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Written by Gayle Nobel
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Saturday, 20 October 2012 05:03 |
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Blog a thon Day #20
We are up at our cabin near Payson, AZ. I thought I would be pecking something short out on my Iphone, our only internet access up here. I realized I could sync our bluetooth Apple keyboard to my phone and voila, I have a mini computer with internet. I will apologize in advance however. The formatting is not working and all the paragraphs are running into one even though I am leaving lots of space in between them. Technology is not yet perfect. I guess that's the limitation of working on the Iphone.
Kyle got me up much earlier than I would have chosen this morning but he was just following his normal routine. Never mind that it is Saturday, a day where "some" people like to sleep in. We parked together on the couch under a blanket and watched the sun come up over the Mogollon Rim. Not a bad way to start the day. I forgave him for the early hour.
Before we left yesterday, I interviewed a girl as back up respite person to Tammy, the main gal I rely on. Our world has changed in the last year and a half since we've had Tammy. Kyle's has changed too. All very much for the better. Sometimes we can even pretend to be partial empty nesters. Kyle's life has become much bigger and we've had little tastes here and there of the freedom that many couples experience when their kids are all in their 20's.
I decided I needed a back up that can fill in some of the gaps when Tammy is not working. This time I was going for the peer age group vs the mom age group. The first person I spoke to on the phone and interviewed seems to be just the gal I had in mind. Another special ed. teacher full of knowledge, enthusiasm and fresh ideas. I envision her to be another person who, like Tammy, will take initiative and be self motivated. I'm happy to have found another person who does not need an explanation of autism but just needs to get to know Kyle and learn the way we do things with him. She happens to live five minutes from us, an added bonus.
In the computer age it is so much easier to find help than it was when Kyle was small. There was no internet and that made it really challenging to find helpers when I was running my home school program. Word of mouth and flyers were the only way.
Now there is care.com. Within three days of posting an ad again, I had 12 qualified applicants. I have gotten really good at screening just based on the inquiry message. I can almost make a decision after a phone interview. I trust and listen closely to my instincts.
There are a lot of people out there looking for work. As parents, this is to our advantage. In Arizona, we have respite, habilitation, and attendant care hours through the state. Many applicants already have the needed certification for that. If not, they are usually eager to get it. Care.com has providers from all over the country and many are looking for positions in special needs. If it is a person with experience, they have often seen it all. Or at least, a lot.
I'm excited about our new gal. I welcome another person to lighten my load and make Kyle's life even richer.
Quotacious:
Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something.
~~Unknown
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Last Updated on Saturday, 20 October 2012 23:26 |
