Been Very Busy But Here is a Short Funny From James

This morning James needed help again with some hygiene in the bathroom.  Brian got upset and told him that it was about time that he was able to handle his wiping for himself being 10 and all.  Brian told James that it was his least favorite job.  James chimed in with, "Well, you could have a worser job."  He thought for a minute and finally came up with one he considered to be worse.  He said, "I think it would be worser if you had to well, kiss a pig!"
Just another day with a kid who has a logical explanation for everything.

They Grow Up So Fast!

What happened to my sweet baby?  He
is growing up soooo fast!

We all say it, at some point, when we think about our kids... "They grow up so fast!" The first several years seem like someone had the fast forward button pushed on the remote.  I spent a wonderful day this past week at a conference about people with disabilities and how they are at an increased risk for being victims of a crime. One of the reasons this happens is the aggressor feels that a person who has an intellectual disability and can't speak are an easy target because they can't communicate and so the crime will go unreported.  Another reason is we often "infantilize"  a child or adult with a disability and don't share important information about sexuality and healthy relationships so they don't often know what is a crime.  This was very interesting information especially in my house now that James is turning 10 in a few months.

Astra is behind Abra

We have two black and white cow cats.  They are not related in any way but look almost identical. About a week ago, James collected both cats, put them on the dining room table and announced, "Okay, it is time for you to make out."  Interesting.... Yesterday as James and I were driving to school we were talking about his birthday party.  He was listing off the boys he wants to invite.  I asked if there were any girls on his list.  Every year he always has a list with girls on it so I felt it was a reasonable question.  I asked about a specific girl because his teacher tells me that she works well with him.  His response to the question..."Of course not mom... You know I am not dating her!" Again, interesting.  Okay... he is only 9 well soon to be 10, but I ask... when did he rocket into his teen years?  I guess I need to prep his daddy on how to handle the upcoming conversations.  Any suggestions?

Doing Private Things...

Just another conversation at the dinner table that turned into... well let's just say... a wee bit weird!!! I mentioned to James that after supper he would have to read his two chapters of his book.  He said okay but then he would have to do some "private things".  I asked what kind of private things thinking I could fool him into telling me like he used to.  Not tonight... he just punctuated it with "well if I tell you, you will call the police and I will have to go to jail!" Ah okay... you can't just leave us with that and not offer an explanation.   "Okay James, spill it." "Well, I am copying a book and that is a crime." "Ah, yes it is BUT... are you passing it in for a grade?" "No" "Are you going to sell it once you are finished?" "No, I want it." "Okay... so I am going to call the police and tell them that my son who HATES to write is actually copying words onto paper and no one told him to do it?" "Yes, because it is a rule not to copy books." "Well James, we could buy the book."
 "No we can't... the library doesn't sell their books!" Can't argue with that but bookstores might be able to give him one if we give them some money.  And then somehow the conversation turned into a JINX round with James and Charlotte.  Did you know that if you are JINXED and you get out the phrase "on the roof" before the word JINX is uttered, the JINXIE can't talk until someone says their name 3 times (just like Beetlejuice!).  Just another night at the supper table!!

The Consequences Bite . . . or Do They? (Another Guest-Post by Daddy)

On the morning of August 31st, as related in the posting under that date, James took unwarranted liberties with Daddy's bank card (trying to order a 3DS game he desperately coveted but hadn't earned) and promptly lost the same. The last he knew he was sitting on his bed and (he said) the card "fell in the direction of the TV." (Only it wasn't there.) In consequence of this chain of events, James lost something of value to him as well -- his treasured 3DS was confiscated.

The drama lasted all through the long holiday weekend. The various stages of grief were passed through: denial, defiance, deal-making, despair -- you know the drill. Initially, he simply denied he had taken the card. Didn't wash. Daddy's wallet had plainly been moved, the card was missing, its number had been entered in the device, and he had even had the chutzpah to go to Mommy seeking help in completing the abortive purchase.

As the evidence mounted against him he got mad: "Oh! How about I just ______!" The blank was filled in with whatever he truly thought would get the parental goat at that particular moment. This tactic was attempted several times.

