This is going to be a teeny-weeny short small little short (oops said that) list.
I have about 15 minutes left of freedom while Isaiah finishes watching Pippi Longstocking for the one millionth time.
So let’s get this show on the road, 10 things of Thankful:
-Pippi Longstocking. Duh. If it weren’t for her wily ways and clever quips and pirateyness and weird animals I’d be doing mom stuff like reading or playing playmobil or worse, not here with you.
-Soy Chais. If it wasn’t for my Soy Chais I would be starving to death. I haven’t been grocery shopping in two weeks. We are subsisting on whatever we can find. I leave the healthy stuff for the boy, you know, brownies and mac n’ cheese and the rest is for me.
-Personal trampolines. Isaiah has been cooped up indoors for way too long. Having his trampoline to bounce on, even while he’s sitting, helps. A little.
-Beats headphones. Those help because the trampoline doesn’t help 100% and so I need the aid of their noise cancellingness.
-Made up words.
-Shel Silverstein. I am so happy I remembered to buy Isaiah Where The Sidewalk Ends for Christmas, he loves it! I always forget that I don’t have to only teach him “traditional” poetry. Thanks for reminding me Shel.
-Husbands who don’t care when the house is a mess.
-Tons of junk towels. After 24″ of snow and 2 days of -15 (that’s in Fahrenheit people!) it decided to start pouring rain. Little dog is up to her haunches in disgusting slushy mess, and medium dog isn’t faring so well either.
-The Hardy Boys, without whom I could never have written my last Twisted MixTape, they were my inspiration. Hubba hubba!
-Patient persistence. Isaiah’s sensory processing disorder makes transitions VERY difficult for him. This week we began archery class. It was his first time and he decided in the car he didn’t want to go. I made him walk in the building. He didn’t want to go. When we were in the gym he said he had to go to the bathroom and begged me to go with him. When I finally relented I realized he was crying. In the bathroom he sobbed to me about how afraid he was, and he didn’t want to do it. We made a deal, we would sit inside the gym and watch. If he still didn’t want to do it after that we wouldn’t go back the next week. The teacher walked up to us and my smiling happy showman of a child hid under his jacket. I explained that Isaiah was afraid, and the teacher offered to give us 15 minutes of his undivided attention after class. He taught Isaiah how to shoot a bow and arrow, he even hit the balloon! Isaiah loved it and he is thrilled to go back next week! I’m not fooling myself, I know next week won’t be completely easy, but it will be better, and the next week after that and so on…
And that brings me to this. It’s really easy to forget that a kid with Isaiah’s gregarious personality, extensive vocabulary and gift of wit can be suffering from a neurological disorder that makes him go from life of the party to scared to look. But that’s what something like Sensory Processing Disorder can do. And now that they know there is no cure, only treatment, it is even more important to educate the people around him. Especially our extended family who think a good push is all he needs. He doesn’t need a push he needs patient persistence.
This week patience is something I need too. I need to remember that everything happens in God’s timing, not mine. I may want it to happen now, but maybe I’m not ready, maybe God has other plans. But if I trust that He knows what’s best and wait for HIS time, it will all work out as it should.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. Psalm 40:1
Here’s an extra one, I’m Thankful for Google Hangouts and meeting great blogging friends “in person.”
Jen Kehl 
I loved Pippi Longstocking! How have I not introduced Kidzilla to this movie yet? That has to go on our must see list. Thanks for the reminder!
Patient persistence is exactly right. Our Kidzilla does not have SPD, but some of her ADHD symptoms and co-morbidities seem to sometimes tend a bit in that direction. It’s a whole different world with kids like these, right? Sounds like you are a great Mom to Isaiah, especially in the area of making sure that people around him are educated about him and his needs. That makes all the difference for everyone concerned!
Husbands who don’t mind mess – definitely a perk! Although, I have to admit this generally means that said husbands don’t do a whole lot of un-messing, but that’s another story! 🙂
Shel Silverstein is awesome. Kidzilla got that book as a gift from a relative recently. She loves all kinds of poetry, but his is often especially fun.
Have a great week, Jen!
Love Pippi! My cousins and I made up an alternate version of a song in the movie. The “life is a breeze” one. I really appreciate your thoughts on SPD. Like Lisa, my daughter does not deal with that by diagnosis but there’s a little overlap. Yay to you for using your platform for education!
Hurray for that instructor taking time to ease the transition for your son! “Patient persistence” is a great reminder for all of us.
I”m sure Isaiah will be able to adapt next week Jen! THanks for sharing with us this week!
