Camping, Special Needs Style {The Good, The Bad, & The Exhausting }

When I was a kid I was a Boy Scout. In fact, though I hate the politics & intolerance they show today, I'm very proud to say that I'm an Eagle Scout! Nothing would have made me happier than to load the kids up & head out into the back country for a week long backpacking trip but for two major reasons that just not going to happen. 1.) I've got 2 kids with special needs. 2.) I'm 31 & Fat!

Zion reeled this monster in all alone!
He was so proud of himself but stood
over me to ensure I didn't hurt the fish
while I was getting the hook
 out to set it free!

Jayden is not into it & while we will with out a doubt be doing some fall day trips, camping is just not his thing! So he used the time to go on a date with Samantha to a nice restaurant. Our NT son Dean is ALL ABOUT IT! He wants to camp, shoot, hunt, fish, catch bugs, & is convinced that a spear I made him is all he needs to take on a bear of any size! Zion, our 7 year old middle son, is an enigma though. Zion was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder & Mixed Expressive Receptive Language Disorder but now that he is older we are just not sure. Isn't that the way it goes! When we had him evaluated he only talked to my wife & I. Teachers, family, & others only got a bit of chatter but not much. Now that he is more open to talk & really be observed its getting more obvious that somethings going on. Meltdowns, hand ticks, counting, repetitive tasks, & some of the most irrational fears & neuroses I've ever seen. It all adds up to....me having indigestion a need for Tylenol! 

All that being said he REALLY wanted to go camping! Really? Camping? A kid who changes cloths 4 times a day because he got a drop of water on his shirt. Really? Camping? The kid who refuses to eat food after a fly lands on it because he learned about flies & how they throw up to eat so there is no way he is eating microscopic fly puke! Really? Camping? The kid....wait...(my wife just went in the restroom to throw up! I know she is about the hurl because she turned on the sink because, even after 5 years of being married to me, she still insists that there are things we don't share. Oddly enough, all of the things we don't share happen in the bathroom & vomiting is one of them! That includes kid vomit...we don't share...apparently it's all mine!) Okay where was I....oh yeah. So I'm shocked Zion wants to go camping but what the heck, lets go I said. 

It was almost 100 degrees at around 5:30 when we got there but we tuffed it out. We fished, explored, ate hot dogs cooked on the fire, & even shot their first Red Ryder BB Gun. (and no one shot their eye out!) At about 8:30 I realized we were all running thin. You could ring us all three out like a wet rag & I'm sure the smell was awesome! At 9:30pm after an hour of my best negotiating they loaded up in the car, in their under-roo's, in pitch black, & I used a small flashlight to breakdown the campsite so we could go. I had to stop 3 times during the breakdown to get 2 grasshoppers & 1 moth out of the car after hearing Zion meltdown. With everything loaded we got about half a mile down the road & had to stop one more time because of a killer mosquito flying around that Zion freaked about. Then it was finally on to sonic drive in for a bottles of water & then home to let mom take care of us!! It was so much fun even with the last hour. I hope you enjoy the photos I've included to document our adventure.

P.S. Don't worry about Samantha, though she's not feeling well she will be okay! I, on the other hand, will probably be in some form of trouble after she reads this post only to realize I've documented her porcelain prayers :) I'm in so much trouble! ;)

Be Very Very Quiet...

How about I shoot YOUR eye out!

Fishing our hearts out!

I roast children!! 

Probably in the top 10 all time dad moments! Epic Fatherhood Win!

They were super impressed how fast I started the fire! I was super impressed how well I
was able to hide the fire starter log under the sticks!

Exploring 12 acres of awesomeness. Lots of screaming because of bugs but awesome! 

He hit the target dead on first time! Thats how I'm telling the story...I wont mention that after he did he threw the gun & ran to the target to see. We are still working on safety but thats why dad loaded 1 BB at a time!

Did it rain? Did we go swimming? NOPE! Thats all sweat! Time to go home!

The nasty aftermath of Oklahoma Heat & being up at 10PM

I didn't want to do that thing where you forget how much something sucked because you only
remember the good parts so I snapped a pick of me so I would think carefully about it before
another last minute camping trip in freakin' August!

Winner! YAY!

     So on father's day I had a post about things I've learned as a dad & asked people to post on the blog or facebook about things they had learned as well. The prize for the winning post selected at random was a cash of awesome Autism & Asperger's books. Read them, share them, give them away to someone who needs them! The books are:

• The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome
• Parenting Your Asperger's Child
• A Parent's Guid To Asperger Syndrom & High Functioning Autism
• A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism

     The winner is........ Sharon from the awesome blog Mama's Turn Now! She says "Never say NEVER! I used to be one of those folks who said my kid would never walk around with a snotty nose then I got a kid who was prone to sinus infections and well... I used to say I would never say some of the things I remember my mom saying to me like, "Stop crossing your eyes or else they will get stuck like that" and guess what... I actually said that the other day! YIKES! Never say never!"
     Thanks so much to everyone who submitted! Seeing as this contest was for my 600 LIKES on facebook & as I type this we are just 30 shy of 700, couple that with the ebook that I have been working on (Irreverent Asperger's: A Normal Parents Guide) is just about done, I am already cooking up another give a way but on a much more awesome scale! So keep checking back for that! Thanks again for reading!

ASS-BURGERS! Stirkes Again! {The Joys of autistic parenting}

My Take On Asperger's!

     Okay so I know I blogged yesterday & lord knows I don't want to burn you out on my ramblings but there were some things that we have had the last few days that have been.....you know! My parents have a pool so every chance the kids get they are jumping in the car with them if they stop by to run away for an hour or so. The other day while swimming with my parents Jayden was told it was time for everyone to get out and dry off. This didn't sit well and according to the sugar coated story my mother told me & the half mumbled story I pulled out of Jayden, he got mad so as he went inside he locked the door leaving everyone else out on the deck! WOW! We don't deal with a lot of meltdowns because he internalizes a lot but as he gets older he does get more brazen. Needless to say as I picked my jaw up off my parents kitchen floor after hearing the story & after working it out & delving out a bit of dad justice {My patented upset dad face & a Full House Danny Tanner style talking to!} we were okay & I had to laugh just a bit to myself about the thought of my parents, Zion, & Deano all stuck out on the deck looking through the glass yelling at Jayden as he sat on the couch flipping on the TV!
     Last night we had a fathers day cookout & my mother had the forethought to have not just chicken, hamburgers, & hot dogs but one plate of popcorn chicken so Jayden would eat too. Seemingly the makings for a great meal for all, nope! I think because we have a crazy odd set routine we do things in it's not til you throw someone else in the mix or involve other people who, though they may have an idea of the extent of what your family involves, really have no idea. First the chicken nuggets were cooked but not crispy, if they are soggy like you cooked them in the microwave it's just not happening! After an understanding grandma cooked a second plate came the next road block, double chicken nuggets! You know, when two popcorn chicken comes out of the bag that are made together? Those are a no go & as Jayden explains to them the logic that those aren't natural & no you can't just cut them in half like you are suggesting because then you can see the white tender inside & that's just gross! At home, these are all things that are just part of the daily grind but out and about it's foreign to others. After a bit of talking & some aspie parent magic he did finally eat some but it was a battle! I know a lot of you have battles with food but what about the style of cooking, look of the finished product, and stuff like that?

Zion, Nerding It Up For His 'Awkward
X-Mas Card' Last Year!

     Lastly, then I will get off here as mom & deano are out for the day so the big boys {Jayden, Dad, & Zion} have a Man-Date with a certain Kung Fu Panda today at 2:30pm. Zion is 5 now & while his appointment is getting closer he is having more & more issues that I'm really crossing my fingers we can try & get under control. I'm not saying he has Asperger's like Jayden or ever Autism, but maybe, he is so different than Jayden but both of them are so so so different from Dean. It's like comparing Dennis the Menace to Phineas & Ferb! Unlike Jayden, Zion indeed DOES have meltdowns. On average about 10 a day & that's a combo of 5 meltdowns & 5 full scale nuclear meltdowns! Before leaving the house, even to step out the the mailbox he HAS to have Kisses, Eskimo Kisses, A Hug, Blow Kisses of which you must catch, & wave at him until he is not in sight! If that is in any way not done or even out of order things go nuclear! He has massive mounts of anxiety & his own set of quarks that calm him down in times of chaos. I guess what I'm getting at is....What are the odds? Right? Could two of them really be autistic? or have some sort of issue? I guess I want to know in order to help if he will need an IEP or OT. A lot of the stuff we do for Jayden in the home we already incorporate for Zion so that parts not a big deal. I just see how much OT has helped Jayden & can't help but wonder what they could do to help Zion as well. I find myself going through the same thing we went through before Jayden went in to the Doctor. On a great day when everything is going awesome you say "What I'm I thinking! I'm reading to much into it!" but then the next day he is so upset he is shaking all over and he is going through rituals in order to get tasks done & you are like "yep, good thing I made that appointment"

