school – Domi and the Dudes Do's and Don'ts

Hello Strangers

Hello again. I know it has been a long time. The last seven months have been busy, emotional, wonderful and stressful. Ok so basically they have been normal. 🙂

We have settled into lives in the new house. The kids love the space and being so close to school and friends and the park. It has opened up more opportunities for our family and that has been nice. I have been so busy that half of what we own is still packed in the garage though.

I am going to be perfectly honest. I haven’t updated the blog in months mostly because of the wonderful commenter who tried to shame me. She failed in making me feel ashamed of asking for help. She did, however, make me want to pull back from opening myself to it happening again. That attitude was letting that persons poison win and I no longer want to do that. I need this blog. I need to be able to share my feelings, fears and pride with the world. Even if noone reads it. I need a place to put it. There is so much more to our lives that I can’t express at home.

So, moving right along. This is where we are.

River is in his senior year of high school. This has so many mixed emotions involved in it. He is struggling with realizing the school year is coming to an end. He loves his school and hates change, so I know how hard the end of the year will be. Also involved in this is preparing for public engagements.

River at the Vancouver Menorah lighting for Chanukah. The last time he had a highly successful public outing.

Today he had a practice presentation for his senior project. He has to talk about volunteer work he did this year and its impact on his life. He came directly home from school very upset after his presentation. Instead of staying for the day of open studies, he made the choice to walk home and let himself decompress. Seeing him so overwhelmed is very hard. Public speaking is never going to be easy for him. Upside, he got through it. He said he broke down in tears a few times and got flustered, but he made it through. So this week I will be drilling him on it all week to get him really ready for the official presentation next week.

River has been going to youth group at the church on Wednesdays too. Which he chose to do on his own. He enjoys it, but admitted to me this week he doesn’t really talk to anyone there. I hate that he still has no friends no matter what I do. He just doesn’t know how to approach people or how to interact with people who approach him. He tries though and I couldn’t be more proud.

Mr. Man turned 18 last summer, so he got to vote.

Sky is flourishing. He loves going to school and being with his friends. He has taken up writing fanfic and creating his own Minecraft skins and artwork. Sky joined 4H and is raising guinea pigs. He loves animals and enjoys getting to be around other kids. He is thinking about joining scouts with his best bud too.

Little dude still has alot of anxiety though. His health is still a problem that we are working on. That will probably always be the case though. The kid is tough though and I know my little fighter will come through it all.

As for me, I am still continuing my schooling. Getting good grades and trying not to get burned out. I am providing childcare full time for my friends two kids and that is alot of work. I also am involved with my book club Fangirls Read It First. I review books, edit other members reviews and help run the public Facebook page. It is fun and a good outlet for me that has nothing to do with my kids. We all need something like that.

So I aim to have this back up and regular. our little family will continue its growth. We won’t lose sight of our goals even when autism, money issues and life in general kick us down. We are fighters and we keep going.

March 23, 2015 by Domi Tags: 4H, animals, asd, aspergers, Autism, autism parent, Boys, change, dreams, family, Hope, school Leave a comment

Proud Momma share

Happy quick little note today. The Little Dude completed school for the year. Aside from one more in person science class next Wednesday all of his school work for the year is over. Next year he will be doing 5 grade. YAY! He is of course super happy about getting to move over to the summer sleep schedule of staying up an hour later and sleeping in, which makes me giggle as I almost never wake him up early or even at all. One of the perks of homeschooling is we start when we feel like it. So hooray for the Little Dude on finishing school 3 weeks early.

Now to the Big Guy. He came home in a great mood today. He has completed his history course for the year, including the final. Which he was super happy to say he only missed 2 questions and one of them he said was he accidentally clicked the wrong answer. Either way only missing 2 questions on a final in a course he somewhat struggled with this year is fantastic. We are so super proud of him for this. One course down and getting very close on the others. Seeing him come home from school so obviously proud of himself made this mommas day.

Tomorrow we all get a break and are going on a field trip with the school to OMSI to see the dinosaur exhibit. We are all excited for this one and to spend some time as a family in a place we love. This mom is super happy and really needed this day. It makes everything a little lighter when the kids are so exuberant. Perfect ending to a long week.

Always Love,

Domi

You can learn more about us and what we are doing at

https://www.facebook.com/Riosdreams

donations can be made at:

http://www.youcaring.com/other/building-blocks-for-birthday-dreams/151773

and purchases can be made at:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RiosBdayDreams

May 23, 2014 by Domi Tags: asd, aspergers, Autism, autism parent, Dinosaurs, family, happy, love, mom, Momma, OMSI, school, struggles, success Leave a comment

Making connections.

