The Secret In the Sauce

So, did you read my post about Christmas and the Chernobyl relationship? Well, we are in full meltdown crisis control over here! I admit, I have been praying for a smooth and 'happy' Christmas but realized after last night that I need to pray mightily for the strength and calm to just get through it without having one of my reactors meltdown itself. Last night we went to a Sing-Along downtown and of course Preston was bored and anxious and he 'hated it.' Afterward, he started sobbing and moaning because the radio in the car was too loud and his ears hurt. This isn't the first time he has had this reaction to the radio but it was still surprising for me. After sharing with others some issues that he has had with food (its generally a terrible thing - unless it is sugary beyond all reason), people started suggesting a Sensory Processing Disorder of sorts. This seemed like an adequate fit for his food issues with aversions to colors, textures, smells; it doesn't ...

I wish I could claim credit for this darling idea but I can't - I got it from my good friend and I have high hopes for it! Let me introduce to you, the Money Tree... She originally had this light-bulb moment in attempting to motivate her kids to make their beds and have their rooms picked up before heading off to school. Each Sunday, seven one dollar bills get put on the money tree. If the bedrooms pass inspection for that day, the dollar stays on; if it does not pass inspection that day, a dollar is permanently removed. At the end of the week, the bills that remain get to be taken off and kept by the kiddos. Preston has been motivated to make his bed, brush his teeth and get dressed (the 1-2-3's) with the opportunity for getting a packet of Bunny Gummies in his lunch (in addition to his regular lunch treat) and that has worked for getting him into a morning routine. The money tree for us comes in to play with his work and behavior at school that has been sl...

Meltdowns - that's what they have in common. And you just wouldn't imagine it looking at that darling little boy! But yes indeed, Christmas time does in fact equal CRAZY time my friends! And I don't mean race-around-the-malls or spend-hours-on-amazon shopping crazy. Nor do I mean multiple-family-holiday-parties (where kids are jumping off coffee tables and barfing around the buffet line) and demands-on-time-crazy. I mean my kids go crazy - literally. And per Preston's psychologist, kids with ADHD or other mental disorders struggle with Christmas; count on the month of December exacerbating all of your child's worst nuances, tics, characteristics. Imagine how overwhelmed - as an adult - you feel during the holidays, but that as an adult you have the capabilities to deal with it. We all know our kids are not privy to our years of wisdom and refined coping skills, which paves the way for possibly putting us at the threshold of hell for this most wonderful time of yea...

I've always loved thanksgiving because I love to eat and my family makes amazing Thanksgiving food! Oh my mother's brined turkey and homemade gravy, my sister-in-law's green bean casserole and pecan pie. It's making my mouth water all over again! I also love the simplicity of it - you gather your loved ones together and enjoy just being with them and EATING! Oftentimes we go around the table and talk about what we are most grateful for. My darling little nephew said how grateful he was for his toys. My sister-in-law talked about how grateful she was for a good brain. SO TRUE! At my family's go-around, something happened that halted the conversation so I never got to say what I was grateful for. More than anything this year, I feel so much gratitude for the people in my life, especially my family. Honestly, I have really lucked out in the people department - my parents are amazing, I adore my brother (and boy did I get lucky with the gal he married - we are cut from ...