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:

568 + 464 Weeks

Besides quite a few appointments, we didn't do much this week.  The weather has been rainy and cold, and Arley came down with a cold, then Carmie got it, and then Jeff.  Miraculously, I have stayed cold-free, which is a small miracle because usually I come down with things first and then am still sick once everyone else has recovered.  We had to cancel all mentor appointments this week, but Arley still went to his social skills group.  We also got to the library and to the mall, and today the rain stopped so the kids and I got outside and played hopscotch. Not a terribly exciting week! 

So we've had a lot of appointments this week.  I started seeing a dietician for Arley, and we have a plan going forward to improve his eating.  Basically I have to get 5-6 small meals into him a day, but they can be anything he wants to eat, so long as its 5-6 times a day.  He can eat ice cream or cakes if he wants all day.  She is trying to get him to find a love of food again, and to trigger his body into feeling hungry for three meals and three snacks. Once we get him eating more calories, then we are going to work on food chaining and getting his food to be more nutritious.  She has also put him on supplements.  This is all a relief to me, his eating has been very worrying.

I have just come back from taking Carmie to a developmental physio, and next month she will be seeing the physio once a week.  She has an uneven back (the physio thinks it's muscular rather than scoliosis), and low muscle tone, she fatigues easily and she can't sit upright for long periods, and she is hypermobile.  I knew there had to be a reason she can't sit at the table properly, but to see her back so crooked was a bit of a shock.

We are in the process of getting the kids a bunch of reports done with their various therapists, because we need more NDIS funding.  It has been a monumental effort coordinating this, and very eye-opening to see the reports and what the therapists have to say.  I'm trying to keep my spirits up, but we have a lot of work to do.  The only way is up!

567 + 463 Weeks

Ugh…My internet is still shot!  The kids’ was shot for two days, but now theirs is back, but not on my computer or iPad or phone, or Jeff’s.  Someone was booked in to come out tomorrow to fix it, but I’ve since received an SMS saying they’ve resolved the issue and no one is coming.  The issue is not resolved, and I’m pulling my hair out.

I am also still locked out of my business Instagram account, and I’ve pretty much lost all hope of getting it back.  It feels like a lost cause. 

I’ve finished with all the paperwork and school work that I had to do for the kids’ homeschool registration, but I can’t send it off to them, because of the internet…

And today Arley’s OT told me that he is the most challenging child on her caseload.

So, I guess you can all tell how I’m feeling!

It has been raining for most of the week.  I got the kids out yesterday to see their mentor Clint on Chambers Island.  That went great for Carmie, not so great for Arley.  Carmie did some inverted tree climbing which apparently is really difficult.  Arley spent the whole time walking around and trying to steal Clint’s hat.  Arley has not been very cooperative with his support workers this week.  He just kept telling them that he’s bored or anxious or tired, and kept taking himself to bed with his iPad.  He is not eating during the day, but then spends the night eating snacks, and it’s doing my head in.  His OT has gotten him on the waitlist for a specialist dietician, so we are hoping to get in with her next week.

Carmie is doing well.  She’s a good egg, as Clint called her this week.  She is developing a clever sense of humour, and she is pretty fun to be around.  Carmie and I made sushi together yesterday.  It’s become her favourite food, and our sushi turned out great.  I made some miso soup to go with it.  Arley refused to try any, of course!

Wish me luck for the week ahead.  Things just have to get better!

566 + 462 Weeks

So, we are back in the middle of torrential rains again, pretty much trapped in the house.  The internet has been out on our Mac products, but thank goodness the kids’ new computers are getting a stronger signal from the modem, or I think we would all be completely crazy right now.  

Something crappy happened to me this week.  My Instagram business account got hacked.  The person was posting all kinds of Bitcoin nonsense and trying to scam my almost 12000 followers.  I freaked out for a few hours, trying so hard to log back in, but couldn’t.  In the end I managed to get a hold of Instagram security and they shut it down, and they are supposedly going to get my account back to me, but it will be a week tomorrow so sadly I’m starting to lose hope.  If you look my business up on IG it’s just gone, and that is our main source of advertising.  So, keep your fingers crossed.  I don’t have it in me to build it up again, at least not right now.

So, I’ve been kind of stressed this week!  The kids had their mentors come over on Monday and all was well.  Their support workers came over on Tuesday, and that was pretty good too, even though they were unable to go out because of the rain.  Four hours is a little long for Arley to stay at home and play with someone - he gets exhausted from it and needs plenty of breaks.

On Friday Arley went to his other support worker’s place to meet up wth another little boy for a play.  When I dropped Arley off, Rob told me he was planning on taking them kayaking to Bribie Island.  Arley said he wasn’t going because he hates kayaking.  I told him he would get a treat if he went and had fun, and Rob told him he would just be sitting in the front of his kayak while the other little boy had a separate kayak.  I left, and off they went.  When he had to put on a life jacket, apparently he said to Rob, “Why do I have to wear this clown suit?!”  LOL.  They got over there fine and Arley had a great time, even though he refused to smile for the photos.  On the way home though, Arley and Rob’s kayak got a hole in it and they sunk!  They had to swim the last 10 - 12 meters in to shore, fully clothed.  OMG.  Rob said that Arley was totally calm about it the whole time.  He walked back to Rob’s house soaking wet and sandy, and he refused a towel.  Rob was to drive Arley home, so they had to wait until the other mother arrived.  She was ten minutes late, and that’s when Arley lost the plot.  He was shouting and angry, and then Rob had to drive him home all wet.  When they got home, Arley stormed off into the bathroom for a shower, and told me he’s never going kayaking with Rob again.  I hate to laugh, but it is just so funny!  Such bad luck.  Rob said to me, “I’ve worked with many kids over the years, but your son…he’s going to break me!”  Yep.  That’s Arley.

Carmie has had a couple of nights of bad sleep this week, and I’m praying that her insomnia doesn’t return.  She’s been happy and in good spirits.  She has kicked butt through all the school work I’ve had to get her to do for our homeschool registration.  She hasn’t been happy about it, but she’s done well.  Arley has been less than compliant though, so wish me luck for the week ahead!

No photos of Carmie this week :(