So far this summer I've been able to get away with wearing jeans most days. It hasn't been so hot that I've been uncomfortable; just starting to get that way now and I'm realizing I don't have anything that looks and feels good at my current weight!
I also have one outfit to wear to BlogHer... how many do I need?
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
A Nice Remark
I got a nice treat this morning. DuckyBoy was in the kitchen and noticed two aging bananas hanging from their stand. He said something like, "Mom, you could make great banana bread from these. I love your banana bread."
Wasn't that nice? He's come so far so fast.
So, guess what I'm doing right now!
Zoloft Day 9, still upping my dose every 4 days. I feel a little dizzy today, day 1 of 37.5 mg. And I just needed the calculator to figure that amount out. But otherwise I feel really good, more positive about life than in a long time.
Wasn't that nice? He's come so far so fast.
So, guess what I'm doing right now!
Zoloft Day 9, still upping my dose every 4 days. I feel a little dizzy today, day 1 of 37.5 mg. And I just needed the calculator to figure that amount out. But otherwise I feel really good, more positive about life than in a long time.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Ups and Downs of Boys Clothing
What am I doing wrong here? DuckyBoy needs a raincoat. It's late June, I didn't think this would be such a problem.
Sears had ONE style. Wal-Mart and Target, nothing.
Not even any outerwear, like jackets, which makes me wonder if I'm really looking in the wrong place or something. I only saw a couple of sweatshirts.
Do I really need to buy this kind of stuff in April? How do I know what size he'll be in June, to shop in April?
I hate Internet clothes shopping, I can't tell the fit or feel, both of which matter to him.
On the up side, we just finished testing two t-shirts for the Soft line, and I am so excited for their launch (I think fall). DB liked the shirts so much he helped fill out the tester forms, which is saying a lot for a kid who avoids writing most of the time.
Sears had ONE style. Wal-Mart and Target, nothing.
Not even any outerwear, like jackets, which makes me wonder if I'm really looking in the wrong place or something. I only saw a couple of sweatshirts.
Do I really need to buy this kind of stuff in April? How do I know what size he'll be in June, to shop in April?
I hate Internet clothes shopping, I can't tell the fit or feel, both of which matter to him.
On the up side, we just finished testing two t-shirts for the Soft line, and I am so excited for their launch (I think fall). DB liked the shirts so much he helped fill out the tester forms, which is saying a lot for a kid who avoids writing most of the time.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Zoloft Day 1
This title reminds me of the "Special K Diet, Day 1" post I put up awhile back.
But hopefully this one will do more good.
DB has been the nicest kid lately. I'm still chalking it up to the week spent with Grandma and BonePa.
I'm imagining it's hard to generalize if you only, ever interact with the same 2 caregivers, right? So I think living with other people for a week, trying out various behaviors and seeing the reaction that's received, helped him somehow. He's more polite, grateful, and even less freaked out about various situations like a dodtor visit and the end of the school year.
Last night when I told him we were having chicken burgers for dinner, do you know what he said? "Yay!"
I'm tearing up just thinking about it! That's the first "Yay" I ever got for any food other than for nuggets or fries. And we all 3 ate and enjoyed them!
But hopefully this one will do more good.
DB has been the nicest kid lately. I'm still chalking it up to the week spent with Grandma and BonePa.
I'm imagining it's hard to generalize if you only, ever interact with the same 2 caregivers, right? So I think living with other people for a week, trying out various behaviors and seeing the reaction that's received, helped him somehow. He's more polite, grateful, and even less freaked out about various situations like a dodtor visit and the end of the school year.
Last night when I told him we were having chicken burgers for dinner, do you know what he said? "Yay!"
I'm tearing up just thinking about it! That's the first "Yay" I ever got for any food other than for nuggets or fries. And we all 3 ate and enjoyed them!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Junk Food Thanksgiving
DuckyBoy's "End of Year celebration" was a big success all around.
His reward for sticking it out at the short concert was the family reception afterwards; he called it "a junk food Thanksgiving," which the principal probably didn't appreciate.
