Wordless Wednesday 19/10/11….Can you tell I have boys?

Behind the scenes….The inside story :)

As most of you would have already have worked out….we had an absolutely fantastic trip to America recently.

Our children travelled brilliantly (a lot of thanks goes to the sleeping tablets that my boys already take on a regular basis) and also as a result of the months and months of forward planning that went into our holiday.

But yes, despite all this…there were still some “interesting” moments as is to be expected but I’m stoked to say that they really were rare and very manageable.

The wheels really didn’t fall off until we returned home this week but that’s a whole other blog post!

We were in the States for a total of eighteen days which seems like enough time to cover a lot of ground right?….Well, yeah, but we didn’t.

We know that overloading kids is never a good idea ESPECIALLY when they are on the spectrum! So we spent a lot of days just relaxing in the hotel room or taking it easy doing things like swimming or strolling down boulevards and lanes as the boys stopped and felt every lamp post, concrete square and blade of grass in their endless pursuit of sensory nirvana!

 

And I believe that we reaped the rewards of this in their subsequent remarkable behaviours.

 Sure, I would’ve loved to have spent more time shopping, sightseeing and I REALLY wanted to drive Route 66 but I had to make the decision to be thankful that we were even ABLE to have an overseas holiday with our kids and realise that this was not all about me.  THIS time anyway

We had to make the decision to not sweat the small stuff and allow the children to do things that normally would be jumped on immediately. Stuff that normally drives us spare and makes us crazy!

Like rolling around on the floor under the chairs at the airport….

Hiding under restaurant tables:

Or Climbing….And climbing….

And even more climbing!

And we had to make allowances for the children when they became tired or grumpy as a result of being kept out late the previous night……even if the strain of this still showed on our faces!

And the technicalities?

Well technically  8 years old is too old for a stroller right?!

Well…no.  No it’s not when you have Sensory Processing Disorder and need a place to escape the constant lights, noise and crowds.   You do whatever works when you’re us.

And chewing…..NORMALLY chewing on a hat cord would make me wild but I realised that Disneyland is quite a lot to take in and I had to  let it go…. MAN that was hard for me! I had to let a LOT of things slide and there were times that I had to just close my eyes or look away because it wasn’t worth the fight!

And you know what? I think I may have gained a little bit more tolerance and patience as a result!

But only a little bit mind you….let’s not go crazy now!

~

Yes…..There were a lot of different and unusual happenings while we were away.

But….

A lot of things were exactly the same as if we were back home…..

For example….we still had Lucas on constant sensory seeking missions:

And sometimes I had to help him by doing some O.T. on-the-go

Spinning anyone?

~

Car travel was pretty much the same as it is here:

And my kids still displayed impeccable table manners:

And….there was more climbing:

Thankfully, I’m an amazing mother who keeps up with her children by always staying fit EVEN when I’m on holidays:…..

Ok ok…..

You got me.

I totally lied about that……my choice of footwear kinda gives me away I know!!
But kudos to my Mum for playing along when I asked her to grab her camera and snap me “hard at word” LOL

All in all, it was quite a funny 2 1/2 weeks if you choose to see the amusing amidst the frustrating.

Thankfully, in Vegas you could buy Margaritas on the STREET:

And they were GOOD:

To the very last drop

We had such a wonderful time away……I hope you enjoyed this walk on the lighter side of life

Cheers: 

Fi xxx

Wordless Wednesday 28/9/11 …..The boy is a puppy…apparently!

Wordless Wednesday 14/9/11…Stacks on Mum!

 

Losing dread, finding joy

Dread : to feel extreme reluctance to meet or face something.

I used to really dread the school holidays.

The thought of having the kids home every day made me want to hide under my blankets and stay there until they were over and I knew that the possibility of having a peaceful household was all but gone for the duration. Often the constant drama that continually unfolded was usually more than I could take and I would spend the days wishing for school to go back just so I could get a moment’s peace. I regularly locked myself in our walk in wardrobe with my iPod turned up loud JUST to drown the kids out. It was the only way I could cope.

But that was then.

THESE days, I understand the reason behind the tears, the tempers and the general unrest (well…MOST of the time anyway) and can usually take some measures to try to avert them before they occur. I have learned that dread is a very close cousin of fear. I no longer feel afraid and therefore no longer feel the need to sit in the corner in the foetal position rocking and chanting “It will be ok, it will be ok, it’s all going to be ok” until I finally started to believe it.

***

Today was the last day of school for my kids for this term. They are now on holidays for almost 3 weeks and this time – I couldn’t be happier.

20 days of stress-free mornings, 20 days of not having to be anywhere at a particular time and 20 days of semi sleep-ins. (Well – 6:00 am is a sleep in here )

Many people think that children on the autistic spectrum need rock solid routine and while that’s true on some levels – my kids cope ok with only a loose routine provided that they are not rushed or expected to be something that they’re not.

