Sucker Punched

It’s not like I don’t know that Riley requires support.

It’s not like I don’t know that he will require services for the rest of his life.

And yet…

Today as I sat with our “Facilitator/Social Worker/…” (whatever they call them where you are) going over Riley’s needs, I was caught a little off guard. The last “assessment” tool we completed was in 2013. FIVE years ago. Wait...we did do one last year but if things remain the same, they may not update the report on file. 

To say that is was disheartening to hear that his “needs” have not changed in 5 years is an understatement. I mean, I have seen positive changes in Riley. Yet…the every day skills that he will need to cope are still not there.

They probably never will be. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I am not giving up.  I am not even surprised. It’s just another reality check.

She said that it is not unusual for this assessment tool not to change. It assesses the disability and the amount of support an individual requires.  Ok.  I get it.  That made me feel a little better.  As I said, I know Riley needs support.

It also made me realize that my job as a parent will/may never be done. I will forever be a caregiver. And that’s ok. I love my charge! Because…look at THIS FACE!!!

But quite frankly…it can also suck sometimes.

Transitioning to Adulthood...NOT for the Faint-Hearted

Life in Riley World can be a hard thing to explain to others. Last week I was out for dinner and a movie with some girlfriends. I was bemoaning how stressed out I’d been feeling lately.

Today a friend forwarded me this article from our local newspaper. “It’s way too hard for families.”: Parents of disabled children fight for support.

The timing of this article was well...timely. 

When Riley was still in school, I kept hearing the stories. “There’s NOTHING out there!”  “There are NO PROGRAMS!!”  “THERE ARE NO SERVICES!!!”

Surely “they” were wrong. There had to be something!  Nobody wants to believe "there is nothing out there".  I sure didn't. 

Parents of younger special needs children can often be heard saying “I can never die.” The worry of who will care for their children; who will advocate for their children; and where their children will end up can be daunting for parents.  

As special needs parents age, thoughts can turn to “I hope I can live just one day longer than my child.”

Unthinkable, right?? 

Sadly, if you have an adult-child who will more than likely require support for the rest of their lives…whether admitted or not, the thought crosses your mind.    

Riley will be turning 23 this June. Since he turned 19 we have been one of the families in this story. Applying for services/funding. Turned down. Advocating. Creating a new program with other families. Re-applying for services/funding. Turned down again. Tired. SO tired. A vicious and exhausting circle.

For the first time since Riley transitioned to “adulthood”, I am feeling beyond discouraged and frustrated. I am disheartened. It’s not a good place. It’s not productive. It’s not healthy.  

Not to worry. I have an appointment with my GP about upping my “happy” pills. When in doubt…up the meds.  
I kid.  Maybe.  ;) 

Phase 2: Adulthood....."In Progress"

We hear stories about autism when they are “out-of-the-ordinary”. The likes of Dr. Temple Grandin, Ron Suskind “Reaching my autistic son through Disney” or autistic artist Stephen Wiltshire who is able to draw cityscapes following short helicopter rides over cities. But…

What if your child is somewhere in the “middle” of the spectrum?

What if your child may need some type of support for the rest of their life?

What if your child is not “out-of-the-ordinary”?

OR

What if your child will NOT be going on to a post secondary school?
What if your child is NOT ready for paid employment?

OR

What if your child is eligible for funding but there are no monies available?

What if your child is eligible for services but there are no services available?

What then???

What happens in the next 5-10 years when the wave of 1 in 68 (in the US) diagnosed ASD kids are finishing high school and entering adulthood?  Scary isn’t it.

If you are a parent of a younger child; if you are anything like I was…you are probably running off screaming incoherently in the opposite direction. If you are still reading…WOW!! Please leave a comment as to what type of medication you are on so I can get some too  ;) OR if it helps…you can read all about my angst when Riley finished school FOREVER, why we decided to take a “Gap” year and what turning 19 looked like in Riley World.

