Our Crazy Adventures in autismland!

• Finally! Step 2- Replenish

  Once you have the offending foods removed and the gut has begun to heal, you have to start replenishing the good bugs. Everyone has bacteria and bugs living in their intestines. The trick is to get the right ratio. Most ASD kiddos have too many bad bugs in their [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2009, 9:54pm EST
  

• Attention, Houston, we have overload!

  Tuesday was eventful in physical therapy. Mrs. Karen asked him to do several things that he has done before successfully. They were simple things that were meant to help build up his confidence. Mrs. Karen is so great with Logan and has been trained in RDI. This makes pt go [...]
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  Posted: December 17, 2009, 7:30pm EST
  

• Graduation!

  
  Nope not high school graduation. That will come soon enough for sure. After a year of ot, we officially stopped except for our home program. We see Mrs. A my when we go for pt and she has been so generous to answer any [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2009, 10:36pm EST
  

• Does he have hollow legs????

  You get two posts for the price of one today. Really, it's because I forgot to post yesterday. Sorry.
  
  
  Anyway, about a year ago we contacted Logan's DAN doctor because we were concerned. Concerned is probably an understatement at the time. Logan would eat and eat until he [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 11:15pm EST
  

• My baby turned into a giant!

  
  Don't believe me? Here are the stats from his most recent physical this fall. You better sit down for this!
  
  Birth stats
  
  7lbs 8 ozs
  21 or 22 inches long ( I don't know without grabbing the scrapbook)
  
  Fall 2009
  
  5'4' [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2009, 10:07pm EST
  

• A week of reflection

  This Friday, we will celebrate Logan's 12th birthday. Yup, you read that right. His 12th birthday. In honor of this momentous occasion, I am going to post some things he accomplished this year. We have been blessed beyond measure this year. Do we still have a ton of work to [...]
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  Posted: December 07, 2009, 10:39pm EST
  

• Birthdays just keep getting better

  It's that time of year again. Another birthday is upon me. Now, I am a year older and wiser , right. (you can stop laughing now , nana).
  
  The day was fabulous albeit low key. Since it was my day, I elected to drag the family around to [...]
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  Posted: December 05, 2009, 10:10pm EST
  

• The sweetest sound

  The sweetest sound that I have ever heard was the sound of BOTH my children singing their hearts out giving thanks to Jesus this morning. My heart soared and of course, I cried. I am so blessed! [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2009, 8:40pm EST
  

• Interested in Vampires?

  
  I received two books to review about vampires. Now, it is no big secret that I am a HUGE fan of Twilight. It is an engrossing story to say the least. Would I let my teenage daughter read it? Probably not. The books are [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 9:17pm EST
  

• Our Final Weekly Wrap Up for 2009

  It's official. We're done. No more planned lessons until January 4, 2010. Hear that?? It's me breathing a sigh of relief. Ahhhhhhhh!!!
  
  Unfortunately we still have some loose ends to tie up. Both children have been given a sheet that tells them what has' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 12:16pm EST
  

• Step 1 - Remove

  Step 1 of Dr. Buckley's protocol is to remove the offending foods. There are several autism diets out there, GFCF, SCD, low oxalate and more. The best diet is the one that works for your child. GFCF is a good starting point.
  
  
  
  GFCF is a gluten' [...]
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  Posted: November 20, 2009, 8:22am EST
  

• Moving on to more fun stuff

  OK, don't let your eyes gloss over yet, Stay with me here as I go into the second part of Buckley's presentation. Immune dsyregulation. It's the second thing that happens besides oxidative stress when you overload your body. These two things go hand in hand for most autistic children.[...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 8:21pm EST
  

• Happy 6th Birthday JoJo!!!!!

  
  Wow! I can't believe that you are 6 already!!! Where did the time go? I remember the day that you were born as vividly and as fondly as I remember when my own children were born. You have brought such joy into our lives. We' [...]
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  Posted: November 19, 2009, 12:45am EST
  

• How can you not love Dr. Buckley?

  
  
  One of my favorite presenters was a total surprise to me. This was one of the times that Michael and I split up and attended different classes. There were always 2 workshops going unless there was a featured speaker. We decided on the [...]
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  Posted: November 18, 2009, 9:47pm EST
  

• A great idea to reduce your taxes

  Michael and I left early Thursday to get to the conference. Although it did not officially begin until Friday morning , they had two pre conference workshops. In previous years, it has been workshops on the gfcf diet or on school issues. We 've been doing diet for 7' [...]
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  Posted: November 15, 2009, 9:27pm EST
  

• Information Overload

  Is it possible for your brain to explode from too much information? Can you really cram it so full that there is no room left? As a homeschooling mom, I would usually emphatically answer no!!! However, after two days at the National Autism Association Conference in Miami, I would [...]
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  Posted: November 14, 2009, 9:36pm EST
  

• Online friends vs. Real life friends

  
  Autism sucks sometimes. One of those times is when you start to lose your circle of friends. It's not their fault really. They just don't understand your struggles and you start talking another language. One with a whole lot of acronyms that regular moms don't' [...]
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  Posted: November 05, 2009, 9:15pm EST
  

• Halloween edition

  
  
  
  
  
  Well, better late than never , right? It was a crazy week that ended with Michael and I going out of town for the weekend with my parents. More on that later [...]
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  Posted: November 03, 2009, 6:52am EST
  

• Still a winner although I didn't complete the challenge

  
  The original challenge was to lose weight before Halloween. You got to pick the weight amount before the challenge started. I chose, of course, the amount needed to get me at the weight for the first item in my 101 list. Makes perfect [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2009, 1:03am EDT
  

• 7 things you never wanted to know about me!

