It's the same. It HAS to be the same. Because today isn't an awareness day for ME, it's an awareness day for everyone else who doesn't live the Autism life. My boys will wake up around 6:30 but they will stay in bed until 7:00, they will ask to play on the playstation and computer and I will let them because they are on spring break. We will take meds with breakfast and go to appointments. If they are in a good mood, we will visit the library and maybe grab lunch at McDonalds because, Hey Mom, the Skylanders have landed at good ole McD and we LOVE Skylanders! (even if we don't love McD)
Yes, I will "Light it up in Blue!" but mostly because I have yet to replace the blue bulbs on the outside of the house from last year. I'm still iffy on Autism Speaks these days but I do get chills when I see major landmarks swathed in blue light.
Yes, I'll be wearing my Alex & Ani bangles (20% of proceeds go to the National Autism Association), my April gift to myself last year. I got both Russian Gold and Russian Silver because I'm an Autism mom x2 and dog-gone-it I deserve two!
Yes, I'll have on my Autism Mom "gear" which these days consists of a Sevenly "Autism: Different Not Less" men's hoodie ($7 of every purchase goes to an Autism charity**). I won't even try and trick you into thinking that I save this just for April 2. I wear this almost daily, I've been known to sleep in it and use it as a cover-up at the beach. Even if it had not been stylishly faded and antiqued, it would be by now!
**The way Sevenly works is that they do a different charity weekly and this week happens to be Autism Speaks. They've got some very cute stuff for sale this week, I am considering a new Men's hoodie but that is difficult because I hesitate to donate more funds to Autism Speaks until I can get a better handle on how they are helping the ASD community. That being said... look at the cuteness! (Check back with Sevenly occasionally for more Autism charity tees/hoodies/totes!)
In celebration of Autism Awareness Day I will fax in the paperwork for my son's intensive outpatient treatment at Kennedy Krieger's NeuroBehavioral Unit. I will hope that this will *finally* be the piece we are looking for to get past his extreme and unpredictable anxiety driven aggression. I will go over the estimate and the insurance company's pre-determination for my younger son's sedation dentistry appointment. I will follow up and advocate again for more coverage for this service as he is terrified of dentists and won't let anyone near his mouth other than me. I will send in a grant in hopes of getting funds for summer camp and I will hope that when the time comes for camp, I will have a steady IISS person who can attend camp with my 11 year old because he cannot go alone. I will do more research on "supporting a child with extreme anxiety in the classroom setting" because that IEP meeting will be here before you know it. I will be reading through all the Autism Blogs that I subscribe to, I will spend time in our online Autism Community with people who will probably be spending their Autism Awareness Day the same way as me... keeping the routine. (ps- I have no idea why this paragraph is center justified but it won't let me change it so... enjoy!)
Keep on keeping on Autism families. Have a great Autism Awareness Day!
EDITING to add another adorable tee shirt! Nico Apparel has this adorable tee shirt for sale this week with $5 from each shirt going to the National Autism Association. (This one has me very tempted... it's adorable!)
EDITING TO ADD AGAIN: Oh the cuteness of Autism Awareness Month! This time it's Thread Start with this super cute design and tons of shirt/sweatshirt/dress/pant options for men, women and kids. $8 from every shirt goes to the Autism Research Institute (ARI).
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