634 + 530 Weeks

So, it turned out that pain in my chest - it was an infection.  It hadn't gone by Monday, so I went to the doctor who then sent me for an ultrasound to rule out anything insidious (all clear!), and then he put me on antibiotics.  Last night was the first night in 10 nights that I have slept without pain.  Now I wish I had gone to the doctor earlier!

We have had a nice week.  On Friday Arley went out with Clint to learn 'survival skills'.  They built a trap for a bush turkey, and then lured the turkey over the trap, which failed to collapse (haha).  But he had a good time, which is a relief!  That afternoon Carmie went off to her new social group, and came out all smiles.

On Saturday Jeff had to go to Brisbane to pick up his electric unicycle which was getting repaired, so we decided to make a day of it and take the kids.  The kids and I had never been to Brisbane, and they were very excited.  After picking up Jeff's unicycle, we drove to a ferry stop and caught a CityCat up the Brisbane River to South Bank (Arley was very happy to be on a boat!).  When we got there we jumped on the ferris wheel to get a skyhigh view of Brisbane.  We had a ton of fun.  Afterwards we had the challenge of trying to find a restaurant coeliac friendly/Arley friendly, and it took us a lot of walking and four attempts to find a place.  We ended up having a good lunch, and then we walked to the Queensland Museum.  The plan was to go to the museum and spend the afternoon there, but by the time we got there, the kids were exhausted and just wanted to go home.  They overwhelm easily and don't have much stamina (especially Carmie; walking really tires her out), so we called it a day after 10 minutes in the museum, called an Uber to take us back to our car, and then drove home.  We didn't stay as long as we hoped, but it was a successful trip nonetheless.

On Tuesday morning we had Taekwon Do, and Arley was a pain in the butt.  He kept saying he was too tired, he wanted to lie down, could he go to the car etc etc, and at one point he lay down on the floor face down and wouldn't move.  We did eventually get him up and got a good 10 minutes out of him, and even got him doing some flying side kicks.  Then Carmie had a little private lesson with Mr Kelly, and you can see a photo below of her kickass turning kick.  After Taekwon Do we drove to Lolo and Dida's, and within 20 minutes, Arley was sound asleep in their bed.  He really was tired, and I felt a little guilty!  At horse riding, Arley refused to ride again - still too tired - so Lisa and Arley and I took a long walk around their property, and it was a nice way to spend the time, while Carmie rode Chilly.

On Wednesday the kids went to see Clint, and then while Carmie was at her Wolfpack, I took Arley to a place called Opals Down Under to meet up with his friend Liam, so the boys could go 'fossicking' together.  It was their first time hanging out together while not playing Roblox.  It was great, they got along well, and both found some awesome polished rocks.  I got to chat with Liam's mum Kim, and it was a nice afternoon.

Today was a home day, although the kids and I popped out for a milkshake and a quick trip to the supermarket for supplies.  We got home and Carmie and I made rock candy and white chocolate oreo bark.  Tomorrow Arley and I will be making ginger cookies.  I think Thursdays might be my favourite days, hanging out at home doing activities with the kids.  Makes me happy :)

On the CityCat

Ferris wheel fun

The giant squid at the museum.  Scary!!  Look at the eye!

Arley and Henry

Carmie and Chilly

633 + 529 Weeks

It has been a good week, despite the fact that I have been in pain all week!  I am constantly injuring myself, and now it's my chest/rib/right boob.  Yep, that's right.  I've injured my boob.  I'm on day 5 I think, and if still sore next week, I'll get myself to a doctor.  I think it's just a pulled muscle in my chest, but God knows how!

The kids have been well.  Carmie has been having a blast at her Wednesday wolfpack girl's group.  She has made a good friend there, so she looks forward to going.  And last week on Friday, Carmie went to another social group, for neurodivergent kids aged 12-14.  She was very nervous beforehand, but she had a good time and has asked to go back, so that's a win!  It's only for an hour long, but two social groups in a week - that's big!

