My Body is Here. My Mind Wants to be Here...

Three Boroughs, Strawberry Quik and Candy Apples

I had big plans for today.  BIG!  I've wanted to post a Sundays In My City for the longest.  Today was my day.  I woke up early. Ate a good breakfast.  Did a quick load of laundry.  Packed a lunch for The Boy.  Packed the cameras.  All so that we could head into Queens for a day at the zoo. 

It took less than 20 minutes to cross the Whitestone Bridge and arrive at Flushing Meadow. After 45 minutes looking for parking, we decided a day at the zoo just wasn't in the cards.  Since we were in Queens, we stopped by parents house.  It was 10:30 in the morning and they were still in their jammies, eating breakfast.  They were also heading out to Staten Island so we left.

We drove to Manhattan to visit the compadres (aka Nino and Uncle Johnny). After a little lunch, we left.  The Boy needed to look for leaves and The Husband had a Giants game to watch.

Before heading back to The Bronx, we took a stroll along the Riverbank.

I would have stayed out there longer but The Boy said the magic words: I have to poop.  

Needless to say we hurried home to The Bronx.

Later that afternoon, I took The Boy out to the playground so that The Husband could have a few hours to himself to watch the game.      

After a while, The Boy said he had to go to the supermarket.  I didn't need anything from the market, but hey, I went with it.  He did so well in the supermarket!  He walked in and knew exactly what he "needed."  He also needed cookies, but I had to draw the line.  

I felt bad that our day didn't go the way I wanted.  But I guess there's  always next Sunday.

What's a Sunday like in your City?  
Unknown Mami's Sundays In My City.  

Dream Catcher (Weighted Blankets) Giveaway!

If you've been following us for a while, you know that we don't get much sleep.  The Boy tosses and turns, wakes up often, staying up for hours and almost always finding his way into our bed.

It's exhausting.  I'm exhausted.   

Anyway a few weeks ago after a FB status update proclaiming another sleepless night...the amazing woman behind Dream Catcher Weighted Blankets reached out to me.  And she was sweet enough to offer The Boy a complimentary weighted blanket.  (I had been thinking about buying a weighted blanket but not sure whether or not it would be helpful.)

The weighted blanket sent to us is well made, durable, comfortable and a beautiful bright blue (they come in an assortment of colors, sizes and fabrics).  I was really impressed with it.    

Now that we've been using the weighted blanket for about a month, I'm happy to say that it's really made a difference.  We use it throughout the day.  If The Boy's sitting in his beanbag reading a book.  At night, when I'm reading The Boy a bedtime story.  Sometimes I roll it up like log and place it over his lap or wrap it around his shoulders while he's sitting on the sofa watching TV.  And there are times when The Boy isn't using it, that I like to snuggle up with it, it really is relaxing.   

The Boy still wakes up in the middle in the night.  But on the nights he does, he's not as frantic, running around wildly.  He'll walk into our room, climb into bed and go back to sleep.   (That's fine with me, so long as I still get my sleep.)  And sometimes, The Boy will bring his weighted blanket with him.

For more information on the Dream Catcher Blankets click on the following links:
Who do they help?
How do they work? 
How to use? 

Would YOU like to WIN a 

Dream Catcher Weighted Blanket?

Yeah.  I thought you would.

How to Enter and WIN: 

Mandatory entry:  Leave a comment below. Feel free to share why you would benefit from the weighted blanket.

Additional entries:

1.  Follow this blog

2.  Follow me on twitter - @LaliQuin (and don't be shy - say hello) 

3.  “Like” the AutismWonderland Facebook page

4.  “Like” the DreamCatcher-Weighted-Blankets Facebook page

Every time you enter, you MUST post a comment. It is very important that you post a comment* for each entry.  If you are already signed up for any of these, no problem. Just post a comment and you’re in the giveaway!

This giveaway will end Sunday, October 2nd at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be announced on Facebook & Twitter on Monday, October 3rd.  I will contact the winner via email and you will have 24 hours to reply. 

