Exhausted from parenting/ASD children/Welcome to Schmolland!

[iwrbnd]

I love this thread, too and all the my new neighbor friends I've met that live in Scmolland with me!

I have to second the Melatonin for sleep issues! It is a life-saver for us!

My two ASD boys don't eat food off the floor...they just don't eat! There are a few foods on their accepted list but it's slim pickings!

I have to add myself to the BFF problems! I get "brain fluff" all the time I just didn't know the offical Scmolland name for it!

And kampfirekim, the tag fairy is somebody that finds something funny you've posted (usually out of context) and puts it above your avatar picture. They are funny to read! You know it's the tag fairy that did it and not the OP because it will be in color. I love reading them but sadly I don't have one.

and to everybody today!

 

[BreTyPres87]

Don't you just hate the sleep issues?? And it is so hard to deal with things when you only are sleeping 4 hours a night - believe me, I know also!
My son only sleeps because he is on meds. W/out them he would stay up all night. Have you tried time release Melatonin? It's over the counter. Or maybe even a prescription? My son is on a combo of clonidine and trazadone.

Hope you get some sleep tonight!

I got 4 hours last night! Tea has become my best friend...
My mom ordered some liquid melatonin for me and I am going to try it over the weekend, *crossed fingers* The doctors don't want to give him meds yet -he's 3- but I will continue to ask ,the next worry would be how to get him to take that stuff.. I was on trazadone when I was younger.. that stuff is STRONG!

Aw sweetie, we understand. Yours sounds a lot like mine! (Only what I have to clean out of the carpet isn't water. ) Hang around with us awhile. We're a great group to share stories with. So far no judging only love and support. Hope it stays that way!



4 hours is about my average too. My DS takes clonidine for sleep as well. If not he would only sleep a few hours a night. KFK would go insane!!!! He's on Risperidone for behavioral issues. Good success with that. I've heard that the Melatonin works well, but I haven't tried it yet.

I had a serious BFF issue yesterday. No, I didn't have an argument with my best friend. In my world a BFF is a double BRAIN FLUFF! I picked up DS from school and decided I would take him to the park for awhile, so DH could get a little extra sleep after working all night. (As I said before...no rest for the weary when DS is on the loose!) So I make a u turn to go back to the park. Then I drive completely past the park without even noticing. When I realize what I've done, I was almost back to the school. Another u turn is in order. Later around 1pm I decided today was the day to clean the car. So I get the bucket, rag, soap and get started. (The only reason I was even washing the car is because it was so filthy I was too ashamed to pick up my oldest son from school in it for even one more day!) I quickly decide that I'm really not feeling it. So...I washed the side that faces the school! (I did go back and finish the job later...that was even strange in Schmolland.) Love you gals!

Thank you very much!
I had a short period of poop smearing and peeing on the floor with him, I hope that never comes back

@ washing the side that faces the school
I have those brain fluff moments on a daily basis the kids took our brains!!

DS still thinks the 5-second rule should apply too! Lord only knows what he eats when I'm not watching. We are, at least, approaching the time of life when these things are becoming his responsibility, and not mine! Enforcing the "no eating if it falls on the ground rule" does make him a little more careful with plates and glasses, though.

He once grabbed some shredded daikon of the plate of the woman next to him at a sushi bar (she was finished, and thought it was funny, fortunately, and he was still pretty little), but he was never bad about respecting other people's food.

I'm not sure if he always sleeps through the night or not, but early on he discovered that if you turn the TV on low, it will not wake your parents up, and you can watch TV in peace for hours with no-one being the wiser. Apparently at one point the Cartoon Network was running Scooby-Doo episodes at 3 am for the benefit of insomniac kindergartners.

This sounds counter-intuitive, but we have always found that a little coffee early in the day makes his circadian rythyms more like most people's. He loves the taste of it, and was always crazy to get some, even when he was very small. We started letting him have a little in milk shortly after the discovery of his nocturnal Scooby-Doo marathons (particularily since he kept falling asleep in class and it was making his first-grade teacher wild) and it made a big difference.