     Thanks for reading everyone! Only 7 more days until we leave for Chicago! The awesome folks over at Hyatt, who thankfully are apparently fans of this blog, have treated us very well with a room right off of the river & within steps of Navy Pier! It's going to be pretty great so don't forget to check back & feel free to drop me a comment if you have any ideas of great places to check out, any good coupons to use, or anything else you think of that we can add to our list of Chicago fun! Don't for get to enter my Give-A-Way & win some awesome Autism/Asperger's books.

Breakfast WIN! {Getting kids to eat without a gun!}

     Samantha had a hair appointment this morning so for a while this morning it's just me and the monsters...I mean boys.  Our day starts off just about the same every morning: 7:30am que Zion (5 years old) to the bedside with a dddaaaddddddyyy I'm hhhuuunnngggrrryyy! 7:40am que Deano (3 years old) to the bedside if I'm not already moving "daddy I need new underwear, I'm wet."

     This morning was no different. Jayden, our aspie, usually just heads downstairs on his own and does his own thing until we are up. When I crawled out of bed this morning and begrudgingly went down stairs I realized that mom was leaving and breakfast was up to me! {Kind of sounds like the plot to a bad comic book}

When mother's go out to get their hair did, when little boys tummies growl uncontrollably, when there is no one left who will stand up and change pee soaked undies....Super Dad is on the task!!

     I learned an important lesson this morning, don't give choices! Just fix the food and put it on the table! These boys come from a dad that, if his wife is not there to stop him, will eat pizza or left over baked ziti for breakfast. When I laid out the choices of Waffles or Nutella I was stopped by Zion saying "Daddy! I want chocolate waffles! ooohhh yyyeaahh!" So, Nutella Waffles are born. On any other morning I couldn't get a waffle to go any where near our aspie's lips unless there was a gun involved....strike that, pretty sure he would choose the gun! BUT after seeing the so dubbed "Chocolate Waffles" I got a "hey daddy....maybe I could try one of those waffle sandwhiches...just to see if I like it." Its times like that, when they actually WANT to try something new, when you try not to fumble or get gitty & just get that food to him ASAP before the wind changes and it doesn't sound like a good idea to him anymore! While we are probably not the first to think of it we will be more than happy to pretend we are as well as take credit for it to friends and family. While not the most healthy thing in the world, it's GOT to be better than a poptart!

Pre Blog Nugget Of Awesomeness!

     So I have been blog-negligent for a bit! But all is awesome! As you know if you follow me on facebook I was published on Yahoo! News after being on duty with the ambulance service EMS during Oklahoma's recent tornadoes. If you don't 'LIKE' me on facebook then....what's wrong with you! Get your butt over there! The reason for my recent neglect is my work on a couple of ebooks that I'll be putting out tomorrow, along with a new blog! Sooooo if you are not already a 'Follower' click it! Stop reading....it's right over there------>


     In the mean time I leave you with DJ Dizzy Deano & MC Zi Zi! A new old school mad rap duo I found at the top of my stairs yelling, "Daddy! Check us out, we're old school!"

Mom is away the boys will play! {Side effects of parenthood}

     Awe the majestic T-Rex DinoBite. We see to the left the beast in his natural habitat, cautiously approaching the great Bar-B-Q lake to quench his thirst as two smaller bites look on.

     Yeah, Samantha had to run out & do a photo shoot tonight leaving us guys here at the house alone! So needless to say we had a little walk through the fun side of dinner... Not that my wife isn't fun...not that we don't have a great time when she is home... awe man! You see we can say stuff like that with out fear because 1. Samantha knows we are all goof balls 2. I have to say that under the direction of my three gift directors that advised me for mothers day to buy her something "Sparkly that costs money" I can safely say we got this holiday right!

