Exhausted from parenting/ASD children/Welcome to Schmolland!

[toodycat]

OK Daisy&Max, you're gonna have to clear something up for me. Are you Daisy or Max? All this time I've been assuming you were Daisy (mom) and not Max (dad), or could you be Daisy (dad). or even Max (mom)? OR was the "lousy dad" comment a joke? I've not been home long from camping and I'm just not sure.

Don't feel too bad about the booger picking or the bike riding, my NT/DS7 still has training wheels and still picks his nose (to our horror!). While we have a large back yard, it is not level enough for a beginner biker. DS thinks it is hilarious when his back tire hits a low spot and just spins in place as he pedals! As far as a bike and our little schmutcharoo....... We are on a waiting list for one of those OT trikes that are pedaled using feet and hands. He still doesn't quite have the motor skills for reciprocal movement using his feet only.

BTW...our first day camping was not quite hell, but it was at least in the suburbs! Booked the wrong site. Left the TV&converter box remotes (they cannot be controlled without them). Whiney kids b/cause of the no TV idea. Started raining. KFK and DH fighting. Did I mention whiney kids? DH went back home to retrieve the remotes (we live near enough to be worth it). This leaves me alone w/ DS7 and DS5-schmutcharoo and a lake......a great big lake! I decide that since it's raining we'd sit under the awning and wait on DH's return. The rain stopped so I decided to take a couple of pics of the scenery. Mistake! Schmutcher found his moment. He "like a bolt out of the blue" he is down the hill over a very rugged patch of terrain headed for the water. I am running and screaming, "Don't you go any further....stop right now! Don't you dare go in that water!" He went in the water so I continue to scream and chase, "Don't you go any deeper, Stop right there!" Still chasing...I am now up to my waist in disgusting lake water with disgusting mud squishing between my toes and all I could think about other than a drowning schmutch was snakes! My second worst nightmare! When DS was caught he was snatched from the water and dragged to the shore. Now I am mad! NO FLAMING PLEASE AT WHAT I AM ABOUT TO REVEAL. I then snatched his shorts down to his knees and gave him a good old fashioned butt whoopin'! Then I marched him back up the hill to the camper and put him in time out. OK, now we've all calmed down, I didn't actually have a heart attack, stroke or nervous breakdown, so I decide to occupy the kiddos w/bubbles. Did I mention the biting flies that must have been nursing because that's the only place they tried to bite me, and ONLY me.
DS kept looking at the lake as if he was thinking about taking another crack at it, but I gave him "the look" and said "no, sir". He lowered his head and abandoned the idea. Good decision.

Now I'm tired of being in wet clothes, so we all went inside to change. With wet clothing all over the floor, DH has arrived back at the camper. With the wrong remotes. More whining kids, more arguing. Everything settles down again. A little a/c was proving to cool things off and the cold sodas didn't hurt either. Add in a little dinner and we were all getting along again! Life was once again good in the land.

Next day nearly the entire KFK clan, including kampfiregranny83, arrived for swimmin' (in the designated swimming area of course), fishin' and cookin' out! A great day was had by all. The trip has been saved by a new day! (There's your proof that God's mercies are new every morning!) BTW, I loved having no TV for a couple of days!

Once again never dull!!!!!!!



I understand about therapy consuming so much time. Sometimes I just wish I could skip all therapy during the summer! I LOVE the deadpan comment "I'm going to get out of this car now and we will never speak of this moment again." LOL! That is hilarious!

You're friend is fortunate to have you to lean on. Burying a loved one is BEYOND a tough day! We are lucky and blessed indeed, but don't beat yourself up when you do have a difficult day. Raising a spec/needs child is not easy, it's not as hard as losing a loved one, but it is still tough. Don't feel guilty about those feelings. You and your friend are still in my thoughts and prayers.

Thanks so much for your kind words and prayers. So glad you survived the camping trip and the wade into the lake. Yuch! I have a special paranoia in my phobic , somewhat OCD mind for unidentified stuff under my feet. Blech!

