Let's Be Honest: Things We Say Outloud at Home

Instead of giving a play-by-play of what a day with an autistic child in our home is like - I figured I'd do it a bit differently.  Here are things we say/yell on a regular basis to our kids:

• Don't do that!  Leave it alone!  No! (And every other variation...)
• Keep it in your pants!  Put your penis away!  Put it back in the diaper!
• Did you pee on the floor?
• Don't step/stomp in your poop!
• Could you stop pooping for a day - PLEASE?!
• Let's go this way...
• You have to stop kissing your friends at day-care...that's why they separated you two.
• You're getting a shower - you're not dying.
• Will you just PLEASE co-operate?
• When does day-care start again?  
• Is it Monday yet?!
• Why are you awake?
• Go to sleep.
• Shut the lights off!
• Put it back.
• Stop eating dog food! (Only seemed to happen when my kids are teething thankfully.)
• Stop emptying the dog water bowl!
• Stop putting stuff in the dog water bowl...
• Stay still!
• The stove is HOT!  Don't touch please!
• Don't lick the wok.
• Did you put this in the food you're mixing?! (It was dish soap and A-Man did say "Yes.  Mix-it, mix it."
• Leave Daddy's bum/privates alone!
• Stop headbutting people in the privates...
• Stop groping the ladies!/men!
• No, we don't touch people we don't know...
• Keep your hands to yourself...
• Don't bite me!/him!/her!
• Stop hitting!
• Stop jumping!
• Are you nuts?! (usually refers to some crazy parkour-like technique that looks like the child will break every bone in their body and they don't...)
• Don't eat their food - please eat your own...
• Aww - you hit your head?  Let's hug.  Now let's talk about why racing under the tables was a bad idea...and the cause of your bumped head.
• Hurry - the bus is coming!
• Stop eating snow.
• I hope that's not yellow snow.
• Do you need to potty?/pee?/poop?
• Are you sure?
• (Various swear words.)
• Santa's always watching...
• Want to meet the Tooth Fairy?  Fall on your face again and it just might happen...
• Yes unfortunately we have to:
• Shower you.
• Clean your ears.
• Cut your nails.
• And your toenails too.
• Cut your hair.
• Put clothing on you.
• Put outdoor clothing on you.
• Clean and temporarily ignore your every single demand for us to see what you're doing.
• I can't wait until you have kids some day... 

I'm sure this list is fairly short... and yes, it's mostly true. :)
BIMU

"They Are Lost: An Honest Project"

I have a separate tab on my blog for lost items.
Things that have fallen out of pockets or back-packs or little hands and landed on the ground in Finland.
I know I'm terrible at updating that tab regularly and thought I would post it on my Instagram instead with the hashtags of "#theyarelost  #theyarelostJKL".
I don't know how far that went - but on my private Facebook account - I try to sneak the computer from my husband and update that album as much as I can. 
But this past month has been a doozy and I haven't updated anything really.
We'll talk about that later - I need to get this finished!

I should start from the beginning.
I've lived in Finland for 5 years and have always noticed and appreciated the honesty of Finns and other locals.
I walk a lot (and more recently take the bus) and am constantly amazed at the amount of mittens (both single and pairs), hats, toys and keys I find!  They're placed nicely on benches at the bus stop, on top of garbage cans, hanging from a bush or tree so a dog (or cat) won't pee on them and so they can be found.

A year and a half ago after a trip to Wales - I was so sure we lost a red rubber fleece-lined boot of A-Man's.  They were an awesome pair of boots and were well-loved and despite child #2 wearing them - were just as good as new.
Well, I was sad and tossed out the single boot we had, after weeks of looking for its mate.  Guess what?  That little red boot was tucked up high in a tree - two neighbourhoods away.  On a street I don't frequent often but anyways, there it was.
I've lost my warmest pair of mittens last year on the bus - I got those back in a day.
My friend forgot her back pack - complete with passport, wallet, money, visa on a bus - she got that back too.
My Halloween 2014 was spent searching for my bright orange wallet.  I went back to A-Man's day-care three times following the exact same route, went back hiking the same route I took the dogs, checking the police station and no luck.
I cancelled my bank cards and worried for a week.  I wrote about what it was like to lose your wallet in Finland.
Most amazing thing is that I got it back and nobody even used my freshly-loaded bus card either!  That's honesty.

Despite me not updating everything with photos I was still getting Facebook messages and text messages and yes, Whatsapp messages, with photos of lost things found from friends!  I still do!
I decided that this amazing honesty needs to be recognized and spread around!  Friends were telling me it was an awesome idea and I'm overwhelmed at how my little personal obsession of taking quick snap shots of lost things became so interesting to many!
What else can restore someone's faith in humanity - than finding their lost item, exactly as they were found?

I've found and snapped photos of:

• Wallets, keys, backpacks, tote bags
• Toys - stuffed animals, toy cars, baby rattles, soothers/dummies/pacifiers
• Gloves, hats, shirts, underwear...

The list continues to grow everyday!
So I created a Facebook group called "They Are Lost: An Honest Project".
I want anyone interested in joining me for this little adventure to join the group and share your stories of lost things you've found by posting photos into the albums!
Albums are labelled by country the item was found in.  Unfortunately not alphabetical because every time an album is updated - it gets "bumped up".
It's so easy!

1.  Take a photo of something lost you see on your walk or bike ride or bus ride - however you travel...and post it in the album where you found it (i.e. New Zealand). 
2.  Add a description to the photo - where did you find it?  What is it?  If you're bringing it to the police/local authorities/taxi-driver or bus driver - which location? 
3.  Pat yourself on the back - you're awesome.

It's not a place for hate or spam or debates...it's a place to announce you lost your keys, your phone, your medical warning bracelet, your wallet, your passport, your child's favourite toy, your backpack...and hopefully - it can be a place for you to find your lost item too.

BIMU

PS If you use Instagram and post your photos of items found there - be sure to # with
#theyarelost and again with your city's abreviation - then hopefully someone may search there!

I.e: #theyarelostHK   #theyarelostJKL  #theyarelostNY #theyarelostRM
Hong Kong, Jyväskylä, New York, Rome