After School #MeTime, While The Kids Where Home?!!

My son’s new after school routine (within the last month and a half or so) is to get out of the car, run to the driveway of our neighbour 3 doors down, run back, play with his shadow, and then hang out on another neighbour’s porch for a while. Some days, he can be there for a good hour or so. If those neighbours are outside, and needing to go in and out of their front door, they just say hi, move around him and head inside.  They even asked after we moved in late last summer how to communicate with him!  How awesome are our neighbours?!

 

Until now, this after school routine has been a bit difficult for me, trying to keep an eye on him while my daughter is going in and out of our home, and honestly, trying to find somewhere comfortable for me to be for the hour or so he takes for this routine…especially when it’s raining (and the couple of days it snowed). A couple of days ago however, my man’s parents gave us some new-to-us lawn chairs and table (they’re even my favourite colour: green!).  While my son did his routine last night, I was able to bring backpacks and everything inside, get the kids an after school snack, and make myself a chai. I then sat down in our new chairs on the front porch with my feet up, reading my book (shocking that it’s about Autism!), drinking my chai and still being able to keep an eye on my son.

A bonus too, is the view of and lovely fragrance resulting from the bush in my front yard:

Not a bad routine to have to “endure” each and every day!

What’s “Brewing” Under the Surface?

Started going through a lot of physical pain, just in spurts at first over a few weeks. A couple of weeks ago, I had to call Telehealth after waking up with sharp pains in my diaphragm area and tingling down my arm. I was having a hard time breathing but it was from the pain, not a difficulty of breathing. Telehealth was busy so reception took my information and called me back about a half hour later. In the meantime, I’m pacing around the house, trying to breath, taking some Advil for the pain, etc. Had the crazy thought that if someone walked in, they would think I was in labour! Honestly, I thought I was having a heart attack but it was strange that the pain was in my diaphragm (which I’m very familiar with as a former woodwind musician).

 

Told the Telehealth nurse my symptoms and she told me to go to the emergency room. Being stubborn, I told them I had FINALLY found the first comfortable position in 3 hours (it was now 5am) so when it was no longer comfortable, I would go. I woke up at 8:30am without any more pain but the area around my diaphragm was VERY tired and sore. I took it easy that day (Sunday – thankfully the kids were at their dad’s that weekend so I was able to rest), and called my doctor’s office on Monday. I already had my overdue annual physical appointment for that Thursday and we agreed that if I had that type of pain attack again, then to go to the hospital immediately, but otherwise, come in for the annual physical, and they would order some tests.

 

Initial diagnosis from my appointment was a bleeding ulcer. Fantastic. Do you know how stressful it is to know that your stress levels are so high you now have an ulcer?!! Catch-22 situation. A whole bunch of tests were run (may I just include here how much I LOVE being Canadian…free health care!) and I finally got the last ones back today. It’s not a bleeding ulcer (yay!). It’s 2 gallstones instead. Ugh.

 

At the end of the day, and despite living in Canada where medical things are FREE (thank you OHIP!), I have done the usual thing that mothers do…ignored my own needs to ensure I’m healthy. So please, if you haven’t had your annual physical in the past year/5 years/since your kids were born, please go. You never know what’s “brewing”. In my case, it’s 2 gallstones that may require surgery if we can’t manage it through medication and diet.

Our Christmas Memories

This year, my kids were with me for Christmas Eve and most of Christmas day. It was lovely waking up with them and seeing the gleam in their eyes when they saw all the presents under the tree.  My daughter wanted the “job” of handing out presents to everyone, which she did enthusiastically. She also volunteered to “help” everyone open their presents, whether we wanted her to or not…but that’s all part of the excitement of being a kid at Christmas!

My son wasn’t interested in the presents. He was more interested in his iPad so, note to future self: hide his iPad the night before Christmas so he can enjoy opening his presents, then he can have his iPad. Poor little guy started getting sick later that day so he hasn’t played with or used many of his presents but they are waiting for him when he gets back to his usual self.

My favourite part of Christmas this year though was when my stepdaughter came to visit. She gave my daughter a big doll house (her mom even had to drive her rather than her taking the bus to get here because it’s so big!). It was wonderful listening to them work together at setting it up. Then the two girls went outside to play in the snow, throwing snowballs, and building a snowman and fort. They even “tricked” me by calling me outside. Thankfully, my stepdaughter suggested I wear my winter coat when I came outside. As it turned out, my girls had made some snowballs to throw at me and, when my back was turned, they threw a shovel-full on me…witnessed (and laughed at) by one of my neighbours too.

