The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty Ugly

So, let's start with the GOOD.

I have been learning more and more about Max's sensory integration disorder, as I mentioned in my last post. I have been reading about various tools we can use to help him with his hyperactivity and his sensitivity to stimuli here at home. Things like a Sit N' Spin. Or a Hippity hop ball. Another blogger told me about Body Sox (thank you!).

Two tools I read about yesterday morning worked really well with Max. One, I read that a warm towel can calm some sensitive kids down. Two, a weighted blanket.

Now, usually when Max has to get out of the shower or the bathtub, he throws a MONSTER fit. I don't know if I have mentioned yet on this blog about his obsession with water. But, he's got one. Big time. He could fill a container with water, pour it out, and refill it over and over again for hours. And yes, our water bill is high.

So, yesterday morning, when he got out of the shower, right as he started to throw his usual tantrum, I quickly wrapped him up in a warm towel straight from the dryer. He immediately calmed down and got a huge grin on his face. After that, he was so easy to get dressed. It was amazing. I did it again last night after his bath and it worked again. I was so relieved. I even tried it again this morning when we were trying to get him dressed, but he was too far gone. I had to distract him with an apple cereal bar in order to get him dressed. Sweet.

Then, at naptime, since I didn't have a weighted blanket, I used a large, heavy crocheted blanket that my mom made for my husband. I wrapped Max up in it like a burrito. Usually, Max sneaks out of his room for one to two hours before he finally falls asleep. But once I wrapped him in that weighted blanket, he was asleep in minutes. I tried it again tonight at bedtime and it didn't work as well, but I will keep trying!!

Good, huh? I have also come to terms with the fact that this is just how it is going to be. Max reacts differently to stimuli and it is going to be more difficult around here. But, as long as I can accept it, know that this is our reality, and that Max can't help it, then possibly I might be able to stay less stressed. I'm crossing my fingers.

Now, for the BAD. Boooooo...

I think my husband has some major karma issues he is having to work out when it comes to money. I never had money problems until I married him. And he agrees. He is wondering what he did in a past life because we can never get ahead. Never. He never could when he was single, either. As soon as we get any money at all, some disaster befalls us and we have to spend it. The bright side is that we do seem to find money somehow right before disaster strikes.

For instance, we got some money from my husband's dad for Christmas. Yay, right? We were like, sweet, we will use this to pay off debt. But, then the Universe stepped in and said, "No, no, grasshopper. You have more lessons to learn." And we find out that the guy who rents our rent house got put in jail and can't pay the rent. We have no idea when he will be let out. And wouldn't you know, the amount of money we got from my father-in-law is exactly the amount we needed to pay the rental mortgage. Hmm.

Then, two days ago, when we discovered that we had $12 in the bank and needed to pay bills, we decided to cash out our 401K. We have held off until now, but like so many Americans, we can't do it anymore. I need health insurance, we have bills. So, that is what we did yesterday. Then, today, we find out we have a leak in our water pipes and had to turn off our water. Mother of Pearl. How expensive is that going to be to fix? My husband and my father-in-law are going to spend today digging up our yard to find the leak. I hope hope hope it is small and easily fixable, but I think my husband must have swindled money in a past life, so I won't hold my breath. The bright side is that we have had money problems for so many years now, that I no longer get upset when talking about it. It is just an emotionless fact.

And now, the DIRTY UGLY.

This is the pile of dirty laundry that is taking over my living room and won't be washed because we have no water. Tsk, tsk. Guess I should have gotten it done in my free time. Oh wait, I don't have any free time. Nevermind.

And this is the milk and ham and cheese that fell onto the dirty, oily parking lot at Walmart when my bag ripped open on the grocery cart and broke. Okay, well, there is no picture because that would have created more unnecessary work for me. So, you can just imagine a carton of chocolate soy milk, a package of deli ham, and some sharp cheddar cheese laying under the yellow lights of a dirty Walmart parking lot. Yuck.

Have a great weekend! I know I will! No laundry to do!