The more “out” activities – the more stress. It’s a simple formula really!

I used to take planning to the tenth degree and schedule holiday activity upon activity thinking that they needed that structure to cope, but in essence – what I was really doing was over scheduling them and kind of replicating school – they very thing that they were supposed to be on holidays from! The expectations that I put on them was causing all of us so much stress that it hardly seemed worth it in the end!

They got so tired from having to be here at a certain time and there at another when all they really wanted to do was to just chill out at home with a DVD and their favourite things surrounding them.I discovered that play dates are great – but not when they turn into another “requirement”.

And now that I know all of that – I can also relax more easily. It turns out that they don’t WANT to be traipsing around parks, bowling alleys and cinemas all the time. They are completely happy to just stay at home and do their own thing. It’s easier, MUCH cheaper and allows them to actually benefit from the break by recharging their batteries and refuelling so that they can cope better with term 3.

My beautiful Mum is arriving next week and both of the boys birthdays AND mine are also coming up so we still have a LOT to do this holidays.  I’m very excited and have just started to see the light at the end of the so-I-guess-I-don’t-get-to-move-to-my-mum’s tunnel.   And that light is in Ella. She has really blossomed this year and her and three other lovely girls have joined forces and created a lovely little group.

image blurred because I won't put other people's children faces on the internet

The group is made up of two 12 years olds & two 11 year olds so it’s a great mix, they all complement each other brilliantly and are as different as they are alike. They all Skype each other EVERY afternoon after school and have already planned 2 sleepovers in the holiday period. It’s ALL they talk about and their excitement is contagious plus it’s making this mothers heart sing after the horrible bullying that my princess has had to endure in past years.

I couldn’t be happier.

And as much pain as I have been in recently as I have witnessed my dream of moving home become less and less achievable – I have found a way to rejoice in the beautiful friendships that my girl is developing and I’m relaxing into the knowledge that she is going to be A-OK as she heads to high school next year.

It’s true that God works in mysterious ways and that His ways are not our own, but I also think that sometimes I need to just pull my head out of the sand long enough to observe the sun shining all around me instead of just noticing the dark shadows that it causes instead.

Happy holidays everyone

Fi xx

How to lose 3 days of your life…..

I couldn’t be bothered writing a whole post today so I am re-posting this one from this time last year…..I needed a laugh today and this provided it  :D

My husband makes me laugh.  
Sometimes the ‘roll-my-eyes-and-giggle’ kind of laugh, but mostly the ‘laugh-out-loud-I-can’t-believe-you-just-said-that’ laugh!

He is all about “time management” and is constantly showing me ways that I can “improve” and “better achieve my goals” and as a result of this: he is also very familiar with my response of “pfft” and “whatever”.

He likes to run our house like a business meeting and expects me to take minutes. He tells me that there will be a test later so I’d better listen up. He tries to tell me that he is joking (of course) but I believe that a LOT of truth is said in jest

The “business plan” gets run past me every couple of months and I’m expected to present my own personal goal plans and expected outcomes for the children for that quarter so we can compare notes. (I am yet to provide one!)

His ‘plan’ is usually complete with graphs, timelines and records. EVERYTHING has to be kept on record for future reference.

But what I find so amusing about all of this is the fact that he married me!

He could not have chosen a less organised, lackadaisical, fly by the seat of her pants wife if he tried!

Maybe that’s where the secret of our success lies? - I would be driven crazy by someone as slap happy as me and he wouldn’t cope if he had to share control!

His outlook on simple everyday run-of-the-mill tasks is really quite unique.

For example:

He has informed me that I will waste the total of three days of my life if I tear the sachets of sugar that I put in my coffee individually. But if I tear them both together , then the world will be at peace for another day because the extra three days I have then saved, can be put to good use by doing something more economical??.

And , there was a time recently when I moved our kitchen bin from beside the bench to beside the fridge because it looked much neater and was hidden from sight.

The next morning I found it moved back with this note attached as an explanation :

Dear Fiona,

Thank you for your attempt at making the kitchen more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, however, I calculated that with the bin being moved to that location, it would take me an extra five paces to utilise the bin as it is further from where it used to abide beside the kitchen bench.

This is completely unacceptable for the following reasons:

1. There is too greater possibility of garbage seepage and spillage finding it’s way onto the floor during the extra five paces whilst in transit from the bench to the bin.

Bin juice is no-one’s friend.

2. I will waste an hour and half of every year by completing five extra paces every time I wish to use the bin if I use it on average of four times per day.

Those extra twenty paces multiplied by thirty years, equals approximately a day and a half of the rest of my life being wasted  every time I wish to deposit wasteful products into said garbage receptacle.

3. It is a known fact that garbage bins do no belong beside refrigerators.

4.The bin has ALWAYS been beside the bench for the last seven years, nine months and sixteen days that we have resided in this house and I simply cannot allow this atrocity to continue another day.

