snagglebox: Stuff About Us

Showing posts with label Stuff About Us. Show all posts

A Letter To My Kids: You Are Not A Puzzle

Hey guys!

Wow, you’re growing up really fast. Well you’re growing at the same rate you always have, but that’s just something old people like me say when their kids grow taller than them.

You’re spending a lot more time on the internet now, so I want to talk to you about some of the stuff you might find there. You know how we talk about autism a lot at home? Well people on the internet like to talk about it too, especially during April because it’s Autism Awareness Month.

Over the weekend we had an awesome party for one for Max's birthday.

We had a day of eating Star Wars themed foods (made from this cookbook) - the boys had great fun putting together the menu and writing out all of the ingredients that we needed to buy.

But by far the thing that both the boys look forward to the most on their birthday is the cake. One year I made the fatal mistake of coming up with something elaborate and original, so now they expect a similar level of awesomeness every birthday.

What's a girl to do?

“I remember a game we played once.”

We’re driving in the car and Max has launched into a rare spontaneous conversation.

“We sat in a circle and passed around a package with lots of layers. When the music stopped, if you were holding the package you got to unwrap one of the layers. The last layer had a present inside and that person got to keep it!”

The Word I Choose

Autistic is the word that I choose to describe my kids.

It’s also how I choose to describe myself.

So therefore it’s the word I choose to use throughout my blog.

Here’s why.

Did somebody say FREE STUFF?

I've got five copies of this hard-cover children's book to giveaway, written by yours truly!

Today my kids watched a current affairs program in which they heard the word cure attached to autism for the first time.

This is their reaction.

It’s easy to find advice about how to manage the occasional bad day. Take it easy, eat a good breakfast, hang in there. Scream.

But what if most of your days are like that? What if the bad days are your life? What happens when a good day comes along?

Earlier this year I was given an amazing opportunity to write a children's book to promote disability awareness and inclusion.

The book was part of a wonderful art competition called Help a Child Grow which is run by Therapy Focus, a not-for-profit disability service provider.

And it's something that I will never forget.

The last of the moving boxes was finally unpacked.
I collapsed on the bed and watched out the window as a little red-breasted bird hopped along a branch, enjoying the sunshine and making the most of the break in the rain.

I love it here.

I hadn’t let myself think that until now, doing my usual self-protection thing in case everything went to crap. That’s what happens when you have feelings that are so easily broken, you keep them packed in bubblewrap until it’s safe to put them on the shelf.

Gonna Eat A Lot Of Peaches

Last week we moved to the country.

It’s the tenth house we’ve lived in since Max was born, a number which both surprises and saddens me. I moved a lot when I was little and always swore that when I had kids of my own we’d live in just one house forever.

But the universe clearly thinks that I love adventure and heavy lifting, and so here we are again.

Scenes From a Life

Overheard from the back seat today while driving Attie's friend home from a playdate...

A Minecraft Birthday!

Attie LOVED his Minecraft-themed birthday cake today!

Each block of the cake was a Minecraft block...

Grass - hedgehog slice with green coconut icing
Sand - rice crispie squares
Water - blue jelly (jello)
Snow - chocolate cake with white icing
TNT - chocolate cake with red licorice

When my oldest son Max was three he spent most of every day with his head on the carpet, adding to the line of toy cars that snaked around the living room and down the hall. When he ran out of cars he’d go back to the start and turn each one 45 degrees, over and over on down the line until they were all facing the same direction.

As I watched him do this my thoughts were always the same...

Boys Don't Want To Be Mommies

Today my son decided that he wanted a baby doll. A realistic one, that he can feed and cuddle and sing to. Because, in his words, “he wants to learn how to be a good daddy”.

I could not have been more happy to hear this. My son wants to look after something! To role play. To imagine himself as a father. I was so ecstatic my heart threw a ticker-tape parade.

So off we head to the toy store, a car full of smiley heads. When we get there, all we see is this...

The laughter floats down on the warm afternoon breeze.

Kids jumping on trampolines. Families kicking a ball together. Little girls holding hands while they swing. In my walk around the neighbourhood a thought fills my mind, one that visits often.

Are my kids happy?