Change is Happening!

Did you know that you can change your password on your i(device) to be a word?

We did it in Austin's to make spelling his name meaningful to type. 

The 1st week he has asked for help and we had to keep reminding him to look at the keyboard. I think he's lost patience and now wants to learn because he maintained contact the entire time we just did it. 

Also wrote a goal for the new IEP for him to sign into Gen Ed (non verbal and in 5th grade and yes in Gen Ed to work on social skills), library, computer lab, etc to make wriitng his name meaningful!

He definitely does better when things are meaningful.

Austin's also learning not to set his iPad down because I turn it off, because then he has to ask on his talking device for help and practice typing his name/password. (One way to problem solve, some what amused on my part)!

Sorry little buddy, your siblings, Ashley, Nick and Emily, should have given you the memo that you have the "mean mom". Yeah daddy and Em will be doing it the same way! Emily should have given you the memo that we make "mean siblings" also!!!! OOPS!  When she was in kindergarten her siblings made her write complete sentences for the answers of word problems. Her teacher told us she was the only child she had ever had at that age to do that. This teacher was Nick and Kd's teacher for kinder also, she was not a new teacher.

Thankful for my own "mean parents" wink wink PARENT, Sandy and Woody, for teaching me how to be one! Thankful for the Del Rosario family for a magical Christmas experience with Santa that made us come up with what we thought 2 years ago might be an impossible goal at the time of typing his name! Without being blessed with William's friendship and our special needs Santa, Woody (my dad), just asking a simple question! We'd never have gotten here. That simple question lead to 10 autism mom's crying when William answered something he was not prepped for on his Proloquo2Go and Apple Device

Still think changing diet and biomedical DON'T work? Think again. This would have been impossible 10 years ago. We could not at that point even get Austin to look at us. Let alone "reference us" which he is also doing also! Thinking about #RDI or diet or seeing a MAPS doctor or getting a Talk About Curing Autism Mentor! I'm going to have to agree with #Nike and say#JustDoIt!!!!!

Not sure where to start? Just ask!

I feel like a nag, but if you are not a family like ours think about finding one of my fundraising links and help us finish our goal. Honestly we are $58 from our goal but I would love to out do our goal.

#ChangeisHappening you can help be the change.

This was a long #FUA #Facebook post (or 2)  that became a new blog!

Honestly I also need to thank all our extended family who never under minded our efforts and have fully supported us in this up hill costly battle! (Yes there are familes that under mind people like us, don't get me started on them)!!!!

Autism is not for the weak or materialistic! Still thankful to have given back our house back to the bank when I was laid off 6 years ago so we could continue every intervention we were doing and still some how cut back even more to do more. Thankful for amazing doctors' Dr. Radoff our MAPS doctor and Dr. Italiano our general practitioner, and Dr. Shores (that came before Italiano and believed I had a brain in my head and was not a crazy person, and see the change in Austin also.  Thankful for our past teachers current teacher Sara Christian, and former teachers Linda Aubrey, Liz Olsen, and Michelle Malkind who see the difference in Austin also! VERY THANKFUL FOR OUR GEN ED COMMUNITY THAT ALWAYS LOOKS OUT FOR AUSTIN WHEN I CAN'T BE THERE.  I have a whole other post on how amazing they are and especially Ranada (not sure I spelled that correctly).  

Thankful that we have given up so many luxuries most people take for granted but that for the majority of the time Austin is safe in his home.  Yes, we do still lock everything, he still could wander like #Avonte or the other numerous kids who have died in the last 10 years since Austin got diagnosed. But I am thankful he actually sleeps most night. he eats fruits and veggies (unlike many of my friends kids), he may not be recovered BUT HE WANTS TO LEARN, HE WANTS MORE, and that some parent like me came before me gave their time and effort to sit down and think how they could help me.  Me the person at that moment, they did not know, my family who meant nothing to them.  All they knew is they NEVER, EVER WANTED SOMEONE TO BE LIKE THEM. 

ALONE!!!!

When you see me post regularly on this subject I will repay the gift I have been given and until my dying day, #NoAutismParentLeftBehind!!!

PITAup, Be the parent your kid needs and #ThinkOutSideTheBox!

