Staying on Schedule

“Mom,” Declan whispered, leaning in.  “What time is it?”

“It’s early,” I replied, turning to the side, “I know that.”

“What time IS it though?”

I sighed and propped up in my bed onto one elbow, squinting at my watch with one eye still closed.

“5:27. Lay back down.”

“But I’m not tired anymore.”

“Then just think about how soft your bed is and appreciate all the softness.”

I laid back down and heard Declan do the same on his air mattress next to me.  He settled in on one side.  Seconds later, he switched sides. 

“Mom,” he whispered again.  “What time is it now?”

“Probably 5:28. Please lay back down?”

“Do you think I caught a leprechaun in my trap?” Declan whispered anxiously.

Ah.  The leprechaun.  There will be no more sleep this morn.

“I don’t know, bud.  I guess we should go see.”

Declan handled school being closed like a champ.  There was only one thing he was upset to miss.

Turning in his leprechaun trap to see if he could catch the leprechaun at school.

Since his trap was already made, it was prepared to try and capture this little creature at home.  And since we have all the time in the world, Declan had his siblings make traps too.

Sadly, the leprechaun got all the pennies and all the chips as bait.  No trap in our house was able to catch the pesky leprechaun.

The traps were a fun activity for the kids to do.  Granted the older two merely completed a trap to placate their little brother, but they still did it for him, which was cool.

Overall, the kids are doing well with their online school assignments and social distancing.  The older two have discovered the fine art of “Face Time” and really haven’t been distanced from their friends in the least.  Catelyn and all her friends do their homework together, have lunch together – pretty much wherever Catelyn is in the house, her friends are with her on their phones.

If he’s not watching YouTube or jumping on his trampoline, Declan spends most of his day with me.  We watch TV together, play games together and now, we are doing his schoolwork together.

I have to admit, I’m not the best teacher.  I already knew this about myself, though. As patient as I am capable of being, for some reason, when it comes to a subject or idea that I cannot relay to understanding, I get flustered. 

Declan is taking to the schoolwork well, excited to stay on a schedule, which is great.  No bargaining or complaining like we go through with homework.  And even though I am flustering through trying to get him to understand different concepts, he’s still trying with a positive attitude.  If anything, doing schoolwork with him lets me see firsthand what some of his strengths and weaknesses are. 

Undeterred by his inability to catch the leprechaun last night, Declan is trying again.  I guess it still IS St. Patty’s Day and those pesky little beings are still possibly out looking for some coins and candy.  Heck, it makes him happy and gives him something to do and look forward to.

Which, I guess, also means I should be prepared for another early wake up call tomorrow.  So be it!  I have time 😊

And for a final chuckle, the latest meme that I’ve seen on autism groups and from fellow blogger, stlautismmom (whose blog you should check out) that still cracks me up!  There sure are some funny memes out there 😊

Stay healthy, friends!