Various efforts ensued to negotiate his way around the situation, play parent against parent, wheedle out of searching for the card, or otherwise subvert the final decree. "What do I have to do to get back my 3DS?" he finally pleaded. "You have it right now, James -- just give me back my card. As soon as I have my card, you can have your 3DS."

Black depression came upon him -- this was his "I'm just going to punch myself" mode. Thankfully, it didn't last long; one self-inflicted blow later, he realized it hurt.

Acceptance? I'm not certain. Desperation, certainly. He spent a good portion of Monday afternoon frantically turning his room and his sister's upside-down in quest for the lost card, which, alas, stubbornly persisted in its absence. This after having refused to search through nearly three days during which Daddy had turned the house upside-down in his stead. Other truant items had turned up. The key that winds our mantle clock, which James abstracts on a regular basis. An older model DS belonging to another member of the household. A favorite game for it, belonging to that same member of the household. All brought to light by Daddy, not James. I get that kid out of more trouble! But our boy was really suffering.

Meanwhile, I had not neglected the general chores -- feeding the cats, changing the cat box, watering the plants, cleaning the fish tank, washing the dishes, doing the laundry. The laundry tends to back up during the busy week, and catch-up can occupy much of the weekend. We generate a lot of it, our family having recently increased to five people. Anyway, Monday evening I was emptying the drier a final time. Clink! One plastic bank card dropped to the bottom of the bin. I picked it up. It was my card, all right. In all the hullabaloo, no one had thought to look in the pocket of Jamesie's pants!  (a side note from the "Laughter Mom... Just for the record... this is not true... James is "frisked" (have him turn his pockets inside out) more frequently then I like to admit!  I did it the morning of the incident and several times during the weekend. The card wasn't in the pockets of the pants he was wearing at the time the card disappeared.  He likely threw it in the laundry basket in the girls room and I know I told the search party to look in the laundry!)

Up to James's room, 3DS in hand. "What are you doing with that, Daddy?" he asked.

"Giving it to you." I displayed the card. "A deal's a deal."

Complete and utter joy. "So where was it?"

I explained.

"So I was innocent!"

A sidelong look. "Really?"

"Well . . ." (No, not really.)

I shook my head. "I hope, James, you've taken a lesson from all this."

"Yeah, I get it."

One can only hope!

A postscript: of course it remained to be determined whether the bank card still worked, having gone through both washer and drier. The test was made, and passed with flying colors. It seems financial institutions make their plastic tough, doubtless with greedy little boys in mind.

Nibbling and Jamesian Logic (a guest posting from Daddy)

Today has been a snacking day. We are having a stressful time, with a pending house sale and purchase, the sale of our old dead car, the boy lifting Daddy’s charge card and then losing it, the girls off on an overnight, and the cats engaged in a screaming predawn battle right next to Mommy’s bed. The natural human response is to nibble. That or go to a movie. Which Mommy, needing a little just-Mommy time, did -- leaving Daddy at the mercy of Jamesian reasoning most of the afternoon.

Jamesian reasoning consists mainly of contesting the punishment for losing Daddy’s charge card, rambling on about Pokemon statistics, and wheedling more “battle cards” (drawings of Pokemon, Sonic and Mario characters) out of Daddy. Jamesie thinks Daddy is the world’s greatest artist. Daddy knows better, but is not unsusceptible to flattery.

But mostly when faced with stress, we nibble. Mommy does it. Daddy does it. Jamesie does it. Jamesie is freaking good at it.

I can’t tell you how many times that boy has come to me today asking “Can I have--?”

Chicken strips. Pizza. Green chips (his descriptor for Lay’s Sour Cream and Onion). Swedish fish. And . . . green chips again.

“James, you just had green chips.”

“No I didn’t, I had sidditch fish.”

“Before that. You asked me for green chips and you finished a whole bag.”

“Just because it was mostly gone already.”

“James, why do you want more green chips?”

Weedling: “’Cause I’m really hungry.” Kicker: “And ’cause a boy’s got to eat.”

Can’t argue with logic like that. “Don’t have a huge number,” was my parting shot in surrender.

“Thanks, Dad!”

When Things Go Horribly Wrong...

"Time to read a story James..."
                "Can I punch myself in the face instead?"

Ever have a conversation like this with your kid?  Let me go back to fill in some history that led up to this particular conversational tidbit...

