I Sense A Full Moon is Coming...

They say the full moon is coming tonight and it is the "Full Wolf Moon"! Everybody run and take shelter! Mwahahahaha!!!

Full Moon Calendar 2013
January 26th	Full Wolf Moon	11:38 pm
February 25th	Full Snow Moon	3:26 pm
March 27th	Full Worm Moon	5:27 am
April 25th	Full Pink Moon	3:57 pm
May 25th	Full Flower Moon	12:25 am
June 23rd	Full Strawberry Moon	7:32 am
July 22nd	Full Thunder Moon	2:16 pm
August 20th	Full Sturgeon Moon	9:45 pm
September 19th	Full Harvest Moon	7:13 am
October 18th	Full Hunter's Moon	7:38 pm
November 17th	Full Beaver Moon	10:16 am
December 17th	Full Cold Moon	4:28 am

Seriously, I can sense a full moon coming and going....more frequent crazy calls at work, more hospital patients, more babies being born. On the home front with a quirky child, yeah let's just sing "The Quirks Come Out At Night and Day" to the tune of "The Freaks Come Out at Night"

So, I guess now you want my flashy lyrics? Just remember this is all for fun and my ode to a full moon night!

The Quirks Come Out at Night By Jen

[Chorus] 2X

The quirks come out at night and day

The quirks come out at night and day

The quirks come out at night and day

(The quirks come out)

The quirks come out at night and day

Quirks are always there

And it ain't till 3 till the party really starts

And I always am awake

Right before the fun was about to begin

Rows of toys lined up inside and out

Just one reason to like the Melatonin

But it doesn't always work

You can always find the quirks here

[Chorus] 2X

Now when the quirks come out at night

They like to dump out all our toys

They rip paper and throw it on the floor

Real tiny pieces and baby powder too

All kinds of toiletries in their hair

And you can just about find a quirk anywhere

But then again, you think you have seen it all

But you never know until the quirk comes out on a full moon night, 'cause

[Chorus]2X

Now the boy is jumpin', the room is a mess

And when the quirks like this, I'm ready for some wine

But before I could bust a rhyme on the mic

Quirks are now dumping milk 

Quirks come in many ways

But I wish they would hibernate tonight

They do it under the table, this is not just some fable

But when multiple quirks come out at night

You can always tell it's a full moon night

And you may not sleep for days

And they don't walk, Oh No!, They run!

And nine times out of ten they drive you nuts

But take my advice, you will survive

Wow! The quirks are so alive!

So if you wanna live a nice quiet life

Do yourself a favor and buy some ear plugs, 'cause

[Chorus] 2X

Yes, folks, true story. Thank God for coffee and caffeine! Maybe I will get brave and record my song some day! Hope this little tune makes you smile through the quirks! Remember, you are strong and you will get through this too. Sending all my "special" parents lots of love and hugs....

Check out my Facebook page, My Quirky Son, who knows you might get to hear some moon songs! 

PDD-NOS...so, now what?

Since the fall of 2011 and actually, now that I think of it, even longer since Super E was about 18 months old, I noticed there were some quirks. Back then, I just thought, "Oh! It's nothing really. He will grow out of this or that...not my child." I let people influence that thought in the beginning.

Something inside of me changed. I think the "Big Mama Bear" gene came out! You don't tell me that there is nothing wrong with my child and make me feel like I am crazy! I am by no means a loud person or someone that "grabs the bull by the horns" and go off on someone. Maybe a little when I was younger. Now that I am in my 30's, I have a quiet strength (the most dangerous kind). I tend to people watch. Constantly looking at their actions and reactions. Most often peeling myself to the wall, hiding or kind of lurking (Creepy? I know, right?)

I've been pushing for a more definitive diagnosis. Disruptive Behavior Disorder is not the right diagnosis. It didn't sit right. I don't know how I knew, but I KNEW! I honestly feel that the previous doctors really just did not want to be bothered with my child. I had the feeling from them that he wasn't severe enough to warrant their time. Supposed to be a great place for children...maybe for some.

