With a Little Hope

With a Little Hope

Often, it is through
the most difficult days of our lives
that we come to know ourselves
and what is truly important to us.
No matter how sad you may feel at times,
be confident that hope will
awaken with you tomorrow.

Faith and courage reach out to you;
take hold of them, and you will find
that you will be able to smile again
and truly be happy once more.

How we deal with life
is really a matter of personal choice,
so choose to be happy.
Find joy in the simplest things,
and see beauty in each person you meet.
When times are difficult,
remind yourself that no pain
comes to you without a purpose.

Above all, trust in
God's handcrafted plan
that He has made just for you.
Let Him love you through life's
joyous and painful aspects;
if you do,
you will find inner peace
and unending joy.

~Kelly Wolfe~

Saturday sillies

http://www.nurstoon.com/comic220.html

http://www.nurstoon.com/comic217.html

Ridiculous Laws
The Chico City Council in California has a ban on nuclear weapons. There is a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits.

In Arkansas a man can legally beat his wife, but not more than once
a month.

In Minnesota it is illegal to have sexual relations with a fish.

In California a vehicle without a driver may not exceed 60 miles per
hour.

In Indiana you are not allowed to attend a movie house or theatre nor ride in a public streetcar within four hours after eating garlic.

Tall Police Stories
Police in Kansas arrested a 20-year old man after he tried to pass two counterfeit $16 bills.

A Los Angeles man stole a steamroller and led police on a 5 km/hour chase until a police officer managed to step aboard and bring the steamroller to a halt.

Police in Pennsylvania interrogated a subject by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it to a photocopier. Every time the police thought the suspect was lying they pressed the button to copy a page which said " Not true". The suspect believed it was a real lie detector and confessed.

The worst mom ever??

OK, in my opinion, this incident, if not making me the worst mom ever, certainly puts me in the running. Last week when listening to an author speak about her son with high functioning autism, a lady interjected with comments about her DD with Down's syndrome. As she's talking, the fleeting (like not even a nanosecond long, honest) thought ran through my mind: I wish my DD had a "visible" disability instead of Asperger's Syndrome.
Now for the uninitiated, Asperger's is a form of high functioning autism. So for all intents and purposes, Aspies look "normal". However, they usually have issues with social interactions & sensory issues. This means they do not communicate as effectively as neurotypical peers and the slightest stimulation may provoke a meltdown. Now, I'm not talking whining, sniffling, etc. I'm talking "throw yourself on the ground, scream @ the top of your lungs, sobbing uncontrollably meltdown".
So back to the offending thought, suppose you see a child in the throes of a similar meltdown @ your local store. What is the most likely first reaction? C'mon, be honest now ... It's not "oh dear, that poor child. Whatever could be upsetting him/her so?" It's "why can't that mother/father control that child?" or "what a spoiled brat! If that were my child, they certainly wouldn't act like that!" However, if a child with an obvious disability has an episode, they would be met with immediate sympathy & understanding.
Now I am not saying I want sympathy or pity for my DD or myself (well maybe a little for me, haha). I would just like people to think before they have a knee jerk reaction about why a child has lost control. While meltdowns are no fun for the onlookers, consider the poor child who is totally out of control. They are angry or scared; they don't need the added burden of judgmental bystanders as they regain their composure.
Aspies, while signs of their disability are not readily apparent, ARE disabled & deserving of a little understanding. As 1 in 110 kids are diagnosed with some form of autism, it would behoove those unfamiliar with the spectrum to educate themselves. Then they can provide the support & understanding needed by the parent & child, rather than judgment.
If this makes me the worst mom ever, then so be it.

A week in review

Monday: Dog to the vet, dropped $220 (dog is much better now, thanks for asking). DD had her bridging ceremony from Daisy Scouts to Brownies, followed by s'mores.

Tuesday: Pajama day @ DD's school, fun times!!

Wednesday: DD's class got to tour the lunch room @ school because they got the award for Marvelous Manners & it was show & tell (DD took rocks)!! DS for haircut. Followed this with futile attempt to get him to attempt youth group; he walked home in the rain. Ah, teens ...

Thursday: Spent most of the day taking IQ testing (serious brain drain, BTW). DD's 7th Bday!!! She got to take ice cream bars for her gen ed class, yum. She toured the school she will be attending next year with the spec ed teacher; she likes it. Went to her favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner, followed by birthday brownies & ice cream!

Friday: Date night!! Pasta for dinner, then to B&N. Listened to author Ann Boushe'y & got a signed copy of her book. She has a son on the autism spectrum; she talked about the different struggles & triumphs in his life. Followed by delicious Chai Latte' @ Starbucks. Sitter reported a good night except my little Aspie was a bit unsuccessful in cleaning her room (translation: still looks like a tornado went through it :)!!).

Saturday: DD's art lesson with Miss Andrea; they created a "Jackson Pollock", lol. Picked up DD's first piece of pottery, turned out awesome. Lunch @ McD's. To WalMart for purchase of brand new 20" bike for DD's birthday. Bike - $60, helmet - $20, training wheels - $15, ecstatic expression - priceless!!! Then horseback riding with Daisy Scouts. DD got to ride Speckles & Chris; they were "big" horses, not ponies. Big girl; she behaved & wore her helmet. Speckles was brown except for a white bottom w/brown speckles. Chris was white with brown spots, head was brown. Both were very gentle. Some little Aspie is a bit tired & cranky now ... downside of the busy days. Sigh.

Post tomorrow, need to catch up ...

Past my bed time, will post tomorrow!! Have a great weekend!!

Woot!

Making progress kids!! Got me some widgets going on now; yee haw!! Stay tuned ...

Blogging Blitzkrieg

I joined Blogging Moms (bloggingmoms.com) to get some help in getting this blog off the ground. Great site!! Have found out how to add some things. You can check out my page if you like (http://www.bloggymoms.com/tammypatrick). So, slowly but surely, this blog may be something worth looking at!!

In other news, a mom allowed her 7-8 yr old girl to bring a LIVE RABBIT into a convenience store! This prompted 2 questions: has the woman never heard of health codes & why is her child not in school?? Welcome to SWMO, as my Hoosier DH would say "Rednecks R Us", lol.

My Aspie had a good day, aside from LOTS of touching others (non-aggresive, thank the Lord)!! We started a new reward system using an iPhone app called iReward, so far, so good; stay tuned, I will post a review @ a later date. Speaking of my little Aspie, time for dreamland. Later ...

Bridging Ceremony

Becca's Bridging Ceremony to transition from Daisy Scout to Brownie was tonight. The weather was lovely, but a bit cool. The ceremony was held outside since this was the first day it hasn't rained in about a week. Everyone did a great job!! Becca was a bit goofy, but overall did well. Then smores followed!! Sticky, but fun. Pics to follow, experiencing technical difficulties. Grr ...