My son does this too!! he will drink and eat anything that is sitting not being eaten especially when he sees something in a Mcdonalds package its like he's found gold! I guess they figure "why waste it?!" lol

 

[persimmondeb]

He was absolutely fascinated by that daikon. It had been shredded very finely, and looked like little transparent strings. He had been staring at it as she ate, and I think he was just waiting until she finished to get some for himself!

We uusally try not to sit him next to strangers at a counter, for a number of reasons to do with the quality of said stranger's dining experience, but it was just me and him that time, and the only seats were in the middle of the counter, and she seemed much friendlier than the guy on the other side.

She was very nice, actually, and quite taken by the sight of him happily munching on raw fish (he was only about 4, I think).

 

[kampfirekim]

Lord only knows what he eats when I'm not watching.

I'm not sure if he always sleeps through the night or not, but early on he discovered that if you turn the TV on low, it will not wake your parents up, and you can watch TV in peace for hours with no-one being the wiser. Apparently at one point the Cartoon Network was running Scooby-Doo episodes at 3 am for the benefit of insomniac kindergartners.

This sounds counter-intuitive, but we have always found that a little coffee early in the day makes his circadian rythyms more like most people's. He loves the taste of it, and was always crazy to get some, even when he was very small. We started letting him have a little in milk shortly after the discovery of his nocturnal Scooby-Doo marathons (particularily since he kept falling asleep in class and it was making his first-grade teacher wild) and it made a big difference.

There's no telling what mine eats either!

I get it about the coffee. If you leave your cup unattended for a millisecond, he will suck it dry! I don't know what circadian rythms are, but it always seemed to calm him down a little.

I love this thread, too and all the my new neighbor friends I've met that live in Scmolland with me!

I have to add myself to the BFF problems! I get "brain fluff" all the time I just didn't know the offical Scmolland name for it!

And kampfirekim, the tag fairy is somebody that finds something funny you've posted (usually out of context) and puts it above your avatar picture. They are funny to read! You know it's the tag fairy that did it and not the OP because it will be in color. I love reading them but sadly I don't have one.

and to everybody today!

I don't know if it was actually the official name, but I make a motion. From henceforth and forevermore in the Land of Schmolland, BFF shall officially be known as a double brain fluff. (I think we need a national flag.)

OOOHHHHH!!!! Now I get it. I was wondering how people got the different colored sayings on there! It was the tag fairy! (BFF)

I got 4 hours last night! Tea has become my best friend...
My mom ordered some liquid melatonin for me and I am going to try it over the weekend, *crossed fingers* The doctors don't want to give him meds yet -he's 3- but I will continue to ask ,the next worry would be how to get him to take that stuff.. I was on trazadone when I was younger.. that stuff is STRONG!


Thank you very much!
I had a short period of poop smearing and peeing on the floor with him, I hope that never comes back

@ washing the side that faces the school
I have those brain fluff moments on a daily basis the kids took our brains!!

My son does this too!! he will drink and eat anything that is sitting not being eaten especially when he sees something in a Mcdonalds package its like he's found gold! I guess they figure "why waste it?!" lol

Looks like 4 hours is the national average in our great land. Hope the melatonin works for your little darling. I've heard it's great! When in doubt on how to administer meds...refer to the alligator story.

The fingerpainting issue seems to be BEHIND us now. But peeing on the floor is still an issue for me...oh wait...I meant DS. It's a prob for DS!

Does anyone else here get giddy while reading these posts?

Also, have you ever thought about what the lurkers must be thinking when they read this stuff?

 

[persimmondeb]

Circadian rythms are your wake/sleep cycle. They vary from individual to individual, but most people have some version of awake in the day/asleep at night. If let, DS would take a mid-day nap and a very early morning one, and otherwise be up, up, up!

Coffee in the morning seems to let him skip or delay the mid-afternoon nap, and sleep at something resembling a normal bedtime (midnight or a little before) and usually sleep through until he's awakened for school. It does also seem to make him calmer, and certainly less cranky if he's tired. I ran it past his neurologist, who felt that he was trying to tell us something, and should have it if he wanted it.

 

[iwrbnd]

I also love this thread! I smile and laugh as I read all the stories while feeling empowered to do better with my own little Schmollandites!

I second the motion to add BFF to the official Schmolland dictionary! You could add my picture to it for an illlustration!

