Not Quite Wordless Wednesday: Graveyard for No Longer Needed Words

Saturday Sisters: The Women in the Time of Moses' Birth

Hard times demand hard decisions.

A Way of Looking at Different Abilities and Disabilities

based on a quote from Dr. Sally Shaywitz of The Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity

 This is about a set of films and a particular disability, but it's also about overcoming challenges  in general.

Wordless Wednesday: The Field Across the Street

Watching the Harvest

Structure

Conflicting Needs

  i'm told structure in the life is a good thing.
  MyGuy thrives on it.
  i know Max needs structure in his life.  As a Person with Autism, it helps him feel in control and independent.

  i hate structure.  i like the free-flowing lifestyle.  Maybe i'm just lazy, but i hate following any sort of schedule.
  For me, predictability is knowing i have corn bran, skim milk and oj for my breakfast.  The rest of the day can follow general outlines (no driving in the Mile Square, thank you!) and that's fine.

  Max desperately needs constant schedule and predictability.

  And as The Mom, it's up to me, not The Dad, to put the structure in the life.

Kaleidoscipic Max

  We took a short trip this week, in honor of fall break.

  We drove from Indianapolis to Bloomington.  The colors were gorgeous Thursday, and the air properly crisp for October.
  This is the story of traveling with a young man with autism.

Wordless Wednesday: Bully Pet

"Do I have to put up with him playing with my leash?"

What Awareness Month is This?

  Well, i guess everybody knows this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Again.  Not that i have a problem with that, though there is so much to be aware of, & this is a terrible killer of women AND men, but not the biggest.
  This month, we should also be aware of

Wordless Wednesday: Fall Bush Sketch

How About Both?

This article, sent to me by the senior administrator in Max's school, begins with the provacative title,

Respite Care May Be More Beneficial Than Autism Therapy

The authors of the study seem puzzled by

How Many Ways?

showing Max our remainder after 5x3: his choice, an awkward layout to work with!

  Max only wants to play Thomas card games now.  i try to encourage him to play other games, but it's often easier to go with the flow.  It's interaction.
But we can go for more, the big fish in the small pond idea.  The deck we now play Match with contains 22 cards.  How many ways can we arrange them?  Math lesson!

• (5x4=20) +2 = 22
• (7x3=21) +1 = 22

  Well, it's a new idea.  i think we'll next go for (6x3=18) + 4 = 22. 
  What else can we do with a 2 person game with Thomas cards?

Wordless Wednesday - October Cat

Apple-Ville II

ok, i can live with the terms.  i don't actually need to upload from iTunes to get photos on this beast.  The language apps are SO much more extensive on Apple products.
So we're keeping the iPad and i now have an Apple ID.
But maybe we'll at some point get Android too, because they also have functionality with the good apps while PC doesn't.  Can't encourage or tolerate anything like a monopoly.. 
http://wondersandmarvels-wonderfull.blogspot.com/2012/09/apple-ville.html

Attending a Wedding with Max

 

  Recently i spoke to a woman who proudly told me about her son's upcoming wedding.  She said her other son, an older young man with autism, would not be attending the wedding however, because he doesn't do crowds.
  Boy do i know the feeling.  It is hard to relax with Max in a social setting.  i remember all the times "back when" when --- i can't begin to go there.  i'll have to try it another time for you.  But maybe you've seen another family in the midst of such a crisis.  Or maybe you ARE that family.

  When we received my cousin's invitation to his daughter's wedding,