EVERY MOMent COUNTS!
i.e. starting over in a new place… A few weeks ago we moved to a new city and state. Among other things, I mourned the loss of the close ties I had made in my old home. Yes, friendships can survive a move, but proximity to dear friends is a gift. I miss my old [...]
I saw an ad for a new movie entitled, I Don’t Know How She Does It. I have a secret to share. She DOESN”T! In the last few weeks, my family has experienced many changes. One of the greatest is that we have moved to a new city, but still do not have a home. [...]
Yesterday morning I dropped Rachel off at a new school. Again. I find it ironic that my child with high anxiety, autism, and apraxia—and the host of communication problems that come along with those needs—has switched schools several times in the past few years. Last year she started kindergarten in a public school. Leaving her [...]
How do you define a home? What images come to your mind? Hot meals on a table? Decorating in that style? Stepping over a pile of laundry, dogs, and toys to crawl into bed with a good book? Recently I left my home, and I don’t have another one in sight. I knew this would [...]
Do you like to wait? What goes through your mind when you pick the grocery line that appears the shortest then watch ten other people speed past you in the other lanes? How about when you find yourself on the only traffic-jammed road? While nature is calling? Yes, I am a knuckle-gripping, teeth-grinding waiter. Sure, [...]
Yesterday I pulled into the driveway and eldest burst into tears. Why? The realtor had put a sign in our yard. It was official. We are moving back to Texas. The past few weeks have been an exhausting combination of cleaning, painting, packing, moving boxes, and telling people goodbye. I shipped the dog off to [...]
Sundays are always interesting in the Dyer house. And by interesting, I don’t mean fun. When Rachel’s routine is disrupted, she becomes anxious. Anxiety prevents her from sleeping. Saturdays are a deviation from our school routine, which means Rachel doesn’t sleep well on Saturday nights. There are weeks when Rachel doesn’t go to sleep until [...]
It’s summertime! And that means pool time. … I’m not a huge fan of water. Watching it from a quiet beach? Yes! Taking my autistic daughter to a crowded swimming pool filled with splashing and screaming children? Not so much. But life is not about me, so to the pool we must go. … The [...]
And don’t forget your loved one with autism doesn’t. The first day of summer snuck up on me. School came and went in a blink. The first summer morning started the same as most others. Rachel woke up, and the demands began. She grabbed her iPad and told me to put her blankies and other [...]
Ever had one of those days? The house has been flooded (twice) by a curious youngster with numerous rolls of toilet paper, the dog has turned shedding into an art form, your daughter’s best friend moved away three hours ago (taking her mother and one of your closest friends with her), the neighborhood pool is [...]