But it was an apt description. It was 10 am, and the school cafeteria was full of first-graders with plates piled high with cupcakes, cookies, donut holes, chips, Cheetos, Goldfish. They're drinking box after box of juice, chocolate soy milk, and a little water and soda around the edges.
Everyone was wondering how the teachers would survive the rest of the day!
Me, I think they maybe felt the way I feel every day. Life with DB is like living with someone on a constant sugar rush. You get used to it after a while!
His reward for sticking it out at the short concert was the family reception afterwards; he called it "a junk food Thanksgiving," which the principal probably didn't appreciate.
But it was an apt description. It was 10 am, and the school cafeteria was full of first-graders with plates piled high with cupcakes, cookies, donut holes, chips, Cheetos, Goldfish. They're drinking box after box of juice, chocolate soy milk, and a little water and soda around the edges.
Everyone was wondering how the teachers would survive the rest of the day!
Me, I think they maybe felt the way I feel every day. Life with DB is like living with someone on a constant sugar rush. You get used to it after a while!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Vacation Report: Cozumel
I promised last week to share the reason for last week's short posts. Husband and I were in Cozumel, Mexico! I just didn't want to say it beforehand -- "hi, here are all the details of my life, and I'm not home this week, come rob me!"
We had a good time, were in the water almost every day -- snorkel, pool, even a scuba lesson which we said we were going to skip this time. (Really enjoyed it, but my ears can't take scuba as a regular hobby.) Drank a lot of margaritas and did not have to get up early. Also did not have to eat exclusively at places that serve chicken nuggets. Ahhh. Because...
DuckyBoy was at Grandma's, being a typical, well-socialized kid. (Who knew?)
We'd bought our plane tickets the day before the swine flu info hit the news. Good timing, eh? But within the past couple weeks, the travel ban to Mexico had been lifted, there had been no reported cases in Cozumel or Quintana Roo, and schools all around us in Queens were closing due to the H1N1 virus! We figured DB was safer on Long Island, and we were safer going than staying. Certainly no higher risk.
It's low season anyhow in Cozumel, but the place was empty. We first stayed at what we call ou "immersion hotel" -- a few blocks inland from the strip of hotels and tourist places, and also - no one there spoke English.
After a few days we scouted a good deal. Not everyone was giving deals, but we got a place with ocean view, giant Jacuzzi tub, and free breakfast and pool access at the sister hotel up the street, all for not much more than we were paying for a broken showerhead, walking in the heat, and a couple more bugs than I'd have liked. Gracias, Bahia Suites! (That's our suite on that Locations page!)
We had a good time, were in the water almost every day -- snorkel, pool, even a scuba lesson which we said we were going to skip this time. (Really enjoyed it, but my ears can't take scuba as a regular hobby.) Drank a lot of margaritas and did not have to get up early. Also did not have to eat exclusively at places that serve chicken nuggets. Ahhh. Because...
DuckyBoy was at Grandma's, being a typical, well-socialized kid. (Who knew?)
We'd bought our plane tickets the day before the swine flu info hit the news. Good timing, eh? But within the past couple weeks, the travel ban to Mexico had been lifted, there had been no reported cases in Cozumel or Quintana Roo, and schools all around us in Queens were closing due to the H1N1 virus! We figured DB was safer on Long Island, and we were safer going than staying. Certainly no higher risk.
It's low season anyhow in Cozumel, but the place was empty. We first stayed at what we call ou "immersion hotel" -- a few blocks inland from the strip of hotels and tourist places, and also - no one there spoke English.
After a few days we scouted a good deal. Not everyone was giving deals, but we got a place with ocean view, giant Jacuzzi tub, and free breakfast and pool access at the sister hotel up the street, all for not much more than we were paying for a broken showerhead, walking in the heat, and a couple more bugs than I'd have liked. Gracias, Bahia Suites! (That's our suite on that Locations page!)
I'll Take Homework for $100
It's hard to separate when to blog about DuckyBoy on my autism website and when to talk about him here. So much of DuckyBoy's life is centered around school that I sometimes feel I'm shortchanging this blog by having Autism and Public Schools also.
