My Autism Insights

Manic Monday prompt by Mo

This weekend we met up with my sister’s family to celebrate her birthday at a new Japanese hibachi restaurant nearby.   Gus has had a sort of love/hate relationship with Japanese hibachis: when he was very young, they were no problem, at around 2 they traumatized him, and now he loves them again.  It was a great time, especially since he spontaneously decided he wanted to try sushi!  Fortunately for him, my nephew eats it and ordered some so Gus could try it.

He shoved a piece of raw white fish (it was either squid or halibut) in his mouth, and with a full maw exclaimed, “I wike it!”  The salmon didn’t get as positive a reception.  I was so impressed he actually ate it without spitting it out, that I didn’t bother to remind him not to talk with his mouth full.  We had a great time and he must have eaten his body weight in food. MM tried some new things too: edamame (soy beans), soup, and fried rice.  It was a win all around!

Which gives me a nice segue into the Lemonade Award I received from 2 bloggers: Caregiving Daughter and More Than a Number.  So, I’d like to thank them for the recognition and will pass the honor on to a couple of bloggers who exhibit a positive attitude:

Healing…Through the Eyes of Autism

Autism SucksRocks

Spectrum Siblings

Have a great day, everyone & try to keep it positive!

Despite the fact that it hasn’t gone above 65 in our house yet today, I am still in a surprisingly good mood.  Thankfulness for today:

I am thankful that both my kids did well on their second quarter report cards.  Gus is doing a little better with his IEP goals; out of 27 goals, he’s progressing in about 19 of them.  Last quarter that progress number was much lower.  His academic report is good, especially in Reading, Social Studies and Science.  MM showed great improvement in her writing and is doing really well in math and reading.  Her teacher also called her a “delight” and a “good example” in the class.  Sorry for the bragging, but I allow myself a proud mommy moment once in a while.

I am thankful that Gus is also being given a Principal’s award next week (alright, two proud mommy moments).  Now, he was given an Outstanding Effort award last year and there was an interesting incident with a microphone…hopefully, we won’t see a repeat.  And if we do, I am resolved to just laugh about it.  Those assemblies are often way to serious anyway.

I am thankful that my sister’s friend, who had asked me for an impromptu Reiki healing a few weeks ago, apparently decided to pay me.  She asked at the time and I told her that I didn’t want any money.  But she sent some anyway.  A nice compliment, and always useful!  That was an awesome surprise!

This all goes to show that even in the coldest and bleakest of times, good things can still happen.  Please share your gratitude below and have a great week!

A few things to post about today!  We went to DH’s office party yesterday and one of the staff brought his kids: two boys aged 5 and 2.  I was amazed at how well they ALL played together.  Usually, MM is the one to make friends immediately and to dominate any new children’s attention.  I expected that to be the case since the older boy was her age.  So imagine my shock when I saw that Gus was playing with J with all DH’s action figures!

One thing I’ve noticed before is that Gus can get along, and will actually take an interest in other children, just not his peers.  A two year age gap seems to work very well for him, and he loves babies.   It was nice to see.

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On another note, Barbara at Goal for the Green had honored me with the I Love Your Blog award, and I’m finally passing it along.  (I’m starting to run out of blogs!)  I don’t remember exactly what the rules are, but I’m passing the award along to:

Lainie Sips - This is a tea blog that I’ve really grown to love!   I am by no means a tea aficionado, but I do drink tea almost to the exclusion of everything else.  Lainie has really peaked my interest in different teas with her reviews.

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Finally, Tanner’s Dad has organized Autism Healthcare Twitter Day taking place all day today.  President Elect Obama is looking for input from the autism community for healthcare needs.  So if you’re on Twitter, use the hashtag #HHS and please lend your support and input!

I had also received this about a week ago:

“Early next week, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) has been invited to give input to the Office of the President-elect at two meetings relating to disability policy in the upcoming administration. The first meeting will focus on autism policy issues specifically while the second will focus on health care policy from the disability perspective. The meetings will be small, intimate and include representatives from several other autism and/or disability organizations as well.

I’d like to take this opportunity to invite people to give their thoughts as to what issues matter to them in relation to Autism Policy and Health Care Policy in the upcoming administration. We’ve been asked to take 2-3 policy priorities into the first meeting and will want to represent some of the specific needs of autistic self-advocates in the second. As an organization that seeks to represent the needs of the community of autistic people and to fight for the rights of ourselves, our families and our supporters, we want to hear from you. Please feel free to either reply directly here or by e-mail to me at aneeman@autisticadvocacy.org . I’m looking forward to hearing from you and please distribute.

Regards,
Ari Ne’eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
1660 L Street, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC  20036
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530″

Even if you aren’t on Twitter, you can make your voice heard.

It’s that time again!  I very nearly missed the fact that it is in fact Thursday.  Forgive me - I lose track sometimes!

Anyway, on to thankfulness…

I am thankful that the snowstorm that we are being threatened with is coming tomorrow instead of today even though that means Gus’s teachers won’t get their gifts until after Christmas.  But not having school canceled today allowed me to get some deadlines met, which is a BIG plus!

I am thankful that we did not decide to bake for Gus’s teacher gifts because they wouldn’t have lasted the two weeks that he will be out of school.

I am thankful that I don’t have to fight with Gus over homework for the next two weeks.  I think we were both a little done with it and the break will be much appreciated.  I’m going to try some online learning software if he’s open to trying something new to see how he does with them.

Finally, thanks so much to Barbara at Goal for the Green for two awards:

I’ll pass these along in tomorrow’s post.  Thanks for reading, and please post your thankful thoughts in a comment!

