The art of reaching out...

Today's post kinda goes along with yesterday's.

I had a great visit with Alise in the morning then I went to the grocery store.  I like going to the store during school hours because Wesley isn't with me...I love him dearly, but storing is so much easier without him!  He has been known to knock the cart completely over if he gets upset enough...and this is from inside it!  I don't let him walk in the store EVER!!  He's a big guy and strong as an ox!  All that being said, I am quite used to tantrums in the store and the looks that I get because of them.

I am about a quarter of the way through the store and start hearing shrieks...actually, I was on the phone with my husband and he asked if I had Wesley with me!  :-)  Anyway, I go on with what I am doing but I start over hearing a few people talking about this child screaming.  I'm starting to feel really bad for this mom now.  I know what she's going through.  We happen to be in the same aisle at one point and she actually apologized to me.  I continued going, but all the while thinking about this poor mom.  I decide to seek her out...it wasn't hard to find them, this poor little girl was still screaming.  Mom was really trying to keep it together and get her shopping done, but it was obvious that her nerves were frayed.

Now, before I go on, I would like everyone to understand that this is completely OUT of my comfort zone.  I do NOT do this, EVER!  The reason I felt that I must was because of one lady.  I was dealing with a tantrum in a restaurant one day and she came over to me and hugged me and told me that I was doing a wonderful job.  I will always remember that...when everyone else was looking at me in judgement, she had a kind word to say.

So, I go up to her and immediately tears start streaming down my face while I am trying to let her know that I am not crazy and I just wanted her to know that I know what she's going through.  I explain to her that I have a son with autism and we deal with tantrums on a regular basis.  While standing there talking to her, the little girl doesn't utter a peep.  :-)  She was seriously looking at me like I was completely mad!  So, I said something to her and Mom said that she's getting it a lot lately because they are new to town.  *Ding, Ding*  Light bulb goes off over my head!  I invited her to MOPS!  Genius!

MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers)  is awesome!  We meet twice a month and give moms a change to have some great adult conversations!  I think she was really pleased with this idea.  I just remembered that I forgot to tell her what time!  Eek!  :-)

You know, I didn't hear that little girl screaming again.  :-)

So, how would you have dealt with this situation?  Would you have went on with your day not giving her another thought?  Would you have been someone who thought that what that child needed was a good spanking?  When have you been in this same position?

Wesley Wednesday

Wesley is my youngest.  He is 4 right now and in his second year of special needs preschool.  There is a lot to be said about Wesley and a lot has already been said.  You may want to go read the back story here, if you haven't already.

With that taken care of, I haven't posted about his therapy lately.  Wesley goes to OT (Occupational Therapy) once a week and sees an Autism Specialist twice a week.  At school, Wes gets OT and Speech as well.  There are lots of people working to help Wesley.  Right now, we are working on several things...remember through all this, we are working on speech as well...the numbers 1, 3, and 5; identifying body parts; yellow and blue; shapes; the verbs eat, drink, sleep, and cry; yes and no.  Some concepts are seemingly easy for him.  We just started with numbers and shapes and he's getting them very quickly. But other concepts seem to take FOREVER!!  We have been working on yellow and blue since March...6 months on 2 colors!  I was really beginning to wonder if he wasn't colorblind!!  But I knew that he wasn't...he would pick all the same colors out of a bowl of M&Ms and he could match colors.  HE'S FINALLY GETTING THEM!!!!!!

It's amazing how excited I can get over what would seem like a really small thing for most parents.  I know you get excited when your child starts identifying colors.  But I want to shout it from the rooftops!!  Nothing is guaranteed with Wesley.  Every new thing we get is something that we weren't sure we were going to get.  I have heard and probably said "They will be potty trained when they want to be, you don't see kids in diapers in kindergarten or college, right?"  From the looks of it...my child is going to be in diapers in kindergarten.  But that's not going to stop me from fighting like mad to change that!

Wesley is a beautiful, funny, happy little boy. I had a picture and a video that I was going to add to this post, but it doesn't seem to be working.  So click for the picture and for the video.  Thanks for reading.

TAG (Talented and Gifted) Tuesday

What's going on with Nicholas this week?  Well, Nicholas started the gifted program at school this year and it's called T.A.G. (Talented and Gifted.)  They have learned about owls and dissected owl pellets.  He's in love!  He's my science kid.  Anything to do with science or history and he's got to know everything there is to know about it.  He watches all kinds of science shows and the History channel on a daily basis.

