Burned out

I burned out today. I went to work this morning and about 10:30, I had enough. I was talking to this guy who had a problem with a business tax file. Of course, it's my job to figure out what they're saying and what exactly they need help fixing. Not my job to tell them what to put in and not my job to tell them where on the forms it should go. Sorry, but I just don't make enough money to take on that kind of liablity. But this guy wanted me to somehow magically see his tax forms on his computer without remoting in but he insist he had a problem.

 Since I couldn't remote in, I asked to duplicate what he has on his forms. He goes off on me like it was a waste of time and that duplicating doesn't work. Duplicating tax inputs is one of the things we do at work and we do it all the time. It's just funny that he's sitting there talking about how much time he spent on the return and he just wants to get it done and sent off. I tried to explain to him that duplicating helps to resolve issues quickly because then I can get a better idea of how to help him. What I really wanted to say was that if he was so concerned about wasting time, then why don't he stop wasting time blowing smoke at me and let me do my job. He hung up anyway and that was it for me. 

I realized how tired I was especially after I wrote about my extremely busy schedule last night. I left work early, went home and crashed on the couch and slept for a good 4 hours before going to pick up my kids from school. I know I seriously need sleep and it will come when school is done for me which is very soon. I know the feeling of having finished school will be great and I can reward myself then for having accomplished the goal but for now, this is what I have to deal with. 

I am seriously considering looking for another job though. Not sure if I like jobs where people think that they can get things done faster by yelling at you. 

Siska DeYoung

Run Run Run

It is now 9 pm. The boys are in bed, got a load of laundry in the wash, and the dishes are going in the dish washer. Now, to homework. It's actually pretty good timing. I'm lucky tonight and might actually get to bed at a decent time instead of the usual 1 am crawl into bed only to wake up 4 hours later to get to work.

My life is busy like a lot of people wouldn't believe. Here's a run down of a typical day;

5am I wake to the sound of my alarm, I lay in bed for awhile to check my emails and my facebook. Plan out        my day and try to remember everything I'm suppose to do that day.
6am shower and dress. Get my kids up and dress my boys before I have to leave for work.
7am driving off to work
7:30 am to 5 pm I work as a business tax support in a call center with only 30 minutes for lunch (it has to be        that way so that I can get off on time to get my boys from the daycare before 6pm or otherwise, they            charge $5 per minute you are late. Yeah. Ouch!)
5pm to 5:45 drive to the daycare in the school my boys attend and pick them up
6pm arrive home
Now, here's where it gets tricky. If it's Monday, I cook supper and we eat at 7pm, after cleaning up, we have a family home evening. Kids are in bed at 9:30 and then I get to my homework online.
If it's Tuesday, cub scout for David and boy scouts for Matthias starts at 6:30. So when I get home, I cook a quick meal and dinner is out the door. We get home about a quarter to 8 pm. It's enough time to get ready for bed, say our prayers and send them to bed. Then I get time online for homework.
If it's Wednesday, yep, you guessed it! Another busy night! Claira, my daughter, has church activity at 7 pm, so it's another meal out the door as soon as I can get it fixed. Then we're home a little after 8. Prepare for bed and send the kids off after another prayer. On Wednesay, I have to make sure one of my papers are turned in since it's usually due on that night. (I write 2 papers a week for the class I'm currently in)
If it's Thursday, well, that's a whole other ball game. You see, on Thursdays I have to work late until 7:30 which means I don't get home until after 8. I have a great baby sitter that watches my kids for me on Thursday and she's a blessing to me. But when I get home, that's when I grab a bite to eat and spend a bit of time with the kids before sending them off to bed. Then, yep, more homework. Another paper is due on Saturdays, and I need to make sure I get a good start on research.
Fridays, I get home and it's my night to finally chill for the week. We usually order a pizza and watch movies or go out and visit a landmark or family.
Saturdays, because it is tax filing season, I am required to work on Saturdays from 8am to 5 pm. When it's not tax filing season, my kids and I do some cleaning and then go out to the park or some place special.
Sundays, we go to church. I spend some time this day to plan out the week; what we'll do for family home evening, meals, when I can shop, what homework is due that week and so on and so forth.

