Hamburgers Vs French Fries

Cameron

Nick, Cameron, and I spent a few days in Tucson.  We found a restaurant that offered gluten free breads and buns as well as grass fed beef; foods we consume at home.  Awesome!  I didn't have to cook.  They did not hesitate to order hamburgers, and they were happy about not having to get a lettuce wrap.  It was a TRUE hamburger!

Nick's plate:  no fries

In the middle of dinner, I noticed how these boys attacked their food.  I laughed at how similar and different they were.  They both ordered hamburgers, but what they ate first differed.  Neither opted to sample the other food item on his plate until the first item was completely consumed.  NO mixing foods!  If you know Nick, fries are always the first to go!  For Cam, the burger was serious business!

Cam's plate:  no hamburger

In the end, it did not matter what was eaten first.  Teen boys ate everything on their plates. Just a simple dinner out, but how I love just spending time with my boys!

Nick and Cam On Their Own

Nicholas and Cameron are on their own this weekend.  This is the first time that they will be away from us parents for four days. They are travelling with their youth group, heading towards the coast.

They are excited about their adventure.  Being on their own--freedom.  Right?  With that freedom comes responsibility.  Will they eat the gluten free foods?  Will they follow directions?  I hope they'll look out for each other.

I am both excited and anxious.  Problems could arise, and I won't be there to help.  They have to figure things out.  Of course, if an emergency arises, they can call.  I prepared them about situations that could happen and how to handle them, but how do we really know what can happen and how they'll react?

I worry, but we all need to know how they do on their own.  The only way to know is to let them go.

Autism and Scholarship: Party Time

Now we're at the reception following the scholarship recognition ceremony.

Ryan and I hightailed it to the coffee line as the food line led to wheat laden food.  (Ryan is gluten free except for wheat that I grind--unprocessed/unheated wheat.)  At the coffee bar, we chatted a bit between ourselves and then with a few others we knew.  Out of nowhere, Ryan announced, "I'm going to talk with that girl."

I reacted casually (?), "What girl?"

"THAT girl, in line."

Wow!  OK.  I recognized her from elementary school.  When Ryan was home schooled, she made the effort to talk with Ryan.  Ryan always answered her questions, but never ventured to initiate his own line of conversation.  Well, today he did.  He held a conversation with her.  They included me.  I was impressed.  It was not too long when they walked away.  Without me.

Too cool!

Valentines Day Dinner: Eat Your Heart Out!

So the boys are gluten free.  Unless I grind the grain at home, but that's another story.  We decided to make pizza out of homemade sourdough.

The shaping of the heart took some time since the dough wanted to stick to fingers.  Twas a good sensory test.  Tacky, sticky foods on  the boys' fingers used to be a trigger for meltdowns and tantrums.  I like to ensure the boys have not lost the progress made regarding their tactile issues, so they "get" to make meals like this occasionally.

Dough in oven at 350 F for 20 minutes.  Out pops pizza ready for sauce.

Yes, sauce is homemade too with homegrown basil and organic garlic. Now it really looks like a heart!

Of course, sausage and cheese are a must to complete pizza.  Nick liked cooking the sausage best.  He just had to "taste" the sausage to make sure it was well cooked.

It took about an hour to make and cook, and about 5 minutes to eat!

Happy Valentines Day!

Posh Traveling Improvised

Ryan, Nick, and Cam with me

One of our summer endeavors has been to expose the boys to different ethnic restaurants because the boys still have sensory issues.  We'd love to travel to various countries, but money dictates creativity.   I set the boys on a hunt:  to find restaurants with different ethnic or cultural foods.  The computer blazed, and we found several different places.

We "travel" to a different country every time, which saves on airline costs. HA. Most of the restaurants are family owned.  We have tried to stay away from the chain restaurant, but how they enjoyed Benihana! This place was infused with entertainment.  The boys loved seeing the food sizzle in front of them.  The chef amazed them with tricks like flipping the bowls into his hat.  Quite a show.

The different country aspect is all a part of expanding their horizons with various tastes, textures, cultures. etc.  They are now not as sensitive to unfamiliar smells, sounds, tastes, etc., as they were at the beginning of summer. So this "therapy" is working!  Tis amazing how thinking outside the box has helped our boys.

Can I Ask For Forgiveness: Part II

To review what recently happened,  Nicholas started a conversation with a very awkward set of phrases or questions. He referred to an example, a download, and forgiveness. None of it made any sense, at least at that point. I waited a week to see if Nick would initiate the conversation again. Alas, it didn't happen.

So I took the lead.

Nick joined me for a three mile walk. We chatted about a few things, mostly about the weather or things we saw. I finally asked him, "Remember you asked for forgiveness?" He responded with a nod. I continued, "What was that about?" He smiled. That confirmed that he did indeed remember.

"Mom," he said, "Remember I went to laser tag with Casey. We got hungry." Nick stopped talking like that was all he needed to say.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that. Why did you need forgiveness?" I inquired.

Nick smiled again. Whatever it was, I don't think he was really sorry.

Nick replied, "Casey ordered pizza." Again, Nick stopped liked that answered my curiosity. It didn't.

"And?"

Nick had a sheepish smile on his face. "I had a piece."

Oh! Nick is gluten free, and this was the culprit.

The conversation continued to reveal bits and pieces. The end result was that Nick had ordered a pizza too, not just had a piece of Casey's pizza. I explained to Nick that sharing the pizza was very understandable. Teenage boys having pizza. Sounds like heaven on earth for teenagers. However, Nick knew he wasn't suppose to have pizza that I didn't make at home. What havoc that does to his stomach and brain!

"So, Mom, can I have forgiveness?"

"Of course, Nick." At this point, I couldn't get mad at him. He knew the consequences of his actions. He set me up perfectly too. How could I get upset when he opened the door by asking for forgiveness? Talk about a brilliant mind!!!

He was willing to go through pain in order to be able to share a meal with a friend.

By the way, the download and the example??? Nick was trying to figure out how to talk about the whole incident, and couldn't figure out how to start the conversation. Very typical of an autistic mind.