407 + 303 Weeks

Well, the Easter bunny came on Sunday.  The kids were so very excited.  We heard them at 6:30 in the morning, so we got up, and Carmie was in Arley's bed, and they were lying there reading and chatting to each other, waiting for the right time to wake us up.  They were very cute.  Carmie had been telling me the night before that Easter is her favourite holiday, because of the hunt.  And I can see why, they had so much fun.  They got a mix of chocolate eggs, and plastic eggs with money inside, and a couple of presents.  But there were eggs everywhere!  We let them go for gold with the chocolate that day, but since then they are happy to just have an egg after dinner, and so it seems like their Easter egg collection is going to last a very long time.

Sadly the day before I sprained my ankle, with a third degree sprain.  Jeffrey and I decided to take the kids on a hike nearby (one we have never done and that I was really looking forward to doing), and I made it literally ten steps from the car before I tripped over a tree root and went down.  I knew it was bad because I heard a popping, cracking sound, and then I got really sick.  Needless to say, our hike was over before it began.  I was helped to the car, and then put to bed, and have been on crutches since that afternoon.  It is slowly getting better, but not fast enough.

Yesterday the kids went to holiday care at Ulladulla public school, because it was the day all of the kids were going to go to Funland.  At 10am we got into the car, and I tried to drive them there, but I just couldn't push my foot down on the clutch.  I called my sister who is in town, but their car was in the shop due to a flat tyre, so the kids and I had to walk to Ulladulla public school.  Well, I hobbled all the way there, and then all the way back.  It wasn't very fun.

On Sunday the town hosted the Blessing of the Fleet festival.  We have never taken the kids to it, and this year we had told them about it (before I had sprained my ankle).  They were so excited to go, so I had to crutch around the festival.  But the kids had a blast, riding on the carnival rides, and eating ice cream.  The festival was followed by amazing fireworks at night, on the harbour, and we watched them from Lolo and Dida's house, with Georgia and Mark and Zach and Baz.  Despite my pain, it was a really good day.

Arley has been very difficult this week.  It feels like he is going through a regression, like he used to. When he was younger, we would have about two weeks of calm, followed by two months of Arley hell, and then the hellacious times got shorter while the calm times got longer.  But it feels like we are in the middle of a regression again, with lots of yelling and obstinacy, lots of anger and abuse, and it makes life very tiring and difficult.  I hope it doesn't last much longer.  Our therapies start up again next week, so hopefully that will help.  I also have my NDIS meeting on Monday, to evaluate Arley and see what funding we are going to get for the next 12 months.  It is nerve-wracking, but I am hopeful that the meeting will go well, as it did last year.  Carmie has been very emotional this week too.  I'm not sure if it's a reaction to Arley, or if she has her own stuff going on.  Her four wobbly teeth are bothering her - her front tooth is just about out, because she dropped her iPad on her face two days ago.  The tooth has dropped about 2mm, so now she has a snaggletooth.  Jeffrey has been taking the kids to the park every day while I've been housebound, but I still think they need to get out more.  They need long walks on the beach, and good hikes (hikes where their mum doesn't fall and sprain her ankle!).  Hopefully next week I'll be better and life will get calmer.

Jeff and I got this cute series of the kids up in my studio:

 Easter morning

 At the Blessing of the Fleet festival

406 + 302 Weeks

Well, what to say this week?  I was travelling for most of it!  And yes, my trip was amazing.  It was just so nice to be able to eat when, where and what I wanted, to wake up when I wanted (unbelievably two hours earlier than my usual wake time, because I wasn't up painting the night before until all hours), walk at my own pace, watch what I wanted to watch, go where I wanted to go, and do what I wanted to do.  I visited Victor Harbor, Port Elliot, Goolwa, drove up the Murray River, Mannum, the Barossa Valley, and back to Adelaide where I spent half a day perusing through the Art Gallery of South Australia.  I had lots of teary FaceTime calls with the kids.  By the end of it, they were really emotional and just wanted me home.  I, on the other hand, could have stayed for another week, although I was starting to ache for a cuddle from the kids. But despite all the driving that I did (in my super cushy rental car!), and the zillion photos I had to take, it was the most relaxing time!  I arrived home on Tuesday night to huge love from the kids.  Arley could barely look at me, it was too overwhelming for him.  And Carmie gave me a ten minute cuddle :)

