Temple Grandin - The Movie

The movie, Temple Grandin was finally delivered by NetFlix and my oldest (17) and I sat down to watch it.  I've been looking forward to watching this movie because it's supposed to be a very good movie but also because it's about an autistic woman and my son (8) has Asperger's which is on the autism spectrum.

It was an excellent movie.  It was very uplifting and interesting and left me feeling very moved.  Clare Danes did a wonderful job.  I highly recommend it!

My son decided that I needed to turn it off because it broke our two swear word rule (if there are two swear words then it gets turned off).  Well the words were crap and d*mn, which I don't allow him to use. But really crap doesn't count as a swear word. So I tried explaining this to him and then I turned it off and waited till he left and turned it back on (he was not tricked) and then I tried explaining to him again.  One thing that is very common with kids with Aspergers is that they are very attached to rules.  He was so furious with me that he yelled "You are BANNED from my room for a WEEK!" and then he had a minor meltdown.

Sigh.  So I had to deal with a meltdown while (and because) I watched a movie involving a woman having meltdowns. Ironic, huh?  : )

Wordless Wednesday

I'll title this one:

Longing for Summer

I know it's a bit too early to start complaining. : )



This pic is protected by copyright



Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Lancaster PA

For our 20th wedding anniversary my husband and I took a trip to Lancaster.  Since there are so many theaters in the area we thought it would be nice to catch a show.  It turned out that the Rainbow Dinner Theatre was the only place that had a show that worked for our timeline so our choice was quickly made.

They do comedies and the play we saw was called The Busybody.  The acting was very good and the show was so funny!  I'd love to go back and see another one.

My husband called ahead and surprised me with a bottle of wine and a mug with chocolates, a bear, and a balloon.  What a sweetie he is!

I hate to say it but the food just wasn't good.  The roast beef was okay but the rice stuffed chicken breast and fried fish were really pretty bad.  On the plus side the desserts were great and they had locally made ice cream too.  Also everyone that worked there were soooo friendly and helpful!  Especially our server; he was great.

So overall it was a great experience and I hope to go back (maybe they have a desert only package) and see another show.     

this pic is from their website

Wordless Wednesday

 I'm feeling random today, so here are some disparate pics.  Trevor and Brian from the (AWESOME!) band Enter the Haggis... and a rainbow (double)

Lancaster PA and Steinman Park

When we were in Lancaster PA in October we went to the Central Market which is the oldest continuously operating farmer's market in the US.  I got some amazing handmade Long's horseradish, delicious cinnamon swirl bread from Ric's (I highly recommend it), and many other treats.  It was a lot of fun!

As we were walking back to our car we came across Steinman Park (pictures below) which was a completely charming surprise.

We really liked Lancaster and my husband shocked me by saying that he wouldn't mind living there (hypothetically speaking).  This was a shock because my husband generally hates everything about cities.  : )

This park is "dedicated to the memory of Lancaster Newspapers' late co-publishers, James Hale Steinman and John Frederick Steinman." (Pressroom)

Education Reform and Me Rambling

Just a ramble today.  I was going to tell you about an adorable park in Lancaster Pa but none of my pictures would load, so I gave up. : )  That'll have to wait for another day.

I think the end of daylight savings time has given me jet lag.  That must mean I'm old.

I had to research Education Reform for an English paper that I wrote. I think one of the scariest things about it is that for every opinion there is an equal and opposite opinion.  No one can agree on anything (this may be a slight exageration)!!  It's really awful.  Personally, I think one of the biggest opportunities is to reduce class sizes, especially in the lower grades.  Even wonderful teachers can struggle with providing help to a class of 30.  What do you think would help the most?

Going to read some more of "I am Number Four" and then to sleep.

Wordless Wednesday

Here is the quilt that my sister and I made for our niece.  My mother cross-stiched a pretty heart of flowers with her name in it (at the top of the quilt.)  Then there is our mom holding our little love just a few days after she was born. 

Linking up at Miller Racing Family



Happy Sean Bean Awareness Day!

What do you mean you've never heard of Sean Bean Awareness Day!?  The SBAD in a longstanding international and traditional day of appreciation for Sean Bean (that I just made up).

I realized the need for this day when I found out that none of the girls in my office knew who he was. This underappreciated actor has been in many movies and tv shows. He often plays the bad guy in movies (The Island, National Treasure) and even in the Richard Sharpe series he is a hero with a reckless streak.  I believe I first became of aware of Sean in the movie Patriot Games where he played an awful (ruggedly handsome) villain.  Then I was fortunate enough to have a husband who loves the Sharpe series so I often get to catch glimpses of him as I walk through the living room. ; ) 

I might feel a bit bad about this except that my husband has had a crush on Helen Hunt for many years. : )

In honor of this day I created a desktop background to share:
If you right click on it and choose Set as Background the whole thing will be visible.

Blogging for Autism - Asperger's and my family

My son who is 8 years old has a form of Autism called Asperger's Syndrome.  There is a saying that if you've met one child with Autism, well, you've only met one child with Autism. Meaning that there is a huge amount of variation in symptoms and severity and each child with this disorder is different.

Generally speaking, Asperger's effects motor skills, speech skills, social skills, ability to deal with disruptions in routine or with frustrations, preoccupation with a favorite subject, sensitivity to noise, lights, etc.
For more see: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/tc/aspergers-syndrome-symptoms

In my son's case some of his symptoms are quite mild.  For example his speech; until he was diagnosed at the age of 7 I didn't realize that his odd way of speaking had anything to do with the other issues we dealt with all of his life.  Other symptoms are more severe such as his noise sensitivity, impulse control, and ability to deal with frustrations.  Major meltdowns where he hurts himself, others and destroys property are not uncommon.  On the other hand he can be a delightful funny and friendly guy to be around. 

One of the many things that I've learned from my experience is the truthfulness of the Bible verse at Matthew 6:34 - "So, never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Sufficient for each day is its own badness."  I've found that it is easier to survive each day if I take it on it's own.  Constant worrying about the future makes life almost unbearable.

I'm  very sorry that this post is so late.  I'm also a bit sad that I don't think it's well written and it doesn't say what I want it to.  It was both harder and more painful to write then I anticipated. 

Thank you for reading.

Karla