was growing up. LOL. My oldest was also able to read some of it before this review and I lost count of how many times I heard him giggling out loud.
If you were an older sibling, the baby, or somewhere in between you should check this out. It would also make for some fun summer reading for kids on a break from school. You can click on the title of this post to order it from Amazon or click here to watch a short Youtube video. Have fun!!
Many thanks to Daniel H. Wilson (the author) and to Darlene Chan (publicist) for allowing me the opportunity to do this review. A copy of Bro Jitsu was provided to me free of charge for an honest review on this blog. I was not compensated in any way.
So when I get the opportunity to review books I get really excited! Awhile back I was asked to review a book called Bro Jitsu. The title alone cracked me up. Not only do I have three boys but as some of you know my oldest has almost completed his third year of Taekwondo. I figured this book was right up my alley!
Well, I have not laughed that hard in a while. Maybe it's from being around boys all the time or just remembering all of the Bro Jitsu movesy big brother and all of his friends tried on me at least once. Either way, it's hysterical and fun. :) Too bad I didn't have knowledge of some of the defensive moves when I was growing up. LOL. My oldest was also able to read some of it before this review and I lost count of how many times I heard him giggling out loud.
If you were an older sibling, the baby, or somewhere in between you should check this out. It would also make for some fun summer reading for kids on a break from school. You can click on the title of this post to order it from Amazon or click here to watch a short Youtube video. Have fun!!
Many thanks to Daniel H. Wilson (the author) and to Darlene Chan (publicist) for allowing me the opportunity to do this review. A copy of Bro Jitsu was provided to me free of charge for an honest review on this blog. I was not compensated in any way.
March 30, 2011
Time4Learning
A few weeks ago I was asked to do a review of the Time4Learning website. This program is for Preschool - 8th grade. Being a homeschool mom, I was very interested in using the website as the biggest portion of our curriculum. (Please click HERE for information regarding using it as a whole curriculum.)
Part of my being able to review the website and curriculum, I was given a free month to try it and see what I thought. Since my oldest was already using a computer based program for school, I decided Ethan (the middle one) was the perfect candidate for being a guinea pig. :) We normally use textbook, library books. and workbooks for the majority of his curriculum. He is a very visually oriented munchkin and he likes workbooks because he can see exactly how much of the workbook has been completed and what he has accomplished. It also gives him light at the end of the tunnel as more pages are completed, but he doesn't think I know that yet. (The more they gripe, the more work I assign. LOL)
He was actually really excited about the idea when I approached him with it. We had actually played around with some of the demo lessons before but I wasn't sure it would be enough to make a complete curriculum. Well of course he shocked me by LOVING it. Because of his Asperger's, we tend to focus a lot on the basics so that he can always build on them more later. However, within two weeks he was so proud of himself because he had completed every single Science lesson they provide. Every. Single. Lesson. It also cracked him up when his older brother tattled on him about playing video games during a school day and he got to proudly say he was done with his lessons and the video games were allowed because they were on the school "playground." It's a good thing he's cute, but I digress..............
The bottom line is Ethan was excited about school again and it didn't fade after a couple of weeks. He also seems to be learning a lot of new information that seemed to sink in better than other textbook type material. I think I will probably continue to supplement some of the information, but for a basic curriculum I really liked it and plan on continuing to use it. Check out it out when you get a chance.
**This website was provided to me for an honest review on this blog. I was provided one (1) free month of the program for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was provided.
Part of my being able to review the website and curriculum, I was given a free month to try it and see what I thought. Since my oldest was already using a computer based program for school, I decided Ethan (the middle one) was the perfect candidate for being a guinea pig. :) We normally use textbook, library books. and workbooks for the majority of his curriculum. He is a very visually oriented munchkin and he likes workbooks because he can see exactly how much of the workbook has been completed and what he has accomplished. It also gives him light at the end of the tunnel as more pages are completed, but he doesn't think I know that yet. (The more they gripe, the more work I assign. LOL)
He was actually really excited about the idea when I approached him with it. We had actually played around with some of the demo lessons before but I wasn't sure it would be enough to make a complete curriculum. Well of course he shocked me by LOVING it. Because of his Asperger's, we tend to focus a lot on the basics so that he can always build on them more later. However, within two weeks he was so proud of himself because he had completed every single Science lesson they provide. Every. Single. Lesson. It also cracked him up when his older brother tattled on him about playing video games during a school day and he got to proudly say he was done with his lessons and the video games were allowed because they were on the school "playground." It's a good thing he's cute, but I digress..............
The bottom line is Ethan was excited about school again and it didn't fade after a couple of weeks. He also seems to be learning a lot of new information that seemed to sink in better than other textbook type material. I think I will probably continue to supplement some of the information, but for a basic curriculum I really liked it and plan on continuing to use it. Check out it out when you get a chance.
**This website was provided to me for an honest review on this blog. I was provided one (1) free month of the program for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was provided.
March 21, 2011
TOS Review: Brill Kids Aesop's Fables
A few months ago I was able to review the software for Brill Kids Early Readers and loved it! This time I was able to review storybooks by the same company. The story books were classic tales of Aesop's Fables made especially for beginning readers.
The books are made with really cute illustrations that are bright and colorful to keep little ones' attention. They are also made with a flap to cover the picture while you help a young reader learn the text then show them the illustration that goes with that text. The words along with the delayed visual can make the meaning of the words sink in. And if you are already a Brill Kids Early Reader member, you can download these into your program already installed on your computer too. They are available HERE for $37.50. Although my little guy isn't quite ready to learn how to read yet, I look forward to keeping these on our book shelf for a long time.
For other reviews of this product, please check out the Homeschool Crew below:
**These products were provided to me free of charge for an honest review on this blog. I was not compensated by the vendor.
February 24, 2011
Time4Learning
I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning is an online educational program that can be used in many ways including as a homeschooling curriculum or afterschool tutorial. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.
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