Tagged twice

OK as most of you know I am not very blog savvy. I've been tagged by Kristen from Here to there and back and Elisa, from Managing Autism. So I am going to cheat, I'm going to give three random facts and answer some of the questions from the other "tag" (is that the right word???). BTW what is a "mime"... Oh I'm feeling old...

First, three random facts:

The last subject I wrote on before I had kids was "Creating an Asia-Pacific Corporate Profile." Yawn, that was a tough one!

My best friend and I use to sing in the shower together in the dorms. (We were in separate stalls, the acoustics were great.)

I fantasize about being a drummer!

Now, to answer a few of Elisa's questions, I'll answer the odd ones.:

1. What were you afraid of as a child? Dracula, my parents loved to watch the old silent movies and Dracula was very scary, I even stole some of my Mom's garlic and put it on my window seal.

3. What sound most disturbs you? That one is easy a murder of crows!

5. What’s your biggest fear for your children? That they will need help after I'm gone...

7. Which do you prefer: Mountains or oceans/big water? I like them both. Mountains when its cooler and the ocean when its warm.

9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer? Yes, more in the last few years.

11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship? Living w/ someone who loves me with all of my quirks...

Now I have to stop for a teleconference. I'm suppose to tag more people. I don't have time, if anyone wants to answer/do this please feel free to!

Small Breaks

My husband and I took a walk by ourselves yesterday, for 45 minutes. It was wonderful we enjoyed talking and looking at the fall leaves. Several times Geoff stopped to find the perfect leaf for me. It was very romantic, instead of picking flowers we picked leaves. At the end of our walk I had a beautiful leaf bouquet. The picture doesn't do it justice.

We walked and the kids stayed home alone. We gave my daughter GA my cell phone and instructed her to call us if she needed us. It's a strange thing, although GA is younger than my son, she has become the "older" sibling. I heard at some point this would happen. I thought when it did, I would be sad. However, honestly I'm relieved. I'm thankful for little breaks, and I'm thankful that my daughter is so responsible. I don't know what things will look like in the future, but for now our rhythm of life is good.

The Worst Shopping Time of the Year

Well Christmas is quickly approaching and that means Christmas shopping. I hate large crowds and most of all I hate stinky perfume counters. Last weekend the hubbo and I bought a new bed. (It is awesome!) However, by the time we left the bed department the perfume counter was all stinked up. I had to hold my breath, jog discreetly to the perimeter of the building and make my way to the door. Meanwhile, the hubbo keeps talking, but I don't respond because I'm holding my breath. I know if I smell too much I'll have a wild headache for the rest of the day. So the hubbo thought I was having a problem, but outside when I explained to him the situation, he just gave me the blank stare... I really married a great guy, he doesn't always understand me, but he doesn't think I'm crazy either.

The problem is you can't regulate or defend yourself against smells. Think about it, if there is a loud noise you can cover your ears. However, when something smells awful you can only hold your breath or pinch your nose for so long. My son use to crave smelling things, all kinds of things, like raw seafood at the market... Now he doesn't do that anymore. I wonder what would have happened if I had OT when I was a kid. Now I'm too chicken to attempt it.

Sensory Integration Therapy Works

I just read a post by a mom who's son banged his head giving himself a nose bleed. I felt her pain, at one point G gave himself paper cuts just for fun. It was horrible. The mom mentioned that her child didn't "qualify" for OT.

This drives me crazy!!!

Sensory integration therapy works, it changes lives, it has improved the quality of life for countless people. Yet, it's not recognized in many places as a valid therapy because it is not in the DSM. I think people are so bogged down arguing over whether sensory processing disorder is its own condition or a co-condition that they are not listening to the many adults who struggle with it.

I had the privilege of talking with Temple Grandin about this awhile ago. We address speech issues, behavior issues, and language issues in people with autism. Could it be the professional community is unable to address sensory issues because they can't relate to, or understand them? What I mean is neurotypical people don't feel like a dentist is drilling into their eardrum when they hear a siren or feedback from a microphone. So if they have no common experience, can that cause them to discount the experience of those with SPD?

On a happy note, sensory integration therapy has dramatically changed the quality of my son's life. No more self injurious behavior, when he falls he registers pain normally now. He doesn't melt down if a firetruck rolls by with it's siren blaring. We do have some sensitivities, like say to garbage trucks, but nothing that harms the quality of life.

I'll keep singing the praises of sensory integration therapy. There's hope! There's hope! There's hope!

For lots of good autism materials and sensory integration toys please visit National Autism Resources!

Spit and Mud

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is John 9. It's the story of a blind man who receives his sight. Jesus breaks "the law" by healing the man on the Sabbath, which is suppose to be a day of rest. Later the leaders find out about it and bring the former blind man in to investigate the matter. As they question him all he can say is, "look I use to be blind and this guy named Jesus spit on the ground, smeared mud in my eyes, and now I see."

This doesn't seem like the way God should work. It's not "spiritual" it involves spit, mud, breaking the law, and healing. However, Jesus shows us that he could care less about being "proper." He'll meet a beggar and break the law because love causes Him to get dirty.

So often I try to clean myself up. I try to act like I've got it all together when really I don't. I get depressed, and sometimes I'm blinded by challenges I'm faced with. The truth is if I'm honest with myself I rarely "have it together." I'm constantly coming back to Jesus looking for some more spit and mud. How can I explain this to people who haven't encountered Jesus? I'm not sure, all I can say over and over again is I use to be blind but now I see. Or better yet, come on over, the mud is great...

One of my favorite activities...

Well it has been an interesting week. My back is mending and I am so thankful for that. So far no more crows, which is great.

I spoke in my hometown of Concord, CA. I love speaking with parents. I love sharing what I've learned through the school of hard knocks. I love listening to their stories and learning from their experiences. The group I spoke to Saturday night was the smallest group I've ever presented to. However, afterwards, because it was my home town I was able to share some local resources and learn about some local resources.

I gave out free chewelry necklaces, insta-snow and chewease pencil toppers courtesy of Southpaw Enterprises and Abilitations. I also had a table set up with some of my favorite books for people to look at. I love the option of browsing through a book before I buy it. Unfortunately many good books aren't carried in local bookstores. I guess it makes sense... I just wish that the major book sellers carried the best books instead of 10 of the latest releases... but that's another post.

I've often thought I'm going to start my own online business and only sell the best book selections and the best products. However, time, time is the problem. Perhaps instead I will work on my website and just make some lists... I'm having major website procrastination issues.

Time for homeschool... Happy Monday everyone.

Pain in the Back

Well it has been awhile since I blogged b/c I hurt my back. So tomorrow I am speaking in my hometown of Concord. This is nice no traveling, but a little scary in that if I have an off night, I live by these people...

On a cool note, I've been given freebies by southpaw enterprises and abilitations so I'm so glad to pass out things to the people who come...

With all of my back issues we still managed to carve pumpkins so that is good...