I'm Not Brangelina. Nor Am I a Rock Star.

But just like them, I travel with an entourage.

Today we went to go see The Smurfs with no less than three people trailing in our wake. Those three people were Reiss's afternoon ABA therapist, his morning ABA therapist who is training to be a consultant, and our ABA consultant - our BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) - here for her weekly visit.

Typically, our entourage only consists of one, sometimes two people, however, when Milla was also receiving ABA therapy, there were days when we could be caught out in public with as many as five additional people in our party. Is it any wonder why I just want to lead a normal life? Believe me, I get how lucky we are to live where we live, in a state where our children have access to the necessary therapies they require in order to ensure them the highest level of success life has to offer for those with an autism diagnosis. But it comes with a price indeed - and not only in the form of obliteration to the bank account.

I really am happy to have the help we have but on that one day during the week that I insisted we have a break from therapy and not a single therapist graces our home with their presence, it is like a free pass to not care if there are toys and crumbs and pillows and papers and balls and whatever other remnants of the preceding night's activities still lying around on the living room floor. To not care if Reiss left his dirty underwear and socks on his floor or worry about whether or not I was able to make his bed before the morning therapist arrives. To keep Milla in pajamas until noon if I choose. To take things just a bit more slowly and not be the supplement Nazi trying to make sure Reiss has his vitamins taken before therapy starts for the morning. To not worry about immediately cleaning up the breakfast mess because, god forbid, what are these young therapists going to think if they walk into the kitchen and see dirty juice glasses and cereal bowls half full of soggy loops that have turned to goop still sitting at the kids' place settings? Oh, it is a joy to have ABA therapy and a level of sanity in our lives but that sanity comes with its own share of craziness.

Enough about that.

About the movie. We actually went to - do not fall over - the movie theater. No, not the dollar theater - the regular theater. And anyone who knows me knows I have not been to a movie in a regular theater in so many years that I had no idea how much it would even cost to get Reiss, Milla, and myself in the doors. For an afternoon movie, it was $17.50 for the three of us: $7.50 for me and $5.00 for each of the kids. I hope everyone out there realizes how much $17.50 can buy even in this yucky economy. All it takes is a little common sense and just the right sale. Needless to say, I felt a wee bit robbed knowing I was going home with nothing more than a memory of an afternoon out with the kids....and our entourage, of course.