James likes pretty things... He started taking things shiny and pretty things from others without them knowing several years ago.

James likes science... He borrowed his sister's Physics notebook and Physics textbook last year because he knows he has a lot to learn.

James likes stuffed animals... He nabbed his sisters teddy, stuffed cat, and other stuffed treasures and hid them in his room.

James loves video games... Today he took daddy's credit card, out of the wallet while daddy was sleeping to buy a new game for his 3DS.  This card is used to buy many things that James wants and needs.  James can't remember where it went after he used it.  The 3DS and his other electronics have been confiscated until he finds the card.

James is distraught because the card is lost and his favorite past time is not happening until the card is back in daddy's possession.

Enter conversation from the top..... It is going to be a really long 3 day weekend!

Really????

So we started week 3 of school yesterday and I can tell you that things haven't been perfect but they have been okay.  Let me give you the highlights to catch you up to date... day 3 James almost got suspended for throwing a book at his teacher (his aide took lunch during writing so what is a kid to do?)... his first aide left that day never to return (apparently not because of anything he did or didn't do)... enter new aide on day 4... things go pretty well episodes of shutting down but nothing violently spectacular.... yesterday, after a horrible 2 hour commute into work, I got the call... checked my phone and the name of his school showed up.  I tentatively answered it because there are only 2 reasons why they would be calling at 9:45 AM. First, James is sick and needs to be picked up ASAP or second, he is in trouble.  I answered and found the AP on the other end of the line (CRAP).  He explained to me that James would be receiving a referral from his gym teacher and went to tell me the reason.  The class had been running the mile and James was doing well.  At one point one of his friends fell.  James was far ahead and turn to see his downed friend so he looped back to help him up. (to be honest my first thought when the AP was starting to tell me about this was , Oh CRAP, James kicked the other kid!  Oh wait... that was 3rd grade!) >>click here<< >>and another<<  (I am sure that we could all come up with a thousand acts of humanity to put here).  Anyway, his gym teacher told James to keep running and he would assist the child who had fallen.  James focused  on what he thought was the greater good and refused to run because his friend was hurt.  Enter... the first referral and detention of the year!  When James was told by the teacher that he would be getting a referral to the office, he just replied, "okay, thank you". (the end of the referral said that James seemed happy to be getting out of running the mile.)

Here is my response email...

Thank you Mr. H**** for calling me this morning to discuss the issues that had happened this morning with James. He hadn't given us the information about not being able to wear his red and white Ash Ketchum hat.  We were under the impression that if the hat was completely red then it couldn't be worn.  James is really attached to this hat but we will discuss this with him and make sure he keeps it at home from now on.

As for the incident in gym, James is a very black and white thinker and we have spent years teaching him to be empathetic towards others.  For those who don't know about the referral it is because James didn't comply to his gym teachers request for him to continue to run and not worry about another student who had fallen.  James was apparently very focused on helping the student and repeatedly didn't comply with the directive to return to running.  He was told that he would get a referral and he did get one for not listening to his teachers requests. 

I understand that James needs to comply to things adults tell him to do, however, James should be able to show his growth in social interactions if it isn't something dangerous.  I am confident that if he had been able to assist his friend that he would have happily complied with the directive after making sure the other child was okay.  If he isn't allowed to follow through you run the risk of him shutting down and not doing anything. 

To me, this incident warrants a "good friend" recognition instead of a referral.  Again, I understand that James needs to learn to comply when he is given something to do but I don't want to take away the side of James that is the sweet, amazing, side of his humanity and turn him into a compliant robot.  Sometimes standing up for what is right is more important.  I am home on Wednesday and I will be with him during his detention showing that I am proud that he tried to do the right thing but was not allowed to do so.  Please let me know where to meet him at 2:55 on Wednesday.  Thank you 

Only 169 more school days left until summer vacation!!

Hang My Picture in the Mother Hall of Shame!!!!!

We have all read the blogs on the things we thought we would never have to tell our Autistic kids to stop doing such as...

