Category: family anecdotes

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Early mornings…

I’ve always been an early riser. In my pre-kid days, I was up and about at 6am. Since kids, it’s been an assortment of waking-or-being-woken, and at almost every variation of hour and minute possible. Now that Mr 2’s almost Mr 3 however, my night-time patterns are slowly returning to some semblance of pre-kid existence, in that the hours in between 10pm and 5am are generally kid-free. And I’m okay with that. Really. Those night-time feeds were a killer – but nothing compared to the 3am vomit cleanups. (Sorry if you’re reading this while eating or with a queasy stomach!)

But my kids are getting older – it was inevitable – and that’s good. It’s also sad. No longer does Miss 7 want to come and see me as soon as she wakes up – she hasn’t done this for years now. Miss 4 also seems to prefer talking to her sister, and playing in their room. Now it’s just Mr 2 who comes to visit Hubby and me upon waking. It’s probably the only thing that he does voluntarily to show love / affection / a desire to be close to me. So I’ll be sad to see him grow out of that.

But this morning was precious. Mr 2 didn’t just visit, he climbed into our bad at 5.32am, and then Miss 4 also decided to join us at 5.45. Miss 7 even paid us a brief visit, to ask if she could now go on the playstation, seeing as she was completely dressed in her correct school uniform (part of a deal we’d made last night) so Mr 2 accompanied her to the lounge room, and Miss 4 snuggled, giggled, and played with her Daddy and Mummy until we all got up at 6.

Precious. Oh so precious.

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*Thursday*

I did it again: wrote the post, scheduled it to post at a ‘daylight’ hour, rather than at the just-prior-to-midnight-ish of actual writing, then realised days later that it was set to ‘Private”. LOL Whoops!

So anyway… this (below) was my Thursday:

* * * * *

My day today was non-stop. But perhaps it could be easily remembered through these three snippets.

1. My 4.11am entry on my church’s wiki – a few of the ladies in the church are reading through a chapter of the Bible each day, and recording our thoughts / whatever we’re going through, and are supporting each other / keeping each other accountable. Today’s post was on Galations Chapter 1. I wrote:

A new month – a new beginning…
I’ve been absent recently, both virtually and in head-space. But I’m now longer in denial that Mr 2 lies somewhere on the autistic spectrum, and that’s been the biggie over these last few weeks; coming to terms with this fact. He’s booked into a paediatrician next week on the STRONG advice of our local GP, so I guess we’ll have to take it one step at a time. And work’s been full on (yesterday was particularly crazy) so when I saw that today was the 1st of March, I thought it opportune to start again here, in Galatians 1.
What I love about this chapter today is verse 15. Paul was ‘set apart at birth’. Me too. And my son. Set apart to do His work, is the places and ways He has chosen for me, and for my son, to be in and to do. So who am I to argue?
I pray that today I might see God’s ways – and walk in them.
Have a lovely day, ladies.

2. This second snippet is taken from the end of my day – a fb update at 10.49pm:

Mr 2 was stuck on a particular level playing Wall-E on the PS2 today. I tried helping him – and then Miss 4 entered the room. “I can help, Mummy!” “Sure, sweetheart…” I answered, handing over the control. And she did – about a gajillion times faster than I ever could.
How’s that for an eye-opener!

3. And finally, a snippet of IRL, that occurred in between the beginning and end of my day (well, naturally! D’Oh!!!)…

I signed another client for Bloxham Marketing. Woohoo!!!

* * * * *

So. It’s now Sunday morning, 5.46 am, three days later. And life just has NOT slowed down enough, since, for me to write again – let alone realise that I’d set this to private. LOL Whoops!

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family anecdotes More about me

The star.

This morning, Miss 7 performed in her class’ “School Sunday”. She did great, in spite of bags under her eyes from an interrupted night’s sleep. She had come into our room around midnight and woken me up, full of nerves about her upcoming performance. Not that she was worried about her own part, forgetting it, stage fright, or similar… rather, she was worried for the others in her class, and that as a whole, they would disappoint their teacher.

This morning came, she performed with her peers, and very few (if any!) mistakes were made.

Afterwards, I happened to be talking with her teacher, congratulating her on coordinating an excellent performance, and mentioning Miss 7’s night-time anxieties. The teacher laughed, and said that Miss 7 had been the star student in this whole process. Every rehearsal, she did exactly as she was told, she learned her lines exactly and spoke them confidently and with great projection – she set the best example for the whole year level.

What praise!!! What a fantastic kid I have!!!

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Of fish and renovations

Whitey, Miss 7’s fish, died yesterday. I got home from Mr 2’s doctor appointment a bit of an emotional wreck, to be met by Miss 7’s sad face. “Mummy, I have some bad news…”

Long story short, today was fish tank cleaning day. And by cleaning, I mean that her tank was scrubbed to within an inch of its life.

And because I’m never one to do things by halves, I decided to act on a off-the-cuff thought this morning, and swap the kids’ bedrooms around. Mr 2’s room was slightly larger than the girls shared room, plus he shared an adjoining wall with the Master bedroom, and his rolling into the wall constantly woke Hubby and me.

