434 + 330 Weeks

This week has been quite good but for a few things.  Poor Carmie had a bit of an accident on Monday evening.  She was playing on the patio, using the hanging bars, and she miscalculated.  She fell from quite a height, completely prone, and smacked her head on the patio.  It was pretty awful, and must have been unbelievably painful, a huge shock to her system.  We had to cancel tennis the next day, because it hurt her head just to move it, and she had an egg on the back of her head the size of my palm.  She still does three days later.  I felt so bad for her, it was one of those mummy moments when you just want to take the pain on for them.

Arley has had a great week, until last night.  He is so stubborn sometimes, and he just wasn't giving up, which sent him into a tail spin.  And then this morning, he had to put shorts (instead of track pants) on for tennis, and the drama!  And then it only got worse when I made him put his new sandals  (instead of socks and sneakers) on for our park play.  He completely lost the plot.  It's all about people being able to see his feet, don't ask me why.  We have tried to explain to him every which way that no one cares, but he is so rigid on this point.  I knew it was going to be a fight as soon as the weather heated up, so I took on the fight this morning.  I won, but the cost was pretty high.  The good news is that he has been wearing his sandals now all day and he is fine with them :)

The kids rocked horse riding this week.  Now that we only go once a week, it feels like we hardly go at all, and we really miss the horses.  We have been having fun at home too - home days are really lovely these days.  The kids are into decorating t-shirts, and Carmie has been working on her 'bird book'.  One afternoon we made pirate treasure maps.  And then Carmie dug a hole in the back yard and buried some money out there.  I'm fairly certain she will never see her money again!  Arley has been really into digging holes lately - he must need that proprioceptive input, and I'm just glad he's found a way to let off steam.

Today we went to a homeschool meet up at Mollymook park.  There were actually nine kids in all, so it was like the old days.  It was a really lovely day - great to chat to the other mums, and it is awesome to watch all of the kids playing together.  We stayed for almost three hours, and when we left, Carmie said, "That was the best play I've ever had!"  We'll be doing it every two weeks, so yay for regular meet ups again.

And, today is Halloween.  The kids have been so excited for it, for the longest time.  They had their costumes all planned out - Carmie a demon and Arley a dead knight.  We decorated our front patio for trick or treaters, then we went and had a rest.  Suddenly there were trick or treaters at our door, and we weren't even ready, so we whipped up the kids' costumes in 15 minutes, and they looked so good!  They were the best dressed children that we saw, and they were stoked!  I took them out trick or treating, and they had such a good time.  Best Halloween yet :)

Newly decorated t-shirts

Making treasure maps

Carmie being a zombie at the library

 Homies!

433 + 229

Same old same old this week, except without any drama!  Arley has had only one bad day this week, and it wasn't nearly as bad as it could get.  Today he was a little stressed about spelling words wrong (of all things) and got a bit ornery, but for the most part, his meds have kicked in and he is happy and amiable.  We had OT today - it has been 6 weeks since our last session because our therapist went on vacation.  She says now we can start teaching Arley the skills he is lagging in (like bike riding and swinging, making snacks etc), and that we might have to start seeing a psychologist again to address his other issues, because they are more mental at this point.  This is a good place to be, it feels like a big step forward.  And I'm just so glad that he is happy.  He is much easier to deal with, although not perfect, but some of his issues are from habit, I am sure.

Carmie has been making French toast for breakfast, and is helping out more in the kitchen.  She helped Jeffrey cook dinner on Saturday night, and now we've decided to make Saturday night kids cook night.  The kids are taking more responsibility around the house too, because I sat them down and we wrote down everything that gets done in a day, a week and a month to keep things running smoothly, and they saw how much Jeff and I do.  So Arley has been watering the plants every day, and Carmie has been feeding and watering Bella.  They also have to clean out the car each week, among other things.  So far so good.  

Every morning that we don't have an activity on, the kids and I go out into the cul de sac and play handball.  They have improved so much, Carmie will beat me soon.  It's good, because we are all getting sunshine and exercise first thing.  While one child plays handball with me, the other is writing spelling words, to win chocolate chips or screen time minutes.  That was why Arley was stressed this morning, because he spelt 'construction' wrong and he wouldn't let me show him the right way to spell it.  One morning he earned himself 30 extra minutes of screen time!

We went once again to Collers Beach, and did some fossicking.  It's slightly addictive.  We all just wonder over there and start turning over rocks.  We have quite a collection now.  They are all from the Permian period and are over 250 million years old.  This always blows my mind.  

