Autism Awareness Day

My Buddy!

Chilling Outside

 Meet Braden. He's 24. My buddy has a chromosome disorder and is autistic. It has something to do with chromosome 7 (it's backwards and upside down). Then there's all the other medical issues; intestinal trouble, hernias, swallowing is hard so soft foods only and more. He speaks as if he's between 1 and 2 years old, can walk but with trouble, has behavioral problem (lashes out aggression) and lashes out hurting anyone, he hates crying kids & dogs and he scares almost everyone.
I met him 5 years ago when I moved into my apartment. He lived next door until 2013. At the time my son was 11 and my daughter was 8 years old. With 20 apartments with low income, there are tons of kids here. All were scared of Braden. Though my son walked right up to hims and started playing with him and his train. His mother was so impressed we became quick friends.

Halloween Sock Monster

About Braden-
His nickname is Bubba
Love trains
Love Queen (the band) sings 'We will Rock You' all the time
Like Barney (that purple dinosaur)
Can't get enough of Thomas the Train
Can eat mashed taters all day
McDonald's double cheeseburgers
Stuffed frog are his friends (ones he can throw and beat without trouble)
Likes to go for rides on 4-wheelers and carousels
A piano will keep him occupied for hours
Like to sing 'Old McDonald Had a Farm'
He barks (as we call it making a loud noise that sounds like a huge dog barking)
He can't get enough milk

It took me over a year to understand him and there are still days when I can't quite catch what he says. None of his mother's other friends can stand to be out in public with Bubba. I, however, I don't mind it unless he is having a bad day.
Braden flips out whenever is in pain he hits, bites and throws things. It's hard to restrain him and when anyone tries they get hurt.

Since they moved 2 hours away I've missed him. I miss the sound of him playing his keyboard and him singing in the middle of the night. walls are so thin you can hear the neighbor sneeze).

Watching Everything Around Him

I'm writing this to spread the word that there is nothing wrong or embarrassing about mentally challenged. It sickens my heart when people look at MY BUDDY with distaste and fear.

Bubba & His Parachute

April 2015 CampNaNoWriMo Preparation

Camp is just 20 days away. 

Time to make preparations. Many things to do.

Even though my kids are teens and can fend for themselves mostly; I plan snacks for them. I cut up fresh fruit, veggies and make yogurt dip up weekly. Putting them in airtight containers for easy grabbing.
For simple easy meals; I pre-cut & pre-slice up everything for subs, sandwiches & tacos. Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, and anything else they want.
As normal procedure I make up freezer crockpot meals & cook all hamburger I'll need at the first of the month. Usually doing the following:

• Chicken & Beef Fajitas (1 each)
• Sweet-N-Sour Meatballs (2)
• Mongolian Beef (2)
• Taco Meat (3)
• Brown Sugar Chicken Thighs (1)
• Hamburger with garlic & onion for Goulash & Spaghetti (4)
• Chunky Beef Stew (1)
• Pepper Steak (2)
• Pineapple Pork Roast (1)
• Teriyaki Pork Chops (1)
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs (1)
• Cheesey Broccoli Ham and Potatoes (1) 

You can find many of these recipes on my Pinterest. FOOD! & Freezer meals! Below is a sample of my menus. Most crockpot meals can be frozen so all you have to do is thaw and toss in.

Then for quick grab breakfasts I make up tons of pancakes, sausage links & bacon. Freeze them on cookie sheets then place pancakes and a meat in a freezer bag or foodsave them. Kids just grab slice open and heat for 1 minutes 30 seconds. I also bake muffins on Sundays.

As for writing snacks and other kid snacks I make up spinach/artichoke dip, marshmallow treats, dill oyster crackers, and of course cupcakes, cheesecake, and brownies. My girl will make cookies at least once a month so we have those as well.

Writing Preparation 

I do the following:

• Drag series template from last Scrivener project to a new project. Makes it so easy to be able to easily drag all character & place info and notes over.
• Plan plots and twists (until characters change it all up)
• Add an arc to Aeon Timeline for new novel in series (gives all series timeline in 1 place)
• Figure out a few new characters to toss in. Supportive one.
• Make up Writing Month Chore Chart for the kids. They are an extra help in April, July and November. I won't have to do much.
• Clean up all 3 of my writing spaces (my desk, kitchen table & my favorite chair).
• Read through the last in the series I was working on (so to remember small details)
• Chart possible emotions that will be displayed (I have a hard time with these)

After all that...

I write up a list of things I can manage in the writing sprints 10 minute breaks.

1. Start a load of laundry
2. Switch laundry
3. Fold a load of laundry
4. Soak dishes
5. Wash a load of dishes
6. Vacuum a room
7. Sweep floors
8. Clean toilet
9. Dust half a room
10. Scrub stove & counters

You get the idea. Quick chores that can done in minutes. Plus you get bathroom breaks and refill snacks & drinks time. 

Now is the time to prepare! How do you get ready for a month of writing? Post in comments.

What a February

The last month has been terrible. Not only did the sewer back up I've been sick for 5 weeks. Now that the carpet and kitchen flooring has been replace and the 5th round of antibiotics are working, I'm finally feeling better.

I have tons of stuff to put back in place after all the flooring being put down. URGH! I hate that. At least the flooring guys moved everything and put it back in the places I was going to rearranged the furniture. That saved me time.

Now I have to deal with my son's father wanting to have my boy move in with him so he doesn't have to pay child support any more. That would mean my boy will be driving 60 miles to and from school every day (costs more for gas than child support). I have sole custody so my ex will have to take me to court and spend even more money. Then there will the car insurance I won't pay for any more, his phone his grandmother won't continue to pay and  no Netflix. HA! I get to talk to him tomorrow about it all. They can wait 6 weeks for the move (after graduation).


Yes, part of my refusal has to do with money the other part is after 13 years of not being in my son's life he want him now. Oh! Add in the fact he's my boy and not really ready to be away from mommy. He can use the oven and microwave, cook mac-n-cheese and make eggs but that's it.

I have been told I'll be approved for SSI (disability type) in the next month or so. That'll fix the money issues but not the emptiness of my son moving out.

My son has distanced himself from me the last month or so. We used to talk an hour every night and now it's like pulling teeth to get a word out of him. I think that hurts more than anything else.

April is CampNaNoWriMo and I'm preparing for it. My goal is 9000 words. Researching is the part I hate the most. I have done the timeline on Aeon Timeline and have all characters & places set up in Scrivener. now all I have to do is figure out snacks and easy meals for April.

~~~~Happy Writing~~~~

~~~Happy Parenting~~~