Suffice it to say, my kids, their furniture, clothes, toys (and most of the assorted accumulation of ‘junk’ – I mean “treasures”!?) has been transferred into ‘new’ bedrooms. And Miss 7 was able to buy herself three more fish with the money she’s earned, so she’s happy. The photo she took of her tank ‘re-arrangement’ is below. She’s made rocks and shells into ‘towers’ for her fish to swim around!

So now all that’s left is the question…

I wonder how I’m going to sleep tonight…?

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family anecdotes momentous events More about me

Done.

Today I took Mr 2 to the doctor. I poured out my concerns regarding his extremely slow speech development and his inability to cope when told “no” or “don’t”. About how in the last three weeks he’s developed the habit of hitting himself very hard on his knees when he knows he’s done the wrong thing, like he’s smacking himself. About the high-pitched scream he’s developed when he doesn’t like something or if he’s thwarted in what he wants to do.
I mentioned his sleeping problems, his digestive problems, his extreme sensitivity to temperature change, for example when being given a bath or my attempts for him to use the potty.
About the fact that he’s only started looking me in the eyes in the last six months or so. About how he’s never wanted cuddles, and in fact he has only voluntarily given me a handful of hugs and two kisses in his entire life.
The doctor agreed with me, that these certainly do seem like signs of mild autism. And he wrote a referral to a paediatrician and sent it immediately. So now, I guess, I get to take my second step in what may turn into a very long journey, me and my boy.
I guess every journey has to start somewhere.
Thanks for letting me share with you, dear readers.

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family anecdotes More about me Technology

Starting young

I love that my kids are starting engage with technology at a young age. I honestly believe that it will set them up for an easier life.

Source: photographersbling.com via Denise on Pinterest

Miss 7 loves photography. Since I came home from #iPadexplore last week and showed her the ‘Water my Photo’ app, she’s been busy manipulating her photos – I especially love the fact that she put her “Ariel” barbie doll in the water (sparking the ‘wet shirt’ comment that I found hilarious enough to tweet and add to fb yesterday). At the moment, Miss 4 is playing with VidRhythm on my iPhone, and Mr 2 is on my iPod, busy getting a radioactive mouse to eat some un-caged cats in Mouse Maze. Yes, these are games, which in a way makes what they are doing no different to sitting in front of the PS2, or the TV. But what I like is the way they are regulating their own play. And more often than not, they’ll choose to challenge themselves with literacy games or mathematical quizzes. Just this morning, my daughters were on my iPad, taking it in turns to spell the words on ‘Word Wizard’, so that at the end of the quiz, all three of them could play with the interactive game at the end. And I just love that.

L: Three cherubs interacting with the post-spelling game on Word Wizard.

R: A photo taken by Miss 7, of Dave the 3D dragon and Proto the little 3D monster, from the String AR App, superimposed on the carpet of their (messy!) bedroom.

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My online identity – part two of two

Yesterday I posted (well, re-posted, actually!) an entry from my first-ever (and now inactive) blog. It outlined three questions that I return to again and again, when considering my online identity.

1. What do my images say about me?

2. What am I saying about me? and

3. What am I not saying about me?

Well, that was a little over 18 months ago. So what has changed? How do I now view ‘success’ in creating and maintaining my online identity?

Source: Uploaded by user via Megan on Pinterest

18 months ago, I was just starting out with online tools. Sure, GoodOldTalk.com had been up and running for a little over a year, and I had an inactive twitter account, and I had been on Facebook for a while, but that was about it. No flickr, no YouTube, and so on – and I didn’t even know that tools such as TweetDeck, HootSuite existed – let alone EverNote, Instagram, DropBox, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, etc etc etc.

Now however, I’ve been self-employed for a year. I’ve been running my own Marketing business, and not only have I seen the need to be in social media for Bloxham Marketing, but creating and maintaining social media accounts for my clients is an integral part of my business. Which has meant that I’m a lot more ‘out there’ than I ever have been.

This blog has also played a major part in the evolution of my opinion regarding my online identity. I started it Christmas 2010, using @fionawb‘s #blog12daysChristmas as an impetus. My PLN, formed for the most part by Librarians on twitter, was integral in maintaining this blog throughout its development, to what it is today. Through the relationships I now have with online friends, I have come to see that it’s probably okay to relax a little from that hard-liner stance I had, 18 months ago.

1. What do my images say about me? That’s been a toughy. I like to add an image to each of my blog entries, however when I want to write about my kids, and I don’t want to upload their images to the net, that’s a little problematic. So a few weeks back now, I dedicated a post to each, and included their photo (albeit, not a particularly identifiable one!) Plus, in my recent exploration of Pinterest, and its ability to easily embed (and attribute, of sorts!) into WordPress, that’s made my life a little easier. Now I feel as though I can show a little of who I am / what I like through the images I display – even though these images don’t necessarily have me in the frame or behind the camera.