5. It doesn’t look right.

Thanking you in advance for your assistance in this matter.

Mr Patient……..

Yes, he is serious.

If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry!

No rules day.

This weekend, Mr Patient took Ella on a 4wding weekend escape with his work.    Our entire family had the option of going too but the thought of spending two full days in a car with two children who HATE travelling made me shudder!

So the solution was for me to stay home with the boys.

It turned out to be a fantastic decision too. We have had SO much fun together.

When we all arose yesterday morning, I told the boys that it was a “no rules” day. BUT before you all start rolling your eyes and telling me what a fool I was let me explain…..   I am WELL aware of how literal my boys can be so I made sure that I emphasised that house rules STILL applied. ie: No hitting, punching, kicking or name calling and that when Mummy asks you to do something – you still need to do it!

The “no rules” part referred to the fact that there were no set in stone rules over what they were allowed to play with and for how long.

They chose Lego and baking of all things - I had to stop myself from reacting every time that I looked out and saw the Lego strewn from one end of the living room to the other but it was wonderful to see them having so much fun!

Anyone who knows me would know how hard it was for me to see this!!!

They created a lot of new and exciting Lego spaceships and I got an awesome video of Harley talking me through the way that his mega ship worked. Unfortunately, his real name and Lucas’  real name are all through the video so I  can’t put it on here but there was one  part where I asked him what his craft  was called and he said:

“I don’t know but I’m going to build it  one day when I grow up”….“PROUD  MUM MOMENT ALERT!

But here is a photo of him with his creation instead

Check out the pride on his face!

And Lucas with his duplo spaceship!

After lunch, we headed into the kitchen  and made some white chocolate  biscuits. (cookies for all my Northern Hemisphere friends).

The boys were so excited to be helping  me in the kitchen. I’m ashamed to say that I don’t allow them to as often as I probably should because I HATE the mess that they make, but because I’d promised “no rules day” I had to let them have a go!

Harley can't resist the urge to play in the spilt sugar

This is serious work!

The best part!

 I just love the concentration on their faces as they measure and stir the ingredients!

That night, Harley asked me if Lucas could sleep in his room for a “slumber party” and he helped me move the folding bed into his room and make it up for Lucas.

They were SO excited and begged me to join them too!

I made us all some hot chocolates with marshmallows and we ate our biscuits in bed and they giggled because normally, this kind of thing is a big no-no and they felt SO NAUGHTY!!!! It was divine to see their delighted little faces at something that really is such a little thing!

We laid on the bed together taking silly photos on my phone and I stayed until they fell asleep before creeping out again.

   

Later on, I snuck back in to take these photos of my little sleeping babies with their teddy and puppy snuggle toys and vowed that we absolutely HAVE to do this again.

I desperately wanted my boys to remember this weekend and how much their mother loves them. I want them to realise that they are perfect just as they are and that I would move mountains for them. I know it’s been rough on them lately with my emotional turmoil being so tangible  so it’s moments like these that overshadow the difficult days and make them so much easier to endure when they do come.

It’s just a shame that life can’t always be this sweet.

Noisy boys

When you put my two boys together, it’s like adding bicarb soda to vinegar.  I mean – we are talking SERIOUS explosions of messy goop here! 

There is chaos and mayhem mixed with a healthy dose of overactivity.

It’s NEVER quiet and they compete to see who can be the loudest and get the most attention. But then it usually turns sour because Harley quickly becomes overwhelmed and covers his ears and starts screaming “STOP TALKING”…..

I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it really is quite funny and it never ceases to amaze me that a child like Harley who is extremely sensitive to noise can make so bloody much of it himself!

This afternoon, Mr Patient came home early from work to help with the busy Thursday rush of running around to various therapies, school pick-ups, pre-school collection and ferrying to and from dance rehearsals. This is a mammoth task that I usually undertake all by myself and it is utterly exhausting! I leave the house at 1:30pm and usually walk back in around 6:45pm. UGH!

But I had a bit of a parental meltdown myself after last Thursday and gave Mr Patient an ultimatum….Either he had to come home earlier on Thursdays or I was going to pull all of the kids out of their groups. I’m happy to report that he came through for me and this week was the first day of this new routine.

How did it go?

Well….you’ll have to ask him! (that’s if you can get him to answer – he’s currently in the corner rocking and sucking his thumb moaning “NO MORE BOYS, NO MORE BOYS!” )

Of course I’m kidding! But he did get a glimpse of the ridiculous noise levels and madness that I’ve become accustomed to and said that he doesn’t know how I manage! (Keep it up darling – that’s the kinda talk that makes me smile).

I remembered a poem that I wrote a while back when I was in another one of my these-boys-are-driving-me-absolutely-stark-raving-nuts moments and showed ti to him tonight.

He smiled and nodded knowingly so I thought I’d re-blog it here tonight.

