The Special Olympics

I had two athletes in the Special Olympics this year, and that was enough reason to take the time off of work, and to take the oldest boy out of school. When your children are Special Needs, there aren't Holiday Plays (nee Christmas Plays) and school functions that it really works well to be a part of, or are even included in. We try to go to things, or we used to, but as time passes I guess even we give up a little at going mainstream.

It was hot, too hot for special little guys who have trouble waiting and understanding concepts like patience. I actually kinda think that next year we should volunteer to split up and help out the individual classes, the kids get so bored and frustrated waiting.

Miles teacher was able to take the moderate kids over to the play area though, and that was a great distraction.

Eventually our heats came up. If you don't know how it works, they divide the athletes into groups and you go in your little groups through the various activities.

My Charlie is in the severe autism class. It has a level number - level 1? I forget. But his group only did the race because it was a really long wait, and everyone was super cranky. Plus Charlie was scared when the race started by all the noise. That's my sweet Charlie covering his ears and screaming.

But before you think his day was all bad, let me assure you it wasn't. After all - he got to see one of his old teachers and despite being upset during the race he left it behind him (rare for my little guy on the Spectrum, being upset doesn't always fade so fast).

That's his teacher in the white shirt behind him. Laura - she's TOTALLY FRAU REISINGER. That's all I'm saying. Inside joke, sorry.

At the end there are awards and everyone gets to be celebrated. Even little boys who don't want to go down the track.

Miles did much better, he got to play all the games and won more than one ribbon which his interest was mediocre at best.

He even won a second place ribbon for something but I have no idea what. Long jump? Good grief I'm a terrible parent I don't know. I suppose it doesn't matter, I did see him win it after all. Obviously the pic below isn't second place.

That's a lot of pictures for one day out. But, my oldest and youngest do a lot of things. I plaster my FB and my plurk and instagram with images of them, doing this doing that going here going there. Along for the ride always, are Miles and Charlie. Today was one of those rare days, that they brought us along with them. 

We were all glad to come.

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The Special Olympics

I had two athletes in the Special Olympics this year, and that was enough reason to take the time off of work, and to take the oldest boy out of school. When your children are Special Needs, there aren't Holiday Plays (nee Christmas Plays) and school functions that it really works well to be a part of, or are even included in. We try to go to things, or we used to, but as time passes I guess even we give up a little at going mainstream.

It was hot, too hot for special little guys who have trouble waiting and understanding concepts like patience. I actually kinda think that next year we should volunteer to split up and help out the individual classes, the kids get so bored and frustrated waiting.

Miles teacher was able to take the moderate kids over to the play area though, and that was a great distraction.

Eventually our heats came up. If you don't know how it works, they divide the athletes into groups and you go in your little groups through the various activities.

My Charlie is in the severe autism class. It has a level number - level 1? I forget. But his group only did the race because it was a really long wait, and everyone was super cranky. Plus Charlie was scared when the race started by all the noise. That's my sweet Charlie covering his ears and screaming.

But before you think his day was all bad, let me assure you it wasn't. After all - he got to see one of his old teachers and despite being upset during the race he left it behind him (rare for my little guy on the Spectrum, being upset doesn't always fade so fast).

That's his teacher in the white shirt behind him. Laura - she's TOTALLY FRAU REISINGER. That's all I'm saying. Inside joke, sorry.

At the end there are awards and everyone gets to be celebrated. Even little boys who don't want to go down the track.

Miles did much better, he got to play all the games and won more than one ribbon which his interest was mediocre at best.

He even won a second place ribbon for something but I have no idea what. Long jump? Good grief I'm a terrible parent I don't know. I suppose it doesn't matter, I did see him win it after all. Obviously the pic below isn't second place.

That's a lot of pictures for one day out. But, my oldest and youngest do a lot of things. I plaster my FB and my plurk and instagram with images of them, doing this doing that going here going there. Along for the ride always, are Miles and Charlie. Today was one of those rare days, that they brought us along with them. 