Today we had our usual weekly park play with the kids' schooled friends, and Carmie's old best friend Ness came.  We have't seen Ness and her Mum in 18 months.  It's hard with schooled friends, because I never know when they are moving on and becoming better acquainted with other friends at school, so I never really push it too hard.  Apparently Ness has been wanting to see Carmie too, so when Arley accidentally texted Ness's mum last week, we arranged it.  Now they will be coming to every other park play, and the kids are stoked.

Today I even sat with the kids and did a little 'school work'.  Every once in a while I get a bee in my bonnet about having something to show the registrar, so I have the kids sit down and do a worksheet or two.  We hadn't done this since June, so we tried again today, and it was a great success.  They only did two worksheets each, but there were no complaints, and Arley even said it was fun and asked to do another one tonight.  And Carmie has started a fact book on birds, and it's really good!  It's so nice to see them doing 'schooly' type things because they want to.

Carmie's speech therapy is going well.  We have homework to do four times a day, so it is hard work, but we are pushing through, and we really can tell that it is helping.  She's not too fond of the homework - we have to talk in something called syllable timed speech, but we get through it.  I can't wait for all of these therapies to be over, as it's been three and a half years at this point.  But hey, I am thankful they have the chance to do the therapies.

I think that's it for this week.  Fingers crossed we keep this smooth sailing :)

Carmie enjoying her French toast

 Spelling in the cul de sac

 First fossil found

432 + 288 Weeks

This week seems to have gone by in a blur, I think because I have had insomnia.  I finally went to the doctor about it on Wednesday, after only sleeping for two and a half hours the night before.  She has given me some pills to break the insomnia cycle, and she's running some blood tests.  So, it's been a pretty crappy week for me!

As for the kids, things have been good.  We have had no major meltdowns, and they have actually been playing really well together.  Tuesday was such a good day, they played together all day without a single squabble.  While I am typing this right now, they are playing 'shop' together.  We have doubled Arley's medication, and it seems to have done the trick.  He has been so much happier, it has really made a difference.  I wish we had tried it years ago, because how awful must he have been feeling to be angry all the time?

The kids started back at horse riding on Monday, because school holidays ended.  They were brilliant, and both were cantering full lengths around the arena, smiling all the while.  They had tennis on Tuesday, and both have improved because of the tennis camp they attended.  They also started their swim lessons again on Monday afternoon.  Arley has a new swim teacher this term, and she is great.  He learnt more this past lesson than he did the whole of last term, so I'm super happy.

The kids had a sleep over at their Lolo and Dida's on Tuesday night.  I finished up a painting that I'm not sure that I love, but it is still one more painting finished.  Today the kids and I went up to Nowra to see the doctor again, because he wanted to start care plans for them, now that he is their primary doctor.  Carmie has been getting hives when she goes swimming, and he broke the news to us that this 'cold urticaria' will only get worse as she gets older, and could turn anaphylactic, so she can't go swimming unattended.  It's just one more thing to add to our load!  After the doctors we went to a toy shop that has a giant indoor jumping castle area, so the kids could get their energy out.  And currently we are killing time until we go to meet the kids' school friends for our weekly Thursday afternoon play.

OK, so we are back from the park, we have had dinner, and the kids are sound asleep.  For the first time ever, Arley joined in the play with their friends without any hesitation, and there was no drama.  Usually all the way there he tells me that no one wants to play with him, that Delphi is only Carmie's friend, and then during the course of the afternoon, he comes and begs me to leave, or causes some fuss.  Today he just rolled with it and jumped in as part of the group.  It's like he felt like he belonged for the first time.  I really think this medication is helping him so much.  It is taking away his anxiety, so he is not stressed any more, which gives him pause to make better decisions, and he is just a happier little boy.  Fingers crossed this lasts!!

I don't have many photos this week, as I think I was just too tired to take photos!

Once more, videos of the kids horse riding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0JUNjMm58Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCiAZ_02a-w

Photos from last week that I was too tired to post!

Uncle Sting

 Silliest photo ever!

 Bella and her new hair do.

 Today at the play house

 Afternoon park play with friends.