Don’t get the wrong idea here: I love them to bits but they DRIVE ME BATTY!!!!!!

Raising boys can be quite rough,
And challenging at times,
Sometimes I think I’ve had enough,
And they cross too many lines…

They seem to think that no means yes,
And push me til I break,
When it stops is anyone’s guess,
So what’s it going to take?!

The constant noise is over the top,
They run and flap and jump,
My days are full and I don’t stop,
Meanwhile….my house becomes a dump!

I wonder if it is just me,
That struggles with my lads?
Do other mums of boys agree,
Are you also going mad?

Some people say that they will grow,
Into some fine young men,
But there’s still one thing I want to know,
Can someone tell me when?

If I had to choose the thing I love,
The most about my boys,
It wouldn’t be the fighting or
The ever-present noise,

It would just plain and simply be,
The way they make me melt
When they hug me tight and then kiss me,
And I’m thankful for the hand I’ve been dealt.

Why I told my son to stay away from nerds.

Yes that’s right….I have told my child to stay away from nerds.  

Before you start thinking that I’m a horribly judgemental and awful parent – let me explain…

Firstly…my son is a bit of a nerd himself. He regularly spouts out monologues about his current favourite aircraft or favourite Ben 10 alien or something else equally inane.

And I tell Mr Patient all the time that he is also more-than-a-bit of a bit of a nerd himself!

I mean: his ever growing star wars Lego collection, his fascination with car makes and models, his love of all things related to science fiction, computers or technology is only a small snippet of why I think this!

B-O-R-I-N-G!

But no, these are still not the types of nerds that I am referring to.

I’m talking about these suckers…

⬇

Harley’s teacher made a bee-line for me after school today because she was quite upset that another child had bought Harley a packet of nerds at the school canteen at lunchtime and that he had eaten the whole entire packet.

She wanted me to know how sorry she was for his consequent behaviour issues and that she had spoken to the other child and told them that they are NOT to buy things for other children ever again.

I assured her that I wasn’t upset with her and told her that Harley is getting to the age where he needs to take some responsibility as well! He is almost 8 and he knows that he isn’t allowed to eat something that’s THIS chock full of preservatives and colours!

The teacher was still not convinced that I was ok and then I saw him with my own eyes.

It.was.hilarious!

He had glazed over eyes and alternated between dazed out and hyperactive.

He ran and ran and ran and ran some more!

He yelled out a quick “Hi Mum” as he tore past me for the gazillionth time throwing his school bag in my general direction.

I laughed…I mean…. What else could I do?

Some kids are fine with food colourings in high doses…whereas others (like my boy) are definitely NOT!

And just because I’m a caring, sharing kinda gal…. Here’s a quick video of Harley taken minutes after we walked in the door this afternoon. (Of course Lucas had to copy his brother too…)

…

…

We’ve now been home for almost 2 hours and he’s still running!

Which is flipping FANTASTIC!

Not.

Relax….

It’s only 4 more sleeps until I head back to the country to spend 3 weeks with my mum for the Easter school holidays.

image from keithabraham.com

Here’s a list of what I definitely WON’T be doing whilst I am at Mum’s

1. Stressing about situations at school.

2. Wondering whether Mr Patient will walk in the door before or after the kids are in bed for the night.

3. Dragging 3 shopping-phobic kids around a supermarket because I have no-one to mind them and we still need to eat.

4. Spending an hour convincing my child that it’s ok to wear a different coloured pair of undies to your socks…..really!

5. Spending hours planning the weekly schedule and factoring in therapy appointments.

6. Ironing school uniforms.

7. Making school lunches.

8. Fighting over homework.

9. Worrying over my huge phone bill to my Mum!

10. Hiding from the kids in my wardrobe just so I-can-get-a-moments-peace!

–

And here’s a list of 10 things I hope to do while I’m up there.

—–

1. Relaxing. Doing a lot or nothing, wherever my mood takes me.

2. Drinking coffee at trendy little cafes with friends.

3. Shopping with Mum…(yay)!…This woman sniffs out bargain a mile away!

4. Sleeping in. (Courtesy of the BEST mother )

5. Catching up on blog reading that I am ashamed to say that I am WEEKS behind in…..sorry all!

6. Going to my best friends birthday party and grooving the night away with her.

7. Playing hide-and-seek with the kids in my Mum’s awesome rabbit-warren house!

8. Baking cupcakes with the kids.

9. Going for walks at dusk to tire the kids out so they sleep better.

10. Running around like an idiot at the local parks chasing my kids watching them squeal with delight.

——-

So….what are you doing in YOUR holiday break?

Picnic in verse :)

Today we attended a “Go blue for autism” picnic in the park.

It was a fantastic day with a good turnout and a lot of fun.

It was wonderful to see so many blue shirts everywhere too

.