This story is more about me, and about DB as a person, than truly about homework, so it belongs here.
DB has trouble with homework. It's pretty rote, it bores him, and he often has trouble focusing on it long enough to get through a word or problem, let alone the whole page. I can't (yet) figure out the pattern of what makes him more or less distracted, so we struggle along.
Tonight he wanted to go to the park next door, so I told him the standard line: After your homework.
He did his "words of the week" sentences, but then ... up and down, here and there, play, bounce, talk, imagine ... finally I went looking for my kitchen timer. DB suggested his Tribot, which we set for 10 minutes.
He sat at his desk, pencil in hand, and started to ask questions:
What if he [Tribot] goes off and I'm not done? (Answer: As long as you're almost done, meaning more than halfway through the last page, we'll go to the park when you're done.)
And then: What if we get done and go to the park before he goes off?
The thought of this was So.Laughable.To.Me: that in 8 or so minutes he'd complete both math pages, one of which we'd already struggled to begin and set aside to come back to: that I burst out, "If you're done before that timer goes off, I'll give you $100."
He sat straight up and turned into a Math Wiz. I spent the next 8 minutes wondering if I was going to be able to pay him over time or if he'd demand the entire wad upfront...
Fortunately, Tribot alarmed on the 2nd-to-last problem. Whew!
DB tried to negogiate for a $98 payment, since he was so close. Fortunately, earlier we'd watched an episode of Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman where Fetch had stuck to the rule about some matter of points. So I had an ally in sticking to my guns.
I don't know if it was the surprise factor or the sheer audacity of the number or both, but it sure got him going! I'll have to think of something else for next time ... or else be prepared to cough up some dough when I miscalculate how fast he can work!
This story is more about me, and about DB as a person, than truly about homework, so it belongs here.
DB has trouble with homework. It's pretty rote, it bores him, and he often has trouble focusing on it long enough to get through a word or problem, let alone the whole page. I can't (yet) figure out the pattern of what makes him more or less distracted, so we struggle along.
Tonight he wanted to go to the park next door, so I told him the standard line: After your homework.
He did his "words of the week" sentences, but then ... up and down, here and there, play, bounce, talk, imagine ... finally I went looking for my kitchen timer. DB suggested his Tribot, which we set for 10 minutes.
He sat at his desk, pencil in hand, and started to ask questions:
What if he [Tribot] goes off and I'm not done? (Answer: As long as you're almost done, meaning more than halfway through the last page, we'll go to the park when you're done.)
And then: What if we get done and go to the park before he goes off?
The thought of this was So.Laughable.To.Me: that in 8 or so minutes he'd complete both math pages, one of which we'd already struggled to begin and set aside to come back to: that I burst out, "If you're done before that timer goes off, I'll give you $100."
He sat straight up and turned into a Math Wiz. I spent the next 8 minutes wondering if I was going to be able to pay him over time or if he'd demand the entire wad upfront...
Fortunately, Tribot alarmed on the 2nd-to-last problem. Whew!
DB tried to negogiate for a $98 payment, since he was so close. Fortunately, earlier we'd watched an episode of Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman where Fetch had stuck to the rule about some matter of points. So I had an ally in sticking to my guns.
I don't know if it was the surprise factor or the sheer audacity of the number or both, but it sure got him going! I'll have to think of something else for next time ... or else be prepared to cough up some dough when I miscalculate how fast he can work!
Eating: My One Approved Pastime
I have been thinking about my weight, my life, my hobbies (lack thereof), and so on and so forth.
One brainstorm I've had: Eating is one of the few activities I can do at home that's never criticized, and I never feel guilty about it. Oh and it does feel good, at the time anyway.In fact, it's the only activity that falls into all those categories that I can also do by myself, at any time, in any room, with anyone there.
Not cooking, which can be done wrong. Eating.
In short, it's no wonder I eat too much. It's my only hobby right now.
One brainstorm I've had: Eating is one of the few activities I can do at home that's never criticized, and I never feel guilty about it. Oh and it does feel good, at the time anyway.In fact, it's the only activity that falls into all those categories that I can also do by myself, at any time, in any room, with anyone there.
