Mom Meltdowns February 29, 2012

I was at Target today, minding my own business, roaming the store and enjoying the first day the little man’s been back to school after being out sick for almost 2 weeks. Browsing the sales, riding down the aisles on the bar below the cart….just being a jackass…or rather partaking in my own jackassary….then it happened, it hasn’t happened in a while, and while I try to be worry free for the most part sometimes those things you push to the back of your head because the logical part of you knows you can’t stress over what you can’t control finds a way to creep out.

 

What happened you ask?? One of my biggest fear came true…a giant green monster came through the front doors of the store, ran down the aisles screaming and growling…yanking everything off the shelves…pushing everyone who was in his path out of the way…searching frantically for ½ priced orange juice…once he found the oj….destroying everything in his path…he made his way….still screaming and trashing everything in his way…to the checkout. He then handed the cashier his expired oj coupon, and when the cashier politely, and slightly terrified, tried to politely explain the stores coupon policy the angry monster bit her head off, said “There’s your coupon bitch” and walked off…oj and expired coupon in hand….

 

 

Wait—that didn’t happen—but I have your attention now don’t I?? And I made you laugh a little too…didn’t I?? So now on to my real semi-emotionally related-meltdown….I’m roaming the aisle, goofing off, admiring my own genius for the long johns I found on clearance for super cheap, and I saw an older lady with 2 teenage boys…they weren’t related, it wasn’t a family outing…it was 2 special needs boys…who if I had to guess lived in some sort of group home and were out running errands….The boys were happy, the lady seemed caring…as I was searching for the right type of sausage I overheard them discussing the items they needed and who they were shopping for. One of the boys was walking down the aisle with his hands over his ears. And as I continued to search for the red meat free Italian flavored sausage for my calzones tonight they vanished down another aisle and that was it….That’s where most people would continue to shop and go about their business not giving it much more thought…not me…that moment, when I saw the group of three walk down a aisle in the store, minding their own business, that’s when I almost lost it…right in the middle of the store.

 

I accept the fact that stressing over what you can’t control is pointless, I understand that it doesn’t get you anywhere and I still believe that 100%, BUT that doesn’t mean feelings don’t creep up occasionally.  I accept Autism and all it Is & Isn’t. I accept I can’t control the future. I accept the fact that I must live forever to care for my children, as many special needs parents do…..But I still cannot see a special needs adult without almost losing it. It breaks my heart, not for the person, but for my own family….yes I know that makes me sound like a selfish ass…but I want it all for my kids….and while there are great long term care options available out there I hate thought of any of it! My babies need to stay babies forever…or better yet…insurance companies could realize that 1:91 children will be 1:91 adults before we know it,  and start covering more intensive therapies….Even better that that I need to find the magic trigger that makes each of cuties tick in order to help them grow to be the best they can be….

 

So you’re waiting to hear what happens next right??? Did I cry my eyes out in the middle of the store like a nutcase? Did I say too hell with it and take out my frustrations on the green expired coupon using monster, kicking him straight in his monster rear? Nope, nothing that exciting. Actually, I sucked up my feelings, shoved them deep down where they, along with all the other worries you can’t control, belong, and I went about my shopping. Feeling a little bummed at thoughts of what the future holds, but more than anything feeling excited to see my cuties after school, hug them, and tell them they are PERFECT!!!

 
REMEMBER [When those darn emotions and worries, about whatever it is you may be stressing about, start sneaking in] :::::Van Wilder said it best:::::Worryings like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere
 

High School Reunion..To Go or Not to Go? February 27, 2012

10 8 (Mildly Humorous) Reasons I’m likely to pass on my high school reunion:

• I haven’t gone anywhere, anyone who wanted to stay in touch could have easily, and I have stayed in touch with those I was closest to

• Facebook is basically a giant high school reunion every day

• I rarely get a sitter, I’d much rather spend a kid free evening out with the hubby or our friends

• I didn’t really like high school the first time around

• I saw pic of a previous years reunion…it was in a bar…doesn’t that say enough??

