I was getting ready to fix dinner. I went to put something in the freezer. When I opened the door, two cookie sheets full of frozen raspberries came careening out at me! All I could do dodge out of the way from the lethal weapon :) After the explosion of raspberries all over the floor, my heart sank at the sight! There lay almost a full case of raspberries all over my kitchen floor. I was so sad, but realized that I might be able to salvage some of the larger pieces and ones that didn't break on impact. So I quickly set to work.
On fact that I soon realized is that my children, Big Guy, Bubba, and Monkey were all staring at the raspberries with excitement in there eyes! Monkey squealed and picked up one and took a bite. Big Guy asked immediately "Can I have a berry?" Bubba was on a little push car and said "Can I drive through them?" (I'm glad that he asked before doing so :). I knew that it was useless to try to keep them out, so I told them "You can eat the little pieces." I grabbed Monkey to keep him from smashing the berries with his already covered berry hands and feet. I put him in his booster (which he protested about) and gave him a few small pieces.
I proceeded to clean up the berries and was able to wash them off and freeze many of them. In the meantime, the children did their part by eating the little pieces as quickly as their little berry stained hands could put them into their mouths. They knew that Mom would soon come with the broom and sweep their "treat" away.
Some may say "I can't believe that she let her children eat off of the floor." I considered that, but realized that I had cleaned the floor yesterday. I know it was still dirty, but I guess considered the alternatives and thought, "This will make a great memory." I could have banished them out of the kitchen while I cleaned up the mess, but I knew there would have been weeping and wailing and it would have been almost impossible to keep them out. I didn't want to deal with all of that, so I went with the flow and let them create a fun memory. After we were all done, Big Guy said "Mom, can we eat berries off of the floor another day?" To me, it was worth it.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
First day of School
Well, we made it through the first day of school without incident :) Last week we met my extraordinary boy's teacher. She is very nice and will be great for him! I also met with the vice principal and school counselor to set up his 504 accommodations. Today I met with his teacher after school to go over those. It was a great meeting! I feel so good about things after meeting with her and talking about how we can make it a great year for everyone involved. I feel truly blessed!
As for my extraordinary boy, he LOVES school and is sad to leave each day. He says several times a day "I will go to my school another day."
As for my extraordinary boy, he LOVES school and is sad to leave each day. He says several times a day "I will go to my school another day."
Monday, August 8, 2011
So blessed
I was so thankful last night as I looked through the Ensign and found this article. http://lds.org/ensign/2011/08/garrett-was-gods-child-first?lang=eng
It held some answers to my prayers about how to help my extraordinary little boy! I felt so blessed.
It held some answers to my prayers about how to help my extraordinary little boy! I felt so blessed.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
My Extraordinary Boy
extraordinary
adjective
1. remarkable, special, wonderful, outstanding, rare, amazing, fantastic, astonishing, marvellous, exceptional, notable, serious (informal), phenomenal, singular, wondrous (archaic or literary), out of this world (informal), extremely good
2. unusual, surprising, odd, strange, unique, remarkable, bizarre, curious, weird, unprecedented, peculiar, unfamiliar, uncommon, unheard-of, unwonted
I think it is interesting that such a word could have so many different meanings.
I am a mother of an extraordinary boy.
He can name every sign we pass when we head South from our home without looking, he knew his letters and sounds by the time he was 2 1/2 years old, he can tell you which direction (north, south, east, and west) most of his relatives live from our house, he recognizes roman numerals, he can tell time on various types of clocks, he can spell and read a lot of words, he can count over 100, and he looks for things he likes about people. He is only 5 years old.
He also has a hard time looking in your eyes when you talk to him, struggles to socialize with children his own age, he gets overwhelmed when he is in social situations, he uses a very loud voice, has a hard time communicating effectively sometimes and struggles writing correctly. He has been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. (PDD-NOS). It is a disease on the Autism Spectrum. He is very high-functioning and if you didn't know his diagnosis, you might think that he is just a little strange, but very cute child.
Most days, we accept this challenge as part of our life and go forward. However, some days, it is really hard for me to watch him and other children and see what a difference there is. My heart aches for my little boy who seems so out of touch to the world. I seek for guidance and help, but there is so much information out there, I don't know what way to go. I worry about what will happen when he begins Kindergarten in just a few weeks. Will the children make fun of him and tease him, or will they accept him and be friends with him? How will he deal with being in a socially charged environment for such a long time each day? Will he be able to keep up on his school work? How can I make sure that he doesn't get lost in the shuffle? What can I do to help he be successful in school and life? Sometimes it is just so overwhelming!