Today I watched your little faces,
Shining with delight,
Competing in a range of races,
What an awesome sight!
.
Surrounded by more kids like you,
As gorgeous as you are,
And all the same in shirts of blue,
You were all shining stars.
.
The atmosphere was so inviting,
Everyone had fun,
The kids all found it SO exciting,
FUN for everyone
.
Today the world was made aware,
Of what autism really is,
And just how much these parents care,
About their fabulous kids.
.
So I hope that all whom we hold dear,
Have learnt about what we do,
And heard the message loud and clear,
And lit their lives up BLUE!!!
.
.
.

Sack Race

Mr Patient found a balloon.....always a clown

Balloon race

I know this is a TERRIBLE photo of my boys but it captures their apprehension about the 3-legged race they are about to compete in perfectly!

* I actually took a lot more photographs but I don’t feel right putting pictures of other people’s kids online without their permission

The Cotton Candy Jelly Bean

Ok. Who needs a laugh?  It’s at MY expense!

Any takers?

Yes?!

Righte-o, here goes…..

My husband and I lease our vehicles and they get replaced every 10,000 kms and we don’t actually own a vehicle that we can call “ours”. Because of all the driving that Mr Patient does for his job, he covers so many kilometres that he usually swaps cars every 2-3 months but for me , it’s more like 12-18 months.

Previously, I had a gold x-trail and I LOVED it!

The kids dubbed it “Goldilocks” which was a cute name

It was the perfect size for the kids and beautiful to drive and not too shabby to be seen in either!  But the kms were close to reaching the limit a few weeks ago, so it was time to get a new one.

Now we are saving money at the moment for a trip later on in the year so Mr Patient figured that a good way to save some money instantly was to lease me a smaller (think TINIER) car. Ok…..I can deal with that

But then I was delivered THIS!

HOW EMBARRASSING!

I looked at my husband and he was bent in half laughing himself stupid!

Harley took one look at it and said: “I’m not getting in a pink car, no way, not gonna happen” with the dramatic ‘talk to the hand’ gesture to go with it!

Ella said: “Daaaaaaaad! I can’t go to school in THAT!”

But Lucas ran over to it and jumped up and down excitedly!

Ella said that it looks like one of those jelly belly beans. The cotton candy flavour to be exact! So she named the car “Candy” for short.

And to add insult to injury……not only do I have this car for the next 12-18 months, the number plate has the initials of a very vulgar slang Australian word.

And no. I’m not going to tell you what it is!

But it does have one redeeming quality: It is dead easy to park – it would fit on a postage stamp!

The Cheapskate Mother!

Well….My Mum left about lunch time today

Harley cried at school this morning knowing that he wouldn’t be seeing her this afternoon and Lucas was miserable as well. All 3 kids were fighting and just generally being difficult on the way to school and it didn’t occur to us until later that they were just sad about Grandma leaving.

I even “punished” Ella for being a smart mouth to me in the car by making her hold my hand as I walked her into middle school and made her hug and kiss me goodbye in front of all her friends!

( HOW EMBARRASSING! I know….What a mean mother! But  - it worked,  She was super nice to me this afternoon!

***

It’s been a tough afternoon with all of us moping around the house dragging our feet and lacking in motivation!

See.....I told you it was only 10 bucks!

It’s time like this that it really sucks that she doesn’t live closer  :( But we did have a very enjoyable morning together all the same.

I have always been a fan of “cheap entertainment”.

No. Not that kind!

But the kiddy kind

Mum and I went to a local second hand bookstore and they were selling children’s books for only $5 a crate! So we bought two and ended up with 124 books in total!

All 124 of them!

AWESOME!

Now I just need to hide them from Mr Patient until I have a chance to ease him into it gently! LOL

Last week I went through all of their bookshelves and removed the ones that they no longer read & gave them to charity but after today..I think our local second hand book store will  be receiving a lot more of our unwanted books!

There were Ben 10 books, Thomas the Tank Engine books, Aircraft books, Dinosaur books, Space books, Atlases, Kid’s dictionaries and lots lots more!

I divided them into the age appropriate groups for the kids and into their own individual box and as you can see: They were in HEAVEN!

And yesterday, the boys amused themselves by making robots out of our recycling!  

And yes…..they did empty the recycling bin ALL OVER THE FLOOR!

But look how happy they are!

Who needs expensive toys eh?

THIS mother makes her kids play with the garbage instead!  :lol:

LOVE IT!….

Oh, and now that Mum’s gone…..Expect LOTS more blogs from me. I have much to tell

A night of fun.

My girl being the centre of attention at her party.

Anyone wonder where she got THAT from?

 

Busy and tired!

So, it’s been a wild week in the Madhouse.

I’ve been crazy busy and waiting for this ride to stop so I can step off!

 If you write a blog and I’m subscribed to it…..please know that I probably haven’t read it yet but I will hopefully get around to it soon.

Erm….sorry!

 I’ve also got 142 unread emails in my inbox. Yes… 142!!!