 

[cccdisney]

I got 4 hours last night! Tea has become my best friend...
My mom ordered some liquid melatonin for me and I am going to try it over the weekend, *crossed fingers* The doctors don't want to give him meds yet -he's 3- but I will continue to ask ,the next worry would be how to get him to take that stuff.. I was on trazadone when I was younger.. that stuff is STRONG!

My son does this too!! he will drink and eat anything that is sitting not being eaten especially when he sees something in a Mcdonalds package its like he's found gold! I guess they figure "why waste it?!" lol

Melatonin worked great for my son at that age. But by four he needed something stronger. He started taking Clonidine - and later added Trazadone to the mix. He STILL wakes up every night - but now most nights he goes right back to sleep.

Fast food places is the worst. In fact one of the hardest places to take him is a McDonald's Playplace (or similar). All the food and drinks laying around the tables - just asking for trouble. If he sees it and wants it, he takes it! Even if the other child is holding it.

 

[kampfirekim]

Circadian rythms are your wake/sleep cycle. They vary from individual to individual, but most people have some version of awake in the day/asleep at night. If let, DS would take a mid-day nap and a very early morning one, and otherwise be up, up, up!

Coffee in the morning seems to let him skip or delay the mid-afternoon nap, and sleep at something resembling a normal bedtime (midnight or a little before) and usually sleep through until he's awakened for school. It does also seem to make him calmer, and certainly less cranky if he's tired. I ran it past his neurologist, who felt that he was trying to tell us something, and should have it if he wanted it.

Thanks for the info! We too know about the coffee thing. You can't leave your cup unattended for a second or it will mysteriously vanish. Then DS will have a mysterious coffee moustache appear! The caffeine helps calm him as well.

I also love this thread! I smile and laugh as I read all the stories while feeling empowered to do better with my own little Schmollandites!

I second the motion to add BFF to the official Schmolland dictionary! You could add my picture to it for an illlustration!

I feel the same!

We have a motion, a second to the motion, the motion carries. BFF (double brain fluff) shall be added to the official Schmolland dictionary. Should we start a dictionary page devoted to Schmolland translations? The lurkers may become confused and disoriented after a while.

 

[Kat77]

My sister told me a great story about her friend's child who is on the spectrum. They went to their local aquarium and she couldn't fiqure out why his backpack was all wet. There was a penguin in there! Just trying to picture that kid putting a penguin in his backpack makes me laugh! Yes, Schmolland is a funny place to live!

I tried to post about this earlier but nothing was working for me.
This really made me laugh!!! Can you imagine if the penguin had actually made it home?! I have this mental image of some poor mom walking into her kids bathroom and discovering a freaking penguin! Then, she would have to decide whether or not to smuggle it back into the aquarium or call animal control....

 

[BreTyPres87]

Circadian rythms are your wake/sleep cycle. They vary from individual to individual, but most people have some version of awake in the day/asleep at night. If let, DS would take a mid-day nap and a very early morning one, and otherwise be up, up, up!

Coffee in the morning seems to let him skip or delay the mid-afternoon nap, and sleep at something resembling a normal bedtime (midnight or a little before) and usually sleep through until he's awakened for school. It does also seem to make him calmer, and certainly less cranky if he's tired. I ran it past his neurologist, who felt that he was trying to tell us something, and should have it if he wanted it.

I wish I could try coffee or tea with my son! He is very picky about his liquids though , we just got him drinking milk again after almost 2 hours of refusing
Warm drinks are the only ones I know I can drink alone lol which is why I have started heating up my own apple juice my mom asked me if I was a baby..


Does anyone deal with a super picky ASD child? My son is now eating pb&j, ham sandwiches, hamburgers but ONLY the burger,and french fries, oh and the top off of pizza, and of course all of the JUNK he shouldn't be... If someone saw how much food is wasted they would any tips on that one?

 

[iwrbnd]

I wish I could try coffee or tea with my son! He is very picky about his liquids though , we just got him drinking milk again after almost 2 hours of refusing
Warm drinks are the only ones I know I can drink alone lol which is why I have started heating up my own apple juice my mom asked me if I was a baby..