Feel free to contact me at autismwonderland@gmail.com with any questions.

*Comments will be numbered in the order they are listed and a random number generator (random.org) will be used to select the winner. If you combine entries into one post, you will only have one chance to win rather than up to three. Give-a-way is open to U.S. residents only. 

**Dream Catcher Weighted Blankets provided me with a complimentary blanket.   The opinions expressed are my own and have not been influenced in any way. 

Wordless Wednesday: Tranquility

So we finally made it to the beach.  I love Orchard Beach in the fall. 

It's so much more relaxing.  



Watching The Boy getting his much needed sensory fix





Holding on...He was ready to make a run for it. 

The Boy & The Man-Boy

Where do you go to find tranquility? 

Autism and Parenting: 5 tips to reduce stress by Laura Shumaker

My heart was racing.

I was stuck in traffic in San Jose and it was clear that I'd be late for a meeting at Matthew's program in Santa Cruz at 3pm. I had another at 4pm with his psychologist across town, and needed to get on the road by 5:00 at the latest so I could be home in Lafayette for my youngest son's high school talent show.

Just as I started wondering if I could figure out a way to be two places at once, (I actually thought I could figure it out) my phone rang. It was Matthew.

"I'm in a seriously bad mood. No one understands me. After your meeting, can you take me out for pizza and french fries? Please?"

Research indicates that parents of children with autism experience greater stress than parents of children with intellectual disabilities and Down Syndrome(Holroyd & McArthur, 1976; Donovan, 1988), and I concur.

We are overwhelmed with managing our grief, grinding though assessment and therapy appointments, managing peculiar behavior, adjusting to strange sleep patterns, paying for therapy, and balancing it all with the needs of the rest of the family. We're trying to make each moment a "teaching" moment, and we are running out of steam.

If you are reading this and you are nodding and tears stream down your face, let me tell you some STRESS busters that have kept me safe and sane. You'd think of them yourself if you weren't so stressed out:

1) REDUCE your load. If you get up in the morning and see a day like I have described above, pare down your commitments to one or two a day, and give yourself PLENTY of time in between. Scheduling anymore than that is not only stressful, it's dangerous. You are more likely to go around a corner a little too fast if you are in a hurry or STRESSED.

2) Be selfish, not selfless. Everyone needs you RIGHT now, but they can wait. You won't be able to give much of yourself if you are burnt out.

3) Learn to say no. Someone else can drive on a field trip, someone else will be happy to assemble gift baskets for the auction. If three therapy appointments a week are pushing you to the edge, just do two. Pare down.

4) Find a great helper, one that you really like. This was one of the best things I ever did. I hired mostly college guys who could double as mentor/ friend types and babysitters. They will help you solve the "being two places at once" problem.

5) You need sleep. If your child is keeping you up, discuss the issue with his pediatrician. If worry is keeping you up, discuss the issue with your doctor.

How did I solve my super-stressful stuck in traffic, late for meetings, phone call from Matthew day?

1) I told Matthew I'd call him back.

2) I got off the freeway and called Matthew's program and his psychologist and told them there was too much traffic and that I'd have to reschedule.

3) I called Matthew, who was already in a better mood, and told him I'd see him another day.

4) I got home in time to go out to dinner with my husband and my son before the talent show.

5) And I had a good night sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laura Shumaker is the author of A Regular Guy: Growing Up With Autism and is a City Bright for the San Francisco Chronicle. She has contributed to several anthologies, includingVoices of Autism, A Cup of Comfort for Parents of Children with Special Needs,Writin’ on Empty, and the forthcoming Gravity Pulls You In. She is a regular contributor to NPR Perspectives and a columnist for 5 Minutes for Special Needs. Laura’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Contra Costa Times, Literary Mama, the East Bay Monthly, The Autism Advocate and on CNN.COM.

Laura speaks regularly to schools, book and disability groups.

She lives in Lafayette, California with her husband Peter and her three sons.

Visit her Facebook Fan Page!