Friday 30 September 2016

Thank Chocolate it's Friday

So this week has been Up and doooooooooooooooooooooooown but we've ended on a really peaceful, chilled, contented note :-)


A couple of days ago, I sat down with the kids to make Visual Memory Aids to help them with their morning routine -


This is because the mornings have become a real struggle of endless prompting and repetition, taking up literally half the morning. 

DS was receptive to the idea, and sat and drew his pictures and was happy with the whole concept, but OH MY GOD DD was not!!! It took 2 1/2 hours for her to do it and she has been half-dying of rebellion ever since! This is because I am convinced my DD has PDA (Pathalogical Demand Avoidance) - a particular form of Autism that many Doctors are reluctant (to say the least) to diagnose.  But, believe me, it is very, very real!

Yesterday morning, she screamed at me for 2 1/2 hours and refused to have breakfast - just so she would not submit to the order of the visual memory aid.  DS on the other hand had a great day and had his hair brushed for the first time in months!! :-)

Today has been better, much calmer, quieter.  The kids have been largely self-motivated.  DS needed a few prompts to make it through his list, and DD submerged herself in any self contained activity possible so as to avoid submission!! Lol.  This was fine as, either way, I got the lions share of the morning to myself to sort out a whole load of chores :-)

Other than that, we have had a really peaceful (!) day.

DS uprooted the dead cherry tree (yes, that counts as peaceful!) :-) :-)  and decided he would do some sawing (under supervision) -


DD on the other hand, submerged herself in a morning of art :-)  She drew and coloured countless pictures, mainly of me!  Cute?  Yes, to the untrained eye :-)  To the Mummy who knows the ways of PDA this was a process of her reclaiming control and boxing me back in to certain contained circumstances and roles - a picture of the family with her in the centre, slightly larger than everyone else,  a picture of me as a mermaid, underwater, contained  and another picture of me, wearing purple (I HATE purple, it is my LEAST favourite colour and she knows it) to again display her dominance and ability to assert control over the situation (and me).  But it got it out of her system.  I took the pictures, smiled vaguely without making eye contact.  "I'll go and put them in your room" she persisted 'on your desk."   Fine, I thought, I'll bin them when you're in bed :-) :-) :-)

Once she'd got that out of her system, she knuckled down and made a beautiful collage from her old pet and wildlife magazines -


After lunch and a bit of free play, we settled down for some Listening Time in the lounge.  Our listening time tends to look a lot like this -


The kids are allowed to bring something (quiet) downstairs to do and I read, then we discuss what I've read.  This works WAAAAAAAY better for us that Table Time! 

Today we read a book on The History of Chocolate (to tie in with a trip and workshop earlier this week) and learnt about Mayans, Aztecs, Rainforests, Cocoa beans and the history of chocolate production.

After this we ate some chocolate from our chocolate making workshop earlier this week (naturally! It would've been rude not to :-) )



We then spent the rest of the afternoon finishing reading the gloriously gruesome RatBurger by David Walliams, during which the kids made these -



Finally, we decided to make the Glossy Dark Chocolate Sauce from The History of Chocolate (Usbourne) book we'd read, for our pudding tonight :-)  It was DELICIOUS with vanilla ice cream and strawberries! 


Perfect tend to the day :-) 

Have a fab weekend all xxxxxx







Tuesday 27 September 2016

There are some days you feel you could conquer the world, and others where you feel the world has conquered you.  Today falls in the latter category.

It's been a difficult few days. DS hasn't been at his best - we're back to bed wetting (to the extent of having to buy another new mattress yesterday - and yes we have mattress protectors!),  tonnes of yelping and stimming and yesterday saw the resurgence of head banging (which we've not had for a loooooooong time).  Through it all there have been highs amongst the lows and, as always, the incredible love I have for these children keeps me going.

Today, amongst other 'highlights' we've enjoyed a trip to A&E to get a glass wound to the hand checked out.  That was once the screaming stopped.  Oh God the screaming!!!  No one can scream like DS can scream when he is hurt and afraid, it is truly apoplectic. When DS hurts himself, it is like trying to contain and aid a hurricane. The force absolutely batters you but you must continue, directly in to the eye of the storm, because you must bring it to safety.

I can't tell you how long it took to get his hand under the tap, how long the screaming continued, how much blood there was on the floor, how wonderfully matter-of-factly DD fetched his inhaler and a bathroom towel or how we managed to get to the car.  I can tell you how unutterably grateful I was that today was one of the days I have the car as DH has cycled to work. And I can tell you how grateful I was that we live close to a hospital with an A&E!

By the time we got to the hospital DS was quiet as a lamb and taking it all in his stride. Thankfully there was no glass stuck in his hand, so a good clean out and checks for nerve or tendon damage and we were taped up and good to go.

Anyone who has a child with delayed processing knows this is by no means the end of the story............

The hospital staff all praised him for his bravery and how calm he was being, and Mummy nodded agreeably, knowing that in reality she will not be able to sleep in her own bed for at least a week now and that we will re-live this scenario in EVERY SINGLE DETAIL literally countless times a day for however long it takes for him to process this. There's no speed up, no amount of reassurance, no diversion tactic that will fix this. And this is the bit I find hardest - the aftermath of the storm - that there is no comfort I can give that is a comfort, no amount of love and patience that is enough. I can only sit with him and share his pain and confusion until it subsides, eventually.