Does anyone deal with a super picky ASD child? My son is now eating pb&j, ham sandwiches, hamburgers but ONLY the burger,and french fries, oh and the top off of pizza, and of course all of the JUNK he shouldn't be... If someone saw how much food is wasted they would any tips on that one?

My ASD boys have bad food issues. DS11 will gag if he even sees a food that he doesn't like! He mostly lives on Ensure (well, Walmart's version called Equate) and is developing great on it. He is rarely sick, gets straight A's and is on the math team. I fiqure his brain must be doing okay on that stuff! My DS17 has improved his eating sooo much since he turned 16 so there's still hope!

Eating is hard because they have complete control over what goes into their body. I would try not to fight it too much. I had a friend that said "I count a tortilla and a vitamin a complete meal!" (Her child would only eat the tortilla and nothing in it)

It's frustrating, isn't it!

 

[persimmondeb]

I'm no help with that, unfortunately, since DS is one of those Aspies for whom there are only "interesting" tastes. We asked him the other day to think of five foods he didn't like and he just sat there, obviously thinking very hard, and unable to come up with any.

My DH, on the other hand, is terribly, terribly picky, although he is not on the spectrum. Sometimes if it appears on the table often enough, he'll take a bite. Sometimes he'll even eat it again.

 

[kampfirekim]

Warm drinks are the only ones I know I can drink alone lol which is why I have started heating up my own apple juice my mom asked me if I was a baby..


Does anyone deal with a super picky ASD child? My son is now eating pb&j, ham sandwiches, hamburgers but ONLY the burger,and french fries, oh and the top off of pizza, and of course all of the JUNK he shouldn't be... If someone saw how much food is wasted they would any tips on that one?

Love the warm juice! That's so funny! My DS is picky too. That menu looks very familiar. (Luckily he does like fruit!)

He mostly lives on Ensure (well, Walmart's version called Equate) and is developing great on it. He is rarely sick, gets straight A's and is on the math team. I fiqure his brain must be doing okay on that stuff! My DS17 has improved his eating sooo much since he turned 16 so there's still hope!

Eating is hard because they have complete control over what goes into their body. I would try not to fight it too much. I had a friend that said "I count a tortilla and a vitamin a complete meal!" (Her child would only eat the tortilla and nothing in it)

It's frustrating, isn't it!

The Ensure (Wal-Mart version) is a GREAT idea! Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna try that one!

I agree sometimes the tortilla and a vitamina ARE the whole meal.

Had quite a morning! DS could not focus for one second to get ready for school. All he could do was wander through the house in something that resembled the flight pattern of a bumble bee while shaking a rubber bunny in his hand......and that was my neurotypical child! What? Did we all trip and fall and land on the spectrum today? DS, the little Schmutch one, had to be dragged from the house by the legs After being hit repeatedly over and over and over and over....., just to make myself feel better, I decided to call them lovelicks. Yes, they are lovelicks and with every lick he is only saying "I love you Mom!) Well that's my story.....it makes me feel better anyway.

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI if you have kids whose food issues are about textures -- an immersion blender is your friend. I'm very creative with "dip" of all kinds, especially salsa and marinara sauce that just happens to contain vegetables other than tomatoes. I just zap them all with my little red kitchenaid and they are SMMMMOOOOOTTHHHHH.

DS' list of things he will eat easily doubled when I started blending all sauces, gravies and dips so that they are velvet-smooth. (Just make sure that they don't see what it looks like before it is blended, though.)

Oh, and canned fruit: the Aspies that I know tend to like canned fruit better than fresh; it's because they usually don't like dealing with peels and seeds.

 

[iwrbnd]

Love the warm juice! That's so funny! My DS is picky too. That menu looks very familiar. (Luckily he does like fruit!)



The Ensure (Wal-Mart version) is a GREAT idea! Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna try that one!

I agree sometimes the tortilla and a vitamina ARE the whole meal.

Had quite a morning! DS could not focus for one second to get ready for school. All he could do was wander through the house in something that resembled the flight pattern of a bumble bee while shaking a rubber bunny in his hand......and that was my neurotypical child! What? Did we all trip and fall and land on the spectrum today? DS, the little Schmutch one, had to be dragged from the house by the legs After being hit repeatedly over and over and over and over....., just to make myself feel better, I decided to call them lovelicks. Yes, they are lovelicks and with every lick he is only saying "I love you Mom!) Well that's my story.....it makes me feel better anyway.