With our “Gap” year behind us, we are ready to move ahead with this adulthood thing. I am excited to start sharing with you some of our plans for "Riley World: Adulthood" in the coming weeks/months. As my friend Liane Kupferberg Carter wrote in her article “Loosening the Ties that Bind: Growing Up with Autism”:

“But we must. And we will figure out what comes next. We will do this just as we have done everything else these past twenty years. Pulling together as a family.”

~Liane Kupferberg Carter

Yes we will. And as a community we need to start planning for the 1 in 68 diagnosed ASD kids who are coming behind us. We need to start thinking outside the box.

Image Credit

I hope you'll come back and follow the next phase of Riley World. 

Why I will ALWAYS be...a Rookie Autism Parent

“You are the expert about your child.”

Have you ever been told this?  I know I have. And after 15+ years there were times when I may have actually started to believe this. But today?? 

I call BULLSHIT!!!  

After 15+ years in Riley World I am in awe at how I can still do things wrong. So…SO wrong!!!  

Call it a weak moment.

Perhaps the amount of food and drink I have consumed this past week have overtaken any brain cells I had left.

I…I…don’t know.

I only know that I cracked.

No...no...

More like...shattered. Under the pressure. Beyond repair. And now…

Now I will have to live with the consequences of my lapse in judgement. The side glances (because I am ignoring all eye contact with Riley), the incessant scripting, the constant questioning until the STUPID (Don’t say that word!) Beauty and the Beast Special Edition DVD arrives from Amazon that I ordered waaaaaaay before Christmas but never arrived and they are now going to ship another one on Monday and I "accidentally"  told Riley that the mailman was bringing it and it should hopefully arrive by Friday because now that Christmas is over in Riley World he started making his birthday list on December 26th and I...just...couldn’t...take him talking about his birthday wish list since his birthday is still 5-1/2 months away every single time I saw him.  Every.  Single.  Time. *sobbing* 

The DVD in question.

After 15+ years in Riley World you want to know who the expert is??   Riley.  :D

Back to Blogging....

I had been struggling. What to blog. So I just didn’t.

My last 2 posts were memes. That was almost 8 months ago.

I was at a cross roads. After Riley finished high school over a year ago, I decided “we” needed to take a gap year. Am I regretting that? Absolutely not! I think both Riley and I needed this past year to regroup, re-energize and get ready to take on the next phase.

Adulthood.

Sounds scary doesn’t it.

When Riley was in school there was a plan. A direction of sorts. Even though there was some uncertainty…there was a plan. A schedule if you will. From September through June, Riley would be in school. Developing, learning, and socializing.

For 14 years (Riley repeated Kindergarten) we had a plan. Even though I could only look ahead a year at a time…there was a plan. For 14 years.

And then… 

We had no plan. 

***

I found the above half-written post in my drafts folder along with a link to this OMG-THIS-IS-US!!! article “Loosening the Ties that Bind: Growing Up with Autism” by Liane Kupferberg Carter.

Her last paragraph sums it up perfectly “But we must. And we will figure out what comes next. We will do this just as we have done everything else these past twenty years. Pulling together as a family.”

Thanks Liane! I think I am ready again to hit the ground running  jogging slowly  okay…perhaps just walking.

I think I am ready to take on this adulthood thing with some renewed energy.

I am ready.  

Aging Out...

Image: freedigitalphotos.net   

What is Riley going to do now?

Have you thought about what Riley will do in the future?

Do you think Riley will ever be able to live on his own?

All valid questions.

Questions that I have thought about all too often yet have pushed to the back of my mind because it caused me to hyperventilate in years past. OK. I still hyperventilate.

Only now…we are there.  Or here.  Right now. *grabs brown paper bag*

Riley finished high school and turned 19 at the end of June. After 14+ years of ups and downs; forwards and backwards; challenges and successes in Riley World; we were all done. So we decided to take the summer off. A hiatus…sabbatical…if you will.

Then September came.