We were all glad to come.

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Cough, Cough Puke Gag Gurgle Splatter

I had something to write about today. Actually for like two days. I just haven't had time or energy. But then my train of thought was interrupted by life at about 5am this morning. The girl child had the terrible exploding butt last night and followed up in the early AM with exploding vomit all over the room.

There isn't a book for this that I know of. I mean, there is a "what to feed them if they have stomach flu" sort of instructions you can get from books and doctors but I mean, how to handle puke all over your bedroom floor and you're barefoot and the lights are out - where is the manual for that?

Round one wasn't so bad. A bit on the nightie a bit into a quickly placed babywipe that I was able to grab and we changed jammies, determined there was no fever and she snuggled into bed with me, tucked under my chin and sleeping on my heart.

Round two took place precisely two minutes before my "You Must Get Up Now" final alarm went off. Cough cough was the prelude and I jumped up with her but too late. 

I have to now say something about my husband. He's a Puke Warrior. Four kids into this life, he has always, 100% of the time, cleaned up the puke. Whether in the bedroom, bathroom, living room, a hot steamy tent in Florida, I take the kid and clean them up and he cleans up the horror show they left behind. 

I am getting the best part of this deal I assure you.

The girl child is now resting, a bit sweaty, in her third set of jammies since 5am. One boy has gone off to school and I've 25 minutes before the next bus arrives. I'm drinking my coffee, the husband went out side to smoke a cigarette and is now trying to get some more sleep. 

I'm sitting here realizing my stomach feels queasy.

Perfect.

Cough, Cough Puke Gag Gurgle Splatter

I had something to write about today. Actually for like two days. I just haven't had time or energy. But then my train of thought was interrupted by life at about 5am this morning. The girl child had the terrible exploding butt last night and followed up in the early AM with exploding vomit all over the room.

There isn't a book for this that I know of. I mean, there is a "what to feed them if they have stomach flu" sort of instructions you can get from books and doctors but I mean, how to handle puke all over your bedroom floor and you're barefoot and the lights are out - where is the manual for that?

Round one wasn't so bad. A bit on the nightie a bit into a quickly placed babywipe that I was able to grab and we changed jammies, determined there was no fever and she snuggled into bed with me, tucked under my chin and sleeping on my heart.

Round two took place precisely two minutes before my "You Must Get Up Now" final alarm went off. Cough cough was the prelude and I jumped up with her but too late. 

I have to now say something about my husband. He's a Puke Warrior. Four kids into this life, he has always, 100% of the time, cleaned up the puke. Whether in the bedroom, bathroom, living room, a hot steamy tent in Florida, I take the kid and clean them up and he cleans up the horror show they left behind. 

I am getting the best part of this deal I assure you.

The girl child is now resting, a bit sweaty, in her third set of jammies since 5am. One boy has gone off to school and I've 25 minutes before the next bus arrives. I'm drinking my coffee, the husband went out side to smoke a cigarette and is now trying to get some more sleep. 

I'm sitting here realizing my stomach feels queasy.

Perfect.

Birthdays Southern Belle Style

My own Georgia Peach turned three this past week. I took the day off of work and we did what all good southern girls like to do - we went to the Margaret Mitchell House.

Points of interest. This is just an apartment. She did live there when she wrote Gone With The Wind, but it's a wee one bedroom apartment. It was charming, and I have to admit, the entire tour was totally fascinating to me. I'm a pretty typical Gone With The Wind fan, I'm female, but learning about Margaret Mitchell the WOMAN was pretty interesting. I think my two biggest take aways were her amazing philanthropy to the black community when she started making money off GWTW (I think somehow I always painted her as racist...it's not fashionable nor feminist to love GWTW) but the other thing I was intrigued by was, she wrote the last chapter first.


