Flood Warning

March 31, 2010

Flood Warning

It's spring break on the Jersey Shore and so far pretty much all we've seen is rain. Most of the state has been in a perpetual state of Flood Warning, my coastal town included. My kids already lost half of their spring break due to the Snowmageddon and now they are unable to enjoy what little they have left of it due to the endless downpour of rain, rain, and more rain.

I'm dogsitting for several friends who did the wise thing and took vacation anyway, pulling their kids out of school and escaping this rain. The dogs are all on strike and don't want to go outside. One depressed pooch is hiding in a closet and trembling, barely eating. I know from past experience - he hates the rain. You know the days when it is grey, raining and you don't want to get out of bed? That's where he is. I feel his pain. If I could go and hide in a dark closet with just the radio on, I just might. I feel like the rain has sucked about every bit of motivation out of my body. I thought the snow was bad, the rain is worse.

Today I noted we have new neighbors. Ducks have moved in - we have a family of 3 that are now swimming in front lawns which have gone from soggy to pondlike. The puddles which were still lingering from snow melt-off have connected and the street is starting to look more like a river. The only thing missing would be an Ark.

Throughout the day as I checked my twitter on my beloved android it is painfully obvious that I'm not alone in my feelings on the rain.

I guess I should get working on that ark.

Anyone named Noah must be pretty freaked out right now.

Still raining in NJ. I think I will be driving an ark to work tomorrow.

Getting another 2 inches of rain here in NJ. I'm building an Ark next.

Collecting animals for the Ark I'm building. NJ is flooding like crazy right now!

More rain in NJ...who knows how to build an Ark?!?!?

So, it seems many of my friends are building arks. But, here in NJ I want to let you know we have options.

I found the solution to all this rain in jersey http://twitgoo.com/m7vb7

Industrial Ark Leasing - only in New Jersey.

New Jersey Moms Blog post by MaryTara. MT blogs her adventures in parenting two beautiful children on the Jersey Shore, life with autism & without it, the gluten & casein free diet, and vaccination choice issues at The Bon Bon Gazette and raising a child with amblyopia at Adventures in Amblyopia.

Learning Life Skills at School

One day last week Alex came home with a worksheet in his backpack that was a chore checklist. Since he thought it was his homework he took on completing each task one by one and was enthusiastic about it. Some of the chores were easy - like setting the table and also clearing his place setting. He also took on folding towels and I was excited that he knew how to do this without me ever showing him - I am guessing the teacher taught the children how. Of the chores, the only one that he has not yet done is make his bed. Since he has a loft bed and it requires balancing on the ladder and lifting the mattress -this is one that for safety reasons we can't have him do. Since this sheet started coming home, he has been very helpful around the house and has even helped take out the garbage.

I took a picture of the Life Skills worksheet (with teacher comments).

Brick SEPTA Egg Hunt

March 27, 2010

It was a cold and windy morning at Windward Beach but nearly a hundred kids came out to hunt eggs at the Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by Brick SEPTA. We had a visit from Petals the Clown and also the Easter Bunny. Some kids loved them, others did shy away. Alex enjoyed the clown and the big bunny but his little sister screamed and ran away from both of them referring to the rabbit as "the evil easter bunny". I've never been a fan of clowns, so she clearly sides with me on this one!

Prior to the event we'd stuffed probably 1000 eggs and they were gone in what seemed to be the wink of the eye - definitely under 5 minutes! These kids mean business when it comes to gathering eggs!! It was great to see the kids and their brothers and sisters all having a fun time. We had drinks (water and juice) and snacks (cupcakes, cookies and even gfcf cupcakes courtesy of yours truly). So.. it was very very cold at the egg hunt but great memories were made.

A New Meaning to Fish on Friday

March 23, 2010

A New Meaning to Fish on Friday

When my son graduated from Kindergarten his teacher gave him (and all the children) a betta fish. My son named him Young and we set him up on my kitchen counter top.

At the time, I worried that Young might not make it through the night let alone week after week, month after month, year after year. Care and feeding of Young fell to yours truly, me. Sometimes I did better than others - like the time we went away to Disney and halfway through the trip I realized I had forgotten to put a feeder in his tank. Thankfully, Young survived that week. He was a hearty fellow and lived an exceptionally long life for a Betta fish. Considering my son is now close to finishing 3rd grade - that is 3 years not counting the fact that Bettas are often a good year old when they hit the pet shops.

