hide-n-(sensory)-seeking

"School" around here has gone a bit sour. At least that's all I can figure out, because every time I mention getting it worked on, my kids wrinkle up their noses and groan like they just opened the mystery container in the fridge! Reminding them how good they've got it hasn't helped much. Neither has bribery. And extra days off still results in the same stink when school days resume.  I'm tired of nagging and they obviously are immune to it anyway, so I decided it's time for a change. I noticed the only thing they haven't complained about as much is geography, which is an occasional subject we add in. So for at least the month of February.  We are taking a break from our traditional math and writing and science. (Which really can hardly be called traditional to begin with.) And we will focus on two things: Geography and Cooking Don't mistake those three little words for not real school. We are by no means abandonin...

I can't say that I'm sad February is already here. I find myself looking forward to it. I often forget to flip my calendar to the next month until well into the second week, but I was two days early this time! I'm not sure "ready" is the best way to describe me, but I have a positive outlook!  Why? Because we are changing things up around here, and everybody is going to benefit! For many months now I have had a laminated family routine taped on a wall in the kitchen and one in the kids room. We do not follow these. Not even a little. Not even at all. And that is a major contributor to my ever rising stress levels! I can't tell you how many times a day I hear SuperNanny's lovely British accent echoing in my ears..."you have no routine!"  Ahhhh! Nanny Jo, I know! I know! Why do we have no routine? Because I have NO energy! Physical, mental, emotional. This past year has sapped every ounce of vigor and vim I possess...

I'm giving myself another day!! I got a ton of stuff done today, despite Kit not taking a nap, AGAIN! I just didn't get to the part of organizing for disposal. But all day I kept remembering things I want to add to the piles, so I'm giving myself an extra day. A day when Daddy is home to help keep Kit busy,  and ensure she takes a nap so that I can kick some serious clutter! So instead of  a picture of stuff I'll leave you with a little adorableness! Well, she's little, her adorableness is HUGE!! Her outfit just couldn't have fallen together better, this was not planned, but ended up crazy adorable! Her shirt and shoes were the exact same colors and sparkles! And her little pink skirt over her black leggings! Ahhhh the cuteness!!

Day 25 1.) I cleaned out the sock box today. These are the ones that have been in there for close to a year and are still single. Now that I finally threw them out, their partners will finally show up looking for them! 2.) A nice pair of dress shoes that don't fit any of the guys here and so have been serving as a door stop fot too long. Time to find some feet guys. 3.) A candle wax warmer. I'm out of tealights to use with this and I don't have any plans to buy more anytime soon. One less thing to dust. Day 26 1.) Giving back the borrowed guitar that we never learned how to play because our life is already completely nutty. 2.) This flannel blanket will help keep Nana nice and toasty on these chilly nights. 3.) More clothes. (But still not enough to find the floor everywhere we want to!) Day 27 1.) A tv without out a remote is like apple pie without ice cream, sure it's still fun, but it doesn't quite give you the whole experience. The story behind this ...

One thing I love about cleaning house is that I find drawings everywhere. Most of them are Zak's and most of them are just doodles or practice, but to me they are little glimpses into his mind. And he has a pretty incredible mind.  So here is a few things I found lately that made me smile... He made a choose-your-own-story, speed story. He has been majorly into cartooning this year, reading tons of books about it, and filling notebook after notebook with different characters, practice faces, thought and quote bubbles, scenery, and then of course making up his own  comic strips. He made up the one below, and filled a third of a notebook with his adventures. The Bravish Knight even made a star appearance on the anniversary card Zak made for us this year, it was very charming! The last couple of months Zak has gotten more introverted. And his work has become much more artistic rather than cartoonish. He still cartoons reg...

Brain Dominance affects more than handedness. We   tend to think of our dominant side only in terms of right or left handedness. But brain dominance controls a whole lot more than that.  As you probably know, the left side of your brain controls the right side of your body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body. Typically, brain dominance not only determines handedness, but also which foot we lead with, which eye we focus with, and much less well known, which ear we listen better with. Kit is  extremely  right dominant. To the point that I several times looked up information on cerebral palsy, though I have been assured she is fine. It's really a matter of communication in her brain itself. Miss V explained to me recently that the left side of the brain is our logic center. It is very linear and pattern based, thus it is  where we process language and math. Whereas the right hemisphere is our emotion center. This...

Reflexes are very important! Have you ever been drifting off to sleep, only to suddenly jerk awake, slightly flailing your arms out, having a sudden, though brief, sensation of falling? That was your Moro reflex at work. Your brain for whatever reason felt that you needed to use it, so even though it's sort of been "dormant" in your system for a long time, it's still available in an emergency. We are all born with reflexes, and as we grow these reflexes become integrated into our nervous system. In a way, they lay dormant until our body has a need for them again. This is normal, and vital to growth and balance of our complex body systems. In some individuals, and very prevalent in those on the Autism spectrum, these reflexes do not properly integrate. They may however change their appearance and how they manifest throughout the body. This leads to a whole host of body systems that are getting mixed and messed up messages. It's not unlike trying to cli...