     Another blog about my awesome trip to the Oklahoma Science Museum with Jayden's second grade class is soon to come so check back!

The illusive IEP Meeting {A Parents White Whale}

     Call me Ishmael! Yesterday we came to find the Moby Dick for whom we have long searched, The IEP! Before Christmas we submitted the request & first round of paperwork for Jaydn's IEP. Finally we had the meeting yesterday afternoon, not as bad as I thought it would be.  When we first started all of this I wasn't sure about the school testing him again & doing an evaluation.  I guess it's my years in the medical profession but I took him to a Doctor, a Doctor that went to unimaginable amounts of school to be familiar with every aspect of a child's Psychology, how was this school going to test/evaluate my son!? The same school who when I asked about who to talk to at the first of the year as he was just diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome they told me to just bring his medicine to the office & drop it off! 
     Wait for it....Wait for it....I was wrong. That was hard!  They were really good to him & understanding. I'm not saying we accomplished anything because I'm waiting to see if anything they do helps him.  The most interesting part of the whole spill was the findings of their evaluation.  He is in the second grade & he tested every subject at a higher level, some subjects on a 7th grade level.  I was a happy camper to say the least, he still puts his pants & shirts on backwards pretty much every day before school but that's a whole other post!  All in all a pretty great deal! Now lets just see if their modifications help him at school.

     I leave you with a few picks of our first dog walk! We bought new sunglasses just for the occasion & a new leash, it was pretty epic. So with Deano's little 4 wheeler, Zion holding the leash, & Jayden on his bike we trekked outdoors with out little asthmatic monsters for an attempt at being 'Normal'. We had a great time & had to run in for a breathing treatment or two but all in all it was a great time! As always, thanks for reading!

Who Let The Dogs Out!?! {Awe crap! Now that songs in my head!}

     Just a quick little note tonight.  We have been talking about it for a very long time but it's just not something you can rush.  Zion, our 5 year old, has a crazy amount of anxiety and being around my in laws lab really helps to calm him. So today on a whim we visited our local pound and ran across this little gem! A 2 month old beagle that had been removed from a bad home.  Needless to say three boys & some newspaper in the floorboard of our new car later we had a dog! The boys came to the agreement on 'Rosie' and that seems to be just fine with her. All three boys have asthma & allergies so its kind of a balancing act but already very worth it. All four, Rosie included in her little bed we made her in the shed outside, are dead to the world already at 8PM.  Even the through the roof energy of a puppy was no match for three boys!  She's pooped! This should be the start of a great new chapter in our family. Thanks for reading!

My Birthday, Passover, & New Car Smell! {I'm Old 3:30PM Supper Anyone?}

     As I have said before Jayden does therapeutic listening with Vitals Sounds Cd's. It has been odd to see how just listening to different sounds or music can effect him in such a massive way. We had a CD last month that was just strange sounds that somewhat sounded like music to me & Jayden's mood after his listening would just be great! Happy, hyper, but happy none the less! Now on to this months CD... holy crap! You would think that classical music would be relaxing & calming but nnnnooooo! Not for OUR aspie! Mozart worked well but this CD is Vivaldi & does not agree with him at all. He is agitated, overloaded, & just all aspergersy...that's right, Aspergersy! P.S. Jayden's listening is a little more high tech than the one Samantha & I found in a box months back but we couldn't help but break it out, slap in a old billy idol tape & rock the crap out of it!

     Okay, so tomorrow starts Passover! I am cooking Passover dinner & I'm crossing my fingers that the boys will be open to it. Deano(3 year old NT & classic boy) is pretty open to trying new foods as long as he is eating off my plate! Zion(5 years old & being evaluated for who knows what in June!) is sometimes open to new foods as long as its presented just right & has barbecue sauce. Jayden (8 year old aspie) is pretty closed off to foods, he has about 8 or so that he likes & it is pretty much an act of congress to try something new. On our menu during Passover is fruity chicken, I know it sounds like a funk band from the 1970's, & all kinds of other good stuff; Matzah, wine, good times. I will blog aaaalllll about it soon! As a Jew I'm a far cry from observant & Samantha is a Methodist but in my own odd twisted way & with a copy of the Passover episode of 'Rug Rats' we should have a great night!

