Summer Reading

One of my favorite hobbies is reading. I LOVE to read!!! I remember being the dork in high school literature/English class who couldn't wait to get the semester reading list. All around me were friends groaning and moaning about having to read this book or that book. Usually those friends would chose the book with the least number of pages (and read several) for thier assignments - not me - I wanted to read what I wanted to read whether it was 100 pages or 1000 pages. I read Gone with the Wind during the summer between 7th and 8th grade - fell in love with Scarlett and Rhett. Then I moved on to the Bronte sisters (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights), Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Crisco) and other authors/books that I wish I could re-read again and again. But I keep finding new books that NEED my time. When I was in college I would keep lists of books on my refrigerator throughout the semesters that I wanted to read when I had MY time back again and could pick up any book in the world other than a text book. The list grew and grew. I have conquered quite a few books from that long ago list and am working through the 300+ books on my current list here. I also keep a running list on the side of my blog of what I have read, plan to read and am currently reading.....yes, dork queen, I know!!

I like to read good literature books but sometimes I just need to read the no brainer, no thinking books. Put a book in my hand and I usually don't come up for air until I am at least half way through it or finished with it. It is sad that I can't control that strange habit ummm, or is it?

Because I love books so much and want to spend any amount of time reading I decided long ago that I had to teach my own children that same love of books/reading - I succeeded with my daughter, Sarah, who now has her own small library with almost 1,000 books of her own. After all, I did pay her to read classics while we were on road trips (beginning at the age of 10 and is another blog of itself). I am currently working on Caleb's love of reading....which is proving to be a little harder!!!  Caleb loves books - as long as they are about spiders, bugs, fish, frogs, snakes, etc.   He loves going to the library and checking out books - but only books on the above topics.  He will fill his bag with at least 10 to 12 books each time but when I try to steer him towards books that I want him to read problems arise.  Which brings me to the actual reason behind this post.

This is what I am reading this summer:

I am learning how to deal with a child who has sensory processing disorder.  I didn't even know this was a disorder until my pediatrician pointed it out to me at our last visit ("I think Caleb has sensory processing disorder so I am going to write a script/referral for therapy").  With Caleb I am expanding my mind once again.  Learning new things about how to deal with obsessive compulsive disorders and now sensory processing disorders. 

I love my little guy. 
He is absolutely darling -
when he isn't having meltdowns.
He loves to color coordinate our dinner plates in the cupboard.  He wants the red plates on top (so he can easily get them for his meals) then comes the orange, yellows, and greens --
 isn't that sweet of him????

He also doesn't like a change in schedule -
if it is a stay home day (as he calls it) then
I absolutely can't change things up and run errands
(meltdowns pursue).

He also loves to create patterns:
"Mom, how about this (as he is trying to get out of brushing his teeth) I brush my teeth tomorrow,
then I don't brush them the next day, then I brush them, isn't that a great pattern?"

Another thing my sweet guy doesn't like is water in the face. 
Yes, that creates problems with bathing and especially now while we are working
on swimming lessons. 

So until next time, the doctor is out......learning how to be a parent of a child with SPD.....