Le Chateau Boulton

After what feels like eons, we are finally getting new carpet in our bedrooms today and, because my home is pretty much a non-functional disaster zone, Cody and I spent the night at Katelyn and Matt's house. My husband, on the other hand, stayed home to deal with everything, sleeping on a mattress in the living room amidst boxes and bags and books and pool floaties. No worries. Don and I have been watching American Ninja Warrior, so I'm sure he practiced some cool moves making his way around. :)

Anyhow...I wanted to share what I found prepared for us when I walked into my daughter and son-in-law's guest room. 

I'm sorry the photos are so blurry. I had to take them with my old Samsung phone from, oh...I don't know...approximately 2005? Had I known the kids were going to do something soooo adorable, I would have brought my camera!

Then, I walked into the guest bathroom and saw these things on the counter...

Just before going to bed, I spotted a giant Kit Kat on Cody's pillow...

...and a yummy variety of chocolates for me.

I also found a questionnaire on the night stand.

So, of course I had to fill it out.

I think Don and I are going to be okay in this great circle of life. We have some really terrific kids! 

Free Online Library for Children

We Give Books is a new digital initiative that enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of children who don't have them, simply by reading online.

We Give Books combines the joy of reading with the power of helping others, providing a platform for caregivers and educators to inspire children to become lifelong readers and lifelong givers.

We Give Books also helps some of the world's best, most inspiring, literacy organizations by spreading the word about their great work and by providing books to the young people these organizations support.

Watch the following clip to learn more...

The Tables Have Turned

Somewhere along the line, Katelyn has taken upon herself the mothering role.

Last week Don and Chase went to the market to get a Coke but came back with energy drinks instead. You should have seen Katelyn's face when she declared "Daaad, YOU DO NOT need an energy drink!"

So, on our way to Las Vegas this morning, I sent the following picture to Katelyn's phone after Don and I picked up a couple of Monsters at the gas station.

Her only reply back...

"Oh boy oh boy".

The icing on the cake, however, is when I asked Katelyn to proofread this post, she said, "Mommm! Did you really each get your own drink?" and when I answered "Yes" she said, "It's not funny mom. This is serious!"

I just kept laughing.

:)

I Don't Want a Mail Order Bride for a Daughter in Law

My sons, Chase and Casey, are in their twenties and don't live with us, but they come to the house a couple of times a week. I'd like to think they come because they miss us, but I have a feeling it's mostly to use our computer and washer and dryer.


Anyway, last night I went to turn the computer off before climbing into bed, glanced down at my desktop calendar and saw that Chase had left his mark again. (If you are new to my blog, you may want to click on Playful Prankster and Wittiness and Whiskers to read what I'm talking about.)

Take a look at what he wrote...

August 23rd is his birthday. I had already written Chase's name on the calendar; he just expounded on it.

Once a jokester always a jokester, I suppose.

Autism and Multiple Sclerosis/ Could There Be a Link?

I stumbled across the following article by Sara Lapinski and was completely taken aback. Because my husband has MS and we have a son with autism, I really want to do my part in getting this information out there.

There was no blogger icon, but I've included the link http://www.ageofautism.com . It's a rather lengthy post, but well worth the read.

Child with Autism and Mom with Multiple Sclerosis


Does your child have autism? Do you have MS? No one talks about it, but there seems to be a link, a link between parents of children with autism being diagnosed with MS. I can’t find anyone who is looking into this….why? Why can’t we find information about the link between the two anywhere?

Let me take a step back. For years now I have suffered from dizziness, headaches, vision issues, and other strange symptoms. I had my first MRI and yes there were small, possible spots of demyelination, but I was reassured this is common in most people walking around today. I was told many interesting things by doctors, but most settled on me having an anxiety disorder.

I was told, “You are dizzy because you have four kids”, “You can’t find your words because you have anxiety”, and better yet, “This is all between your ears, Sweetie”. So I talked myself into being very stressed out, and felt my dizziness was because I was anxious.

Years later, after not thinking about MS again, I received an official, unexpected diagnosis of optic neuritis. I knew right away what this meant, and headed back to the neurologist. I told him of my optic neuritis, commonly one of the first signs of MS, and I told him that I felt like I was occasionally slurring my words. He said, “Everyone slurs their words, I slur my words all the time. Look at you, you’re fine, your exam is fine, trust me, those old spots on your MRI could have been dust on the lens.” He agreed to do a second MRI, just to be safe.

About an hour after doing my second MRI, I am in the waiting room. The doctor comes out and signals me to come back. He says, “Well you do have MS, I can’t believe it, I really was not expecting this.”

Wait a minute…this sounds eerily similar to something I had heard years earlier, not at an appointment for me, but at an appointment for my son. You see, my son was not developing typically. We started early intervention at 10 months of age because my husband and I were noticing some subtle delays. As a first time mom, I just had the feeling something was wrong. At 12 months of age, I started questioning doctors about autism. My little guy just didn’t’ seem like the other kids his age. I had read some articles on red flag signs and, when I did, I felt so scared inside. It sounded just like my baby. The doctors and professionals reassured me “he is fine”. “He just has a little delay”. “He is a boy, you are a nervous first time mom, and you need to relax”. These are just a few of the many things I heard.

Every six months we went back and back. “He would not be looking you in the eyes if he had autism, he is so social, and he is so affectionate” the doctors told me. When my little guy was 3 ½, I took him back again. At this point his speech was completely repetitive and his behavior was spiraling downward. The doctor observed my son for 10 minutes before giving him a diagnosis of autism. I can still hear the doctors words vividly in my brain, “I don’t know how we missed this, I am so sorry.”