• stop licking the ... (fill in the blank)
• stop saying ... (fill in the blank)
• (the ever popular) stop stripping OR stop taking off your underwear
• stop eating the cat food (James's favorite as a toddler)

I am sure there are a million more you can come up with but tonight I am ashamed.  I was heading back to the car from the grocery store and it happened... I turned back to see my husband and James walking towards me. All of a sudden I heard words coming out of my mouth I never expected... "Jamesie... STOP reading... you are in a parking lot!"  I think I need to reconsider my parenting ability.... Stop reading... Stop reading... I should hang my own picture in the Mother Hall of Shame!  My only excuse is I love my kid more than I love that he was actually reading.  I hope he will read again... someday!! 

Typical James Conversation

Mom... What kind of animal am I eating?
          Chicken...
Like on a farm?
          Yes.
Why do we eat chicken?
          Because it is delicious!
Well don't eat the rooster because what will happen if you don't have a clock?  You can use the rooster to wake you up...

Good thinking little man but eat up because it is almost time for bed!

4th Grade Letter to Teacher

It is that time again.  Haircuts, new clothes, new backpacks, new lunch boxes, and meetings to get James to know the people who will be instrumental in helping him succeed in the next year of school. (We met the new AP and will be meeting his his teacher the Friday before school starts.) School starts next week and I feel prepared; well, as prepared as I can feel.  I have done everything I can think of to make sure 4th grade will start off well. I found out that James's aide will be the one who finished the year with him after me pleading with the district to provide an aide and them telling me "NO" until he got suspended for 5 days for the exact reasons I told them I wanted an aide.  Not exactly the way I wanted it to go down but... well done James?... I guess.

Anyway... below is my letter to this year's teacher and then some resources (thanks Mama and snagglebox); also some ADHD adaptions for the classroom that any teacher can put in place with very little effort and time.  I just hope this year will be the year that James discoverers the joy of learning.  Well. a mum can dream can't she?

>>letter to teacher<< >>group work<<  >>paying attention<<  >>literal thinking<<  >>why transitions can be hard<<  >>making transitions easier<<  >>got to be prefect<<  >>strategies for working with ADHD in classroom<<  >>accommodations in classroom<<

Have a very happy first day of school whenever it may happen in your corner of the world! PEACE.

Ohhhh This Kid is RICH!!!

Direct quote from James...

"OHHHHHH... I have reached my new record of richness!! Before I was only $12 rich... Now I am $13 Rich!!!!"

Should I worry??  

We All Get Asked This...

Are they verbal?  This seems to be one of the top questions that we parents of children with Autism get asked.  I guess it is a valid question for someone who doesn't really have any understanding of what being verbal means about intelligence or level of functioning.  When in doubt... always presume intelligence >>click here<<  But what does it mean to be verbal?  Traditionally it means talking.  Is a child who is scripting movies but can't ask for needs or wants verbal? Technically... yes and no. They are speaking but the communicative intent isn't necessarily there. James was this type of verbal as a little guy.  His favorite scripts were CARS and SHREK.  He would replay the entire movie verbatim with intonation and switching between the characters but he couldn't tell me he was thirsty. Verbal?  Technically YES.  Verbal?  Functionally NO.  

Over the past 6 1/2 years, James has become functionally verbal so today when asked if he is verbal, I don't have to hesitate before saying YES.  He is currently fixated on Pokemon, Sonic and sometimes Mario but he can also ask for food, drink and answer questions.  He is in a typical classroom (which by the way... isn't always a good thing believe me!!).  He speech is still scripted as he learns nuances in the English language.  He is currently still trying to figure out idioms but is finally getting some joy out of seeing how silly they can be!  Now when he uses an idiom as part of his conversations he punctuates it with, "you know mom... it doesn't mean what you think it means!" I can hear his therapists saying that as he tries to grapple with something outside his black and white world but it makes me smile that he is trying to make his language more rich.  

Recently James has been using a few new phrases that I know for sure he was given to try out but they make me smile anyway.  I think my favorites are, "For the record" and "Let me rephrase that."

MOM!!!!!

Bath night is usually a horrible experience but after a weekend with no contact with overall cleaning, James NEEDED a bath.  I told my husband to concentrate on his neck because it looked like he could have grown the potatoes used to make his beloved french fries on it!!
James came down visually upset... "Mom, I want to give you a piece of my mind."  "OHHHH... which one can I have?" .............. "You know Mom, it doesn't mean what YOU think it means!"