Ok I admit it. This part of the day was for ME. But, I've never been and the tour was included with our membership to The Atlanta History Center.
The girl got a souvenir though.

She thinks it's a puppet. I like to hold it up and go "YOU AINT SHOWIN YOUR BOSOMS AFORE THREE O'CLOCK!" and other things. 

Hey, her birthday, that's what she wanted.

So that's obviously not a three year old birthday celebration.

So what we actually did for HER was have a cake (made by her big brother Louis and herself) and presents at the house and then jaunt off to that mecca of childhood joy for a proper little party. Where do I mean?

Why, Chuck E Cheese of course!

Interesting side note. Miles went over to the hoops game, and wanted to play. I've never once seen him show an interest in basketball.

Who drained shot after shot? Miles. I never saw him even pick up a ball before. Apparently they're doing this in school because this was amazing. The kid has Hoosier DNA after all!

It was a good day to turn three.

I'm pleased to report she has left the terrible twos behind her. And run straight into whatever the hell tantrum age is next.

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Birthdays Southern Belle Style

My own Georgia Peach turned three this past week. I took the day off of work and we did what all good southern girls like to do - we went to the Margaret Mitchell House.

Points of interest. This is just an apartment. She did live there when she wrote Gone With The Wind, but it's a wee one bedroom apartment. It was charming, and I have to admit, the entire tour was totally fascinating to me. I'm a pretty typical Gone With The Wind fan, I'm female, but learning about Margaret Mitchell the WOMAN was pretty interesting. I think my two biggest take aways were her amazing philanthropy to the black community when she started making money off GWTW (I think somehow I always painted her as racist...it's not fashionable nor feminist to love GWTW) but the other thing I was intrigued by was, she wrote the last chapter first.


Ok I admit it. This part of the day was for ME. But, I've never been and the tour was included with our membership to The Atlanta History Center.
The girl got a souvenir though.

She thinks it's a puppet. I like to hold it up and go "YOU AINT SHOWIN YOUR BOSOMS AFORE THREE O'CLOCK!" and other things. 

Hey, her birthday, that's what she wanted.

So that's obviously not a three year old birthday celebration.

So what we actually did for HER was have a cake (made by her big brother Louis and herself) and presents at the house and then jaunt off to that mecca of childhood joy for a proper little party. Where do I mean?

Why, Chuck E Cheese of course!

Interesting side note. Miles went over to the hoops game, and wanted to play. I've never once seen him show an interest in basketball.

Who drained shot after shot? Miles. I never saw him even pick up a ball before. Apparently they're doing this in school because this was amazing. The kid has Hoosier DNA after all!

It was a good day to turn three.

I'm pleased to report she has left the terrible twos behind her. And run straight into whatever the hell tantrum age is next.

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Wither Pollen

I grew up in the midwest. And yeah we had pollen. I mean, in THEORY we had pollen. I heard about pollen, I learned about pollen. So I knew it was there.

I moved to Florida where my twins were born and apparently there is no pollen there as I never once heard it discussed. I'll just assume bees use pixie dust or something in lieu of pollenation down there.

When we moved to Atlanta in 2007 it was in the month of April. The first morning we woke up in our new place here, I went to get the kids up and Charlie's eyes were crusted shut and his face was covered in snot.
This was allergies like I'd never seen in my life.

Since then it's been a battle every April, to keep my poor Charlie going, because of this...

Every morning you wake up to such thick pollen covering everything, cars, houses, EVERYTHING, that it literally looks like someone did a crappy spray paint on your car. When I pull out of work to head home every day, the piled up pollen drifts away like snow drifting on a plain.

Last year my Charlie was on 11 different things from medicine to relief/treatment items to help combat this. So far this year we're up to four.

Come on Summer. Charlie needs you to get here.

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Wither Pollen

I grew up in the midwest. And yeah we had pollen. I mean, in THEORY we had pollen. I heard about pollen, I learned about pollen. So I knew it was there.

