Summer

Stephen is in his room squealing/shrieking at the pile of videotapes and DVD cases that he feels must be strewn across his floor.  The door’s closed and still, every sound makes my bones hurt.  Summer has only just begun and already I wish I could disappear.

It’s not a coincidence that my prolific writing output stopped right about when school ended.  God, I hate this time of year!  Other families relax into the nothingness, glorying (as they should) in the freedom, the vacations, the trips to the lake.  I crumble into misery, along with my family.  Stephen’s behaviors multiply in intensity.  The easygoing guy of August through May disappears, and along with him any real sense of family harmony.  God, I hate it SO MUCH.  I can’t get a straight answer from anyone about his summer services, and he’s too old or too affected by autism to go to any of the day camps I found.  Unbelievable how families like mine are just dropped like hot potatoes when the school year ends.  And they extended summer, which is clearly an attempt to push me over the edge.  School was going to start August 9.  Now it’s August 20.  Just shoot me.

I have been doing very well with feeding myself and my family with real foods and trying new recipes.  Maybe I’ll get a chance to share more foodie stuff later.  I hope so – those plans and possibilities have been a lot of fun for me.  I’ve found something I’m really interested in, that I enjoy thinking about.

Hopefully I can get back to something fun soon.  Right now I have to go see what I can do to help my son deal with the misery of summer.

Edit to add this...here is what we have to wade through to walk into Stephen's room lately.  It ain't easy.