hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

Caring for an aging and ailing family member is immensely hard. It consumes so much energy, attention, and yes, money as well.  Caring for a child with special needs can and often is just as immensely hard, and is often a much longer journey. While I primarily focus on caring for an aging parent in this post, almost all of the points apply to caring for a child with special needs as well, and the accompanying printable list is just as useful for these parents as well. Support can be a difficult resource to find at times, and respite even more elusive. It has been a year now since our role as full-time caregivers to an elderly parent ended. We have still not fully recovered. We are still floating in bits and pieces in the aftermath of a storm that pulled our family in so many directions at once we felt parts tearing and then smashing into each other again. For a family who has some time to prepare for a loved one's illness, it can be incredibly hard to care for tha...

 We bought our house almost a year and a half ago. Right away we threw ourselves into making the necessary repairs and upgrades to make our home cozy and fully functional (AKA air conditioned). We gave ourselves a deadline - the end of 2012, to finish all our projects. Why? Because that was the only way to ensure that everything got done.   Well we came really close to meeting that deadline. The only real project left to do is hang all the trim that is stacked in, guess where, our bedroom. Of course! Isn't that where everybody keeps their yet to be hung trim? Neatly wrapped in a bed sheet so that it doesn't migrate across the floor like a giant wooden sea urchin?   I digress. The point is we accomplished a lot last year, and around this time last year we were in a race. A race against heat and humidity.   Inside the house our A/C guys were racing to install a central unit before they spontaneously combusted in our attic as the temperature steadil...

Things are about to change around here again! This time definitely for the better. We are putting the finishing touches on Grandpa's new room, and if everything goes as hoped, he should be moved in by Wednesday at the latest. Here's hoping... That means we'll be back in ours ! Hooray!!   Yes, I do believe applause is in order!   It's been about 2 1/2 months since I last slept in MY bed. In MY room. It's been so long that I don't miss it any more. I've actually forgotten what my bed feels like. There is a long list of positives that will result from this new arrangement. But I will only mention four here today. First and foremost, everyone will have their own space again. This has been a large contributor to elevated stress levels around here, so I am more than relieved to have some designated private space again. A second and enormous benefit will be getting back the arrangement for putting everyone's clothes where they belong. No ...

HOORAY! OUR BILIBOS ARRIVED TODAY! Yeah, weird name... awesome toy! I was disappointed that I didn't get to see the kids open them. I was busy refolding clean clothes that Grandpa was pulling out of the plastic bin I keep Victor's extra clothes in. Grandpa gets confused about what is his and what is ours. I had just brought him his clean laundry and was starting to put it away in his drawers. He went to the bucket to get me more clothes that he thought were his and needed washing. He starts pulling them out of the bin, unfolding each item and laying it on the bed. The conversation went something like this: (Grandpa speaks with a heavy Spanish accent, btw.) "Okay, this is another one. It needs washed. Yes?" "No, that's Victor's shirt. Yours are right here. I'm putting them in this drawer." (Organizing drawer so similar items are together.) "No? This is mine?" "No, that is Victor's. Yours are here in these dra...