Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Great Debate!

Does Santa Exist?

What do you tell a six year old, that has tears in her eyes, because an adult with a "heart two sizes two small" told her that he does not.

I tell my child this...

Santa is in your heart...he helps us to remember to give to others...he reminds us to be good and kind to others...he helps us to remember that no matter what we have or don't there are others that might not have anything...and serving or giving of ourselves is more important than objects.

Santa helps us keep the spirit of giving in our heart, and if we believe in Santa we believe that giving is more important that it is to receive. He gives to everybody asking for nothing in return.

Christmas is about Jesus and his birth and his great life, he is the gift that GOD gave us.
I am only saying that for most children even if they understand God's gift and understand Jesus and his sacrifice. Santa is more tangible to children.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Big Santa Visit


Today the kids got to visit with Santa, this is amazing to me as it was not to long ago that my youngest would scream at the top of her lungs any time she was near Santa or any masked fairytale creature.

My grandmother wanted to take us to Disneyland one year and in her mind she thought this would be great because Lily loved princess. All I could see is her screaming every time we turned because she had seen another giant mouse or dog.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

The big Family Thing...

When I was growing up I did not have a huge family at home but I did have an extended family that I was raised with. My mother and one of her brothers were really quite close so we spent most holidays back and forth at each others houses. Two of my male cousins and I went to the same high school, one of them and I even had a lot of the same crazy friends. As the years went on we all moved around, had families and for the most part grown apart. But every other year there is that time of year in which we all come together. We crowd into whose ever, turn it is to host dinner, house and sit and reminisce about the old days, talk about the new things that are happening and tell each other we should get together more.
I am thankful that my family is my family and those of which I keep in touch with on a regular basis and even more so for those that I only get to see once a year, because my family helped make me who I am and as crazy and loud and wildly unbelievable as they can be some times they are mine.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Things to be Thankful for!


Tonight I went to dinner with some friends, some old, some new and we talked about the things that we were thankful for. Most everyone said family, friends, God, nature, country, one even said she was thankful that they had found lice only once this week (she is the principle of an elementary school). As I sat there and thought about all the things that I am thankful for my children their health and their loving spirits are probably the things that I am most thankful for.

Since I have been a single mom I have struggled, as do many others around this time of the year, with worries that there is not going to be anything under the Christmas tree. And luckily every year some group has stepped forward and helped us out in some way or another. Well this year it is not that our financial situation has changed, we still live very modestly but the world has changed around us. There are people in far worse situations than us, and I think my children and their generous hearts have stepped up. They want to help others this year, they want to be the ones that make the difference in another persons life.

Even though our own cupboards are not as full as they have been in the past they decided that we needed to give a food bag to their school food drive, they each helped put shoebox gifts together for a child of their own age to send to another country to a child who might have never received a gift before and they are helping serve Thanksgiving dinner to some 20 senior citizens that might not get dinner if there had not been volunteers.

I know that being honest with my children when I have needed and accepted help from other is the in part why their hearts are so big. But it makes me even more grateful to everyone who has helped me in the past not just because it helped me get through some rough times but because it taught my children something some people never seem to learn...It is far better to give than to receive...I am very grateful for my children and their giving hearts.

Monday, November 17, 2008

He makes me laugh.

Xander has a good sense of what and where things are around the house but his therapist suggested getting even more organized for him with labels that had pictures and then a book to help him do chores, so tonight we went around and labeled the items that he needs to start off with, cloths to get ready for school and bed, were dirty cloths go, were toys go, he help organize. We also made them for the bathroom to help him remember to flush and wash and brush.
After our label making we started home work, he got up and went to the rest room, flushed, washed and came back. He then began to get up set because his paper was wet and had started to tear. I asked him why he did not dry his hands "there was no label" he replied. I just smiled and told him to dry his hand and then made a label.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Today Was a good Day!

My son, Xander, snuggled up to me, as much as he does, and told me that he loved me. Those moments of unprovoked tenderness from a child that has Autism are rare if at all. As parents telling our children we love them and hearing it in return is almost like an echo in a cave, we take it for granite, at least while they are young, as they grow older the echo gets further and further away. But for me telling my son I love him I have learned not to expect the echo but to cherish the rare glimpse of light. I know he loves me, and I can fell that he knows I love him so the words, even though I choose to say them often, are often unnecessary.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

What's in a sign...

These are signs I created to help my son understand that not everybody sees him in the same way. That the negative things that some people see are the good and kind things that I see in him. And that just because he has Autism does not mean he is broken.

The stress of it all..



November 15, 2008

Warning note to my readers:

This is my first official blog and all though I know I have a lot to say I don't always know that I can get it out, at least coherently so if you end up reading this or even following along good luck.

I am a single mother of two great kids and this in and of it self is great and i could write and tell all the wonderful things my children do, but I have an added struggle as do many people that I know my son who is 7 was diagnosed with Autism, luckily... I always laugh after that word... any way he was diagnosed at 3 so I have had four years to get to know my son and to try and learn what is like to live in his world trying to live in our world.

I say this because even thought he is extremely high functioning there are days that he just does not get why people act the way they do to him, frankly I don't always get that either but I am sure that it is in completely different ways.
It just gets harder for him as he gets older, he still has the disposition of a 3 or 4 year old, his mental age is appropriate as far as education, as well as his size but his peers are starting to see him as a target rather than a friend. So he gets abused at school, on the playground and on the school bus, even from younger students who have the mental capability to become friends with older students.
The School has stepped in but he is feeling very down on him self right now and expresses his wishes that he had never been born, and that he was not around. I try and tell him that would be very sad for all of us because he is one of the best things that I have ever done.
That is all I have the heart for now but I will be back...soon.