Seriously, kampfirekim, you crack me up and make my day!The flight pattern of the bumble bee about made me die laughing! I've seen that flight pattern waaaay too much here! Your sense of humor is priceless..."lovelicks"...I'm sure that's what your little Schmutch was doing, too!

This is me reading your posts!

 

[iwrbnd]

Just FYI if you have kids whose food issues are about textures -- an immersion blender is your friend. I'm very creative with "dip" of all kinds, especially salsa and marinara sauce that just happens to contain vegetables other than tomatoes. I just zap them all with my little red kitchenaid and they are SMMMMOOOOOTTHHHHH.

DS' list of things he will eat easily doubled when I started blending all sauces, gravies and dips so that they are velvet-smooth. (Just make sure that they don't see what it looks like before it is blended, though.)

Oh, and canned fruit: the Aspies that I know tend to like canned fruit better than fresh; it's because they usually don't like dealing with peels and seeds.

Great idea! Mine will only eat crunchy food, though!

 

[iwrbnd]

I tried to post about this earlier but nothing was working for me.
This really made me laugh!!! Can you imagine if the penguin had actually made it home?! I have this mental image of some poor mom walking into her kids bathroom and discovering a freaking penguin! Then, she would have to decide whether or not to smuggle it back into the aquarium or call animal control....

I remembered my sister telling me that story a couple of years ago so I just called her to get the full story and details. It turns out it wasn't her friend but something someone had heard. Now I'm doubting it. Oh well, it's still a funny image!

 

[Kat77]

I remembered my sister telling me that story a couple of years ago so I just called her to get the full story and details. It turns out it wasn't her friend but something someone had heard. Now I'm doubting it. Oh well, it's still a funny image!

It was a hilarious mental image! I was not going to say anything but I googled it last night after my kids told me it was unlikely and it's an urban legend! We were discussing the logistics of how you would get a penguin in a backpack at dinner and DS12 was adamant you would have to knock it out to enclose it. DD12 asked me if I remembered how fast penguins swim? Why do my kids know so much about penguins? Club Penguin, ofcourse, duh mom! Oh well, moms are sooo gullable.
Only our kids would research a species just because they are playing an online game ...

 

[iwrbnd]

It was a hilarious mental image! I was not going to say anything but I googled it last night after my kids told me it was unlikely and it's an urban legend! We were discussing the logistics of how you would get a penguin in a backpack at dinner and DS12 was adamant you would have to knock it out to enclose it. DD12 asked me if I remembered how fast penguins swim? Why do my kids know so much about penguins? Club Penguin, ofcourse, duh mom! Oh well, moms are sooo gullable.

I guess I was right to doubt it after I heard it wasn't my sister's friend but something someone else told her! Now I know the truth! It did sound unlikely but I've learned that nothing shocks me anymore with kids on the spectrum! (When did our kids get smarter than us anyway? I guess it's all those brain cells that died while we were pregnant!)

 

[kampfirekim]

Seriously, kampfirekim, you crack me up and make my day!The flight pattern of the bumble bee about made me die laughing! I've seen that flight pattern waaaay too much here! Your sense of humor is priceless..."lovelicks"...I'm sure that's what your little Schmutch was doing, too!

This is me reading your posts!

Did ya catch the fact that was my NORMAL kid?

Should we enter LL into the dictionary of Schmolland? Little Schmutch boy was in the kitchen just a bit ago doing the spin jump flap thing...so I decided to join in. It was kind of fun actually. Maybe this Schmolland ritual should be dubbed the Official Dance of Schmolland. Try it sometime, you'll feel liberated.

Got a facebook today from an inlaw/outlaw once removed. She'd just read Holland Schmolland and gave me her location....Schmengland. (She's a Brit!)

In case you haven't noticed....I get worse with encouragement. I really can't stop!

Great idea! Mine will only eat crunchy food, though!

We're all the same but different. Didn't I tell you....Bizarro world!