Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

Hey, It's Okay....


.....to think it's awesome that my son finally got his braces off over the weekend. (Learn about it here!)



.....to be trying out a new Chicken and Waffles place this week that recently opened.



....to have a giveaway to win your own custom shampoo and conditioner from Formulate here.



....to be glad our new floors are done! We had the carpet pulled out downstairs. It was a lot of banging and moving furniture around, but it was worth it!



.....to have just bought a bunch of baked goods for Valentine's Day instead of flowers. I told my husband I'd rather have a bunch of goodies in the house. I tried to get Max the Cat to pose, but he was like, "Lady, you're nuts," and left.

Inlinkz Link Party

5 Ways To Make Braces Easier For Teens With Autism

Yup, people with autism can have sensory issues. My son does. For example, he can't wear certain clothes. He won't eat melted cheese so all his burgers have to be ordered without it. So I did wonder how he'd do with braces. I knew he'd need them, but I debated not bothering. How would he be able to cope with a bunch of metal in his mouth?

In the end, he did get braces, because I asked him if he thought he'd be okay, and he said yes. There are ways you can make braces easier on kids with autism, and I speak from personal experience.

1. Let them know exactly what will be happening. Before he got braces, my son would watch YouTube videos on what it would be like to get them on. I would also have soft foods for him to eat after each tightening appointment. He doesn't like ice cream because it's too cold in his mouth, but he does like soups, so I made a lot of those.

2. Make sure the dentist office is aware that your child has autism. I told this to everyone up front an explained ways to make my son's visit smoother. The dentist he would see actually left halfway through and before his appointment the receptionist let me know what was happening. That way I could tell my son he would be seeing someone new. If he knows a head of time that something will be different, he copes much better.

3. Explain to your child that they might have to wear the braces longer than stated. When my son got his, we were told they'd be on for a year. It turns out they were on for TWO years. My son was annoyed and would bring it up at each appointment. "Remember when you guys said I'd have these off after ONE YEAR and it's been nearly TWO?" He'd also walk in the office and instead of hello he'd be like, "When can I get these off?"



4. Be there for them. I could tell if my son was uncomfortable in the dentist chair, so I'd remind him I was there and to take deep breaths if it got uncomfortable. He would also clasp his hands together like this and squeeze.

5. Advocate for your child when you need to. We went to get my son's braces off and the dental hygienist was all, "I'll have to check with the dentist to see if she's ready to debond. I see a tooth she might want to look at." I could see my son begin to panic, because at the last appointment he was assured he'd get his braces off at his next one. I firmly said, "He was told he'd be getting his braces off today," and sure enough, that's what happened.

My son is braces free after two years! Now he has to wear a retainer, and so far that's been going well. Did you know these days the retainers are clear? In my day they were these clunky looking things with a metal band.


I'm proud that he did so well with the braces, and it reminded me that people with autism are just as capable of getting through things as anyone else is.

What Valentine's Day Is Like For Married Couples

Valentine's Day. While some people are all about the chocolate and flowers, my husband and I basically consider it to be just another day. Now, when we were dating, it was different: he'd give me flowers, I'd give him chocolate. But when you've been married for nearly 20 years, well, it begins to feel silly showing all this love on a specific day.

I've discovered talking to other longtime married couples that they feel the same.


This is basically what Valentine's Day is like for them. And us.

1. Sometimes couples completely forget it even is Valentine's Day. This happened to us one year. I was all, "Wait, is today Valentine's Day?" and my husband replied, "I think it is. Yeah. So. Happy Valentine's Day."



2. No one wants to cook. I see all these posts on elaborate meals, and my husband and I chuckle because it's not us. At all. I asked him, "Are you cooking on Valentine's Day?" and he went, "I wasn't planning on it. You?" I was like, "No." So we'll probably order pizza.



3. A new tube of toothpaste might be considered a Valentine's Day gift. "Oh here, didn't you say you needed more Crest?" I once went to Tom, and he replied, "Yes, thank you."



4. Staying home is a popular choice. No one wants to battle crowds. Most of the food is rushed because the restaurants are full, so it's not always the greatest. Why spend a bunch of money on that? Couples begin to get practical as they get older, I've found.



5. Oh, and comfort wins. There's no fancy Valentine's Day outfits. I'll probably be in a hoodie. My husband will probably be in his Perry the Platypus sweats. Lingerie is another unnecessary expense. I might actually wear my underwear without the holes, and that's the extent of Valentine's Day.

So this is what my husband and I usually do: we exchange cards if we remember. I tell him NO flowers or chocolate. Why? Because I can go out the next day and get that same chocolate 50% off.


If he's able to get off work, we'll go out for lunch. It's not as crowded if you go out for lunch on Valentine's Day. Sometimes restaurants give you free chocolate. This is mostly why we go.


We don't put any stress on the day, because we can show love whenever we want, not when Hallmark dictates it.

So what about you? What are you Valentine's Day plans?