Try new things Autism

I've touched on getting out there and doing things in past blogs. And you guys already know I work for a large crafting chain where we are holding events every single Saturday and also during the week so you can learn all new things that you've wanted to do. With it being the summer it's time to spend more time with Doodle for some mommy daughter bonding times. Because of our strict schedules during the school year I don't really get to spend much time with Doodle. I love to work, don't get me wrong because where I work, it's not work. It's about having a lot of fun! Adult conversations with adults! But I do love to work with Doodle when I can and see how her art is progressing. As an artist I sit back and just let her do her thing. If she needs help she knows to ask for it.

Well Doodle isn't allowed to be in the classroom with me being on the clock unless a family member brings her to participate that way. And the family member has to be with her at all times. In the past we've had tie dye events, lots of slime events, splatter events and all sorts of things. She doesn't get to participate in those because she's with my parents who watch her.

Today she is feeling better after being through the ringer of some sort of stomach bug. And the best part is we are going to do some tie dye. She's never done that and it will be a lot of fun to teach her all about dying shirts. I know she will have a blast. We did a splatter with the goblies that are exclusive to Michaels Stores only. She really enjoyed that.

During the week we went to Michaels to do a little shopping and she found a fish patch that she wanted to put on a shirt. She also found a glitter tie dye kit that was a must to have. Yes, I'm one of those parents who do sick shopping. You always feel better with something to do while you're under the weather. It keeps your mind off the horribleness that you feel.

I also picked up on clearance a Gemmies kit. And I am not regretting that one little bit! She has to count out all her pieces, sort them by colors and try to fit all the pieces on the bands to connect them together. Hand eye coordination and math, two projects in one. Score! This is my part of keeping her mind sharp during the summer. She made a dragonfly which I'm really proud of. I might E6000 that bad boy to a picture frame! She followed the instructions very well because they are picture instructions. Some of the other things in the kit might be a little harder but she did do the very first craft on it and I'm so proud.

She also told her very first joke last night. Yeah, Doodle is 12 and has high functioning autism. Hey, I will take what I can get! All the firsts will always continue to happen as long as you do your part as the parent and make sure your child is doing new projects and trying new things. Can't let the kids play on the iPads all the time. They don't really learn that way.

So on that note, we are heading outside to enjoy this heat and play with water and dye. When the shirts are ready I'm going to heat press the glitter vinyl our shirts and we will be done. I might even let her use the Cricket heat press as she will be under adult supervision as always.

See you guys on the flip side!

Summer Break Autism

Out of respect for the Holiday of Memorial Day here in the States I opted not to share the post yesterday. It was a time of remembrance for those of us that have lost loved ones in the service. Thank you to those who have gave the ultimate for your country.

It's the last day of school and everything is bitter sweet for me. I'm sad that I won't be able to see the normal faces that I normally see every weekday. Doodle is not eligible for summer help anymore. She hasn't been able to receive that since before pre-k age.

This morning I waved the bus off on it's last journey until they will be rolling again in the fall. This year I wasn't going to chase the bus down because I forget to get the harness off Doodle before the bus moves from my street, heading to it's next destination.

So today has been a cooking day for me and I've been prepping and cooking since the bus picked up this morning. I've also been checking my largest resin art piece. And that did not do so hot at all. But though this now has a lot of mistakes in it for the resin cracking, I can still work with it and embrace it. Flaws and all. I've been trying to stay as busy as I can all day today. I'll admit it, I teared up this morning as the bus pulled away.

And since today is the last day of school I had already made sure that I had a package of summer fun for Doodle for when she got home from school. Which is going to be earlier then normal because I'm picking her up today from school. I like having the opportunity to tell everyone good bye and that I too will miss them just as much as Doodle will.

And Doodle ran up to every single person that she knows at the school, hugged them and told them good bye. I know she loves the teachers there at our school and the kids, well she's making friends that won't treat her like she's got something wrong because they all have something wrong with them. So they all understand!

I'm blessed for Doodle to be at this school and I'm blessed that we have teachers that don't want to be babysitters but want to teach. They are very protective of all the kids at the school and that's the most important thing to me.

