Give It Up

If you have kids and are up with them on a day you don't have to get yourself or them ready, like the weekend, at what point do you admit defeat and actually wake up? As opposed to pretending to sleep on the couch or in your bed. I tried to think of an equivalent situation for those that don't have kids, but really, why would you get up if you didn't have to? Maybe if you have to get up for work and you are still pretending to sleep? And if you are fortunate enough to have more than one child and one gets up earlier than the rest, is anyone else obsessed with not waking up subsequent child(ren)? Edited to add: Sam just took his whole family of stuffed animals down the basement stairs in 3 separate trips. I guarantee you they are being put to sleep comfortably, under the desk.

The noises that drive me crazy are the swing, the computer, the TV, and the squeaky basement door. Also, the grunts and squeaks of the autistic child who is totally awake and energetic the second he wakes up running up and down the basement stairs, turning on the too loud for morning TV, swinging on the swing that I can hear from my perch on the living room couch, and surfing the net for the loudest web sites. Did I mention the UP and DOWN the stairs and the CREAKY door? And the requests for more juice? It has occurred to me that I may have sensory issues of my own...

My real point in this post, before I got riled up yet again about sleep (or lack there of in my case), was to discuss putting limits on Sam's access to snacks, TV and computer. Now before you get all holier than though with me about how my child has fairly unlimited access to these EVIL items, let me say in defense that I am tired and it is not easy. I am not as interested in his having to request things (as opposed to just taking what he wants) as I am in his having appropriate things at appropriate times. Cereal for breakfast, hot dogs for dinner, and Chex Mix for snack. Twenty minutes of computer now, 30 minutes of TV after dinner AT THE TABLE. Basically, we need a little Annie Sullivan for our Helen Keller. But as that involves locking cabinets, and activity schedules, screaming and 24 hour monitoring on our part, I am a little hesitant. Did I mention ALL THE WORK? Quite honestly, it seems like something that should at least wait till this week of vacation is over and Sam is back in school, so we can get some help from his teachers.
Now Sammy Noodles has added his chenille blue blanket as a cape/blanket for hism and his family. I saw him float by, Harry Potter style.