In thinking of ways to improve this coming school year, I decided it would be good for our grocery budget and good for the environment if I didn't send bottled water in the boys' lunches. I had these nice 'green' stainless thermoses with freezable lids and thought that would be a great solution. But, being the mom of autistic boys, I also knew that I couldn't just make a change like that and assume all would go smoothly. So Monday I did a practice run on all three boys. Spencer and Harry drank from them just fine. They were a little hesitant at first but when I assured them it was only water, they were OK with it.
But not Alex! And he's my one boy willing to eat anything I put in front of him! Silly boy! See him here? Don't let him fool you. He's pretending to take a drink! lol! His mouth is closed tight! He thinks he can fake out his mother. Oh dear. We went round and round like this with a mild growl (from him, not me!) and I decided to give it a rest and try again the next day. Today didn't go any better, even when I let him watch me fill it with water. He pretended to take a drink again. I just couldn't help but laugh. Good grief!
Last night I tried Plan B ~ let him see me fill it with his favorite Crystal Light drink. And guess what? He drank it. Whew! Yay! Claps and kisses from mom. lol. Sent a note to his teacher for just to make her aware. Hopefully there won't be any drink protests. Oh dear. Change is hard.
And yes, today is the first day of school!
I never have trouble getting up and cheerfully sending everyone out the door! :)
♥
Very smart idea, Mom! Hope tomorrow goes smoothly for everyone! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jill! It should be a good day. They love school!
ReplyDeleteWow--he had me fooled. I thought for sure he was drinking from it. Yeah for school starting again!
ReplyDeleteRebecca ~ well, it isn't tipped up enough, and he never swallowed! :) and he stood like that for a full minutes. lol...
ReplyDeleteHe's certainly knows how to pull a fast one....how do you keep one step ahead ?
ReplyDeleteOur schools returned two weeks ago, it's like being in a ghost town during the day :)
~Jo
The first day of school takes on a different meaning the older they get. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't know Magpie ~ it still means the same to me each year...peace and quiet for 7 blissful hours! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat if Alex filled the bottle himself? Do you think that would make a difference?
ReplyDeleteKathy~ well, not with water...but once he saw his favorite drink in there he was fine. Although, he drinks the bottled water fine. I'll have to try that just to make sure. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you finally made it through the summer. I hope you get a chance to chillax.
ReplyDeleteIt does look like Alex is drinking his water...he's pretty good at fooling all of us. Good eye mom.
chillax ~ lol...love that!
ReplyDeletehahaha if all else fails bribe with his favorite drink
ReplyDeleteAren't you being a sneaky fink..haha
But hey if it works go for it
So no more fake drinking fit
It really does look like he's drinking it too
Good thing it can be caught by you
And the LOVE school
Ewwww that's not cool..haha
Pat ~ yep, moms have to be sneaky
ReplyDeleteand even a little tricky!
Eyes in the back of our heads
that cause the children dread!
lol....
Yes, they love school here
and I'm so glad, dear! :)
That is a tough change for the boys! Good for you for planning ahead like that...many parents don't. Wishing you a restful day tomorrow :)
ReplyDeleteHip Hip Horray!
ReplyDeleteFirst School Day!
(sounding like Pat right now)
Set the clocks
Put on thier socks
(yup, it's a Pat rhyme)
Out the door
and tomorrow it's more!
My comment needed to be special for ya.
Please remember to grant Betsy some restorative time and space for the all-too-necessary renewal of her lovely Self.
ReplyDeleteNot optional! Fundamentally necessary! (PLEASE!) [loving smile]
Caringly ...
J.M. ~ yes, sir! :) Thanks. I promise...and I'm looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteAw, Christine...thanks! And if Pat comes back to read,
ReplyDeletehe'll see the need
to take credit for your rhyme
and give a little chime!
Packing lunches right now
and brushing teeth in three mouths. ha.
Change is so hard. Even if it is just your water bottle;-) Enjoy your day tomorrow!!
ReplyDeletesmiles. good job doing it in front of him mom...hey whatever it takes...first two days were good...only now my boys are afraid another earthquake will happen...ugh
ReplyDeleteYou have got to be the smartest mother out there..because you certainly have had enough practice witty thinking! ;D
ReplyDeletehaha well it's good you don't have a fight to go to school
ReplyDeleteThat wouldn't rule
Yes I made another rhyme
Damn I'm good with my chime
It should be a crime
Now I'll make like a mime
And suck a lime
Sticking my hat out for a dime
I have enjoyed walking through your summer with you immensely! I think you have done a famous job staying on top of whatever was thrown your way. And it's nice that you have a scrapbook of memories here of the mentionable antics of your boys. : ) I pray that their school year gets off to a super start for them and for you!! Cindy from New York
ReplyDeletePat ~
ReplyDeletethey didn't always think school was keen
once they had a teacher that was mean
Alex would lay in the road in protest
that was a patience practicing contest!
lol....
Cindy from NY ~ aw, Cindy...thanks for leaving a comment. Yes, the summer has been eventful and I'm ready to have some peace! :) I'm glad to know you are reading my posts! You probably felt the earthquake today!
ReplyDeleteTry again tomorrow! I'll bet he'll drink out of it if he gets thirsty enough.
ReplyDeleteChristian ~ well, he did fine with his favorite drink...and tomorrow is school, so it's going in his lunchbox! :)
ReplyDeleteand...autism isn't like that...(he'll do it if he's thirsty enough). Autism works over reason and he'd go thirsty...be frustrated...throw a tantrum....principal would call me....ugh...hahaha..It's best to figure out how to help him over the barrier.
