Monday, October 27, 2014

Unexpected gifts


This past weekend was filled with the unexpected. One of our favorite surprises was the warm Michigan weather that allowed our littles to play outside without coats and (for two crazy littles who couldn't be convinced otherwise) barefoot. The other favorite is shown in this picture above, seems like a fairly typical photo, but it's pretty special at the Tripped Up Castle.

Description stolen from Tripped Up Daddy's Facebook account:

Enjoying the air glider together. We've gotten close a few times earlier, but this was the first time it was initiated on its own.

Autism progress for the little Angel triplet!

This moment is brought to you through hours and hours of ABA therapy, occupational therapy, Floortime therapy, and the fantastic teachers in the ASD room. (Thanks too to the foundation provided in the ECSE programs we've used since the girls were 18 months old).

Monday, October 13, 2014

Norwex to the rescue!

Imagine parenting a child who is drawn like a magnet to the most dangerous things in your home. Drawn to put magnets, batteries, razor blades, broken glass, and far more into her mouth to explore them. Drawn to eat non-food items or at least chew them to the point that she might as well have eaten them. Drawn to the idea of sucking on any spray bottle, especially window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, and hair detangler. A little girl who is also smart enough to outsmart (or even out climb) any childproofing device or strategy employed. Child lock is working today? Wait a few days or a week, she'll figure it out and get to what she wants leaving your child lock in the dust.
This used to be a good option...

If you've followed this blog at all, then you know this is the world of The Tripped Up Family with one of our 6-year-old triplets - Angel Triplet who has autism. No amount of teaching has resolved this situation because for some reason her little body craves these sensory experiences and her autism keeps her from understanding the immense danger she puts herself in.

It's not an unusual occurrance for kids with autism (or for those with sensory integration or processing issues) to seek these types of sensory experiences and struggle with pica-like behaviors. The hard part is that because the disorders are so varied in their outworking for each person, the solutions for typical issues are just as varied as each person struggling with the issue. Once again the old adage of "if you've met a person with autism than you've met one person with autism" rings true. While we have tried many different solutions for Angel triplet's mouthing obsession, we have never had anything work beyond the first month or two of novelty (at the longest). Once she gets bored with a new solution, there's no convincing her to use that coping mechanism and she's back to the typical mouthing patterns.
How does this NOT
look like candy?

Nearly two months ago, Angel triplet discovered how to break into a cleaning products cupboard and decided to place the dishwasher pouches into her mouth. After all, they sure look like they could be candy, right?

That was my last straw. Our cleaning supplies had to change. I can't successfully figure out how to keep them under a child-lock mechanism that my daughter can't outsmart. Instead of hiding the materials and thus making the materials even more interesting (because what kid doesn't always want exactly what you say they can't have?), I decided the cleaning solutions have to be safe even if she does ingest them.

And that's when Norwex came to the rescue. I had heard about Norwex and its amazing cloths before. I had even attended a party, but I never actually used a cloth myself. The whole key was that I could clean without a cleaner - just with water and a microfiber cloth embedded with silver. This cloth and water would clean up everything and make my home really clean without bleach or other harsh chemicals. I decided to try it myself finally. I began with an Enviro cloth and a Window cloth. I was amazed at the cleaning power, but even better was the idea of removing dangerous items from all of my girls' hands and mouths.

It wasn't too long before I realized I could earn free cleaning items and help others do the same by becoming a consultant myself. I love the flexibility it offers.

Since I'm still a fairly new consultant, I'm doing a Fall Open House with Norwex this weekend and invite all local area folks to stop by. There will be free food, interesting demonstrations, and plenty of fun. Let me show you the magic of cleaning with only water and let you in on how you can get you some free product as well! Just email me for all the details.

Not from the local area? Don't worry, we can connect and do a home party via Skype or Facebook. I will work with you and make sure you get as much free product as possible. Contact me now to book a party.

Norwex offers the best microfiber cloth available
and the company makes it so easy to earn free product. Don't miss your chance to remove harsh chemicals from your home and clean better than you thought possible.

Don't worry, this blog will not turn into a Norwex blog. It remains a parenting blog that offers a special focus on autism, special needs, mulitples, and triplets, However, Norwex is making a huge impact in our home because of the autism complexities and Norwex's simple cleaning methods. Please don't be offended if I periodically share that with you, because honestly, if it's making a difference in our world in a positive way, it just might do the same for someone else.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Slippery Fish or It's the little things that aren't so little after all

If you've never experienced kids with delays or special needs this might not mean much to you. If you know the struggle of meeting even one milestone amidst delays, read on.

While going potty this morning, Angel triplet (yes, I did say GOING POTTY) starts singing this song and doing the motions. Then her sister Princess triplet joins in. Yay for ABA therapy and for daily progress!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45VuWNq3cjs