I love IDIOMS!!!!   James apparently has a love/ hate relationship with them!

Don't Confuse Me with the Facts.... is it MINE??

Between me going back to work, the disastrous suspensions during the last two months of school, the end of school, the beginning of summer, our moving preparations and anything else that comes up like the annoying need to sleep every night...  I just don't seem to have the time to write daily.  It looks like I haven't written since the middle of last month.  I just need to get back into the pattern of writing.  For now here is a little tidbit...

Brian and I are taking every free minute during the weekends to go through boxes that have been in our garage since our last move to see what we can get rid of.  In the bottom of one I found a small bottle of bubbles.  Our kitty Kiefer adores bubbles and to keep him off the top of our piles of boxes, I was blowing bubbles for him.  James came down stairs and stated, "Hey, those are mine and you didn't ask!" "James these bubble have been at the bottom of a box in the garage for the past 4 years." "Oh, yeahbut....... are they MINE?"

They haven't even framed the foundation of our new home and I am already losing it!!!

Short and Sweet!!

Talking to James today about going to school and he was upset because at his aftercare program they go out when it is 100 degrees and he hates sunscreen.  I told him today was only going to be 80 degrees today so he should be okay.  He said that he would get a sunburn.  I looked at his very tanned body and told him that he doesn't burn.  I showed him my very burned neck and told him that I have crazy Scottish/ English skin and he has beautiful olive Italian skin.  I told him that people would pay a lot of money to have a beautiful tan like his.  "Mom!  Are you going to sell me?" Ah... Just another day of literal thinking from James.  Gotta love the kid!
This weekend he got upset because a friend just got a phone and he is only 11.  Our rule is 12 before getting a phone.  I told James that I guess that friends family could adopt him and then he could get a phone a year early.  James liked that idea... so I guess I won't have to put him on our plan on his 12th birthday.  I hope he forgets about this plan because I would really miss him but at least he could call me on his 11th birthday on his new phone from his adoptive family.

Another Brief Look into History Via James

Finishing breakfast and Brian mentioned if anyone wanted more toast he could make some.  James was the first to speak:
"You know, there was no toast in the Civil War."

Ah... Okay...
"You know Dad, about Abraham Lincoln in the book and the Civil War?"
Ah... Okay...
"James?  Do you mean to say that there was no toast during the Civil War?"
"Yeah Dad Don't you remember from Abe Lincoln the 14th President?"
I piped in here... "16th President."
"Yeahbut... I was close!!"

Just another day!! 

((Don't Them for Granted))

How often do you see the cyber ((hug)) on Facebook or elsewhere?  I know that hugs can be amazing.  I know that they can feel good.  I know that for those of us with kids on the spectrum, hugs are sometimes an endangered species.  I get very few spontaneous hugs from James.  I can probably count them on one hand if I only had 2 fingers on that hand.  Now don't get me wrong, I get "asked for" hugs all the time.  I demand them and James usually complies even though they are not very heart felt.  I am talking about the burst of joy and emotional need to express that leads to an amazing squeeze with no strings attached.

peacock shirt = hug  (I love this kind of math!)

Yesterday, we were out shopping and James picked out a shirt for me.  It is a beautiful purple T shirt with a peacock on it.  He was so thrilled that he was picking it out for me but by the time we got home he had  forgotten.  I got up this morning and lovingly put it on for my day.  I was thrilled to be wearing something that James had picked out for me.  He came downstairs with sleep still in his eyes.  He slouched in the chair and stared off into nothingness.  All of a sudden, he saw me.  He stood up and came close.  "I like your shirt Mom!" "Thank you James, I like it too and you picked it out for me at the store yesterday so it is special!" And then it happened.  James looked at the shirt and looked  at me and came in for the most delicious, heartfelt hug I have ever received.

I may never take the shirt off!! 

I am the WORST Blogging Mommy EVER!!

I missed my Laughter, Could be the Missing Piece's first birthday!!  Happy birthday baby Laughter! You turned one on April 13th, one week ago today!  Mommy Laughter missed it completely.  No excuses but I was kind of busy with ME stuff getting ready to go back to work after almost two years of being home.  You were conceived as a "therapy" for me and you know your big brother James is just a hoot so I couldn't resist!  
As we go back and celebrate the past year together, I will direct your friends to your first blog post.  I hope we have many years together because you bring me joy.  PEACE baby Laughter!

