Let's talk about segregation, Autism

Yes, we are going right back to Ella Bell and this should be my last post about this. You guys read in my post the IEP fights that I had when it came to Doodle and her education. We have moved to a new school system and they didn't believe in allowing my child to have rights. This momma doesn't do babysitters. I fought for FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) LRE (Lease Restrictive Environment) and IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Education Act). That school didn't get it. I also did what most parents would do and fought for a better school. My child deserved to be taught and though she was falling through the cracks, but thrived at the previous school, my voice for her was not heard. It just fell on deaf ears.

So, let's discuss what happened at Open House that I touched on a bit on Monday's blog. Doodle is now switching classes like regular ed 6th graders her age. She has a home room teacher and has to report to two other classes, which are reading and math. In math class they also teach how to interact with others in social settings. That was one of the things I was demanding at the bad school. The teacher she had previous had been doing that in the classroom with her kids. She had even taught them how to play and interact with one another. What comes normally to most kids doesn't come naturally to mine. Her math teacher hands her the work sheets to do in class and before instruction can be given to all, Doodle is just about finished with the work. And in order to keep Doodle on pace she's already farther ahead of her classmates. She gets the math and it clicks with her. This is thanks in part to the good school and the fantastic teacher and para that we had. In math Doodle doesn't really need one on one help. Reading she's a little bit slower and Doodle might need a bit more help. She's always rushed through reading. If she slows it down she will get it. Another issue where she needs to be taught to slow it down and focus on the words in front of her.

I really have no dog in the fight regarding Ella Bell because I did exactly as she's proposing. I segregated my child to an all special needs school. Would I do it again? In a heart beat! She is now being taught and her peers are all special needs of all forms of disabilities. She's allowed computer lab, art classes (she was denied this at the bad school), library and eating lunch without being hidden away in a classroom. She's treated as if she's a regular ed student.

Our school now has an ABA classroom where the students who need ABA can be taught in a least restrictive environment. They get lots of therapy, distraction and positive reinforcement. Now Doodle did have ABA in her IEP last year. And it was removed off of her IEP at the end of the school year because here in the county that we live in ABA is for aggressive behavior. If you go back to the beginning of the blogs you see the behavior go from mild behavior and about the middle it will hit that she's become like Mike Tyson in the ring. Her teacher last year knew how to handle a child on the spectrum and had no issues with keeping Doodle on task and pushing her in the work. Unlike the bad school who kept her on kindergarten classwork which peeved Doodle off to no end. So yeah my kid railed against the machine. No shock. But we longer receive ABA because like I said, she got a teacher last year that didn't babysit.

Our school offers music therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. I'm sure they even offer feeding therapy but my child doesn't need it so I'm not 100% sure on that. Our school is advancing every single day and year. Our principal believes in a clean well taken care of school that encourages, enlightens and lifts up the students. She keeps illness away by making sure that every inch of the school is clean, from classrooms to hallways. Even the gym doesn't have one speck of dirt on the bleachers or floor. And it almost smells like a doctors office when you walk in the door.

Doodle is kept on task. She is allowed breaks when she needs it and they have laying areas with pillows where the kids can stop and take a break and take a nap if needed and she gets up and gets back to work. They work her hard. When I say they work her hard I mean if she already knows the work, they give her the next lesson. Doodle's match class is on 10's integers. Please don't ask me what that is. I'm horrible at math. Doodle is already on hundreds. So she's pretty far ahead. (Side note: contacted friend who knows math, math by whole number.) Doodle is already doing this math for 100's. So that should tell you that they teach by ability. She's not stuck with you have to keep up with everyone else. She's taught at her pace. And that's what all parents even those with regular ed students want. And guess what, I got it!! Which is why I don't see a problem with what Ella Bell is suggesting.

Now we all know that there are reports of kids with special needs being bullied. The horror stories that come across our Facebook feeds. Do I have to worry about that anymore. Nope! And that's the biggest worry lifted off my shoulder. Will I have to worry about Doodle being slapped by a teacher ever again? Nope, the principal monitors that school like a hawk! First indiscretion and the teacher is gone! There is no if's, and's or but's about it! This principal doesn't play. Of course the bad teacher learned the hard way that you don't hit Doodle as it turned her into Tyson. Doodle hit one para so hard it put her on disability. And this is why you don't slap kids in the classroom or in the halls of the school. You don't lay your hands on a child what so ever! I still blame the teacher for the cut on Doodle's forehead. My child is not so wild that she would run into a pole. That's excuses of a victim. Doodle said she was pushed, though she didn't know who pushed her into the metal pole. I have my suspicions and God knows the truth. I never trusted the woman ever again.

So let's boil it down. I did what Ella Bell is proposing. And I'm not the only parent who has done so. Did we make the right choice? Yes, and we will do it again. We will place our children where they are better accommodated and are taught at their capacity. We no longer have to fight on our contracts what we want for our children. We now have more time to enjoy being parents and enjoying the time that we have with our children. It's that peace of mind that matters the most. If the schools that Ella Bell is proposing and they are set up like Doodle's current school. I am all for it. No more having to pay for outside services. Saving us on co-pays or out of pockets if most don't have insurance.

If you have a child that is special needs and goes to a public school, look at what your school is offering and tell me if you are truly happy with services and education compared to the other students? Are you allowed everything that you have requested for each IEP? Are the notes in the IEP matching up with what you've asked for?

If you want your child to have everything that is a right through IEP's then you have to work for it. It's almost like a full time business. If you don't put in the work you don't get to have the benefits. This goes back to the parents that like to just complain and not do anything about the situations. Put in the work, reap the benefits. That's all there is to it.

See you guys on the flip side.

Another busy Monday, Autism

Last week wasn't the most fun week of my life. But just like I've said before it's just a drop in the bucket. So what made it so bad besides Ella Bell? Heck, even she wasn't so bad. That is an opportunity to bring to light that children with special needs are falling through the cracks. It's possibly an opportunity to get a lot of what we need. Back to getting teachers who want to teach and not want to babysit. So many opportunities if only one takes the chance.

Anyway, Wednesday was not my day. I went to get my first cup of coffee for the day and discovered that my coffee maker, though on, was not working. So I had to pull out my dad's old coffee maker. He doesn't do coffee since his first heart attack and whenever I need coffee I'm able to use his coffee maker. I had plans with my bestie to go to her house and dig through her fabric stash. She lucked out when Hancock Fabric went out of business. I should have cleaned them out of wool when I had the chance. My own fault. Doodle had had a fit getting on the bus because I wouldn't let her catch and keep a toad. So I was already stressed. And my day was to go as follows. Either dig through fabric or do a hair appointment. Since Stace showed up, I moved my hair appointment for Thursday, the next day.

