Painting . . . the floor

I often don't realize that my son is ALWAYS watching me. We had one of those wonderful "I see you" moments yesterday. Let me start out by saying I am not one of don't touch this, don't spill that kind of moms. Everything in our home is washable. If you can break it: we probably owned it, broke it, and then I had to throw it out. In fact I was given a few beautiful antiques when a great aunt passed away and I had to let them go as I constantly had to worry about little man knocking them over or trying to sit or climb on them. All those long spindly legs had to go. I think all white homes are beautiful, but realistically there is no way we could live there. I don't know if its a boy thing or just my little guy, but I would live in constant terror if I had a linen couch and white floors.

So after 10 years in our home you can imagine all the glow in the dark play putty, blueberry juice, and turmeric stains we had in our carpet. I say had because . . . I just kinda went for it. Maybe it was lack of sleep, or all the (its so simple even you can do this) Youtube videos or it could have been I just couldn't stand it. I pulled up all the tack strips and carpet foam and cut out my carpet in our dining area and started painting. Now I did not sand or patch or prime, I simply grabbed a 2" paint brush and gallon of Kilz Over Armour and began painting. That is when he saw me. I caught little man watching me paint our floor with a mixture of humor (I was painting a floor after all) and confusion (aren't we supposed to try not to get paint the floor ?) Here is how its looking. Wish me luck on the living room.

How do you explore ?

The more I explore my mysterious son the more I learn he has a whole world he wants to share with me. Both my husband and I are very verbal, whereas our son's primary language seems to be physical. His secondary language seems to be music and sound, and spoken English squeaks in somewhere around maybe 5th or 6th. So as the spoken word is not his primary language. I need to adjust how and what I teach in a way that supports the way he interacts with the world. So how does the rubber hit the road? This means we do NOT have a beautiful homeschooling room with a million YouTube views. We do NOT have vintage school desks to sit politely at, nor are there Ikea cubes stuffed with books and curriculum. This is not to say we don't share our bedtimes snuggled up with Beatrix Potter. But, Mr. Toad has never been as fun or engaging as a trip to the reptile garden to touch a toad.
 I don't have everything figured out yet
and I would love advice from the travelers
who have been down this path before.
The weather in South Dakota is finally
becoming nice enough to spend time outside
with our bicycle and going on walking
and hiking trails. I am looking forward
to enjoying all the sunshine and new things
that spring has to teach us both.

Rising to the Challenge

     As delicate shoots of green, tease from under icy white and matted brown winter, I think now is a good time to talk about new beginnings. I have come to understand the miracle of small things.

Sean has been doing ABA therapy for 7 months now and we have started to hear our first real words. From initial letter sounds like puh, buh, and oo we have moved on to "U-p", "E-tuh" and "Baw". My fathers heart soars every time he is called pa-pa and now there is a name for ga-ga. This has not been easy and my 10 year old still struggles hard for hours a day to reach what so many children gain effortlessly by their first 12 months.
     I have also come to realize that my approach to homeschooling was based on my strengths and the way I felt most comfortable teaching. I am a VERY verbal/visual person. I can't think of anything more fun than a day spent sharing coffee and scrapbooking. I am not even remotely mechanical or musical. Everything from cars to kitchen sinks are terrified of me, as I have zero engineering aptitude and heaven help you if you hear me singing, as I can't carry a tune in a bucket.

It would appear my child is as different from me as summer is from winter. Music is something he seems connected to and he may as well be built of puzzles, gears, cogs and wheels. If it can be built or better yet deconstructed he will find a way. It is not his Autism but who he is as a person that has me re-evaluating everything I thought I was going to do during our homeschooling and how we are going to go about exploring the world together.

F is for Fire Truck

     Letter F: our foray into homeschooling curriculum selection. Let's just start by saying there are several great options at just about every price level you could imagine. I loved the softer pace and natural tones of Waldorf, but the price tag left me gasping for air. I loved the child centered focus of Montessori but I don't have an extra room for all those materials and it was expensive too. Some of the Traditional Core Knowledge (both secular and religious) 1st Grade style kits were a little more affordable but we are not at one grade level for our Math, Writing, Science and Language. Not to mention we're doing ABA for 6 hours a day. So, in what is becoming typical fashion for us we, are doing something different.

