For those impacted by Hurricane Gustav...

Just want to let you know that our thoughts and prayers are with you, stay saf...

Read More >>

Bedtime conversations...

One thing about Bearhug, he loves rankings, loves putting people or things into ranked lists by number. I guess it's the orderliness of it all, I don't know for sure. He had a fun time watching the presidential primaries for that reason (who's in 1st place, who's in 2nd, etc.)Anyway, so sometimes he likes to rank his family and friends, either by places (1st, 2nd, 3rd) or by percents. He once told his teacher she was his "14th best friend" which I think she was a little hurt by that but when she...

Read More >>

Random updates on the boys

Last week, we got the scores back from the standardized tests that Cuddlebug and Bearhug took last spring (not sure why it takes so long, but whatever...). They both did great! Bearhug, who is the more competitive of the two, asked if he'd beaten Cuddlebug's scores, but actually CB's scores were higher. Not that it matters, they both did awesome! But it did give CB a little confidence boost (he's been bemoaning his opinion that he's not good at math or reading and he didn't want to believe me...

Read More >>

Who is Sarah Palin?

Ok, I usually do not write about politics on my blog, and I have been on the fence so far so there hasn't been much to say anyway, but I am pretty excited about McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as a running mate, so I wanted to share what I have learned about her.[[Full disclosure note: I am not a member of either party, but my views tend to be conservative.]]Regardless of your political views, Governor Palin is an admirable person. The more I learn about her, the more I like her - she’s a mother...

Read More >>

Finding Courage through Sharing - Aug 2008

The topic for this month is memories and memory markers. Share about something that trips a memory in your journey with your child or children, or just a memory that is special to you. The memory can be happy, sad, or anything in between. If you don’t have time to write specifically for this prompt, feel free to share a post that matters to you from your archives. I’m looking forward...

Read More >>

Around the Blogosphere

Just wanted to share a few posts that I've read lately that I found funny, thoughtful, or both (along with a memorable quote from each post):These are the Hands at Three Channels"... These are the hands that wrote a note to the rather proper single interior decorator friend of his mother thanking her for the opportunity to “learn more about roaches” in her home. The mother of these hands did not bother to proofread the thank-you note before it was sent..." Amazing Race at Autism in a Word"... I...

Read More >>

Empathy and Autism - part 2

A while ago, I posted about Empathy and Autism. Trish's comment on that post got me thinking that perhaps in my effort to make a point (that people with autism are capable of feeling and showing empathy), I may have given a rather one-sided view of things. It's taken me a while to circle back on this one, but in the interest of full disclosure, I thought I'd offer a glimpse into the other side of the story -- examples of when my sons have tormented those around them empathy has eluded my sons...*...

Read More >>

*Please read - help save lives with just a few clicks!

Imagine if you could help save a child's life with just a few clicks of your mouse and two minutes of your time... you can!Reece's Rainbow is an organization that works to save the lives of children with Down syndrome who are currently living in orphanages all over the world.Even in the 21st century, the majority of children with Down syndrome are either prenatally aborted here in the US or hidden away in foreign orphanages and mental institutions. This travesty is a HOLOCAUST in every sense of...

Read More >>

I love your blog award!

Penelope and Laura made my day the other day by awarding me the "I love your blog" award! I am honored, thanks!!So now I get to spread the love to 7 other blogs:My Platypus LifeA Celebration of Our JourneySpecial ConsiderationsThree ChannelsAnother Piece of the PuzzleAutism in a WordAll 4 My GalsHere are the rules for the recipients of the awards:1. The winner can put the logo...

Read More >>

Brillante Blog award!

Penelope was kind enough to award me the Brillante Blog award, how cool is that? Thank you!! Here are the 7 blogs I am passing it along to:Three WeddingsMusings of the Wife of a PilotMixed BlessingsMy Sippy Cup Runneth OverFloortime Lite MamaGabi's WorldIn the Life of a ChildHere are the rules for the recipients of the awards:1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.2. Link...

Read More >>

If I hadn't seen it myself...

I'd have a hard time believing it! Yesterday while we were getting dinner ready, Little Bitty was playing with the letter magnets on the fridge. I looked down and saw "M A S" and didn't think much of it. A minute or so later, I looked down and he was putting the T on to finish up his word:As in "Thomas the Tank Engine." He not only spelled it all by himself (from memory!), he...

Read More >>

Try This Tuesday: Chicken nugget math

Dh gets credit for this one. Cuddlebug and Bearhug really like math, and when they mastered adding and subtracting, dh taught them to add/subtract with several digits (with carrying and borrowing).He then moved on to basic multiplication. They already knew how to count by 2's, 5's, 10's, etc. so it wasn't much of a leap to say "5 x 3 means count by 5's 3 times" so they picked that...

