Asperger Mom

We exchanged our family gifts before our vacation so we could travel to where it was warm … we even had a white
Christmas (and now our area is snowed in.) I’m wondering if we’ll be able to fly home. But why sweat the small stuff, I am here to enjoy myself.

So I wanted to share some favorite Christmas quotes for your holiday:

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you’re home. ~Carol Nelson

He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree. ~Roy L. Smith

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. ~Charles Dickens

Christmas is the gentlest, loveliest festival of the revolving year - and yet, for all that, when it speaks, its voice has strong authority. ~W.J. Cameron

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall. ~Larry Wilde, The Merry Book of Christmas

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~Washington Irving

I hope you all enjoy your time with family, friends or loved ones. I am looking forward to the new year and to my children growing older and wiser each day.

I am counting the days till the launch of my non-profit organization and my new website.

I will be spending the remained of 2008 enjoying my husband and children and working together on some creative artwork. I’ll be painting and taking pictures of palm trees and desert rock formations, making cookies and candies, singing Christmas carols along with Il Divo and making homemade pastas and sauces.

My oldest turned eighteen on December 18th, I sure don’t feel old enough … I guess that’s the beauty of not growing up!

Our family took off from the north (where it had snowed) and headed south for our vacation. Now our last adventure together was not a screaming success. I infact was just whinning to my therapist (every Aspie Mom needs a good one of those) about my fear of heading out on a twelve day family vacation…

Our first day in the southern California desert was rainy and our room at the resort looked out onto the “lazy river”

I thought my son just might explode before we could get into the pools.

As luck would have it - the very next day was sunny and warm. He was a little off his routine so he was all over the place asking repeatedly if we would get in the pool…

Now four days into the trip = I’m actually enjoying myself. He has found a new routine that works for him and has calmed (as long as each day involves swimming or floating the lazy river).

Yes my friends, there is a santa claus and he enabled us to go on a family vacation together and ENJOY each others company!

Happy Holidays to you and your families!

I really need to pay attention better! My little guy is GROWING UP, ouch… Does that mean I have to also?

I went to shop for some clothing for him, as he is growing like a weed. And I hadn’t realized that ten year olds don’t wear superhero clothing any longer. I got him a few T-shirts since we’ll be spending the holidays in the California desert. He informed me that he couldn’t wear the Incredible Hulk or Superheros.

How did he grow up so fast?

Now he tries to act cool so other kids will like him. He has a poster in his bedroom - that he picked out. It is of the joker from the new batman movie and it hangs right across from his bed (so he sees it while he is lying in his bed.)

My daughter informed me the other day that he told her it gives him nightmares when he sleeps.

I said, “So why doesn’t he take it down?”

“He wants other kids to see it and think he’s cool.”

I just don’t get it! Why do they have to grow up so fast? I don’t dare let him know that his sissy told me he is afraid of it. He would be upset with her.

It’s just amazing to me how much our children worry about what others think about them. I wish I could ease their pain and pressure that society places on them.

Any other parents out there SCARED that their little ones are growing up right before their eyes?

My son is very difficult to buy for! He is ten now and will get very upset &/or cry if you purchase the wrong thing.

It makes for trying times at birthday or holidays! I really wasn’t sure what to get him this year. He and his sister have collections so I bought them both some items for their collections. I also adopted an animal in each of their names at our local zoo so they received a package with picture, stuffed animal, etc. Then as a family we made donations to an organization who is giving toys and food to children who have been orphaned by AIDS/HIV in South Africa. So we have made a few donations together and been able to talk about those less fortunate than ourselves.

As far as toys I was at a loss. So I decided to buy him a gift card and let him select things himself. He really likes video
games and I can’t buy those for him…?

So he found out that we were giving him money/gift card and was sad he wanted me to get him a toy.

So I asked, “What toys do you like?” There was a long pause. “If you can’t even come up with one, how am I supposed to
shop for you?” I asked.

He listed a few, so I decided I would try to pick up a little something. How about you all - any children who are difficult to shop for?

I’ll be travelling with me family for a few weeks and away from the computer so I may not be able to post for a while.

Merry Christmas to all from Asperger Mom! Happy Hannukha and Kwanza … may each of you have wonderful times together with family and friends!

It’s times like these when us Asperger Mommies want to shout from the mountains: I’m so happy!

Over Thanksgiving while visiting my 90-year-old grandparents my son actually pulled me aside to ask me why Great-grampie sometimes sounded funny when he spoke. I got the opportunity to explain that he had a stroke and his speech was sometimes hard to understand.

On yet a second occasion he went outside with me to walk the pup and said to me (instead of saying it out loud to his Great-grandparents) “Why don’t they turn the heat down, I said I was really HOT?” Again, he gave me the opportunity to explain that they don’t have good circulation anymore and get REALLY cold. I also told him that dad and I and sissy were also very hot, but we just came outside with the dog when it was too much for us.

I was so proud of him for learning better communication!

Later, when I spoke to my mother she said that my grandma had called and told her that my son was very nice and they really enjoyed visiting with him!

Hoooray! We hadn’t been down there in awhile because the children’s noise and activity could often wear out my poor grandparents.

How about you, have any of you had to limit visits to relatives because they are overwhelmed?