572 + 468 Weeks

We've had a good week with no big dramas or meltdowns that I can think of.  It's so nice to be able to say that!  Last night Carmie and I passed our first Taekwon Do grading and got our yellow stripes.  Mr Kelly asked if I wanted my yellow belt but I told him I would stay at the same level as the kids so we could do it all together.  Little Carmie was so nervous!  She was nervous all day, and then very nervous for the test.  She said she was terrified she wasn't going to be able to do it, but she did really well.  She's very proud of herself now.  We had another class today, and we loved it.  Carmie is having a great time, and is even doing sit ups and push ups outside of class.  There is a two week break now over school holidays, and then hopefully we will be starting private lessons so Arley can join in.  I'm not holding my breath that it will happen right away, because Arley needs baby steps with everything, but hopefully it's a good start.

The kids had their horse riding lesson on Tuesday, and Arley also had one on Saturday.  He wasn't thrilled about having two lessons so close together.  Eventually it will just be every Tuesday.  Arley is so gentle with the horse he rides, and just loves the two dogs there.  He has a real affinity with animals.  He loves to groom his horse and clean her hooves.  Both kids are still on the lunge ropes, but they are both really happy there.

Arley's new behaviour therapist Matt came over on Wednesday and he brought Arley a Roblox robux gift card, so Arley is sold on him.  He knew exactly the way to get to Arley's heart.  Matt chatted more with Jeffrey and I and explained some things he knew Arley was having trouble with.  It's very eye opening to see Arley's behaviours through a different lens.  It makes us realise that when Arley is 'being difficult' (for lack of a better way to describe it), it's because he is having a hard time with things we haven't even thought of.

I have started up my business Instagram account again, so I'm back at work.  It does take up a lot of my time, but it's good to be busy at it again.  I only have 400 of my 12000 followers back, so it's going to be a very slow climb!

571 + 467 Weeks

Well, it's been an OK week.  Arley had a huge meltdown last night because at bedtime we couldn't find his iPad to charge it overnight, and we couldn't find it because he'd hidden it under his pillow.  I took it back and told him it would now stay in my room, and then he refused to brush his teeth and the drama unfolded from there.  He was very angry and then very remorseful.  It was heartbreaking.

Carmie and I have continued with Taekwon Do, and Arley is still just watching, however we are planning on taking private lessons with the instructor until Arley feels like he can join in with the group lessons.  Arley seems to think this will work, so I'll be trying to organise that over the next few weeks.  Horse riding went well this week - Arley was happy to go, and Carmie is just so stoked to be back on a horse.  Jeffrey and I are so happy to have found this place.  The therapist was certified in the same course as our old beloved equine therapist, so it is very familiar to us.

On Tuesday our plans changed and we had an open afternoon which doesn't happen very often, so I took the opportunity to take the kids to the Mary Cairncross Rainforest.  There's a cafe there, and a little nature centre, and rainforest walks.  It's half an hour away, and we had to wait 45 minutes for our lunch, but somehow the kids sat through it all and there was no drama.  We chatted and had a lovely time.  Arley started getting stressed in the nature centre because he was more interested in getting into the actual rainforest, hoping to see some animals.  He then became extremely controlling of our walking and was very stressed about the noise our feet made...it was quite upsetting for all of us.  Then we saw a pademelon, which is like a very small wallaby, and he chilled out a little after that, as he realised the animals didn't care very much about our loud footsteps.  He also got upset with Carmie for straying off the path, because there were signs saying not to.  I think if we went back, he would be absolutely fine, but his first time anywhere is very stressful because he doesn't know what to expect.  He really enjoyed seeing all the pademelons and different birds.  I just have to expect that first times will always be tough.

The kids had OT this morning, and then Arley's new behaviour therapist came over to meet us and start an assessment.  Arley is going to be working with him weekly.  His name is Matt, and he seemed very knowledgeable as well as fun for Arley to connect with.  He has already given me a few good tips, so hopefully he can really help Arley.  His main goal is to help Arley cede control of his environment.  Right now Arley shouts at us when we sing and dance, and when Carmie moves her body, or when she has bad manners at the dinner table, and he's taken to not letting us talk in the car now too.  So Matt is going to try to help Arley tolerate more in his environment, and open his interests up into other things.  Fingers crossed!