When Doodle came home from her early dismissal I went ahead and gave her, her summer package. A box of markers, a miniature bubble machine along with bubbles, Crayola clay and a drawing pad. There is an outdoor game but that will be when she is outside playing and I can play with her.

Well on that note I will see you guys on the flip side. I'm working on the magazine, still cooking and I have to get ready for my class tonight.

What are you really learning Autism

Last week was a hard week for us. We laid to rest my Uncle and three of my cousins are without their parents. My aunt passed away over a year ago. And the funeral was during the school day which meant that there was a possibility that it was still going on when Doodle got out of school. So an early dismissal was in order.

This time around Doodle didn't act up like she did at my aunt's funeral. She was very well behaved which I'm proud of and I only had to tell her about 10 times to shhhhh. Cause Doodle is a talker. But the best news is she didn't recite scenes from Muppet Treasure Island like she's done at past funerals. Nothing like hearing a kid scream out, "She's DEAD??!!" Or pretending to be dead herself on the couch in the funeral parlor.

So why is Doodle getting better? Look when it comes to a child on the spectrum the most important thing is that they have to get used to things, like the world around them. People will never be able to get used to our kids so we have to get our kids used to the world they live in. There are rules for being out and about in town so we have make sure our kids learn that. We as parents have to take the time to teach. We can't leave everything for the teachers to do.

Even parents of regular ed students need to take time out of their schedules to teach. For some reason the main thing I'm seeing on YouTube and Facebook is that parents are getting upset that children aren't learning some basic things in school. Well, how about we step up and teach? It doesn't stop with our kids learning their first words or first steps. We have to continue teaching them as much as possible.

For instance Friday was a perfect day to teach how the earth revolves around the sun. Doodle and I were coming home from picking something up. One side of the sky was bright and sunny and the other side was dark and gloomy. The sun was getting ready to set and it was the perfect time to teach Doodle about where the sun was and why the sky looked the way that it did.

Also give into consideration if you are leaving things for the teacher to teach your child, your kid isn't going to be learning a whole lot. Our children take in more information from other children. Which is why more parents are shocked at their childs behavior when the child is caught doing something severely wrong, such as bullying or cheating or skipping school. Children on the spectrum learn by mimicking their peers behavior. So what are your kids really learning? They are learning more from their peers then they are from the teacher in the classroom.

When it comes to a new hobby or painting style we are willing to put in the work to learn as much as we possibly can. Why are we not doing the same for our children. Get out into the world with your child at least once or twice a week. I know for some parents it's a hassle. But hassle is such a dirty word. Why? Cause you are making it a hassle (a problem). You can't just give up at the start of a race. When you were learning to walk, you never gave up. You fell a lot but you kept at it. That's the same way that you should look at it. And before long you can have a child that knows how to act when out in public. Don't give up and keep at it.

See you guys on the flip side.

Everything in stages, Autism

Monday I wrote to you about cheating at parenting so that you can give more to your child. Maybe I forgot my best know secret for that but it has been touched on in past blogs. But today we are going to be tackling a more serious subject of autism. And that would be the milestones.

In some cases there seem to be instances of milestones or stages as they are often referred too. Doodle used to seriously love vegetables and enjoyed them when she was a lot younger. Today you put those bad boys in front of her she's like nope, nope and NOPE!

This week has been a weird one. And I notice that there is some sort of light shining through. Doodle has been messing with the schedule clock I made her. She hates schedules now with a passion. A picture schedule was the easiest way to keep her on track but since she rejects it now it's a little harder for her to keep herself on track. But I do keep up with the time and what I know the schedule should be.

Wednesday after dinner at Dairy Queen we came home I was packing her snack and starting the coffee maker to go off for 6 am the next morning, Doodle got into the bath tub. She was not told to do this, she was not asked to do this. She just did it. She didn't ask for the iPad, she just went and took a bath. I realized what was going on when I heard the water heater running and went to check on her. She was in the tub and she was trying to get her bath out of the way. I told her I was proud of her and let her do her thing.

