This is a MOM brag

I have a son who is blessed with autism. He is also a BIG guy, all 6'7" of him.

Because of his autism, behavior issues are interesting to say the least. Unfortunately he is also my child, and inherited my weight issues.Getting him to eat better has been a challenge, not only does he have an autistic really picky palate, he has Crohn's disease.As his mom, I have to gently guide and steer and quite frankly just hope for the best most times.

So...this happened...

When we were out running errands I noticed he was having problems keeping his shorts up. Now, I have noticed he has lost weight-I've been working towards that- but it's not something I can actually directly discuss with him.

So, when we got home from our errands, he had both hands full as he tried to open the door to the building. One of those hands had been holding up his shorts, so his shorts fell down. Thank Goodness he had on good underwear (and no one else was outside) when he mooned the neighborhood.

Now, I have been aware that he had lost weight, I just didn't know how much weight he had lost--and in the grand scheme of things it wasn't important enough to talk him into getting on the scale, which is something he has an aversion to.

BUT, while I was tightening the elastic on his shorts, I-in my, I am not new at this mom of a person with autism stuff-coerced him into getting on the scale.

NOW, comes the Mom brag. Without putting him on a diet, without nagging, or discussing his weight, with modeling healthy eating and being open to discuss my own journey I have managed to help guide my son to healthier habits.

My son got on the scale...and even he was impressed...

He has lost 79 pounds in the last year and a half.

He is still a big guy, but like his mom he is no longer obese!!

I am in awe of him. One more reason why he is my hero!

Good Bye August

and quite frankly, good riddance. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Hello September, please realize that August was just a meanie that hung around way too long and kicked our butts and we would like you to be especially nice to make up for it.

September already? How did that happen? AND Labor Day is on the 1st this year, so not only is it already September, it is unofficially the end of summer. Good. Summer has been a bitch lately. In fact, it would not hurt my feelings if we just struck the last week of August from the calendar. It's a hard week, it's the week I buried my husband. This year it's the week a dear friend lost her mother and another dear one her mother-in-law.

It's the week I ran out of money and had to tell my son we couldn't buy groceries. But, he's a trouper, this is how part of the conversation went...

Me: It's hard the last week of the months some months. Sometimes it seems like it takes a while for the universe to provide.

Son: Did you tell the universe we have paypal?

Hey, you can get through anything when your kid makes you smile! I posted that on facebook -we call these snippets of conversation Williamisms-and I got to share with another friend who is also struggling with money issues. 

Being poor is hard work sometimes. No matter what anyone tells you (and I try to not pay attention) poor folks are not living like kings. We are managing as best we can, and we are scared to death most weeks that there will be an emergency. When something breaks, we learn to live without it. When the computer that is your lifeline to the outside world is on its last leg you hold your breath every day. When you lose 270 pounds, you just tighten the elastic and keep wearing the same old clothes. Because that is what poor people do. We just tighten our belts until there is no more space for new notches.

But, it's OK, because there are far more important things in life than things and there are always reasons to smile. My friend with money problems and I got to laugh with each other, because when I posted the Williamism, she shared her struggle. Her last week of August need. She  managed to scrounge up enough money to buy butter and toilet tissue. 

Of course, my  mind immediately smiled,and I got to laugh. Immediately wondering what recipe you could come up with for buttered toilet tissue! Then that reminded me of days working as a cashier and remembering other incongruous items that people bought together.Yes, your cashier might talk about you, but we aren't judging, we are smiling. Like the time the Mayor of our fair city came through my line one Friday afternoon and purchased a couple of bottles of wine and several packages of light bulbs. I admit I did ask what kind of party they were having at the Mayor's house.

So, even though we all struggle, there are always moments to share. The important things in life are always available. A son with a quip, a friend with a story you can smile at.

So, bring it on September. Even if we have to choose whether to buy groceries or pay bills, even if we have to lay hands on the computer and pray it keeps going, we will always be able to find something to make us smile.

"The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it.You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache."~~Marjorie Pay Hinckley.

So, welcome September! I am ready, I will greet you with a laugh and a smile.Be nice, because August just needed to leave, it's not nearly as lovely as you are.

Oh, and if you have a recipe for buttered toilet tissue...