I rode with her cause she lives out in the middle of nowhere. I don't even get phone service at her house. I pulled down the passenger side visor and the clip on it broke. Man, I feel so awful cause this is her brand new car! We get to her house and she's showing me her duck and duck pond and some of her favorite things on her farm. I wasn't paying attention and stepped on one of her solar lights. I was not graceful and Wednesday was not my day at all. By lunch time the day was looking up and was getting so much better.

She had to go get her husband after she got off work that night. I was thinking of going with her but when one of her family said they would go with her, I decided that there was no guarantee that we would be back in time to get Doodle up and on the bus at 6:30 that I just couldn't go. 

When I woke up at 6:15 that morning I saw a text that I had missed from Stace. She let me know she was in an accident and a picture of the car on fire. Well, that was not a good start to Thursday. It's a miracle that she was able to hobble away from that. She was hit head on by someone who was either falling asleep at the wheel or was driving drunk. We don't know for sure. She couldn't move off from the road because there was water/marsh on each side of the road.

I did manage to make it to my hair appointment on Thursday but it was rushed because the moment that Stace was back in our town I had to go see her. So it was a rush to get to her, when she stopped by work on her way home and dropped off the paperwork from the hospital. 

Today was a bit better. I replaced the coffee pot, bought some flowers and went to visit my friend. I didn't get anything on my list accomplished except the coffee pot but that's okay. As soon as Doodle was home from school I started laundry cause I just wasn't able to get to that over the weekend. Currently as I type the laundry still has the be finished and I'm sitting in the parking lot of the school because tonight is open house. And wouldn't you know I would show up an hour early for open house. There is suppose to be a spaghetti dinner and I think that might be at 5:30. But hey look at me typing on my blog while trying to multitask because like I said there is no service at my friends house and I couldn't do the blog there. When you go visit a friend who has been in a terrible accident it's best to actually spend time with them and talk face to face. Not stare at phones and hope for the best in a relationship.

Not an hour ago there were maybe 5 cars in the parking lot and everyone is starting to arrive. Now I don't feel so silly. I had been pestering people via text when I first arrived and it dawned on me to try to see if I could just go ahead and see if I could get into my blogger account. That really saves me some time and less stress if I can get this thing finished and out to you.

You know as an autism mom dealing with working part time as an instructor and as a full time entrepreneur sometimes life is hectic and the question of what on earth have I gotten myself into pops into my head on occasion. Yeah today is one of those days but only because there is so much that has to be done. And so very little time to do it in. A visit with flowers, candy and replacement solar lights, laundry, dinner because there is no way that I can bring Doodle to the school after hours. The last time she threw a hissy fit and didn't want to leave. I had to drag her out of the school crying. That was embarrassing. Lesson learned. When I get home I should be able to double check this blog and post. Finish up the laundry and start on some graphic design things that have to be taken care of. I have a magazine that I want to get published that needs to be out by at least the 5th. I'm still on the fence if it's going to be September 5th for Freddie Mercury's birthday or October 5th. The first magazine focuses on fall and basically Halloween. Guess I will just wait and see how far along I get that will determine what month it will be posted on. Heck maybe I will post the announcement on Freddy for day and make final decisions on the magazine until the 5th of October.

Well the parking lot is really starting to fill up now. I have yet to see parents with kids so I can only assume that most of the people showing up are teachers. Hey, what is that? It's a kid in our school uniforms. So it's time to head in.

See you guys on the flip side.

Let's discuss slime and Ella B. Bell, Autism

Friday's are suppose to be great days. The day that kick starts the weekend. For me I work on Friday's and all through the weekend. This weekend at work we have two events and one I'm working. The slime event. So Saturday, if you are able to go by Michaels craft store I suggest you do. Slime is great for sensory play with your child on the spectrum. The event is free, the slime is free. You don't have to make it and if you don't want anything like glitter or foam balls, eyeballs, the things that make crunchy slime, you don't have to. At least in my store if they just want a bag of slime that's their choice. They don't have to "decorate" up slime.

And yes I will be bringing home a little bag of slime for Doodle. She loves the slime and I love for her to be content and happy. I mean seriously, this is the best thing for parents on the spectrum. Depending on your store depends on how fast you can get in and out. Our store; it's a revolving door. Everyone wants to participate so sometimes the classroom can become packed. Kids and parents alike decorate slime and head out because there's tons more people that want to have a chance too. In one side and out the other. Everyone has a wonderful time.

The other event is the rock event. That's where you come in and paint a rock. So it's a double event and with double events it's gonna be hectic. I'm not sure how Saturday will go or how chaotic it's going to be. Just like our life with kids on the spectrum we need to remember to take one moment at a time. Our kids can sometimes end up tearing up multiple things at once. One child can feel like a whole classroom of kids. I have to remember that the rock event is not my event. I'm going to be there for slime only. Focus on one thing at a time. The slime event has to be a success, like it always is in our store.

Read this section carefully. And keep in mind it is as a parents choice.

Now down to the nitty gritty of what this blog was not going to be about, but due to an incident that has been brought to my attention it needs to be addressed. In the State of Alabama where I live there is a woman who is running for Mayor of Montgomery. Right now she is a board member on the BOE (board of education). AL.com posted that she stated she wanted kids with special needs institutionalized so that the test scores could be brought up. That she feels that kids with special needs were bringing down all the test scores for the schools. She asked if special ed kids could be placed in academies. Now what I got from that is the reason why I pulled Doodle from regular public school and placed her in the special needs school where she thrives currently. If they created academies more for kids with disabilities and it be pubic school then yeah I'm all for more schools like what Doodle currently goes to. Schools geared to her disability. Currently and even where we used to live if you wanted to send your child to the best Autism school, they had to be committed. And that was a big no go.

At the school Doodle went to two and three years ago the lack of education she received there caused her regression. Doodle is higher functioning but has to have one on one help. That's the best way for her to learn. Though the classroom had 2 para educators and a teacher, they didn't know how to correctly handle Doodle. And like most teachers they didn't listen to the parent either. Doodle tests very high. She can blow the test scores out of the water and make higher marks then kids in a higher grade then her. When she was in second grade transitioning to 3rd grade, she tested better then the 5th graders. Her teacher from the middle of kindergarten to 2nd grade worked very hard to get her to that point. And I made sure that the school and teacher knew it. Did they listen? No, and that's the problem with schools in my opinion. Where we had come from, the teacher continued to work with the other school and teacher to make sure that the students stayed on track. They did field trips together, sometimes her teacher would go to the other school and have lunch with the kids. This is the teacher who cared.