After her bath she took her melatonin and crawled into bed turned on her night lights and sound machine and that was it. She was ready for bed. All before 8 pm that night. I was curious, proud and wasn't about to question a thing.

Last year during the school shopping season I met another autism mom. She recognized the behaviors in Doodle as autism. Doodle was covering her ears and beginning the first installments of a meltdown. I hate taking Doodle out in a massive shop haul where everyone is trying to experience the same thing. AKA the no tax sale. So it was a bit of a nightmare. I prefer to do the whole pay a bit extra for what we need because of the hassle with autism is just too much. Her daughter did the exact same things when she was Doodle's age. She reassured me that it was a phase and that Doodle would grow out of the holding her ears. That she felt a lot of things were stages when it came to her child and growing out of the phrases (though later then A typical children) seemed to be a norm in her life.

I happen to agree with the phase thing. Because our life is about going into phases and moving out of phases. Happens every couple of years but yeah, it's phases like the moon but we have phases.

Now being responsible is... I have no clue what phase this would be. I'm not sure when a child would be responsible. Maybe 8 or 10 years old. Every child is different so it's really hard to judge on this particular time frame for a kid.

Later in the week Doodle who has refused to eat any type of fry with ketchup (used to be one of her favorite things to eat on her fries) actually started eating fries with ketchup. Wasn't sure if it was a fluke or not but she did that again on Mothers day when we went out to dinner. I'm at a loss for words on this one but I'm hoping that we have transitioned out of the phase where the food has to be thrown away if a speck of ketchup touches any part of her food.

Milestones no matter how big our small I will take. We celebrate them in all their glory. Right now I'm seriously one proud mother.

See you guys on the flip side.

Cheating at Parenting Autism

Look, parenting a child with disabilities is not the easiest thing in the world. Add being a single parent to the mix and you're ready to rip your hair out. So when it comes to parenting sometimes you have to take sort cuts to give your kid the best part of you.

And yes, when I'm at work it's always in the back of my head, my patience is only reserved for my daughter and no one else. Working retail is not for everyone. Heck adulting is hard! Adulting with a special needs child is like riding on the outside of a rocket without a seat belt to the moon. So to all those teens who are looking to having a life and running away from childhood as fast as they can. You're welcome, the autism numbers are rising. Let's hope you don't end up in the fetal position in the corner sucking on your thumb, cause this life is not for the weak.

So Friday was my day off before I went into the Grind of my weekend. I do not have weekends off ever! I work and when I say I work I mean I grind hard and it starts after 5 on Friday. Working until sometimes 1 or 2 am. Go to bed, get up at 7 am, work some more, get ready to go into work. Grind out those numbers and head home after 2 hours and back at my regular weekend work. Again, work until 1 or 2 in the morning, bed, get up early and start again to get my weekend work done before Monday.

Sometimes you have to keep to the schedule (routine) as much as you can and anything will cause the routine to be thrown out of wack. Friday night I baked chicken but wasn't in the mood for cooking anything else. On to the deli section of Publix. You can get sides for your meals or full meals, ready to eat from the deli section of Publix. And it's doesn't cost a lot to get sides for meals. 

Even though this is one of those, ran to the store it's not on our schedule it's a perfect learning opportunity. Let your ASD kids pick out what they want for their sides. During the summer I will be going through and creating picture schedules that you can use for easy communication to help your kids learn. Doodle is past this part in her life. But for snacks we are still in that mode. Staying organized with your time saves you so much time and it's an easy "cheat" at parenting.

For right now my time is a mixture of practicing for classes, teaching my classes, finishing up paintings and working on the magazine template. Cause I have to have a better system for the magazine if I want to start that up again. I also have to worry about making sure that I am ready for the next Open House when it comes around. And on that note...

See you guys on the flip side.

We made it Autism

We made it through Autism Awareness month, barely. For me the month of April is the most trying month. And I came through this month skidding in sideways; hair disheveled and barely hanging on. But that's the way that I live my life. I'm going to have a good time no matter what.