I moved to Florida where my twins were born and apparently there is no pollen there as I never once heard it discussed. I'll just assume bees use pixie dust or something in lieu of pollenation down there.

When we moved to Atlanta in 2007 it was in the month of April. The first morning we woke up in our new place here, I went to get the kids up and Charlie's eyes were crusted shut and his face was covered in snot.
This was allergies like I'd never seen in my life.

Since then it's been a battle every April, to keep my poor Charlie going, because of this...

Every morning you wake up to such thick pollen covering everything, cars, houses, EVERYTHING, that it literally looks like someone did a crappy spray paint on your car. When I pull out of work to head home every day, the piled up pollen drifts away like snow drifting on a plain.

Last year my Charlie was on 11 different things from medicine to relief/treatment items to help combat this. So far this year we're up to four.

Come on Summer. Charlie needs you to get here.

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The Nadirs of Autism

A perfect storm started on Friday night. We hadn't been any where all week mostly really because of my foot. The kids were home for Spring Break and school is one of those routines that is sacred to the twins. They LOVE it. So a week without it already put us at a bad place. Add to that, we decided that my foot being weird (numbness) meant we really needed me to stay off of it and be good for the weekend.

Thus, two more days at home. By Sunday all four of them had gone stir crazy.

On Sunday it rained. It started out pretty mellow, Charlie got me up very early and we sat up and waited for the lawn care people to show up and do their thing. Eventually I drug the rest of the little humans out of bed and figured, mellow day is going well.

At breakfast the wheels came off slightly. Everyone was a bit discombobulated but it didn't seem TOO bad. However as the day progressed and our inactivity apparently became more apparent, the twins patience with this waned. As did Julias.

Charlie's method of coping was thrashing and screaming.  Eventually he just gave it up that he needed a nap and went to his room and slept off the crazy.

Miles however decided to engage in NOTHING WILL MAKE ME HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. I tried getting the four of them to play Candyland with me. The big boy politlely declined (ok he's ten) and the girl wouldn't sit still or pay attention, Charlie wouldn't pay attention or try. Miles understood how to play. This was his twenty minutes of good behavior for the day. He played, was Candyland grand champion.
The rest of the day was spent fighting with Charlie, fighting with Julia, fighting over toys, screaming and sobbing randomly, and making this noise that sounds like a cat in heat. The noise infuriates me and goes RIGHT THROUGH ME. He knows this. So he keeps it up.

In fairness to me, I lasted though one and a half kiddie movies before I started yelling and losing my cool. Seriously, what is it that I can't sit and have my foot up and let me kids watch movies in peace? I can't. Because watching any kind of TV is some sort of drama.

Autism is so unfair. It makes the smallest of things impossible sometimes. It infuriates me. I shouldn't have to sit and endure two children screaming for no reason. My other children shouldn't have to endure two children screaming for no reason.

And more importantly, my children screaming shouldn't be experiencing whatever the hell it is that is making them scream.

That's the thing though. You don't know what's wrong. IT COULD BE NOTHING. THEY MIGHT LIKE THE SOUND. It's like some sick joke, see that child sobbing hysterically? Nothing wrong with him. Just having a sensory moment.

As a mother, it's devastating. My child is hysterical. And I cannot fix it. There should be a fix. I should be able to hold them or sing to them or get them candy and there just IS NO FIX.

I ended up taking a shower and standing in the shower and sobbing. Afterward apologizing to Miles for yelling at him, and for his autism. I know I didn't "do" it, but still, I made him. Any mother with a child that has a congential problem will probably tell you, the guilt of that eats at you every minute of every day. "What did I do wrong?" Probably nothing. Or I passed on bad genes and I couldn't help it.

Sunday ended with early bed times and Monday school started back up. Life is normal again.

I'll have another day like that, some day sooner rather than later. And I'll cry a lot.

Because it's all I can do.