Read More >>

Magic Marker Monday: War & Peace

This is a note that I found crumpled up in the playroom one day (a year or so ago). It is from Bearhug to Cuddlebug. Apparently, they'd gotten into a fight earlier in the day before I got home.There's a lot of emotion in it, with the laughing faces on the front and the angry face inside. In case you can't tell, "sdenks" is how he spelled "stinks." (yes, I wrote over their actual...

Read More >>

Pros and Cons of having a SAHD

For anyone who's considering having dad stay home w/ the kids while mom works full time, it's worked out great for us for over 7 years. Here's some thoughts on the pros and cons for us:Pros:* my sons have a very close relationship with dh, and in my experience it doesn't take anything away from their relationship with me, they are still quite the little "mama's boys"* ok, I'll...

Read More >>

Stunning revelation (if you're dh)

So last night we were eating dinner and watching "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!" when all of a sudden I hear dh exclaim, "Widget is a GIRL?!?" (for those unfamiliar with Wubbzy and his friends, that's Widget on the left, Wubbzy in the middle, and Walden on the right).Cuddlebug and Bearhug both replied matter-of-factly, "Yes, Widget is a girl." Dh looks at me. "Did you know Widget is a girl?"...

Read More >>

Chess Club's newest members

Cuddlebug and Bearhug decided to join the chess club at school this year. They are just learning how to play, and are really excited about it! They had their first Chess Club meeting the other day, where they learned about pawns. They had a lot of fun, when they got home the first thing they did was pull out the chess set to start practicing. I'm sure they'll be able to beat me...

Read More >>

Quick update

I had to work last night so I didn't get to do any updates, although I already had a post scheduled for this morning. Hope you enjoyed my little walk down memory lane :).I didn't actually get much work done until early this morning, b/c it took all night to get Bitty to go to sleep. At least he wasn't screaming, he just wouldn't go to sleep. I have heard that melatonin can be helpful, if anyone has experience with that with a 3-yr-old, I'd love to hear your thoughts.Thanks to everyone who commented...

Read More >>

Today in history - Aug 21, 2003

I thought it would be fun to go back and post some stories from my journal, here's one from 5 yrs ago today.8-21-03In today's news... we have finally surrendered the kitchen to the "invading forces" after our battered gate finally proved not only useless in keeping out invading toddlers, but was actually aiding and abetting them in their plight to reach "higher ground" (that being...

Read More >>

Special Exposure & Wordless Wednesday

Taken at age 2, this is the scene dh found one afternoon when the boys had been coloring. As you can see, Bearhug was inclined to put everything into his mouth (crayons included) and judging by his face and shirt, red and purple were the colors of the day :). It's hard to see behind him, but I think they did more coloring on the carpet than on any paper.From the look of Cuddlebug's...

Read More >>

Funny quote

On the topic of church, that reminded me of a funny quote from Bearhug a while back (about a year ago). We had asked them what they learned at church that day, to which they usually responded "I don't know" or just ignored us altogether, but that day, they actually gave us a description of one of the pictures they'd talked about at church and what they learned from it.I told them...

Read More >>

8 words you don't want to hear

at church are, “your son is screaming, and he’s half-naked.” Sigh. At least this time it was my 3-yr-old and not one of my 7-yr-olds. About 6 mos ago, someone sent one of the teenagers at church to get me when one of my twins was having a meltdown in the foyer. He said, with all the tact in the world, “I think your kid is going crazy or something.” Ugh.I digress. Back to this past Sunday, and Little Bitty. This happened not 10 minutes after I’d left his nursery class, waited in the hall for...

Read More >>

Try This Tuesday: Meltdown "Evasive Maneuvers"

**Disclaimer** The following suggestions only worked for us when tried at the first sign of a possible impending meltdown, and even then not all the time. Unfortunately, we have yet to find anything that really helps once they are in full-blown meltdown mode, so prevention is key if at all possible.One of our more successful "evasive maneuvers" to prevent a meltdown when we started...

Read More >>

Meltdowns

It's taken me a while to get to this topic. I have a lot to say about it, but it's hard to know where to begin. Dh and I spent a lot of our time over a span of about 4-5 years living in what I can only describe as "meltdown he--" (trying to keep this G-rated, but you get the idea). Cuddlebug and Bearhug were like Jekyll and Hyde, inclined to have frequent meltdowns, sometimes several times a day, each. They often came with no warning, and for reasons unknown to us. BH and CB didn't have the communication...

Read More >>

I live in a bubble

Care to join me? :)Yes, it's true, I live in a bubble. In my bubble, my kids are pretty much just like everyone else, with their unique personalities of course. They are all learning and progressing, and in my bubble that is all I see. Occasionally the "real world" manages to intrude on my bubble.When we are around other kids it can sure be an eye-opener, I sometimes find myself caught off guard with how other kids act, how well they can talk, or things like that and I find myself thinking they...