     So, I'm officially headed over to my profile & facebook after I publish this blog so I can update my age. BOO! I turned 29 yesterday. Thinkin about heading to the Luby's or Furr's for a 3:30PM 'supper'! Think I'll use my AAA card to get a discount on it! Maybe watch the 5 o'clock news then head to bed...okay so I'm not that old & I'm not really upset or sad, you know the kids birthdays really hit me far as that kind of thing goes more so than my birthdays. Nothing says your old as dirt like having your kid get a little bit bigger! We go out to do photo shoots & the kids info on our contract say D.O.B. 1994! Man that hurts.

     It didn't hurt so bad that I couldn't head out kind of early that morning with Samantha & start a car shopping trip just to look around.  Needless to say after laying eyes on something I wanted & using the 'but Samantha, it's my birthday!' line we were running to the bank to pull out large sums of money. The only thing better than buying a new car after years of being paycheck to paycheck & years of up hill money battles trying to keep your head above water is being able to do it out right so there is no payment or contract over your head. This is a pretty big deal for us more so because it is a massive purchase that has been made possible by pretty much nothing but photography. We opened our studio for business in 2008 in full force after just hobby/part-timing it for a while & it has not stopped growing since. Now with us doing so much business & traveling to take photos its kind of a balancing act between family & business. All has paid off & we have the flexibility to just phone in a day when we want to. It has also now paid off in a nice house & a super cool dodge magnum. It's kind of funny that a big selling point on the dodge magnum was that the windows are small because of the low profile look & blacked out so that not a lot of sun gets in because that really messes with the boys! They hate it! Well, I am going to head out & practice my old man 'GET OUT OF MY YARD!' fist shake so as always, thanks for reading!

We have a winner! {The little girl in the row!}

Hey hey! Just a very short note for the moment to say thank you to everyone who joined in and commented on my Loving Lampposts giveaway post! The lucky duck is Laura! I totally have the same thing happen just on the icebox instead of the bathtub. If you haven't read her post comment check it out here. Laura please drop me a line at Thomas@hibbenphotography.com with your mailing info & I will get your copy of Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic out to you asap! Everyone else thanks again for joining in & sharing! You guys are awesome!

Taking the kids to the Zoo {Which cage do you want them in!?!}

     Hey, I've got a great idea!  Lets wait until it's almost 90 degrees outside, load up in the car, drive 45 min, & drag three kids through a crowded zoo.  Three kids that are NOT out door kids!  Asthma, Eczema, & Aspergers do not make a great outing at times.  Not to say it was bad day, the first half was pretty great but then it got hot, it got crazy busy, & we all got grumpy.  Thanks to some construction that moved stuff around & a dad, yours truly, having been to the Oklahoma City Zoo so many times over the years saying "It's this way! Lets go!" We walked many pointless miles & looked at a sea lion, a dozen fish, & an ant eater then we headed to the car.

     As we were doing our best to navigate out of the parking lot we both made an executive decision that our kids are museum kids...not zoo kids. We made the same sort of decision when our Aspie got a notion to play T-Ball a few years ago & I was so excited I had the "great" idea that I would coach the team!  Our decision that Jayden was in fact NOT a sports kids was made after it stopped being t-ball & started being sit in the out field & talk to the grass but hey..you gotta try it once!

     After the zoo we decided to just phone in the rest of the day & bribe the kiddo's to be good by taking them to one of the best pizza places in Oklahoma City, Hideaway Pizza.  I'm not sure how other kids go but Jayen's ritual for pizza goes:

• Let dad know it way to hot
• Get asked if he would like a fork & say no thanks
• Blow on it
• Put on an obscene amount of parmesan cheese
• Realize he now needs the fork & take it
• Scrape off all topping including the 1/2 pound of parmesan
• Eat the sauce covered crust that's left

     A big battle we had these last couple of days was shoes.  When we got home from the zoo our aspie took off his shoes & we realized his toe was bleeding, rubbed raw. Inset "Why didn't you tell us that hurt & you were bleeding!?!" conversation here but as I'm sure alot of you with kids on spectrum are very experienced with that just it's one situation in itself. Long story short he has been very resistant to go up in a size of shoes. He is a size 13 & don't you dare tell him he isn't! Thankfully bloody big toe + a dad & jayden exclusive shopping trip (just the big guys) + shoes that just happen to be the same color as Sonic The Hedgehog = Parenting WIN! We got some blue Chuck Taylor's & all is right in the universe. On a side note, what is it about kids with Asperger's or Autism & Sonic the Hedgehog! Ours is not the first I have heard about that loves Sonic, must be the hair!

