A little VICTORY in our world!
Caleb's had 7 days without Stages!! WOW.

Stages include reminders, so that means that Caleb hasn't even had to have reminders! He is really doing well and he is proud of himself for this achievement. His teacher was highly responsive to the suggestion that he would like to feel useful and needed, so she asks him to help put up the chairs at the end of the day. He's very proud of that and does feel like he's something special. He has really improved and hasn't "shut down" in the last week during homework time at home! I've tried to vary the rewards. He got pizza last Friday, he was allowed to skip naptime one day, he gets to play with his video games, and we attempted to get him a slurpee but the machine was broken. The 7-11 lady was nice and gave him a sticker though when we explained why we were there. I'm really excited for his success.
Caleb's teacher is great. She and I are in good communication and she is open in her ideas and with her cirriculumn. I try not to be a bother, and I appreciate any time she gives to Caleb and myself. This is our first year at a public school with a student and we don't know the ropes quite yet. Caleb's teacher is working well with us and is very understanding and sensitive to Caleb's needs, both in food restrictions and emotional.
Halloween is approaching and, of course, that raises a lot of issues when Caleb is in school. Caleb's teacher has been helpful and understanding the whole time. Through a discussion with Caleb (not trying to lead him into any decisions), we've decided to not send Caleb to school on the 31st. I explained that the holiday's intent (at the core) is to celebrate things that Jesus doesn't like so we don't celebrate it even though others do. He totally understood and in fact felt a compassion towards the others that did celebrate. I told him what he would see at school... costumes and that they would get in a line and walk around the school. He really didn't want to walk in a line. He was even fine not wearing a costume while others were, UNTIL he realized that the kids wouldn't JUST be wearing spiderman/batman/princess outfits. He said that seeing other children dressed as witches etc would "hurt his heart deep down inside" and he said this multiple times. And then without being told that it was an option, he asked not to go to school that day. Mike and I discussed it and decided that would be best. Now we have to reschedule the reading assessment that is to occur on that day, but again, Caleb's teacher is really easy to work with and understanding. So no school on the 31st for us, which might not be a bad thing since Dad will finally be home from hunting and will need to catch up with the boys after being away for over a week.
Awana tonight, and both the boys are doing well with their verses. Of course that is before the stage fright of having to say the verses to someone else. We'll see tonight.
Today, I have to gather things together for a little get away of my own for the weekend. I'm on system overload, especially boy overload and extreme lack of REM sleep. So I will be camping this weekend. I will get two mornings to wake up when I want to, not when the dog says she needs out, when the kids say they are hungry or some other disaster drags me out of bed. I want to do nothing and lots of fun things all at the same time, so I will have to find a balance. About the only thing I know I will do is play bingo at some point and sleep. Maybe read. Sleep. I suppose I will have to eat at some time, but??? that just takes up time when I could be enjoying absolute silence. I never thought I would miss silence but I do. I use to think that silence was swirling around emphasizing boredom and aloneness.... now it is the gateway to peace, the balm to a stress headache. So I will be getting weekend of self-determined activities and silence! I told Mike I wanted a cottage that no one visits, and I guess the trailer is as close as I'm going to get, but it is enough for now.
Joshy has decided that he and I will go to heaven together some day, and that his place now has a pool. He also said his first official prayer to God yesterday. Which I'm highly proud of and joyfully tearful about. He prayed that he and "brudder" would always be friends and that "brudder" would be nice to him. Ahhhh. Joshy is getting so much more developed in his thoughts and speech, it's amazing. He can count to 5 by himself, he can sing half the ABC song with accompanyment, and he can say about 6 letters by himself. He loves to be read to, although he stops me ever 20 seconds with an eager question. And of course, he loves his rabbit.
So that's it for this morning.