Cooking with @arfidawarenesss. One of Cassidy’s favorite meals is hamburger helper. I really enjoyed participating in the process, but I wasn’t ready to try it this time. It was very overwhelming because there was a lot going on, but hopefully one day soon I will be ready to try it. What’s your favorite thing to cook/bake? #cooking #baking #hamburger #hamburgerhelper #groundbeef #cook #bake #chef #culinary #cheese #friends #recipe #recipes #arfidawareness #supporting

Protein is a very hard food group for me, but I know how important it is especially for my energy. I went to Trader Joe’s the other day and I saw these chomp sticks. They had them in beef and turkey. Since I like some turkey, I decided I would try it. I’ve see my mom eat them before so I was curious to see what they taste like. It was pretty rough and dry, and kind of hard to chew. It had a lot of different flavors combined. It’s sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, and it’s a bit too overwhelming. If I had no choice and had nothing else to eat, I could eat it, but I wanted choose to eat it. Every food I try is a win, because it’s one more food I’ve never tried and one step closer to having less anxiety. #beef #turkey #beefstick #snack #protein #foodgroups #energy #fuel #flavors #choice #nothankyou #strong #health #nutrition #traderjoes #notmyfavorite #meal #mealtime #overwhelmed #kids #caregiver

Having sensory and oral averaions, going to the dentist is not easy. At my last appointment I was told that I had some pretty deep cavities in my permanent molars that had to be filled. What we eat and drink really affects the health of our teeth, and so does family history. I have been so anxious about getting this done, and my mom even had to cancel my appointment once because I was having such a bad panic attack. I was so scared because the thought of getting a filling seemed so scary. Thankfully I have an amazing dentist who I have been seeing since I was one. This is so helpful because I know him well and I trust him. This dental office has a lot of experience with sensory challenges, and they use a lot of distractions to make things a bit easier. I have never had nitrous or anesthesia so I was very worried. My mom explained the process to me which helped because I kind of knew what to expect. Dr. Joey comforted me the entire time and gave me a play by play of everything he was doing in a very kid friendly way. I got to watch a movie, snuggle with a plushie, and I had a private room. I couldn’t believe how smooth the whole experience went and that I was able to get it done. I was told to ice it and take medicine for the pain, but I decided not to. I was sore for a few hours, but was able to somehow manage it with lots of rest. This was such a relief for me and I felt like a champion once it was over. It was way easier than I expected it to be, and if I had to do it again, I would be able to do it in a heart beat. #dentist #dental #dentalwork #sensory #autism #sensoryproccessing #filling #cavaties #champion #easy #adhd #nitrous #anesthesia #safe #comfort #dentistry #pediatricdentistry #peds #kids #parents #sore #medicine #meds #fear #scary #worry #anxiety #teeth #tooth #molar