I promise you the journey might not just change your kid, it may change you!  #TeamAustin 

I HATE AUTISM, BUT I LOVE THIS KID,  all my kids and the journey and lessons they have each taught me!  Without them, I'd just be an empty shell.  Who knew that the once young girl who never wanted kids, and wanted to be a nurse or cowgirl (yeah that was in our local paper when I was in kindergarten)  could so fall in love with 4 amazing kids who are all doing their part to change the world.

Oh crap just realized I forgot to get Austin's night supplements, I mean "godsends" together I better head to do that  since it is after 10!  Very thankful MOST OF ALL FOR THE DOCTORS WHO PUT THEIR ASSES ON THE LINE AND ARE WILL TO ADMIT THERE IS HELP AND HOPE FOR AUTISM!  THIS IS NOT A LIFE SENTENCE!! 

There are to many to name, but Andy Wakefield tops the list, he lost everything to help my kid!!! My beautiful boy Austin is better because everyone in this blog and so many more, I can't name every one!

If I missed you I apologize and know it was just because of time and tending to my kid!!

Seriously, I'm in love with Jillian Michaels. Don't HATE me!!

Seriously, I'm in love with Jillian Michaels.

And before you send me hate mail and tell me she posted an anti Andy Wakefield link on her Facebook page, let me tell you unfortunately I know! And unfortunately I had already purchased the video and was over a week in to her "30 Day Shred" before I was told of her possibly being pro vaccine.

Being a poor autism mom, I had already spent the $ and was feeling the burn from the DVD. Considering the norm in my world is that there is no extra money and generally no physical burn from exercise out side of chasing the kid with autism, I decided I would continue with the 30 Days since I already had opened the DVD and could not return it.

For the any of you who do not want to give her any money I recommend seeing if you can rent it from the library or Netflix. It is less than $10 on amazon.com so she can't be making that much off it anyways!All that aside as a parent of a child with autism I know most of us are on limited time, especially if you are the parent of a child under the age of 5. You are also low on funds, because if you're on my friends with me your probably spending all your money on supplements, gfcf everything free, organic, therapy and more things than I can name. So this video is made for you! For under $14 which just is the cost of the video and two 3 pound hand weights ($34 if you buy an exercise mat) and just 20 minutes of time in 30 Days you can also be in much better shape and much healthier! I know you are also like me and know we have to live forever for our child with autism so being in the best health you can be is the most selfless thing you can do! Beyond the physical health, exercise is also an amazing mental health remedy and when you are done with the 1st 30 days and you apply yourself, I can guarantee your self esteem will be higher also.

How can I guarantee that?

After just doing Level 1 of 3, I went from:

31.2% body fat to 27.2% body fat

I lost a total of 12.6 inches, 4 in the waist and 2.5 in the hips.

I gained one pound, which is all muscle!

AND I still ate out, had ice cream and drank beer occasionally. I do eat lots of veggies, eat appropriate portion sizes and take half home when eating out, but I generally do not give up anything when I am working out, I just try to eat less!! I have found allowing my self to at least have some of my favorites leads me to never having to binge eat!

I use the bodybugg system which helps you track measurements, weight and will figure your body weight. If you are not willing or do not have the funds to invest in the system then I have a few recommendations to help you. The most important thing in any weight loss program is not knowing your weight, it is know you your measurements. When you stop losing weight and if you have not done your measurements you will get discouraged and give up. At that point in time you are gaining muscle and muscle weighs more than fat, so you will need to confirm you are losing inches to keep you on track. Start an excel file with your starting weight, and the following measurements: neck, upper arm, forearm, chest (I measure under the breasts, think bottom strap of your bra to make sure I have a consistent area to measure), waist (I measure at the belly button), hips, thigh and calf. My Fitness Pal is free website/app that can also be used to track your food consumption, weight, neck, waist and hips. I know that when I started losing weight the last thing on earth I wanted to know was my measurements, but when I hit that first plateau I was very happy to see even though I had stopped losing weight that I had lost inches.

The 20 minute video consists of 3 levels, each level consists of a warm up and cool down and 3 circuits of: 3 minutes weights/resistance training, 2 minutes cardio, and 1 minute abs.