It's a FAKE day off!!

It’s Thursday and the kids are off from school today. Parent teacher conferences. It’s a “day off”, but not really.

I’m constantly reminding them to do what they need to do.  Redirect. Redirect. Redirect. Sigh. 

Put away your clothes.

Put the dishes away.

Go take your meds.

Did you eat breakfast?

Finish your chores.

No, you may not have video game time until you finish your chores.

Do your homework.

Focus. Get your work done.

Clean your room. 

Who’s socks are these?

The “not me” ghost is FIRED!

Who put a hole in this chair?

Well, SOMEONE did it.

Pick up those blankets and pillows.

Put the toys away…where they go.

Turn off the light when you’re not in your room.

What are you DOING? Finish your job.

And on…and on…and on. It’s exhausting.  And makes me hate days off from school.  I SHOULD be enjoying my time with my children. We should be having fun. If they would just GET UP and do what needs to be done they would be left with the majority of the day to do whatever their hearts desired.  But THAT would be too easy.

Eventually everything is complete.  Eventually I can relax…at like 7pm. And then I eat a brownie.  Aaagh!  I was trying to be good, but that motivation is gone at the moment.

8pm is bedtime. And it takes forever to get them to bed.  9:15 I turn out the lights with a little girl trying to fall asleep next to me. Sigh! Sleep...

4:55am my alarm goes off.  I’m SO thankful for school today! 

I’m not exaggerating…not even a little bit. 

Autism...

A large box arrived on Wednesday from Amazon.  I LOVE Amazon!  It’s the best thing EVER invented!  Okay, maybe not THE best, but it’s sure close. 

Anyway…I start to pull at the tape holding the box closed and Max appears next to me.  He's got ninja skills I think.  Stealthy. 

“What did you order? Did you order another child?” Max asks.

I can't help it. I laugh.  What a funny thing to say. I’m thinking…where in the world did THAT come from?

“What?” Max asks. He doesn’t see what’s so funny. “Is there a child in there?”

I’m pretty sure I laughed even harder.  Seriously? Where the heck does he come up with this stuff.  He’s such a crack up!

Autism. Autism sees the world differently.  

“No!” I replied. “It’s just toilet paper.”

He’s completely let down.  He shoulders slouch and he replies with very little feeling, “Oh.”

And I am left laughing.  Yep. This is life with Max.  Autism has surely made our lives more interesting as he has gotten older.  It definitely wasn’t this fun when he was a toddler.  HOLY COW!  I’ll take him at 14 years old any day!