It’s due to my computer developing a problem with syncing my emails to my iPad and iPhone, so if you’ve written to me and I haven’t responded…..I’m not ignoring you. I just have had to wait until we can fix this glitch.

 Ugh!

 As a result of this : I have so much to write about, it’s hard to know where to start so instead of trying to write about it all, I will just list a few things in point form!

•  The school that Ella and Harley go to, have asked me to get a cognitive and educational assessment for Harley.

 Basically…..we need to discover his potential and ability and get his results to match that!

Now all of you long time readers will attest that  I’ve whinged before about the OT that he had last year and what a complete waste of time and money that she was.

Well guess what? I have finally gotten rid of her! And on Wednesday, Harley started with a brand new OT who specialises in Functioning OT.     So far, I’m really impressed!  She did a motor assessment on Harley and has told me that she has observed a LOT that she needs to work on with him.

I’m not surprised by this because the previous OT was hell-bent on the sensory stuff (which is also important) but she rarely did anything to help him with his writing and fine motor skills.

As a result, his writing is now at a 4year old child’s level and he is turning 8 in a few months.

Ho Hum.

 She also told me that she is going to enjoy working with ‘ME’. (My humour – or rather my ‘sarcasm’ must have appealed to her!)

•   Lucas’ early intervention pre-school has just called me to advise me that there is a place for him to start OT with one of their therapists (who is awesome) so I’m VERY excited about that too!

He is coming in leaps and bounds with his speech but he really struggles with motor skills and has huge sensory needs.

•  The kid’s school has also asked me to get an assessment for Lucas before they will even consider interviewing us for enrolment for next year. I partly understand where they are coming from, but I am also annoyed because I (naively) assumed that he would be instantly accepted because the older two kids go there! Not so….. But he has his assessment on the 29th of this month so I will have to wait and see how that pans out.

 

• Ella turned 11 on Thursday! I can hardly believe that my girl no longer looks like this:

 

•  My mum is down at the moment and she helped us celebrate Ella’s birthday.

Last night – We took Ella and 5 friends to a Pizza place for dinner and then to the movies. It was a fabulous night and I was thrilled to see her so happy! School has been shocking for her up until last year as she has been mercilessly bullied by a group of girls that thankfully are no longer part of the crowd she associates with. So for me – it’s exciting that she is finally fitting in!

•  Today we had a “family” party for her with Mr Patient’s Mum coming over and with my Mum still being here we all went to play Mini golf. Ella’s BFF *Emma came with us too as she slept over after the movies last night.

Golf was wonderful! And we were pleased with how well the boys coped with it all, so we all decided to go out and have morning tea at a local coffee shop afterwards.

Wel….it seemed like a good idea at the time!  We hadn’t taken into consideration all the sensory overload that the golf centre had provided and the many different people that he had to come into contact with.

Unfortunately it didn’t take long after we sat down for Harley to start to lose his composure and the wheels started to fall off in a BIG way

Thankfully – I keep a black pashmina in my handbag most of the time so I quickly wrapped it around his shoulders and draped it down over his head, gave him my phone to play with, and he sat in his little blackened cocoon and we were able to get him down reasonably quickly.

Afterwards when we got home for lunch and fired up the BBQ,  I patted myself on the back, SO PROUD of myself for being such a great mother and handling the situation so well. However……Harley sat down on the rug to play with one of his Sonic toys and when the leg broke off……ALL-HELL-BROKE-LOOSE!!!!

 The poor child screamed, thrashed, cried and rocked for almost 45 minutes.

And the ONLY thing we could do was wait it out. NOTHING was working. All the things that usually work weren’t working either.  We tried wrapping him, giving him his teddy, carrying him to a quiet room, and holding him tight whispering “shhhh” but they were all useless!

 None of us knew what to do as it took all of us by surprise because we didn’t recognise the warning signs (which in hindsight was the mini meltdown in the coffee shop) and we had wrongly assumed that by the time we got home again, the worst of it was over!

It hadn’t occured to me that it was only a bandaid solution and that there was a LOT more to come.

It absolutely broke my heart to see him so emotionally distraught and completely non-verbal except for the grunting, yelling and sobbing, and I think Ella’s friend *Emma got a bit of a rude shock seeing him in full swing.

 She knows he has autism but I think that this is the first real dose of our reality that she has experienced.

 I HATED feeling so disconnected from Harley and unable to soothe him at all. It was a dreadful and heart -wrenching feeling of faliure for this mother, but at least I have now made a mental note to observe him closer and recognise the signs sooner so that it doesn’t reach that level of explosiveness again!

Another lessoned learned!

Anyway, my main goals for this week are to catch up on my emails and blog reading- but I have to be honest: I’m really not liking my chances of that happening because my Mum is still here for another few days and I would choose spending time with her over ANYTHING else in my life right now!

Haha!

Ave a good weekend peoples,

 Luv yous all!

When the Madhouse family hit the shops!