It has now been 3 weeks since what would have been the start of school for Riley. We are in the process of getting services/funding organized but this all takes time. In the meantime I decided we would work on his diet, some life skills at home, continue some type of work experience 2-3 times/week as well as community outings 4-5 times/week. It has been a change in our daily routine. A significant change. He is home full time and for safety reasons he can not be left at home alone. 

Something Different.  Not unusual in Riley World. We have been doing something different for over 14 years. Yet something WAS very different and I could not seem to put my finger on it.

Image Credit:  freedigitalphotos.net 

I am old. There. I said it.

OK so not old old. Just old enough that I am well…just tired. Not tired as in not enough sleep kind of tired like when he was little OR tired/exhausted from the emotional and physical roller coaster during the early years of Riley World. Just tired of doing stuff.

Last week I was sitting in a Transition Committee meeting with area school district personnel, representatives from community societies/government agencies and parent advocates. After the meeting was over I sat talking with a few of them. We decided that Riley and I are taking a “Gap Year” of sorts. Heck. Lots of kids took a gap year after high school. Right??

Yes. Yes…I liked it! I felt as if a load had been lifted. I felt refreshed. Ahhhhh...  

So for the next year I will be blogging about Our Adventures with Riley: The “Gap Year”!  Should be interesting to say the least.   :)

Parenting Fail...

“I was very sorry for you yesterday.” were the first words Riley said to me this morning. (Insert knife into heart, turn and repeat.)  

Last night for the first time in a long time we had one of those moments. A moment that happens in Riley World that can come out of nowhere when you least expect it. Yes there is always a reason although not always clear at the time. Hindsight is 20/20 especially in Riley World.

For the past 3-4 days R’s mouth has been in sad shape. Again. :(  What starts out as canker sores turns into full blown open sores on his lips which he can not leave alone resulting in lips so swollen he looks like a case of botox gone bad. Very, VERY bad.

When his mouth is bad he is Miserable (with a capital M and in bold). I understand. I get cankers too. I am miserable when I get cankers and they are minuscule compared to R’s. Yet like many things it is easy to forget the feeling when it is not happening to you personally.

I try to be a little more accommodating when he is not feeling well in order to try and keep the peace. Of all days he had a dentist’s appointment yesterday. That was a no brainer. Reschedule the appointment. Riley was more than happy to remove the dentist from his visual schedule. One point for me. He got to stay home all day and do his own thing. Two more points for me. I made sure to make him his favourite meal (of the three) for dinner. Yup…another point for me. I placed no expectations on him. Until I did.

I called him downstairs for some Tylenol just before he went to bed. He came down grumbling. I suggested he not be so cranky. Yes I have been at this for 15 years now. Yes I apparently will never learn.

He got angry, started yelling (insert his favourite swear words here) and got very agitated. After numerous attempts to calm him down, I, in my infinite wisdom, yelled back. Just so you know I am not totally cuckoo for coco-pops…this shock value response has worked in the past. You know where I am going with this right???  

We managed to regroup and continued on with our evening. Or so I thought. About 30 minutes later R came downstairs and laid face down on the hallway floor not moving or saying anything. Unusual?  Somewhat. Out of the ordinary??  Ummm…okay…a little.

To say that Riley was distraught would be putting it mildly. It has been a long time since he has let me hold him. It has been an even longer time since he has wanted to lie down with me and just “be”. No talking. Just silence with the occasional whimpering (insert knife into heart again here). In the dark. Reassurance for him. A reminder for me. Riley’s emotions and feelings are as in tune as anybody else’s. His autism only affects how he is able to express himself.  

Image from MorgueFile

I wonder how many more times today I will hear “You were angry with me yesterday. I was at a 5.”   Yes I deserve it. *sigh*  Yes I will probably feel guilty for the rest of the day.

Now if you’ll excuse me I am off to look for my noise-cancelling headphones.  :)

Is it "MAD" this weekend???

Remember last year I decided to rename the upcoming "holiday" on Sunday to "MAD" - Mom Appreciation Day?  No???  Oh.  Well I did.  You can refresh your memory here.