At our new school because we are now over 400 miles away from the old school, old routine and structure they were surprised when Doodle took the state tests that are required. Her new teacher was so excited and surprised when she told me that the principal asked whose paper it was that had the best score on it and it was Doodle's. Well, that's no shock to me and I had already informed them of that. However for 4th grade that teacher got moved and a new one was brought in. That was the teacher from HELL. I still don't care for that woman. Doodle wasn't being tested. She wasn't participating in the school like the regular ed kids. She wasn't doing reading time or the library. And the school didn't allow the special ed kids to participate in computer lab. But I had already started my end of the IEP process to get Doodle moved to the school for special needs children that I had been hearing so much about. Kids were progressing and enjoying their time at the school. They gardened just like at the school where Doodle learned to read and write and do math. They had their own Mardi Gras parade, Choir, special talent shows where the local news came in and filmed. They even did special holiday shows in the gym/auditorium. The holiday events and talent shows were things that Doodle did from middle kindergarten to second grade but was denied 3rd-4th grade. Now how can a school stay compliant with IDEA if they are not allowed to participate with the regular ed kids? They don't. And the school was tired of me saying this is a violation of IDEA and her corner to corner contract. Because that's what an IEP is, a corner to corner contract.

The tour of our current school was awesome. You see the computer lab on the first hall. Library when you walk through the door. Green houses with plants of plenty. Kids play basket ball and enjoyed themselves, wheel chair or no wheel chair. And the play ground! Oh don't get me started on all the pieces that were conformed to each type of disability!! Kids could play and be kids and didn't have to feel left out. And the teacher not only took their notes for the gold folder but made sure that each and every child in their care got one on one time to learn all their lessons. It's back to the dream come true!

Now back on task. Was Ms. Bells' wording wrong. Yes, on so many levels yes. Was she missing a point here? Yes, that she did. She's concerned about the test scores. What she's not seeing is that children with special needs are falling through the cracks. The tests are set up to include children with special needs and it goes 1-4 on levels. Doodle takes the test at levels 3 and 4. There are no other levels, next up is taking it like the regular ed kids. But the test is geared to disabilities. 1 is for those who can not communicate, feed themselves, write or do anything for themselves. Level two is a step up but not by much. And levels 3 and 4 are for the kids who can communicate, read, write and do math. The main point is that she missed the key component. The school system is letting down our children.

Now I have heard that there is no such thing as the self contained classes anymore since Doodle left "the bad school". Special ed kids are now thrown in with regular ed children. That should make for a lot of para's. But we also have to keep in mind regular ed classes are over flowing as it is and these are teachers that aren't able to make sure that a special ed child will have their IEP followed to a T. But then again, at the bad school, the parents of the self contained class liked to complain but didn't care to take action. I took action and they swiftly got me into the school of my choice for my child. No two year waiting list for me. I'm really hard on a school. I have time on my hands. I can do 5 IEP's a week. It doesn't bother me. My child's education is my top priority. And I know what you're thinking. 5 IEP's a week, your child can't learn if the teacher isn't in the classroom. One: my child wasn't being taught and 2, it was an IEP meeting a week. I did come close with 3 in a week. But that was unavoidable. That happened to be ABA IEP meeting, testing and assessment IEP meeting and updating her IEP for lack of education. And there were certain heads of the school board that had to be brought in for all meetings.

Wow, I'm just about writing a tome on this one. Let me summarize this up. Now if by academy she is referring to opening the schools that are tops for our children where we don't have to pay private school prices and they don't have to be committed and can attend them like it's a regular school. I'm all for it. Parents with children with disabilities deserve the fighting chance at an actual quality education as it states in the rules and regulations. Of course they would have to provide bus service, like what Doodle gets currently. Because there is no longer no child left behind to fall back on.

In her follow up from AL.com she did state what I had suspected. Schools geared to children with special needs. At a regular public school here children are only allowed occupational therapy and speech therapy. At Doodle's current school we have that and much much more.

As I type this Ella B Bell is currently facebook fighting in her threads on her page. And in all honesty I don't want to discuss anymore of this. People pretty much have facebook pitch forks out on her on her own page. But think about this. Yes, she is suppose to be a representative of our school system. Is attacking people on her page a smart thing to do? No, it's not but when someone attacks me on my turf you better believe I'm not going to take it. And I will dish it out faster then they can but with a twist. Cause I can be a bit rough when it comes to someone attacking me or my child. And my friends who notice when I get in a facebook fight like to watch. Not comment on the thread but just watch cause it's comical. Normally I try to be rational and clear headed but when it comes to facebook fighting I'm like an animal in the zoo. No holds bar. I will fling poop like the monkeys. If you find yourself in such a situation, trying to do what's best for regular ed but miss the billboard in front of you regarding special needs. You just sink with the ship. There's no way around it.

So why was I not up in arms to begin with when the first article broke? I don't trust the media. I am considered media in my business, but I know not to trust them. They've turned from the days of what Ben Franklin did in place of his brother who was jailed for criticizing the King. This was before the Revolution. The media has taken a down hill swing maybe 4-5 years ago. It's become let's pit so and so against such and such. Because you know, violence sells. But what's the point in living in a world of violence. I stopped watching the news personally maybe 18 year ago. If I want to see violence I will turn on a t.v. show. I would like for there to be some good stories out there. Find the good and you find the story. Tear everyone down and you find you can't trust anyone.

To me if this is like getting more schools who make sure our kids don't fall through the cracks and get the help they need and its exactly like Doodle's current school. Where children of all disabilities are included and treated just as if they are regular ed students. Again, I'm for that. I am living the dream because my child is being taught again. Not falling through the cracks, not regressing. I'm cool with it. But it should be parents choice.

And as of the the whole conflict of should I sign to have her removed. I'm going to continue to observing and researching. There has got to be more to this then meets the eye. And at this point we need to have a clear and level head about us. I will update you guys later on further developments. Because I promise you, there will be.

See you guys on the flip side. And have a fantastic weekend.

Face the fear, Autism

As a parent of a child on the spectrum there are a lot of fears that you have to face. The biggest of those would be a regression. It's one of the biggest fears that we face almost every day. I don't have to worry about that anymore, being that Doodle is going to a fantastic school. So much therapy every single moment of the day. And they work the kids so hard on their school work and therapy. There is no such thing as I can't at this school. They strive to prove every single day that you can! And that's one of the many reasons why I love this school. But what fear am I talking about if my child won't be having a regression?

We all know that fall is on it's way. And with fall comes my favorite part of the season. Halloween! I love this time of the year. The weather is perfect. I only have to worry about a few asthma related issues with Doodle. And we can have a lot of fun this time of the year. But here comes that fear thing again. With Halloween comes the spiders. It's just a part of the season.

At first I wasn't sure what I would be writing about for today. I spent the day in the country with one of my besties. She has chickens and her nickname at work is chicken lady. We spent the day walking around her property and planning our fall wardrobe and all the fall crafts we will be working on. I got home in just enough time to get Doodle from the bus and start my first fall project. It's going to be a huge project that will be featured in my magazine. I'm an artist and with art there comes huge responsibilities of all the different levels of art and that includes resin art. This piece will be that piece. I have smaller pieces that are realistic looking in resin and this one will be tackling Koi fish. That's how large the piece is. 

