Unicorn poo

Lane loves her Montessori preschool. I can't say enough great things about the school and the teachers. I only wish it was closer to us but it is well worth the 45 minute drive twice a week
She started attending school last March when her teacher had the preschool in her home. The current location opened this past fall and we have thoroughly enjoyed the new program.

A child's cooking academy is opening two doors down from the school. The cooks (chefa?)have come in to make projects with the kids. It's such a wonderful opportunity for Lane. She brought unicorn poo home and she was delighted to show it off. I think she was delighted to say the words unicorn poop. It was colorful and even had butterfly wings and glitter in it.

A little maturity...

A little maturity goes a long way, in our home any way. A teacher Gabriel only sees on occassion commented on Gabriel's new maturity. I've noticed it too. Lately he is more compliant, more confident, and more responsible. He even talks about the importance of being responsible for things.
I took this photo of Gabriel last week while he worked on his homework. For the last couple years, we have had to argue with him, bribe him, beg him to work on his homework. Lately he will sit down and start working without a peep.
I know this will change at a moment's notice but right now, I'm enjoying my little second grader and his new found maturity. I have been thrilled with his new ability to help his siblings and even walk away from confrontation with them. I have to give credit to his teacher and our ESE team who work hard with us. Without them, I believe this level of maturity would not have happened.
He was a hot mess up until a couple weeks ago and I am grateful to have a team of adults who care about not only his academic progress but his social, emotional, and maturity progress as well. I think this version of Gabriel will last until we have to transition back to school in January after the holiday break. I'm not looking forward to that transition but maybe it won't be as bad as I envision.

Autism, Right?

Gabriel and I were in Target last week. He was having a particularly "off" day. He didn't seem to be apart of this world, zoning, and unable to focus on anything. He couldn't hold any type of conversation with me. Not that we have real conversations yet but we couldn't get past one sentence on this day.
He has little awareness of personal space and it seemed especially bad as we maneuvered through the store. Gabriel bumped into me constantly. I'm used to it. I constantly have my body smushed by him or my toes stepped on, literally. His weight is supported by my vertical presence daily. I think he would have crawled back into the womb. It was that bad.
For the most part, I hear, "I would have never guessed he has autism." when I explain his behavior to other people. I don't tell people to get a pass for his behavior but to teach and advocate for special needs children. Maybe, just maybe, it will stop the evil stares and promote acceptance and tolerance.
Recently I stumbled on a site where adults bashed children with autism and their parents. It was heartbreakting to read that we, the parents of special needs parents, should leave our "retarded" children at home. We should learn how to parent and use discipline in our children's lives. This site pointed out how intolerant some adults are in this world. This fact scares the crap out of me as my son with autism ages.
In any case, the cashier looked at me and said, "Autism, right?" My heart sank. My mouth went dry and I nodded. I couldn't speak but looked at her with my pleading eyes. Please don't make me talk about this today. A day when I'm trying to keep it together.
Yes, autism. Yes, that demon in the room that follows us everywhere and we don't know when it will stike again. She continued to talk about her friend and how her child has autism, as if Gabriel wasn't standing there. It was another moment when I was glad we have told Gabriel that he will have to learn how to cope with autism through this lifetime.
What if I hadn't told Gabriel that he has autism? What then? Would I have lied and looked at her like she had two heads? Would I have wanted the ground to swallow me whole?
My stomach stopped doing flips when we got to the van. Why did this comment from an innocent person throw me so much? I've wondered for three years why people say that he doesn't look like he has autism. What is that look exactly? Why can't other people SEE it? SEE THE DEMON in our home I want to yell from the rooftops and now, well, now it happened and it was a sock in the gut.
Yes, he has autism. Some days are still worse than other days. Some days I want to curl up in my bed and sob for the child I thought we were going to have, for the child I want him to be... but I can't. I have to move on through our day. I'm the mother of three children and life doesn't allow for wimps. In these moments, I realize I love my child and I love his quirkiness and I am the one who has the problem with his disability. He doesn't care. He doesn't know the difference.
I don't know what to tell people when it comes to this topic. Tell me that you see autism, tell me that you don't. Either way, you'll probaby throw me for a loop. In either case, you will delight me that you care enough to talk about it. I'll be grateful that you aren't one of the adults writing that my child needs discipline. I'll also thank you for talking to me about it.

