395 + 291 Weeks

Well, the school holidays have wrapped up and we have our town and beaches back.  I'm so relieved! The kids did some lovely holiday activities though, including a drama workshop, and Carmie did a drawing mandalas art class.  Arley was very upset that he couldn't do that too, so I took him out for gelato.  Arley has always had anxiety over drawing.  He's been too scared that he will make a mistake.  We've been working on levels of importance, and how some mistakes just are not important (like when you are drawing) and how some mistakes are so important you could die.  The kids asked me to make a chart for them, so I did, and it seems to have sunk in.  I signed the kids up for an online art class on Tuesday, and Arley was very nervous for the first half, but he rocked it, and since then he has been drawing all the time.  It is such a relief to not have him screaming at me when he sits down with a pencil in his hand!

Arley's occupational therapy started up again today with an in-home visit.  It is really good to get things going again, but it is also emotional for me because now I have all of these things swimming around in my head that I have to be on top of.  Our therapist said that Arley is doing extremely well, that now we can actually work on skills because he is regulated so much better.  This is a big step.  She said that Carmie is a big part of the problem now, because she has no tolerance for him after all these years, and we need to work on how they communicate with each other.  So we are back to OT every week, and we are also starting behaviour therapy next week, as well as equine therapy.  And so here we go again.

This week we have had a lovely beach swim, visits to the rock pools, we have been playing lots of card games as a family, and we even had a lego day (I can't stand lego, I end up doing half the kits myself!).  I have been painting like mad, another large landscape.  My show is hanging up in Murrurundi, and I'm happy to say that I have already sold four pieces :)

I took this video, and am posting it, because this is so representative of Arley, when he is in a good mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=604uDOJshnE

Fun with Dad at Bawley Beach

 Placating Arley with gelato

 At Collers Beach after Saturday night beach dinner

 Complete lego car - such a mission!

 My studio companions

 Ulladulla rock pools

394 + 290 Weeks

It's been a fairly cruisy week...I think?  The kids have been in good spirits.  Arley has been a bit shouty, but that is nothing new.  I am not looking forward to all of the kids classes starting up again next week, but I think we probably need them, as it is very easy to become complacent about things!  We have discovered Outschool, which are online classes for all ages, and Carmie woke up early this morning to do her first class, which was a social class to make friends with kids around the world.  She loved it, and the both the kids are booked in for the same class next week.  They are also doing an online drawing class next week too.  And right now, they are at a drama workshop, so I have two hours of peace :)

This week we went over to my friend Kylie's place so the kids could play with Willow and Finn.  I didn't get any photos, but I really wish I had, because they had such a lovely play together.  The kids played in the blow-up pool, and then a huge play with water on the trampoline.  They all got on really well, and it was lovely to see the four of them together.

Sunday was cool and cloudy, so Jeffrey and I took the kids to Bawley Point for a picnic.  It was a lovely day, the kids made a friend at the park, and then we had a walk on the beach to the rock pools. The kids saw the gantry in the distance, and insisted that they wanted to jump off it.  So, on Tuesday when Jeffrey had the day off work, we took them back to Bawley to jump off the gantry.  For two days Jeff had been telling me there was no way the kids were going to jump, that they'd be too scared.  Carmie was insisting that she would jump, and Jeff kept telling her not to be disappointed if she changed her mind.  We got there and there was a small crowd of people.  Jeff jumped first, and it only took Carmie about 30 seconds to follow him!  Arley was clinging to me but wanted to jump.  He was too scared, and asked for his dad to come and jump again, and then be below to get him when he jumped.  I was still doubtful, and he was still clinging to me after Jeffrey jumped a second time.  I kept telling him he didn't have to jump, and then before I knew it, he leapt and was in the air!  Every single person there cheered and clapped when Arley jumped, and I think we were all a little dumfounded.  He totally braved up!  This is huge for Arley, because he has such anxiety, and being challenged like that is pretty big.  As soon as his head popped up out of the water, Jeffrey got him, and he looked stunned but happy.  Afterwards we took the kids to the beach for another swim, and it was a really fun afternoon.

I know more has happened this week.  One morning I took the kids to the Bogey Hole for a swim, but it was still so crowded.  One early morning I actually got a beach walk in by myself!  Oh yes, and on Saturday Jeff and I packed up all of my paintings and took them to my dealer in Sydney for my show in February.  Done and dusted!

393 + 289 Weeks

The kids finished up their three day horse riding camp on Saturday.  It was such hard work for them, but they absolutely loved it, so much so that they both wanted to go back this week!  But I didn't indulge them.  I can't believe both of them shovelled horse poo, cleaned out the stables, and then rode horses for the next 6 hours.  Carmie did so well that in the dressage competition on the last day, she came first in her group.  She's super proud of herself.  I'm proud of them both too.  Arley was the youngest one there, and he was exhausted by the end.  Jeffrey and I took them out for ice cream at the end of their last day for a treat.

The weather got incredibly hot this week.  Luckily the kids went to a pool party one day.  It was Carmie's friend Delphi's 7th birthday.  The kids had a blast, and got a good play in with all of their buddies.  Another day I tried to take them to Mollymook beach, but it was so unbelievably  crowded, I just couldn't bring myself to find a parking spot, so we went to the much less crowded Leisure Centre for a swim in the pool.  It was a lovely day, not crowded at all, and the pool might be where we are spending the summer until the school kids go back to school.

On Wednesday I had a painting day, so Mum and Geoff looked after the kids.  They took them to the sea pool at the harbour, and discovered just how much the kids love to swim.  They are sometimes impossible to get out of the water, and even bribery doesn't work.  Dida swam with them and was a trooper letting the kids jump off his shoulders.  They are very excited to go back every Wednesday now :)

The heat still hasn't subsided, so we spent today at home playing Monopoly, and the kids played under the sprinkler.  Afterwards Arley played with the hose by himself - watering the car, watering the trees, putting on goggles and spraying himself in the face, spraying me in the living room through the window... he had a blast.  When Jeffrey got home from work, we went for a beach dinner, and the kids went for a swim.  They just love the ocean.  At one point it actually started to rain (thank goodness for the cool breezes too!), and we got the kids out of the ocean, told them it was raining, and before we could start walking to the car, they were both back in the ocean!  Forget about poor wet Mum and Dad!

It seems like we have another hot one tomorrow, so I'm going to enjoy these night-time breezes.

Working hard at horse riding camp

 Little Bear on his little horse Ginger.  So cute!

 Doing horse camp homework

 First place in dressage!

 Celebratory ice cream

 First puppy dog drawing

 Sprinkler fun

 Evening swim

392 + 288 Weeks

I can't believe a week has already passed.  Arley's little bestie Jemma was back in town for three days while her parents moved the last of their stuff out of their old house.  We had her for all of Saturday, and I thought it would be a good idea to take the three kids to the beach.  So stressful!  There were so many people at the beach, because it was such a beautiful beach day, and when the kids went into the ocean to swim, it was really hard to pick them out from the other swimmers.  Carmie and Arley like to go quite deep, which is usually fine because Jeff or I go too, but Jemma was too scared to go out deep.  So off my kids went, but Jemma held back and I couldn't leave her.  I was such a stresscase!  I managed to get the kids back in close, and convinced them that digging in the sand was just as much fun.  But boy do my kids love to jump waves.  Arley has been getting way too cold out there, so we bought the kids some wetsuits this week.  They only got to try them once (and they got chafing on their necks, so I've had to buy body glide now too).  

The weather has turned quite cold and rainy for summer.  It has actually been quite nice to have a break in the heat and a break from the crowds at our beaches.  I took the kids to the library book sale (we LOVE the library book sale!), and then we met Lolo in the cafe afterwards.  We also had a play at the park and went to the harbour a couple of times for iceblocks.  The kids' behaviour hasn't been stellar, and one trip into town was a disaster and sent me round the bend.  I had two meltdowns of my own this week, but the kids definitely have had it coming, and since then they have been quite lovely.  I think I just have been letting them walk over me a bit, and they have been taking me for granted.  I'm the firm mummy now, and they are respecting me more, which is nice!

The kids started their horse camp today.  It is for three days, and goes form 8:30 to 3:30 each day.  The kids are not used to waking up at 7:15 and were zombies this morning.  We arrived on time and the kids had to get stuck straight in to mucking the stables, which they weren't expecting.  They took it in stride and kept smiling, and when they were done they learned to saddle up their horses.  That's when I left and had the day to myself (yay!), and they spent the rest of the day horse riding.  They loved it, and were happy and exhausted when I picked them up this afternoon.  I was thinking this afternoon how lovely my day was, and how it felt like a weight was lifted not having the kids around, and how light I felt knowing I have two more days off.  Then I was thinking how this is how it would be if they were in school, and how easy things would be.  But then I started thinking about how quickly my day went, and how if they were in school five days a week, how quickly all of my time would go, and then they would suddenly be done with school and their childhoods would have gone by in a flash.  That thought crushed me, and all thoughts of how easy it would be if they were in school vanished, and I felt so grateful that I have them with me instead.  I wish there was a happy medium somewhere.

So, this week I finished up on all of my paintings for my show next month.  It is such a huge relief to be done painting this series, which I started back in June.  It has been SO much work, many late nights, and I'm really happy to be done.  Jeff and I are taking them up to Sydney to my dealer next week, and I'll be dusting my hands of them :)

I'm off to bed now, as I'm not used to waking up at 7:15 either!

Mollymook beach with Jemma

 Iceblocks at the harbour

 Cafe after the library book sale

 North Mollymook

 Shovelling poop!