I thought I'd come back feeling like a new woman, and I did for about an hour or two...and then on Wednesday morning, I realised that I felt like I had never left.  All of the stress came rolling in when Arley was refusing to let me help put his sock on and was having a massive meltdown because it was twisted.  And it has continued from there!  This morning I almost had a breakdown, so I sat with the kids and drew up a big chart about happy families, and then about stress and what it does to the body. I have let them know that things can't continue like they were, that I am not going back to that amount of stress, so they had better figure this stuff out!  Carmie was upset because she thought that it was them causing my stress, but it's not, it's the fighting and naughtiness, because when they are lovely (like this afternoon), there is no stress at all, just happiness and love all around.  This afternoon we played hide and seek (they are so good at it now!), and then I took them to the neighbourhood park for climbing and running races.  And now they are happily watching science videos in their rooms.  I think my plan is to get them out for a good hour right after breakfast, every single day, because if they stay inside, they go crazy.  Even after three solid days of horse camp, which they did on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

So, the kids loved their horse camp, but poor Carmie found it quite stressful.  Her instructor doesn't cut her any slack at all, and Carmie had a really hard time mucking out the stables, fetching buckets of water etc.  She was physically and mentally exhausted by the end of it, and I think she might be taking a break from camp the next holidays.  But she did say it was happy stress, but I think it was all a bit overwhelming for her.

Jeffrey is glad I am home.  I think he was at his wit's end having the kids on his own.  The house was rather dishevelled when I got home, and Jeff has been quite snappy at the kids, so I think he needs to go on his own holiday now!  I don't blame him, I know it wasn't easy.

Anyway, I am back now, and the kids have a break from all of their regular activities because it is school holidays.  They have a busy week filled up with holiday programs next week, which is good because I have a lot of work to do now.  Carmie and Arley are very excited for the Easter bunny to arrive on Sunday morning.  Carmie wants chocolate and Arley wants money...we'll see what happens!

At Port Elliot

 At Port Adelaide

 Last day of horse camp, and they get to decorate their horses.

Park play this afternoon

405 + 301 Weeks

I am updating late this time, as I'm not even home, I'm off on my travels!  I left on Wednesday morning, and I have been having an amazing time.  Tons of driving, tons of walking, lots of exploring, and zero stress.  Which makes up for all the stress from before I left!  Getting everything organised for the kids was really stressful, getting their schedule for the week written out so Jeffrey and Lolo and Dida know what is going on, getting their bags packed for swimming, and horse camp, and whatever else they have on while I'm gone.  I thought saying goodbye to them would be dreadful, but the day before I left I had the brainwave of dropping the kids over to Lolo and Dida's for the night before so they could have tv in bed as a special treat, and they weren't even phased by me walking away for a week!  That was my biggest relief.  Since then they have been kept very busy, and we have only had a couple of crying phone calls.  It is funny to talk to Jeff, because tonight he sounded as exhausted and exasperated as I usually do, and he suggested we send them to boarding school!

This past week the kids started joint horse riding lessons as well as their single lessons.  We have the funding, and they just love it, so we figured why not?  Arley's trotting improved so much just from following Carmie around, so it was a good move, and his confidence has definitely been bolstered.

Also this week Jeffrey brought home the most massive box for the kids to play with.  They cut windows into it and decorated it, and they have literally been playing with it all week.  Arley even piled cushions inside it and slept in it one night!  Poor little Arley, he was so sick one day, he was throwing up all morning.  It passed in a day, but he was so sick, the poor thing.

Carmie had her second assessment by the psychologist, who has ruled out autism, but is certain she has ADHD.  She told me that us homeschooling Carmie is hands down the best thing that we could do for her, which was so nice to hear.  Sometimes we don't have as much emotional support as we would like with our decision, so it was redeeming to hear a professional say that.  She said that Carmie would be that kid in school who was never sitting still, always in trouble but never really knowing why.  She also said that she thinks Carmie is a little Einstein, but we won't know the extent of her intelligence because we have decided not to do the IQ testing.  We have a bit of work to do with our quirky little girl, but we'll get there.

