Long Time No See!!!

Well HI THERE!!!!

It’s been years and so many “adventures” since we last talked! I hope you are all doing well in your own little piece of the world.

We are living, breathing, going crazy (it’s Summertime after all!), and just Bee-ing ourselves. After losing our 1st home to the B of A/Housing Mess/Economy-Recession thing, we moved, then rented and finally with help from family, were able to relocate to our new (permanent) house, in the “nice” part of our city–where the schools are great and safe and the people are actually nice!!!! YAY US!!

We have just celebrated our 1 year Anniversary in this house. When we moved in I painted EVERYTHING. I even stood high on a ladder painting all day, sweating and coughing what little brains I have, because somehow I got Bronchitis!  (In Vegas, in the Summer, I caught frickin’ BRONCHITIS. WTH?)

Then I tried my hand at outdoor landscaping! (BTW–I was made to be a Qween, not to sweat, break my finger twice, sweat more and nearly pass out a few times when it wasn’t even that hot yet!). Looks pretty good, but I’m NOT an outdoorsy kinda gal!

So I had to do something new to the house for our 1 year. Hmmmmm……To Do?  So I painted our kitchen cabinets and painted a back splash! (Looks great now, but I didn’t even know what a back splash WAS until watching Flipping Vegas on TV!!) YAY ME!

But what now?  I’m back, so what do I write about?

LIFE. Well, our Life. Day to Day stuff.

Days with a son with Autism. Days with a 3rd grader. Days with a 5th grader. How much I “love” common core curriculums-especially in Nevada. Volunteer life. Mommy life. Losing weight (which I really need to do). Is that enough? I’m sure there will be more!

But as a start, I just wanted to welcome you back and to say THANK YOU for waiting on me or finding me again! Or even finding little ol’ me for the first time!

WELCOME!!!!!

 

 

Welcome Back!!!

Hi Everyone!!!  I’m sorry for my long absence. Summer home with my kiddos got me! But I’m back! YAY!

Now just a little about our Summer. My son graduated Kindergarten and then we went to California to see my daughter graduate High School!!

Both went really well. A little teary eyed, but I did not fall apart like I thought! We spent most of the Summer inside, suffering from Cabin Fever and Tag-Teaming Mom. (Lucky me!)  But as of Monday, the 30th of August–we were back to the School Time Schedule.

It’s been a tough adjustment–for me! I haven’t ever been up so early before! I think we’ve finally managed this hurdle–it only took 4 days to get into the swing of things!

My older son started FIRST GRADE this year and a FULL DAY of school! He’s managed it flawlessly! He and his brother decided months ago to give up taking naps–so it’s not a problem for them one bit. (Ugh for Mommy though!).

So this school year has been a HUGE Milestone for us.  For the last 3 years (my son went through Pre, Pre-K, Pre-K and Kindergarten), it has been a version of total hell. 

We would go through yelling, screaming, temper tantrums, door slamming, more screaming, hysterical crying, hardcore stubbornness and throwing up–ALL before the school bus came in the morning. (the bus driver even came to talk to me to check and see if he was OK, because he would sit and scream and cry the whole 10 minutes to school everyday.)

Then he wouldn’t talk, communicate, socialize or anything–with anyone at school. Not the kids, not the teachers–no one. It was, needless to say, an ordeal.

Last year in Kindergarten, his teacher told me that it’s a big shock to kids when they start Kindergarten, and a lot of them won’t even start to come out of their shell until after the Winter Break.

HOLY LORD!!! Really?

So after break, he finally starts to communicate–his way.  The teacher knew he had an IEP (Individual Education Plan), which signifies this kid has some “ism’s” to watch for.  So with that in mind, since he wouldn’t speak, she actually expected his first words to be a version of grunting.

One day, they were writing in class (just a sentence or a few words is all).  She asked him to write something down, like everyone else is doing.  He just looked up at her (yes, he actually had eye contact with her) and said very matter-of-factly, “Um, no. I just don’t feel like writing today” and chucks his pencil back down on the desk.  His teacher almost fell over!

My son is shy. Very shy. He takes his time getting comfortable with people (at least 20 minutes) and is like a dog–he knows right away if he’s dealing with a good person or not.

Like I said–this year really broke the mold. 

He was excited about starting school this year. We weren’t sure if he was just repeating words to make Mom and Dad happy of if he meant it. He actually meant it this time.

No crying, no screaming, no fits. None of the usual getting ready in the morning escapades.  He ate his breakfast, got dressed, got his backpack, got in the car–with NO PROBLEMS.  I’m still in amazement!

His teacher talks to me everyday when I pick him up (I love her–she is such a blessing and I think she realized really quick how much I worry about him). Each day gets even better. He is answering questions, talking with her and even shared in front of the class!!!

WHOO HOOO!!!!

He is eating the school lunch in the cafeteria (he was deathly afraid of crowds and loud noises–so I was terrified he would go hide under a table) every day–it’s his pattern.  But this year, I am so proud to say, that we broke our 3 year record!

Now I know it’s only the first week, but he has done SO WELL and I am SO PROUD of him–I just can’t even believe it’s the same kid!

I’ll keep you all posted throughout the year in regards to him–but I am simply amazed! He’s starting to really come out of his shell and I couldn’t be prouder!!!!

YAY!!!!

If you have any comments about this, starting school, or want to yell out a “Holla” for your child too–I’d love to hear about it! 

Thank you so much for reading this and feel free to share it with another parent who’s scared and nervous for their child too.  It’s very reassuring to know that there are other parents out there with these kinds of issues too! I know it makes me like “I’m not the ONLY one out there.”  I’m here and so many more are too! There’s sanity in numbers!