That is a horrible amount of wait time! Praying for good news for you and @TexasProud.

The adventure continues! DS's school was closed Monday due to weather Then it was open today (but probably shouldn't have been since roads were bad) but he stayed home because he had some nasal congestion. We did have a respite caregiver last night and today, though, which was wonderful. My school was open today also. And just now I got the call that his school is closed tomorrow due to weather. Now I hope my school is closed, too, as that will make things much easier... We still have power, for which I am so, so thankful!

DS is asleep and DH's plane just landed. Day 3 of winter storm ✔️

Praying!

@Ali in OR, how is your DD doing this weekend? Do you still have power?

Starting Day 3 of Winter Storm Warning. Yesterday went very well despite the lack of respite caregivers due to bad weather conditions. DS had a really good day, which was a relief. We were able to get out for a drive in the afternoon when the roads were clear for a while. We went through a car wash (for entertainment value) and got some drive-thru food and just drove around for a bit. DS is calmed by the motion of the vehicle and entertained by the ride in general. Conditions near us were great for a few hours but they were still bad where our main caregiver lives. I am apprehensive about another whole day without help or other activities, but at least we are one day closer to DH getting home and the storm being over, whenever that turns out to be. The storm warning is supposed to expire at noon, but then extreme cold sets in and a few "snow days' due to cold are predicted. I am so sad for DS to miss more days of school when he will age out completely in May. He has such wonderful staff at school and it gives his days such a good structure. DH is due to arrive home late tonight, but our airport has had lots of cancellations over the past couple of days so we'll see. ETA: And we still have power! I am so thankful!

This sounds like a great arrangement! I am hoping for something similar for DS, but his options are more limited due to some challenging behaviors.

I appreciate the commiseration! I hope that you don't lose power or need to drive on icy roads! Our garage door spring broke in August and it caused all kinds of distress for DS since the one vehicle he can safely ride in was in the garage and of course the spring broke on a weekend. We did eventually get the door to open and then it got stuck in the open position which was better. The spring replacement was less expensive than anticipated so I did the math on how many times we open/close per day, compared that to how many openings/closings the repair person said the new one should last, factored in a good margin, and wrote on the calendar a date to have it proactively replaced. Hopefully this plan works. Incidentally, I am interested in how it works to have your DD home every weekend. We are looking into a residential placement for DS after he ages out of school this spring and we were told that we would likely only be able to have him home one night every other weekend. This is because part of their funding is dependent on residents being physically present. And there are lots of people waiting for a spot so they would rather give a spot to someone for whom they will get more funding, understandably This is hard because the placement is 2 hours away so we would likely only be able to see him on weekends: one weekend visit him there, the next have him home for a night.

Starting Day 2 of Winter Storm Warning. Power stayed on through the night. It doesn't look too bad out there (aside from LOTS of snow), but the snow is supposed to start blowing around later affecting visibility. I am hoping that we can go pick up a respite caregiver later, but I am not going to tell DS that yet in case it does not work out.

Update of sorts: So we lost power. Which was a shock because the weather was still super mild. The power company described it as "equipment failure." So we packed up and headed to our alternate location, a small house my parents own where DS's respite caregivers take him overnight. DS was very upset that the lights didn't work and very confused about why I was suddenly taking him to the other location. I just periodically re-explained that our lights weren't working and that someone would come and fix them. He was banging on the car and yelling off and on all the way there (25 min plus a McDs drive-thru stop and a stop to fill up the gas tank while we were out anyway), but when we arrived he was fine! Roads were still fine but it was snowing steadily. Then less than an hour later, I got the notification that our power was back on. After confirming with neighbors, I told DS that our lights were fixed so we were going back home. And now we're home. Roads were getting worse but still manageable with snow tires and minimal traffic. So we had an adventure! Now I'm exhausted and DS is bouncing off the walls. But happy...

Too big by size. We had extremely heavy duty anchor bolts and one came loose when he was 14 and resulted in a tib-fib fracture. So we are very wary of indoor swings now. And the basement ceiling height is really too low for how high he swings. We do have a super heavy duty swing outside that was professionally installed, but that doesn't help us in this weather.

The sensory input is definitely an issue. We used to have a swing in the basement when he was younger but he is too big for that now. Same with the mini-tramp. We do have a big punching bag in the basement that I sometimes get him to crash into. I definitely have high reward activities that I have stored up and will bring out in a rationed fashion! Slinkies, books, DVDs. Not much sensory input, though, except for the slinky. He likes to run around the basement waving it all over the place 🙂 So much great info in your post! Thank you! And, yes, one of our respite workers has a less than snow-worthy vehicle and has indicated a willingness to come if I (with DS of course) pick him up and if the conditions are not too bad. So maybe later tomorrow if things pass through as predicted. Unfortunately, he lives half an hour away and closer to probable bad weather conditions, but that may be an option. We have been very happy with our decision to have good snow tires on our vehicles, which helps a lot. We are comfortable driving in all but the worst conditions.

I am actually not a coffee drinker. My caffeine source is Diet Coke, which I limit due to the aspartame. I have plenty and a way to keep it cold even without power 🙂 But good idea re grinding the beans ahead of time! DS likes spaghetti with red sauce and prefers it cold, so I prepped some of that for him.

Good idea! He usually watches DVDs but that won't work without power. I'm not sure how to download episodes, either, but DD23 knows how and she can talk me through it. Good idea re the battery operated lights! I am unfortunately past the point where I can get to a store or order some in time, but I will remember this for next time. Not on well or septic so we should be okay for water. No secondary heat source. My parents have a generator but they are 25 min away in good weather and a much less than ideal setting for DS. But this is an option in an emergency. Thankfully, we very, very rarely lose power here. We are in a bit of a sweet spot. Two blocks to the east and two blocks to the west they lose power more often, but we don't. I am still worried about be stranded here even with power but hopefully that will not last more than a day or two.

Thanks! I don't have a solar charger but we do have two of those battery pack things that can charge phones and I have both of them fully charged. A solar charger would be a good idea for the future. And we have lots of warm blankets so that is good 🙂

We are currently under a winter storm warning (expecting a foot or more of snow, probable blizzard-type conditions, and then extreme cold). DH just left town for a funeral (just made it, airport is closing at 1:00) and DS25 with autism and intellectual disability, etc. and I will be weathering the storm together. Our usual respite caregivers are not likely to be able to make it to our house. I am a little apprehensive about the next few days. My biggest concern is that we will lose power, which will immediately cause DS great distress. We do have another location we can go to, but it is less ideal and 25 minutes away. I think I am prepared as I can be: -our vehicle is sturdy and we just put on new snow tires this season -phone, laptop, etc. charged up and batteries for flashlights -all DS-related laundry done (I will continue to keep up on this as he is incontinent and generates a lot of laundry) -some foods prepped which require cooking to prep but not to eat once prepped -favorite non-perishable foods on hand -a new slinky and some new DVDs and books available if we are stuck here for a while -meds and other needed items ready in case we need to relocate due to power outage -some wine on hand (for me not DS) Other ideas??

We can still get paper copies at local libraries and at the IRS office. However, I usually print the forms from online. DD23 has been doing her own taxes on paper (and then transferring the data to the IRS Free Fillable Forms to e-file for free) since she started a summer job at 16. This works great! Incidentally, she just got a state form booklet in the mail the other day as our state does not yet have free e-file in a fillable forms format.

Finally a dusting of snow for us! It's so pretty!

Congratulations!

My ds is non-verbal. My ds is ASD3. My son is dealing with ID. I have used this (in addition to meds) successfully so many times to stay safe and help my ds calm down. When he was very young, it seemed counterintuitive as if I were just letting him do whatever he wants, but I realized many years ago that he was in fight or flight mode and needed my help. @PeterPan, I am in awe of the lengths you have gone to to help your son and, at the same time, I recognize that I have gone to similar lengths myself. My ds is now 25. On his 25th birthday, I remember thinking, "We have kept him safe and learning and mostly happy for 25 years. What an accomplishment!" However, in 6 months he will age out of school in my state and the 6 hours a day he spends in a wonderful special ed school will end. Day programs in our area will not take someone with the kinds of challenges my ds still has so we are working on building something from scratch while also seriously considering a residential home two hours away where we would only see him on weekends. This is so, so hard, but as we get older, we are trying to make transitions while we can help him through them. At this program, he would qualify for 1-1 care and an individualized schedule, which is great. But still...

I'm so sorry. I'll be praying for a great new job to come along soon!

I am so sorry. What a terrible loss!

I work at a school and I know there are students that are required to turn in their chromebook at the end of the school day instead of taking it home. If they have homework, the teachers print things out for them to do at home instead of doing it on the chromebook. I have a son with ASD and aggressive behaviors. The difference is that he is very low-functioning and thus cannot make decisions like internet browsing, etc. on his own. Also, he is not aggressive to get his own way, but rather to express pain or inability to communicate. At one point, we thought that he would move elsewhere when he turned 18, but now he is 25 and still living at home. Appropriate supports make all the difference. My situation is very different from yours, but I understand what you are feeling. Others have good advice about calling the police if he is violent. Also, maybe he needs medication but it sounds like it may be difficult to get him to comply. It is sad that resources for struggling youth under 18 are so, so limited. Even after 18, it is hard.

Quoting myself to add: If moving and switching beds is too much for A at once, then wait. But don't keep the bed out of any sense of obligation to the friend who gave it to you. You can pass it on the same way she did.

How does A feel about it? Would he rather have the bed or the space? However, if you are sure you should get rid of it, it may be better to present it to him as a done deal ("Look! This new bed will give you more space for your toys!).