Progress Report.

Someone sent me a link this morning to the sixdegrees.org site where they now have the top 10 badges listed - we are doing really well right now. Let's keep up the pace. Thank you again for supporting this cause.

I was contemplating some challenges we are having around here while driving home from dropping Simon off at school this morning. One of the things we face in our home is the challenge of figuring out what are "normal" kid behaviors and what are "autistic" behaviors and how do we deal with each. Part of this comes from not having any other kids to compare to (this is a mixed blessing) and part of it comes from just being a parent - the same as everyone else - figuring it out as you go along.

It's easy & natural for any parent to go a little crazy with wonder and questions, isn't it?

I am reading a book right now called Making Peace with Autism: One Family's Story of Struggle, Discovery, and Unexpected Gifts. Really enjoying it and the message behind the entire story. This review from the Pennsylvania Gazette summs it up nicely: "This book is as much about the very nature of parenting as it is about
autism. The issues Senator raises are issues faced, in some measure, by
every family, and she captures the hard work as well as the importance
of enjoying life along the way. Making Peace is a book that every
parent should read, for it provides tremendous insight into the mind of
an autistic person, and is likely to engender compassion and
understanding towards individuals with autism spectrum disorder."

So much of that is what we strive for: enjoying life along the way.

I also wanted to share a 8x8 book I started yesterday (book is from Rusty Pickle). I was looking at the mess all around my desk and decided it would be cool to chronicle the projects that are going into my book by creating collages of products, photos that didn't make it onto the layout/project, extras, journaling mistakes, etc. These are quick little collages - grab the glue stick or stapler and stick the stuff inside.

On the cover I punched squares (most of the papers are from Basic Grey& the rub on letters are American Crafts), adhered them, and then embossed the top with ultra thick embossing enamel (UTEE). It was a fun way to clean up after a day of creating yesterday. I am also planning on adding some bits of "life ephemera" (receipts, etc) into the mix as I go along.