Introduction to my family circus

Hi! I have been wanting to write about the lighter side of autism for a long time and thanks to the encouraging words of my sister I have decided to write a blog. Before I begin the introduction let me start by letting you know what you are getting into before you read this blog. Here is what this blog is NOT.
1. It is not politically correct
2. It is not made up, these are my real experiences
3. It is not for the faint hearted
4. It is not for anyone without a sense of humor
5. Most importantly, it is NOT a guide on raising children with autism. I want to make that absolutely clear, this is just my experiences and the humor I have found that has pulled me out of despair.

Okay, here is my intro. I am married to a wonderful man and I have two grown bonus daughters and two sons. My boys are 9 and 5 and they have varying degrees of Autism. My oldest, G, has Asperger's with a side of anxiety and my little guy, A,  has a full menu of issues. He has Autism, Intellectual Disability, Swallowing disorder requiring a g-button, epilepsy, Developmental Delay and wears glasses because he is far sighted and has strabismus. Lord have mercy that's a mouthful! Anyway, I am just giving some background here, my boys are my boys, not their diagnoses. My bonus daughters are awesome and both are in college.

I just have to say, some days I may have nothing to write, then other days I may need to write a novel. I just wanted to write this because sometimes I think we as Special Needs moms get bogged down with the day to day just functioning and man that gets depressing! Please don't misunderstand, I fight depression and anxiety, but I have found that laughing at the stuff that we can't control helps. Some days it helps a lot, some days it keeps me putting one foot in front of the other. Some days it's all I can do to make it to the kitchen for my first cup of coffee. I guess I learned a long time ago not to take myself or my circumstances so seriously, even when they are dead serious.

I grew up in a single parent home with no help from my dad. Just my mom, sister, brother and I. We lived with my grandfather until he passed away when I was 15. That's when things really started spiraling out of control. No need to get bogged down in those details though. Let's just say I learned how to survive and when things seemed hopeless, there is always hope. God is always in control. My mom passed away when I was 24. I am still dealing with that at 39. So, please understand, I don't mean to be flip about any hardships or circumstances. I know how hard things can be, I just choose to try to find the humor or bright side in every situation. They say laughter is the best medicine.

So, as best as I can, this is the intro to my little corner and as I am typing this my sweet little A is rubbing his face in my hair. Why?? Because he is what the therapy world calls a "sensory seeker", meaning he seeks sensory stimulation and he LOVES hair!