     Below are just a few more photos from our day at the zoo, pizza extravaganza, & epic shoe win! When taking photos today Jayden insisted on having my aviators on, he loves that they are like mirrors so you can't see his eyes! Thanks for reading!

Giveaway Time! {Comment & Win}

    So if you visit me often then you remember that I watched & gave my two cents on a great documentary that came out about the different sides of the autism movement or 'Autism Wars' called Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic.  I really enjoyed it!  Since I enjoyed it I thought you all might enjoy it, so I'm giving a copy away here on my blog! No contest or crazy directions just leave a comment on this post about something your kid has done or said that kind of...threw you for a loop! Autistic, Aspie, Neurotypical, it doesn't matter because all kids do it! A couple of years ago Zion (5 years old now) got hungry & turned on the oven, then put his sock inside to cook for a bit! He also got the notion about the same time (just a month later) to do a bit of ironing, so he plugged it right in & the realized "hey, if I get caught doing this I'm in trouble" so he headed back to his room to play...leaving the iron on still up on the shelf! Needless to say iron gets hot, hot turns to flames, flames grow like crazy, & firetrucks come to your house! Now, reading both those things scream to me 'Why would my wife ever leave me home alone with the kids!' Yes, she was out for the afternoon both times & I still haven't lived it down!
     Anyway, comment & on Monday afternoon I will randomly select a winner. If you don't win & still want a copy just head over to Cinema Libre & pick you up one! Below is the trailer just in case you haven't seen it yet. Thanks for reading!

  

Keeping Mom & Dad Sane & Sober! {A Kid Free Afternoon}

     So, all three kids in school today, we took a 30 min trip up to Route 66 & just kept driving!  Sometimes between the kids, the asperger's, the photography studio, the bills, & the 100's of other little odds & ends that is life you have to sometimes just jump in the car run away from everything even if it is just for 3 hours in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday.  The little things like just driving through the middle of no where & not being sure exactly where you are but just going with it so we can just talk & joke & give each other crap, those are the things that you HAVE to do to keep you from a murder rap...okay may not exactly murder but as I'm sure allot of you know, when the stresses of everyday turn into the stresses of every week & that piles up on your shoulders...that can equal Mom & Dad at each other throats!  We do a pretty good job of keeping things fresh but at the same time we are pretty sick & needy, really it's pathetic, I probably text Sam 50 time a day & sometimes we are in the same house! Most people would punch me in the nose for most of the things I say or do but somehow she finds it....okay so she probably wants to punch me in the nose but those other times she really likes me!

     We ran up to POPS! If you have never heard of POPS it's so awesome, they sell over 5000 different kinds of soda pop in old school glass bottles that start at the floor & span all the way to the ceiling!  It's pretty great & very vintage which is right up our ally.  It was pretty great, but I already said that!  So we loaded up on all different types, flavors, & colors of soda pop to use for props in some up coming photo shoots & then loaded up on some fun ones that we thought the kids would like.  We pay, walk out to the car, get in & I pull out my vintage Dr. Pepper in a glass bottle made with real cane sugar, ooohhh yeah, when I realize....no bottle opener! 

     So I know, this has been an Aspie/Autism free blog.  Anyway, after buying an $8 POPS bottle opener(I just swiped my card & walked out before looking down at the receipt!) then getting the kiddos from school, we all popped the tops & they boys clanked that bottles together saying 'Cheers!'  All in all a pretty great day! Thanks for reading!

{Light Your Mouth Up Blue} Autistic Snow Cones!?!