Tonight when I changed Young's water - it wasn't good. Young looked half dead. I changed his water and sadly Young passed. It was in this moment of horror that I made the executive decision to manage death in my family. I took Young's death into my own hands. I didn't tell the children.

This past year they had to experience Grandpa passing and just recently the family dog died. My son has autism and he doesn't understand death or heaven. The questions are never-ending and he just doesn't seem to 'get it'. Now the fish died. I decided it would just be too much to pile on one more sad thing for the kids. I found the closest replacement and when the kids were in the other room I quickly cleaned the tank, flushed Young, and put a Young look-alike into the tank.

I updated Facebook with my Android phone with a quick RIP message to honor the kindergarten fish and came into the living room to find my 5 year old serving Fish and Chips in my Cafe World app. "Mama I shared the chef special so everyone can eat Fish on Friday". If only she knew what I had just done. And oh, the irony of back to back newsfeed posts about flushing the family fish and then serving Fish and Chips. I am not sure if that is horrible, funny, or horribly funny.

Yes, we shall have fish on Friday, indeed.

New Jersey Moms Blog post by MaryTara. MT blogs her adventures in parenting two beautiful children on the Jersey Shore, life with autism & without it, the gluten & casein free diet, and vaccination choice issues at The Bon Bon Gazette and raising a child with amblyopia at Adventures in Amblyopia.

Giving Big for One Small Wish

So, first my apologies for leaving a very sad and depressing blog post up on Top for 10 whole days. I've really slacked on blogging but that is a whole 'nother story. Well, this post promises to be much more positive and uplifting. While not specifically autism or gluten free related - I hope my readers will find it of value and in turn consider taking action.

A dear friend of mine is moving away. Of course, I feel sad about this but I also know that we still have twitter, blogs, email, cell phones and all that jazzy stuff. So, in her attempt to get ready for her big move she started culling through her families belongings and making piles - Keep|Toss|Donate. She encouraged others to share in her giving and to take some time out to give as well. And Yay, she gave me her elliptical machine - so I'm very happy about that!!!

The local organization we gave to is One Small Wish. They take donations and deliver them to families and persons in need of those items within New Jersey.

This is what giving is all about.

Giving isn't new to me. I have always considered myself more of a giver than a taker, and I think my friends will back me up on this. I am always one to pass on outgrown clothing, toys, and items we no longer have need for. Yet, still - we have so much more to give. We have STUFF. So much stuff. Our attic and garage are packed. My kids have "too many toys" yet always want something more.

I don't like living like this, so I decided it was time for a Big Give... not just a little here and a little there. We're talking some major spring cleaning. I braved the garage and the attic stairs and I pulled out oodles. From baby clothes, a high chair, bassinette, gate & bed rail, baby clothing, toys and more. My daughter got in on the giving and packed up her Dora playhouse, a ton of toys including "her worm bike" and the Power Wheels Jeep. We had toys still in the unopened boxes from holidays past (remember how I've said ppl give my son things that are not age/autism appropriate...) There was movies... a TV, a full service of plates, glassware, lamp, dishes, a coffee table... so much stuff.

This picture doesn't even show the half of it.. but its big, and it feels good. I'm proud of my kids and appreciative for all that we have. My son also thought the U-haul trailer was pretty darn cool.

Learn more about Bloggers Spring Giving here.


Give Big! It feels good.

Autism and the loss of a pet

Today was a very sad day in our house. We said good-bye to a family member, our dear dog Josie who was almost 13 years old. It was time, but it doesn't make it any easier to say good-bye.
This morning I snapped a couple pictures of her before I took her to the vet but in looking at them, it is not how I want to remember her. I want to remember her as the puppy with the giant feet, that grew into a gigantic beast of a dog. A loving beast that my son used to use for a bed (as pictured). She was such a gentle soul, and had no idea of her enormity. But in the end it was her size that got the best of her. She couldn't go up and down the stairs. Her quality of life was suffering and it was time to make the difficult call. I hate myself right now and I feel like a murderer even though I know it was her time. My heart hurts.