While I worked on this piece Doodle played in the front yard, where I could keep an eye on her. When it was time to come in, Doodle had something hidden under her shirt. It was the container where she likes to catch bugs. So I had to ask her, what did you get? Her response, "Spiders." Okay, first off, I'm not afraid of spiders and that's where Doodle gets her bravery for them as well. I asked her if I could see the spiders, and she pulled the container out from under her shirt. She removed the top and that was the largest spider I had ever laid eyes on in my life! The thing was bigger than my fist. 

"Oh, no sweetheart. He needs to live outside. Let's set him free. He's too big to go inside." She threw him out of the container and that's when I heard the thunk of the spider landing on the ground. It sounded like a child Doodle's size jumping on the ground. It was kind of surprising. Now, again, I'm not afraid of spiders but that might change if something that big crawled on my face in the middle of the night, waking me from sleep. I'm also pretty sure that I would end up in cardiac arrest at that point. 

Yesterday was a busy day for me as well, helping a dear friend clean out some of her kids things. She went to her storage area and all I heard was a commotion.  I had no clue what was going on but it sounded like she was in a struggle with someone. And then the dry heaving could be heard from the direction she was at. I peeked around the corner and she's just about on the verge of throwing up. It was kind of funny. She's flailing her arms and almost puking. "What on earth is wrong with you?" 

"Charlotte, ambushed me. I sucked in part of her web. It went down my throat." At this point I can't contain the laughter. I was literally falling to the ground cause it was so funny. "I felt the web against my lip. I opened up my mouth and it just landed on my tongue and it slid to the back of my throat. I don't know what she wrote but it's gonna take her a bit to write more," she continued. I'm crying tears by now. "You are not a good friend. You should have helped me." I had left my spider web comb at home, so I was pretty much useless to her. I did get the racing bed out of the shed for her though. So there was that.

And of course the last time Doodle had spiders that were almost as big as the one she brought up today. Well, that has a pretty good story as well. And it's one that I just love to think about when I need a good pick me up. Doodle had just gotten off the bus last year. She got to see one of her favorite people. One of my friends who I call Batman. Now this is a young woman that I worked with at the craft store. She's pretty cool but terrified of spiders. Like even my fake spiders she steers far away from. Well, Doodle had disappeared for a bit and I called her over to say bye to Batman cause she was getting ready to leave.

Doodle came running up with both her hands clasped together. Batman and I looked at Doodle with curiosity. "What have you got?" I asked her. "Spiders." And that's when Batman's eyes got big. "Let momma see." Doodle opened her hands and there was a pile of spiders in her hands crawling out. "Let them go." As I was saying that I heard a loud rustling and slamming from behind me. I turned and noticed Batman had jumped in her truck and was proceeding to role up the windows. And then came the funniest part of all of this. Batman locked her door. I'm standing there like why would you lock the door? Are the spiders just gonna open the door to get to you??? And without missing a beat Batman begins having a conversation, just as if she were outside the vehicle. But there she sits, talking behind the window. Spiders cause a lot of laughter from me, yeah, there's nothing scary about them to me. They are like little comedians and they don't even try that hard.

See you guys on the flip side and have a great night, day, morning.

Let's talk about the eclipse, Autism

Here we are another Monday and what is the big event that happened today? It's the once in a lifetime event. So as an autism parent, what are your plans for keeping your kids' eyes safe?

Doodle, well she's very curious of the world and how it works and what's in it. So what is my plan for this once in a lifetime event? Our schools here are not allowing any of the children to participate in the event. No viewing. All they are being taught is look at the ground. Well, yeah I understand that concept. And if I choose to keep Doodle home from school today, it's an excused absence. But will we be participating?

Yes, we will be participating. On Monday morning we will be headed to the park at 7 am to go play on the playground. Why so early? I've discovered that there are no children out playing so early in the morning and most parents don't show up until about 10-11 am. I won't have to worry about Doodle running over smaller children while she plays. She will be able to play on a playground in peace and no children will be staring at her or frightened by her because they realize that she is different.

I hate those stares. I really hate those looks. When I get my exercise in we will be headed home and from there I will start talking about the solar eclipse. There is a craft project that will be better suited to her disability and we both can watch the eclipse safely at the beginning. Doodle has a short attention span so I know that we won't be able to watch for long. So we will go inside and she can watch the event as NASA will be live streaming this for the schools and I have the link. If she chooses to go outside again and view some more, we can.

As her parent it is my responsibility to allow her to experience life to the fullest. If the school doesn't participate then we will participate at home. I know the event will be taking place from around noon to 3 in the afternoon and I'm afraid that Doodle will be searching out of the windows up at the sky while on the bus. And I don't want someone feeling that they did damage to my child on their watch. And Doodle normally comes home around that time cause her school let's out earlier then regular public schools here. There is a chance that she will be looking up at the sky's when she walks out to the bus, when she gets on the bus and when she gets off the bus.

Call me a control freak all you want but I want to make sure that my child and her vision is safe. She will get her play time in the morning and her science during the day. We might even make it a movie day and watch some Alvin and the chipmunks. It's family time opportunity and I'm not going to be the only parent that will be participating in this event.

But if it is to be a rainy day that day, Doodle will be attending school. If not and it's nice and sunny then we are spending time at home.

Update: Cause yeah, it's Monday night and I forgot to post the blog cause it's been a busy day.

Doodle did stay home. And because routine of going to school was not a part of her routine today, it's not been a fun day. We did go walking this morning and Doodle got to play on the play ground at the park. That was probably the highlight of her day, I mean besides the iPad. We did get in an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie before the event and some Sponge Bob after the event.

About lunchtime she was not about to leave her iPad and was not having any part of the eclipse. She was upset. I made eclipse boxes so that we could safely watch with no issues because I was not about to buy a pair of glasses you can only wear once. The boxes worked great. She wanted to look up to the sky and I wouldn't let her. So that made her upset. She did look in the box, maybe three times. It didn't hold her attention and that's no surprise. Her patience for being outside and enjoying a special event didn't last long. She's been pretty whiny all day and she managed to play so hard in the tub she hit her head. All I know is it sounded like she was beating on the wall with her fist. I went to go check on her and she said she hit her head but kept showing me her thumb. So I have no clue as to what was going on.

She did manage to finally go to sleep 15 minutes after I gave her, her melatonin pill. So for about 2 hours I had a bit of mom time to myself without screaming and crying and whining. So there was that. And then came the realization that oops, I forgot to post the blog today. Yeah, that would be my luck. Hey, with Doodle out of school it's really hard to keep up with my days. Of course today was a day of rushing. After we got home, I had two loads of laundry waiting on me to get done. Dishes that had to be washed and of course I had boxes in the car that I need to create to watch the eclipse.

Truth be told I knew Doodle wouldn't want to see the eclipse. We watched it on T.V. and of course had it outside. There was a little bit of hope that she might try to watch it in the box. But nope, that didn't go over well.

Oh and I can't forget about the little 2 year old at the park that was stalking Doodle. Now that was creepy. Doodle went to swing on the swings by herself. I was walking around the playground and on one of the turns found a little girl just standing there staring at Doodle. Now this little girl had followed Doodle everywhere she went through the park. And she had the weird look on her face. Like, there's something not right about that kid (referring to Doodle). I'm used to these looks. I'm actually kind of tired of these looks. I said nothing but you know what. I should have said something. I should have gotten down to the little girls level and told her. Yeah, she seems different. Only because she sees the world differently then you and I see the world. Autism awareness happens once a year. But it shouldn't. We should be making people aware every single day. That's the only way that we can get kids, even young kids to be more accepting of children like Doodle.

Today, though it's not the best day for her or myself. It's a lesson that I have learned. One of many that Doodle and living in her world has taught me.

See you guys on the flip side.

It kind of surprised me to look through the hole and see the clouds. Like I was looking at the sky directly.

More clouds on the white strip.

The only image of the sun. That little speck. 

It's my rant, Autism

I'm changing things up. Today, so I can get more work done I'm going to post an old post that I wrote but never published.We have a great event coming up on Monday and I need to prepare for it. This one is from last summer. An attempt to try to get back into the blog after a horrible regression and the last regression she had. As you can tell it didn't make it to you. But it did make it on to "paper".

Very rarely will you see a rant. Though I did have one a while back ago and here we are again. I'm just going to get this off my chest as most people don't think the way that I do about autism. And a lot of people choose not to see what my world in autism is like.

First and foremost I am a mom. Yes, Doodle is special needs and with special needs you have to deal with a lot from someone who can barely communicate. You get to deal with little annoying habits that are picked up at school and when we are out and about.

At the end of last month several things happened. Doodle was having a really bad day. I mean a super horrible day. I keep my Facebook page pulled up as that is the easiest way for everyone to contact me that needs my help or needs to talk. I try to make myself available for my friends and those who are dealing with autism themselves. How do you keep your tight nit community together if you can't be available for others. I no longer carry a cell phone as I am at home a lot of the times because I do work so much, not only for my businesses but also for Doodle. I posted that it was not a good day and for a certain someone to stop tagging me in every freaking thing. This is not someone that I talk to on a regular basis. He is someone that tags me in every freaking thing so he can try to get the word out about his business and what is going on in his life. Other then being a Facebook friend that's all it is. He and I don't talk. We have no form of relationship at all. The last post I got tagged in by him was for, Come to my church and find out who the anti-Christ is.

Seriously??? You want me to drive several hours away to attend a church meeting with a child on the spectrum who by the end of service others will think the preacher got it wrong. I think not. And do you know how many bings go off with a post where he not only tagged me but hundreds of other people. The commenting alone just about drove me mad. Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. Now how can I give full attention to my child and do my work with all that going on? All I can say is Dude! That's rude!

He sent me a nice message after that saying that I have a miserable life. No dude, my life is great. I will admit that I was miserable, hearing all the freaking binging from his post.

And then there are the people that tag me in posts for my timeline. This is the number one cure for autism, you've got to do this with Doodle. Um, No! How about this. I like the way that my child sees the world. I love her talent for drawing and the fact that she's got a photographic memory. How about this, you change your child to be like mine. I don't hear my child saying everything is hers. For my child at her age, I'm not getting the back talk, I'm not getting I need a cell phone. I need this expensive product. I need a boyfriend. So and so doesn't like me but I like him. I don't have that! I don't want that!

Matthew 18:2-4 tells us: 2And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.…

So what do I have? I have a child that will always have the mind of a child. And she is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. I'm not trading that. My child can't "whip and nae nae" but she can say The Lord's prayer and she does know that she loves Jesus and He loves her. We don't even dance that way in our house as I feel it's degrading. Yes, I dress in blue jeans and T-shirts that cover everything and not tightly. You won't catch me in a dress, ever! But you will catch me standing up for my beliefs.

I'm not trying to convert you in this blog. All I'm trying to show is the way that I think. The way I feel. If this isn't your cup of tea that's fine.

And then we have last week. Which throws the whole I have a miserable life back in my face. Doodle spit on me while I was hugging her. All I heard was the hocking sound and then she spit on my neck. I don't find that funny at all. I find it disgusting and repulsive. Yes, she got in trouble and yes she was told not to spit on anyone ever again.

And let's not forget about this new thing that she does, The screeching! Now when she sees people while we are out she screams at the top of her lungs! OUT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS! It not only scares me to death but people are not happy campers when she does it right beside them. Yeah, it's embarrassing! More embarrassing then when she bursts out in tears at a store because other kids are cryings. Correcting behavior is something that I am to do as a parent and yes all this behavior is being corrected. Slowly but surely, it's being corrected, without the help of anyone else. It all lands on my shoulders.

So if my life is miserable then so be it. I am miserable. I live with a child with Autism. Every single day is a new challenge. Everyday is a new adventure. I normally try to keep everyone's spirits up at a cost to myself. No one knows what I go through, or how I feel because I won't talk about it. It's my business and no one else's. The only people that can truly relate to me are other parents with special needs children. And of course Jesus.

I don't get out and socialize much, as most parents with children on the spectrum don't get out because yes it's more of a headache to deal with. And this is why a lot of marriages fail for those that have children on the spectrum. Is it the reason my marriage failed? Nope, it's not. There were other issues that derailed that. Autism was a small contributing factor.

And now that I have gotten that all out of my system. I really hope you guys have a great day.

Rolling with Toads and picking your battles, Autism

Tuesday morning we sat outside waiting on the bus. Because yeah, that bus could show up at any time. And she will leave Doodle behind if she happens to show up at 6:30 am and we aren't ready. And I'm not one of those woman who shows up at the bus stop in my jammies. I am dressed in regular clothing from my head to my feet.

So we were sitting on the front porch waiting for the bus and Doodle takes off to be curious at the front side of the house. She likes looking for bugs and critters. And today she found a toad. A toad she wanted to bring into the house. So she came back to where I was sitting and grabbed her book bag, went back to the spot where she first noticed what she wanted and then ran to the front door. "I go potty."

That was my first red flag.  "No, you are not going potty. Show me what is in your book bag." She handed me her book bag. I asked, "What do you have in there?" She covered the small pocket in the front and replied with, "raincoat". Well, that narrowed that down of where she hid what she was trying to bring into the house. I unzipped the pocket and asked her what was in there. "A toad." I demanded that she go set it free to be with it's family. That it would be happier being with it's family and friends. She did let the toad go but she was not a happy camper. And when I made her go back inside and wash her hands she got mad!

But as a parent of a child on the spectrum you pick your battles and this was a battle I had to be willing to fight. I couldn't let her go to school with toad essence on her hands. I mean toads live outside. They like to scruff the ground with their butts. And there is no guarantee they wipe when they go to the bathroom. She was mad but I did get her to finally wash her hands. And of coarse she cried. She cried when we went back outside. She cried when the bus pulled up. Heck she cried getting on the bus. The bus driver asked what was wrong. And I told her. Doodle's mad cause I won't let her have a toad as a pet and had it in the book bag.

I really wish that toad would move on and leave the front part of the house alone. But it has yet to get memo that it really doesn't belong there for its safety. And the whole time Doodle is crying she saying, "No school. School closed." Her bus driver who apparently is deathly afraid of toads and frogs and lizards, told Doodle, "Toad closed!" I've got to remember that for the next time Doodle doesn't want to go somewhere and tells me something is closed because she doesn't want to go there.

When Doodle came home from school, her eyes went directly to the spot where she first caught the toad. And I blocked that area with my body. There was no way I was gonna let Doodle get past me to hunt the toad down. She came inside, threw a little stink but it was done and over with as quickly as it started.

I was not in the mood this morning to battle with Doodle. Most of the times it's just easier to give in. But it was a battle that I had to do. We have them. We don't have to fight them all. Now I don't get tantrums in stores when she wants something and I tell her no. She lost that battle a long long time ago, several times over. But you have to stand firm and you have be the parent. She used to have outbursts in store. Heck school shopping this year we had an incident. The crowds were too much and I was participating for the first time ever in the tax free sales. The only problem was I didn't have a sitter for her. But her supplies had to be purchased. At least shorts and pants. Cause Doodle is rough on the bottoms. I have 3 pairs of shorts right now that have to be brought in cause I bought them a bit baggy. Lets face it, if the child hoola hoops or takes one step she will end up pants less. I have a sewing machine. I'm prepared to put in the work. I just haven't gotten to it yet. But I will. She kept her fingers in her ears the entire time as I shopped. She was getting antsy and I was trying to shop as quickly as I could. By the time I reached the actual supplies of pencils and pens, papers and notebooks it was getting harder to keep her attention. They are going to be her supplies so she had to pick them out herself. A large thunder storm had rolled through and it was so loud the storm echoed through the building. Thankfully, another autism mom was there and she assured me everything would be fine. And the fingers in the ears. She would grow out of that. Her daughter did. It was the light at the end of the tunnel that I needed. The more that we stand together and help one another out even if it's just a bit of advice or a glimpse in the future. I will take it and and hold onto it like it's my ice cream! I may have meet the mom for a moment but she's my new best friend and the highlight of my life. She just doesn't know it.

By the time we checked out, it was full blown meltdown mode. But let people look cause I haven't cared what people have thought of me in a very long time. I was going to pay for the items that we needed. There was no, you want chocolate? You want a drink? She just had to deal with it. I was going to finish this race! She cried, for several hours. Truth be told she cried until she went to sleep on 3 melatonin pills at 2 mg each that night. But the task was done. She just got to cry and be a jerk at home. That hopefully she would be better by the next day. And yeah, it was like that yesterday never even happened. Same happy kid she normally is.

As the day draws to a close for me. And I'm overly tired for today. Too much work and too little time. I'm going to call it a night. Though maybe by the time you guys read this it will be Good Morning! And I'm on hopefully my second cup of coffee.

See you guys on the flip side.

Doodle's art work she did during the summer.

Routine time, Autism

For us, it's that time of year again. Strict routine time. Bedtime has to be earlier than the summer bedtime. Who am I kidding? If the melatonin worked during the summer it was a good night for me. I worked so much during the summer that I really didn't have time to keep a strict routine.

And then there was the road trip to go see her pediatrician. But Doodle did get to have her first sleep over with her best friend. See my best friend has two daughters and one of them Doodle shows great compassion with. During the summer or right before the summer hit, Doodle got into my chocolate stash. And she actually shared the chocolate with her friend. Most kids on the spectrum don't really do that. The person I brought on the trip with us was my best friend and her daughter. Doodle got to sleep in a hotel room with her friend and even got to see her father.

Conversations aren't the easiest with Doodle but thanks to the new school, she is getting there. And there is nothing wrong with that. It does take a lot of therapy and that is the type of school that she goes too. Lots of school work and lots of therapy. So by the time she gets home from school in the evenings she's pretty tired. And that type of tired makes the melatonin really do it's job. During the first weekend out of school she popped up a couple of times but laid back down and went right back to sleep. She didn't wake up and stay awake. Those naps are killer!

So I'm at the strict routine stage of the season again. She doesn't have homework, because all of her school work is done on the iPad for the time being and she does have two computer labs a week. Computer lab, now that really makes me happy. In the school from two years ago there was no computer lab for the special needs kids. Though Doodle did do a form of computer lab in the best school that taught her to read, write, speak and do math. There were two tables set up for the all the kids to go to the computers and work on reading and sounding out. It was glorious!!! A hands on teacher that had faith in the children that were under her care. And now, we are right back at having the same thing. The teachers at the new school, you can tell they love their job and they love the kids that they teach. You can't find a more loving school in this County where we live. Most of the time, special needs children fall through the cracks and teachers just don't want to be bothered and would rather be a babysitter.

Now we will deviate off our routine in the evenings when she gets off the bus. But that's only to do one of the free classes that Michaels will offer that I think Doodle can do and I'm not teaching. Doodle needs to be hands on on projects and she needs to be used to the real world. Like today for instance. We went to Publix to get a few items for dinner and for me in the morning. Now Doodle likes to compliment everyone she meets. The girl in front of us who was checking out, Doodle kept telling her, "Nice braces!" And the girl just ignored her. So Doodle turned to the person behind us and said, "Nice tattoos." And the guy thanked her. The girl never even glanced her way. Even when Doodle tried again. Still nothing out of the young lady. So I explained to the woman why Doodle was giving her a compliment on her braces. Woman refused to acknowledge me as well. That's okay Honey, not everyone has a heart of gold. The cashier who I normally try to get thought Doodle's way of living was just the best thing in the world. Doodle didn't understand why she and the guy from last week at Walmart refused to say thank you.

And this is where life can be a little hard on us. You get someone who is 11 years old and is giving you a compliment and they just don't acknowledge you. There have been a few times that I've wanted to just say, that's okay Honey. Ugly people don't like compliments. And you find out who's really ugly when you talk to them. Now both instances they were absolutely ignoring Doodle. Heck the woman today rolled her eyes when she did her side glance. But I know this is not the world I'm creating for Doodle to live in. This is about creating ways to get her to understand. Heck life's not fair and she does need to get used to that. And people are cruel and they can be hateful. Which is what she also needs to be aware of.

Heck in my Facebook news feed alone I saw the story of one of the reasons why I started this blog. The enema cure for autism is running around again. Please be aware that there is nothing wrong with your child or the life you live. Once I came to terms that I wouldn't live a "normal" life my new normal kicked in. I now get flustered when I hear brats being disrespectful to their parents and I smile to myself cause my child won't do that to me. It's just adjusting to what the world says is normal. As for the second thing I saw in my feed. Well, that was a group of boys held down an autistic boy and nailed a board into the back of his head. And that's how you know the world is cruel. And that not everyone can be trusted, including parents who are desperate for a cure. Those are the worst parents to have. The parents who are in the news who lock their autistic kids in closets or dog crates or in basements. Instead of working with their child and fighting for better therapy inside and outside of the school system. They are parents that just don't want to be bothered. And then you have the parents who have fought for so long that they give up and kill not only their children on the spectrum but themselves as well. Nothing is worth giving up the life of your child or the life of yourself. It will be okay. Each day is just a small drop in the bucket. And with everything mixed together, you can't tell what is a good day or what is a bad day. It's all mixed together.

I use lots of positive reinforcements with Doodle. We are now having at least 2 slime events a month at Michaels and I will bring home some slime. I can't take Doodle to these events as mush as I would like to. I'm always working those events. It's the price to pay when you bring in high numbers. This is one of the things that Doodle loves to get. So I will make her up a special custom slime and bring it home. If she's well behaved for my mother she will receive it. Sometimes my manager will work on a special batch and if that batch doesn't work out she will give it to me to give to Doodle. And even though she can't get it to work, Doodle is a slime master. She can make even crumbly slime work again to be regular slime. It's her magic touch.

As for strict routine, Doodle isn't the only one that's on strict routine. During the summer I would get to the laundry once maybe twice a week. As I said I was really busy. But now I have to have the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away on Sunday afternoon. Yeah, I'm one of those people. But only because Doodle likes to throw laundry; clean or dirty everywhere! And it's just not fun. School starts early and we have to be sure that all uniforms are ready to go for in the morning.

To make life easier there was a sale on large picture frames during the summer at work. And I picked one up. I drew lines on it with a paint marker. I really don't do sharpies as the smell makes my head hurt. And with some velcro dots I made a new picture schedule. Because let's face it. The last one Doodle ripped off the wall and it had to be thrown away. At least with plexi-glass, it's gonna be harder for her to try to break. And she has been doing really well with it.

Since I'm no longer rushing to cut things on my silhouette machine for Camp Creativity, I now have free time while Doodle is in school to make sure that I get everything done and taken care of. Mediums for the art line. The magazine I've dreamed of creating for the past couple of years. Getting back to this blog and working on Doodle's soap line. If you don't have a happy planner I highly suggest you get one. It's the easiest way for you to keep organized and write down what you need to discuss in IEP meetings and keep your own schedule on task.

Well, it's Sunday night and almost midnight. I've gotten as much written tonight as I can. And I have a huge day again tomorrow. I have to get the last of the school supplies purchased and a few other things for the mediums. I have a class Monday night so I need to practice on that piece. And I need to head into work in the morning and purchase all the supplies that I need to make sure that I can get all the crafts taken care of for the magazine. So I will see you guys on Wednesday. If I don't mess up my days.

See you on the flip side.

Besties keep you sane, Autism

Well, that was awkward. Today I posted the blog and well yesterday was the day for the blog. Which means I'm a day behind. I'm sure some of you guys noticed that I missed a day. And you might be thinking she is going to skip Friday's blog. Nope. This is going to be Friday's blog. And it's all about the besties.

Look, finding true friends is really hard to come by when you have a child on the spectrum. And I will admit I hit the lottery with the friends that I have. I was lucky enough to find two people that are just as witty as I am. I'm a huge jokester. My co-workers will vouch for that one. And it's all by total accident! Last year the new girl got a dose of me, she was never expecting. And all I was doing was trying to get my work turned in. She stopped the manager and they got into a conversation. The new girl was backing up and I just happened to say, "Watch out for that snake". Because she was backing up on a fake snake. New girl took off running, screaming and climbed the manager like a ladder. It was glorious to see and I had no clue of her fears!!!

Most of the times I just walk up on co-workers and they never hear me come up so they do end up shocked and frightened when they look up and see me just standing there just staring at them. I love my co-workers and working retail can be so stressful, but just like autism it doesn't have to be stressful! I also love my life and it really reflects in my work. But it's the friends that make me who I am. And I happen to have two besties.

One I met three years ago and we became best friends two years ago. When she's down I'm there to pick her up and vice versa. She's the one that makes being a mom fun. Our kids "play" together, because let's face it Doodle doesn't really play. So this is what it's like to have play dates and mom times. This is what it feels like to be apart of the "mom group".

My other bestie and the best guy friend a girl could have. We go shopping together. Prank each other. And just have fun time together. He was by my side when I got married and he was there when Doodle was born. Messing with him is so much fun and he lives walking distance from me, but I wouldn't have it any other way. He's actually Doodle's Godfather so that should tell you that he's been in my life for a very long time. We do dinners together. Laugh together. And discuss business together. Doodle adores him so much and I'm so blessed that he gets to see her grow up and progress so much. Jason helped to push Doodle to be a better behaved autism child.

So why is it important to have best friends that are always there for you? Because you need someone to laugh with. Someone who will help you while you are out in public that will be the extra eyes for your child. They will be there for you to keep you normal. And the reason I'm not putting that you you vent to them. That's a dangerous thing to do with friends. If you start griping and venting too much you can actually run your friends away. You become a "Debbie downer" and no one wants to hang with people that have nothing but problems and woes. Laugh more, laugh often and laugh when others are looking.

Just because you have a child on the spectrum doesn't mean that you can't be there for your friends. Always try to be that friend that will be there because your friends are there for you. Make time for your friendships. Our lives can be stressful enough so reset with a good time for yourself and your friends. If your kids are in school and your friends work just schedule that time the best that you can even if it's on the weekends or during the week days. Find that time. It's important and I just can't stress that enough.

Jason works during the day and is free at night. Stacey, well she's an instructor like me at Michaels so we almost always have the same schedule. But she does work the floor so most of the time she's working while I'm instructing. That's why if you read Monday's blog you will notice that she's the one that I do Monday morning coffee with during the school week. She and I are the Chick-fil-a squad! And it's only Mondays that we do that, cause yes, she's busy and I'm busy. This is the day that we both agreed was the best day for both of us and we both do look forward to Monday mornings. It's weird I know but we are those Monday peoples. Keep yourself and mentally happy and your child will sense your good feelings as well.