And then I can get back to conquering the world xxxxxx

Saturday 17 September 2016

Having a Wobble

So, this week I have been Having A Wobble.

We started out with a Particularly Bad Day (more on that in another post, when I'm not having a Friday night glass of wine and waiting for DH to return from the Chinese!)
But it left me with a large hangover of Mum-Guilt and had me (momentarily) questioning whether we're doing the 'right thing' (erm, hell yes, we are!), whether the kids are making enough "progress" (cringe!) and whether the kids are 'achieving' enough academically,  (I know, right? But hey, Mum-Guilt..).

So I had a quick count up of what we have done, just this week -

DS (7) has finished reading his little 42 page chapter book, with great success but more enchantingly (and independently) he has worked on his rain water irrigation system for his lavender garden outside (he now has repurposed old lengths of guttering to capture rain water), designed a hen house (to be converted from DH's old shed), written a little book on Dangerous & Poisonous Plants, decided he will do The Wild West for his USA project so researched prospecting, gold mining, wagon trains, tornados, windmills, farming and more. He's built some gorgeous Lego creations including a space vehicle that generates oxygen through controlled photosynthesis, built a 4 foot wooden catapult in the garden to launch water balloons, whittled a little model of his tortoise George out of bark (complete with embedded shell eye!!!) and made an awesome working hover craft from a kit he got for his birthday!




Meanwhile, DD (9) has read 8 library books, the first 3 Harry Potters (in as many days!), written a short essay on herself - in French! She has continued to research and work on her USA project, decided she would learn about Vikings and long boats, challenged herself with Brain Box The World (Geography game) learning facts from around the world, made a 3D model of me out of card board (complete with stand!), painted, drawn, coloured and been to book group at the local library.



On top of this they've both been to their gymnastics class, to the park with friends, on a canal boat trip learning about locks and canal life and been for a trial session at a Youth Club!!!

Did I mention that's THIS WEEK?!!! Just this week!!

Mum-Guilt assuaged (for now!)

I think we're doing ok 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Saturday 10 September 2016

Starting Back

So, I was asked (AGAIN!) yesterday, if we are #notbacktoschool this week When do we start back?

:-) :-) :-)

We never stopped!

Yeah we've been on holiday this summer. We had a week in Wales. And no we didn't take our workbooks there ;-)  

But besides this, everything we've done has involved learning in some way or other.

Here are some of the things we've done this summer -


 Microwave mug cakes

Geography studies

Sea Life

 DD (9) working on her Welsh project

Great Britain Geography Club

 Great Britain Geography Club

Our Great British Tea Party

Colouring - DD, 9 (bottom) DS, 7 (top)

DS's modelling clay Angry Birds

DS's Sharpie painted jar

Some of DS's Summer Penfriend letters

 And some of DD's Summer Penfriend letters

Crafts at camp

 Our first Home Ed camp

The start of DD's USA project

Our Climbing Wall Staircase! Built by DH :-)

Both completed the Summer Reading Challenge! 6 books each!

String Art from Camp

 Heiroglyphics Writing, DS.  Just because!

 The other side of the Sharpie jar (DS)

DS's lavender bed, complete with irrigation!

So, in answer to the question "When do you start back?"  I would have to honestly say, hand on heart, the fun never stops :-) 

xxxxxx

Thursday 8 September 2016

Always Learning 💗

So, we are officially #notbacktoschool 😆

My day today started with my 7 year old autistic son bringing me a cup of tea in bed "with a lid on so he wouldn't spill it and so it could stay hot until I wanted it"! I went downstairs to find the washing machine on. I quizzed DS suspiciously but he just shrugged and said "I'm fine, I just wanted to do something helpful." Sweet, happy boy x

The biggest factor in his happiness is that we are Not Back to School. We have posted our Not Back to School pics on social media - they consist of the kids playing Hot Wheels, having fun in a couple of parks and going to see a West End Show! And that's only this week 😆

On top of this, we've had DD's birthday. She is now 9!! Where did that time go?!  She seems so grown up, but the ability to make a common sense decision of any kind still eludes her! 😁 I think it always will, it's just not how her brain works.

As well as all this excitement, our learning journey has continued. We are always learning, all the time. For example yesterday, en route back from the show, we were discussing sharks and we learned you are more likely to die from a coconut falling on your head than a shark attack, that a shark will only bite you by mistake - you are more likely to die of the injury that causes than a shark actually eating you. We talked about Big Cats and how the cheetah can't hunt in water as it's body is too fragile, but the jaguar can. The fact there are no tigers in Africa and that tigers can't roar, only purr.

And on the train we did our 8 times table and challenged each other to sums! I love that we have these type of conversations, daily, all the time 💞

We have just come back from a couple of hours at the park. DD is working on a Fact File about the USA (we were looking at Atlases this morning and the Geography of America and North America, including the terrain, native wildlife and indigenous peoples), I am having a cup of tea and writing this blog and DS is in the garden working on his irrigation system for his lavender bed (!!! Photos to follow) and digging a hole to catch rain water for his Venus fly trap!

This morning, before lunch, DD worked on her French - the weather, houses and where you live and male/female verbs - while DS read another 4 chapters of his book to me.

And now to water the garden, before I make a start on dinner.

I LOVE this life 💞 I love that we are living it together, but still pursuing our own interests within that. I love, love, love it!  We are out and proud 😆 and unashamedly #notbacktoschool xxxxx