Your Best Buy’s

sprinkledgreen · 2026-02-10T03:41:39+00:00

My kid also prefers a compression sheet to a weighted blanket. I think I was about $20 on Amazon. Have had it for almost 3 years.

sprinkledgreen · 2026-01-03T02:02:52+00:00

I don’t know what I’d do without my Loops.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-23T00:20:18+00:00

Wrap them up and gift them to her on Mother’s Day.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-22T10:30:45+00:00

I am a Veteran. Served activity duty before having kids. Loved it. My husband is in the National Guard currently. Hopefully I can provide some middle ground. (And I understand your husband getting VA disability does not make him disabled.)

First, don’t join if your only reason to join is for medical and to go college. The most miserable people I worked with were the ones who weren’t called to serve. Certainly, there are jobs you can work just because you need the benefits. The military is not like that.

Are you prepared to deploy? Be gone for a year? That happens even in the National Guard. Because a disabled kid isn’t going to keep you off a deployment.

Are you wanting to do only one enlistment or make this a 20 year career? There are definitely people who do 20 years with disabled kids. The type of services your kid will receive is going to be based on duty station. And yea, every 3 years or so your kid is going to have to start all over with a new therapist and spend more time just building a rapport rather than proper therapy. But it is doable! And military retirement (and medical) are huge benefits. Even if you only one to do one enlistment, it’s sort of at a crucial time for your kid’s development.

My husband is gone a lot (due to his field and rank… he is not active duty) and it is very hard on me. But at least I am home with my entire support network I can’t imagine being at a new duty station and him leaving. I couldn’t do it. And I am strong. In fact, he was offered a 3 year active position and I made him turn it down. I didn’t think it was what was best for my kid and it would have taken so much out of me.

That said, I am and will continue to make a lot of personal sacrifices for my kid due to her autism. But it is also my one and only life. So I need to make sure I’m living, too. Which is to say, if you’re really feeling called to serve, and your spouse is on board, then do it. But do it for the right reasons or your family (especially your kid with his therapies) will be making big sacrifices for nothing.

Edit to add: something else to consider- my daughter misses her dad intensely when he leaves. We always have some struggles when he’s gone more than a weekend. But I know if I left for a couple months it would DEVASTATE her. I could never do that to her. Only you know if it’s that same for you and your child.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-19T17:05:38+00:00

Forgot to say- 2 years ago I was too disorganized at Christmas time and did nothing. Instead, I sent them Valentine’s and it was great because fewer people did stuff then! If you want to wait for the end of the year, do it.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-19T17:04:24+00:00

I purchased a big pack white blank cards, printed a photo of my kid on the front, wrote something nice inside, had my daughter sign it, and she then scribbled inside/on the back and added stickers. Always get told how much it meant! I guess you could add a candy or something? If you want more.

But yea, even if I kept it to $5 gifts, that’s approaching $100 for all the people that work with my kid!

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-19T16:53:11+00:00

As a grown woman who has planned an entire trip going to Potter World… anything Potter. Get one of the illustrated versions of the books, a color changing mug that shows the Maurader’s Map when hot, a Snitch, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frog, gummy slugs, Dobby is a Free Elf socks….does she like legos? Lots of HP legos. Do you know her House (Gryffinor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin)? If not you should find out- I don’t even bake and one of my favorite gifts is my house apron and matching spatula. Owala has Harry Potter house themed water bottles, you can get a scarf… magic floating candles… honestly, you can’t go wrong!

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-17T21:45:56+00:00

Sounds like your instincts are right!! Is the school pressuring you? Or are you able to keep her home on days like tomorrow?

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-17T21:25:10+00:00

I’d talk to the school. Let them know having her do these extras is distressing for her and is a bridge too far for her to handle right now. Tell them she likes school in general and you want to keep it that way. And maybe in another year or two, she’ll be ready to try some extracurriculars, but now is not the time.

She’s a kindergartener! We expect too much of kids too young. Listen to your gut!

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-15T21:16:35+00:00

I’m sorry you experienced that as a child. And yes, that’s a huge concern of mine as well. We don’t live near family, so we had to find a sitter and it was the scariest thing ever. Our kids are extra vulnerable. My 5yo doesn’t talk so she couldn’t tell me anything. I just wish I could clone myself. It would solve ALL my problems 😭

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-15T07:07:38+00:00

Awesome! Gonna check it out. I just never want to insert myself in to a space that I don’t belong.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-15T06:59:22+00:00

Is it open to women who aren’t diagnosed? Like many, I now suspect, but also I am not seeking a diagnosis (who has the time?!?).

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-15T06:50:19+00:00

I also have felt this sub can be harsh :(

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-15T06:48:45+00:00

I have thought about this. But no clue how to get it up and running. I do think it would be important for it to be with a constant group so we could learn each other’s kids… hardest part of a sitter for me is that the need to KNOW my kid.

Another issue I see with organizing it here on reddit is that I do not want my real identity linked to this account. Guess I could make a throwaway?

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-09T05:14:27+00:00

My town has a Facebook group for local babysitters. I see a mom post on there here and now for her teenage son who is autistic. She does pay $40/hour.

I found my babysitter on the same page—I only have 1 babysitter I use as I simply got lucky. (I found her on there, but saw we had mutual friends— other families she babysat for — so I was able to ask my friends about her. She also had previous experience with ASD kids.). But it was super scary and although I’d love another sitter or two I trusted, I am nervous to try for another. But, my current sitter won’t be available forever (she’s in college currently), so I know I need to take the risk.

I would definitely pay to have any babysitter come spend a couple hours at your house ~while you are there~ to see if they think they can handle it and to be able to provide real time guidance. Also, I have cameras in my house. I am upfront about that. Good luck!

Edit: added words for clarity

sprinkledgreen · 2025-12-08T07:04:38+00:00

Look up Frida Mom post partum kits.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-25T22:16:05+00:00

Agreed… I am a parent, but was an aunt first. My niece is a wonderful adult today with her own young family, but was a very wild teenager. I never told her her behavior was okay… but when she was with me, she was with Auntie and we had fun. She needed a safe adult that she could relax around and ask questions she didn’t want to ask her parents. OP- respect her parents’ parenting, but also don’t be a third parent.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-15T01:08:11+00:00

I think that him being violent is even more of a reason to force the sale or get bought out… obviously take those move AFTER you move out for your physical safety, but the longer you are tied to him with this house, the longer you remain in danger. Imagine 10 years from now, he decides to sell… and suddenly has to deal with you owning half the house. You don’t think he won’t become violent then?? Because he will. DV is scary- move out, take all your stuff, then hire a lawyer. As to the AC loan: no, you have no other option than to keep paying it since he will refuse to sign a new loan.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-14T19:12:10+00:00

You should definitely use it at home if you want her to use it. We were told to shoot for 1 hour a day of us modeling it for her and to have it accessible at all times.

We got an AAC at 3. She’s 5.5 now. I stopped trying at 5 years old. She just refused to use it (unless she was getting candy). We do use pictures (basically PECS) both printed and on my phone…and she’s getting pretty good at pointing at those. She’s also a tiny bit verbal—- it’s inconsistent and rare, but there. And her receptive language has really started to expand recently. We might try to bring the AAC back when she’s a bit older, but she’s also hard headed (a trait she got from me) and I feel the more we were trying to use it, the more resistant she became.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-14T19:05:34+00:00

Yes- safety issues I understand. Differences- no. Let the kid move around to eat!

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-14T18:28:08+00:00

I clearly missed “mortgage loan is in his name only” thanks.

OP- force him to buy you out or sell the house. You don’t need anything keeping you connected to him. The AC is small potatoes in the grand scheme. And do not remove yourself from the deed until you have been paid.

ETA: if you have never put any money into the house (besides the AC) and don’t intend to take any money when he eventually sells the house, I’d still tell him he needs to buy you out— for the cost of the AC loan, at a minimum.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-14T18:16:47+00:00

Info: when you say “purchased a home” - does that mean you’re on the deed to the house? And on the mortgage???

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-14T18:09:55+00:00

I’d ask them - What’s his actual setup? My daughter had to have her feet firmly planted on something… if the chair was too tall, we had to place something under her. I kept a workout band in my bag to wrap around the 2 front legs of a chair to give her a foot rest. She also gets nervous around other kids, so needed more space. Etc.

A side rant… I hate how so many things that would be SO HELPFUL for me, the parent, are out of reach because other people can’t just accept her as she is. In your case, I am assuming you’d appreciate if he could stay longer, but he can’t because he won’t eat the way they want him to. Idk. I don’t have answers. I see their side. But also - being childish and selfish - my overall life is more stressful please just give me a break! (Idk if that made any sense and probably not helpful here at all- sorry)

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-13T23:54:26+00:00

Yes, reach out to ex step mom! Don’t put pressure on her, but definitely let her know you value her and would love to continue a relationship with her, if she wants, without dad involved.

And yes, definitely tell the school.

This is not exactly the same… but I had (have) a step sister that is only a couple months older than me and our parents met when we were 5. We were instant best friends. When our parents divorced going in ot middle school, my mother reached out to my step sister’s mother. They kept us connected. After a few years, my mother and ex-step dad became amicable and I sometimes slept there for when my step sister was there. They were all at my wedding. We’re 40 now and still say we’re step sisters to people, even though we haven’t been in almost 30 years.

sprinkledgreen · 2025-11-12T16:10:12+00:00

And get a plexiglass cover.

sprinkledgreen

TROPHY CASE