When the boys were babies/toddlers I felt it was G's "duty" to shower me with gifts. After all...I gave birth to two more heirs; provided him with at least twenty more years of parenting; and oh...never mind.

Thank goodness for preschool. Preschool teachers are Saints!! They have the patience of Job twice over. There was no way I could ever, EVER do crafts at home with the boys let alone glue macaroni and holly onto a paper plate then spray paint it gold. A 1996 and 1997 Christmas highlight. And let us not forget the juice can pencil holder. Seriously though, those were THE best presents EVER!!!

Elementary school brought poems, cards and artwork.

J2 drew this. I had longish hair back then.
And apparently a very looong neck.  :)

Then came high school and the tribute to me stopped. Abruptly. WTH! They really need to build that into the curriculum. 

When J2 was in grade 11, he surprised me with this:

I know. Awwwww. If you need to go get a kleenex I will wait. *whistling*  As I was saying that was in grade 11. Nothing since. Thus the beginning of my Mom Appreciation Day campaign. 

So why am I writing about this???  Well this year my sister and I decided to grab one of those last minute deals and will be spending the weekend on a relocation cruise. No spawn. No spouses. Just us moms. Cause we deserve it damn it!  

Bon voyage and Happy MAD!!!  

Pinterest...Keeping it Real

Are you a Pinterest fanatic? Do you have umpteen boards on Pinterest?  OR…are you like me…have a Pinterest account because everybody else does but have no idea what you are doing over “there”. Yesch…yet another time-sucking social media temptation.

Last week Bec over at Snagglebox (she is the one I mentioned in a previous post as being really, REALLY smart because well…she just IS) wrote yet another awesome, witty post “Real Parent Pinterest”. If you have not read it you need to. Off you go. Here is the link again. Just be sure to come back.

Hello again.

Then Sharon from The Tumultuous Truth (another awesome blogger from Down Under) suggested the online autism bloggy world build on Bec’s idea and so “Pinterest Keeping it Real Week” was born. This topic was yelling whispering sweet nothings in my ear so of course I had to write a post.

My last Monday Listicles was 10 Things I could do in 30 minutes or less. One of them was plan, prep and cook a gourmet meal…in Riley World. Since Whacamole Mom wanted more details…more details she shall have.

Meals in Riley World are boring  bland  ummm…uninspiring to say the least. Take for instance one of the few “meat” products that R will eat. You have surely heard of Tube Steaks???  

Imagine James Bond doing the voice-over for this Pin:

“All Beef.  Boiled…not grilled.”

So...anybody interested in coming over for a gourmet meal???   :D

Getting all "Suited Up" for Graduation!

Image from MorgueFile

High school graduation is just around the corner. For some of Riley’s upcoming grad festivities “proper” dress wear, while not required, would be a good idea since I am pretty sure most kids will not be wearing running pants and t-shirts. You never know though…I could be wrong. So in preparation G had Riley try on J2’s grad suit jacket. Bonus...R looks up to J2 and actually prefers to wear J2’s hand-me-downs as opposed to new clothes. Yah…how many teenagers can you say THAT about?

The following night R came down to eat his 2^nd dinner wearing J2's suit jacket. He had gone into the closet in the guest room, got the jacket out of the suit bag and zipped it back up. He is a sneaky monkey neat and tidy like that.

Now remember…Riley does not appreciate negative feedback. Even if you are calm, anything you say to him that is negative sounding upsets him. When we insisted he not wear the jacket when eating his dinner he got quite agitated.  “SHUT UP YOU STUPID!  I AM GOING TO WEAR MY JACKET ON!”  And something we had not heard before…“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU.” You gasped didn't you? I am pretty sure I heard something. I know both G and I were taken aback.

Riley is not an aggressive person. If anything he is overly very sensitive to anger/violence. If you look back at those three statements, one is grammatically correct; one is fairly close and one well…is not. For the most part any out-of-the-ordinary phrases that come out of R’s mouth perfectly are usually lines from a movie that he has watched.