Autism ISN'T Funny!!! Wanna Make a Bet!!! April 13, 2012

To the lay person, Autism isn't funny.  It is something that is unknown, overwhelming, and looked at as an end not a beginning.  To those of us who love someone with Autism, on the surface it isn't funny either.  We need to peel away the layers, the worlds view of Autism,  the school districts view of Autism, our view of Autism, our perception of our child, how our family now looks at our child, the way we now look at our child, the everyday routines and therapies, the everyday small steps that make us smile, the simple joy of watching our child succeed in something new that make us giggle, the rip roaring hysterical things our kids do that they don't realize that make us cry and laugh at the same time because they are soooooo funny!  This blog is intended to help families in the same position I am in find the joy of laughter again.

I love a child with Autism. He didn't make a conscious decision to have Autism.  As a mum, I have cried, screamed, and bargained with the universe to allow him to have an easier life.  I have gone through depression and spent 1,000,000+ hours of research to make sure he gets the best chance of living to his fullest potential.  In the quiet of my home, I have argued with myself about if it is right to insist that he joins my world even though he is so comfortable in his.  And yet, 5+ years after the original diagnosis, I feel comfortable knowing that he is who he is in spite of all of my efforts and because of all of my efforts. 

My son is funny and he is starting to realize it.  He attempts to say funny things and often stumbles over the humor part so that it isn't funny to anyone else.  It is when he isn't trying that his true humor shines through.  Last night his sister was teasing him at a local restaurant that he doesn't eat cow meat.  He looked her straight in the eye and very seriously said..."Well, when I was a baby, I ate melted cow"... (melted cow ='s milk).  See, funny, and he doesn't even have to try.  

My best advise for the day is to find something that your child does everyday that tickles you and write it in a journal.  This journal will be your "Go To Book" for the days that you are having a great deal of trouble finding joy in anything.  Believe me... there will be plenty of those days!  Your child is exceptional perceptive and sensitive to the environment they are in.  If you are joyful, they are more likely to be joyful.  If you are stressed out... well we all know what that looks like on our kids, and it isn't pretty! 

Laughter, Could be the Missing Piece!! 

He Misses Me!!!

I started back to work yesterday after almost 2 years of being home.  I had prepared James as best as I could getting him used to being at daycare both after school and before school.  I had redone his schedule and shared it with him.  I had talked to him and he told me he heard and understood.  Boy was I WRONG!!!!
I got home today around 6:15 PM to my husband, James's homework behaviorist and James having a difficult moment.  James had been aggressive and non compliant.  He barely acknowledged me when I came in.  He was refusing to do any homework.  I sat at the computer, turned on his spelling word list and started doing what I always do during homework.  It took a few minutes for James to fall into line.  We got through spelling and finished homework by reading.
Later, James found my key card that allows me to get into the office building I now work in.  I told him to put it back in the bag and didn't think about until I couldn't find it.  I asked James to find it but like everything else he loses, he had no idea where he put it.  I told him I was unhappy that he lost it and it would be difficult for me to get into my office tomorrow.  James then showed his hand (it is a card reference).  "Fine, now you can't go to work and my life will get back to normal!!"

I guess it all IS about him!

A face only a mum can love... wait, I am his mum!
I guess I am the lucky one!!

Classically James Part 2

Okay... Charlotte and I started watching a movie this afternoon, The Sessions.  There is quite a bit of nudity, but tasteful.  This movie deals with a very real issue in the world of disabilities... nudge, nudge say no more.  James started talking about bodies and somehow he got onto babies and how I was still pregnant because I was pregnant when he was born.  Anyway... he started talking about being born and coming from my body.  Then he asked, "What month did you choose for me to be born?" I told him that the doctors make a guess about when the baby will be born and he was pretty close to the due date.  Then he started in again.  "What day was I born?" "Well you were born on the 12th?" And then it hit him and he stated in excitement, "You mean I was BORN on my birthday?"

He was certainly in rare form tonight!!

I LOVE the little squished up James!!