I am off to bed now, as I am exhausted.  I have been getting up early and hitting the road to get in as much exploring as I can.  I had a night in Adelaide, then I drove to a place called Victor Harbor, and had a night there.  This morning I explored the coast and then headed up the Murray River and I'm staying in a town called Mannum, in a house right on the river.  It's pretty awesome.  Tomorrow I'm exploring the Murray some more, and then heading over to the Barossa Valley for a few nights.  I cold pinch myself!

Here are a few more horse riding videos of the kids, because I can't help myself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WiwGIoUpTU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRwSSyiYFy4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3aVI1wcqZ4

I just found this 3 second clip on my phone, sent form Jeffrey, and it made me smile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZQhnNpnloM

404 + 300 Weeks

Oh my goodness, I am so ridiculously tired, it is all I can think about.  Luckily Carmie has her nose in a book and Arley is drawing his hundredth drawing for the day.  The kids are well and truly hooked on the Art Hub youTube channel, which teaches kids how to draw.  It is pretty much all Arley does in his free time, and Carmie too if she doesn't have a new book to read.  And the improvements to their drawing is amazing!  I'm not worried about their fine motor skills at all now :)

It's been a big week.  We had a rainy weekend, so we took the kids bowling.  We had never been bowling as a family together before, and it was so fun.  Things are definitely easier when leaving the house now - there is very little drama and no meltdowns, which is such a relief.  It was also Jeffrey's birthday on Sunday.  The kids ran into our bedroom in the morning to wake him up with their birthday cards and drawings and hand-made books.  They were so cute.  Just before lunch we dropped the kids off at Lolo and Dida's so that Jeff and I could have some time together to reconnect, because it has been a while.  We had a lovely lunch in town, and then drove down the coast a bit to go exploring with the camera like we used to, pre-kids.  We ended up driving to Tabourie and checking out the beach there.  It is so amazing where we live, there are that many beaches here that you can find a new one whenever you want.  We had never been to this beach before, and it was truly beautiful.  We explored this little island and watched a seal frolicking in the waves.  After that we went back to Mum's where the kids were waiting with a cake they had decorated.  It was a really lovely day, and I'm happy to say that Jeffrey really enjoyed his birthday.

The kids had horse riding again on Monday.  Carmie can canter like a champ, and she said it's not scary anymore, just really fun.  Something clicked with Arley this week, and his trotting improved so much.  I missed my video opportunity though, so maybe next week.

I took the kids up to Nowra on Tuesday so Carmie could have her first meeting with the psychologist.  We have another appointment on Tuesday of next week, and then in a few weeks Carmie will be doing an IQ assessment with her.  At this point, the therapist thinks Carmie has ADHD, which is quite upsetting, but if it does come to that, we will deal with it as we always do, head on.  It is upsetting news, but I feel a little vindicated in that I am not crazy and not making this up.  It means I have a whole lot more to learn about nuerodiversity, and more changes to implement, but in the long run, it will only make the kids' lives easier, so it is a good thing to know now.

We have one more week until the school kids break for school holidays, and our regular activities break for two weeks.  Carmie has been hating her swimming lesson for a long time now, and begging to stop.  I told her that if she could swim 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke, she could stop.  So her swim teacher and I let her loose in the pool, thinking she wouldn't be able to do it, and she blew it out of the water!  She totally rocked both strokes, didn't slow down or skip a beat.  So next term she has earned the right to quit her swimming lessons, but I have told her that she has to get in the pool once a week and swim 50m of both strokes to keep her endurance up.  She isn't happy with that, but thinks it's an improvement on swimming lessons :)

This time next week I will be on my trip in South Australia.  I am super excited to go, but quite nervous to leave the kids.  I have been getting things organised for a little while so that things will run smoothly while I am gone.  The kids are spending the first two days with Lolo and Dida, the next three with Jeffrey at home, and then the final two days again with Lolo and Dida.  The kids also have horse camp to attend for those last two days, so they will be busy.  And hopefully I will be busy enough to not have time to worry about them!

Two videos of Carmie horse riding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q63h-5OJtgs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yu3cj5mrbI

 Dad's birthday

 The kids and their Art Hub drawings

 Park play in Nowra.  She did have more clothes on for her appointment!

 Arley drew this for his dad's birthday.  It's from Art Hub.

 Carmie's birthday card to her dad, also from Art Hub.

Carmie playing bush with her homies after Japanese class today.