In A Hurry To Go Nowhere

Working full time leaves little time for errands and tasks.  My weekdays are filled with the “job”, piano lessons, dinner, homework, and sleep.  Saturdays have become the” hurry to wait" day.  I have so much to do, and only Saturday to complete them.  I don’t like waiting in line, but that is the reality:  hurry to wait at the gas pump, the bank, grocery stores, etc.

People ask me what is wrong with doing something on Sunday.  Well, I need down time, and if the Good Lord determined that we needed a day of rest, who am I to argue?  (and I'm too tired to!)

So Saturday is the day to tend to household chores, cooking for the week, and running all those errands.  Last Saturday I woke up at 6 a.m.  No, I am not crazy.  After getting up at 6 a.m. all week, I didn’t need an alarm.  However, I didn’t get up for a few hours.

Up at 8am, I started grinding wheat.  Made sourdough.  Used up old sourdough to make pizza.  WIN.  The boys love pizza for lunch.  Pulled out meats to defrost.  Made small grocery list.  Went to one store.  Realized I forgot checks to cash at bank.  Went home.  Grabbed boys.  Went to next store.  Got gas.  Realized I forgot checks again.  Went home.  Went to farm.  Stopped at bank to get cash out of ATM—because I forgot the checks. Again.  Farm only takes cash.  Wait in traffic.  Construction on roads.  Wait.  Wait.

Then I arrived home.  Make dinner.  No, make 5 dinners.  With boys’ help.  Each of them is responsible for making dinner.  We freeze food.

That’s part of Saturday’s agenda.  I’ve left out a ton.  Can’t even remember the last half.  Except sleep.

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!

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.