The weather around here has either been super rainy or super beautiful...not much in between.I'll take that! We have been spending a LOT of time outdoors already this year, and once the heat hit the 80s....the pool went up! But do you know how hard it is to explain to an autistic four year-old that we have to WAIT for the pool water to warm up & the chemicals to do their job? Why is it different from a bath? Oooo....Ethan was NOT happy about waiting. So, I pulled out last year's sprinkler....still in it's box.
The reason it was still unopened is because we were at my sister's house one day when they turned on their sprinkler for the kids to run through, and Ethan was NOT having it! His anxiety was super high & insisted on doing all things non-sprinkler related.
And that's fine. Honestly, when it comes to picking my battles, making him run through the sprinkler is very low on my list. Can I get an amen?
However, I was a bit nervous myself getting out the sprinkler. Ethan was already having some "waiting" issues & his anxiety was already rising. Should I risk the sprinkler? Um.....YEAH! Lately, he has been letting me use our shower head to rinse him off after his bath instead of using a big cup to fill & dump and fill & dump and fill & dump...the shower head is so much easier when you have a child that is already about 4 feet tall! And the sprinkler is kind of like a shower head, right? Well, that's what I told Ethan anyway.
About a month ago, Corey & I attended a workshop at our Easter Seals entitled Changing Challenging Behaviors. It was during this training that I had an "Ah-ha" moment about MY behavior during a meltdown. To read more about that, click here. In a nutshell, I engage with him during his meltdowns & I needed to stop.
One of the greatest things of any holiday is the after holiday sales.....if you can hold out on buying items that long! I am ALWAYS shopping these clearanced items in order to add to our sensory play resources. This year I was keeping my eye on some key items....one of them being shaped ice cube trays.
There are many ways to make colored ice cubes. We added food coloring to water. I filled the hearts with water & Ethan picked different colors for each heart. He added the food coloring too.
Once they were frozen, we added them to our kitchen sink water. Why is our water black? Because Ethan asked to add food coloring to it & 3 colors mixed together makes black. :0)
When Ethan was a baby, I received a magazine subscription to Parenting as a gift. One of my favorite columns in this magazine is entitled Pop Culture. This article appears in every Parenting magazine, and it's written by a DAD! (Get it....POP culture!? He even writes a blog! Click here to see more from him.) Shawn Bean tells of life as a father & family man. I love his point of view....which helps me understand the 2 guys in my life a little better.....and his humor on situations is the best.
This month he talked about how he half-heartedly celebrated mother's day several years ago. It's a cute story. To read about it, check it out here. His wife responded to his blunder with these words...."This holiday is more important to me than any other. It's the only holiday I had to earn."
Very well said, Mrs. Bean.
And being the mother of a child with a disability gives the word "earn" a whole new meaning. For me, Mother's Day will always be bitter sweet. Four years ago, I became a mother. Two years after that, on Mother's Day week, I became a mother of a child with autism. Yes, Mother's Day always reminds me of the day Ethan was diagnosed with autism....and a small bit of grieving occurs all over again. But I wouldn't change my Ethan & who he is for anything. He is my perfect child from above, and I really love being his mom.
My friend shared this video this week on her Facebook page, and I just loved it. It's short, but very cute & sweet. I was crying like a baby by the end....and it has NOTHING to do with autism. Just being a Mom. It really is a MUST WATCH.
Nothing special happening today. My husband has agreed to pick up Ethan from preschool today, so I am taking 20 minutes for myself. As I sit outside taking in the neighborhood sounds, my mind wanders in 100 directions. Does that happen to anyone else?
Most of my days are filled with all things autism. Whether it's hurrying to find a picture to visually help explain something to Ethan or driving him around to his 2 schools, my mind is usually all around Ethan & being the best mother I can be for him. I guess that comes with the territory of being a stay-at-home mom. I feel the pressure of being that perfect 50's housewife.....of which I fall short daily. I also feel inadequate in other areas too...in leading our new special needs ministry at church, in blogging information that would be beneficial to others, in maintaining my relationships with my friends & family, in taking care of myself...I just can't find a balance.
But as I take this 20 minute quiet break for myself, I am filled with a sense of peace. I am reminded that my life will not be this way forever...it's just how it is for right now. Like most of you, I am just trying to do the best I can with the cards I'm dealt....and what else can I do.
A few months ago, our area Easter Seals hosted their annual telethon. During this telecast, Running Central, a company based in Peoria, IL, introduced Peoria's First Annual City Wide Easter Seals Marathon! With the event two months away, I decided to start training again & run this 5K. Well, what do they say about the best laid plans??? I have just learned that raising a child with autism makes COMMITMENT a very hard thing to....um.....well.....commit to! In our situation, flexibility in our lives as parents makes things a bit easier in raising Ethan.....not so easy for training for a marathon. Well....maybe next year!
Then, I received the greatest blessing this past Sunday. After church, my brother-in-law (my sister's husband) told me that he ran his first marathon a couple of weeks ago. He seemed to really enjoy it & was looking for another one of which to participate. He told me that he found one in Peoria but was on the fence about doing it....until he heard that it was for Easter Seals. He signed up immediately.
I seem to be a bit random in my posts lately. I think it due to the weather. If it's nice outside, I want to show you outdoor fun. If it's raining....like it is AGAIN today, I seem to move my thoughts inside. So...today I want to show you my latest indoor project.
Does anyone else have problems with a refrigerator overflowing with your children's artwork? I guess I shouldn't say problem because I LOVE to look at all of Ethan's creations. To me, they are like looking at miracles. The problem that I have is that it looks messy & they are always falling! Especially when Ethan decides he wants to play with the refrigerator magnets!