  
  
  Jeanne @ A Peaceful Day gave me a blog award! Thanks Jeanne! I am so honored that she even reads my crazy blog. Here are the rules!
  
  1. Thank the person who gave this to you - done
  2. Copy the logo [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2009, 1:16am EDT
  

• WFMW- Dryer balls and medium heat

  Now, these bad boys totally rock! You throw them into your dryer and they separate the clothes so that they dry faster. That in turns saves energy.
  
  I read somewhere else on the Internet that most clothes can be dried on the medium setting. [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2009, 1:30am EDT
  

• Bedtime Routine into habit

  All children need to learn habits early. I have seen many children grow into adults that can't function in the world because they don't have good habits in place before they leave home. That's not the life that I want my children to have. Perhaps because of Logan's autism, I [...]
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  Posted: October 27, 2009, 10:02am EDT
  

• Are you serious?

  President Obama declared the swine flu a national emergency. The swine flu! Is he serious???
  
  Autism numbers are now 1 in 91. Can you hear me Mr. President? 1 in 91!! That means that the odds of you knowing a child with autism are pretty high. Has [...]
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  Posted: October 26, 2009, 8:19am EDT
  

• Spectrum Hope: Let's Help Lend4Health.org!

  Spectrum Hope: Let's Help Lend4Health.org!
  
  
  All of you know how much I believe in the Lend4health concept. This organization is picking up the slack for our failing health care system. The micro loans that Tori is facilitating are changing lives daily. It changed ours forever.[...]
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  Posted: October 25, 2009, 4:27am EDT
  

• Lazy,lazy, lazy

  I have been a lazy blogger lately. I have several posts halfway written but not quite done. All they need is a little more research and some links activated. Yeah, told you I was lazy.
  
  I wish I could say I've been doing something fun or amazing. Nope.' [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2009, 7:36pm EDT
  

• God Made Your Body Giveaway!

  
  Let's start the week off with a giveaway, shall we? I received this book from Bethany House Publishing to review for the blog. So, there is no confusion here , I got it for free to look at and write a review on. NOw that's [...]
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  Posted: October 19, 2009, 10:42am EDT
  

• Making church work

  I have been blessed with a truly amazing church. One that is full of people that love me and my family tremendously. Everyone is always so interested in Logan's achievements and our struggles with autism. I always feel so loved and cherished by my fellow church members.
  
  One of' [...]
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  Posted: October 18, 2009, 10:00am EDT
  

• Teaching teamwork

  One of the things that I set up for the children to do together is some of their lessons. They are obviously at different spots for math and free reading. But for many subjects like history, science and our read together, they work as a team.
  
  When making the [...]
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  Posted: October 17, 2009, 9:16pm EDT
  

• Only 6 weeks to go!

  
  It's Friday so we join Kris over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers ([www.weirdunsocializedhomeschoolers.com]) for the weekly wrap up. Unlike a lot of home school families, we are on the downward slope of our homeschool year.The countdown has begun! Only 6 weeks left until we officially' [...]
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  Posted: October 16, 2009, 10:39pm EDT
  

• Anymore excitement and I will bust!

  Last week was a week of awesome developments for Logan. The week started when I received a package in the mail from Betty Crocker. It had several gluten free items for us to try and for me to review on my cooking blog ([www.lovinggfcf.blogspot.com]) . It had several toys [...]
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  Posted: October 13, 2009, 11:44am EDT
  

• You know you are a homeschool mom when.....

  1. You stop your child on the blazing hot sidewalk in 100 degree Florida (btw, is it fall or not?) to investigate a dead frog.
  
  2. You read something aloud to your children and they automatically narrate back to you.
  
  3. You do math lessons using the gravestones [...]
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  Posted: October 12, 2009, 10:40pm EDT
  

• In yet another example of how the ...

  In yet another example of how the federal government has no clue, distracted driving is declared an epidemic ([news.yahoo.com]) but autism is not. While I am not dismissing the thousands of people who have died because of this problem, where is the outrage over the new numbers that the [...]
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  Posted: October 02, 2009, 1:23am EDT
  

• When dogs attack

  This happened several weeks ago and I have been meaning to post it but kept forgetting. Then my laptop had an unfortunate incident with some sweet tea and was out of commission for several days. Btw, my computer geek husband totally rocks for taking it apart, cleaning it and putting [...]
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  Posted: October 01, 2009, 12:47am EDT
  

• We're almost done

  
  Since we school differently than most homeschoolers ( our school year runs from January to November), we are almost done. Yippeeee! We have 8 weeks left of school so you only have to suffer through 8 more weekly wrap ups this year! Well, nine if [...]
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  Posted: September 25, 2009, 5:32am EDT
  

• Madison gets dunked!