     I am pulling together our own curriculum, loosely based around the  LOTW or "Letter of the Week" concept. Loosely because we're not doing one letter every week. We are going at our own pace and we aren't starting at the front of the alphabet, thanks to theories behind Kumon and Handwriting without Tears. We are starting with the Letter F. I'm including mostly free printable lessons taken from great blogs around the internet, some toys and crafts to supplement and keep our interest high and to round things out trips, adventures and theme snacks.

Autisee - Our Journey Begins

October 13, 2016 . . . The official date signed on our Application for Public School Exemption Certificate SDCL 13-27-3. It has taken us six years to come to this point. We have encountered great teachers and mediocre teachers, aides and therapists and classmates who have run the gamut from lost, confused and untrained to deeply motivated advocates of education, enlightenment and acceptance. 
Unlike many who choose alternative education, it is not because my son had any particularly bad experience or event during his public education. We don't have a religious or ethical issue with our district. What we face is the desire to overcome the challenges of a diagnosis of Autism with an opportunity to use curriculum and therapies that will lead to the best possible outcome for my son. The State of South Dakota has allowed me to home school and I can't wait for our journey to begin.

Tiggly Words and Learning App Review

As you may know our family has been spending a lot of time {the last 2 months} and money, traveling back and forth from South Dakota to Denver to meet with the closest Pediatric Immunologist available. Road tripping like that can not only eat up a lot of time you might have devoted to blogging and running your Etsy shop shop, it also creates a lot of down time for little guy in the back of our 2001 Honda CRV.
In the past I've given you my opinions on different Gluten Free food and snack items but this time, I thought you might like our take on an interactive toy and ipad application set. You know me, I ALWAYS start with the Good News. Now these are just my opinions. You are free and encouraged to make up your own mind.

Up for review Tiggly Words and the Tiggly Tales app:

*Lets start with design: The tiggly tales app is creative and the toy vowels are adorable! These pint sized learning toys have a rigid core and soft BPA free cover that make them easy to grip and hold.  Packed with a whole lot of learning potential; when your vowels are placed between correct consonants they create words that truly come alive. My little guy loved when we could watch h_n become a h e n and then, when you tap the hen it lays eggs . . . and when you tap the egg it reveals a sweet little chick. Just so cute I had to do it a few dozen times too.

*Lets talk value: The Tiggly Tales stand alone app available on Itunes only costs $2.99 and you can play it without ever buying the toys; but if you do decide to buy the toys, Tiggly.com is currently running a huge *BOGO*. You get to send a teacher his/her choice of a FREE set of toys (use the BUY1GIVE1 code AND you also get free shipping on your order). The order sent to my home arrived within days and the one sent to our teacher only took a few more. Oh and as if that weren't enough, did I mention the words toys come with a download code for three **FREE** apps. If you buy the Tiggly Words toys the Tiggly Submarine, Tiggly Doctor and Tiggly Tales apps download code are included for free ($8.79 value).

Now for the issues we had that I didn't love . . .

* First, I had already purchased the Tiggly Tales app prior to buying our toys. I'm fine having spent the $2.99 however, to make sure we liked and used the app enough to buy the toys (I think it was money well spent as a test run of the system) I don't usually get a try before you buy with many of his toys.

* Second, when you use the code for your free teacher gift on the Tiggly website you don't see anything letting you know you will be contacted by email to get all your teachers contact information (so the teacher can choose the toy set of their choice). I was a little worried I had done something wrong until Erica Jun the Manager of Education and Sales contacted me later that same day. She was also the person who contacted my teacher. My sons teacher and I, both got really excited to receive our toys in the mail and it was really fun sharing the excitement together.

Final Assessment :

Tiggly Tales and Tiggly Words are simple, intuitive teaching toys that my son LOVES using !!!