 

[kampfirekim]

You're welcome. My heart just goes out to your friend. I cannot imagine what she must be going through!

I too have horrifying thoughts about what is in the nondesignated swimming areas of a lake. For that matter I'm not real keen on what might be in the designated swimming areas either! I felt little nibbles on my legs. ....and no, it wasn't DH.

 

[toodycat]

Yeah, baby! My boy got a 78 on the New York State Global Regents!: Can you say PROUD MAMA? DS was really worried and so was I.My colleagues in the social studies department told me it was a very difficult exam and required good reading comprehension and inferencing, not two of DS's strong points. He let out a whoop and a half when his teacher called with his grade. DH has promised him whatever food he wants for dinner tonight and a copy of Rock Band: Green Day the day exams are over. I am so proud of my son. He worked so hard to prepare for this and it paid off!

 

[kampfirekim]

Way to go toodycat's DS!!!!!! I know you are one PROUD MAMA! DS is worthy of whatever rewards DH can think of! Great news!

 

[iwrbnd]

Congratulations Toodycat on your DS's exams! That is super exciting!

kampfirekim, once again, your stories are worthy of being published!!! I wish I was a camping kind of girl but I'm just not! I'm a DVC kind of girl! I'm glad you had fun & survived the lake incident! And, don't wory, my kids have survived a spanking or two in their lifetime!;

melissa37, I'm sorry you have lived through the
nightmare of losing a spouse! My greatest fears have always been going blind, losing my husband, and having a child w/autism! I hope 1/3 is enough! (I had
a silly one in high school of having all boys! I had 3 before my daughter came along!)

toodycat, I'm praying for your friend!

 

[Daisy&Max]

KFK...sorry to confuse you. I'm Daisy (mom) and Max is my other half. He doesn't live here, we are moving to be with him in a year or so. I said I make a terrible dad as a joke. Since I'm female and we have no real male role models around here I have to be mom AND dad. And I suck at the dad part. I couldn't teach him anything on that bike! Sorry for the confusion.

Have to go get lunch out of the oven, but I'll be back later to catch up!

Daisy

 

[kampfirekim]

kampfirekim, once again, your stories are worthy of being published!!! I wish I was a camping kind of girl but I'm just not! I'm a DVC kind of girl! I'm glad you had fun & survived the lake incident! And, don't wory, my kids have survived a spanking or two in their lifetime!;

melissa37, I'm sorry you have lived through the
nightmare of losing a spouse! My greatest fears have always been going blind, losing my husband, and having a child w/autism! I hope 1/3 is enough! (I had a silly one in high school of having all boys! I had 3 before my daughter came along!)

After Day 1 of that particular camping trip, I was considering becoming a DVC princess! I grew up camping in a tent , so having a modern, spacious camper w/all the modern conveniences is pretty sweet! I think DS equates it w/home so it is just the best way for us to vacation with our boys. I'm now not sure if there should be a great big lake in Schmolland. Seriously, he did great once we got him to a designated swimming area.

As far as your greatest fears..."Fear Not!" We can do all things through the One Who gives us strength. Life's filled with good and bad, things we love and things we wish would never happen, but it is the difficult times that strengthen us. My pastor has often talked about how great it is on the mountaintops, but it is in the valley where all the growth takes place. I've always remembered that. Being a mom of only boys...I do totally get the fear of all boys. One more boy might put me over the edge! Grab my ankles as I go over if that EVER happens! In fact one more anything might put me over!

KFK...sorry to confuse you. I'm Daisy (mom) and Max is my other half. He doesn't live here, we are moving to be with him in a year or so. I said I make a terrible dad as a joke. Since I'm female and we have no real male role models around here I have to be mom AND dad. And I suck at the dad part. I couldn't teach him anything on that bike! Sorry for the confusion.

Have to go get lunch out of the oven, but I'll be back later to catch up!

