Things I learned this weekend

 

According to my son:

• Toenails are called “footnails”
• The logo on the front of a car is the “car nose”
• The headlights are the car’s eyes
• A car doesn’t have a mouth

According to my daughter:

• She feels the need to ask my permission to attend a pretend party she and her playdate were planning
• She has decided that she’s going to live with me forever, with her children (gulp AND yay!)

Other things I learned:

• I don’t wanna do Grade 2 homework…stomping away like a 7 year old.
• Right now, the BEST feeling in the world is being able to take off the splint from my right wrist and “crack” it.
• I have amazing friends who decided Friday they are coming to our place for 11 hours on Saturday to get all the “little things” done from the renos To Do list
• my kids really do subscribe to the idea that it’s better to wake up really early on weekends and try to sleep in during the week. Ugh.

Wordless Wednesday – Best Friends

My daughter and her “BFF” (a boy – gasp!) at our local Santa Claus parade last weekend:

They stood like this for about 10mins. Sssssoooooo cute!!!

The power of friendships

 

I have been blessed with some amazing friends. Not only have they helped us move 3 times in as many years, they put up with our craziness, they learn and do everything they can to help me when my son and I are having bad days, and they even help us win a weighted blanket! Now we can add to that list that they love us enough to help us renovate! And boy did we renovate!

Some rooms only needed cleaning and painting but other rooms needed to be gutted and rebuilt. In the 7 weeks leading up to the kids moving in (a week after our stuff moved in), over a dozen friends helped us with sledgehammers, tools, muscles, skill, gardening, drywall, electrical, plumbing, building and rebuilding, painting, and just being supportive. Every time we tackled the outside “jungle” that had overtaken the backyard and the frontyard, our amazing new neighbours loaned us the appropriate tools (which at one point included a chainsaw!) and/or jumped right in to help us.

The house was very old and tired before renos started. As the weeks passed by, friends would say that it was coming back to life. I really believe that the more people who helped us brought more energy and love back into the house, which was desperately lacking.

So, I would like to “publicly” thank: AS, PP, RP, MS, SS, JR, NH, SN, JN, KT, BB, VR, M, DR, CP, PA, and JM.

Thank you for making our new house a real “home” that we will enjoy for many, many, many years to come!

The Wonder of a Weighted Blanket (#Autism)

In the Autism community, we are very well aware that Autism and sleep do NOT go together.  I can probably count on one hand the number of times my son has slept through the night more than 2 nights in a row. Some nights, he can get himself back to sleep fairly quickly (within a half hour) but the majority of nights, he’s up for what I call his “Autism party”, which means he’s up and playing in his room for anywhere from 2 – 4 hours, which also means I’m awake for that time too.  I’ve tried everything I could think of, including taking everything out of his room so there’s no incentive to play between 1am and 5am. My research brought me to weighted blankets, but honestly, as a single mom, the price (along with shipping costs) was too much.

A month ago, Weight on Me – Weighted Blankets held a contest on Facebook. It was so popular that initially the winner could win two weighted blankets, and quickly Jodi (the owner of Weight on Me) added a 2^nd place prize of winning one weighted blanket.

Part of the contest was to have other people “Like” your comment, and “Like” Weight on Me’s Facebook page. I entered the contest, posted on my personal Facebook, moms groups, and other groups I belong to.  I was completely overwhelmed by the help I received from friends, online friends and friends of my friends. Over 200 people helped us win 2^nd prize – HUGE thank you to each and every one of them!

My son surprised me by choosing a Spiderman blanket (there were other fabrics I thought he would choose over the Spiderman one, but at the end of the day, he’s still a boy!), I ordered it, and within a week, we had our blanket:

 

Most amazing of all…my son has slept through the night EVERY NIGHT (except for one where he got up to go to the washroom so that doesn’t count…he went right back to sleep) since receiving the blanket!! 

I’ve chatted with Jodi via email quite a bit since the contest and she herself has an amazing story so we’ll be sharing her story next week too. I just love that she sees every blanket as being a “hug”.

So, THANK YOU again to everyone who helped my son and I finally sleep!!

 

Thankful Thursday – 05/10

This week has been a tough week with my son and I being sick but there are still many things to be thankful for:

• my son and daughter
• the fun-filled weekend we had with wonderful friends
• getting together with childhood friends, one of whom I haven’t seen in at least 15 years
• being part of a moms group
• my son and I being on the mend with our colds

What are you thankful for?

 

Day 14 – Someone you’ve drifted away from

Hmmm…in this day and age, it’s hard to drift away from someone other than in person.  Friends and family know what I’m up to, and vice versa because of my personal Facebook page.  I do have a couple dear friends though who aren’t on Facebook so I don’t feel as connected to them in their daily lives, but there’s this new invention called a phone (and/or email) that keep us in eachother’s lives.

 

Day 01 Letter – Your best friend

I have been blessed with some amazing friends, all of whom have stood by me, in good times and in bad.  At different times in my life, I have had different “best friends”, and have been able to cull out people I thought were “best friends” when, as it turned out, they were only there for the good times.  So, for my 3 closest friends, here goes:

Dear SA:

We live far apart from eachother, and only see eachother every 7 years or so (grrr!), but I know you are always there, and I’m always there for you (as your conscience and reality check…tee hee!). Who knew that our (then) boyfriends abandoning us in town while they went skiing, would lead to a lifelong connection?  We’ve seen eachother through relationships, jobs, high points and low points.  You’re my sister from another mother. 

Dear KG:

Just before and after my marriage split, I don’t know what I would have done without your support, encouragement and wisdom.  Your daily phone calls were what helped me continue to be a great mother during a very hard time.  I hope that I wasn’t too much of an emotional drain on you.  I only hope to return the favour of supporting you even half as much as you have supported me over the past few years – although, I hope to NEVER have to call the police on your behalf…but I will if I need to.

Dear AS:

You know I don’t do “sappy” (even though I have moments of being “girlie”) but you are the person I turn to with good news, silly news, dull and boring details, frustrating situations, and especially the hard news.  Neither of us knew where “we” were going, especially with my impending move out of town, but we’re good with where we are, and that’s all that matters.  You’re a good man, and one whom I can rely on to always have your Spidey-sense tingling.   Thank goodness for our “My 5” phone plan!  LOL!

 xo

Motivational Monday – Surround Yourself with True Friends

As with any major change in life, my marriage separation helped me determine who my true friends are, and for that, I feel truly blessed.  Some thoughts about the people we call friends…

 

30 Days About Me: Day 25 – My True Friends

Day 25- Who is/are your best friends?

My BFF and I “split up” at the end of my marriage so that title obviously wasn’t as “earned” by her as I thought it was. 

With the end of my marriage however, I found out who my true friends are, and who I can confide in the most.  To respect their confidentiality (and so they can deny knowing me if they wish…LOL!), I’ll just list their initials:

• KG
• SA
• AJ
• AS
• PP
• My mom

I have no idea how I’ve made it through the last two years…good and bad times alike…without each of these wonderful people who have blessed my life in so many different ways.

 

30 Days About Me: Day 9 – Making My Life Easier

Day 9- Something That Makes Your Life Easier

Above everything else, my friends and family make my life easier, whether it’s coming over when things are getting too much for the day, treating me to Starbucks, or just being on the other end of the phone or email.

Other “things” that make my life easier are:

• My “sexy” minivan
• My computer, and specifically the internet
• My cell phone
• Ziploc bags
• Organizing containers and baskets
• Mabel’s Labels
• Predictable bedtime routine for my kids…

What makes your life easier?