Not cooking, which can be done wrong. Eating.
In short, it's no wonder I eat too much. It's my only hobby right now.
When Personal Writing Meets Business Writing
One of the reasons I enjoy blogging is that I can write from the heart. Or the head. Or whatever body part is speaking that day, haha.
For the projects Husband and I work on, I recently started (yet) another blog for business related topics.
I spent many years writing no-first-person-needed, simple how-to or informational articles, and I enjoy that. Yet I find myself drawn to include my opinion, my stories. Maybe just because now I can.
Or maybe it's because I don't have an editor to chop them out. I wish I had someone like me!
Oh, picking tags for this post made me think maybe it's anxiety that makes me such a timid writer; I'm so anxious it will be wrong that sometimes I don't even start!
Argh.
I post this and then, irony happens. Alba posted the piece I wrote for her delightful blog, Bright and Spacious, and even complimented me on my writing! Now that's a boost. Thanks much!
For the projects Husband and I work on, I recently started (yet) another blog for business related topics.
I spent many years writing no-first-person-needed, simple how-to or informational articles, and I enjoy that. Yet I find myself drawn to include my opinion, my stories. Maybe just because now I can.
Or maybe it's because I don't have an editor to chop them out. I wish I had someone like me!
Oh, picking tags for this post made me think maybe it's anxiety that makes me such a timid writer; I'm so anxious it will be wrong that sometimes I don't even start!
Argh.
I post this and then, irony happens. Alba posted the piece I wrote for her delightful blog, Bright and Spacious, and even complimented me on my writing! Now that's a boost. Thanks much!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
New Bike
DB is so proud of his new bike. A real milestone -- especially when he rode down the real street at Grandma's. It's one thing to ride down the sidewalk to the playground, and then around the playground -- but quite another to ride on a real street (Grandma's street is quiet) toward a real stop sign!
He's so inattentive I worry about him noticing cars -- but it's not like he's riding alone yet. He said something about "Cars have to watch out for bikes" and I was sure to stress, "Yes, but bikes have to watch out for cars more!"
He also was thinking about how the cars could probably hear the bikes, so I was able to put in a good word for how much quieter the bike will be without training wheels! On the street he already got a feel for how much better the ride is without the training wheels -- who knows, they may be off by the end of the week.
His bike was a big hit at the playground yesterday, he was so excited to show it off.
The funny thing is, when someone is complimenting him on it, he's rarely listening because it doesn't coincide with the precise time when he is thining about the bike! *Sigh.*
He's so inattentive I worry about him noticing cars -- but it's not like he's riding alone yet. He said something about "Cars have to watch out for bikes" and I was sure to stress, "Yes, but bikes have to watch out for cars more!"
He also was thinking about how the cars could probably hear the bikes, so I was able to put in a good word for how much quieter the bike will be without training wheels! On the street he already got a feel for how much better the ride is without the training wheels -- who knows, they may be off by the end of the week.
His bike was a big hit at the playground yesterday, he was so excited to show it off.
The funny thing is, when someone is complimenting him on it, he's rarely listening because it doesn't coincide with the precise time when he is thining about the bike! *Sigh.*
Monday, June 1, 2009
Moving Up Ceremony
Monday June 8 is DB's "end-of-year celebration" at school. They don't call it a"moving up" ceremony anymore because not everyone moves up and they want everyone to participate.
Ooookay.
And then, it's flippin' June 8. The school year doesn't end until the 27th. How does this help the kid with extreme transition issues get ready for 2nd grade by thinking he's done with first grade a month ahead of time?
Can you see the steam coming out of my ears???
My posts this week are short for a reason -- willl let you know next week. A good thing.
Ooookay.
And then, it's flippin' June 8. The school year doesn't end until the 27th. How does this help the kid with extreme transition issues get ready for 2nd grade by thinking he's done with first grade a month ahead of time?
Can you see the steam coming out of my ears???
My posts this week are short for a reason -- willl let you know next week. A good thing.
