Look Mom It's A Dinosaur Butt

I couldn’t believe it. I swear, it sounded like she said “Look Mom! A dinosaur butt!” What she actually said was “Look Mom! A dinosaur foot!” It was hilarious. My daughter is always coming out with things that take me by surprise, so I wouldn’t have put it past her to have said “butt” instead of “foot.”

We didn’t get to spend that much time on the beach. We arrived at Carolina Beach in the evening. It was too cold and too dark to take a walk on the sand. Our hotel was right on the beach and our room had a view of the water.

It also had a window right in front of the bed I was sleeping in and the sun rose right there. It was like waking up to a bright light aimed right at your eyes. We got up early Sunday, which is usual with our kids. After getting everyone together and everything together, we went for a walk on the beach and collected shells.

My daughter loves looking for shells. My son, not so much. As you can see from the picture, he just wanted to leave. Walking along the sand was no fun. The water was too cold for swimming. We didn’t even bother to bring swimming suits.

We ended up taking a short walk on the beach, collected a few shells, and then went in search of a store to get a drink. First, we had to stop and deposit the shells and the “dinosaur foot” into the truck. Yes, we brought it home. It was heavy, but my husband was a good sport about it. He carried it all the way to the truck. I wanted to see what it looked like all cleaned up. I thought it would be nice in our garden. My husband wants to break it up and see what is inside.




It turned out to be a nice day at the beach. It warmed up as the day went on. Carolina Beach, NC is a really nice place to visit during the off season. It costs a lot less to rent a room. We rented a two-bed efficiency at the Savannah Inn. I like staying in a room with a kitchen. We paid $75 for the night. That’s a little higher than what we usually pay, but the room was nice and the beds were comfortable. They have a pool, but I didn’t bother to find out if it was heated, since we didn’t bring bathing suits.

We had a great time at the Aquarium. I’ll tell you all about that, tomorrow.

My Son Picks Shania Twain As His Birthday Present

Taking both of my kids to the store can be stressful. When I do it without my husband, it is only done because I have to. When it is my husband and my kids, it can still be stressful, but I am not alone. It is easier when I have someone to help me keep an eye on both of the kids.

Grocery shopping is the worse. Neither one of my kids wants to stay with us. They both want to roam around. They both want things that they don’t need. I spend the whole time saying “No.” Then we get to the check out register. Really? Who’s bright idea was it to put chips and candy at the check out register? After spending the whole shopping trip going up and down aisles saying “no,” I just don’t have it in me to say it again. I just want out of there and I don’t want to listen to anymore temper tantrums.

When I go to the store with just one of my kids, it is a little easier. It’s easier to keep track of one, than two. If I am going to the store to just look around, I don’t feel stressed out when I am with just one of my children. Since I don’t have to get anything, I let my child lead the way. I follow.

Saturday was my son’s birthday. He received birthday money that he split up and piggy banked part of it and the rest was to spend. He wanted a game for his Nintendo DS. My daughter had to go to school for half a day in order to make up a snow day. My husband and I took our son out for a birthday breakfast. Afterwards, we hit the pawn shops and the local indoor flea market in search of used Nintendo DS games.

My son loved it. This is a boy that walks as slow as a snail when we take him to stores to get things that the house or my husband and I need. When this little boy has money to spend, and can spend it any way he chooses, he becomes the energizer bunny.

We didn’t find anything in any of the places we went to, so my husband dropped us off at home. Our daughter needed to be picked up at school and I was determined that our son be given the opportunity to buy what he wanted without his sister’s presence. I knew that if she was with us, she would be begging me to buy something for her.

There was one last store that we could go to for a great deal on Nintendo DS games. It was Sam Goody, a small store that was going out of business. They primarily sell music CD’s, DVD’s, and games. I took my son there to pick out a game, but, once we got there, he wanted nothing to do with the games. Up and down the three small aisles he went. He was on a mission to find the perfect CD.

It took a while, and I was just about to give up, when he finally stopped, pointed, picked up a CD and headed for the register. Wow! He did it! He picked out an item for himself with determination and confidence. I had to shake my head and laugh at his choice, though. It was Shania Twain’s Greatest Hits. Now it’s in his CD player and he listens to it over and over again. We left for the beach that evening, and when we returned on Sunday, he went straight back to his room to listen to his Shania CD. It could have been worse. He has been watching all of the different music channels. He could have picked out something that I absolutely hated. I would have let him buy it, but I am so glad he picked out a country music CD.

Birthday at the Beach This Weekend

This will be a busy weekend. Tomorrow is my son’s birthday. My daughter has to go to school for half a day in order to make up a snow day. I asked my son what he wanted for his birthday, and his answer was the beach.

He’s a lucky boy, because it is supposed to be about 61 degrees at the beach on Sunday. The water will be too cold, but the kids can have fun playing on the sand, chasing the birds, and visiting the aquarium. The aquarium used to be a big hit with my kids, but now they seem to be getting bored with it. This time around, I think we will need to find something new to do at the beach to capture my kids attention.

The problem is that it is off season. Most of the fun, family activity places are not open this time of the year. We will play it by ear. Sometimes, the most fun you can have is by being spontaneous. It can be hard with an autistic child to change your plans or make plans at the spur of the moment. Luckily for me, my son handles changes pretty good.

I am doing better this week. The swelling has gone down a lot. It is now just around the main surgical area, instead of the whole right side of my face. The bruises are barely noticeable. I still have pain, but it is manageable. I have to be careful around the house. I have been trying to get myself into doing everything that needs to be done around my home. Big mistake. Yesterday was my first day of really getting back into the swing of things. Today, I am miserable.

Two of my blog friends, Blessed2BaMommy and GrammyMouse, have suggested using homeopathic oils. I need to look into that. I haven’t had time to do so, yet. Next month is Autism Awareness Month. I will be posting autism only articles for the whole month of April. I have the giveaways that are currently going on now and one more to come for this month. I have a couple of reviews to get posted for the month of March. That will bring us to April and there will be no reviews or giveaways scheduled for April.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.