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The Nadirs of Autism

A perfect storm started on Friday night. We hadn't been any where all week mostly really because of my foot. The kids were home for Spring Break and school is one of those routines that is sacred to the twins. They LOVE it. So a week without it already put us at a bad place. Add to that, we decided that my foot being weird (numbness) meant we really needed me to stay off of it and be good for the weekend.

Thus, two more days at home. By Sunday all four of them had gone stir crazy.

On Sunday it rained. It started out pretty mellow, Charlie got me up very early and we sat up and waited for the lawn care people to show up and do their thing. Eventually I drug the rest of the little humans out of bed and figured, mellow day is going well.

At breakfast the wheels came off slightly. Everyone was a bit discombobulated but it didn't seem TOO bad. However as the day progressed and our inactivity apparently became more apparent, the twins patience with this waned. As did Julias.

Charlie's method of coping was thrashing and screaming.  Eventually he just gave it up that he needed a nap and went to his room and slept off the crazy.

Miles however decided to engage in NOTHING WILL MAKE ME HAPPY NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. I tried getting the four of them to play Candyland with me. The big boy politlely declined (ok he's ten) and the girl wouldn't sit still or pay attention, Charlie wouldn't pay attention or try. Miles understood how to play. This was his twenty minutes of good behavior for the day. He played, was Candyland grand champion.
The rest of the day was spent fighting with Charlie, fighting with Julia, fighting over toys, screaming and sobbing randomly, and making this noise that sounds like a cat in heat. The noise infuriates me and goes RIGHT THROUGH ME. He knows this. So he keeps it up.

In fairness to me, I lasted though one and a half kiddie movies before I started yelling and losing my cool. Seriously, what is it that I can't sit and have my foot up and let me kids watch movies in peace? I can't. Because watching any kind of TV is some sort of drama.

Autism is so unfair. It makes the smallest of things impossible sometimes. It infuriates me. I shouldn't have to sit and endure two children screaming for no reason. My other children shouldn't have to endure two children screaming for no reason.

And more importantly, my children screaming shouldn't be experiencing whatever the hell it is that is making them scream.

That's the thing though. You don't know what's wrong. IT COULD BE NOTHING. THEY MIGHT LIKE THE SOUND. It's like some sick joke, see that child sobbing hysterically? Nothing wrong with him. Just having a sensory moment.

As a mother, it's devastating. My child is hysterical. And I cannot fix it. There should be a fix. I should be able to hold them or sing to them or get them candy and there just IS NO FIX.

I ended up taking a shower and standing in the shower and sobbing. Afterward apologizing to Miles for yelling at him, and for his autism. I know I didn't "do" it, but still, I made him. Any mother with a child that has a congential problem will probably tell you, the guilt of that eats at you every minute of every day. "What did I do wrong?" Probably nothing. Or I passed on bad genes and I couldn't help it.

Sunday ended with early bed times and Monday school started back up. Life is normal again.

I'll have another day like that, some day sooner rather than later. And I'll cry a lot.

Because it's all I can do.

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In Love With Food

So subscription boxes are all the thing right now. I get Birchbox which for about 10 bucks a month delivers a box chocked full of beauty stuff to me, samples - sometimes oversized samples and then at least one full sized item. Usually the full sized item is about worth then 10 bucks on it's own, or close to it.


I like it. It's a treat and I've actually discovered some things I would never have tried on my own plus heck I think I solely live on the various old lady creams they always include.

But the one box that's sweeping the world is GRAZE BOX. Which is awesome, it's full of gourmet nibbles for you to sample and try out. That's super, except, you can't get one. They are invitation only and each subscription includes ONLY one subscription to pass out. So it's not like your friends can invite you willy nilly.

My husband discovered LOVEWITHFOOD.COM . Which is the same principle, for a small monthly subscription you get a box of goodies to sample and nibble. But what's great is that they also donate a meal which they give you all the details about on their website.