Yet I look back and see how far we have come in the six months since he was diagnosed and I realize that we have been so blessed and guided. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father is very aware of my son's needs. I know that Heavenly Father will continue to guide us and to help him succeed.
I read on another blog about a lady who has a child with PDD-NOS. (I wish I could find it again) In one of the comments, someone told her:
"Don't forget, God isn't done with your son yet."
I just love that quote. When I feel so overwhelmed and mourn the loss that I feel for my child, I just remember that "God isn't done with him yet." and that God isn't done with me either. Each day I learn so much from my sweet, tender hearted little boy. He sees the good in others and helps me remember to be good too. He is forgiving and always willing to say "sorry" even if it isn't his fault. He strives to please his parents. He is kind and loving to all around him. And he always makes people smile. I try really hard to follow his example.
adjective
1. remarkable, special, wonderful, outstanding, rare, amazing, fantastic, astonishing, marvellous, exceptional, notable, serious (informal), phenomenal, singular, wondrous (archaic or literary), out of this world (informal), extremely good
2. unusual, surprising, odd, strange, unique, remarkable, bizarre, curious, weird, unprecedented, peculiar, unfamiliar, uncommon, unheard-of, unwonted
I think it is interesting that such a word could have so many different meanings.
I am a mother of an extraordinary boy.
He can name every sign we pass when we head South from our home without looking, he knew his letters and sounds by the time he was 2 1/2 years old, he can tell you which direction (north, south, east, and west) most of his relatives live from our house, he recognizes roman numerals, he can tell time on various types of clocks, he can spell and read a lot of words, he can count over 100, and he looks for things he likes about people. He is only 5 years old.
He also has a hard time looking in your eyes when you talk to him, struggles to socialize with children his own age, he gets overwhelmed when he is in social situations, he uses a very loud voice, has a hard time communicating effectively sometimes and struggles writing correctly. He has been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. (PDD-NOS). It is a disease on the Autism Spectrum. He is very high-functioning and if you didn't know his diagnosis, you might think that he is just a little strange, but very cute child.
Most days, we accept this challenge as part of our life and go forward. However, some days, it is really hard for me to watch him and other children and see what a difference there is. My heart aches for my little boy who seems so out of touch to the world. I seek for guidance and help, but there is so much information out there, I don't know what way to go. I worry about what will happen when he begins Kindergarten in just a few weeks. Will the children make fun of him and tease him, or will they accept him and be friends with him? How will he deal with being in a socially charged environment for such a long time each day? Will he be able to keep up on his school work? How can I make sure that he doesn't get lost in the shuffle? What can I do to help he be successful in school and life? Sometimes it is just so overwhelming!
Yet I look back and see how far we have come in the six months since he was diagnosed and I realize that we have been so blessed and guided. I have no doubt that Heavenly Father is very aware of my son's needs. I know that Heavenly Father will continue to guide us and to help him succeed.
I read on another blog about a lady who has a child with PDD-NOS. (I wish I could find it again) In one of the comments, someone told her:
"Don't forget, God isn't done with your son yet."
I just love that quote. When I feel so overwhelmed and mourn the loss that I feel for my child, I just remember that "God isn't done with him yet." and that God isn't done with me either. Each day I learn so much from my sweet, tender hearted little boy. He sees the good in others and helps me remember to be good too. He is forgiving and always willing to say "sorry" even if it isn't his fault. He strives to please his parents. He is kind and loving to all around him. And he always makes people smile. I try really hard to follow his example.
Salsa Chicken
This is a yummy, easy recipe for the summer. It is a quick meal if you use bottled chicken.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 lb chicken (cut into small stripes) or 1 pint bottled chicken
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/3 c apricot jam
Heat oil and add chicken and taco seasoning (I only used 1/2 pkg - it was about right for us), cook and stir for 5 minutes if using uncooked chicken. After chicken and seasoning is mixed in good, stir in tomatoes and apricot jam. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve over rice or in taco shells.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 lb chicken (cut into small stripes) or 1 pint bottled chicken
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning
1/3 c apricot jam
Heat oil and add chicken and taco seasoning (I only used 1/2 pkg - it was about right for us), cook and stir for 5 minutes if using uncooked chicken. After chicken and seasoning is mixed in good, stir in tomatoes and apricot jam. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve over rice or in taco shells.
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