It feels like it was just Thursday a day ago, not like a whole week has passed at all!  What am I thankful for today…?

I am thankful for whatever perfect mix of conditions has made it possible for us to see rainbows pretty regularly where we live.  First thing this morning, at the bus stop, there was an incredible rainbow in the distance.  I can’t think of a more uplifting way to start a day, especially a rainy day.  I never saw a rainbow when I lived in NYC.

I am thankful for toy drives!  We got a notice home today that there is a drive going on for gently used stuffed animals.  I won’t bore you with the details of the dancey-dance I did when I read that.  My kids hoard stuffed animals, but they also tend to have very generous hearts.  If I tried to get rid of the squishy dust magnets, they’d have a fit.  But giving them to children who don’t have them…I just had Christmas come early.

Finally, I am thankful for yet another award!  I’m getting totally spoiled now.  Syndi at The Journeys of Cactus Jack Splash has awarded me the Universal Light Award.  Thanks very much!  I am truly honored, and if I am inspiring anyone, that’s reward enough.  I’d like to pass this award on to some people who regularly inspire me:

Emily

Marla

Casdok

Osh

and Maddie

All these moms manage to balance positive outlooks with deep honesty, and rarely a day goes by when I don’t visit their blogs.  Thanks, ladies!

Wow - do I feel loved right now, or what?  I’ve been honored with two more awards and I am incredibly thankful for the recognition!

First, thanks to Cally the Wild Aspie at the Inde Sapien Choice Awards for thinking of me!

Second, thanks to Barbara at Goal for the Green for the Lemonade Award! So, in keeping with the tradition, here are 10 blogs that I’ve come across that show either gratitude or a positive attitude:

Mental Health Humor

Valley of the Subconscious

Margie & Edna’s Basement

Healthy Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle

Get Anxiety Help

Sky Yoga Studio

Womensselfesteem

Maitri’s Heart

Pray for Chole

modus vivendi

Please stop by and show these bloggers some love.  And thanks again for reading and for your support!

P.S. Any thoughts on the new layout?  I’m not sure how I feel about it yet.  Feedback would be great.

It’s been a roller coaster of a weekend for us, and I’m even more convinced that there’s some level of SAD going on with Gus.  His mood swings are disconcerting and I’d be lying if I said they weren’t a little annoying as well.  He’ll be going along just fine and then out of the blue gets very contrary, defiant, and difficult.  He’s even been giving me a hard time about meals, and he’s always been an incredibly good eater.

We spent a very nice day with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, which included a mountain hike. I thought the outdoor time would do Gus good, and I think it did for a while, but he was also intent on giving me a heart attack.  He made a run toward a sharp drop-off on our way out of the park.  I guess it was a bad idea to have a talk with him about staying away from the cliffs - it seemed to make him curious about what would happen.  He had no fear about them, but before bed he had a meltdown because we’d all been joking about bears being in the park.  He fears the imaginary danger and the real danger is totally lost.  It can be impossible to know what to try to prepare him for and what not to say.

It was also interesting how much he slept yesterday - in the car going to the park, most of the way home, and straight through the night.  I fully expected a 3 am wakeup.

He had a pretty good day today, even though we had to stay in because it was a rainy, snowy mess outside.  He didn’t get grumpy until dinner because I made turkey pot pie, which he usually loves.

Hopefully, the comfort of his school routine will help settle his nerves at least for a couple of weeks, until our routine is shattered again with the holidays.

On a side note, NanoWrimo officially ends tonight, and I finished with an official word count of just over 52,ooo words.  So, now that I’m not obsessively cranking out a novel, hopefully my posts will get a little more interesting again!  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend!  Back to the grind tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers, and a general Happy Day to those outside the U.S.!

I’m taking a break from cooking,  cleaning, and watching Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo  to record what I’m thankful for today:

I am thankful to have my sister coming to visit for the day because we don’t see her nearly enough.   She’s going to spend the night and we may hit the stores bright and early for Black Friday.  Good times!

I am thankful that Gus is pretty calm today and MM has been incredibly helpful, and things are actually getting done - even with me having an audiobook plugged in my ears for most of the morning while I cleaned.   This has so far been one of the most mellow and relaxed holidays we’ve had in a long time.  Thanksgiving 2008 for the win!

I am thankful that my workload is very close to completion and I haven’t cracked yet!  I believe my novel will be complete by the 30th, and all my deadlines will be met by the 1st barring any unforeseen drama.  It’s a nice sense of accomplishment.  And speaking of accomplishment - I see I’ve been awarded another Lemonade Award, and I’m grateful for that too!  So I’ll choose some new recipients tomorrow!

Have a wonderful and safe day, all!  And please share your gratitude in a comment!

Janet at Dolly’s Daily Diary was kind enough to nominate me for the Lemonade Award which is given to bloggers who have shown a positive attitude and/or gratitude.  So, thanks to Janet for the honor!

The rules:

Put the logo on your blog or post.
• Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
• Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
• Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
• Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

So here are some of my favorite blogs that inspire me to stay as positive as they do:

Marla Baltes on All That is Dazilous

A Life Less Ordinary

Mother of Shrek

Whitterer on Autism

Bon Bon Gazette

Memoirs of a Chaotic Mommy

Live Life 365

Mayhem Arts

On the Verge

Pregnant with Cancer

Drop by and check out these wonderful blogs!

Also, just a note to those of you who have taken the time to comment, I do read an appreciate every comment left, even if I don’t always respond.  So, thank you very much!  Have a great night!