So…here was our dilemma. Do we let him wear the jacket because really…it is just a jacket that can be cleaned if he were to get it dirty; do we “give in" to R’s outburst/need to assert himself OR do we stand our ground that what we were asking was a reasonable request for an 18 year old? Not as simple as one might think. Let me explain. When Riley was younger there wasn’t always an option. He needed immediate reinforcement/ consequence to a request/behaviour otherwise he could not make the connection. Now that he is older the immediate response is not as crucial. We have some leeway.

Instead G went to get one of his old suit jackets. R was not having any part of that. Fine. His choice. He finished eating his dinner sans jacket grumbling the entire time. When he was finished he grabbed J2’s jacket from the chair and started to head upstairs. We stopped him. He was NOT happy. “I’M GOING TO KILL YOU.” Cue hitting the wall and screaming “I’M AT A 5!” (This is in reference to the Incredible 5 Point Scale by Kari Dunn Buron). Well at least he was using his words. Oish. Next came the tears. In an effort to diffuse the situation G took R upstairs to show him all his suit jackets and to offer him a choice. R begrudgingly decided on the first jacket...the one G had brought downstairs in the first place. 

About 10 minutes later I went upstairs to check on him. He was not wearing the jacket but had it on the floor around him. He looked up at me and said “I was very angry. I was at a 5.” He was on the verge of tears. I sat down beside him and he broke down. He was pleading with me. “Please. I want to wear J2’s jacket. Pleeeease let me wear it on.”  It broke my heart. The word sure was on the tip of my tongue. He said please. He was remorseful. He so desperately just wanted to wear the jacket. Besides…who was it going to hurt right? J2 had not worn the jacket since his graduation. Yet I just could not bring myself to say yes. Riley is now old enough and has some control over his behaviours. As hard as it can be on the both of us, sometimes he needs a reminder that his behaviours have consequences no matter how trivial they may seem and with R’s cognitive challenges talking it through is not a productive alternative.

When I went to say goodnight later that evening R was still emotional. Tears and pleading to wear J2’s jacket was almost more than I could take. One last Hail Mary and I was ready to accept defeat. I said he could wear J2’s jacket in June for his graduation and we needed to keep it clean until June. R seemed to accept that. That was when the halogen lightbulb blinded me. He now had a timeframe he could work with. 

It has been almost 15 years and I am still learning how one four letter work can make all the difference in Riley World. Oi-vay.

Here is R the following day wearing G's old suit jacket. You can't see but he is wearing shorts with no socks/shoes.  :)

We have since discovered that his need to wear the suit jacket was because James on the DVD cover of "James and the Giant Peach" also wears a suit jacket. Why didn't I think of THAT!?!  

10 Reasons I am an Awesome Autism Mom! #Monday Listicles

This week’s topic “10 Reasons I am Great” was suggested by “Bonny” who blogs over at The Bonny Bard. I am sure many of you are thinking this would be a snap for me. Right?  Ummm…haaallooo?? 

Well like Stasha, I was in a panic. My very first Listicles topic was “My 10 Superpowers” which I pretty much nailed I mean…where I shared my not-so-hidden talents. That’s better. Having to come up with even more ways that I am great was a little too much for this old brain.

Since I have been *ahem* neglecting my blog a little lately, I have decided to kill two topics with one post and go with 10 Reasons I am an Awesome Autism Mom! *patting myself on the back*

1.      I still cut the crusts off Riley’s sandwiches and cut them into quarters. Yes I know he is 18. Need I remind you any visible signs of brown are unacceptable and will result in that quarter or likely the entire sandwich being tossed in the garbage.

2.      I use a small sieve to catch the green flecks in the seasoning packets of R’s Mr. Noodles.

3.      The first time Riley lied to me I was so excited and wanted to high five him! Did I mention he was around 12?  OK slight exaggeration but not too far off. R is brutally honest and the idea of intentionally lying in Riley World well...does not really exist. 

