July 4-25, 2025

I have been such a slack blogger!  I've never gone three weeks without writing.  I think it's because I have hardly any photos to show, and because the kids are so independent now, there's not as much to write about.  I think this is a good thing!

We've had a good few weeks. There has been drama, of course, and it is a constant struggle in the mornings to get the kids out of bed at a decent time.  Carmie has been very nauseous in the mornings upon waking, but we might have solved this problem.  She ate a few crackers this morning before she even sat up, and she said it helped.  Not that she is any more awake and motivated to move, just not nauseous.  Haha.

Arley has been doing well.  He sleeps a huge amount during the day - maybe that's why life has been easier lately!  LOL.  He is sleeping at night too, so I am trying not to be concerned.  He has been helping me in the mornings with his breakfast (this is massive, has been an ongoing struggle for years!!), and today I was able to take him to the hair dressers, get his hair cut shorter than he has in years, and he barely complained or argued with me.  It sounds small, but it is a win!

Carmie is still absolutely loving her D&D, and gets picked up and dropped off most sessions, so I have little involvement now.  A few weeks ago one of the boys from her group asked her out for coffee, so they met up at a nearby cafe for a couple of hours.  Carmie insists it wasn't a date, but I'm not sure the boy would agree!  Carmie is getting stuck into being a teen girl, experimenting with makeup and nail polish that she got for her birthday, wearing jeans for the first time in her life (we found some really good stretchy jeans that feel like leggings, because jeans are a bit of a sensory nightmare for her). She gets her own dinner at least one night a week, and has been doing a lot of writing and drawing.  Now I just have to get her exercising more.  She has been playing handball with me a little, so that's a start.

Jeffrey is back in the swing of things as far as his guitar school goes.  He has quite a few new students since returning from the US, and he is quite pumped to see the business expand.

I've been painting a fair bit and have just started a large painting for my brother.  I have found a gallery space that will take my work as I create it, which is giving me much more incentive to paint with a purpose.  Things are looking up!

Sorry about the lack of good photos, after three weeks of not posting!  No photos of Carmie at all :(

Arley and I on a morning walk.  And yes, I chopped my hair off again, and feel much more like myself!