I wish I could say the same for Arley.  He is being a bit challenging when getting him out.  He is now refusing to see Clint tomorrow. Last Friday Clint took Arley to the arcade and he had a good time, and he saw him on Wednesday morning too, and all seemed well.  But now he is being a pain in the butt.  Arley did get up on a horse at horse riding this week, so that is a plus.  And I took Arley to the dentist again on Monday, and he could smell the Vietnamese restaurant next door and asked to try it.  When Arley asks to try something, my answer is always yes!  The restaurant was a bust, but he actually tried it. which is a small miracle.  He has a few more foods in his repertoire now, so it is getting easier to feed him.

The weather here is absolutely perfect right now.  I love winters on the Sunshine Coast!  I was going to take the kids out today, but I've been in too much pain, so instead we stayed home and had a homeschool day.  Then I took some time out and met up with a friend for coffee, which I don't get to do very often.

Life is just plodding along this week, which is fine by me!

632 + 528 Weeks

Another week has gone by and I have barely any photos, and not much to say!  The weather has been amazing.  I painted on Sunday, which was wonderful.  The kids have been on their screens, but also getting out a bit.  Arley and I have been scooting around the neighbourhood a few times, because now he is refusing to ride his new bike.  He has a profile of autism called PDA - pathological demand avoidance - and when there is any kind of pressure to do things, he refuses, and even praise can be pressuring.  So, the bike is going away for a little until the pressure is off, which is a little disappointing!

Horse riding on Tuesday was OK.  Carmie did great, but Arley was hungry and refusing to ride.  Instead he took my phone and took photos of all of the horses, which is the most we could get out of him.  He is very hungry these days because of his new med, and he has gained 2kg, which is fantastic because he was so skinny.  He is quite calm too, however we are still having trouble getting him off his screens.  I think we will need to get someone in to help us daily.  I'm waiting for the kids NDIS funding to come in to get another support worker to help us.

While Carmie was at her Wolfpack girls group on Wednesday, I had my friend Kim and her son Liam over to play Roblox with Arley.  Liam and Arley have only ever played Roblox together, but they have a blast.  We're hoping that we can eventually get them off the screens for some other interaction, but this is better than nothing.  And Carmie loves her girls' group, it's awesome.

So, not much has changed this week.  We've been fairly cruisy, which I appreciate!

631 + 527 Weeks

This week has been better than last, thank goodness, although I seem to be coming down with another cold, which doesn't surprise me.  I've been feeling on and off for a little while, and it is finally starting to hit properly.  However, the kids and I had a lovely morning at Wildlife HQ this morning.  That's the zoo where Arley's beloved capybaras are.  It was one of our most successful outings, with no stress whatsoever!  The kids were totally chill and we had fun, which makes me very hopeful for future outings.

Today Carmie decided to quit her job.  She has been teaching Procreate to some kids every Friday, but she confided in me that she's been really burnt out and not feeling very good and she didn't want to do it anymore.  Carmie was too scared to call her boss, but I had her type up her resignation plus explanation, and she did a great job.  I'm proud of her.

On Saturday I took a morning to myself and went to an alla prima painting class, and I bloody loved it!  I am going to try to set aside every Sunday to do painting.  Fingers crossed.

We made it to Taekwon Do this week, and to horse riding, and Arley got up on a horse again, which he hasn't done in ages.  He was riding this little pony called Muffin, and he was quite happy.  Carmie kicked butt on Chilly, who she adores.  Carmie did all of the groundwork by herself this week, which includes getting Chilly form the paddock, grooming, cleaning hooves, carrot stretches, and saddling.  Chilly is a very dopy horse with a sweet nature, and Carmie loves him.

On Friday mornings Clint has been coming to our place to pick Arley up and take him out.  They have tried fishing again, but Arley doesn't seem very into it.  They've done park plays and rock pools.  Now I think Clint is going to start teaching Arley survival skills.  Last week they went to Buderim Falls, and Arley was NOT happy.  He didn't want to go, he locked himself in my bedroom, caused a bunch of drama and only agreed to go with a bribe.  He likes Clint, he just doesn't like going anywhere without me.  But we are persisting!

