Tools to help me with Our Life

So I had this wonderful plan to start blogging in the mornings while kids are at school and Marc is at work so that I didn't take away time with my family.

It was a good plan.

I just forget how many things I have to do during the day.

So, I guess instead of yesterday, or this morning, I get to tell you about my yesterday's UPs today!

So, Sister's friend Ben, that she met last week, gave me some great information yesterday and it just made me so happy that I just have to share it.

Let me preface this by saying that I do know a lot about my kids and Fragile X Syndrome, but I don't know everything, and I certainly don't always have the time, patience or sanity to apply it.

Picture schedules are wonderful tools for my kids.

I have a lot of picture schedules. I get on a "good mom" kick and pull them out and have everything so organized and planned and life goes pretty smoothly... then, I just forget about them or something because I haven't brought out the picture schedules or picture stories since last summer!

Part of not getting that going is that I need some new pictures, new processes and new ways to approach issues.

Ben told me about this awesome site that will save me so much time! Maybe I'll actually stay on top of it now since I've found a helpful resource.

It's called...

drum roll please...

Wikihow

Yup.

You can type in anything that you need to know HOW to do and it has something there for you. So, now when I need to have a picture schedule for my kids to follow on making a bed it breaks it down into steps instead of just one lump of, "Make your bed." Because as moms of children with special needs all know, you have to break tasks down into small steps so they can learn each step and become, hopefully, independent.

AND, I was also introduced to the land of social stories on YouTube!

Here's one so you get the idea:



I cannot explain how much this relieves me to know all the help I have access to and that I don't have to create every ounce of it on my own.

It will save me so much time and frustration.

I also learned about social scripting.

Genius, that stuff!

So I am happy because I feel like I just might be able to get some more things together for my kids without feeling too overwhelmed.

As for today, I am happy because I was finally able to take Ranger out for a nice, long walk around the neighborhood. I had no sick kids at home from school and I was feeling well enough to be out in the Utah cold. I was just so happy to be outside again. It was even quite a pretty day with the sunshine making the leftover snow look like glitter.