Autism Kombucha and Juicing (long post)

According to the latest statistics from the CDC the "Prevalence of autism in U.S. children increased by 119.4 percent from 2000 (1 in 150) to 2010 (1 in 68). (CDC, 2014)" Which lead the agency to conclude, "Autism is the fastest-growing developmental disability. (CDC, 2008)"  Now here is a point I would like you to remember, these numbers are 5 years old and the rates of Autism have only continued to increase.

When we first spoke with traditional Pediatricians and Educators about my sons Autism they said the only treatments they could offer would be speech and occupational therapy and possibly pharmaceuticals like Risperidone and Aripiprazole or SSRI's if he began hurting himself or others. Basically I could drug my child into submission and begin years of rigorous training and if I get lucky he might learn to live in a state run home and not bother anybody too much. You can imagine what came to mind. I saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a child and I've never forgotten it.

What does this have to do with Kombucha ? Well, after I started seeing a Defeat Autism Now doctor (out of pocket) and read several books (out of pocket) and did lots of biomedical testing (yup, out of pocket again) I learned ...

1. My child should be eating as many Organic Fresh Fruits and Veggies as possible.
Easier said than done when your autism gives you sensory issues {won't touch fruits or veggies}. Juicing comes handy because nutrients are packed into every sip and you avoid texture issues.
If your interested in juicing here is a post I did on what machine I use (I don't get any $ from anyone for telling you this, its just the one I chose and why). Omega 8006

2. My child has yeast issues.
You need to avoid sugar and refined grains and gluten {did I mention we only want to eat crackers}.

3. We had serious bowel issues including both constipation and diarrhea.
Add as many different Probiotics including Kombucha, Water Kefir and fermented foods as you can.
So if you were like me, your now wondering how do you brew Kombucha and how much is that gonna cost?!? The answer is a lot cheaper than almost everything else I have done.

This recipe from wellnessmama is how I started making Kombucha and find it one of the easiest and best to use for beginning your kombucha brewing journey. 

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

A naturally carbonated fermented tea drink packed with enzymes, probiotics and beneficial acids. Make it at home for less than half the price of store bought.

Author: Wellness Mama

Serves: 16+

Ingredients

• gallon size glass jar (make sure its really clean!!)
• 1 gallon of brewed sweetened tea (ratio: 1 cup of sugar per gallon of tea) I use regular black tea, though I've heard of others using green or herbal teas
• a SCOBY and ½ cup of liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha
• My Kombucha Mothers on Etsy
• coffee filter or thin cloth and a rubber band

Instructions

1. Prepare the sweet tea. I use 1 family size tea bag or 8-10 small bags per gallon of water. Add 1 cup of regular sugar (organic preferably). Do not use honey!
2. Let tea cool to room temperature and make sure it is really cool! This step is very important as too hot of tea can kill your SCOBY.
3. Once tea is completely cool, pour into glass jar, leaving just over an inch of room at the top. Pour in ½ cup liquid from a previous batch of Kombucha or if starting from a dehydrated SCOBY, pour in ½ cup from a store-bought bottle of Kombucha.
4. With very clean hands, gently place the SCOBY at the top of the jar of tea. It should float, though if it doesn't just let it fall and don't stick your hands in the tea!
5. Cover the jar with the coffee filter or cloth and rubber band tightly (flies love this stuff!)
6. Put the jar in a warm (around 70-75 degrees is best) corner of the kitchen where it is at least a few feet away from any other fermenting products.
7. Let sit to ferment for around 7 days, though the length of time may vary depending on your temperature. You can test the Kombucha by placing a straw in the jar carefully (slide under the SCOBY) and sipping. It should taste tart but still very slightly sweet also.
8. At this point, Kombucha is ready for a second ferment. If you aren't doing the second ferment, just pour the kombucha into another jar or jars with airtight lids and seal until ready to drink.

As of right now my son and our family are still in the middle of a full tilt battle with severe non-verbal Autism. My son still has yet to speak his first word and he is now 8. He will be repeating the 2nd grade again and still does not yet use a communication device to have his needs met. However, we have tamed the bouts of constipation and diarrhea and are now fully potty trained. I hope getting his digestive health better will lead to better learning outcomes and the ability to focus more on achieving a way to communicate. We are trying as hard as we can and I hope sharing our struggle can be of help to others.