4.      I answer and ask the same questions over and over and over again. Every. Single. Day.

5.      I shop at multiple grocery stores because R only likes certain brands of food.

6.      I sit in the backseat so Riley can ride shotgun.

7.      “If it’s not too late you will call me?” Whenever I go out Riley likes me to call him on my way home and pick him up McD’s (medium fries in a small brown bag and small sprite with no ice please). The reception when I get home is SO worth the $4.35 every. single. time.

8.      I am constantly offering to buy Riley things because, until recently, he NEVER asked for anything…EVER. I would even buy the same DVDs over and over and over again as gifts because that was all R wanted/asked for. You’re welcome Disney.

9.      I am a short order cook and make R a separate dinner pretty much every night. Thankfully he only has about 3 items on his “menu”.

10.   I am only an awesome autism mom because I have practiced the same things over and over AND over again! Need I say more. Oish.  

  Could you say no to this face???

"Who's on First in Riley World" Episode 4: Shotty Shotgun

It has been quite a while since I have posted about Riley World and even longer since an episode of “Who’s on First in Riley World”. Did you just gasp with anticipation? I am pretty sure I heard something. OK. Twist my arm. Readers…wait no more.

This past Sunday J2 was quick to remind us (more than once) that it was his one year anniversary of becoming a full-time permanent employee. He has been working part-time for 3-4 years but a requirement (from us) of not going back to school this year was a full-time job.

Since I had not made it to the grocery store I thought a celebratory dinner was in order.  :)  Three out of the four of us were on board. I was more than happy to not cook; J2 loves to eat out and he even went with G’s restaurant suggestion; which leaves well…surprise, surprise.

Now lately R has taken to sitting in the front seat and will race out the door to get to the car first.  As we are getting ready to leave J2 decides to “shotty shotgun” since the occasion was, after all, all about him. Oish. Have you ever heard a 19 year old whine? It is not pretty. Not one bit. I will spare you the back and forth.

This meant having to work out the details with Riley before leaving the house. If you are joining us for the first time Riley has significant cognitive issues so the following is pretty typical of our conversations:

Me:       Riley, J2 wants to sit in the front seat.

R:         NO!  (Well that was very clear. No misunderstanding there.)

Me:       Do you want to sit in the front seat on the way to the restaurant or on the way home?

(I know…too many words. Blah, Blah, Blah. That is why I emphasized just a few key words.)

R:         J2 can sit in the back. (Slightly annoyed)

Me:       You can sit in the front seat now or on the way home?

R:         On the way home. (Remember R tends to repeat the last option when under duress.)

(Just to confirm we are all on the same page I repeat back as a statement, not a question.)

Me:       J2 will sit in the front seat now;  you can sit in the front seat on the way home.

R:         NO! I want to sit in the front seat NOW.  (See how clearly he understood the first time?!?)

(We were going in circles so on to Tactic 2: Giving a choice with one clearly undesirable option (yes you read that right) and one somewhat "acceptable" option. It works for us. Please don't judge. FYI...Tactic 2 worked extremely well with J2 when he was little too.)

Me:       OK. Do you want to sit in the back two times or one time?

R:         Thinking…thinking…finally grumbling… One time.

Me:       Going to the restaurant or coming home?

R:         Coming home.

Annnnd...off we went. What we have found to be quite effective over the years was if Riley was given the choice (albeit slightly sabotaged) and he made the decision, he was ever-so-slightly more willing to accept the ummm "inconvenience". Of course there was the usual muttering from R about having to “share” and being “grumpy”. 

I have a few more stories I could share with you. Not to worry...this post has gone on way too long. Maybe tomorrow. If you just can't possibly wait...here are "Who's on First in Riley World" Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3 for you to reread. You're welcome.

Until next time, D

Back from an "Adults Only" Vacation

Get your mind out of the gutter people. Yesch!  Sooo, did ya miss me???  Tee hee. Sorry I kind of skipped town without mentioning anything. Call me stressed, call me nervous or call me maybe. Baahaaa…sorry just couldn’t help myself. 