Classroom Door Decoration

At the beginning of the school year and throughout the year, I tell the teachers that if they need anything, to please let me know and I will get it. I want to support the people who have my greatest treasures. Whatever I can do to make their job easier, I do. I've gotten staples, tape, and ink immediately for the teachers this year. Most of the time, I wish the teachers would ask for more than they do.
Last year Alex's teacher was great at letting me know when she needed anything. I got paper and stickers many times. I also made file folder games througout the year. Whew - those are time consuming. BUT I am positive the file folder games got the reading code to click in Gabriel's brain so it was well worth the time spent on it.
When the teacher mentioned that she doesn't have a door decoration, I jumped on it. I asked my Facebook friends for ideas and scoured Pinterest. I couldn't visualize how to create such a large craft. Thankfully there were lots of realistic suggestions and it all came together.

I made a beach snowman since we have no idea what snow is like here. The kids names are on buckets with the saying, "we are having buckets of fun." I had a lot of fun with it and hope she allows me to make another door decoration.

Mother son dance 2012

Our PTO has a free mother son dance each year. I wasn't planning on taking the boys until a new friend reminded me about the dance. I didn't know how the boys would handle a busy event on a Friday evening after a day at school. Despite my hesitation, I was convinced that we would enjoy it. Poor Lane was crushed when we left without her.

I'm glad I was able to take the boys. The boy energy was amazing. Most of the younger boys played tag and ran around the room while snacking. Eventually they joined in the dancing.
The PTO had a picture opportunity set up. For $3 we were able to get a photo taken with the three of us. I look forward to seeing the photo soon.
Gabriel was overwhelmed by the activity after an hour and asked me to read a book to him. Since Alex wanted to stay until the last possible second, I obliged and read Gabriel a Spongbob book.

It will be fun to take my energetic sweethearts again next year.

Playroom Bench

We moved the end of July. When we move to a new home, many of our organizational methods need to be tweaked. Things that fit in the old house don't fit well in the new house.
The kids have a play room right off the kitchen/dining room on the main floor which is perfect for us. This house is our favorite home, by far. There are very few things I would change on it.
Our organizational cabinets from our last home did not fit well in this house. We have more room but things are situated differently. Better, I think. So when I saw an organization idea on I Heart Oraganizing, I had to go for it. http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/ I love her blog. I think we could be real friends if we met in person. However, she would probably figure out in a nanosecond that I want to suck the organizational information out of her brain. Maybe she would like me too. I have some cool ideas in my head to share with her.
This project took much longer to accomplish than I thought it would. We had the shelves and bins right away and that helped with our toy collection. However, getting the wood, fabric, and foam took a while. We finished this the end of November, a few months after completing the shelves and bins with labels. We had to plan to go to JoAnn's and Home Depot because we don't frequent the stores often.
The project is also a costly one unless you remember to use a coupon. The cost to consider inclueds the shelves, wood, bins, material, and foam. Overall though, it was worth the time and expense. I want to add art work, pillows, and a new rug to the room. (and a large cabinet that my friend is painting for me) Then the room will be complete. We plan on staying here for a few years so we can wait a few more months until the room comes together completely.

If you are near an IKEA, I recommend this project. Maybe you are more motivated to accomplish these tasks than we are and if that is the case, jump on this idea. It's a fun one and my kids now have an uber cute area to sit and play.

"The Little Cookie"

Lane has share time at her Montessori. She seems to enjoy going to school more when she has something to share with her friends. Last week, I printed "The Little Cookie" for Lane and Gabriel. Both children enjoyed coloring the book. While Lane used visual cues to "read" the book, Gabriel used visual cues and actual reading to read it. The repetitive nature of the book works well for both of them. It was cute to see them working on their books at the same time and in their individual ways.
While they colored and read their new books, Alex read to Andrew in the other room. In these moments, I am grateful that we embrace education and our children's different learning interests and abilities.

The book can be found, for free, at this site: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Gingerbread-emergent-reader