• It’s only been 10 years…I don’t miss anyone that much yet…ask me again in time for my 20 year reunion

• I might get beaten with a plastic coke bottle…Remember that school that made Letterman’s Top 10 List? That was my school…here’s a clip of the article for your entertainment value:

Thursday, February 21, 2002

Just after 11 a.m., a handful of students in the cafeteria began fighting. The school’s two on-site police officers tried to break up the fight using pepper spray. The melee escalated and backup officers were called in. By the time they arrived, 25 students were throwing bottles and fighting each other. Over 200 other students were nearby, most of them watching the commotion, and staying out of the way. Two police officers were wounded in trying to restore order. One was cut on his hand while the other sustained a cut to his head. Eleven students received minor injuries during the fight. Most of these injuries were minor scrapes and bruises and for breathing in the pepper spray. The backup officers were able to pull students out of the fight and arrest them. Their actions brought the whole fight to quick end. Six Bowie students and two adults were detained by the police for instigating, or sustaining, the fight. School officials said Bowie is not a troubled school, even though police records show that 14 fights have already taken place at the school since January 1. In comparison, Martin High School, the district’s largest, has had 17 fights already this calendar year. Source: Dallas Morning News – 13 Hurt, 8 Held in Fight at Arlington Bowie High

and here’s where I found the article online [I just copied and pasted it for you guys]

—I have to say the so-called ‘riot’ wasn’t nearly as entertaining or amusing as the news made it out to be

• I just don’t care that much

My Old High Shcool

I’m a MondayListicles Failure this week….I can’t come up with 10 reasons to or not to attend my High School Reunion…I guess I should get to thinking since it’s coming up this year

Can’t get enough? Want to know more about High School Me? Just click on the link…or click HERE to find out more 🙂

Vanishing Words!? February 24, 2012

Remember when your baby was first born, you’d watch him or her sleep? On nights they slept more than 2 hours you’d find yourself checking them in their crib to make sure they were still breathing…not in a morbid way, in a mom way….As they grow you learn to enjoy the silence, let sleeping babies sleep so to speak…right?

Then your kiddo gets sick for the first time, you’re up all night, even when they finally crash out. You’re checking fevers, checking breathing, etc.  I’m not alone so far…right? We’ve all done this….

Then came autism, and first words….when my son first started using words, I’d wake him every morning and ask him to talk to me. Make him repeat that one word he knew at the time. I just needed to make sure his words didn’t magically vanish while we slept. Why would words just disappear, with no rhyme or reason?…No logical reason, but nothing about autism at the time seemed logical to me.  I’m not a mom who knows her kids were born autistic and I’m not a mom who knows something else [whether environmentally related, vaccine related, whatever] caused the autism…Actually I believe autism is a combo of genetic and environmental triggers, and is at times misdiagnosed because it shares symptoms with other, possibly yet to be identified disorders. One day I think they’ll be able to break down what they today call ‘autism’ into 5, 10, 20 different conditions. There are too many variants in every case of autism for it all to be lumped into 1 category…but that’s neither here nor there..that’s actually just my ADD kicking in….getting back on track….

Hmm….where were we? Words!!! Once I realized the words wouldn’t magically vanish in my cuties sleep, next came the new speech/illness fear….Every time a cutie gets sick there’s the fear the sickness will take the words with it. Not in a weird mystic word sucking virus type of way, just in an I don’t really get it but it scares the beejeebus out of me kind of way.  I’m sure in time this fear too will pass and be replaced with some other odd parent fear, in the mean time I guess I’ll just drive the monsters crazy making them say words so I know they’re still there…

What are your irrational, semi crazy, odd, or just amusing mom fears?

As you know I’m a rule breaker bender, and this week’s topic was “Capture what it’s like to spend a day or a moment talking with your kiddo”….Instead I’m telling you what it’s like to worry that moment may never come again….In my rule bending defense, when you’re monsters are nonverbal sometimes you have to bend the rules to fit the topic…right? Either way, hope you enjoyed my ramblings, and I look forward to hearing your mom fears too…Come on now, I know I’m not alone!! 😉

Autism Is & Isn’t February 22, 2012

Autism is:

• Finding new creative ways to teach our cuties, it’s not that they aren’t smart it’s that they learn differently, you have to find what works for each child individually
• Knowing when to stop pushing to avoid meltdowns / but knowing how much to push to encourage learning.
• Positive Reinforcers (aka bribery)…and lots of them….hey I don’t work for free either…just saying
• Different for every child …just as every child is different, autism or not
• As a parent, trying to give your child all the fun experiences any child should get the opportunity to enjoy, all while sheltering them from the stares, the possible sensory overloads, and the general assheadness of many out there who mistake things like stimming for misbehaving
• Celebrating the small victories
• Remembering that autism is not our kids, our kids may have autism, but our kids are still just kids
• Realizing that no matter how frustrating it may feel at times from the parent side of it, remembering it’s a million times more frustrating for our cuties…not being able to express what they are trying to, it’s heartbreaking
• Being a translator…to the world my sons speaks a foreign language, to me he speaks pretty clearly
• A constant fear of regression
• You, as a parent, fighting for all the services your kids need and finding ways to make sure they get them

Autism isn’t:

• Caused by lazy parents..while experts cannot agree on what causes autism, and I have my own 2 cents on the issue….it is 100% NOT caused by lazy parenting
• All savants and rainmen, yes there are some true geniuses out there…some with autism, some without, but autism doesn’t always = geniusness
• Excuses….as parents it’s our job to make sure our kids learn; learn right from wrong, learn appropriate behaviors, learn anything and everything they can learn, anything and everything we can teach them, no excuses are acceptable
• Therapy 24/7, or at least it shouldn’t be….yes consistency is important, but remembering that everyone needs a break and needs down time is equally important. I don’ t get parents that push therapy all the time…My job is to be mom, to tackle the mom duties, the therapists job is to do therapy….my job is to carry over what I can into the home, not to do hours of nightly drills after my kiddos already put in a full day at school and after school therapy
• Bad…I hate all the whinning…in fact I have 2 posts ranting all about it, just waiting for my Bloggy Blankitis to go away so I can finish up the posts….Venting is 100% okay, but realizing autism isn’t bad/terrible/tragic/the end of the world is so important.

So…to sum up my mini rant….Autism is learning new creative ways to make sure our cuties learn, everything else is just parenting….remembering our kids are still kids and are perfect just the way they are, and LOVING them like CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a final thought on being nonverbal, “Just because I have no words doesn’t mean I have nothing to say”.

Hating Handwriting When Drinking? No, It’s Just Another Catch Up Post… February 21, 2012

Drink

OJ & Rum in a Mason Jar…just screw the lid on for an instant shaker, uncap & enjoy…I’ll admit this may be a little red (aka redneck) but it’s less dishes for me lol

And since everyone loves to upcycle stuff these days, I give you Halloween votive holders I got on clearance for $0.10 a piece and upcycled them into shot glasses \_/*Cheers!*\_/

Something I Hate To Do
Laundry – It’s never ending!

Handwriting

A Fav Pic Of Me

How about a pic of me and the hubs being goofy…..

 

 

FrankenPhone

Remember when I showed you guys a pic of the hubs broken phone a few days ago? It was in a FebPhotoADay post…If you forgot…[because I KNOW you read the post…right?]…here’s a pic:

Let’s just say the phone was having a rough day….

What to do??

First thought – Buy a new phone, no we’re not for upgrades, and yes we NEED it to be an iPhone, and no they will not sucker me into adding a line to get a discount on the phone…that’s a ripoff and a half by the time it’s said and done.

Other options – Be phoneless…who are we kidding, that’s not happening. Buy one at an online auction? No, unless you get lucky or want an outdated phone you don’t save all that much. Fix it…why didn’t we think of that before? Funny how genius ideas pop up when you see a price tag 😉

When the iPhone 4 first came out it was time for my upgrade, after having my awesome new phone for about a week a child who shall remain nameless dunked it in a 50 gal bucket of dog water…needless to say the phone crapped out…but we saved what was left of it. It always tried to turn on so I figured there might be hope….long story short…there was no hope for that phone, but hubs took the shell off it and the insides of his phone to create a [like]new, perfectly working, iPhone4…and all it cost was $5 for a kit that had the mini screwdriver needed.

The front and back pieces of the broken phone

Before & After

TaDa!! FrankenPhone!!!

YEAH for saving $500!!! What a WIN!!! ….and what a genius hubs 🙂

I’m linking up with YeahWrite …Have you? And have you stopped by, you’ll find tons of great new blogs to blogstalk  follow 🙂

Rather Than Clean… February 20, 2012

10 Things I’d Rather Be Doing….Instead Of Cleaning The Casa

Nothing….I LOVE to clean…

…wait for it…the lighting will strike me momentarily…

…So, I only get 10 things?!

(in no particular order)

1- Hanging out with the fam

2- Napping on a quiet beach somewhere

3- Eating a gianormous dessert at a restaurant

4- Catching up on the DVR

5- Roaming the park on a nice day….and not in the creeperish park stalker kind of way!!

6- Flying to Paris to shop & eat crepes

7- Writing this highly entertaining list for your entertainment value

8- Baking

9- Enjoying a mixed beverage

10- Playing on my phone

Know what would make me give anything to be at home cleaning? If it meant I wasn’t here….

Cutie napping on the table at the Dr’s office…Poor guy!!!

 

Easy Breakfast Sandwiches February 18, 2012

Sausage, Eggs, Bacon, Cheese on an English Muffin

I LOVE Egg McMuffins!! You know the kind you get at McD’s…However, every time I drive thru to pick up food I spend at least $20 for all us to eat. I believe the total yesterday was $23.50?!? Crazy, right? I make killer McMuffins. I guess we can’t call them McMuffins, can we…Well whatever you call them, they are 10x better than any fast food breakfast sandwich, and since you make it you know what’s actually in it..plus I make enough for all 5 of us for under $10…so here is..