  
  When Madison first asked to be baptized over a year ago, she called it getting dunked. It took me quite a while to figure out what she was talking about.
  
  Madison: Mom, I want to get dunked.
  Me: What?
  Madison: I want to get dunked at [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2009, 5:13pm EDT
  

• It isn't over yet

  
  
  
  
  
  After the electric bill got paid , we went home and had a lovely day with Dad. He was off and agreed to go to hippotherapy with us (that's horseback riding therapy. I had to ask too :P ). It's quite a trek [...]
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  Posted: September 23, 2009, 2:45am EDT
  

• How the day began

  Yesterday began innocently enough. I jumped out of bed late as usual because I had forgotten that Logan had an RDI appt @ 11:30 AM. This is not our usual time but Donna is going out of town this week and Hope had the day off from public [...]
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  Posted: September 22, 2009, 12:52pm EDT
  

• When your obedience blesses someone else

  Have you ever heard that still small voice tell you to do something? Something completely out of the ordinary? It really sounds crazy when you start to think about it?
  
  What if your obedience blesses someone more than you could ever imagine? Did you ever consider that God [...]
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  Posted: September 21, 2009, 11:20pm EDT
  

• I told you that He always provides!

  I've sat here and watched one and a half football games. That entire time, I have tried to come up with a blog post for today (Monday). I have a sorta schedule that I made out to try and keep me on track . Today should be a post about' [...]
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  Posted: September 14, 2009, 11:43pm EDT
  

• Why is trust so hard?

  Everyone knows that we found out this week that our lame insurance plan maxed out this week for Logan's physical therapy. So, I have to add $120 weekly to our already stretched budget. You only need to eat once a day, right? Maybe a lot of people will invite' [...]
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  Posted: September 13, 2009, 7:59am EDT
  

• The best teacher that money didn't buy!

  If you would have told me 7 years ago that Madison would help bring Logan to the point of recovery then I would have told you how crazy you were! I was so overwhelmed at the the thought of having a new baby and a child with autism that I [...]
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  Posted: September 12, 2009, 10:28pm EDT
  

• What we did this week!

  
  Well, I decided to take the plunge and join the weekly wrap up that Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers puts on. Don't you just love the name? Yeah, me too. :) Anyway, here is what we did this week for our lessons. Our main habit forming trait' [...]
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  Posted: September 11, 2009, 10:56pm EDT
  

• Ok, President Obama, how about some coverage for autism?

  I got the dreaded insurance call yesterday from the physical therapy place. If you have a child with autism then you've heard it. Makes you want to scream at the tv when the President addresses the nation about bad insurance company decisions , " Hello!!!! Welcome to the world of'" [...]
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  Posted: September 10, 2009, 9:00pm EDT
  

• How much longer, America?

  
  
  
  Join the how much longer campaign at [www.nationalautismassociation.org] . Because, really, how much longer can this continue? [...]
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  Posted: September 09, 2009, 10:51am EDT
  

• Let's do it naturally!

  I thought I would add on to my detoxing chlorine post with some more natural chelators. The Taca website ([www.talkaboutcuringautism.org] ) describes chelation as:
  
  Chelation is the process of removing toxic metals from the body. Toxic metals are said to come from many sources including our environment, fish, [...]
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  Posted: September 07, 2009, 7:52am EDT
  

• An old man in a young body

  I sat around all day trying to formulate a blog post. I haven't felt especially well so that did not help either. I certainly had a few ideas but nothing really screamed at me. Until I almost broke my leg. Funny how God works sometimes.
  
  I went into the' [...]
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  Posted: September 06, 2009, 9:31pm EDT
  

• Happy Cinco de Linco!

  Every 5th day of a new month, Jeanne over at www.charlieinwonderland.com does Cinco de Linco. She explains it so well here:
  
  So, here’s the bottom line: The kids on Lend4Health.org need your help. They need you to read their stories and chip-in $5 loans, or more if [...]
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  Posted: September 05, 2009, 8:34am EDT
  

• He finally figured it out

  I have to tell you that I cried as I typed this post. The realization that we have more typical days than autism days now brought me to my knees. It has not been an easy journey and we still have a ways to go to remediate his autism. But [...]
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  Posted: September 04, 2009, 10:08pm EDT
  

• Be careful what you teach

  We do our occupational therapy at home now. This has been going well. So far, Logan has been receptive to everything that I have asked him to do. Perhaps because it really makes him feel better.
  
  In order to be able to write correctly, there are many muscles [...]
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  Posted: September 03, 2009, 10:37pm EDT
  

• Detoxing Chlorine

  If you are a regular reader then you already know that Madison got an above ground pool for her birthday in June. Both children have been enjoying it immensely. They are now extremely comfortable in the water so we should be able to do swimming lessons next summer. :) We [...]
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  Posted: August 31, 2009, 9:04am EDT