He could be a comedian too.  From a very early age, he's loved to make people laugh.  I remember him being just a few months old when he did something that made me laugh, so he did it again!  I told Rich then that he was going to be a funny guy!  Just the other day we took him out to dinner because he did so well on a school test.  While there, we were talking about a dish being cold and sending it back...he asked what we thought about using a microscopic A-bomb to heat the dish.  When we discounted the idea due to radiation poisoning, he wanted to use an H-bomb.  When we didn't like that idea either, he asked if we could use an f-bomb instead.  I'm surprised the restaurant didn't kick us out for rolling on the floor laughing!

I wouldn't change this kid for anything in the world!

Meaning-full Monday!

Hello everyone and a happy Monday to you!

Most people don't like Monday's.  I am not one of these people.  The first reason is because of my husband's job.  He's a musician, teacher, and he works at two local churches.  So, his weekends are totally full of lessons, practice and church.  We MIGHT get Sunday afternoon with him, but sometimes that's taken up too.  On Monday, the kids go back to school and I get him all to myself!  :-)  Now, don't take that the wrong way, he's usually working out in his building creating his latest masterpieces...Agape Guitars.

Secondly, I am a recovering slob...Monday means a chance to accomplished something.  I get to clean up the result of the two hurricanes (Nick and Wes) that were home all weekend.  It doesn't take me long to pick up the living room that is now full of toys and feel like I am superwoman!  Gives me the motivation to do the dishes!  (Which I LOATHE!)  Then it's on to vacuuming and laundry!  Wow!  Look at all I have achieved!

Monday is also a start to a whirlwind week, but I wouldn't have it any other way! God has given me this week to be active in my life.  Do something for His glory.  I choose to care for my family and raise my kids.  There is an abundance of meaning in my Mondays.

The specialness of September 25th

Today is a special day. It's my mom's birthday! (She's going to kill me for this picture too, btw. If you don't see anymore posts from me, you now know why!)

I have a great mom. Here are the top 10 reasons! (Nicholas had some input too!)

1. She is fantastic with my children. As you can see in this picture...she will do just about anything for them. Including wearing a spiky neon green hat! :-)

2. She loves my dad, even when she hates him. I know that doesn't sound so wonderful, but it really is great! (It's also a Grey's Anatomy reference.)

3. She works hard, even when she's in tremendous pain. My mom has chronic pain in her hips and back, but she doesn't let that stop her..

4. She roots for the underdog.

5. She will help out whenever she can. My sister and I have both turned to my parents in times of need and they have done everything they could to help us out.

6. (From Nick, I think this one ties into #1.) She's really nice! She doesn't say no very much and she gives me a lot of things. :-) She's very loving. She lets us stay at her house for a long time even though we are monsters! (LOL)

7. She's very supportive. I could have done many different things with my life, but choose to be a wife and mother. She has supported me with that. I know that she would have loved to see me do "something" but she supported my decision.

8. She loves to try new things. Even in her 50s, she willing to learn and expand her view of life! That is awesome!

9. She has had a lot of hardship in her life and while that has shaped her, it hasn't broken her. She has allowed it to give her a unique look on life. Now, sometimes I don't agree with it, but it is unique!

10. She believes that birthdays are important to celebrate that person. That's what this post is all about. I love you. Happy Birthday Mom!

Friday Fill Ins

Ok, going to give some of these ideas a try!  :-)  Kind of exciting to sift through lots of blogs and see what kind of ideas I can use!

I would love to see your answers too.  Comment with a link to your blog with the answers.  Thanks!



1. Family _____.

2. _____ back and forth.

3. I love a _____.

4. _____ makes a good meal.

5. I've got the _____

6. _____: wth!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!




And here are my answers:


1. Family is everything. :-)

2. I like watching the trees blow back and forth.

3. I love a good therapy session.

4. Yummy tuna cakes and sweet and spicy sweet potatoes makes a good meal.

5. I've got the season premiers of several shows on DVR, when am I going to get to watch them?

6. It's 90 degrees during the day and it's almost October!!: wth!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having some great family time, tomorrow my plans include celebrating my mom's birthday and Sunday, I want to actually make it to church!

Sigh...

I read something interesting today.  The number one reason that people stop blogging is because they don't have a reason to continue.  Did you get that?  I know it sounds like common sense, doesn't it?  Well, it kinda hit me over the head.  I have been pondering doing another post, but wasn't really motivated to do it.  So, I got to looking at other people's blogs and decided to Google "Why blog?"  I got a couple of interesting hits, but, for me, the most profound was the number one reason people stop blogging.

I don't have a reason to blog.  I have struggled with this for some time now.  I want a reason, but I haven't found it yet.  So, dear readers (whoever the 2 may be), tell me... why do you blog, if you do, and why should I blog?