I thought this morning, that I had nothing to post today.

It turns out that I was wrong again!

We had a VERY eventful day full of laughter, joy and hilarity!

This post is quite long but full of laughs. And there are a few serious bits thrown in for balance!
I just had to share my crazy family with you all

There are a couple of reasons that I’ve decided to blog these events…firstly, because personally, I am more drawn to blogs that tell stories from their own lives than those that are nothing but chock full of facts and statistics.

And a LOT happened in the space of only 2 hours today!

***

Well… we needed to get some things at the shops today so we decided that we would go to the local shopping centre and grab some lunch in the food court while we were there.

We found a table and the boys and I sat down whilst Mr Patient and Ella went to go and purchase the food.

I just happened to be looking at the Subway restaurant in front of us at the exact time that one of the staff accidentally put a plastic bag into one of the ovens.

It blew up! And very dark smoke with a strong chemical smell started billowing out of there at top speed.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before the smell and smoke wafted in our direction and from my experience in working in retail, I knew that once smoke got out – the evacuation alarm would soon start to ring.

I grabbed both the boys and headed for the outside doors hoping to make it out in time.

I caught Mr Patient’s attention (who had just started back to the table with a tray of food) and he grabbed Ella and met me outside.

I was right…within seconds, the alarm started sounding VERY LOUDLY over the P.A. system and people flocked toward us in droves.

I settled my family in an open area away from the crowds and looked around at the other people.

Over to my right, there was a little boy who was about 3 with his Mother, covering his ears, rocking his whole body back and forth on his feet and whimpering in a pained tone.

I looked at him and I thought: “Well, hello, this looks familiar! “

But what alarmed me was when I glanced at his mum-she was absolutely bewildered at his behavior (and more than a little embarrassed) and was unable to pacify her little boy at all.

I walked over to them and smiled sympathetically at the Mum and asked her if she wanted me to try talking to him. She nodded thankfully and said: “Sure, but I don’t understand what the problem is, he always freaks out at loud and sudden noises”.

I crouched down to the little boy’s level and looked at his gorgeous face (he couldn’t eye contact me – but I was a stranger to him, so fair enough) and said: “Hi there little tiger, your mummy said you are a little bit frightened” he nodded and looked at me now to check me out before quickly breaking eye contact and looking away again.

I looked at his Mum and she smiled and nodded so I reached over and put my hand gently on his arm and said “That’s ok, I felt a little but frightened too, but then I found out what made the alarm go off and then I wasn’t scared anymore”.

He looked at me questioningly and I continued. “Do you want to know why there is a loud noise”

He nodded, the tears were subsiding now.

“Well, some silly person put a plastic bag in an oven. And ovens don’t like plastic bags, so it started smoking because it was angry!”

He giggled.

“And the loud alarm is ringing because the smoke and alarm are good friends and the alarm rung up the fireman and they will come here soon and turn it off”.

And then – right on cue, a fire engine sped around the corner and pulled up right in front of us and the fireman in their hazmat outfits climbed out one-by-one.

His mother smiled at me and thanked me and I told her that with MY children, their fears are often allayed if they know why things happen.

She said she’d definitely try to remember that next time a noise scares him.

I wonder what will develop from that??

Anyway, onto the fireman – I turned around and started to walk back to my own family and Mr Patient and I exchanged a knowing look. We were both thinking the same thing

* sigh *

Our eyes both filled with tears as the grief that we thought we had dealt with came and punched us both square in the noses! (Grief has a nasty habit of doing that!)

You see… my late father was a fireman.

He wore the same uniform. He drove the same fire truck, he turned off alarms in shopping centres regularly and he walked proudly past the adoring public as they watched in awe.

Ugh!

Miss you Dad xxx

As we headed back inside, Mr Patient went over to buy us both a cup of coffee at our favourite shop.

He returned with an artificial rose wrapped in cellophane and handed it to me saying that it reminded him of our love.

“What ..Fake?” I enquired…

“NO…everlasting, it will never die!” he said exasperated!

The couple over at the next table that witnessed this exchange started giggling and smiled at us. The kids were in hysterics too.

Ah yes… we are both often the centre of attention!

After we’d finished eating and drinking our coffee, Mr Patient took the boys to the toilet. (Restroom or Bathroom if you’re American)

When they returned, Lucas was in tears and howling loudly. I asked what was wrong and Mr Patient explained that he had neglected to “hold it” (I apologise for the crassness) and as a result, it all flowed straight down his leg and onto the floor soaking his undies,feet and shoes!

Oh dear!

Mr Patient threw the saturated undies into the bin and hastily pulled his (miraculously still dry) shorts up.

Lucas didn’t cope with the feeling and bawled loudly that he wanted new undies.

So we set off in search of a shop to buy some more.

He was so excited when we found a pair with a monkey on them that he ran straight to the check-out.

When it was our turn…the girl behind the counter asked him if they were for him.

