suave professionals

i havent done a "deal of the week" in forever; so here's a good one...
Suave has a new line of Shampoo/Conditioner out that are supposed to be comparable to Aveda.  The scent is dead on and it cleans/conditions well too.  I LOVE the rosemary/mint version.  Anyway, the coupon is for $1 off and it's only $1.89 at my Walmart making it 89c!  Not too shabby.
Enjoy.
Click here to print coupon. (Can print twice).

Granddaddy

GREAT ARTICLE on a great man!

(Link above to article in Albany Herald about Asah's Granddaddy, Nelson Hudgins)

teacher gifts

we wanted to say a special thanks to J's two "main" teachers this year. it was a team effort and between all the teachers, therapists, and paras that are apart of his daily life, we feel extremely blessed.

I saw these on a blog a long time ago and saved the idea because I loved it! I changed it up a bit and used the big cardboard letters from Hobby Lobby and plastic box frames to complete the project.

It was fun to do and hopefully something his teachers can keep at their desk for years to come.
Click here the see the original idea.

progress

As J comes up on his last few days of "school" or what i like to call his transition to school; I'd like to share a progress report!
And not just in title, this really is progress people!
Exhibit A:

Yes, this doesnt look that impressive, but to us it's like gold.  Here's why:  Before school J could not draw a line.  Or a circle, much less a letter or his name or a picture.  At first, the OT and his teachers strictly worked on getting him to draw.  Something.  It started with marks on a page, then turned into lines, and eventually circles.  When he started he still held his pencil with an 'infantile grasp'.  While he's still working on feeling comfortable with a pencil or crayon, he was able to do this ALL INDEPENDENTLY the other day.  Huge for him!  We are way proud.  The fact that he matched his letters wasnt the shocker to me...he's known them forever....but the lines made me dance! 

He's also requesting things he wants and needs in complete sentences!  This is huge!  He has a sentence strip that is prominently displayed on the counter.  It reads "May I have ____________".  So when he's yelling one word phrases we'll grab the strip and it prompts him to correctly ask for what he wants/needs.  I was so skeptical but it works like magic.  You can tell he's proud of himself for asking the right way...and the goal is to eventually eliminate the need for a prompt.

Exhibit B:

We had a pre-IEP Friday to determine goals for next year.

Jordan will remain in the self contained autism class for Pre-K.  He will start the school year with 15 minutes in a regular ed class for center time mainly for social.  His teacher said his academics are excellent, well beyond where they should be...but we pinpointed the deficits as still fine motor skills (writing/coloring, zipping, buttoning, etc) and social skills (attending to an activity, relating to peers).  We are also scheduling additional OT time at North Oaks (Rehab Hospital) to give him extra help with life skills stuff.

Just wanted to give a general update on the J bug.  We are so proud of him and looking forward to summer time!

days of leisure.......

since this was my last week before re-entering the 'real world'....i wanted to spend as much time as possible with these two.

who can blame me?

time was spent lounging poolside....

testing out new $ store treasures....

don't want to forget these curls......

or these dimples and rolls.....

snack time is better out under the sprinkler....

sharing...but not too much.  just one at a time for you brother.

for some strange reason; doritos have more flavor when wet under the sprinkler.

getting a little help and encouragement from big bro.

splish....

splash!

and just like that, our week came to an end and it's time for a new chapter.  i'll miss my lazy days with these boys, but they'll be well cared for this summer and i'm so thankful for that.  they'll also have a mommy day and daddy day each week and the weekends will be spent having all sorts of adventures i'm sure.  pray for our family as we transition!

may your summer be full of 'nothing to do days' and popsicles!

what have you done today, to make you feel proud!

you need to change, yeah, so do it today, yeah..........

Cue cheesy Biggest Loser theme song!  Proud to announce that I have my very own Biggest Loser living in our house and I'm super excited for him!

Move over Bob and Jillian, I have to tell you about my hubbys huge accomplishment!

January, 2010    296 lbs
May, 2010         252 lbs
Thats 44 lbs and 6 inches folks!

I am SO PROUD of you Asah!  Here are some before and afters.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

How????  Lots of hard work and dedication.  He gets up at 4am to hit the gym with a group of guys 5 days a week.  He works out hard, runs a lot, switched to drinking only 1 cup of coffee a day and water after that.  We've changed our eating habits to include more whole foods and less processed stuff, also portion control and he calorie counts.

So, there ya have it.  My very own Biggest Loser.  Love you Asah!  Congrats on this huge accomplishment!

When Clueless People Attack

This post is by one of my favorite Mommy Bloggers.  Her stories concerning her son, Noah, who has SPD (an austism-like disorder) are usually stories that I couldve told myself, she just writes way better ;)
This recent post describes an incident in a mall.....

Every week there are countless instances where someone approaches Jordan and asks him a simple question.  His name, age, etc.  He doesnt answer.  He's not rude....he just doesnt know how to answer.  Same thing goes with kids at the park.  They want him to play; he doesnt know how.  I find myself in a place almost daily of having to figure out how to tell complete strangers that my child is "different".  Sometimes, like this fellow mommy, I choose to ignore or divert just because it's easier.  Sometimes I wish there was a sign we could carry around that would make it way easier to explain behaviors.

Because of Jordan I'm keenly aware now of others who may have similar problems, or completely different problems that manifest themselves in a similar way.  Like this blogger, I'm far less apt to judge these days....
Jordan continues to make me a better person, a more patient person, much more aware of others.
This is part of the talk I gave a month or so ago at a Womens Conference:

There are special blessings that come from raising a child with special needs. The veil has been lifted from my eyes, and I now see beauty where I used to see emptiness. There is compassion in me where there was once selfishness. There is laughter and fun where there used to be a constant mental rundown of tasks yet to be completed. There is even personal acceptance instead of feelings of inadequacy. I would not trade these gifts for the world. Will Jordan be “healed”. I don’t know the answer, but I do know this. I have been Healed. Healed from selfishness and blindness to the suffering of others. I am no longer the same; and every change has been for the better.

Thanks, Jordan....you're helping me daily to see that it isn't about me.  You're also helping me to be compassionate towards others.  Sometimes there are hidden blessings that come with Autism....and for that, we are thankful.