431 + 327 Weeks

My blog post is a little late this week, because Jeffrey and I went up to Sydney yesterday for the night.  I had to go to the auction of my paintings for the Avis project I did (my South Australia trip).  It was in a very crowded gallery in Surry Hills, and it was all very hob-nobby.  Beforehand we met up with Sting for his birthday, which was really nice.  Good to see him, and he is looking well.  After the auction Jeffrey and I went out to dinner at a vegetarian restaurant, and it was awesome to have so many different items to choose from the menu.  That just doesn't happen around here.  It was good to be back in Sydney - great restaurants, pubs, bars and galleries etc.  It's nice to get that culture hit, but I wouldn't want to live there full time.  The hotel we stayed at was lovely, but I had really bad insomnia, which happens when I don't sleep at home, so I feel like a complete zombie right now.

We had a good week. Georgia and Mark and Zach come down from Bowral for a visit.  We took Georgia and Zach fossicking one day, which they really enjoyed.  We also had them over another day so that Zach could play Wii with the kids.  It was good to see them again.

We had a surprise visit from Arley's bestie and old neighbour Jemma on Saturday.  Arley couldn't believe it, he was so cute.  The kids had a play for about 45 minutes, and then she had to leave.  It wasn't long enough for the kids, and both were sad again after she left.  They really miss her friendship.

Carmie has been doing speech therapy and we have been practising every day.  She is really improving, and her therapist has upped her practice to four times a day, which hopefully won't take too much of a toll.  We went back up to Nowra to see the kids' doctor on Wednesday, and he has doubled Arley's medication, so fingers crossed that does the trick.

The kids spent yesterday at vacation care, and loved it apparently.  They had a talent competition, and Carmie got up and did an impromptu one-man play for all of the kids.  Too funny, I wish I had been there.

Anyway, I have to crash, I am thoroughly exhausted.

Arley counting for hide and seek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhaPwyPci10

 At the breakwater

 Jemma :)

 Family fossicking foray

430 + 326 Weeks

This week has been so much better than last week!  Friday night was absolutely terrible - Carmie was extremely emotional.  She gave her dad a bit of attitude, which is really unlike her, and then when she was called up on it, oh my goodness, the emotional explosion that resulted was unheard of!  It was crazy.  She was crazy!  Poor thing, she couldn't contain herself.  I guess all of the emotional upheaval with her brother that week had sent her over the edge.  We had a good chat the next day, and we set up some new boundaries, and both of the kids have had a good week ever since.  Arley yelled at me one morning because he didn't understand my answer to his question.  That night I came back inside from the studio to find he'd written me a note apologising for yelling that morning and saying he loves me more than anything.  I was so happily surprised, and it was such a visible sign of his capacity for remorse, it's a huge step.  He has still been quite cross at times - it's like his meds have just taken the edge off but aren't quite helping as they could.  We are going back up to his doctor next week, so we shall see where we go from here.

The weather has been amazing this week.  I got the kids to the very uncrowded Mollymook beach on Friday (knowing how the crowds would flock there come the school holidays, which started this week).  It was beautiful.  We are pet-sitting our friends' bunny rabbit this week.  Her name is Dapple, and she is a little skittish, because of Bella.  Bella is horribly jealous and can't stand for any of us to give Dapple attention before she shoves her big head in the way to scare the bunny.  Carmie is being a little cautious because she has been bitten a few times, but Arley is completely in love.  I thought it would be the other way around, but Arley is so very gentle and considerate with Dapple, and he is now saying that bunnies are his favourite animal.

The kids had a couple of days out with their dad so I could work.  On Saturday he took them into town for ice cream, and then for a play at the harbour.  They discovered a new 'sport' that they love, racing over the giant cement blocks of the break wall.  Jeffrey said they did it about ten times each, and the next day, Carmie's shoulders were sore.  That next day, Jeff took them both to the movies to see Abonimable, which they all liked.

The kids have had two vacation care days, which they were really psyched to go to, however Arley wasn't so sure when I dropped him off.  He wasn't too bad on Monday, because they were taking all of the kids to the movies, but he did not want to go today, even though the Shoalhaven Zoo was coming down with a bunch of animals to show the kids.  He was really nervous because there were about 60 kids there, and that is just so overwhelming for him.  But he braved up, and stayed until after lunch, when I got a call to come pick them up early.

Yesterday we had a great day at Mollymook park, playing with the kids' old homeschool friends who have since gone off to school.  They miss their friends so much, I'm glad they got in a good play.

This morning the kids had horse riding, and they were on fire.  They both cantered so quickly, they freaked me out, but both kids stayed on, which is the important thing!

Here is a video from this morning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gQvfp8fLec

A video of the kids taking on the break wall:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTaU5j-lmEU

A quick video of Arley reading.  I'm so proud of him :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvgc94-ufyE

 Mollymook Beach

 Day out with Dad