Daisy

I don't think it was you being confusing.....I think I may have been having a BFF! Probably shouldn't have tried to post so soon after a camping trip!

 

[Daisy&Max]

A small brag here...Oldest Shmutch kid went to his very first day of Cub Scout day camp today. I finally felt comfortable letting him go. (although the idiots that run our pack screwed up so we had a hard time getting to the right camp but that's another story)

I had worked with him for a week talking about who he could go to if he started getting stressed out and what to do if he started feeling stressed out. I told him that Mrs. Donna the camp nurse also had Aspie kids in her pack but they aren't as in control as J is. So he thought about it for a minute and then said, "So that means I need to teach them how to behave when they are upset." That sounds like a good plan to me.

Anyway, today went beautifully. He had a couple of moments where he needed to regroup (I think he just wanted to sit in front of the fan Mrs. Donna said she had in the medical tent. ) The den leader told me that he didn't want to participate in the sports parts. The leader said, "Well, I think he was afraid he would kick it too hard and hurt someone." To which J looked at her. Pointed to himself and said, "ME kick it too hard?" and then he proceed to do one of these So he totally gets he does not have the prowess to kick that hard. But over all his day went really well and he was happy.

He was very quiet when he got home and spent the rest of the evening playing his DS and arguing with his brother. So I'd say it was a good day in Schmolland for us!

I hope everyone else is having a good beginning of the week!

Daisy

 

[toodycat]

Daisy&Max---Sounds like a great start to camp. Congrats!

DS is off to take the Earth Science regents this morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. He's in a good mood today, anyway.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[kampfirekim]

A small brag here...Oldest Shmutch kid went to his very first day of Cub Scout day camp today. I finally felt comfortable letting him go. (although the idiots that run our pack screwed up so we had a hard time getting to the right camp but that's another story)

I had worked with him for a week talking about who he could go to if he started getting stressed out and what to do if he started feeling stressed out. I told him that Mrs. Donna the camp nurse also had Aspie kids in her pack but they aren't as in control as J is. So he thought about it for a minute and then said, "So that means I need to teach them how to behave when they are upset." That sounds like a good plan to me.

Anyway, today went beautifully. He had a couple of moments where he needed to regroup (I think he just wanted to sit in front of the fan Mrs. Donna said she had in the medical tent. ) The den leader told me that he didn't want to participate in the sports parts. The leader said, "Well, I think he was afraid he would kick it too hard and hurt someone." To which J looked at her. Pointed to himself and said, "ME kick it too hard?" and then he proceed to do one of these So he totally gets he does not have the prowess to kick that hard. But over all his day went really well and he was happy.

He was very quiet when he got home and spent the rest of the evening playing his DS and arguing with his brother. So I'd say it was a good day in Schmolland for us!

I hope everyone else is having a good beginning of the week!

Daisy

Terrific stories! I'd make a plan to get by the fan too! Thanks for sharing. Your post left me smiling really big!

Daisy&Max---Sounds like a great start to camp. Congrats!

DS is off to take the Earth Science regents this morning. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. He's in a good mood today, anyway.

Have a great day everyone!

A good mood is always a good sign. Hope all goes well for your DS!

My schmutcharoo is presently sitting in the middle of a great big pile of laundry that took me forever to wash and fold. He looks so cute and happy that I can't even make myself get angry. Anyway...they can always be refolded, right?

 

[Brightsy]