Read More >>

Video of the Day: Get Service

If only everyone had a pair of these... well worth watchi...

Read More >>

Autism in the movies: Mozart and the Whale

If you're looking for a great movie, "Mozart and the Whale" is well worth the ~2 hrs you'll spend watching it. It's story of two young adults with autism / Asperger's as they meet, fall in love, and try to make a relationship work. The movie is based on the life of Jerry Newport and his wife, Mary.Of course, as a mother of boys, I found myself identifying more closely with the...

Read More >>

Autism in the movies: Rainman

Not too long ago, dh and I were flipping channels and came across the movie "Rainman." I hadn't seen that movie in a looong time. When I saw it the first time, it was long before we had kids and I knew absolutely nothing about autism. I remember thinking that Ray's situation was very sad and ironically, I remember thinking I wouldn't know what to do if I had a family member with...

Read More >>

Learning to swing!

Last weekend was Parents Night Out (woo-hoo!) and when we picked the boys up and asked the boys what they did, Bearhug told us he did the swing without needing very many pushes. He proudly told us he needed pushes at first but then he was able to keep the swing moving by moving his legs. Cuddlebug said he did too, although he said he needed more pushes.This was exciting news! When...

Read More >>

Too green?

Yesterday both Cuddlebug and I were home sick, him recovering from a night of throwing up and still having an upset stomach, me recovering from a night of wishing I could smash my brains in with a hammer to stop. the. pain. Oh, and throwing up. Migraines suck. Taking migraine medicine too late sucks too.So I suggested to Cuddlebug that he take a warm bath as it might make him feel better (it worked for Bearhug when he was sick last week). When I went in to check on him, I found him sitting in...

Read More >>

Not your grandma's recipe

*** Warning *** The following post is not for the squeamish, if you have a weak stomach you may want to skip it for the more pleasant posts below.Cuddlebug has developed a bit of a fascination with germs and now, viruses. Ever since Bearhug was sick last week, he's been asking me about viruses. A couple of nights ago, he asked me, "If I sniff and swallow my boogers, will I get viruses?" hmm, I told him I thought that was safe (hope so) and he informed me that he has done that a few times. Today...

Read More >>

The most secret-y secret in all of secretdom

Nobody must know... not even... Squidward's house! (LOL, can you tell I've seen way too much Spongebob?) Last weekend, I took Cuddlebug to a little party they had for all the kids who'd gone to camp this summer. Bearhug was sick so he stayed home with dh and LB. Toward the end, most of the people had left and it was just CB and I along with a few others, he was finishing up his...

Read More >>

One tired Bitty

Little Bitty after his second day of school :). He is really getting worn out, but he's also having a great ti...

Read More >>

Featured at MomDot :)

Hi everyone, I'm being featured today over at MomDot! This month is their grand opening. Go visit MomDot to read my interview, and while you're there check out some of the other featured bloggers, boutiques, and cool contests ...

Read More >>

Empathy and Autism

It is often said that people with autism lack empathy, but I think that is not necessarily always the case. I think it's not always recognized becomes sometimes the way they express it may be a little out of the ordinary. And yes, sometimes I think a lack of understanding of nonverbal cues can lead a person with autism to not always recognize when someone is upset (therefore they may not respond with empathy, not because they aren't capable of feeling empathy but because they don't recognize a situation...

Read More >>

Another mystery solved

Sometime early this summer, Cuddlebug started wearing a red bandana wherever he went. He wore it everywhere - to the grocery store, to camp, to a birthday party, everywhere but to church (gotta draw the line somewhere, right?). We didn't think much of it, just figured it was a phase that would pass. When the beginning of school was approaching, I decided we needed to approach him...

Read More >>

101 posts!

I just realized I have 101 posts now (I guess this is #102), in just under 3 months since I started this blog. Yes, I have become addicted to blogging ...

Read More >>

Special Exposure & Wordless Wednesday

With summer coming to an end, I thought I'd post one last summer picture. This is Bearhug and Cuddlebug trying on their new swim goggles, taken about 3 months ago.Check out more Special Exposure Wednesday and Wordless Wednesday here and he...

Read More >>

The start of another school year

Well, the countdown is over and another school year has begun. Cuddlebug and Bearhug have embarked on 2nd grade, while Little Bitty has returned to his special needs preschool class (he has another year of that before he is old enough for Pre-K).The first day went well! The night before, Cuddlebug was nervous and told me he was afraid he wouldn't do well in 2nd grade. I assured...

Read More >>

Special Exposure Model Search

5 Minutes for Special Needs is having a photo contest for the next Special Exposure Wednesday model. They're looking for something with a fall theme, so I chose this picture of Little Bitty in his Halloween costume (from 2006) to enter:Click here to see more entri...

Read More >>