G and I have rarely gone away together without the boys for a number of reasons. The most obvious being it was never easy to have someone come and stay with the boys when they were younger as R has certain ummmmm “idiosyncrasies”. Wait. What?? Oh heck…why try and sugar coat things here. Really it was and still is because Riley has autism. Another and maybe even more obvious reason is G is retired, I am a SAHM so frankly we are sick of spending ALL our time together *wink* and enjoy other people’s company so opt for separate (other than our family) vacations and that way one of us was always home with the boys.

Now that J2 and Riley are no longer “boys” (age-wise) we have come to a new fork in the road. J2 being 19 and an adult (according to him) is quite comfortable to stay with Riley on his own. Riley is very comfortable at home. Sounds like a perfect combination wouldn’t you say??? Yea right. I am going to assume at this point you are either in shock staring at the screen or rolling on the floor laughing your ass off. Honestly it was a little of both for me.

After much agonizing (keep in mind we were talking Vegas with 3 other couples so…) I could hear my uncle’s voice saying “What the hell!” His intent was not the same as mine here but I have learned to be adaptable. Of course this being the first time, I opted to put Plan B into action. Half the time with Riley’s weekend support person (M) and half the time with J2. A short training session for J2 and M and four pages of notes/instructions later…we were ready to go. My mom and sister are in town so there was back-up standing by.  

We are back now and everybody survived. Riley had a great weekend with M. J2 didn’t burn the house down the last couple of days on his own although not sure there would have been any counter/sink space left in the kitchen after another day or so. Oish. Gary and I had a great time. Lots of laughs, lots of good food, lots of cheap adult beverages and we did our best to help out the struggling economy down there coming home with just a huge “L” on our foreheads. I made sure to call Riley on our way home (aka pick up his McD’s).

Order, peace and calm has once again been restored in Riley World. 

Now that I am all caught up on my sleep and laundry, I will get back to my regularly scheduled blogging this weekend. Hope you come back for next week's Monday Listicles and more of our exciting adventures.  :)

"Fab Friday: Back to School Edition"

I can’t believe it is almost September and some kids are already back at school. We still have just over a week before Riley heads back for his final year of high school. Yup.

One.  (Deep inhale)

More.  (aaand…exhale)

Year.  (Excuse me while I go lock myself in my cave. *sigh*)

Okie-dokies. Now that I have collected myself…shall we continue? Since my blogging seems to have taken a bit of a backseat to summer fun and I seem to be struggling with putting more than a couple of coherent sentences together, I thought I would treat you to another spin-off of my “Friday’s Fab Five Review” with this week’s “Back to School Edition”.

In the spotlight, a trio of mommy bloggers who I enjoy for their practical and realistic outlook on life and who share their adventures with insight, experience and most of all…humour.

First up...Robbie. I have been following Robbie since blogging/tweeting began for me and even copied paid tribute to her series “Saturday Seven” via satellite. For the preschool bunch, Robbie over at “Fractured Family Tales” guest posted over at “take2mommy” about “How to Survive the First Day of Preschool”. Robbie works in the education field and came up with ten very practical tips (I can personally vouch for number 5 with J2) which I wish I had known when both our boys were starting preschool.

Next up is Bridget. I came across Bridget's blog “Twinisms” via Stasha’s Monday Listicles and keep going back for more. As soon as I read she had a “high tolerance for wine” in her bio, I knew we were destined to be virtual friends. Her husband is in the Army and their family is currently stationed in Alaska. She has not one but two sets of twins. Really.    

Bridget is nearing the end of school with her first set of twins and is at the beginning of school with her second set. You gasped didn’t you? If you are just starting out, you may or may not be able to relate to the first half of her post. Being almost at the end of “our” school career I most definitely could yet even more…I sympathized with Bridget over the next 13 years. *wink*  “School is in Session” is a quick read and you won’t be sorry.

