a time for reflection...

It has been so long since I had the chance to sit down and actually put pen to paper (or in my case fingers to the keyboard) to write anything for my blog.

Lately this task seemed to be more of a chore, knowing what to say that would sound anything remotely legible has failed and eluded me, like a form of writers block.

What will I say?

What do I want to do? Where do I want to go?

How do I see myself now I'm finally at a point in life where I can begin to focus on ME! 

'A.J., myself, hubby, forever bonded' 

Brain overload explosion, is the only way to express exactly how my life has been up to this point.
I've always been busy, so many different things going on, that many of the things I really wanted to do were constantly being put onto the back-burner; while even the things I needed to do were being dealt with in an all-be-it 'a-little-at-a-time' 'just-enough-to-get-by' manner.

I won't deny I wouldn't have changed most of what I've done, when knowing those who needed me were given the love, support, and focus they required to grow and progress forward in a positive loving environment.

"I'm working on it!!!" - holiday turmoil.

It's usual by the end of each school term to find A.J. struggling to maintain his composure and balanced momentum.

Noticing also over the past few weeks A.J. had gone backwards dramatically in his morning routine, we've been trying a few ideas to make his evening, morning, and sleep schedules a little easier.

socially awkward....

allowing everyone to express their own personal selves

as parents, we continually struggle with our kid's ongoing diagnosis symptoms;

being unable to clearly verbalise their anxieties and emotional feelings that are brought on by unknown situations or environmental factors, resulting in a heightened sensory emotional state that they can't regulate.

This is known as Emotional Dysregulation - (present in people with ASD, ADD/ADHD, bipolar, PTSD, etc), is caused from deficits in the frontal cortices of the brain, resulting in unregulated emotional responses, behavioural problems, erratic outbursts, all interfering with their social interactions and relationships.

Taking a deep breath and moving forward - One step at a time.........

Parenting - it can be like facing an emotional roller-coaster on a day-to-day basis.

Being prepared for anything and everything at any given time.

Not everything is rainbows and sunshine, not for anyone,

some days seem to drag on, with so many things to deal with.

Just recently I went through a really down moment, my stress levels were through the roof,

It was a really bad 'life can really suck' moment!!!!

Wondering how we cope with the teenage years?

...the latest pose when asked if I can take a pic...
all dressed up to head out the tea at our local club

Sometimes questioning if we would actually make it through in one piece?

 never-the-less we push on through, hoping the outcome will be positive and not a total disaster.

No-one's perfect so we must remember not to be too hard on ourselves.

Our motto we follow is to clear the slate each evening before we go to bed, and start fresh the next day.

Choose your battles and focus on the important things, no regrets, no guilt, no what-if's. 

Watching A.J. progressing through his teenage years, it seems the more evident his quirky mannerisms are becoming, some of his ASD traits seemingly more severe, and yet I feel his age makes them more pronounced and obvious, exposing the cracks to things that were always there. 

Leaving the holiday mode behind -

Well here we go again,

Only one more week before facing yet another year of school mayhem.

Yes, although A.J. likes the familiarity that comes along with his regular routines and schedules, he still struggles with the hustle and bustle that portrays the overall high school environment.

in preparation for the new school year
everything is Black (where able) as requested 

While not exactly planned, here is where we are at.....

enjoying weeks of relaxed holiday mode, a combination of xmas season festivities, Computers, Games, etc, resulting in all but the essential routines flying out the window.

Unfortunately AJ has always struggled with any type of morning routine, add his typical teenage 'angst' into the mix, it was easy for him to tip the scales towards shutting down his regular routine all together.