First day of school excitement and nervousness.

So here we are, another school year is about to end. The little dude has almost all of his work completed and will be finishing up the last of his courses tomorrow aside from science (more on that in a sec) The big guy is on a more structured program and struggles a bit more at keeping on task, but he is getting close to the end and should be ready for finals week and done with school in 3 weeks. I am super proud of the work they have accomplished.

So why does my heart feel so low?

Let me tell you about the school we were associated with this year. My boys go to a different kind of school. It is through the public school district and there are other students and 2 teachers and a little building and classes and the like. Our school is different though. Our school uses online curriculum. The little dude uses the K12 program and I guide him through the year. The majority of his schooling is done at home with provided curriculum. Most Wednesdays he goes to the school building and has a science class with other students. He is in 3rd grade doing 4th grade curriculum and his science class is 3rd – 5th grade and there are 6 kids in the group. He really enjoys it and has made a very good friend through the school. That is the key and why we picked this school SO that the boys could make friends. For the first time in Eph’s life he has a real friend. So this year was pretty major for little dude.

Eph and his buddy ready to hunt Easter Eggs. (pictures of peoples back because I am trying to keep our friends faces private)

Now the big guy, he is doing his junior year of high school. He hasn’t done a full year at brick and mortar school since he was in the 3rd grade. He struggled so much and had some pretty traumatic events ( I talked about the painful reflections here) so I have mostly home schooled him. I used a few different curriculum and sometimes I just went to the library and found things to teach him. I guess I didn’t do so bad because he is doing really well in school this year aside from his time management struggles.

Since River is in the high school program, his weeks are different then Eph’s. Rio uses a different program online called apex. It is very much a self propelled program where he just goes along at his own pace, though there is a calendar of what is due when for him to stay on time. It is a great program and he likes it. He can and does go into the school building on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well as every fourth Wednesday for science lab. On top of that, his teacher stays available over video chat when he needs help. The teachers are a husband and wife team. He works with the high school kids and she works with the k-8 kids. Both are amazing with all of the kids and it is a great environment.

The Big Guy enjoys the program and the ability to work at his own pace.

So again, why am i down?

My hopes for this school year was that the big guy would learn some social skills and most of all, make a friend. Someone close to his age that he could talk with and spend time with and feel like he had a friend. While he has learned some social skills and he has taken part in activities he hasn’t really connected with any of the other kids. He will hang with the younger kiddos at the social gatherings and they enjoy talking with him about Pokemon. That isn’t a bad thing. He likes when Eph’s buddy chats him up about pokemon and such but it isn’t the same thing. I just hurt so much when I see him struggle and he wants so much to have a friend.

The Big Guy joins the Little Dude and his pal for a little bit of pizza and cartoons.

I don’t know how to help him and it breaks my heart. My son will be 18 in a month and he has never had a friend. We have started planning his birthday party and I asked him who he wanted to invite and he said “I don’t know, Grandma and Grandpa”

So I invited my parents and Ephs friends family (who have become great friends to me and River gets on well with the kids who are all Around Eph’s age or younger) River has connected with a young girl in that family who has AS. She has taken to him and he seems to calm her. So I suppose that is a friend even if it isn’t conventional. I invited people I know to join us for the party but there is this huge pain as I sit and think of these invitations. I have never been able to be that mom who invites their child’s friends to enjoy their day with them. My amazing son will be 18 and he has never had a birthday party where his friends come and hang out with him. In fact the majority of his birthdays are just me his brother and my parents. Neither of my sons have been able to have a birthday party experience.

This was why I wanted so badly to try and give them the lego land dream and why I will keep trying to find a way to make that happen. They are such amazing boys and I wish the world could see that. I know some day someone will meet him and see past the struggles to the amazing, loving, intelligent young man that he is and they will want to be a part of his life.

I had hoped this year would have been the year where he made a real connection and had a friend. Though my heart hurts for him, I will just keep hoping. Next year he will be at the same school. Maybe that will be the year. Just keep holding on to hope.

2 1/2 weeks until my baby boy turns 18. all he wants is some friends to come bbq and play video games. I wish that was easy to give him. I hope people come this year. Even if it is another year of just us and the grandparents. I will make him some bbq and I will play halo with him all day if that’s what he wants. And some day I WILL take him to LegoLand. Just keep pushing forward.