Totally brought me back with Pippi Longstocking and Shell Silverstein. Both were favorites of mine was I was a kid, too. But seriously, I am in awe how you and the teacher got Isaiah to try archery and I know Jen you are truly just a wonderful mom and Isaiah is lucky to have you as a mom and an advocate for him, too!! 🙂
OHMIGOSH I so LOVED meeting you and Isaiah on the hangout. That was awesome, and he’s SUCH a cool kid. And you’re a cool lady, Jen.
I’m glad that you were able to stick with him for the gym thing, and work with him in a supportive way to make it happen. GOOD FOR THE TEACHER for being such a sport and meeting Isaiah where he needed to be met. What a star!
And I’ve heard of Pippi Longstocking, but that’s all. Never actually ‘met’, as it were. Might have to look her up and see what the fuss is about 😀
I have my Shel Silverstein packed away to share with my own kids someday. Such great ones! And Pippi Longstocking rocks!!!
I love meeting bloggy friends IRL. So far I’ve only met one and she was supper awesome. I need to meet some more.
OMG so many blasts from the past in this post! I watched endless Pippy Longstocking when I was little! I almost forgot all about her! I think I absorbed some of her adventurous personality. I could totally be a pirate.
And Where The Sidewalk Ends….OH I love that book! I remember my favorite poem was the one about the kids with all the ailments, until his mom says it’s Saturday, and then “goodbye, I’m going out to play.” LOL.
Soy Chais…YES. Just yes.
The Hardy Boys! I read every single Nancy Drew (still have a huge collection of very old ones) and then became obsessed with the Hardy Boys. I’ve picked up a few books in hopes my boys start to read them. I definitely learned my love for mysteries through those books. I so wanted to be Nancy Drew! Still kind of do.
i loved the way you handled archery class. i have two kids with asd and spd, and i struggle with getting them out of their comfort zones.
Pippy Longstocking was the coolest kid. I need to introduce her to my boys.
I love Shel Silverstein, and Where the Sidewalk Ends is my favorite of his books. I know most of the poems by heart. I need to pull it out. I don’t think the little boys have ever heard the poems in it.
We have had a few of those mini trampolines. They are great for kids who can’t go outside. They’re good for adults who need some exercise, too. Our boys always end up taking them outside in order to have dunking contests then breaking them. Thus the multiple trampolines over the years.
Well, it seems your post has just reminded me to do old new things with my kids. Thank you!
made up words! (if with increasing age come few rewards this is totally of them), god! how simple it could have been when I was a kid, all I had to have been able to accept is that what other people think is just not that….critical or (perhaps a better way to say it)… what others may say about me does not alter the me that is looking at them for validation… (hey! Jen add ‘specious logic’ to the ‘joy of made up words’.
I really enjoyed meeting you in semi-reality this Friday past! The hangout is everything good and none of the bad of every party I never got invited to back when I was a kid.
(really like your approach… ‘no you don’t have to do this thing, lets you and I sit and watch’ very cool)
Thanks for sharing a bit more on your son. I had no idea what this Sensory Processing Disorder was. Also I’m with you on husbands that don’t care about the mess. Not saying my house is a complete pig sty, but it is nice that my husband doesn’t chew me out for not having the house pristine after spending a whole day with a toddler.
Oh I love Pippi Longstocking! Which movie version is he watching? Is it the one where they put “scrubbing shoes” on to wash the floor ? I used to watch that movie over and over again… I bet even now I would remember every single minute of it.
Pippi caught my eye! I LOVED her freckles and always wanted some of my own! My kids (young adults now) loved Shel Silverstein and I loved reading the poems to them! I have no mom experience re: sensory processing disorders; but I do have some nursing experience with it. Parents of these children are saints! Bless you!
This is a pretty awesome post for 15 minutes so God Bless Pippi Longstocking! I had actually forgotten all about Pippi (how??) and will have to look for it to show my kids. Then of course, there’s the Hardy Boys…my love for Shaun Cassidy, I remember it well! Where The Sidewalk Ends is one the books on our shelves I am keeping to pass on to my children’s children, God willing. It is wonderful. I hope that Isaiah gets more comfortable with the archery, he sounds like such a sweet, sweet boy and I know that he’s a handsome fella…:) Remembering that it’s God’s time is a constant struggle for me. I am an instant gratification junkie. So I am totally with you on that point!
Hey Jen…. I like the one about having a husband who doesn’t care about the mess. Mine never complains — I think that’s because he knows he is a worse slob than me, soooo….
And way to go Mommy… you are such a good mommy to have the patience to endure the situation. Having a son on the ‘spectrum’ (he’s 16 now and doing GREAT!) I remember many an afternoon/evening of running OUT of patience during his homework time! Anyway, kudos to you!
Great list!