And so it begins...

I am attempting the world of blogs.
As always, a bit late - but going for it just the same.
I am not very blog savvy, so please be patient with me and if I blow it by breaking some 'unspoken blog code' - as in 'the first rule of blogging: no one ever talks about blogging' - this shall serve as my disclaimer.

I suppose there is a section where I 'tell my story' and post it? Further investigating of my page layout will tell me more, I'm sure.

For now it will have to suffice with a brief bio.
My name is Sandi and I am a 50 yr old mother of 3 children - 2 of which are somewhere on the Autistic Spectrum - and wife to a husband who is The Source of All Things Aspergers, in our home.

My eldest child is my brilliantly beautiful NT* daughter Lauren, who is 27 and married to my wonderful son in law Willie.

When I figure out how to do links, I will set one up as he is a superbly talented artist whose medium of choice is tatooing. (Is that a word?)

(I will refer to NT frequently - which stands for Neuro Typical, or the antithesis of Aspergers)

Next is Brendan, my 1st Aspie child, who is 18 and just graduated high school.
A REGULAR, PUBLIC school.
I am not against private academys - but I want to emphasize that it CAN happen, for anyone out there who is discouraged with the process.
He has had an IEP in place since his dx (diagnosis), in the 3rd grade.
He is my handsome, sensitive young man whose looks have never made his life as an Aspie easy, contrary to were he NT.





Finally there is Julian. Ahhhh, yes... at 7 many think he was an accident.
However, he was carefully planned, prayed for and proving to be a challenge to my veteran parenting skills.
He is charismatic, intelligent and Trouble with that capital 'T'.
He also has a dual diagnosis of mild Aspergers and ADHD.

I will also mention my husband - though, this is really a blog about me and my kids - since with his own Asperger issues - he truly is not a contributing factor in parenting my sons.
Dilly is also 50, works at a local club store as a cashier and has been there for over 14 years.
Prior to that, his occupation was in a beauty supply warehouse for almost 15 years.
Quite obviously, this man does not 'do' change very well...

This leaves me.
Mmmmmm, I would be lying if I didn't admit to hoping that this blog will serve as some form of outlet - (we all are already in therapy in this house, so go figure...) for my inability to focus on me.
If you are at all famliar with Aspergers or ASD's (Autism Spectrum Disorders) hopefully you can see the irony in this.
For those of you newbies to ASD's - it is a general rule of thumb, that these wonderful individuals can mostly focus on themselves, only.
Empathy is not common, nor is prioritizing others needs over their own.
This of course is a huge challenge, since I have issues putting me first - that means it just doesn't happen.

My purpose of creating this blog is not soley selfish, however.
Since hearing the term Aspergers Disorder, back in the early 2000's - I felt it was to become my duty to learn as much as possible - to experience as much as possible and to share all of the above - with whoever might need to hear (or read in this case) it.

I do not profess to be an expert - and 99.9% of my posts on this blog will be based on opinion and personal experience.
So if it is tainted or seems unjust to you - let's talk.

I love puzzles, challenges and probably spend way too much time on the 'what if's?' in life.

I really want this to be a place for those who are new, frustrated with or challenged by Aspergers and ASD's and what it is like living with them - to be able to relate, laugh and cry - while no one else is watching.
I promise to do my best on posting regularly and replying to any personal comments or questions.
But as we all know very well, day to day life can be overwhelming at times - even to us 50 yr old veteran moms, who thought they knew it all - and then they met their last child's 'evil twin'...
"I'll be bahk......" ;o)