Being Autistic, Being Human

I admit to being a Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me podcast junkie. I will listen to the show 2-3x in a row. And (sadly enough) it is how I know most of my current news.

I branched out in my repertoire during August. Some of the new podcasts I am checking out are:
The Kindlings Muse
Speaking of Faith
Friday Night Comedy
Coffee Break Spanish


Of the many hours of podcasts that I listened to this summer, Being Autistic, Being Human hit closest to home for me. Although this was presented on Speaking of Faith, it was not a conversation about faith at all, but rather about life and family.

During this hour long conversation, the presenter speaks with Paul Collins and Jennifer Elder about their son, Morgan, who has high-functioning Autism. It is a very real talk about joys and challenges for this family as well as the role that Autism has played in society.

I am considering recommending it to other parents and professionals to help them learn more about Autism. If you have listened to this podcast, please let me know what you think.

Slam dunk that Dryer Ball!

I go back to work in two days. TWO DAYS?! And although I'm certainly ready for The Flash to begin school again, I'm not quite as sure about myself.

More specifically, I'm not confident that I'm ready to get up at 5am every morning after a summer of sleeping in. I'll be getting up especially early for the next few months because I've decided to go through the P90x program.

I have completed my summer to do list:
-paint trim throughout the living room
-make 2008 photo album (really happy with the results from Picaboo!)
-read at least one book (see sidebar for books read this year)
-grow tomatoes successfully
-go to the gym daily (when not on vacation)
-shop great deals

I am feeling good about my shopping ventures. I bought items for my classroom, my students, the holiday food baskets, and many freebies for my co-workers.

I'm particularly excited about finding cheap dryer balls. For several years Professor X has used dryer balls as sensory stimulation to help cope with his pain. We have hypothesized that dryer balls would be the perfect fidget for my students with sensory needs. Thanks to Dollar Tree, I have 10 inexpensive balls with which to test my hypothesis. The hard spikes and difficult to deform materials seem ideal tools for stimulating pressure points on the palms, arms and other areas of skin. As an added bonus, they do not bounce, so kids are less likely to spend class time dribbling them.



Wish me luck on my new ventures. Maybe soon I'll be jumping high enough from my new exercise program to dunk the dryer balls?

A Starry Summer

The Star Wars saga continues in the Super house. But I have to admit that I'm enjoying it.

At his first Disney visit, The Flash refused to volunteer for Jedi Academy, but he did spend his yard sale money on a rockin 2-sided make-your-own light saber (which he proudly swung around the park for the rest of the day).



And he used his mad skillz to fight his Padawan friends at his Star Wars birthday party.



And destroyed the Death Star (pinata),

And devoured Tie Fighters (cupcakes).

We continue to have ethical debates with our now-7-year-old about "no guns" and "killing is bad" as he pretends to laser blast the entire family. Suggestions?