Asperger's makes life interesting

It also makes life difficult. Xander needs to be exercising and so do I, so I purchased Zumba.com dvd set. It's fun and I'm going to like doing it.

He had a meltdown over even the thought of using a dance/exercise method. He told me he couldn't do it, I tried to coax and when I turned around to talk to him again he was gone. Didn't answer when I called, wasn't in his room or the bathroom or the back yard when I went looking. Finally found him in my room sitting on the floor in the corner, hiding like one of the dogs does during a storm and looking no less panicked than they do.

We've settled on me doing Zumba during our exercise periods with him doing regular exercises. I'm looking into a dvd/online home school martial arts class for him that might be more his speed.

Chess for Critical Thinking

The course online that Xander is taking is pretty basic, since it assumes that you are learning chess from scratch. Since he already knew the basics, he's pretty bored with it and probably will blow through it quickly.

However, it has spawned a new daily ritual and the chess board is never off of the dining room table for more than a few minutes. I think I need to invest in a chess table, although I'm not sure where I'd put it. I'm not playing much, since my brain is over full atm with all of our school stuff plus work (not to mention Aion), but Scott and Xander are at it all day, either sitting down together or playing an ongoing fly-by game.

The most wonderful thing? Our dad's old chess set is being lovingly used. Who could ask for a better memorial than that?

Whiteboards have a magnetic attraction.

It has nothing to do with the ones that are made so that you can stick magnets on them. We just got one today to make our lessons a little easier.

It's the allure; the temptation of it. Place a whiteboard on the dining room table, leave the markers by it and a quiet little dance ensues. Xander puts a latin phrase on it from his current worksheet and translates it to try out the markers. I drew a smiley in the corner. The new expo markers retract btw...something else to go oooo! about.

Later on, I stroll by, the phrase is gone, replaced by a large pi sign in a circle. I laugh, erase that, and write "Tempus Fugit" with a clock face. Xander tells me he translated it and are we going to have a phrase of the day? I walk by it later and someone added a fish, it turns out that was dad, putting his two cents into the fun.

This morning when I looked at it, the simple blue fish now is red spots and red fins with a lovely dorsal fin. Look's like Thany's been there, lol.

Ah, the joys of homeschooling

Pros:

• You can sleep in; even though we didn't today, due to the doctors appt., physical therapy trip and all the other errands that had to be run, but you get the point.
• There are NO bullies. No crowded hallways. No swearing...except from us while we work, lol.
• You work at your own pace. Take as many or as a long a break as you need.

Cons:

• I had no idea how much work would be involved!
  
• It's harder for Xander, too. He is enjoying himself part of the time, others he moans and groans. Ok, so that's pretty much the same as regular school. :)

I just ordered an Effective Teaching Power Pack, to help me learn how to construct lesson plans and goals. It feels like a life preserver today. I'm building up my resource links and I've found some useful tools on the internet, like nature.com.

I will always treasure that day last week when Xander took a break from his work to come over to where I was researching for his biology class and give me a big hug with a thank you. So worth it!