It has been a good week...until yesterday when Arley got sick. I was a mean mum and didn't quite believe him, and made him do some schoolwork - right before he vomited for the first but not the last time. Poor bugger put himself to bed at 3pm yesterday, skipped dinner, vomited, vomited again at 9pm, woke us for more at 11pm, 12:30am, woke again at 3am, then got into bed with us at 7am, when I discovered he had a fever. He's been in bed for most of today and hasn't eaten or drunk anything but a few saltines and ice cubes since lunchtime yesterday. He has not ever been sick like this, and it is making him scared. He'll be alright, it's just really hard not being able to help him. The rest of us are fine though, thankfully. I cancelled Carmie's Dungeons and Dragons group today so I could stay with him, and just in case we are contagious.
On Friday last week Clint tried to take the kids trampolining, but it was all booked out, so he took them to the aquarium instead. He was sending me messages about how well the kids were getting along, that they were actually entertaining each other. It ended in a bit of a fight, but still, for the most part they had a great time.
On Saturday, Jeff and I decided it was time to tackle the rat problem we were having. A couple of months ago, I was sitting on our bed and there was this little rat outside the window, seemingly trying to get inside. I realised that it wasn't a rat (being a rat aficionado!) and went to the kitchen to tell Jeff, and the creature had run around the house and was now trying to get in by the sliding door off our kitchen! We went outside and it hopped away from us. It was the cutest little thing. I researched and discovered that it is an Australian marsupial called an antechinus. Fast forward a couple of months, and we saw him again outside. Then we started seeing little poos outside. Then Lolo and Dida were looking after the kids one night and Lolo told us she saw all the rats outside, about six of them. I thought there is nothing we can do because antechinus are protected here and you are not allowed to kill them, and we live right next to a large area of bushland (we frequently have bush turkeys, snakes, water dragons, blue tongue lizards and goannas in our backyard). Arley and I started going outside every evening to find all the little antechinus creatures. We found them living in our outside couch. Then I realised they were eating my plants, but antechinus are carnivores...hmmmm. These guys turned out to be rats, and we were infested with them! We moved the outside couch, and OMG, the wee and poo that was around it. It also smelled really bad. It is a huge three-seater couch. We decided Saturday was the day to break it apart and take it to the tip. As we did it, 10 rats ran out, one after the other. Now, I like rats. But the stench that came from that couch as we broke it down and bagged it - OMG, I have never smelt anything so bad in my life. I was gagging a retching the whole time. It was disgusting!!! I'm grossed out just thinking about it. Jeff went down to Bunnings and bought a power washer and washed the patio and pool area, and I put out rat baits, even though I promised Arley that we wouldn't kill them. I just have to. The very next day, Jeff was in the kitchen and saw a little rat poking its nose out from underneath the cupboard. A little later on I was telling the kids that we had a rat living with us inside, and I looked to my left, and there it was, just sitting out in the open in the kitchen. Except, this wasn't a rat, but an antechinus!! So now we have an antechinus living somewhere in our kitchen (yes, we are finding little poos), and we can't kill it. We have to somehow trap it and get it out. I don't know what this little carnivore is doing in a completely vegetarian kitchen!
On Sunday we went to a Christmas party put on by Autism Steps Treehouse. Clint was putting on an obstacle course there. The party was being held in a large field, and there were jumping castle water slides, a climbing tower, a giant slide, a drum circle, all kinds of activities, and a petting zoo. The kids had a great time, with the petting zoo being the highlight. Neither kids went on the water slides because Carmie forgot her swimmers and Arley didn't like the grass that was getting mixed in to the water. We ended by having the kids climb the climbing wall. Carmie rocked it as usual, but Alrey not so much. He did better than last time in that he actually got harnessed up and attempted it, but when he couldn't do it, he got very cross and wanted to go home. We were done by then anyway, so it was OK.
We've had a little drama this week as I've been trying to get the kids involved with creating their own schedule, and actually getting things done in the day, like schoolwork and exercise. It's been hard going, but we are getting there! Carmie had a massive meltdown, and Arley had two minor meltdowns, but Carmie has been on it today, so I think we are through the hard bit. Arley will take some time though.
On Tuesday we had Taekwon Do, but Arley couldn't participate because he said his toe hurt and he insisted on using crutches to get around. Afterwards we went to spend some time with Lolo. We baked cupcakes but totally burnt them into hard, dry, little bricks. So now I owe the kids cupcakes!
I think that's it for this week. There was lots going on! :)
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