1 package of English Muffins (I’ve made these on toast too and they are just as yummy!)

6 eggs – poached (Fried work well too, just not as healthy)

6 slices of cheese

6 sausage patties

1 Lb Bacon

Toast your muffins under the broiler until toasty. Top 1/2 the muffin with some sliced bacon, 1 poached egg, 1 sausage patty, and a slice of cheese. Return to broiler until the cheese starts to melt onto the sausage and egg. Top with other half of muffin, and maybe some grape jelly and enjoy!

Sounds so easy….right….well it is!! You can swap out the meats for Canadian bacon or leftover ham from dinner, if your breakfast is a breakfast on the go or a lunch box breakfast just make sure your eggs are hard poached and wrap the cooked sandwich in foil to keep it warm. Some days I sub poached eggs for fried…it’s all about whatever’s easy that morning…Easy & Yum-O!!

Costs:

1 package of english muffins – $2 (If you use toast it’s even cheaper )
1/2 doz eggs – Under $1
6 slices of cheese – Under $1
6 Sausage Patties $2
1 lb Bacon – $3
Total : about $8.00

There will be lots of bacon left over so you could put in on the side with some sliced fruit and a glass of juice, or I’m always trying to spread things a little further…and 1/2 of leftover bacon makes awesome turkey clubs for the hubs lunch and grilled cheese with bacon for the kids.

A few of you might be saying ‘We’ve seen this before!!’ Well you’re right…remember I told you guys I was moving all my posts to this blog…slowly…either way these are so easy and so good you won’t ever want them from…what’s that place?….I’m sorry these are so good I’ve already forgotten who I borrowed this idea from ;p

FebPhotoADay – Catching Up

Blue Heart Phone Something New Time

No, I’m not rambling due to a severe case of Bloggy Blankittus…I’m just playing catch up, again, on the FebPhotoADay Challenge!

1st up – BLUE
How about a thought thrown on a semi blueish background?

PHONE
Surprisingly enough it still works

HEART
I’ve got 3 for this one…a sign for a Valentine’s day pizza, sweets for my cuties, and my keys

SOMETHING NEW
….Hmmm what’s new around here? We’re pretty uneventful these days (thankfully **knocks on wood**) , so for something new I give you the little mans cereal…it actually has milk in it! If you know autism & picky eaters you know this is pretty amusing as a parent 🙂

Last up – TIME
An arm full of watches….I bet with all these on I’d still manage to run late…oh well, I’ll just blame that on the kids…shhh don’t tell ;p

This is actually part, well an arm-full, of the hubby’s watch collection

That’s it, I’m caught up! Until tomorrow at least. Have you joined in?

Drawing a Blank… February 17, 2012

I’ve been drawing a bloggy blank for weeks now….Give me a topic to ramble about I’ll yammer on for hours, but give me a blank piece of paper and say write and I’ve got nothing…In fact I usually just end up with a sheet full of doodles. I don’t know how you guys do it, come up with new, amusing, entertaining posts almost daily.

My brain is full of random thoughts flowing though my head at a million miles an hour. Random ramblings, rants, lists, religious thoughts, thoughts about loved ones, pointless thoughts, deep thoughts, thoughts about what I need to do, celebrity gossip, flashbacks, thoughts about TV shows and movies, my two cents on all the news happenings, song lyrics….The wheels are always turning…Then there’s my day, it’s always filled with humorous & or jaw dropping kiddo shenanagins. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t get covered in mud, syrup, soap, toothpaste, or someone doesn’t UFC their brother, beat up a wall, trash the house, roll in fingerpaints, color themselves with Sharpies and nail polish, fingerpaint in butter…something….but none of it seems blog worthy…

So when I sit down, I’ll babble out a few lines of jibberish, sometimes a few paragraphs, then I draw a blank….if I even get that far. Half the time I stare at a blank screen just wondering ‘what to blog about’….and Why do I it? Drive myself crazy over drawing a blogging blank….because I really do enjoy blogiging…I enjoy sharing my ramblings……I just ………..hmm….drawing another bloggy blank……{See what I mean}………Peace out……………I’ll be back, don’t worry, next time with a complete thought I promise 😉 ………

But until then I’m always full of Easy inexpensive meals in Money Saving Meals, and I promise I’m trying to stay caught up on all the great Link-Ups , be sure to check them out, I’ve found some great new blogs to blogstalk follow, you will too, I’m sure 🙂