Understanding Autism

Being a parent can be very difficult especially if you add autism to the mix. For me that is a challenge, one I am not too fond of. Today I find out if my third son is on the spectrum, which in a Way makes me nervous. If he is diagnosed that will make it three for three. I have five kids, three boys and two girls. None of my boys have escaped the burden of autism so far and the first screening we had with our last was not good at all.

It is so discouraging at times to watch my sons struggle everyday. My nine year old struggles the most and it just breaks my heart. Knowing that he gets bullied at school doesn’t help at all either. It is definitely a hard transition for my babies when it comes to interacting with their peers, strangers, or other social experiences. It’s sad to watch them get overwhelmed when I take them out into the store knowing many are probably viewing him as a bad kid and not one that needs comfort and understanding.

My goal here is to help bring awareness for Autism. So many don’t understand it!!! I hate when people say ‘they don’t look autistic’, well no duh, Autism is so much more involved. Every child, adult, person is different on the spectrum. First ask questions, do research but don’t judge. Until you know the struggle and heartache just pray and be more understanding. Also feel free to check out my website, The Family Way

A Divided Family

Truly I find it amazing the impact of a superhero’s leadership has on a small child.  Kids these days really love their superheros.  In a way I think adults are having the same child-like mindset as our children when it comes to the Superhero persona.

*Spoilers** AHEAD* YOU ARE WARNED, IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MARVEL MOVIE: INFINITY STONES, THEN STOP READING NOW!

So if you have made it this far then you are about to be blown away by a sad reality that kids were heartbroken over the deaths of so many beloved superheros like Black Panther, Spider-man, Scarlet Witch, Gamora, the Winter Soldier, and so many more.  My kids watched in horror as they faded away as Thanos snapped his fingers.  Yep, such a tragedy.  Luckily there a major rumors that this is not the end for most of our beloved Marvel characters.  Just like with Superman when he was killed in Batman Vs. Superman, he was brought back to life.

In our family apparently there has been a lot of heartbreak.  We are a divided family here.  Half of us are DC fans and well the others…are of course Marvel fanatics.  Watching these characters go through their ups and downs in their own universe has been a touching especially with how we have grown attached to our favorites.  I am personally excited to watch how far they will go with both the DC and Marvel Universes.

If you haven’t watched any of the superhero movies I completely recommend all of them.  Give them a try.  They make great family night movies especially when you got kids!  They really get into it and it truly brings out your inner superhero.

 

A Little Funny for the Restless

Today I ran across one of the funniest life hacks hat had me on the floor laughing. The image it gave me of when I was a teenager was priceless! To be honest an image of teenagers today going through phone withdrawals is just overbearingly hilarious. The life hack quotes this:

“When punishing your kids, don’t take away their electronics.  Just take their charger and watch the fear in their eyes as they use it less and less while the battery slowly dies.”

It was just to pass up to now share!!! As a parent I have learned it is best to have an open mind and a great sense of humor!!!!

My Summer 2018

This summer is going by so quickly!!! It is blowing my mind. I was able to actually find time to finish my website today. I still need to produce more content on it but I was able to get it fully up and running! http://www.embracingtheimpossible.com

Also this week I have truly fallen in love with Pinterest! It is the ultimate guide to anything….literally lol! Here are tons of pictures for you to enjoy of our summer so far!

Life is like a Box of Chocolate

It’s funny as an adult to think of the phrase “Life is like a box of chocolate’s you never know what you are going to get.”  That statement was made by Forrest Gump in the movie “Forrest Gump”.  As a child it went over my head and I never really connected with that statement, now that I am an adult I see how true it is.  Life is full of many twists and turns and you never really know where you are going to end up.  Today I was thnking about all the many different routes my life could have taken due to choices that were laid on my lap when I was younger.  Life is like a path with many different directions or a river with many different currents.  It’s interesting to think about all the many different choices and paths that could have been but weren’t because of the path you chose already.

Life is like a box of chocolates, we don’t know what will happen the next day, moment, or year from now.  There are so many different scenarios that can result from one choice that was made and you don’t know which one is going to when the lottery for that day.  To be honest I enjoy not knowing, living life with laughter and joy without knowing what is going to happen next makes life more exciting in my opinion.  Just like in the featured picture for this post, my youngest son is holding an Easter egg full of candy.  Until he opens it he doesn’t know what kind is in it.   Life is amazing and is like a roller coaster that gives you so much of thrill and excitement.  Live life to the fullest, you never know when your journey is going to end.  Live. Laugh. Make Memories.

Goodbye Winter Hello Summer

The seasons have changed, the grass is greener, the sky is brighter, and the kids are out!  Yes, Summer has officially begun!!! Personally I can’t believe how much time has flown by this year.  It seems like it was only Yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas and now here it is almost Memorial Day.

Planning fun outside activities with the family, like picnics and park trips are great ways to connect with your family.  I have been trying to incorporate a lot of water play with the kids to keep them cool as they play outside in the heat.  Having chalk, bubbles, and crafts available for the kids help alleviate boredom and build on their creativity.  On another note though, boredom isn’t a bad hint to have.  When children are bored they are able to use their imagination which I feel is a great way to help your child build character and think outside the box.

Pictures Worth a 1000 Words

Motherhood in a snapshot!

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Time Flies

It’s funny, it seems like time is definitely something we feel we have so much of and yet we don’t.  Time flies by so fast, just look at your kids.  They grow fast and sadly they just keep on growing.  Today I was reminded of how quickly  time passes and how many great adventures I miss out on with them because I get so busy in my adult life.  Sometimes just taking a step back brings out perspective that is needed in our (parents) daily lives.

Today I decided to put aside all the adult stuff (Busy work, housework, work in general- I think you get the point!) and went outside with my kids and played in the water with them.  Lots of laughter and memories were made because I made a choice to put them first.  I admit that can be a hard thing because we get so caught up on our daily responsibilities.  Being an adult can be very overwhelming and can come with a lot of stressors that children don’t have.  Sometimes just taking the time to play or spend time with your children can be the best medicine for stress relief.  After we played outside we decided to sit down and play Monopoly, which I used for educational purposes.  They loved it and it brought joy to me.  Sometimes as I said we just need to take a step back and enjoy the blessings in front of us that God has given us.

Parenting isn’t easy, there is always going to be the crazy days, the easy days, the I don’t know kind of days, but overall the only way to enjoy parenting is to realize there is no perfect way to parent.  Remember you are enough, don’t overthink parenting, embrace it and take it all in.  You miss all the fun and joyful moments when you don’t give parenting your all.