Skippyjon Jones

We went to story time at South Sioux City library. We have been going regularly for the past year and a half. The children's librarian there is fantastic. She played a Skippyjon Jones CD while showing the book. My kids LOVED it! If you have children the same ages, I highly recommend Judy Schachner's books.

Day 3 of single parenting - I don't know how to set our alarm clock but knew Gabriel would wake up in time. Apparently, he did wake up but didn't wake me up. Instead I opened my eyes at 7:35 to see him playing games on my phone. This was almost an hour later than usual, leaving us about 20 minutes to get in the van to leave. YIKES!! Somehow I got everyone dressed, the dogs outside, everyone fed, etc... by 8 am. GO ME! And I didn't lose my patience... big gold star for me! The rest of the day went well and included a visit to the nature center, a grocery store run, and an trip to Able Kids.

A Week As a Single Parent

Andrew left yesterday for a week. He went to DC with the city. We went out for dinner Friday night and I decided a drink was in order. It was very good! And, I only had one. Honestly.
I've been playing single parent for two days and it's going okay. We managed to make Easter pails at Michaels yesterday. The kids enjoyed it and used their pails to collect things at home. I also made GFCF cupcakes for the kids. I added candy bunnies to green frosting.
It's day 2 and I managed to attend a parent meeting at the school. We discussed the spring carnival. I was the only English speaker so I didn't get to contribute much but at least I was there.
I give single parents a lot of credit. This is tough - I'm exhausted and it's only day 2.

Jason and Chuck

We have found a fantastic family to hang out with here. Jason and Chuck have five children ages 6 and under. When we go to a restaurant with our two families, we have to ask for a table for TWELVE! 6 boys and 2 girls and a lot of energy with our kids together but I love it.
They invited Lane and I over for a playdate. I didn't take a coat for Lane and scored a London Fog hand-me-down from their daughter.. we love it! The girls ate their snack and looked super cute sitting next to each other.



I am grateful for Jason and Chuck's friendship.

The waves of Autism...

Autism is like a wave. At first it crashes through your life and washes away all that you knew.. But when the next wave comes you learn to just ride it in. Its a beautiful sometimes harsh ocean but this is now your life if you love someone with Autism..



I can't credit this to anyone because someone posted it on facebook and I just copied it. It encompasses how many parents feel when they receive and are dealing with a diagnosis for a child.
A good friend of mine and I have talked about this feeling several times. We both have special needs children and we both have taught children. We thought we understood how parents with special needs children feel but we were wrong - we didn't know and couldn't know what it felt like until it happened to us. I was empathetic, certainly, but I did not understand.
When other people tell me they "understand" what I'm going through, I know they don't. In some ways I appreciate that they are trying to relate to me and my situation but in other ways, I'm annoyed. I want to scream.. YOU DON'T GET IT!!! But what good will that do? Instead, I have learned to be quiet and smile.
This is my life and in many ways I'm grateful...I've learned to be less judgemental. I've learned to be grateful. I've learned that life can change in an instant. I've learned to take less for granted. Autism has taught me these things.
Another wave will hit, they always do. Some days these waves seem to pound the beach of my sanity several times in a day. I'll stand firm while another wave hits but sometimes I need someone to pull me back to shore when it pulls me out to sea.

First Spring Party of 2011

Maybe Spring is finally here! We attended a spring party at Gigi's this morning. Gigi's Playhouse is a Down Syndrome Awareness Center. It's a relaxed atmosphere which is important for my kids. They enjoyed decorating/eating cookies, coloring paper eggs, and beading candy necklaces. Gabriel also got to play air hockey with the asst. principal of his school.

Later we cleaned the inside of the cars and moved car seats around - this is a big job for us! The kids were cooperative and even helpful but even so, after a winter of little cleaning, the cars are GROSS. Not any more, my friends!

Jungle Fun - gymnastics

I took Laney to Siouxland gymnastics for open gym for the first time. I've been hesitant to take her because it's busy and she is a tiny little girl still. She LOVED it. She enjoyed following her friends and sliding into the foam pits. My friend Tiffani helped her on the rope swing. The trampoline was scary for her and that's fine because the older kids have a tendency to jump high on them there. I will definitely take her back and even consider taking to gymnastics lessons in the future.

A Visit from Lynnette

Lynnette and her family were in Sioux City for one night this past week. We had a fantastic time with them. The kids played well and we got to play Cribbage. I'm thrilled we were able to spend time together in person and look forward to spending time with them again in July.

Lynnette is very talented. She gave the children things she knitted! Lane's pink hat is adorable and Alexander is thrilled with his red mittens. The biggest hit was Gabriel's Mario hat! He shows it off to everyone.