An encore presentation from one of my newer bloggy buddies Christina who blogs at “Riding the Crazy Train: diary of a Delirious Mom”. She also has a set of twins. Only girls. She recently started back working out of the home as a Special Education Assistant after attaining what I would consider her Masters degree as Head Conductor of the Crazy Train. Her blast from the past post “Bullies: Inherently Mean or Morally Uneducated?” is a topic which I think every parent thinks about these days.

I am sure this year will supply me with much to blog about. I hope it is an exciting year for Riley and I am quite sure it will be an even scarier one for me and G. Wish us luck or even better…send alcohol…lots and lots of alcohol. I’m not kidding.

I hope you enjoyed some summer fun with family and friends.  I know I did.  =)

“Friday’s Fab 'Autism' Four”

One thing I have noticed is how addicting and time-consuming social media can be. Of course that has nothing to do with my personality.  ;P  Maybe it's my age??  Nah. Whatever the reason I have enjoyed connecting with virtual strangers...some who I would even like to meet someday. 

It has been a while since my last “Friday’s Fab Five” post. Like most people I tend to gravitate towards those that I consider to be like-minded. Hopefully that last sentence won’t offend any of my targets for this week’s instalment of “Friday’s Fab Four”. This week I am going back to the roots of my blog… autism and am “showcasing” 4 blogs written by parents of autistic kids/young adults. Kinda sounds like an episode of the Price is Right doesn’t it?  So without further ado... 
“Bloggers…Come On Down!!!”  *Could you not hear Johnny Olson (the announcer’s) voice in your mind just then?  

My first blogger is Cari from "Bubble Gum On My Shoe". She was one of the first bloggers/tweeters that I followed. I immediately liked her sense of humour, "write-it-like-it-is" style all wrapped up with a certain amount of sass.  :)

Last month Cari wrote a post “I Support Jenny McCarthy: Enter Blog Suicide”. I admired her honesty, her strength to stand up for her beliefs and even more her open mind. 

Here is a line from her post that jumped out at me and why I keep reading her blog:
“I have more respect for those who are bold and follow their own educated path; even if our viewpoints differ.”   

My next blogger is Christina from "Riding the Crazy Train: Diary of a Delirious Mom”. Christina just started blogging in February 2012 and has already been published over at “Scary Mommy” by Jill Smokler author of the book “Confessions of a Scary Mom”. Woooo-hoooo!!! Go Christina!!!  When I “discovered” *wink* her blog about a month ago it felt like we had so much in common. Ummmm…OK so she has twin 7-year old girls and R’s an 18 year old male teenager. Work with me here. Christina uses, in my mind, similar “techniques” with her girls as we did with Riley.

Read her posts “Unexpected” and “Understood Rules” for a glimpse into her life with her girls.

Next up is Jill from “Yeah. Good Times.” The only way I can describe Jill is “what you read is what you get”.  FYI Jill…that is meant as a compliment. :D  Not only does she do her own graphics, she is brutally honest and does not mince words. Her tweets keep me glued to twitter (uhhhh that is NOT a good thing BTW). She is also very, very clever in her writing as you can read here in her post “Field journal”.

My final blogger is “Elise” from “Raising Asperger’s Kids”. This is not the first time I have mentioned Elise. I have found trying to connect with parents of young adults with autism with whom you share similar goals and parenting styles has not been easy. Elise is the mother of 2 young men on the spectrum. Our stories are different yet I have found when I read her blog I am constantly nodding in agreement. If you are just starting out, I would recommend reading these two posts by Elise, “Raising Your Child – Only Your Opinion Counts” and “The Politics of Autism – This is a Safe Blog”.

Whether you know nothing about autism, know a little about autism, know a lot about autism or are just an autism wannabe *wink*, I highly recommend any of the above blogs for insight, experience and most of all…humour!  Check them out when you have a chance. 

"Help control the pet population—have your pets spayed or neutered."  
(Sign-off from the Price is Right show - sorry just couldn't help myself.)