That's my life. I know it sounds like a lot but we really have come a long way. I am looking forward to finishing college this coming spring. It is a great sense of accomplishment and I'm looking forward to a more regular bed time.

Siska DeYoung

Vegetable Bow Tie Skillet

This seems to be one of my kids' favorite dinners. They're Doctor Who fans, so go figure they like the bow ties. But it is good and a great way to get some vegetables in their diet.

1 pound of ground beef
2 table spoons of minced garlic (yes, we like to eat a lot of garlic ;) )
4 cups of water
4 teaspoon of beef boulion or 4 cubes
3 cups of bow tie pasta
2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon of Chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
2-14.5 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup or 4 ounces of shredded cheese (any cheese works but my kids like cheddar the best)

1. In a large skillet, cook beef and garlic over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in water, beef boulion, pasta and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
2. Add yellow squash and zucchini; cover and cook 2-4 minutes longer or until the pasta and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, cook for 2 more minutes and then sprinkle with cheese.

Monster Scissors!!!

David hates haircuts! One time, I was giving my oldest son, Matthias, a haircut, David screamed as I was cutting the first lock on Matthias' head. Next thing I knew, David ran out the front door and hid behind the closest dumpster. He absolutely refused to come back inside unless I put away the scissors and comb. My daughter was kind enough to go outside and stay with David until I finished the haircuts for  Matthias and Michael. Once I was able to prove to David that the scissors were gone, he hesitantly came back inside.

To my dismay, David's hair grew until you could braid them.

Autistic kids are known to have sensory issues and they seem to vary from one autistic kid to another. It's one of the first things that people either tend to recognize or not understand and then misjudge. It's not because the kid doesn't know how to behave or they're trying to upset anyone around them. It's not like that at all really. They don't have control over certain senses of their bodies and it makes them scared and try to find a way to calm themselves down. David often grunts, for instance, at random times when he's happy. David also gets scared around loud noises and would wear a hat to feel more secure. This presents the reason why he doesn't like haircuts. It's because he is afraid of the noise from the scissors. 

To finally get David to take a haircut, I had to enlist the help of one of my sisters who also happens to be a nurse. She was well aware of his sensory issues over his head and the noise that he was scared of. I held David in my lap and wrapped my arms around him like a hug while she cut. David struggled a bit but he knew, there was no getting out of this one. So instead, David would resort to saying, "Hey!" or "Don't cut it!". Then after my sister cut a lock, David would say, "You cut it!" I guess I was determined to cut my son's hair because I was covered with his thick, scratchy hair afterwards. But hey! He no longer looks like a hobo. 

Siska DeYoung

Baptism in a sink

After brushing his teeth in the sink, Matthias comes to me with both hands in the air and says, "Mom, am I getting baptized today?" His shirt was wet from the sink and I'm not exactly sure who won the water fight. Matthias, or the sink? I told him no and he laughs. Such a tease. Of course it reminds me of a time when Michael, my youngest son, decided to make macaroni and cheese in the sink. You have to hand it to him, he had the right idea, just not the right way. It seems that kids with autism have a fascination with water. They like to play in it and just run their fingers in the water to feel the water secure their hands. I am definetly going to have to make a sensory toy for my little boys to play with water other than in the sink. 

Siska DeYoung

Who Am I?

It's quite simple. I'm a single mom of 4 beautiful children; 3 of whom are on the autism spectrum. I'm not an expert of any kind. I don't want to use this sight to give out advise as I'm sure that all parents of autistic children get enough "advise" on their own warranted or not. I'm not here to judge anyone either because there's enough of that going on in the world as well. I want to use this sight as a way to share my life and what it's like to be in a home with, not 1, not 2 but 3 autistic kids. If there's anything that anyone can take from it, then great. If not, then I hope that at least you would have found something useful or something that would have made your day. It's a great life! Let's enjoy it to the best.

Siska DeYoung