Barnacle Boy’s Goodnight Prayer

Dear God…
Thank you for everything. I hope we have a good day tomorrow. Keep everyone safe. Keep me from having nightmares.
And God, I love my life. You picked the perfect mom for me. Thank you.
Amen.
I don’t even need to add to this — his heartfelt prayer says it all.

Christmas, Snow, Gingerbread Men and Presents

All year long, Christmas is on a kid’s mind. They talk about how many days there are left, what they want, and seeing Santa. We teach them the reason for the holiday (which, in my very outspoken opinion, is a Christian holiday and should be celebrated as such) and we hope they remember it when [...]

Use the Force!

Do you? Or don’t you?
And in case I’m not clear, I mean forcing your child to engage in certain social events or activities.
My son was in our church’s Christmas program last night. To say he participated under duress is an understatement. We forced him. He didn’t want to stand and sing, or even pretend to, [...]

My Son Has Autism: Will You Stop Staring Now?

This week, I tried to enroll my son in an event where I thought he’d be okay. He knew about it prior, and wasn’t totally opposed. He’d stated a couple of demands, which were do-able, and agreed to go. I knew it’d be a stretch, but he’s done it before and while we never quite [...]

Of Santa and Principals

On Monday night, we took bb to see Santa. Bass Pro Shops has THE best Santa yet. He was wonderful — funny, loving, gentle, all that a Santa should be. Bb saw him, ran right to him (YAY! a total 180 from last year, where our family photo shows him with as huge of a [...]

You Need Time for Yourself

How many of us hear that? (Though maybe I guess the bigger question is: how many of us get that?)
I hear it all the time. While I agree all moms do, especially moms who are blessed with special kids, it’s not all its cracked up to be. Let me tell you.
Yesterday, I was able to [...]

I Feel Like This Somedays Too

Sorry I can’t make that bigger — I’m on a different machine without my normal photo/graphics programs, but at least you get the drift.  This is what barnacle boy looked like when upset at his school awards ceremony last week…and this was before it had escalated to the point where he wouldn’t get out of his seat. [...]

Christmas, Birthdays, Dentists and School

This last week, my husband and I have been on vacation. In a word? Bliss. I don’t care if every minute is filled with mundane errands and getting up early to get ds to school; just having the time off together, during our own thing, our own schedule, is fantastic. But, the week has flown [...]

The Sleep Pool

There isn’t one yet, but I’m thinking of making one. Want in?
I don’t sleep well most nights. Not unusual for a mom, so bear with me while I whine. I’m tired.
Ds doesn’t sleep throughout the night. As he’s grown older, he’s gotten better, but we’re still not there yet. He still has night terrors, nightmares, [...]

My Smile is Broken

A few days ago, while we were camping, ds lost the first of three currently loose teeth. He was really anxious about it, asking us daily if today was the day, is it loose enough, and other similar worries. In the end, we found out he was very worried about it coming out while he [...]