On Sunday we took a trip out of Schmolland to King's Island. (I wish the trip had been to Disney, but you make do with what you have! LOL!) Anways, we decided to try something new. We didn't start the day w/ a visit to guest relations to get whatever form of accomodation the park has for Schmutch visitors.
We bravely tackled the lines, just like any other NT family and guess what? It worked! Our little Schmutch boy and his big bro waited patiently for all rides. There was one moment when the big bro got a little antsy but when he realized the line was moving at fairly even intervals he was ok with it. We discovered that if our Schmutch boy really wants to ride something he'll wait. Esp. if he can see part of the ride while waiting, or barring that, if the queue has something interesting about it. He would spend most of his time staring at the ride and the rest telling me about how much fun it was going to be.
I am so proud of my kids, both of them! Heck, IMHO, my Schmutch kid was better behaved than a lot of NT kids! LOL!
We did have some near misses w/ drama. They wouldn't let Schmutchy wear his noise reduction headphones on the ride. Thankfully I thought ahead! I got a pair of little foam earplugs with a cord that connects them. I had already explained to Schmutchy that the fomay earplugs were his special "Coaster Plugs!" and that the other headphones were good for just wearing around the park and on gentler rides. He accepted that with little difficulty. In fact by the time we got to the last ride, he took off the headphones and asked for his "Coaster Plugs!"

 

[iwrbnd]

Yeah! I'm glad you got to have a break from Schmolland for a day! That's awesome your kids handled the lines so well!

Things have been quiet around my part of Schmolland. You get the stress and expectations of school away from them and things just calm down!

Hope everyone has a good day!

 

[kampfirekim]

Hooray Brightsy! I'm so glad you had a nice time at King's Island! Great news!

Also happy for you IWRBND, that all's been quiet in your corner of Schmolland. Been missing you for a few days. Glad to see you back.

I have a little bit of great news too! We took the kiddos to see Toy Story 3 and made it through the entire movie! DS did great! .....and it only cost $58! Also today at my parents pool, DS kept saying what sounded like "V" (He very often sees something that resembles a letter and labels it as such.) I realized he was not saying "V", he was saying "B". So to confirm I kept asking him "B"? He finally starting saying "Buzzzzzzzz Buzzzzz" and pointed to the walkway where there was a bee sitting there! How cute is that?!

 

[C&G'sMama]

I have a little bit of great news too! We took the kiddos to see Toy Story 3 and made it through the entire movie! DS did great! .....and it only cost $58! Also today at my parents pool, DS kept saying what sounded like "V" (He very often sees something that resembles a letter and labels it as such.) I realized he was not saying "V", he was saying "B". So to confirm I kept asking him "B"? He finally starting saying "Buzzzzzzzz Buzzzzz" and pointed to the walkway where there was a bee sitting there! How cute is that?!

I started a thread about this awhile back but for anyone who's interested and has an AMC Theatre near them. AMC has partnered with Autism Society of America in showing "Sensory Friendly Films" one Saturday a month usually around 10:00. The sound is turned down and the lights are turned up. You can bring in your own snacks. If your kid is in the aisle or down front running, dancing, screaming, whatever, no one cares. We've been to two of them. This weekend is Toy Story 3. We can't go as we have other plans but we try to go when we can.

Here's a link

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sensoryfilms

 

[Brightsy]

I started a thread about this awhile back but for anyone who's interested and has an AMC Theatre near them. AMC has partnered with Autism Society of America in showing "Sensory Friendly Films" one Saturday a month usually around 10:00. The sound is turned down and the lights are turned up. You can bring in your own snacks. If your kid is in the aisle or down front running, dancing, screaming, whatever, no one cares. We've been to two of them. This weekend is Toy Story 3. We can't go as we have other plans but we try to go when we can.

Here's a link

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sensoryfilms

I love that AMC has these Sensory Friendly Films! It's so nice for the families that need them.
We went to one once. It was all right for us, but it was my Schmutch kid who said "It too woud, can't hear! Too wight!!!!" He prefers the darker and louder movies. (He wears his noise reduction headphone to them.) In fact if the lights aren't all the way down he gets upset. Same at home!
He's gotten really good w/ movies, tho', esp. 3D ones. Before the movie starts he keeps a running patter on what we're going to see. He'll read the title of the movie out loud say "SHH!" and then be pretty much quiet until the end. After the movie he stands up and says one of a few lines. He says:
"aaaaannnnd CUT!"
or
"Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed the show."
or
"That's a wrap."
or
"WOW! How'd you like it, everyone?"
or
"Wasn't that great?"