     So its taken me a few a day or two to blog about this but I am a firm believer in chilling out! I commented on an awesome blog the other day, Modern Mom Redefined, about the fact that on world autism day or autism awareness day or what ever you would like to call it she was getting all Autism'd out!  That's okay! Really though, to parents of these kids ever day is freakin autism day but we don't just put on a blue shirt or drop a dollar in the jar at the store we roll out of bed like a dad-zombie or mom-zilla & make two kids pop tarts cause that's easy & make the other a bowel of cereal.  Then we pour the other two a glass of milk & then the third has to have water or apple juice because "Why would I want a glass of milk, I have a bowl full of it right here?" Every day we get out of bed & take care of our families is autism day so on "Autism Day" I thought it was only right that she was burnt out on it. I am pretty sure we can a relate to that, I know I can.  

{Milk & Cookies}Stressed Dad Style

Sometimes it's cute that Jayden wants to draw blueprints to an Egyptian pyramid but after a full package of printer paper is gone & he is explaining the differences between the hieroglyphics I'm all autism'd out!  SO, I just wanted to share because it was something that stuck with me. Every once in a while its okay to just let everyone else be aware or a crusader or whatever for a day & you just pour yourself a bit of coconut rum in with your OJ on a Sunday morning & roll with the day as best you can. ***P.S. that is not me telling you to get drunk to deal with your kids...you get drunk to deal with your husband...I kid, I kid!!***

     Anyway, below is our Light It Up Blue snow cone trip! What better way than to turn our tongues blue for autism!

     After more questioning than I care to admit over "is my mouth really blue!?!" We headed home & just kind of chilled out the rest of the day.  I made the grave mistake of renting The Sorcerers Apprentice for the boys & needless to say we have to buy it now.  Jayden even went as far as to get all 'Man to Man' on me. "Dad, I was wondering, do you & Sam have any thing I could do to earn enough money to buy that movie?" Wow, when they offer to do house work you KNOW they really want it. Incidentally that holds true for the rest of their life! When I want to do something I will totally take out the trash or wash a load of dishes, Samantha's like "Wow, thanks Tom!...wait...whats up?" Thanks for reading! Don't forget to click to the right & 'Follow Me' & hit me up on Facebook & Twitter!

Loving Lampposts - Living Autistic

     We are all about documentaries at our house!  I don't care if the documentary is about the history of UPS or Tooth Picks, we freakin' love them!  So, needless to say, when they folks over at Cinema Libre asked me to sit down and watch their new release 'Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic'  I was all about it!  I will admit, every time I sit down to watch an Autism movie I get a little worried because of how it could portray Autistic people.  This movie was the first time I had really heard both side & angles on the subject.  I don't know about everyone else but the time before I knew what Autism or Asperger's was when Jayden was just my odd little monster until right now I have always just took his Asperger's as just the way he is.  That's just Jayden!  Sure, he has some problems but the things that are so awesome about him and (the things that I think will help him go far in the world)  far out number any problems he has related or unrelated to his Asperger's. 

Loving Lampposts really struck a note with me because, as I'm sure a lot of you are, I am crazy/creepy over protective of Jayden.  Samantha smacks me from time to time and say "Let the kid go Tom jeez!"  That being said, while I knew they were out there, it was really hard to head the arguments that my son & so many other super rad kids I've met with Autism or Asperger's have something wrong with them. I guess I always looked at it as just a different way of being.  Aside from the secretary at public school who, when I told her he had Asperger's Syndrome,  replied in a snide voice "Well, just make sure you bring up his medicine for that & we'll be fine!" I don't think I've ever come across anyone who treated him like he was different or like he had something wrong with him. I don't know, maybe I just give off that mean tattooed dad "I will eat your face" look when it comes to him, I'm not sure. 

I really liked the portions of the movie that they showed the directors son Sam, who is the subject of the title of the movie because he loves lampposts.  It was really cute seeing him go from lamppost to lamppost looking up at them & talking about them.  Hearing the narration throughout the movie is like hearing what I was thinking for most of it. The movie was pretty objective so I can totally see how no matter what side of the Autism coin you sit on you can really learn & enjoy this movie! I'm gonna go with you should with out a doubt check it out, not only if you have a kid on the spectrum but if you a kid who is!  Understanding is everything! Check out Loving Lampposts: Living Autistic, you can get it on Netflix or Amazon. Check them out on Facebook & Twitter too! Ready...Set...Go!