This is What Happens When Cody and His Dad Pair Up

Cody has a Speak and Spell. For those of you who may not know what a Speak and Spell is, here's a picture...

The Speak and Spell is very educational but awfully LOUD. Cody thinks it's hilarious to ask if he can sleep with it. I always tell him "No. If you accidentally turn it on during the night, it will wake everybody up." His dad, on the other hand, jokingly goes behind my back and tells Cody "Go ahead Code. I don't care if you sleep with it." knowing full well that Cody won't go against my wishes.

Night before last, we went through the aforementioned ritual, but this time, when I wasn't around, Don told Cody to go hide the Speak and Spell in his bedroom, under his pillow. Later on, I walked by Cody's room and this is what I saw...

The Speak and Spell was indeed under the pillow, but I think maybe Don needs to work with Cody on hiding things a little more discreetly. :)


Click on Hide and Seek the Autistic Way if you'd like to read more about Cody and hiding.

11 Things I Know For Sure

11) Swedish massages are delightful.

10) Tomatoes taste better straight from the garden.

9) The playground phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" is not true. Words can hurt.

8) Funerals suck.

7) Glitter and confetti are only fun if you're partying at somebody else's house.

6) If someone offers you a stick of gum, take it. It may be their way of saying your breath stinks.

5) Some people just shouldn't have children.

4) It is perfectly O.K. to say "No" sometimes.

3) The quote "When mom's not happy, nobody's happy." is spot on. 

2) Enjoy every phase of your life. There is truth to the Trace Atkins song Your Gonna Miss This.



and most importantly...


1) Having a child in the family with special needs is a blessing, not a curse.

Words Worth Repeating/ "Who's Weird- Besides Me?"

This is what my son with Autism says every time you give him his iPod. It was this same type of repetitive behavior that helped my husband and I figure out that he needed to be tested for Autism. We learned about Autism on the 'Sally Jesse Rafael Show'. Our son was around 10 years old by then. Doctors, teachers, as well as school district "specialist" had never even suggested that Autism might be one of his disabilities. Had we known sooner, we may have been able to teach him differently. You see, although he functions fairly well, he has certain behaviors that we just can't break. For instance, he won't get out of bed in the morning and go to the bathroom until someone tells him to. My husband or I have to be sure to get him up so he doesn't have any accidents in bed. Do we ever get to sleep in? Rarely.

Here's my advice to young parents who have been blessed with a disabled child...learn to be aggressive. You have that "instinct" that other people in your child's life won't. Also, educate yourself about your child's disability. Although the road ahead may not come easy, it can be smoother with extra effort on your part. I have found that the rewards from having my son as part of our family definitely outweigh all the trials that come with him.

Originally posted June 19, 2010 http://www.snippetsnstuff.com/2010/06/whos-weird-besides-me.html

Pics for Proof

After I wrote about how much I despise my son's beard in my post Wittiness and Whiskers , some of you requested that I show some photos. 

Much to my regret, your wish is granted.



Scary and Revolting





Nasty Freakin' Beard







I wish he'd go back to this. I think shorter is better.



But, being the pigheaded, adamant, mulish, headstrong person that he is, Chase doesn't care what anyone thinks, especially his mother. (However, out of curiosity, I wouldn't mind hearing your opinions.)

LOVE YOU CHASE!

Wittiness and Whiskers

If you're a fairly new reader of my blog, there are four things you need to know about my son Chase.

1) He is 26 years old.

2) He is a tease.

3) He takes pleasure in driving me crazy.

4) He has grown the ugliest beard I have ever seen.

Now, before you become concerned about Chase reading this post and having his feelings hurt, I will tell you that he already knows perfectly well how I feel about his ugly ass beard. Chase's facial hair is the reason I refused to have family pictures taken last Christmas. Don (my husband) keeps reminding me, "The more you nag Chase about the beard, the longer he will hold out on shaving it off." That's how Chase rolls, so it's probably true.

Yesterday, as I sat at my desk, I looked down at my calendar and saw this...

Check out the 23rd of March. That is not my handwriting. Look a little closer...

If you're thinking I should just take him up on it since I hate the beard so bad, think again. I'll bet he wants $500 or some other ridiculous amount.

Hilarious, Chase. Very funny.

Penny Candy Nostalgia

Penny Candy Store by John Collias

The picture above reminds me of Bill's Market, a small store in the community where I grew up. I have fond memories of my mother taking me and my younger sister, Teresa, there to get penny candy. The candy was kept behind the clerk's counter which made it impossible for children to see ( I'm sure that was the whole idea). I remember my mom lifting Teresa and me, so we could look at the candy over the counter and tell the clerk exactly what we wanted. He would then place the penny candy in little brown sacks, one for my sister and one for me. Here are a few of the sugary treats I'd choose...




Bazooka Bubble Gum




Sixlets



Tiny Wax Bottles. The liquid inside was pretty much tastless.



Jolly Ranchers



Tootsie Rolls



Smarties. For some reason, we liked to dissolve these in water.



Licorice. My sister liked black licorice. I hated it and stuck with red.



Candy Necklaces...loved these, but couldn't figure out why our necks got so sticky.


To see more of John Collias's artwork, visit his website at  http://www.johncollias.com/ .

You Get What You Get, So Don't Throw a Fit

Lately my spouse's attitude is, "I've worked hard my entire married life so I should be able to do what I want." I love my husband with all my heart and he HAS worked hard our entire married life, but so have I.

I found the following song on You Tube. It is about motherhood. On top of raising "normal" children, add taking care of a son with disabilities 24/7 and working part-time out of the home and you've described my life.

My intent is not to whine, humiliate or complain, just prove a point. I liken life to what I tell the Kindergarten kids when handing out treats, "You get what you get, so don't throw a fit."

Enjoy the video!

Which TV Mom Are You?

Several years ago, my son Chase told me I was a cross between Jill Taylor (Home Improvement) and Rosanne Conner (Rosanne). At that time, I didn't know if I should feel upset or happy about his comment. I chose the latter. Their characters were strong and funny. I would have been upset if he had said I acted like Debra (Everybody Loves Raymond)! Even though I enjoyed watching that program, I thought her character was a hag; always complaining to or about her husband.

Television moms have definitely evolved over the years. When I was a young girl, I wanted to be part of the most unrealistic family out there...the Bradys (The Brady Bunch); six siblings, a housekeeper, dog, dad and Florence Henderson for a mom. Who wouldn't want that?!