Doodle may have autism but autism doesn't define who she is. And most parents act like Autism awareness month is the greatest thing and others act like it's a curse. Just like the old saying of what is your cup filled to? Is your cup half empty or is it half full? It's all in how you approach your life. Doodle will always have autism. No matter how much therapy she has at the school. Embrace it like its a freckle cause this life, every part of it is just a drop in the bucket.

So why did I skid in sideways? Well, it's my birth month, Special Olympics, new cutting machine I needed to learn and Open House. And Open House always means showcase pieces and those take time to make. So I have to make sure I have everything for Open House that should be seen. If people can see what they can be taught step by step they are more incline to take classes. I'm not in the store as much as you would think I am. I have so many projects that have to be done and ready for so many other things that I barely have time to remember to breathe. And Doodle is acting like a little pest by not wanting to ride the bus anymore to school or home from school.

I am working with the school to get the issue resolved. Open House was good. Training is still being done for the new instructor. I still have a lot on my plate. But the good news is I've been asked to be a part of a fashion show galla and feature my artwork. I'm a little on the fence about it. I need to see how many art pieces I can come up with for September and I have a lot of other projects on my table.

So now that this is the last day of April you guys know that school is gonna be out next month, right? So what are your plans for your kids that don't have summer program options and you never manage to remember to sign up for special needs summer camp?

I have to work so there is no dropping off at special needs summer camp. But I do have a plan. We are going to be outside watching movies. I have a projector that was given to me a couple of weeks ago. I have my office area to clean up. Lots of printers are headed off to the thrift store cause I just don't have any room for them. And I have been following a lot of teachers on Instagram who teach special education. I'm putting together work sheets that Doodle will be working on. And of course we will be at my best friends' house enjoying his swimming pool. Cause it's the summer! Got to have some fun.

I have a lot of projects that are either going to be in the magazine or in the blog. Haven't decided yet. Everything is just so jumbled right now. I should have some idea by the end of the week. But the most important thing is today I have to register Doodle for school for next year. Cause that was something I forgot to do for April.

See you guys on the flip side.

Welcome to Autism Awareness Month

This is a touchy subject to most parents on the spectrum. A month they hate the most for some. For me it's not. For me there is so much to be thankful for.

My child at a point in her life I seriously thought that she would never be able to speak, read, write or do math. She stemmed a lot and had seizure behaviors. I never thought she would be a child that would ever be unlocked from her mind.

And then a tornado ripped through our area and her school was wiped off the map. And we switched to a new school. We got a teacher that believed that any student that was under her care had the right to some form of communication and with dedication could be taught so that if they were ever in trouble they could tell someone basic information to help get them back to their family.

This teacher was our miracle worker but she did ask for the parents time in return. Not only did our children work hard at school but had homework and the parents had to help them at home. She would bring parents into the classroom and teach us how to help our children. It was glorious. She and her para were the cream of the crop on making sure our children focused and learned to the best of their ability.

When some teachers just want to babysit you find a teacher that is willing to put in the work and get results. I can't stand a lazy teacher. It infuriates me to no end. It's not only my child that is suffering but it's a whole class that suffers.

Yes, I am one of those parents that work my child and I will work her hard and I will battle with her if I have to to make sure she thrives and learns and progresses. If a teacher and a para can do it every single school year together I can do it for 365 at home.

Doodle is on spring break. I do have a summer plan for her that means yes, though she won't be in school and I will be working I will be making sure that she is still going to be learning. This week I'm helping her with her art. She's already at a point where she's fantastic with art, but she needs lessons to take it further. I'm a certified Grumbacher instructor for Michaels Stores so art comes naturally for us but even I take lessons to make sure that my art stays on point.

Don't hate on this month and that it is Autism Awareness month. Don't hate on the disability. You have to work hard with your children. But then again raising children is a 24/7 job. You can't have children and expect them to raise themselves. If you want them to do sports they have to be trained in that and of course practicing at home. Music is the same way as is art. Anything you as a parent have ever wanted to do in life you know there is practice practice practice. And that's the way it is with autism. Therapy and practice. Lets ban together and make sure we make our kids a success.

See you on the flip side.
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