My daughter knows that I am sad and she just keeps giving me hugs. She doesn't want me to cry. Alex got upset when I was crying and told me not to cry. Sometimes it seems he is so nonphased by death but I know it is because he truly doesn't understand it (or maybe he does?). This is not the first time we've had to deal with death this year. When my father passed away suddenly the children got a crash course in death, funerals, and heaven. My son still asks on about a weekly basis "Where did Grandpa Tom Go? And where is he?". And we answer that he is in heaven - and sometimes he'll stop with the questions, and other times he will ask more. His little sister recognizes that this is a sad subject for me and when he starts she will tell him to "knock it off" or that "he's pushing it" and "needs to drop it". I see her becoming a little mother to her older brother right before my eyes, and it touches me but tears me up at the same time.

This morning when we asked the kids to say good-bye to the dog - my daughter petted her and said a couple of nice things. She drew a picture today of a big dog with rainbow colors on it and waves and said it is a "rainbow dog" and it is at the beach. She did this all on her own - she just turned 5 years old. She gets it. Meanwhile, Alex just yelled "Good-Bye Josie" while playing with this Nintendo DS and barely looked at the dog. But for him, I know it is just a matter of time before he asks about where she went and we go through another round of questions about Heaven. I know it will take longer for him to sink in and realize that his dear doggie is really gone.

Related:
Saying Good-Bye to Grandpa and can you take an airplane to Heaven
On Autism and a Death in the Family
In a Time of Sadness
Have you thought about all the bunnies?

Autism and The Dentist

Alex is 9 years old and dental health has been quite challenging for him. When he was younger he hated for us to even brush his teeth. A lot of practice and at times - us having to almost hold him down and brush as quickly and thoroughly as we can in order to get his teeth clean. Going to the dentist was a whole different story. We finally have found a dentist that is very good with children with Autism, and children in general (she also is seeing Alex's little sister who required some more extensive dental work due to teeth crowding and some fixing some cavities and a chipped tooth from falling).

I decided it would be best for Alex's dad to take him to the dentist and try to make it as positive experience as possible. Both my husband and I were dreading this appointment but we also knew that since his behavior has improved and his communication is much better that it could go well. Plus, the dentist has video games in her waiting room. All we could do was hope for the best.

After 9 years we finally had a successful and positive trip to the dentist and we are on our way to establishing a good relationship between Alex and the dentist. The good news is no cavities of worth - he has one in a baby molar that according to X-rays will be falling out very soon. If it doesn't, the dentist will pull it but she didn't think it was necessary to go through the trauma of that since it is so close to falling out. He goes back in 6 months and in the meantime he is doing a much better job at brushing his own teeth. This is huge progress as dental sedation has been considered for him in the past just to get a good cleaning!

Things that have helped him include the Touch N Brush Hands Free Toothpaste Dispenser As Seen On TV and also using a battery powered Wall-E Spin Brush. For the longest time he has wanted to use the children's toothpastes that are quite sweet and they don't seem like they work all that well, to be honest - looking at the ingredients.. they are loaded with sugar. We are now making the switch to "adult" toothpaste and I started letting him use a mouth rinse as well. I was a bit surprised to learn that he knew how to use mouthwash already - he told me that his teacher showed him this at school (which I need to clarify as I am not sure this really happened or perhaps he could be thinking of when the dentist visited their class).

When Alex got back from the dentist his sister asked him "Did you scream at the dentist?". He responded quite proudly that indeed, he did NOT scream at the dentist. I was quite proud of him too. Since he missed school that day and didn't have a daily log sheet to fill out I asked him write about his day and he did..

Today I Wake Up at 7:30 AM. For Breakfast I Ate Cereal. Take to Bus 117. I Went
Home at 12:00 PM. Daddy Took Me To the dentist. I Played Pac-Man. The Dentist
brush your Teeth, Take Pictures of Teeth and Count your Teeth. The Dentist Gave
me Toothbrush (Orange and Green) our prize snake (Green). Mommy Made Chicken and Gluten Free Spaghetti and Apple Sauce. I Played Computer with Daddy. Alex was a Good Boy. Alex didn’t Scream at the dentist. I Petted Happy. And I Petted my cat stimpy Too.

Review of the Touch N Brush