ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!The girls start school next Thursday. They need the structure and sociability of school. I'm thrilled with their placements. I see lots of learning and growth ahead of them. This is the first year in three years they've had consecutive years of school. Our two moves in two years wrought havoc on their sense of calm. Adult life sometimes impinges on what they really need, which upsets me. But we had to move and we made it through. I'm grateful.
It's difficult to fill the summer hours with meaningful, interesting, engaging, therapeutic (sometimes) and FUN activities for them. They had ESY and there was a camp for Bella and Gianna, but we still had every afternoon to while away the hours. Mark travels quite a bit, so we're used to being "just us girls."
Yesterday I took them to a local park. The rain had swamped the swings and gotten into the slides. They didn't care. They had great fun swinging (Mia even pumped her legs a bit!) and Bella was gloriously laughing as she went back and forth. Gianna loved climbing every slide as I ran to the bottom and used my new sweater to wipe the water off.....
We had a great time together. Then we came home and made GFCF double chocolate chip blondies. And ATE THEM FOR DINNER! Dad's away, so not much cooking. They had veggies at lunch and hey, every so often you need a treat for dinner.
I was glad to get home. It's always interesting taking the three out. They seem to have a pact: "You run East, I'll run West, You run South. GO!" And I have to decide which little life to save first. We do fine in stores. I'm the woman barking the odd, short sentences. "Hand on cart!" "Be safe!" "Watch car!" "Mia! S-T-O-P". I get lot of looks. Once I got an email from a teacher who happened to see me in Target telling me she couldn't believe how well we navigated the store. I don't know, you develop your system and make it work. We live in the world, we damn well better figure it out, right? The world ain't changing for us.
I have a rule. Leave the house with three. I tuck three into bed each night. 12+ years into this unusual motherhood journey and I haven't lost one yet. ;)
12 comments:
The fact that you have not "lost one" or lost your own sanity for that matter, is a miracle!
Glad you girls had fun at the park.
My kind of dinner! Yum!
Awww-what a great way to end the post! That made me smile. And you get major yay-mom points for wiping down the slide with your new sweater :)
I think my kids may have that same pact. Oddly enough, it's my two non-ASD children that tend to disobey or turn the "deaf ear" to direction. The little one DOES have the excuse of begin two, I suppose. In the beginning, when we were just taking in John's dx, someone told me this: "you either make the world revolve around John and do or go only what or where you know (think) he can OR LIVE...all of you live."
Oh Kim you know how to make me laugh - why do I have so much fun at your expense? Because I've been there and done that too!
I needed that laugh - currently tying myself in knots as to weather I should or shouldn't stick my nose in re a case of aspergers. I haven't been told he is but it's a pick him at 50 paces job. Offer support or not? Damned if I do and damned if I don't!
great post. Love your attitude toward life, Kim (I've no time for superficial angst). yes, donuts DO rule! should get back on that treadmill (ya, right). very funny: "...or the arrant std".
Mark, I'll have you know my angst is deep deep deep... :) I lived in your neck of the woods twice - 4 years in Brecksville and 6 in Hudson. I was just looking at the crashing prices of home in Hudson. WOW! We're in CT now (I'm a New Englander and happy to be home) but geez oh man, the housing is a good three times more here. But the school are three times better (at least) for my girls versus Hudson, so when we leave our cardboard box and walk to the bus I feel pretty good overall.
Amanda, offer. You have to sleep at night. Offer. I think it's who you are.
wow, that's a long time in this area. New England is very nice, but the cost of living is much higher. I don't know about Hudson's school district. Avon Lake and some other suburbs have really good school systems, but I'm not sure how good they are with autism services. Our school district is not very good for autism services, but fortunately I work for one of a handful of companies nationwide that actually pays for all of my son's 35-40 hours a week of ABA tutoring and consultation. We work with the Cleveland Clinic Center for Autism. Thank God for small miracles.
Ah, Mark? HUGE miracle. HUGE HUGE HUGE. Good for you! What company? Dare you say?
Right there with you dearie - I only wish I coped so well in the shops.
Best wishes
Ah, the Target gauntlet. One kid (the big one) gets a list, and is pretty good at following along and (Thank JESUS) referencing now and checking in with me. And she can get herself to the Customer Service booth and page me. She's a good girl.
The little one, not so much. She's 4. I am still stuffing her into the little red basket, her limbs hanging down the sides, and ripping open a bag of goldfish to keep her sedated. Yesterday she wore a sparkly swimsuit, plastic princess shoes (those little junior hooker ones that always makes them fall down? Yeah. Those.), a green glitter St. Patrick's Day bowler, and a grandma poncho. Did I mention this is San Francisco and pretty chilly? She was like some weird Disneyfied version of "A Clockwork Orange," barking commands from her little cart post, spilling over the sides.
I have spilkes just thinking about the Target run.
Kudos to you. And yes, the sweater. That detail made my eyes well up. You're such a good mom.
Ok, which mum would NOT wipe the slide with the sweater? Of course you all would because we're all as bad as each other!
Looking forward to sleeping tonight - posted a letter to mother of aspergers kid, thought that would be better if she's still in the "nothing wrong with him" phase so if she knocks seven bells out of me it's your fault kim!
Oh, have been meaning to mention, there's an area of Inverness called Kinmylies pronounced Kimeelees - just makes me think of a mad amaerican...
I feed my kids all these allergen-free 'goodies' like cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc... people look at me like I'm giving them junk food. Hey, it's all made out of brown rice, apple sauce, and tofu - duh!
Anyway, good luck with school - ours start in 10 days!!!
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