Memories Now will be Memories Later......

I Lost my Dad to a heart attack when I was just 11 years old.  And my Mom died barely a year later.  All I had as I was passed from foster home to foster home was a bag of pictures.  They are very important to me, but I don't know the story behind the smiling faces.  Scrapbooking wasn't a thing 25 years ago like it is today.  Even though we were an extremely close Family those Special Memories they had were never passed down to me.  Who would have thought they would have left me at such a young age????  

You can bet I document everything and have made a ton of scrapbooks for each one of my children.  Honestly, I think about my Parents a lot and wonder what life was like for them.  Especially on Holidays or when something monumental happens.  Like my oldest is Graduating our Homeschool this year.  I wonder what it was like for my parents when they graduated.  I bet they had some crazy after party and what about all the anticipation of the future?????  I have nothing at all to pass done to my kiddos about their Grandparents.  Makes me sad, but when I heard about this Innovative Program I have to admit I squealed with delight!!!  

So, the past month or so I was given the opportunity to use Saving memories Forever.  It's an App/Internets site program that allows you and loved ones to record your stories and treasured memories from the past.

Here’s how to get started.  Visit the Saving Memories Forever website or your app market and download the app.  You can get an account for free or pay $3.99 per month or $40.00 per year.  Honestly, You Can't put a Price on Your Memories!!!  Once you are signed up you are ready to go, it's pretty easy and user friendly. Here are some extra Helpful tips.

Don't forget to go check out how Saving Memories Forever came about, thanks to Harvey and Jane Baker.  You can stop by and say hello to them on Facebook or Twitter.

Sign up right now, You have Nothing to Loose only Cherished Memories to Pass on to your Kiddos and Grandkiddos!!!  You wont regret it.... 

 

 

The Happy Scientist

Kaden went to a Birthday Party last week.  It was his first Birthday Party ever to go to, so it was exciting for all of us.  The Birthday Person was having a "Mad Scientist" Party", complete with a "Mad Scientist"!!  Kaden was a definite No from the moment he found out.  He handed the invitation back to the kiddo and said no thanks.  Thankfully the Birthday Kiddo is in Kaden's social skills class so the Mom didn't give much thought about Kaden's refusal.

Cool thing about the party was the fact that they were having it at the center.  YAY!!!  That meant there would be helpers to get all the kiddos through the party.
On the day of the party Kaden still didn't want to go.  Everyone had explained to him that "Mad" didn't mean that he was angry and wanted to hurt him.  We ended up being 30 minuted late, because we literally had to drag him into the van and across the parking lot once we got there.

When we opened the door the lights were out and the "Mad Scientist" had flames coming from one hand and the smell of burnt hair filled the room.  This was not a good 1st impression.  Zooooooom, there went Kaden!!!!  Thankfully the staff was ready and he was safe, just scared.   Kaden kept asking why they can't be called the Happy Scientist.  That he would like that more. :)

After a nice, comforting conversation and the help of a Staff sidekick we got him in the room to enjoy the last half hour or so.  He was able to answer a few questions correctly about electricity and lightning.  And then he saw how fireworks were made and at the end he was able to make glow in the dark slime.

The important thing was he was smiling by the end of the party.  I was proud of him for trying so hard.  I know some people might think, come on it's a party for gosh sakes.  He is 6 years old, cut the cord!!!  But, the difference is the look of fear in his eyes is real, imagine being sent to a huge volcano to plunge into or being trapped in a burning building.  It is a true fear for him to be in social situations.  The noisy, smells, activity, even just the thoughts of a social environment becomes so overwhelming.  It will take time, but he is one step closer. 




I remember when he was almost 5 and we went to this amazing event at a local church.  They had turned it into Bethlehem.  Kaden was so overwhelmed by the music, amount of people and all the different pictures and scenery that he had a full on breakdown.  It was tragic the way he was shaking and rocked his head back and forth while screaming so loud with his hands over his ears.  It was like he was on fire, he looked terrified.  When he wasn't screaming he was calling out numbers and hitting himself.  It took all we had to get out as fast as possible.  This was before we knew a diagnosis.  This was when people said, he's just a boy, he'll grow out of it.  He looks normal to me!!!!  Well, after all we have been through as a Family....I agree!!  He is normal, maybe not "Your Normal".  Or what the World thinks is "Normal".  But I wouldn't change this little guy for all the money in the World!!!!

A Little Green Man Came to See Kaden......

We were Invaded last night by a little Green Man.........a Leprechaun!!!  Kaden was so excited to wake up and see little tiny foot prints leading to a loot of Gold chocolate.

This is my first year doing anything like this for him, because he really wasn't able to focus on any real tradition or have excitement towards anything that didn't include a chess move or sequence of objects.  But, the past year we have seen so much progress. 

Of course he needed to investigate.  He just knew it was paint and had to take a closer look.  But after careful observation he noticed it was slimy like soap.  Oh no...........

 I used a Max Steel boot and diluted soap colored with green food coloring.  Luckily Kaden's investigation wasn't too long, because the Loot of Chocolate Covered Coins at the end of the trail was to tempting!!!!!   I guess the Luck of the Irish was on my side this morning!!  :)

Rocco was our Leprechaun Guard Dog.  I think it was a tough night for him.  Luckily the Leprechaun got away and was on his way to the next house.

Looking for Math Gold.....

It's March!!!  YAY!!!!  It's time for all the little leprechauns to show there cute faces and everyone to get pinched.  So, to start off the festivities I decided to do a st. Patrick's Day Unit study....more on that later.  And we will be backing and crafting like there is no tomorrow.  This will actually gear us up for Easter.  Can I just say now I Hate it when it's in March.....I love celebrating Easter for the whole month of April.  We still are going to do that, just start a few days into March.

Colorful Answers

So, first off I have some cute ideas for Kaden.  He is so bored of math.  I have him in a 3rd grade book and I truly don't want to move him up another year, so I decided to do fun math activities the rest of the school year.


I just wrote out problems in rows shaped like a rainbow.  Kaden likes problems with multiple steps.  So, the more I use them the happier he is. 


When he figures the problem out he glues the answer on and Ta-Da, you have a rainbow, minus the happy Leprechaun and pot of Gold!

It took Kaden only a few minuted to finish this, so next time I will make it harder!  ;D  I am also going to do one for Spelling words and vocabulary.  You can make a truck, dinosaur, space rocket, the sky is the limit.  Let me know what you create and how your kiddo did with it.  Kaden gave it 2 thumbs up!!!

President's Day Cotton Balls & Jelly Beans

We are on the way to recovery....I swear it has been the longest road.  I feel like I could have recovered from 2 addictions by now and I'm still fighting a Kidney infection.  Blahhhhhhhh!
That being said even though sickness has plagued the whole house school must go on.  We celebrated President's Day with a whole Unit Study.

Kaden actually enjoyed the cutting and gluing most, coloring not so much.  I had him practice his writing skills and copy work.  He has a hard time with spacing his words out and writing so fast that it looks more like lines and scribbles then letters.  So, every day we do some form of writing, even on the weekend.

Mahala read books about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  Kaden was interested in all the dates and weaponry mentioned.  Mahala was just thrilled that this not only counted for History, but her 1 hour of reading time.  :)  We completed a fun lapbook which included some pretty cute jokes.  And then made fingerprint cherry trees and Mr. Washington with the ever so expected cotton ball hair.  They also wrote what they would do if they were President.  Kaden wrote that he would play video games all day and have someone cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for him.  I looked at him and said, "Well Hello Mr. President".  He looked at me like I had jelly beans coming out of my nose.
That's Homeschooling life with Kaden though, you never know what he's going to say or do.  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I Asked Santa for Opened Windows

Well the lights are still glowing in our house.....our decorations don't come down for another week or so.  We just love them up, so we wait as long as we can to take them down.  :D  We had an AMAZING Christmas this year!!!!  I can't express into words how connected I felt with my Family this year.  It was wonderful and I know the kids enjoyed every minute of it.  Even Kaden seemed more into the whole spending time with the Family idea. 
One thing we all realized is his complete lack of interest in "toys".  I know I should be thrilled....less to buy and less to clean up after.  But, a piece of me has always felt sad that he doesn't enjoy things typical 5 year old boys do.  Skylar would have Loved all the car tracks, legos and action figures that Kaden has.  We were unable to buy them for him when he was young.  Maybe that is a part of what makes me feel so sad about it all. 

I recently asked myself what it is that I'm really upset about.  Why does it bother me?????  Simply enough it's just the fact that I feel like I don't know how to get into his world.  Skylar and I could play cars or build lego cities for hours.  We could color together or play a board game with no melt downs.  I could relate to him in many ways.  If I felt like we weren't connected I could take him to the park or movie and get right back on track.  But, with Kaden I can't do that.  He shows little affection or even little acknowledgement to us most days and the messed up thing is I can't even bribe him with toys, outings, candy or anything for that matter.
If none of that "typical" crap is going to work, how the heck am I going to get into his world?  He wont let me in and I feel so out of place with him.  Mahala and Skylar I have a place, I know where I fit in.  I feel so selfish even writing this out and that sucks, but I'm just getting it all off my chest. 

So, this Christmas I didn't buy him "typical" toys that I saw in ads and magazines for his age group.  Instead I thought about the things that Kaden enjoys and needs sensory wise.  I bought strategy type board games, anything that lights up or makes repetitive sounds, science kits, anything glow in the dark or had to do with the planets and stars.  I had a different frame of mind this year.  I always think back to when I was Mahala's age and the things I liked when I shop for her and it works out, most of the time.  But, with Kaden I have to shift my thoughts a bit. 
It may seem ridiculous, but several times since Kaden's diagnosis I have went through many times of grieving.  I don't know how else to put it.  I mean I know I have my children and I'm very thankful and feel blessed.  But, just like when I was diagnosed with Lupus, I went through these periods of oh my goodness I will never be able to do this again or feeling the loss of certain abilities I once had.  So, I have had these moments several times about Kaden and his Autism.
I'm trying to shift my thought process now and trying to look at all the opened windows that are there for him even if there are doors that are shut now.  Every day I realize more and more the challenges ahead for him will work out just fine, I just have to change my way of thinking and expectations.  I have to use that window and not let the closed door seem like such a bad thing all the time.

It's Just Tradition

Has is really been this long?  I am amazed and words can't express right now how odd it is that I haven't even thought to write anything down.  Christmas time around here is a whirl wind.  But, in a good way.  A total good way, I love this time of the year,  Because while some people may get overwhelmed or feel like both ends of their candle is melting away.  I squeal in delight each day going from one tradition to the next.   We have Christmas down to a science, for lack of a better word.

And even though we tend to do the same things over and over, year after year.  There is this feel of comfort and newness.  Like we make ornaments every single year, but each year the ornaments change, the ideas evolve on how to make them and who they are being made for. 


 One of our traditions each year is to make a Christmas chain to count down the days till the BIG DAY!  And every link has a craft or family activity to do.  It can be as simple as taking a walk together before dinner or a game night.  One of the kid's favorites is sleeping under the tree.  They love that and they love making the ornaments and kids get to cook night!!  Hey, I like that one too!!!!  This year we also did a dessert for breakfast day.  Nobody complained that morning!  HAHAHA

 We decorated pin-cones this year, which was something that we had not done in a few years.  So, it was nice to add something new.  Skylar made the Rudolf pine-cone!

 And of course we do gingerbread house each year.  And every year they come up with new designs and challenge to put upon each other.  The time we spend as a family together, working and playing I feel is the glue that bonds us together.  And the Holidays is a perfect time to set the tone for the beginning of the new year to come.
Even though the baking, wrapping, decorating and craft planning is a lot to do.  If you go into without the expectation of perfection you will appreciate what a gift the Holidays can be to your Family.  Yes, I love things to be done right and the ornaments hung just so.  But, I would rather see a tree with no ornaments on it's left side in order to hear the laughter of my kids reminiscing over their homemade ornaments any day!!!
It makes my Life worth it!

Let the Holidays Begin!

Once again the Holidays are among us.  I'm excited because Kaden seems more aware of whats going on.  Halloween he was all for getting tons of candy and having a reason to walk around looking like Mario with his big Sister sporting a Luigi costume just to make her brother happy.  Even though I secretly think she wanted to wear it anyway.  HAHAHA

And Thanksgiving kind of came and went with nothing too exciting to share.  I cooked, they ate, we passed out until the next day and then I shopped until I passed out again!  HAHAHAHA  Kaden was very particular on what he would eat or even taste for that matter.  And I was fine with that.  I usually have him take at least one bite of everything unless it's something totally different.  Like I wouldn't make him eat sushi if he was dead set against it.  Believe it or not, he loves sushi but wont give tomatoes a try.  :)  So, basically he ate mac and cheese, some turkey and enough rolls to build a road to heaven.  :)

Now we are decorating for Christmas and this is our Families Favorite Holiday of the year!  We love to decorate, back cookies and cakes, make homemade cards, build gingerbread houses, put together puzzles, sip hot chocolate and curl up to watch Christmas movies.
Normally since Kaden has been old enough to know whats going on he has stayed in the background.  Hanging out in his room or just not participating.  This year I have a feeling he is going to be a tad more involved!!!  So far he helped with the tree.....on his terms.  He said he wanted to organize the branches by size and color.  And he wanted to put up the ornaments, that was it.  So sure enough after the branches were sorted out he ran up the stairs to his room and played.  When it was time for the ornaments he came down and was the biggest help ever!

All the homemade garland for the room and strands of popcorn and cranberries he wants no part of.  And I am ok with that.  I'm so proud of him and how he has grown, adapted to whats going on around him.  That was one of the things that I found difficult, him not being able to relate and participate with the world around him.  Even if he just picks one or two things to do with the family everyday I am thrilled.  Progress people, it's a Beautiful thing!