Arley's teeth are changing before our eyes.  He is about three or four weeks into the 16 weeks that he needs to wear the expander appliance.  The gap between his front teeth is growing wider and it is really exciting to see.  Also, his new med is making him hungry and he has gained almost 2kg!  It is amazing to see him eat!  And he's added in three new foods to his diet - so good!

Arley all of a sudden has been asking for a bike.  He used to be able to ride, when he was six, but since moving north, he hasn't been riding, and the last time he tried again it was an absolute meltdown disaster.  We sold his last bike and I had given up, but he has been asking again!  So I bought him a bike off FB and Mum and Geoff picked it up and brought it over this morning.  He is so excited, and actually asked me to take him out to learn to ride during his computer time this afternoon, which is unheard of!!  He didn't quite get the hang of it, but he is so close, and best of all, no meltdowns!

And the kids have been getting along so well, like they are actually becoming friends!  They play with slime together all the time, and we hear them having conversations, and Jeff and I are always amazed but so happy.  It's so nice to hear them chattering away.

Now if only I could stop sneezing!

Arley at Buderim Falls with Clint.  I told you he wasn't happy!  Lol

Today at the zoo

The emu that tried to steal Arley's chips

King of the meerkats

My fave, the hairy-nosed wombat

630 + 526 Weeks

What a week.  Oh my goodness.  We had a quiet weekend because I wasn't feel so hot.  I had a cold, but luckily it only lasted for three days.  We did skip Taekwon Do on Monday.  That night we went to bed as usual, and then just after midnight Carmie woke me up to let me know she had vomited.  I got to her room and beheld the absolute vomit disaster.  Copious amounts, from the end of her top bunk, down her ladder, onto the bunk below, and all over the carpet (from up high), splatting over 3/4 of her bedroom floor.  No joke.  Jeff and I had to strip both beds and clean up as best we could, and it took almost an hour, with five, yes five loads of washing to do the next day.  It took Jeff and I hours to get to sleep afterwards.  The next morning Arley woke me up early to tell me that he broke his new dental appliance by sneezing.  We were on a roll.  I sent photos to his dentist who assured me he could still use it, that the integrity of the piece was ok, and I superglued the broken piece back on.  We skipped Arley's Taekwon Do lesson, and I took Carmie to see her endocrinologist for her yearly coeliac disease check up.  I had taken her to get her blood tested on Friday morning, and that was awful.  She had forgotten to drink water, and she had to be fasted, but there was such a long queue, she didn't get in to see the nurse until almost 10am.  Carmie was really dehydrated and the blood came out SO slowly, she was in the chair for almost five minutes, and she felt it the whole time.  Poor thing.  For coeliac disease, they look at two numbers.  Her gliadin numbers are down to where they should be, but her TTg numbers are still high.  A year ago her numbers were at 43, and her endo said they should go down in a year, but this time round they were at 32.  They are supposed to be below 7.  Some Carmie is being glutened somehow.  She also has iron-deficiency anemia.  We have to up her iron supplements, and the only thing we can think of as far as getting glutened is Dominos pizza.  They say they make her pizza separately in the back, but now I'm not so sure.  So, no more Dominos pizza for Carmie, which sucks because she enjoys her pizza night, and it is the one night it is easy for Jeff and I.  But I am coming to realise that things are never easy!

The kids both saw Clint on Wednesday, and then Carmie went to her girls' group.  Arley and I spent the afternoon together, and he has started painting with me, which I am loving.  He is still quite a handful, but he is starting his morning dose of his new med tomorrow, so I am hopeful.  After he takes it at night time, he is a pleasure to be around.  So we shall see.

I have somehow tweaked my lower back, so I couldn't do Taekwon Do today, but I took Carmie.  However, two minutes in, she started having a meltdown/panic attack, and we had to leave again!  Poor thing.  So, we drove out there for nothing.  As I said, it's been one of those weeks.  And I have not a single photo either!