570 + 466 Weeks

The kids started horse riding this week, and it was a success!  It definitely helped that it has been a year since they have ridden, so they didn't go in having any expectations, and comparing it to other equine centres.  It was so good to see them up on horses again.  Their therapists are starting them from scratch again, with the belief that it is faster to go in slowly than to jump in headlong, and I agree.  Even Arley was happy!

Carmie and I continued our Taekwon Do lessons, and Arley continued to watch.  But at least he hasn't argued about coming with us, even when Jeff has been home.  So much of Taekwon Do is familiar to me because of my old karate training, but the blocks are different so they are throwing me for a loop.  Carmie is loving it, and Arley has been saying he will join in once he has his uniform.  Well, we got our uniforms this afternoon, so time will tell!  Our next class is on Monday evening.  I would love to share something like this with the kids for many years to come, so keep your fingers crossed.

On Saturday night we took the kids to a homeschool disco.  They were very excited (and nervous) to go, and were stoked to be meeting their friend Lexi there.  It sucked!  Haha.  It was divided into kids under 10, and 11 and over, two different sessions.  We went to the under 10, and there were just too many little kids there, running around and screaming and playing chase, and there was a baby crawling on the dance floor, and toddlers running around.  The kids were so disappointed.  There was an adults area with a bar, but the ambience was terrible - bright lights and no music, like a bad cafeteria.  And it was freezing cold.  Ugh, we were not prepared.  The kids were very disappointed.  Amazingly, it seems like most other kids and parents had a great time, which makes me think we are just an antisocial family! We might try the next one at the end of the year, but we will be going to the older kids' session for sure!  We tried to make up for the crappy night by giving the kids sparklers to play with when we got home.  At least they liked that part!

The kids' mentor sessions on Monday and Wednesday have gone well this week, except that Arley was giving his mentor on Monday a tough time.  We are trying to switch to Carmie's mentor, but she's fully booked.  When Arley decides he's not going to participate, it's very hard to make him!

On Fridays Arley has been going to a support worker with another little boy.  Tomorrow another boy is joining them, so there will be three of them, which is great.  Last week while he was there, Carmie and I went to the nearby mall, and Carmie found a gluten-free bake anything cookbook that she is obsessed with.  On Sunday we made a cake from it, and it was excellent, and so now we've dedicated Sundays to gluten-free baking days.  Yum!

569 + 465 Weeks

The kids and I started Taekwon Do this week; well, at least Carmie and I did.  Arley was quite excited to start too, but he got very overwhelmed when we were leaving  for our first lesson, and his anxiety ramped up, which means anger and grumpiness.  He has been sitting and watching and going on my phone instead, while Carmie and I do the lessons.  Carmie is very happy to finally be doing a martial art, as she has wanted to for ages.  I just hope Arley joins us one of these days.

The kids and I went to Chambers Island to see their mentor Clint twice this week, as we skipped last week.  The first session went pretty well.  It was early on Saturday morning, and we had plans to meet Jeffrey at the movies afterwards.  We took the kids to see Maverick, which Carmie enjoyed but Arley not so much.  He wanted to leave about every 10 minutes, so I told him I'd make it up to him by taking him to see a movie that he liked the next day.  So on Sunday morning we met the kids' friend Chayse out at a local park for a play, and then in the afternoon we picked Chayse up from his house and took him to the movies with us, to see Sonic 2 this time.  It was a much more appropriate movie for Arley!

Yesterday at our second session with Clint, Arley couldn't/wouldn't participate.  He had woken up at 6:15 that morning, which is early for him lately.  At 8am he got back into bed to read and promptly fell asleep until we left at 9.  Then he slept all the way to Chambers Island where he refused to get out of the car because he was too tired.  He slept for an hour in the car, and then again all the way home.  It was really odd.  I was sure he wouldn't fall asleep easily last night but somehow he did.  He must have really needed to catch up on sleep!

The kids had OT this morning, and it didn't go very well.  Carmie was great with Toni, the OT, but Arley only participated for 10 minutes of his hour long session.  She was working on doing 10 minutes of an unfavourable activity followed by a 10 minute break, then 10 minutes of unfavourable activity again.  Well, he wouldn't get out of bed after his 10 minute iPad break.  There was nothing we could do, and he was getting very riled up.  At least now she saw what we deal with.

Carmie is having a growth spurt - she is almost up to my eye level.  She is still super sweet and compliant, goofy and funny.  She has been clashing with Arley lately over online friends, and it has caused a lot of drama between them.  Sometimes I wish we could go back to the days of zero screens.  I think life would be so much easier!

Trying to get Arley to smile for a photo: