That's one hell of a meltdown Autism

So this morning should have been like any other Monday. Get ready for school catch the bus and my day should have gone on like any typical day. No, having a child with autism doesn't work that way. It was time to brush her hair. We were somewhat on schedule. Just a few minutes behind. Nothing out of the normal. And that's when it happened. Doodle saw my coffee cup on the wrong side of the desk and dumped it over. Right into the animation computer and the publishing computer.

I thought OMG I need to get that cleaned up. I grab paper towels on my desk and start trying to get the coffee out of the vents of the laptops. And that's when her meltdown started. I was like it's fine, it's fine! I promise it's okay!!! But no it was not okay. Her meltdown escalated. I'm covered in coffee, the laptops are covered in coffee, the floor is even covered in coffee, even my phone was covered in coffee. It was only half the cup and this stuff is everywhere. If anyone should be having a meltdown it should be me!

So much for having on clean clothes. So she's taking a mental break from school today cause there is no way I'm going to subject her teachers to that.

So here I sit, thankful I got the magazine finished last night. I'm a little upset, I will admit that. I have so much to do. That to do list, yeah it's covered in coffee. Most parents deal with there kid tearing up walls. I'm dealing with having to teach this morning and I can barely read my to do list. And it's a doozy of a list. Today I'm trying to catch up on 2 weeks worth of stuff. That way the magazine can be early at the end of the month.

I'm debating just going back to bed. There isn't enough energy to deal with this day. But while Doodle is home for mental break issues I have to keep going. She lost the iPad and I put her to work on being in social situations in public. She even had to push the grocery cart at the stores we went to.

This all went down last week which is why there was no blog. That was a lot of coffee to clean up. It also basically set up the rest of my week. And I was having a really hard week thanks to that one incident last week. So here I am now, still trying to play catch up. And Doodle well, she's now taking naps at school.

So here's what was found out. The reason why her behavior is so bad. She's got a yeast infection. For those who are not aware children on the spectrum normally get yeast infections. Yes, even the boys get yeast infections. So she's now on medication for the yeast infection. We are going to get this under control and get her back to focusing. Because yeah, her behavior is really bad right now. Her first pill was on Friday and her next pill is next Friday. I've taken a good portion of her snack away and instead of juices for snack she gets a bottle water. Healthier yogurt, cheese, fruit and cheese crackers instead of cookies. Her teacher gets a rice crispy treat cause we are headed into IEP season and my kid is absolutely horrible at school. Her teacher needs a pick me up.

Hopefully soon we can get this all straightened out and can get back to what I know to be a normal life. I'm looking forward to that. Because there is no normal when it comes to autism, but it's normal to me. Let's hope this week is much better and I can get work done. I have taken today off from everything and just rest. I can get back to work tomorrow. Hence the reason why the blog is not only a week late but over 8 hours late.

See you guys on the flip side.

Back to school, Autism

I can honestly say that I am so excited about Doodle going back to school. I would say that I've been waiting for this the day after school let out, but it really hasn't been that bad this winter break. Sure she's done a lot of stemming and she's been sick and I've been sick. But it hasn't been that bad.

I went back to work on Saturday and Doodle goes back to school today. She's made a lot of progress during the winter break and I am elated!

I overheard her talking to herself and she actually slowed down and pronounced the word feathers. The th sound had always been a problem for Doodle. But she's more cautious now with how she is pronouncing things. And that makes me so happy.

I've spent as much time as I could with Doodle during the break while sick and trying to finish the magazine. The autism life is not always easy and the work involved makes me feel like I'm on teacher duty 24/7. But I'm starting to see progress again and that matters the most to me.

I want my child to succeed. And I'm going above and beyond to get her to that point. I'm still hoping that she wants to be doctor when she grows up. But if she wants to be an artist I will support that too. Whatever her future holds I'm willing to be there and support her to the best of my abilities. I always have and I always will.

If you are a parent and your child has just been diagnosed the most important thing to remember is the first three years are the hardest. All the appointments with doctors and therapists. Trying to figure out what would be the best thing for your child and it feels like you get no rest. Everything is jumbled together and if you can remember to breathe you're doing alright. There are bad doctors out there and there are bad therapists out there. If you feel like you're not being heard as a parent switch your child to someone else. That's the only way that your child has the stepping stones to succeed.

Today when I got up the first thing I sent off to the school was my letter for an IEP. I have the mitts our pediatrician sent to us. Cause those things were not the easiest to find here. And since these are technically our mitts, I want them back at the end of the school year just like I have to get the breathing machine from the school.

Well my day is already filled and I need to get back to work on the magazine and new programs I'm learning.

If you want to read the newest issue of the magazine you can find it here. This month and next month we are tackling a weighted blanket. Check it out. www.jsncreative.com/ezine Remember it's free, no need to use your email to view it and NO ads!

See you on the flip side!

Thanksgiving week Autism

It's Thanksgiving week and I have so much to do. Still working on the magazine and no where near the finish line and it doesn't help that Doodle is out of school for the week. That's gonna be interesting. She's gonna be so mad when she goes back to a communication book.

But this is what we are resorted to going back to since we are losing speech at an incredible rate. If you guys haven't seen the communication book I have posted in a previous blog that's what we are going back too. I will be updating it only because I want to incorporate her to use complete sentences.

This morning I will be dropping my vehicle off to be worked on.

Life with autism can be hard enough, add a free magazine and vehicle repair work to the mix and you have yourself a whole headache of work to do. Now throw in being a single mom and it's Thanksgiving week and you have barely anything to survive off of.

I am considering changing the magazine to be paid but that won't be for a couple of years. I don't want it to come to that but it might have to be done.

I'm going to keep this post short as I know of all the work I have to do this week to get everything finalized for the magazine.

See you guys on the flip side.

We have gone over the hump Autism

If you read the blog you know that Doodle had been regressing. The first few weeks of school are basically watching to see if your child will settle down and fall into routine. If this does not happen, after the first month of school is time to send in the note it's time for an emergency IEP meeting.

Doodle was regressing because she has new teachers. And new teachers normally keep all students on the same page. That's not possible with my child. She gets bored easily and will expect to keep rolling as long as she's mastered something. At the school she is in classes the kids can't keep pace with Doodle. She's smart and doesn't want to be held back. Yeah, she needs to learn patience.

And at home I've been trying to do as much as I can on my end. We have a new schedule. I've gone to what was used in a few classes in the past with her. She has a face chart. And what I mean by that is she has 4 levels to be on. A smiley for a great day, an are you serious face?, Oh My Goodness face and a frownie face. I didn't have to go out and buy all new things. I purchased white erase sticky paper at Dollar General when it was on sale for $.75. And with that all I need to use is a dry erase marker.

So far I'm keeping up with 4 weeks of past behavior at home. If she acts horrible at school then it affects her face schedule at home. If she's had a really bad day she has an opportunity to change that the next day. This helps to teach responsibility. She does have normal chores that she does everyday. And those chores are mainly for her self care.

But if she wants a smiley face instead of a frown face she has to do extra work. Vacuum her bed or floor, throw away her trash (for some reason she likes to collect trash), washing hands when she's been coloring with marker before bed, straighten up toys on the toy shelf and so on. I'm trying to teach her to be mindful of what she does that makes my life a little harder and what she can do to make our lives easier. Before the IEP meeting she didn't care about if she got a smile or frown on her schedule.

At school the teacher is getting Halloween candy of small packs of m&m's to focus Doodle in her classwork. I know it's horrible that a parent and teacher would bribe a child to learn something or stay on task. No it's called training. People do it with pets with clickers and treats. We as parents we use treats. Small treats. I cringe at parents who reward their children with suckers (lollipops). That's a way for kids to just say forget doing anything else I have what I want. Small pieces of candy's that give you a taste and you want more you have to continue working to get more. If you have a treat that will last longer then a little taste of you don't have to work hard anymore. You have what you want. So yeah, she's back in training mode at home and school. But we've reversed our roles. Home is normally the treats and school is normally the this is how your day is going schedule. We do what we have to to get to a great end result.

I've also implemented a new thing called a sensory resistance band. When Doodle feels a bit off she just gets in the band and stretches. This relieves the pressure on her muscles and relaxes her. It helps with all that excess energy she seems to have out of nowhere. I really could use that energy she has. To learn how to make your own it will be in the November issue of the magazine by JSN Creative Services. Keep reading to find out where you can get instructions to make your own.

Now that we've had the IEP and the work at school is becoming harder I've noticed a few things at home. She's becoming easier to work with at home and wants to do more to get smiling faces. She's sleeping through the entire night! And now that she's sleeping I am able to get sleep. She's gone from 5 mg of melatonin down to just 2.5 mg of melatonin.

This is the first week that change is really taking place at home and for the past 3 days I've actually been able to get more sleep. I'm able to be more productive and not so tired to the point where I am dragging. I'm no longer worried about getting that nap in the mornings when she gets on the bus and my balance is no longer off. When your body is so tired you can't think straight or walk straight. It's like you are walking around drunk and that's just no fun.

I'm grateful for the rest I'm now receiving. And it's all uninterrupted sleep. When you have a child living on the spectrum you feel like you are living with a newborn no matter how old they are. And remember that Doodle is 12. Some days are easy and some days are hard. She's worth every moment that I learn and grow with her.

If you are not seeing improvement at home during the school year try having an IEP meeting to have the work bumped up. Sometimes our children are bored and they need a challenge. It's what you know about your child that matters because you live with them. You know them very well. Don't be afraid to step in and help with their education. But it wasn't just school work we bumped up. I made sure that speech therapy got bumped up too. They are now going to be working on articulation in speech therapy because she's lost a few of her words. So we are going back to working on that as well. I didn't need to worry about occupational therapy at this time.

And next month while Doodle is out of school I will be ordering things for her to learn while she is out of school on holiday so she can stay on task and I don't have to worry about a regression. And we will be working on making pom poms. Lots and lots of pom poms to make a rug for the magazine. This will help with concentration and hand eye coordination. It will help her when she wraps the yarn and also for cutting. I'm all for projects where kids learn to use scissors correctly. Even if you don't have a child on the spectrum you can benefit from your child using scissors at home. Schools don't really teach that anymore and you would be surprised how many children can't use scissors correctly.

Crafting is one of the most important things that children on the spectrum need to do. They have to learn fundamentals and if they aren't learning it at school you need to kick it up a notch and teach it at home. Your child will surprise you when you work with them at home. Don't get frustrated and don't lose hope. You have to keep working with your child. I can attest that it's not the easiest thing to do but it's worth it.

Keep an eye out for the new issue or go ahead and make a sensory light that has helped us so much at home. On November the 1st you can check out the November issue of the magazine and make your own sensory resistance band for home. jsncreative.com/ezine The December issue will have a weighted blanket for cheap that really works.

See you guys on the flip side!

It's Labor Day Autism

This is the second time that I am writing this blog, mishap cause me to lose the other one. The time is flying by and growing even later. I don't know what the issue with blogger is tonight. Which is really a shame cause I worked really hard on the post I lost. So here we go again.

Hardly anyone knows how hard I work every single day. I have a magazine, a publishing company and a job I do on the side teaching art at a well known corporate craft store. You throw autism into the mix and the autism obsessions and well it can sometimes be a bit too much.

But this is my life and this is what I chose to do. The hustle is hard. Life has it's ups and downs but the question comes are you going to stay down or get back up and keep going? I don't rely on reselling things like many entrepreneurs do. I make everything myself and that includes my own soap line. It's a soap that I enjoy using because it removes all of the inks, dyes, resin residue, paints and the glues from EEG's.

At this point there is a waiting list. And this waiting list has been growing for quiet some time. And if I play my cards right I can get this soap in a few shops around town. I can either try to keep my soap local or go nationwide. It's all in what I chose to do. That's the beauty of life. You make it what you want it to be. The life of an optimist.

I'm not going to have this blog be long. I want to enjoy my Monday. Which is why I am working on the blog tonight. After I have finally gotten the magazine done and put up on the website with the help of my best friend. I will be working on the next issue come Monday and that's all I want to focus on besides Doodle. You guys enjoy your day.

See you guys on the flip side.

If you want to see the current issue of the magazine you can read it at www.jsncreative.com/ezine

First day back to school, autism

Yes, you read that title correctly. It's the first day back at school. Doodle is back from her fathers house and though she didn't want to go back to school, that's where she is currently. As I have said in previous posts I don't like for teachers to pay for stuff out of their pockets for their students. So this morning was the drop off of the first day of school. I also had extra items to drop off that her teachers have requested. Yes, you read that one correctly too. Teachers!

At the school Doodle goes too she's no longer stuck in a self contained classroom. She's switching classes like a regular ed student. She has 5 teachers and 5 rooms she has to switch too. Which means she has to learn a schedule of who to go to and what time she goes to them. If she were in a regular school for middle school she would be stuck in the same room all day long and only allowed out for lunch, P.E. and going home. That's not the way that a special needs child should be treated.

This morning I dropped off all of the paperwork that the librarian wanted that I have for crafts. I dropped off feathers her science teacher wanted. Her science teacher was her homeroom teacher last year and she knows Doodle pretty well and knows what motivates Doodle to do work. And her reading teacher requested plastic bin photo boxes that were on sale at work last week.

I ordered Doodle's Friday shirt which will be in on Friday. She can wear last years shirt, that's no big deal. And I dropped off all the medical supplies. Doodle has asthma and can't use an inhaler. Technically, she can but it doesn't work well with her body. Discussing it with our pediatrician we all agreed it was best to just stick with the machine you plug into the wall, it worked better and cleared her airway faster without having to go to the emergency room. I filled out all the paperwork with that, the nurse said she would send my copies home this afternoon.

The first day of school our parking lot was filled to the brim. Parents dropping off all the supplies that would be needed for the kids for the school year and their medical supplies as well. So I wasn't the only parent with extra to drop off. I dropped off the list of supplies when I went in to meet the teacher last week. So I was good that all that was already done.

Doodle has her new shorts and pants for the school year thanks to her father. That was a lot of driving around to find sturdy shorts that will last her through the school year. Pro parent tip, Dickey's pants last a long time. Doodle wears a pair that used to belong to my grandfather. They came to us brand new looking and it's the only brand I have found that so far have lasted to the next school year. Anything else Doodle rips or busts out the seem of. So if you need pants and shorts that last go with Dickey's.

I have first day of school mommy stuffs that I get to do! Best friend time! See you guys on the flip side.

Week in my life as an Entrepreneur, Autism

I'm an autism mom. My life is about making sure that my child progresses and I don't take no for an answer. But my life is not just about my child because I have to make a life for us. I love Doodle and want to give her every option possible under the sun. Long gone are the days where we traveled so much for extra speech and OT therapy.

Doodle transferred to a school where she regressed to being mentally 2 years old and she was 10 years old. We had gone from almost being to her age mentally as she was physically. That was so hard to live through. It really felt like I was living in a nightmare. But the anger that boiled in me was the worse. And that bubbled for two years straight. All because the new school refused to listen and didn't implement the fundamentals for special needs children across the board. Something the entire class would have benefited from. Picture schedules, training, one on one. Never got that. It was basically two years of a free babysitting service. Home life was a nightmare and summers were the worst. The only school work she did was the homework sent home. And that's because I demanded that. But the homework was kindergarten work. Color the shapes, very simple math such as 1+2=. Doodle was frustrated beyond belief and so was I. I was that parent that held an IEP meeting every single week which is why I was not able to create the magazine sooner. The research that went into the meetings, the notes and graphs on Doodle's progress that needed to be created for each one. The convo's back and forth with lawyers. All of this became too much for the she was at at the time. So she was pushed into the special needs school of my choice. That along with one of my customers at the large craft store that I work for got Doodle in without the waiting list.

And with Doodle being in this school, which is considered the cream of the crop of schools for our area, it's just like she's in a private school. I love it. She's treated like a regular child with no issues. Which is what she wants to be treated like. All children with special needs want to be treated like normal kids. I have no regrets.

Everything for school has been purchased. I have to clean out my vehicle because I have so many canvases in them for future classes for my publishing company. And those need a lot of research for them. For the past three weeks I have been working every single day. Nights and then the flip to days and back to nights. It was getting seriously overwhelming. And of course the magazine had to be finished. My deadline was for the 26th of July and I had to meet that deadline. By the day of I still had to get everything put together. I got everything turned in 55 minutes before midnight. It was completed and my stress levels could be lowered. And now it's the 30th of July and it's time to created the next magazine.

But last week was the best week of my life. I had been working on a deal for awhile with another art company here in our town that finally came together. I invited all the employees to my class and most showed up. Yes, they are considered competition but hey I don't really care. Anyways, the key employees showed up and I was able to showcase my clear gesso. Got the deal I needed! When it comes to paint pouring even the ones who have never done a paint pour always want cells. That's not suppose to be an easy feat to accomplish. With my clear Gesso they are able to achieve that. I had been working on that deal for a very long time. But I got the deal and that's all that matters to me.

The next day district was in town and I had a class that morning. It was the perfect time to go for what I wanted next. I want to be the next Michaels Maker. I was given the endorsement from district and they are contacting the people that are in charge of that to make it happen. It doesn't hurt that I work hard to make sure we are number 1 in district.

But now that school will be getting back into session and Doodle will be coming back home in the next few days, my schedule is slowing down except for the magazine. But I can now breathe and juggle the rest of schedule with the publishing company.

But that's not the best news. The best news is one our regular customers came in to one of our events and informed me she was going to have her annual EEG and she didn't want to do it. I found out that after she's in pain for so long because of the glue in her hair and she was not looking forward. I informed her mom that I didn't have any regular size of my soaps but I would cut my bar I'm currently using in half and give that to her. This is a soap that I make myself. Created it up because Doodle loves bubble baths but she's highly sensitive to sls and slsa, so bubble baths are not always in her favor. These chemicals cause her to hurt herself because she feels as if she's being stabbed by 1000 needles. She hits her head, tries to rip her skin off. When you have a child with little speech or issues articulating what's wrong you do what you have to do. So I started making soap like my great grandmother used to do. From there evolved this soap. And I love this stuff. Not only is Doodle able to make bubbles in the tub with it but I'm able to remove dye, inks, resin, paint, stain and so much more when it comes to crafting and painting. I have people that use the soap to remove stains from clothing and get car grease off their hands and arms when they are working on their cars. Loads of uses. So now I have another customer and new batches of soap need to be made, which I haven't been able to get too cause there is only one of me. And the demand for my time and attention was overwhelming.

So that's how my week went and that's how life is during the summer. Next year I'm hoping Doodle will be going to see her dad earlier in the summer and she will be able to attend the special needs summer camp. I really think she will like that.

Well, that's how I roll. It's been a lot so I will see you guys on the flip side.

If you are interested in reading the magazine you can read it at www.jsncreative.com/ezine it's free and no I don't ask for emails and I don't have ads cause that sort of thing infuriates me. So it's kept off my website. Except for downloads. It's just required for the downloads of books, and soon online classes.

Bad Moods and Autism

Doodle gets her way a lot, mainly because she's an only child. She has a "brother" that's she's unofficially adopted who adores her so much. But let's face it she's an only child with a bad attitude when she doesn't want to do something. Which is why I stick to a strict routine when it comes to Doodle.

She likes to jump on the bed, which has resulted in breaking the bed over 5 times in the past 2 years. That one right there is starting to get on my nerves. She barely jumps on her trampoline anymore. It used to be my sanity saver, but since she now searches for bugs she refuses to jump on the trampoline. And that's a pain in my rear.

During this summer we will be putting up a sensory swing. Doodle loves to swing. It's her favorite hobby at school. Yes, her P.E. classes, weather permitting is swinging. All the kids play on the playground at school. All the grades do and even the kids in wheelchairs get to swing. Right now we don't have a swing up. We have plenty of swings but none that are hanging up for her yet. I think that might be something I should put on my list of things to do for tomorrow.

Because Doodle has had a foul mood since she's been sick and gotten over being sick. For 7 days she slept in my bed. Tonight, I finally got my bed all to myself. No more sleeping at the foot of the bed with feet on my face or in my back. FREEDOM!!! It feels so nice just to stretch out in my own bed again.

I did have Doodle make up her bed and she fought that every step of the way. But I had an ace in the hole. Cupcakes. I was suppose to teach a cupcake class last night but no one showed up and I had my own icing that I brought from home that is recommended for the class. If anyone shows up or not, I make sure my coworkers have cupcakes to make working with me bearable. I'm a handful. You think a kid on the spectrum is bad, try a fine arts instructor who on occasion will put the paint brush in their mouth so they can move the canvas and sometimes it's the wrong end of the brush. So a fine arts instructor that eats paint. It's fine, I haven't died yet.

She wanted a cupcake in the worst sort of way. Well, if she wants a cupcake she's gonna work for that cupcake that looks like a muppet!

Another ace in the hole is Reese's peanut butter cups. Doodle doesn't like to put away the iPad at night. Well, if she wants a Reese's cup she's gonna put away the iPad. It's all in how you ask it. Time to put away the iPad. Sometimes the result is a no. Are you ready for a Peanut Butter cup? That always gets a yes. You have to charge the iPad if you want one. And that gets the ball rolling. Barely any fighting back. I like to put the iPad on charge at 6:00 pm. That gives her mind plenty of time to let the melatonin work it's magic and she gets a good night sleep and I can get a good night sleep.

And now it's time to worry about school starting up again. I know 3 or 4 weeks away for us, but I want to make sure that we are ready to walk in the doors with no issues. That's next weeks blog.

See you guys on the flip side. I have a magazine to work on. If you haven't seen it yet go check it out. It's free and you don't need to add your email address. FYI, there is a sensory section for DIY's in there. Just click and view! www.jsncreative.com/ezine