Classically James

We all have those moments with our children that we just grin and bear because they are just part of the kid and we love the kid so we just deal with it.  This morning was an EPIC classically James moment.  I am heading back to work after almost 2 years of medical disability and so I have had to find care for my kids.  I had started James in the aftercare program at his school a few months ago to get him used to it and the past few days, we started the before care to allow him to get used to that because Momma is going back to work full time on MONDAY!  We have had one really great morning and two not so great.  This morning, all looked great.  And then it happened... at the very last second and with one foot out the door... James NEEDED a very specific Pokemon book that he couldn't find.  The search started as Charlotte began to get fully stressed about being late for school.  I could see her start to unravel and not really wanting to have two emotionally destroyed children at the same time, I asked our wonderful morning nanny to drive her to school.  I later found out that her car got a flat on the way but she continued to take Charlotte all the way because, well she is just that kind of person!!
James and I continued to look and eventually we did find the book under about 100 pounds of laundry on the couch that has been folded for over a week and no one has done anything with it.  "James, why should I allow you to take this book to school?  You needed to come when it was time so that we can get your sister to school before the bell."
"I know mom but I NEED to have this book!"
"James you know that we talk a lot about the difference between needing and wanting things."
"Yeahbut, I don't want to have to borrow one again because I like mine."
"Yeah buddy, I get it but you need to get in the car when you are told if you want to have your special books and toys."
"Okay mom, but at least now I will have a good day!"
UGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!
So Charlotte is in pieces and it will likely only be fixed by me taking her the most amazing lunch as a surprise today.  I am trying to figure out how to get James to think of how his behavior effects everyone else knowing that he isn't developmentally ready as well as how am I going to be able to work 50 minutes away when my little man NEEDS things in the middle of the day.  I have been home for almost 2 years and I have been able to handle things as they come up.  I am a GREAT planner but I can't plan for things if they are impulsively James!  Should be interesting.  At least there are only 7 more weeks of school and then Charlotte won't have a 7AM class well at least not for the 10 weeks of summer.

Charlotte was SOOOO not smiling this morning!!

June 15, 1994 (USA)

June 15, 1994 may have very little significance to anyone but it is the day that The Lion King opened in the United States.  It is probably one of my favorite of all of the Disney films because of the opening.  Watch it again... Don't worry... I'll wait... I will likely watch it again with you...It is so AWESOME!!! (Charlotte tells me that the translation of the beginning is "it is a lion... there look a lion" or some such plain language.  It is amazing that this song one of the most beautiful songs Disney has ever had in a movie can start in such a way.  I still LOVE it!!)

When you hear the first notes of the opening, where does it take you?  What do you think of?  For me, the opening brings me to a place before I was married and had children.  I was planning my wedding and dreaming of someday having children.  It was a time of new beginnings.  A time of wonder.  A time of unknowns.  A time of dreams.  All of the Disney movies are really great about allowing the characters to have and follow their dreams.  For me, The Lion King was the first one that touched me and allowed me to have the dream.  Not because of the story line but because of the opening song.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am all about Cinderella.  I LOVE the story!  I have many renditions of the movie.  I have many Cinderella stories from many cultures and countries.  I LOVE the story!  By far, my favorite Cinderella story is The Rough-Faced Girl.  Maybe it is a New England thing.  Maybe it is the amazing storytelling that Rafe Martin captures.  I don't know...but I adore this story!  I urge you to check this one out if you haven't already.  Oh and by the way I also have in my Cinderella collection, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters; The Persian Princess; Princess Furball; Cendrillon: a Caribbean Cinderella; Bigfoot Cinderella; Cinderella Skeleton; Cinderella, the Dog and Her Glass Slipper; Cinderlily; Cindy-Ellen: a Wild West Cinderella; Prince Cinders and probably more that I can't find in my memory but there are a lot and I add to my collection when I can.
Anyway, back to The Lion King and why this blog was originally being written - James and his amazing way to put a new spin on things!  The kids were watching a movie on our trip and the previews came on.  I heard the familiar music start and started to go to my happy place of dreaming of the possibilities with a new adventure until I heard James groan.  Apparently he wasn't in the mood to watch the preview for The Lion King because this was his reaction:  "Oh Great...It's an epic story about a baby that is useless!" Really James!  I need to go now and read The Rough-Faced Girl and find my happy place.  PEACE