Auction!

No, not THAT auction (although that one starts in MAY and I am SO excited), the Cub Scout Father/Son Cake Bake Auction.

Have you ever been to one of these auctions? Should I say, have you ever been BLESSED to be at one of these events? Have you ever participated? Well, if not, you are sorely missing out.

Here's a brief run down of exactly what you are "missing out" on:

• Three trips to the grocery store because they ran out of food coloring - twice.
• Screaming phrases coming from the kitchen like, "I AM NOT DOING THIS FOR ME - GET BACK HERE".
• A child whining "I want to go to the park, why does HE (accusingly pointing at the younger brother I have been trying to keep out of the kitchen all day) get to go to the park but I don't".
• A finished product with only one missing piece (due to a younger brother getting handsy) that they TRIED (in vain) to fill in with frosting.
• Enough frosting to clog a few of your arteries.
• Enough food coloring to be shitty purple for two weeks (because they used both red and blue food coloring).
• An auction where parents pay OBSCENE amounts of money for a cake that they made themselves (the highest cake went for $100 the lowest for $15) and their children have been sneezing on all night.
• Children who cry throughout the entire auction process because you won't let them bid.
• Children who cry at the END of the auction process because there seemed to have been a mix up and the cake you THOUGHT you won actually went to the person who was sitting directly in front of you (and had already started picking at it before you could even say anything).
• A stop at the grocery store on the way home to buy ANOTHER cake to replace the one you THOUGHT you won but, obviously, didn't.
• Cake at 8pm - past children's bedtimes.

Fun times, fun times....

I'll provide you with pictures of the cake when Kirby decides to get them onto the computer from the camera.

Autism Awareness Month Part II

This is more from the brochure that EANH will be distributing throughout local schools for parents and students to learn acceptance and tolerance.

Symptoms of Autism:

· Spinning objects
· Demands routine; resists change
· Difficulty in expressing needs, using gestures or pointing instead of words
· Repeating words or phrases in place of normal, responsive
language
· Laughing and/or crying for
reasons not apparent to others
· Preference to being alone, aloof manner
· Tantrums
· Not wanting to cuddle or be cuddled
· Little or no eye contact
· Unresponsive to normal teaching methods
· Sustained odd play
· Obsessive attachments to objects
· Apparent over-sensitivity or under-sensitivity to pain
· No real fears of danger
· Noticeable physical over-activity or extreme under-activity
· Uneven or underdeveloped gross/fine motor skills
· Non responsive to verbal cues; appears to be deaf although hearing tests in normal range

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. Keep your eyes open as I intend to do, at least, one post per week dedicated to Autism Awareness and Tolerance. Most posts will be from a brochure my non-profit, Embracing Autism, NH has created to be distributed throughout schools in our area this month.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a broad category of disorders including Asperger’s Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), and Rett Syndrome. ASD cause abnormal brain function; those afflicted are often unable to engage in social activities and display atypical behaviors, such as repetitive movement and speech patterns, as well as an aversion to touch.

According to Jovana Ruzicic of the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, Environmental Working Group, the incidence of autism increased from 10 in 10,000 in the 1980s to about 60 in 10,000 today. Despite the current rise in autism diagnoses, the medical community has yet to discover any specific medical treatment.

Facts about Autism:

· Autism affects as many as 1 in 150 children
· Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world
· More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with diabetes, cancer, & AIDS combined
· Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
· There is no medical detection or cure for autism, but early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes
· Autism does not discriminate by geography, class, or ethnicity

From: www.worldautismawarenessday.org

Homework Troubles

A is a very smart boy. He reads above grade level and his math is at grade level. He has a vocabulary that often amazes me (with words like expression and conscientious) and he has a memory that would give most geniuses a run for their money.



After all the scares we had with A, I am so proud of all his accomplishments. I wasn't sure he would ever read - never mind above grade level. The last time he was evaluated we were told that he would probably have problems with math. While math is a harder subject for him he still does it and does it well.



Due in part to his ASD, he has issues with his motor skills. He lacks both fine and gross motor skills, therefore things that a "typical" 7 year old can do are harder for him. He can barely write his name (and it would be completely illegible to you), riding a bike is tough (he JUST started riding a two-wheeler with training wheels and still has spills) and he still runs like a toddler (with the waddle that shakes their whole back side).



On top of that, he has attention issues. He is so easily distracted that walking from the living room to the bathroom (all of 20 feet) can be hard for him to handle. It is so bad that he needs constant attention (leaving him alone for two minutes could account for videos being posted on Facebook - for those of you that do not have a Facebook account, he was able to record, save and publish a video of himself while I was watching Z walk to school the other day - , all the ice cream being eaten out of the freezer or his puppets being shown how the washing machine works).



For the past month or two I have been requiring him to do homework after school. I am hoping to help prepare him for the work he will be required to do next year (having been in kindergarten for 2 years the work load is familiar to him) and to help him gain some fine motor skills.



I haven't had a problem with him until the past two weeks. Now he flat out refuses to do it. As I mentioned, he has the attention of a field mouse, so this means I am sitting with him the entire time, walking him through each step of his homework and watching him scream every single step of the way...



We have tried reward systems (but a daily reward means he demands a daily reward for school work and a weekly reward is too far in the future for him), I have tried threats of death "groundation" (no TV or computer), I have tried reasoning with him...all to no avail. He will not do it.



Now I am at a loss. I will not give in to him (because who wins there??) but I am killing myself every afternoon to get it done. I am so frustrated from this afternoon's argument (when I gave in and told him I was done fighting with him) that I don't want to do it anymore and then the rest of our evening is shot because we are both so angry and frustrated. But, again, who wins?



Maybe 3 worksheets is too much and I need to work in some "play" time as well...maybe we need to take a break...maybe I need a full time tutor to come to my home and do this for me...maybe I should just give in and let him use a computer for the rest of his life (as he is more than capable of doing that as evidenced by the video)...



Educators, teachers, parents...I need your help! How do you motivate your children to work? How do you bring out their fullest potential? What have you done in times like this?

Ants In My Pants

All day I have felt like someone put itching powder in my panties...seriously.

Kirby even suggested that I picked up crabs from some sleazy public restroom (could have been...right, Nicki?).

Now I have realized what it is. The new body wash I used this morning. Not new, exactly, Kirby gave it to me for Christmas. But I tend not to use body wash that I am not use to, much less something that has perfume in it.

And now I remember why....