ReplyDeleteHe actually laid in the road? Wow
ReplyDeleteThe teacher must have been a mean old cow..haha
Pat ~ right in the road
ReplyDeleteyep, she was a toad.
Actually, she was a sub about 8 years ago
glad that's over at my show.
lol....
cow, toad...all the same. ha.
AWWW Bets - you are one smart mama for sure! I'm excited for you to have some restful time to yourself. Trust and pray the boys really do enjoy school this year. You have plenty more sly 'tricks' ahead for them, no doubt. Enjoy the first day of school. ;-}
ReplyDeleteWhat a smart cookie you are, dear Betsy.
ReplyDeleteWill be thinking about you Wednesday when you come back home to an empty house....time for another cup of coffee..
It does look like he's drinking it in the photo! I miss the first day back to school, they were so much fun. And finally quiet for a while. :)
ReplyDeleteIt takes a lot of creativity and ingenuity to be YOU!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
Two out of three isn't bad for the first try! Sweetening things up a bit always works for me too. Good luck with the first day of school.
ReplyDeleteYou have so much patience and you are so refreshing optimistic.;) You are a great mom Betsy.;))
ReplyDeletexoxo
I tried to get my hubby to start using refillable plastic bottles to bring to work and he just seems to not want to give up those throw away bottles. I think it is wonderful for you have such success with the boys and maybe I need to try and fill hubby's bottles up in front of him.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy your down time while the boys are at school, just be careful to not get locked out again.
And it is funny about how the quake has been on the news all day while out here it might have not even been reported. We live about two miles from the San Andreas Fault and so go through quakes every year. Actually they say we have them everyday but have become so used to them that they have to be fairly large for us to even pay attention.
What to do in a quake: never stand in a door jamb, get outside if possible to where you are away from things falling from buildings such as bricks. Or lie down in the "Triangle Zone". The Triangle Zone is where you lie right next to a bed, couch, chair, one NEVER lies UNDER furniture because if the furniture is crushed then you are crushed and the Triangle Zone is to lie beside it so that if the furniture is crushed it provides a pocket for you in which it safely keeps the roof or other falling debris off of you.
We used to be taught to get under a table or bed, stand in a door jamb and never go outside because it was thought to be safer inside. Then after years of study, they totally switched and then showed us videos to prove how this new advice saves lives. It is an eyeopening video to watch and once you see it, one understands why all the old ways are totally wrong. We are also aware that sometimes there is no place that is safe but knowing these new rules does help us feel a little safer. Oh and they say to stay away from brick buildings. Falling bricks cause a lot of injuries and deaths.
Earthquakes can be scary but sometimes knowing a few safety measures can make one feel a little less afraid.
I truly do feel those living in Japan are even braver than those of us who live in the western US.
Do you remember the margarine commercial about not fooling Mother Nature? We have no control over Mother Nature and she always let us know.
God bless.
Good luck to the boys at school. And I can't imagine my mate Alex with a growl (however mild) so you must be mis-reporting the situation.
ReplyDeleteVery clever, Betsy! I'll bet that worked. Change is hard. Enjoy your day! blessings ~ tanna
ReplyDeleteMrs.U ~ I would have never remembered that commercial until you mentioned it! ha.
ReplyDeleteGood earthguake tips...yes, I even heard that one the news..that an earthquake happened in Colorado the day before but it didn't even hit the national news it's so common out west. 1300 earthquakes worldwide annually with 31 over 5.0!
Need to run errands today, so hopefully won't be out in my nightgown. ha.
The Mister walked them over this morning. They were all smiles and reaady to go early. :) Shhh..you hear that? Nothing? Exactly! lol....
ReplyDeleteGenius! I did the same thing. I have to send breakfast too, and my mom had bought us some Horizon individual vanilla milks I was sending. We ran out, and no way was I going to pay that much to buy more! So I told Pierce I was sending his milk in a little metal waterbottle. BUT WHYYYYYYYYYYY? He said. So I added a scoop of chocolate Ovaltine and told him it was a special treat - hopefully he drank it this morning - at least he was prepared I guess, lol.
ReplyDeleteSmart solution with the crystal light, hopefully it will all work out just fine! :-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy today, knowing you gave your boys another wonderful summer and that they are happily on their way to school. Too bad we don't all live near each other, lunch together would be fun! Hats off to you, Betsy!
ReplyDeleteI am so not ready for September!
ReplyDeleteWell done, you made it through the hols - and still sound quite cheerful. Hope the transition is smooth for you all. Make sure you work some treats in for yourself now. One of those fancy metal bottles would be great for hiding a G&T and making everyone think you were drinking something healthy!
ReplyDeletejenny ~ haha...I could use a good stiff drink about now. Hey, I could have been doing that all summer! lol....
ReplyDeleteanita ~ lunch would be SO fun!
ReplyDeletei love the way you think tactically, with the practice run first. you spotted the flaws in the plan any great director would want to know about before the production commences.
ReplyDeletegood luck at school to them, and you:)
Hope the boys have a good first day back, I know you did.
ReplyDeleteYou are really smart! Always I have some troubles with lunch for school! gloria
ReplyDeleteGOOD FOR YOU! GOOD FOR ALEX!
ReplyDeleteSilver ~ that's a really good idea! I think I'll do that until they master the thermoses!
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you that school is back in session. Enjoy your precious hours of time to yourself. You deserve it.
ReplyDeleteps...funny about the closed mouth/fake mom thing. Kids are all the same.
Oh boy. that last line and this below really made me laugh--
ReplyDelete"We went round and round like this with a mild growl (from him, not me!)"
--So glad you clarified, but then again, Betsy, i don't really take you for the growling sort!