You guys have a fabulous day and I will see you guys on Monday!

Doodle at her first concert! TobyMac!! With her Godfather and myself.

Stacey and I at Special Olympics, cheering Doodle on!

First day of school, Autism

So Tuesday was our first day of school where we live. And it was a pretty good day. Her teacher did inform me at meet the teacher day, they were still looking for a para educator for the classroom. I'm not going to sweat this part. Yes, it's important for her teacher to have a para educator for the classroom because it's a school filled with special needs children. It will just take some time to find one. I can almost guarantee by the time the next open house at school begins there will be a para in the room.

So far Doodle has been in school for two days. The first day when she got home she was moody. And not in a good way. But my goal was to keep her awake for as long as I could so that she wouldn't come home and take a nap. So the afternoon was filled with activities. We waited at home for a bit, had dinner and went into Michaels craft store. Our kids instructor was having a bling up class. And that is a class I wanted Doodle to do. We shopped around the store for a bit to find things that she could put shiny letters and jewels on her pencil box and a slap bracelet that I bought her.

By the time the class started she was becoming very tired. And it only took an hour for Doodle, my mother and myself to do our projects and by the time we were finished, Doodle was ready for bed. When we got home she took her bath and with only one melatonin pill and she was out in less then 5 minutes. So my plan had worked. Momma got time to herself which is rare since school let out last school year.

As for the second day she wasn't moody, which was good. She was well behaved when I picked her up from school. We had a family function that we had to attend and I was afraid given how late it would be that I would not be home in time to pick her up from the bus. She showed appropriate behavior and whispered during that quiet time. She did get bored and lit her shoes up but she had no issues. It used to be during events like this during quiet time Doodle would scream out, "She's dead??!!" Or she would lay on a couch and pretend to be dead by closing her eyes and sticking out her tongue. So yeah, my form of autism can be pretty embarrassing and comical.

It was the first time that she has been so well behaved. But I know that since she is now getting up at 6:00 am she still needs plenty of sleep and now that school is back in school she's back on a regular sleep schedule. Which is harder then it appears. But if you work hard at it, you can get your child on the spectrum into a sleep schedule too. But that's more of another blog. I think I might have talked about it in a previous blog but it might have been a long time ago.

So how is Doodle doing now? So far she's been asleep since after 8 pm and it's now 9:08 and I can type in peace and quiet. I've gotten so much done in the past two days that I am really happy. I'm happy that tomorrow I might be walking around the park with my friend Stacey. If the weather permits. If not the weather will be perfect for me to make some soap. And I need to have a stock pile just like right now I have a stock pile of painting medium that I worked on yesterday and today.

It's only this month that I am trying to catch up on everything. Considering that I am only one person and an autism mom to boot, I can barely pay a friend to help me catch up. Even when I was doing that I still didn't have time to get back to the blog. But only because I was working on art in resin and getting my qualifications to teach watercolor. That's why I haven't been writing the blog. Because of work and keeping up with the trends. And now that I am rambling it's time to call it a night. Actually, I'm going to proofread this as the thunder rumbles outside and get this ready to post in the morning.

See you guys on the flip side.

Welcome back to school, Autism

The day before school lets back in is the time when life can get a bit hectic. But it doesn't have to be. Kids are going back to school. For this mom it's time for mommy time! During the summer I worked. And I worked a lot. I also stayed stressed a lot, because my vehicle also needed a major repair to the engine. Now is the time Doodle goes back to school and gets extra therapy thanks to our new school and I get time to actually think. No YouTube blaring in the background. But I get to catch up on all the things that need to be done. Soaps, painting mediums and new art book, plus I want to get back to working on this blog.

So today is the day before school starts and what did I do today? Put Doodle in her new school shoes and went to meet the teacher. What did I learn? Doodle though, she picked out these new shoes that light up she also decided today was the day she no longer liked said shoes. So we were on the hunt for new Sketchers. Yeah, the shoe choice of kids on the spectrum. Why oh why does it have to be such an expensive shoe company?? Well, where we moved to there happens to be a Sketchers Outlet store just 5 miles away from our house and I like to shop clearance section cause it's cheaper.

So what do you do moms and dads, the day before school starts? Make life easier on yourselves. Take you child to their favorite place to eat. Let them have fun and enjoy the day before the new routine goes into effect. And go early! Dairy Queen to the rescue for this mom. That way you can start bedtime routine an hour earlier. And while your child is in the bathtub, go ahead and put the iPad to bed too. At a certain time of the night is when Doodle knows iPad time is over and she has to put it in it's designated spot for the entire night and she's not allowed to touch it until I'm awake. Also, during bath time I like to spray down her bed with water mixed with lavender oil. Lots of lavender oil. I use the Now brand. If you prefer something else, use that but for a tight budget the Now company is just as pure as the other companies.

Doodle gave no fight and went to bed after a short time. Thank you melatonin for kicking in so quickly tonight. So what do I do while she's snoozing. I went and got my shower. While we were out shopping today I also bought myself a pair of shoes cause lets face it, parents need to keep up with kids on the spectrum. Can't do that with shoes that are about to be at the point where they have seen better days. And there is no support in these shoes cause I bought them at work to splatter up for our Splatter event at work.

I got my shower and exfoliated cause it's very rare I get to pamper myself in the shower. Afterwards I put on the biore strip. Because the first day of school is the first day of mom time or dad time. And the most important part of tomorrow is what is the most important day for you.

Your little bundle of precious is going to be dropped off or put on the bus, please refrain from kissing the bus driver when they pull up. I know you will be tempted but please refrain. When your child gets back into the doors of higher education, make sure that you have your own play date already scheduled. My friend Stacey and I meet up every Monday during the school year to catch up and just enjoy adult conversation. No kids hitting themselves or having a meltdown. Or playing my favorite game of trying to figure out what they want or what they are trying to say. If you don't have this moment for yourself scheduled; now would be the time to get that scheduled. And hurry school is about to be here. It's starting early for us this year. So early the Holderness family has yet to get their back to school video done. I was so hoping to post it tomorrow on my Facebook page. But hey, what can you do?

Also if you have pure aloe vera gel, get a makeup pad and put some on your under eyes. It takes away the puffiness of a summer where you wanted to loose your mind at points. Way better then cucumbers and that question of it was on my eyes do I throw it away or eat it??

Two weeks from the day school starts back, make sure that you schedule your manicure and pedicure. Find time in your schedule. This is your recharge. You're a good parent. You deserve to pamper yourself other than just exfoliating in the shower. And two weeks is enough time to either save up a bit and school is in full swing and you've gone back to the normal of what is a good time in our season.

Take care guys. I will be running from the bus in the morning like I sometimes do at work when I get off work by running and screaming, "freedom"!!!