Last night we tried out the Smoky Chili & lime garbanzo beans. They were like LIME LIME LIME LIME FIRE.
Which was really pretty good.

So If you like to try adventurous new things, check out Inlovewithfood.com cuz god knows you can't get a Graze Box.

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In Love With Food

So subscription boxes are all the thing right now. I get Birchbox which for about 10 bucks a month delivers a box chocked full of beauty stuff to me, samples - sometimes oversized samples and then at least one full sized item. Usually the full sized item is about worth then 10 bucks on it's own, or close to it.


I like it. It's a treat and I've actually discovered some things I would never have tried on my own plus heck I think I solely live on the various old lady creams they always include.

But the one box that's sweeping the world is GRAZE BOX. Which is awesome, it's full of gourmet nibbles for you to sample and try out. That's super, except, you can't get one. They are invitation only and each subscription includes ONLY one subscription to pass out. So it's not like your friends can invite you willy nilly.

My husband discovered LOVEWITHFOOD.COM . Which is the same principle, for a small monthly subscription you get a box of goodies to sample and nibble. But what's great is that they also donate a meal which they give you all the details about on their website.

Last night we tried out the Smoky Chili & lime garbanzo beans. They were like LIME LIME LIME LIME FIRE.
Which was really pretty good.

So If you like to try adventurous new things, check out Inlovewithfood.com cuz god knows you can't get a Graze Box.

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The Broken Toe Is The Stupidest Injury Ever

So it's been two weeks. The toe is finally getting better. But not without having to go to the doctor one more damn time because suddenly it went numb.

Which was kind of scary - suddenly - toe is numb and doesn't feel like it's part of my foot.

Turns my toe was just swollen and the pressure of said edema was pressing on the nerves causing the numbness. Put your foot up and drink water and stay off of it.

Great.

I couldn't do anything fun with my family even though it's the end of spring break so it was a bummer of a week. I had hoped to be able to go down to this fun event at the Atlanta History Center with sheep shearing and old time farm fun (candle dipping and biscuit making I'm sure) and well, my oldest child informed me that my foot was hurt and that I needed to rest.

He told me that no, I didn't need to go out walking.

And that was that.


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The Broken Toe Is The Stupidest Injury Ever

So it's been two weeks. The toe is finally getting better. But not without having to go to the doctor one more damn time because suddenly it went numb.

Which was kind of scary - suddenly - toe is numb and doesn't feel like it's part of my foot.

Turns my toe was just swollen and the pressure of said edema was pressing on the nerves causing the numbness. Put your foot up and drink water and stay off of it.

Great.

I couldn't do anything fun with my family even though it's the end of spring break so it was a bummer of a week. I had hoped to be able to go down to this fun event at the Atlanta History Center with sheep shearing and old time farm fun (candle dipping and biscuit making I'm sure) and well, my oldest child informed me that my foot was hurt and that I needed to rest.

He told me that no, I didn't need to go out walking.

And that was that.


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She's Not Two

I've been trying to teach Julia about how old she is. People ask how old she is and she doesn't seem to know the answer. So I've been telling her about birthdays (birthday parties she TOTALLY is down with) but the AGE and BIRTHDAY MEANING doesn't seem to sink in.

I say "You are two. You are going to be three."

She say "I'm not two, I'm JULIA."

She puts her hands on her hips and says it defiantly. She is ageless. She is not DEFINED by age.

She is Julia.

Maybe I should be more like this.
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She's Not Two

I've been trying to teach Julia about how old she is. People ask how old she is and she doesn't seem to know the answer. So I've been telling her about birthdays (birthday parties she TOTALLY is down with) but the AGE and BIRTHDAY MEANING doesn't seem to sink in.

I say "You are two. You are going to be three."

She say "I'm not two, I'm JULIA."

She puts her hands on her hips and says it defiantly. She is ageless. She is not DEFINED by age.

She is Julia.

Maybe I should be more like this.
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