One might think I would be upset at the way I have been treated and doubted by doctors over the years, but I am not. Actually I feel fortunate. I received a diagnosis of MS in 2 years, the last I heard the average person waits 6 years for a diagnosis. Yes I was blown off by doctors about my son’s autism but, he did start in early intervention at 10 months and he has always had extreme amounts of therapy. He has worked so very hard, and I am so very grateful for where he is today. Could he possibly be farther along had he been qualified earlier for behavioral interventions? Possibly, but he did very well with the services we had.

What I am mad about is why now when I talk to so many families of children with autism do I find out that one of the parents has MS. Why when I tell my child’s specialist for autism that I have MS does he say to me, “I am so sorry, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon for children in my practice to have a parent with MS.” Why do the doctors who are “ahead of their time” feel that autism is an autoimmune disorder, just like MS? Why are doctors treating MS similarly, almost identically, the same way biomedical doctors are treating autism? Why isn’t the relationship of the two disabilities being tracked? Why can’t I find any research on the correlation between MS and Autism? Will one of them give us answers to the other? Can MS treatments help autism or vice versa? Should I have been warned that I might be at high risk for an autoimmune disorder after my son’s diagnosis? How can parents take care of a child with a disability if they themselves don’t feel good and have no idea what their future of their MS may hold?

Do parents in my situation need to be told in 10 years that there is a correlation between MS and Autism? Do we have to be told we don’t know what we are talking about, to find out later we were right?

I can’t help but think of Chris Martin from Coldplay’s words in his song Clocks, “Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease”. Please help parents in my situation be part of the cure.


Sarah Westerfield Lapinski

Teachers

Yesterday was the last day of teacher appreciation week at our school. As a teacher's assistant, I want to share a few things that I know about teachers.

1) Teachers appreciate students who are respectful. Help your child learn how and when to use the words thank you,  please and excuse me.

2) If you wish to show appreciation to your child's teacher, thank you cards from the heart are best. If you insist on giving something more, make it a gift card to a book store such as Barnes and Noble or a school supply store such as Staples.

3) Remember that kids share what they see and hear at home. Don't let it come as a surprise if your child's teacher knows you and your significant other "shower together to save water" or that your family "had to get rid of the dog because it was humping everything".

4) Along with academics, teachers take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, they are on the lookout for learning disabilities and issues (bigger than water conservation and pet problems) at home.

5) Teachers are not marriage counselors. At parent-teacher conferences, please stick to your child's progress, not issues between you and your partner.

6) Teachers of lower grades don’t like to be told "I wish I could color and paste all day long." Believe me, teachers do much more than you realize. If you have any doubt, spend time as a classroom volunteer.

7) Teachers don’t arrive at school 10 minutes before your child does and they don’t leave the minute the students get back on the bus. Most put in extra hours before and after school, on week-ends and even holidays.

8) It's your child's homework, not yours. Teachers can tell the difference between a parent helping their child with homework and doing it for them (especially when they’re clueless in class the next day).

9) Check your child's backpack for notes and homework. Just because your child says he did his homework, doesn’t mean it’s true. You must check.

10) Teachers spend money out of their own pockets. They often buy things the students need, such as school supplies and even shoes.

Cody's Contrasting Definitions of Sleep

I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed Spring. Allergies always seem to get me down. Taking note of my stuffy nose and miserable attitude, Cody said, "I just love you so much, I want you to go to sleep and feel better."

Cody's idea of Don getting a little shut-eye is considerably different. Approximately ten minutes after he spoke with compassion toward me, Cody said, "Dad has a frog in his throat. Somebody shoot him and put him to sleep."


Sleep Defined-

a. A natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. During sleep the brain in humans and other mammals undergoes a characteristic cycle of brain-wave activity that includes intervals of dreaming.
b. A period of this form of rest.
c. A state of inactivity resembling or suggesting sleep; unconsciousness, dormancy, hibernation, or death.

Babysitting and Pranks

When I was young, my parents didn't leave my siblings and me with a babysitter very often, but there are three teenage girls that do stand out in my mind. Sitter number one use to threaten to put my head in the toilet if I kept bugging her to play Candy Land. (It's funny. Now that I'm older, I can see her point.) Sitter number two was a little on the chubby side. She liked to eat our tomatoes. For some reason, at the time, my little brain thought that was disgusting. The third babysitter actually left us and went off with some boys. Thank goodness my stepsister, who lived in the same neighborhood with her mom, somehow found out we were alone and came to our rescue. (I'm sure sitter number three was just a slut, because we weren't bad children.)

When I became a teen, I hated babysitting. Having two younger brothers, I figured watching them once in awhile was enough. However, I did like having money, so I accepted a few jobs. My favorite ones were when the kids were already in bed when I got there. All I had to do was watch television and maybe have a bowl of ice cream (with their permission). One jack-ass dad stands out in my mind. He got mad at me because his baby wasn't in the crib asleep when he got home. (I was holding and rocking the sleeping baby, because the little thing cried and cried when I put him in his crib.) I had the other three kids in bed and they were sleeping soundly, but that wasn't good enough. Did I mention the guy was a jerk?

My younger sister was a much better babysitter than I. Not only would she watch kids all day, she would even wash people's dirty dishes. Not me. No way. I wasn't getting paid to be a maid; I was hired to watch the children.

One thing is for certain. I sure am glad nobody did to me what Scare Tactics did to the poor guy in this clip: