Magic Marker Monday: Rainbow Weave

James brought this project home two weeks back. Woah! I know a lot of work went into this, as he still needs practice cutting with scissors, let alone weaving. The hues sing to me in a technicolour chorus. I feel a little more energized by the movement in the wavy lines and stripes of rich tones.

 I enjoy looking at it. Especially as Michelle's rain was visiting us as I wrote this post!


For more great masterpieces or to share some of your own, visit
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Wonder League Teams Up!

Yesterday was our last game of the 2013 season with the Healdsburg Wonder League. Even though we hot the hottest day of the year, we came out to play. Normally James just melts and we stay home. This game was different.

We started later in the day, about 3:30, and the game was in town at Healdsburg's Rec Park. Déjà vu -- we'd just been there last week at the end of the Future Farmers Country Fair's Twighlight Parade. Our guys got to hit the field after watching a thrilling game between the San Francisco Seals and the Healdsburg Prune Packers. What a lot of fun it was to see the big guys play right up close! There were some fast action going on out there.

We did root, root, root for the Home Team!

We were right by the dugout.

I love the home team, just for the name, BTW. When I first remember coming to Healdsburg in the summer, the air was full of the smell of plums drying into prunes. As soon as we came off Fitch Mountain, we could smell their sweet fruity aroma, going into and all over town. The dried fruit would get packed up and sent out all over the country by truck and train. The trees were gorgeous with blossoms in the Spring.

Well, back to baseball ... James actually hit a pitch! He's been steadily batting Southpaw, and all his work with his APE teacher are paying off - he throws in a nice straight line, pretty much on target. I noticed he also stayed on the field more and did less wandering, but that could have been because of the iPad app I promised to download for him later. He did a great job running the bases too.

Big sister did much better at bat once she switched to a lighter one. She's really starting to get the hang of it now! Not so keen on playing the outfield, but the did leg it around the bases, even stealing home. Way to go, Girl!

The icing on the cake: the Prune Packers were the Buddies for the game. They did an awesome job, coaxing the kids to try for a better batting stance and hand positioning. Their pitcher braved our unevenly hitting kiddos and patiently pitched to each one until a hit was made. After the game, some players even hung out with us for our final BBQ and awards ceremony.

As we left, one player called out "See you next year!" I sure hope so. Thanks again to George and everyone who made our kids smile as they got their chance at bat and on the field. Baseball, the Wonder League, and the Prune Packers make a winning team.

Student of the Month

I think we've all seen those bumper stickers that read "My Child Is Student of the Month at __________" -- they are so prevalent that they've spawned snappy comeback bumper stickers like "My Child/Cat/Dog Can Beat Up Your Honor Student" and made their marks on American auto adornment.

I knew, going into this school year, that James' new school did the Honor Student thing. I cringed. I usually shy from the fads of the crowd, attended parochial school for 12 years, and was raised in a rather anti- "toot your own horn" family. It so went against the grain.

And then the school year started rough. It spiraled down toward disastrous. While part of me knew that eventually each child would be one of several Students of the Month at assemblies, I never expected James to get there any time soon. He was the trapezoidal peg that the school kept trying to pound into a round hole. There were so many things going wrong.

Then we pulled James out of school and did Independent Study at home for a few weeks, to keep matters from getting worse. I calmed down (a bit), pulled focus, and changed tactics. I asked the school for help.

What we got, was something of a freakin' miracle. A new classroom and teacher, with classmates James knew from the previous two years. Most importantly, an amazing aide who "got" him came into our lives. She went so above and beyond the proverbial call of duty that reading James' progress reports from his first and third semesters make him sound like two different boys.

School went from stressful, unhappy, and exclusionary to exciting, organic, encouraging, and positive. We feel so incredibly grateful and lucky.

And in the last month of school, this came home in James' backpack:

Yes, and I went to see him receive his awards.

This has been a wonderful conclusion to a challenging year. I am so happy James had a chance to participate, and that he was chosen at a time when being Student of the Month could truly be a proud experience for us all.

James, sitting with his teacher, aide, and classmates.
His good friend from First Grade has his hand on his shoulder, to make James feel better amidst all the noise.

James receiving his award from his principal, who helped make all the wonderful changes happen.

Student of the Month James -- bumper sticker in one hand, certificate and prizes in the other.

James' teacher, aide, and classmates, congratulating him.

Way to go, James! We're so proud of you and how far you've come. I'll even tape that bumper sticker to the back window of our car, if you want.

Special Exposure / Wordless Weds: Outdoors

First Summer Lounge at the Ranch in 2013, and it was so good to be outdoors in the sun for a lazy afternoon! James stayed on the trampoline, bouncing, whopping, and resting, for most of the time.

Oh. Yeah!

For more images from the heart and to share some of yours,
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               and ... Wordless Wednesday

What A Party!

James' teacher invited all her kids, and any willing parents, over to her house for her end-of-school year party. Wow! That was incredibly generous and such a nice way to bring the second part of James' school year to a close on a happy note.

The party took place in the garden, an idea which caught my fancy. Once there, I was entranced -- bcause her yard is gorgeous (18 years in the making), with multi-level decks, lawns, many container plants, and blooming nooks/rooms for the kids to explore. The kids were enchanted by the kitchen parakeet before they even got outside. Many kids loved to throw the chew toys for her miniature schnauzers. We were entertained by a bold male jay and two dueling hummingbirds. The entire class helped her locate her 60 year-old tortoise, whose been with her for over 50 years, and helped pick dandelions from the lawn for a tortoise snack.

A steady core group of kids mobbed the outdoor ping pong table and the bean bag toss. Once the tortoise wandered away, the lawn was set up for sprinklers, making soap bubbles, and running around in general.

At first, James hung back, overwhelmed by all the noise and motion. His schedule had been chucked clear out of the neighbourhood. I could tell he was interested, though, and after an hour he began to venture out on his own, and offer food to his aide.

I took off for my yard duty shift, and when I returned, I heard all about the exciting rocket launches the kids did. James' aide said James was really hesitant at first, but after his first try he wanted to keep doing them. I am going to have to pin down all the ingredients and try this at home with him some time. He ate all his lunch and seemed to enjoy watching everything.

The last part of the party was devoted to dessert and a bubble gum blowing contest. It was fun to realize that the entire class had the time of their lives with potluck, a garden, and simple games for everyone. I feel so lucky James was able to be a part of this. Part of me worries that this is gone too soon. Part of me relaxed in the sun, and soaked it all in while it lasted.

I love this cute summer cupcake idea!

Rough Night

James and I had a rough night last night. Both kiddos got me up with bad dream trauma. The first time, around 3am, they both woke up at the same time. There were huggings and calmings. James asked me to sing the lullabye from Tarzan to him. I could hear his innards churning, but he calmed down enough to ask to go back down to sleep.

Half an hour later, the moaning began. Oh no. Not again.

I sat up with him and told him stories. He got louder. I got out the towels. The inevitable happened, but it was short-lived.

James asked me to leave the light on in his room, which I did. About 4:50, I thought the worst was over and went back to bed, one ear as open as possible. James got me up again around 7, with a happy "It's morning! Is it morning, Mommy?"

Yes, yes it was. By the time I made it into his room, he was on the floor, playing with his Leapster. One look at the bed showed me how he'd spent the rest of his night:

Math cards, alphabet puzzle, and Leapster.
iPad served with breakfast, which he ate.

That's my resourceful guy.

Happy Towel Day ... And What It Takes

Getting kids to dress when they'd rather be doing something else is rarely straight forward. Eight year-old boys are famous for finding just about anything more interesting than getting dressed. Add autism, and figure at least another 10 minutes of shepherding to get him changed and out the door.

Step 1: Heads-up announcement that current activity will be ending (this morning, it was playing an Incredibles video game) in X number of minutes (usually 2 to 10), and getting dressed would be the next activity of the day.

Step 2: Announcement that it is now time to stop activity. This involves prompting as needed to wrap up and stop/put away items.

Step 3: Accompany James to room to change. This cuts down on whining, detours, and attempts at negotiations to go back and keep on doing prior activity.

Step 4: Make sure he starts and is not likely to hide under the covers or get distracted by toys or math flash cards.

Step 5: Hang around for inevitable trips to the bathroom and cries for "new underwear!" Make sure he takes care of business properly in the bathroom (includes proper hand washing). This step can take a while, because James has started to be extremely fussy as to which underwear is worthy of wearing.

Step 6: Socks. The dreaded socks. Lately, I put out 2 pairs and let him choose.

Step 7: Shoes. James can be pretty good about this, but he does tend to choose his mock Crocks over tennis shoes (not allowed on school days or for baseball) and likes to put his shoes on the wrong feet on purpose. Gah!

Meanwhile, it's Towel Day! The kids have heard some of the BBC radio shows and have enjoyed the BBC series on You Tube. And on days that frustrate me with struggles with bureaucracy and feelings of isolation from mainstream life, it's rather soothing to read about the adventures of Arthur Dent, Dirk Gently, and Susan Way. And smile.

“Don't you understand that we need to be childish in order to understand? Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things that we don't expect to see.”
― Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Yes, we know where our towels are!