“Yes,” he replied. “I wee-ed on my other ones and I don’t have any undies on now ..See” as he dropped his shorts to the floor and flashed the poor girl!

She cracked up laughing and I hastily pulled them back up, handed and the money and walked out whilst lecturing him on the do’s and don’ts of public decency!

We left the shop and I walked over to where Mr Patient was waiting with the other 2 kids and started to relay the story to him and Lucas (right on cue) then gave Daddy a demonstration in front of the rest of the shopping centre!

We were so embarrassed but couldn’t stop laughing all the same!

People were walking past us laughing… it WAS kinda funny

And lastly, we were waiting for Mr Patient to pay for the last thing on our shopping list and I was waiting with the kids out the front of the shop: Harley turns to me with a panicked look on his face and says: “Oh no Mum, I can’t find Teddy..I must have lost him” and his face contorted into a worried frown.

I immediately start to play back in my mind the last few places that we had been and started to get prepared to comb the entire centre looking for the damn bear when Mr Patient walks over and asks what all the fuss is about.

Harley turns to him and says:

“Mum, is looking for teddy because I lost him”

And we exchange oh-my-goodness,-life-is-gonna-get-hard-real-quick-if-we-don’t-find-the-damn-bear looks and start planning who was going to check where, when Harley walks over to a pile of boxes and pulls Teddy out saying….”Gotcha!”

And started giggling at his little joke!

I must say – he did an awesome job of convincing us that he was upset!

Whilst I don’t like my kids lying to me, I had to give it to him. He got me hook line and sinker on that one!

Have a great weekend all xxx

If you're happy and you know it flap your hands.

Recently, we went out for coffee and Harley grabbed two sachets of sugar and flapped them saying he was a bird.

It kept him amused for a very long time, he was in his happy place

I seriously love to see him this happy

Blog gems….holidays.

Today over at  Jen’s blog gems, the topic is:  Holidays.

Tell us about a holiday, any kind of holiday even just a weekend away, vacation or any few hours to yourself that are not your normal routine…

You can read about my disaster holiday *here*.

 

 

I’ve fixed the problem with the link………

How much longer?

My little boy has his bag packed,
His clothes are all laid out,
He cannot wait til school goes back,
It’s ALL we hear about!
.
He’s busting for this break to end,
He asks us EVERY day,
“How long until I see my friends, 
So I can go and play?”.
.
“Just three more sleeps” is what I said,
This evening when he asked,
“You’ll have to wait now GO TO BED,
and dream of your new class”
.
“But Mum!, I can’t sleep – it’s much too hard,
My brain just won’t slow down,
I’m thinking about school and playing in the yard,
With my bey blades and sharing them around”
.
So I turned to my boy and I started to say:
“I know you’re excited son,
But you’ve got to wait until this Monday,
So….try to sleep…Before you know it….it will come .

……………….

We went and met his new teacher today.
All good so far.
We have our fingers, toes and everything else crossed that it stays that way !
I pray that this excitement of Harley’s carries through the hard, anxious and sad times that may come.

G'day mate!

Happy Australia Day Everyone!

google image

Owyagoinalright?

(translation: How are you going? …Are you alright?)

Yep, today is Australia Day and it’s celebrated here in Oz every year on 26th January.  You bewdy!

It commemorates the the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788.

So therefore, Australia is only 223 years old. Still a baby!

Anyhoo…enough of the boring history lesson, Australia Day is traditionally a LOT of fun

You can expect most families to bung a lamb chop on the barbie, pop the top off a tinny, chuck some more in the esky and kick back on the beach or in the park soaking up the sunshine, wearing their togs and thongs swishing away the blowies (flies) saying “Nah worries mate – she’ll be right!

There’s probably a group of blokes and sheilas bludgeing and getting stuck into meat pies and lamingtons , and a game of backyard or beach cricket going on somewhere!

Bogans are everywhere and those that have had too much booze, walk though city streets singing drunken renditions of “Waltzing Matilda” and children covered in Australian flag temporary tattoos and southern cross hats wave their little Aussie flags at passers by.

Contrary to popular international belief…..we do not all speak like Steve Irwin or Crocodile Dundee! But we do love them and they are national treasures.

The whole nation grieved Steve’s tragic early death in 2006, celebrated when “Our Princess Mary” married Prince Frederick, and the Australian spirit is alive and well as we launch into support mode to assist those families / individuals and businesses that were devastated by the recent catastrophic flooding in Queensland and Victoria.

We are generally known as a laid back, easy-going and friendly nation and from my experiences….that’s mostly true.

Whether you’re from the Outback, Tassie , The Alice, the city or the back’o'Bourke, Aussies are little rippers!

I’m proud to be Ocker.   

True Blue, Fair Dinkum, No Malarky.

‘Aveagoodonealright?

(Have a good (day) alright!)

*If this post confused you, try reading this or this.