In retrospect, I think I was more prepared for the new doctor. I gathered evidence, made notes, took video...SuperE has a medical binder now! Perhaps, if I had been better prepared, the results would have been different. I believe that God sends us on a path and sometimes we make the wrong turns. I made a wrong turn. However, I continued to pray, to fight, to persevere...

Don't give up. We, as parents, must step up and take action. Even if your child is "normal", you still need to fight for you kids. High school parents in our school district need to fight for bus service. I say keep fighting. You can't make change if you don't speak up!

Official diagnoses: ADHD, OCD, SPD, speech/language delay and the newest, PDD-NOS..so, now what?

This Mom is going to fight not only for her child, but I am going to fight like crazy for your child! I am going to become an advocate. I am going to help other parents find the resources, the help, and the support that they need.

I WILL NOT GIVE UP! I am not going to sit down and cry. I am not letting the enemy win this time! I am going to get up off my behind and DO SOMETHING...just like my Brownies' journey...IT'S MY WORLD AND I AM CHANGING IT!

Who Cares If I Might Look Silly?

Yesterday, being in a mood of silliness, I decided that if my Facebook page "My Quirky Son" gets 100 Likes that I would post a video of me singing Bon Jovi! I chose Livin' On A Prayer. It was so much fun!

It is so important sometimes to just let loose and be silly. At first, I was a little nervous and scared that I would get nothing but negativity. My daughter was super excited about helping me! KK was a little nervous too and asked me why I would want to do something like this? I told her because it's okay to be silly and it's okay to be different! She says, "Like how SuperE is sometimes weird about things?" I said, "Yep, that's exactly right!"

I think about my days of growing up and how we had a program called "Everybody Counts". I haven't really seen that in our schools now. Although, I was told it existed but some years it didn't because there just wasn't enough volunteers. More importantly, I remember my Mom explaining special needs to me. If she saw me staring, she would walk me over to the "different" person and she would just ask them about their disability. Most people were always willing to share their story with us. The woman had a knack for charming people. Mom had a best friend who's son was handicapped and he lived in a special home. We would go and visit him...my favorite memory is when one of the residents sang to us..."White Lightning"!

My point being is that we as parents of special kids need to encourage others to speak up and speak out about their child's differences. We need to educate our "normal" children on how to treat others that might be different. My biggest dream would be to see people actually being accepting of someone who is different. Granted, there are more and more people who are sympathetic to kids with special needs that are apparent. And there even some, who are sympathetic when you are at the grocery store and your child is literally crawling out of the cart where it raises up (and does it repeatedly through the store) so you can push it into another cart when putting said cart away. What is hard, is when your child does not have an apparent problem and most will think that it is just a lack of discipline. Or when your child gets so overwhelmed from the lights, the noise, or simply just somebody accidentally bumping into your child that causes a whole slew of responses from spinning, to humming, to running and hiding, or to yell really loud something quite inappropriate.

So, next time you see me out or if you see someone else out. Just ask us what is going on with our kid, don't judge and just listen. Please, please do not give me a look after I tell you about his problems and say, "Oh! I am so sorry!" I don't want pity. I only want some understanding.

To people who know me in real life, please don't tell me things like "Oh! He's just a boy. He will come around." or "Your child doesn't have a problem." or "Are you sure that he has that problem?"! This is my child and these things are happening. Just understand why I might not always want to go places with you with my child. Understand, that when I say something is going to bother him and not believe me. I know my child best and I know what I see every day. When I try to explain a certain behavior, don't say things like, "Well, he didn't have that problem a few months ago." These things honestly just really irritate me because I don't always know what is going to bother him. Some days, weeks, or months at a time these behaviors continue without any warning. I don't always understand what makes him do something or what makes him blurt out something inappropriate. I can't always make him stop doing something annoying like spinning right smack in the middle of a crowded place or humming loudly or saying the same thing over and over again. It just happens. But I can tell you that he is smart, kind, funny, and so sweet.