 

[C&G'sMama]

He says:
"aaaaannnnd CUT!"
or
"Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed the show."
or
"That's a wrap."
or
"WOW! How'd you like it, everyone?"
or
"Wasn't that great?"

I LOVE our kids!!!

 

[toodycat]

Happy day in Schmolland on the East Coast! DS passed all his New York State Regents! I reported last week that he received a 78 on the global studies. He just got his other grades back and he scored a 74 on the geometry regents and a 78 on the earth science. WooHoo! Regents diploma, here we come...

 

[kampfirekim]

I started a thread about this awhile back but for anyone who's interested and has an AMC Theatre near them. AMC has partnered with Autism Society of America in showing "Sensory Friendly Films" one Saturday a month usually around 10:00. The sound is turned down and the lights are turned up. You can bring in your own snacks. If your kid is in the aisle or down front running, dancing, screaming, whatever, no one cares. We've been to two of them. This weekend is Toy Story 3. We can't go as we have other plans but we try to go when we can.

Here's a link

http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sensoryfilms

Yes, I have heard of them. Our only problem is that the nearest one to us is in Columbia, SC which is around 1 hour of interstate driving. There is also a Drive In that is not quite as far that I've heard good things about...and they always have a double feature. My friend said it only cost them $20 for their family of 4 and they took their own snacks. I am seriously considering giving it a shot. I haven't been to a D.I. since I was a little girl. I think both kiddos would like it.

It may sound a little weird, but my little schmutcharoo gets anxious when in a concentrated area of Schmutcharoo behavior, so I actually think that even though he may cause a stare or two from others with his own quirks...he himself actually does better in more typical surroundings. Go figure.

I love that AMC has these Sensory Friendly Films! It's so nice for the families that need them.
We went to one once. It was all right for us, but it was my Schmutch kid who said "It too woud, can't hear! Too wight!!!!" He prefers the darker and louder movies. (He wears his noise reduction headphone to them.) In fact if the lights aren't all the way down he gets upset. Same at home!
He's gotten really good w/ movies, tho', esp. 3D ones. Before the movie starts he keeps a running patter on what we're going to see. He'll read the title of the movie out loud say "SHH!" and then be pretty much quiet until the end. After the movie he stands up and says one of a few lines. He says:
"aaaaannnnd CUT!"
or
"Thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed the show."
or
"That's a wrap."
or
"WOW! How'd you like it, everyone?"
or
"Wasn't that great?"

Makes sense to me! Very cute story!

Happy day in Schmolland on the East Coast! DS passed all his New York State Regents! I reported last week that he received a 78 on the global studies. He just got his other grades back and he scored a 74 on the geometry regents and a 78 on the earth science. WooHoo! Regents diploma, here we come...

Yea! Congrats on the test scores!

A little good news here in my little patch of Schmutchville....I just realized that my shampooer is getting dusty. You know what that means don't you? Yep, you guess it. There have been no gifts left on the carpet for quite a while now! Could it be we have gotten through this phase? I have also noticed DS singing....alot....and it is the sweetest sound I've ever heard. Mind you I have no clue what the song is, but it is sweet just the same.

 

[bookwormde]

Toodycat,

congratulations

bookwormde

 

[C&G'sMama]

Happy day in Schmolland on the East Coast! DS passed all his New York State Regents! I reported last week that he received a 78 on the global studies. He just got his other grades back and he scored a 74 on the geometry regents and a 78 on the earth science. WooHoo! Regents diploma, here we come...

Very cool. Too often our kids are underestimated.

A friend's daughter teaches high school special Ed math and 30 of her kids qualified for the "special" exam. She said "no" my kids are all ready for the Regents. She got push back but she insisted. Only 2 of the kids got less than 65 and both of those got over 55. The other 28 got over 65, hence passing. It would have been safer for them to have the kids take the other test. That was a very cool thing to hear.