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Marybeth Hancher

Marybeth Hancher

School’s Back In Session

June 21, 2016

Oh yes.  Welcome to Hancher Elementary.

The school where Nadia calls me “Mrs. Mom” with a giggle, and the ornery kid in the class is always Lambie Hancher.  😉

june 21 summer school-3932

We begin the morning at Nadia’s regular school time, and we end a couple hours later at the same time, as well.  Or a few minutes early.  Cause, seriously, people.  It IS summer, after all.  😉

Today we made a list of goals.  Do I expect her to nail each one of these over the course of a couple months before real school is back in session?  Nope, but it doesn’t hurt to try or at least get a head start.  The thing we learned about Nadia is she likes routine.  And to be honest, summer vacation ruins that for her.  It’s nice to take a week or two to just wing it and enjoy the break, but she truly does like having that morning time to do what she’s used to doing.  It was very apparent today when she woke up and said, “It’s time to get dressed for school.”  Sure, why not?

june 21 summer school-3931(Also, pretty sure she’s mocking my enthusiasm here.  Haha!)

Some of our goals are more challenging than others… our biggest challenge is one that I think most parents take for granted.  Sipping a drink from a cup.  When it comes to academic things, Nadia picks it up rather quickly.  But her biggest difficulties are always things like speaking and coordination and socialization.

One of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received was from my friend Kelly and his mother-in-law… You see, Nadia was the flower girl in his wedding.  Allow me to flashback for just a second to show you:

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Crazy cute, right? ANYWAYS, I gave him “warning” ahead of time that I wasn’t 100% sure she’d be able to follow the directions to walk down the aisle because she was currently undergoing some testing because we suspected autism… and following directions and communicating wasn’t exactly something she was even capable of at that time.  So what did him and his wife do?  Like the good friends they are, they said, “No big deal!  She can carry her blankets and Lambie and whatever she needs, and if you want to lead her, then by all means, you walk, too.”  So yes, I was the adult flower girl.  😉  But she made it.

A couple months later, I got an anonymous package in the mail full of academic books geared towards little ones with autism, and I found out later that his mother-in-law used to be a preschool teacher for the kids with special needs, and she gifted them to us.  I can’t tell you how useful they have been, and a couple years later, we’re still working with them… in fact, they are of more use to us now because she’s really starting to get the hang of it.  So that’s also on our school agenda.  😉

june 21 summer school-3944

She also has a backpack full of Scholastic booklets that we’re going through.  In addition, we’re doing journaling time, practicing writing her letters, we sit on the floor and have story time, arts & crafts time (hello! My favorite!), among some other activities.  I’m sure we’ll add some more outdoor activities to the list as we get in the swing of things, but right now I plan on taking a weekly trip to the library and really setting up a nice routine for her.

june 21 summer school-3951

Will she enjoy this as much as regular school?  Yeah, I’m gonna have to say no!  😉  It’s never as much fun when your “teacher” is your mother!  Or dad!  (Although, I think having Dada teach every so often might be amusing for me, so I’ll be putting him on the roster some days.  LOL!)  But Day 1 was enjoyable, and I think it will help her to feel not-so-out-of-place all summer.  Just wanted to share.  🙂

june 21 summer school-3965

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Marybeth

INFJ + Type 4, Joy-Seeker, Jesus-Follower, & Advocate for Autism. Read more in my bio! Thanks so much for joining me here!
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Did I just throw the "softest birthday party ever? Did I just throw the "softest birthday party ever?" 🦄 Can confirm. 🤣I surprised Dana with a Letterkenny themed party this year along with his very own Bonnie McMurray (@kamillakowal) to serve him a Puppers. Did he love it? That's a Texas sized 10-4. 🥰 Anyone that watches that show would get all the references I plastered around the house. Allegedly.Happy 38th birthday, babe! I'm glad you enjoyed your day cause I couldn't think of a better way to celly, boys. Ferda. 😉@letterkennyproblems
Good morning from Cinder! 🥰😽 Good morning from Cinder! 🥰😽
I've recently begun taking a low dose SSRI for PMD I've recently begun taking a low dose SSRI for PMDD/depression, & while it's not necessarily everyones business to know this information... I mean, it's me. Open book. And spoiler alert: these medicines work. 🤣It's amazing how you can walk around under a dense cloud for years & not even become truly aware of it until one day the fog is debilitating. In the past month, I've finally admitted to myself & everyone around me that something was terribly wrong. I journal daily, & those old journal entries are painful for me to read. Thank God for doctors/nurses/NPs that listen closely & offer help to we that are hurting.As it says in my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy workbook, "PMDD is to PMS what major depression is to feeling 'depressed' when one's favorite team loses." 👏👏👏 All this to say, if you have PMDD, DO NOT IGNORE IT and don't let anyone dismiss it as PMS. Well meaning people who just wish to empathize and give me assurance that I'm not alone have pushed my legitimate pain and concerns aside for years, telling me it's "normal." Finally, I found a doctor that listened and diagnosed me with PMDD, moderate depression, panic disorder, & anxiety. And I've gotten help.In my haze, I've caused destruction. Said things I can't take back but things I can at least attempt to apologize for. I've ignored friends without becoming aware that I've done it. I felt alone for so long, even in conversations & even when my body was physically present with friends. But once the fog lifted I discovered something beautiful-- the people I love never left my side, even if I couldn't see them. The density of my depression blocked them from view, but now that I see the sun again, I see their faces smiling back.I made this art journaling page the day I took my first pill. I held it in my hand crying that I didn't want to need it. But once I took it, relief. I was proud of myself for calling it quits on the mind games I was playing with myself. The "just meditate." The "exercise more and you'll feel better." The thousands of dollars on alternative treatments just to avoid the stigma of a pill I swore I'd never take. But Prozac won. I won. And everyone else did, too. I'm back. ❤
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⋒ Eating: A Sarris chocolate covered pretzel sen ⋒ Eating: A Sarris chocolate covered pretzel sent to me by Dana's mom (one of the things I miss from Western PA)⋒ Reading: People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry and loving it⋒ Smelling: Springtime air after a fresh rain⋒ Listening to: Nadia + Natasha singing together one of the sweetest songs from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood⋒ Loving: Dana and I finishing up our first Hunt A Killer series and realizing we're not only a really good team of private investigators but doing this together has given us countless hours of great conversation and the gift of fun home date nights to look forward to. Bring on the next box!Today I am happy. Very. ❤
How 'bout eggs? 🤣 #hancherholidays How 'bout eggs? 🤣#hancherholidays
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