Christmastime is all about family memories.

What They’ll be When They Grow up

Love this!!

Even more thankful today (#Connecticut & #China)

My daughter crawled into my bed at some point overnight, which she does often…just because. I woke up to her telling me my son’s light was on. “No worries honey, just go back to sleep.” Next thing I know, she’s climbing out of bed and telling her brother “Time to go potty but quietly. Mommy’s still sleeping.” My heart was swelling. How amazing are my kids?!!

 

After yesterday’s travesties in Connecticut and China, I’m even more thankful that my kids are home this weekend, safe, healthy and their only concern is what time we are going to the mom’s group Christmas party we are attending today. We will also be baking after the Christmas party, decorating the house for Christmas, and cuddling up to watch movies.

 

These plans seem so frivolous compared to what I can only imagine the families and communities in Newton, CT and Chengping, China are going through but honestly, I don’t want my kids to know what happened. My daughter already worries so much about natural disasters so, if she knew that other kids her age were brutally sent to heaven, I think that would be too much for her.

 

So, we’re going to continue on with our plans for the day, and enjoy eachother’s company, while I smother them with hugs and kisses all day long. Blessings to all those affected, and peace and strength to the entire community.

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!!!

Yup, I’m Broken, Literally!

Was playing in the ball area with the kids at a local indoor playground last weekend. I tripped and didn’t tuck and roll when I fell backwards. My right wrist hurt immediately. I put a tensor bandage on it for a few days but it seemed to be getting worse. On Thursday, I bought a solid brace from local pharmacy. It helped a bit but my hand was swelling and still sore. Went to my doctor’s office on Friday, got an xray and lo and behold, I have a fractured bone in my right wrist. Hard to see as this is a picture of the xray being displayed on their computer screen. Of course, I’m right-handed too. Ugh.

Today, I went to the Fracture Clinic only expecting (and hoping) to get a splint, and came out with a cast. My man jokingly asked if they could make it green (my fav colour) and they could! So, for the next 2 weeks, I’ll be sporting a very schmexy green cast.

Then I go back, have it taken off, another xray and then hopefully it will have healed enough to not put another cast on. If they need to though, I’ll probably go with brown, just to change things up.

Wordless Wednesday – #Playdoh

Oh dear…the Playdoh colours are mixed…I need a moment…

 

#Autism Just Changes the Angle of Viewing the World

 

I saw the above quote on Facebook and it reminded me of a moms retreat I attended a couple years ago (which was fantastic…and I hope my schedule allows me to attend again).  As everywhere I go, I talk constantly about Autism and how it affects our family.  I usually receive lots of questions because I only open the discussion when it’s appropriate to do so. At some point during one of the scrumptious meals at this retreat, I responded to something that someone said with “I’m so thankful my kids are both healthy, just my son has Autism as well.”  I didn’t really think anything of the comment and continued on with my meal and the general banter. 

One of the facilitators of the retreat pulled me aside after the meal and told me how wonderful it was that I said that.  I actually had to ask her to remind me what I had said because I couldn’t remember anything in particular. 

When people ask me if my life would be better if they cured Autism, I tell them that I don’t know and honestly, I don’t care.  I’m doing what I can to help him cope with the world and become the strong, independent man I hope he will be one day. Autism isn’t my son; Autism is part of my son.  It’s how he looks at life, and how he reacts to the environment around him but it’s not who he is.  I do believe that my kids are both happy and healthy, we just have to deal with a different perception on live and the activities and situations we encounter. 

 

Drink #recipe from #Pinterest

With it being a crazy hot day today, and the kids and I spending most of the day outside on our first day of their summer vacation, I thought I would try making one of the “Homemade Vitamin Drinks” on Zain Saraswati Jamal’s website, which I found through Pinterest.

I had strawberries and watermelon in the fridge and, although I didn’t make it as “fancy” as on Jamal’s website, it’s a really nice, light flavour.  All I did was cut up the watermelon and strawberries, put them in the bottom of a juice container, pour Brita filtered water on them, and put the container in the fridge.  A few hours later, came home and had a lovely glass of “fruit water” as my kids called it with my lunch. Have put fresh rosemary on the grocery list too, as I think that would be a great addition to the taste.

Simple, easy, flavourful and a great alternative to juice.  Hopefully I’ll be able to find a combination that the kids like too as I would much rather give them fruit water to drink over sugary juice.