Mama Multi-Tasker

Mamas wear many hats during the day--and that seems to incrementally grow during the summer. Today I was a gardener (I was weeding while waiting for Nathan's bus); merit badge helper (helped Jacob work on his Space Exploration Merit Badge); closet cleaner outer and packing helper (Jordan is packing for his mission); fixer extraordinaire (Nathan broke the toilet paper holder and so we had to fix it; cook, shoulder to cry on (teenage boys can be hormonal too); dish washer, taxi driver, and I'm sure there is something I'm forgetting. Kudos to all women (and men) who wear lots of hats to help raise the rising generation!

What are some of the hats you have worn today?

#WearingDifferentHats #MamaMultiTasker

Autism & Chores

Can kids with autism do chores? Yes, they can. I know that often as a parent it is easier to do it for them (since you have to stand by them the entire time), but I have found that Nathan is quite capable of doing little things around the house to help out. Things like helping me take his sheets and put them in the washer, helping unload the dishwasher, setting the table and replacing toilet paper in the bathrooms. He actually doesn't complain about it either (like my other kids)--part of that is because he isn't very verbal...but it is nice to have another pair of helping hands. I am committed to having him help more around the house this summer.

#Chores #Autism

No Second Mother

"Jacob, Noelle is gone to girls camp this week. Isn't it weird not to have her at the dinner table?"

"Yes. It is good not to have a second mother," Jacob responded. :)

He makes me laugh! Cute Jacob.

Spontaneous Canyonlands

Sometimes last minute trips are the best! As we approached Memorial Day, my husband and I realized that we didn't have any plans...so we decided to do something spontaneous! We headed down to see Canyonlands National Park as a family! It was fantastic and not very crowded or hot. What a great time! Another plus was that we were able to get Nathan to go on a few of the short hikes without any iPod to distract him. Baby steps!

#Canyonlands #Autism #GreatHikes

Peach Jam...Better Late Than Never

Better late than never. My mother was here a few weeks ago for Jordan's graduation and we took the peaches I had frozen last summer from our tree and finally turned them into jam....9 months later. Oh well! I guess I'm not very prompt, but it did get done finally;). Yummy fresh peach jam!

#MakingJam #BetterLateThanNever

Modest Barbies

I got tired of seeing naked Barbies...so I decided to do something permanent. All it took was some packing tape, plastic wrap, and white spray paint and now we have modest Barbies. Hurray!

#ModestBarbies

Newsies

Summer is about making memories! I was able to take Jacob and Noelle to see their very first Broadway Musical, Newsies, last week. They absolutely LOVED it! It is awesome to see a performance of that caliber and share the love of music with the next generation. Music...pass it on!

#Newsies #LoveOfMusic

Bike Crash

There are moments where you think, "Oh no! That is not happening right now!" And by the time you finish the thought the bad thing happens. We went off this morning on our family bike ride (this is how I get all my kids to exercise each day). Everyone was doing great and then a bug landed on Nathan's hand and he let go of the handle bars of his bike. I don't recommend riding a bike without holding the handle bars--you will crash (even if you have a large tricycle for a bike).

So, Nathan had a bad crash this morning. He ended up with a pretty scraped up knee. What I was most worried about was the huge mark on his tummy where he fell on the end on the end of the handle bars. Ouch! Don't want any internal damage. So, we went off to the Doctors office (not Nathan's favorite place to be). The doctor felt his tummy and then sent us for x-rays to double check everything. Everything looks good (although I have been on mommy vigil all day since checking to make sure his tummy isn't swelling or we have anything bad happening. Sigh!

#BikeCrash #Autism

Scouting

I am so proud of Jacob for earning his Star in Boy Scouts! I am thankful for the patience of his scouting leaders for helping this young man with high functioning autism progress within the scouting program. We feel so blessed to watch him succeed and thrive! Congrats to Jacob!

#ScoutingAndAutism

Growing Like A Weed!

I think he is finally taller than mom! I knew it would happen sooner or later. You see he keeps eating like a Hobbit and I think it is because he is just growing and growing. Love my boy!

#GrowingLikeAWeed

No Time For Mom

Um, excuse me summer. When is my break? Oh...not until late August? Okay. Don't mind me if I close myself in my room now. Mom has got to find some time to research all the things her kids want to do this summer and make some sort of schedule. The problem is by the time I get them to bed I am too tired to make my brain think any more.

I feel like I have been running like crazy for the past week or so. Jordan graduated from high school and the start of summer have just hit like a tidal wave. I feel like I am swimming against the current trying to keep my head afloat.

Most summers I feel like I am more prepared with my "schedule" for my kiddos on the spectrum. So far this year, I have been winging it:). It is what I do best, but it is exhausting to have kids that are all old enough to stay up later (since I don't have the excuse for them to go to bed since there is school tomorrow). By the time I get them to bed I am exhausted so I go to sleep...only to wake up and do it all over again. Maybe tomorrow I'll make more progress on the schedule....;) Wish me luck!

#NoTimeForMom #SummerSchedule