2. What do I say about myself? Again, I’ve probably been more vulnerable than I had ever thought I would be. From entries about my gambling addiction (coming up to 20 years not being at a BlackJack table – as much as I still think about it more regularly than I’d like!) to my miscarriage, from my employment problems to my time in a cult, I’ve exposed quite a lot about myself… but then again, “my friends IRL know this stuff about me, and I’m comfortable sharing with them, so why not others?” is how I see it. Obviously, I keep my personal stuff on this blog, and my Bloxham Marketing blog is all about the work side of my life, however when I think of my online identity, I’m trying to reflect who I am as a person. As much as I’d like to cover up the yuk stuff, and pretend to be something I’m not, I have a feeling that I wouldn’t be able to keep it up for too long, and then you, my dear readers, would see right through it – and then, where would I be?!

3. What do I NOT say about me? Again, this has changed, in the light of my being far more open online than I had expected I would be. I’m still wary of PII, however as a self-employed business owner, I need to be contactable by potential clients, so my contact details are accessible in what I feel are the appropriate places. And as for embarrassing myself with inappropriate photos / videos / stories? Yup – pretty much all of them are in the “not sayin’!! basket”!

So – this is me. What do you think? Agree? Or disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts…

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Of op shops and cherubs

Yesterday we visited my favourite Op Shop, Neighbour’s Aide Community Stores at Caloundra. My daughters also love visiting, as the prices are always within their limited budgets.
Yesterday, Miss 4 bought herself a glossy pink duck ornament, and Miss 7 a flower paper holder.
Miss 4 was possibly the more excited of the two with her purchase however. Since it has become her most treasured possession, she has been busy carrying it around, cuddling it, and showing it to everyone. Including the dogs, the grandparents, and of course the passing butterfly that decided to flit past the window this morning at breakfast.
Aren’t kids great!

20120212-081349.jpg

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The pros and cons of labels

On the one hand, I have always liked to simplify my life as much as possible. On the other hand, I have a dislike for the concept of labelling people, especially when these labels have been applied to me or to those who are close to me. I know, I’m a hypocrite. I use labels myself but then I don’t like it when they are applied to me. Funny, hey! I wonder if everyone is like that?
Anyway, I’ve been thinking a lot about labels over the last few days. I blogged a couple of days ago about facing my fears and googling “autism”. You see, Hubby and I have suspected for a little while now, that Master 2 may have this condition. Not to a huge extent, but I’m pretty positive that he is showing several of the symptoms. And this scares the hell out of me. You see, I know how impatient a person I am. And I know, that were I to have an autistic child, I would need boundless reserves of patience. I worry how others would treat him if he were labelled with the word ‘Autistic’ or ‘Aspergers’. I worry if I have enough strength to cope. Truth be told, I’m scared. Really scared. I’m scared of taking him to get an official diagnosis. I’m scared in case I find out that I was right. I’m scared of what may be involved in the management of an autistic child. And yet, when I look at him, I see the same little boy I’ve loved for almost 3 years. He hasn’t changed. But to suddenly apply a label to him and to his life will change that life drastically, for ever. Is this something I could really do? Is this something I should do? Which is best for him? Is this also what is best for me? For my family? Should we even come into this equation?
As a teacher, I know full well how the system is changed for the ascertained child. Again, is this something I want for my little boy? Will it help him more than it will harm him? Or won’t it be worth it, because it could just make it all worse? It certainly will make it all harder!
I guess, what it comes down to, is this: Are his symptoms severe enough, am I worried enough, to change his life so drastically? Or, would it be just best to let his life continue as it has been? What do I do? Where do I go from here? My mind is full of turmoil. And I’m not sure what my next move should be.
Maybe it would just be best to get the wheels in motion. To work out whether or not he does fit on the spectrum. What I really want – is to equip myself with strategies to manage his behaviour so that he understands how to fit in, socially. So that he learns to control his own behaviour, and understand what is, and what is not, appropriate. They say that early intervention is the best move. I wonder if they are right.
I guess, whichever course of action I choose to take, I’ve changed my opinion forever, on this whole idea of ‘labelling’.

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Making ripples

Little ripples go a long way. Little decisions can have consequences we would never even have dreamed of.

Source: creaturecomfortsblog.com via JJ @ So Many Little Things on Pinterest

Take yesterday afternoon. Or was it the day before? Anyway, Misses 7 and 4 wanted to use their pocket money to hire the local Video 2000’s copy of the PS2 game “Up” (based on the kids’ movie) and I needed to return an overdue CD from the local library, so we all piled in the car for a quick drive to our local town. Got there and a huge sign outside Video 2000 said ‘Closing Down sale’. What a shock!
They weren’t hiring, just selling. Everything, at $10ish each.
$100 later, and the kids have PS2 games of “Up”, “Wall-E” and “Madagascar”. Hubby has 5 war flicks he’s wanted for ages. And me? Well, I’d been thinking about seeing ‘Miss Potter’ again for a while – I really liked Renee Zellweger’s portrayal of Beatrix Potter – and at just $10 I thought – why not? And, although I searched for Oscar Wilde’s ‘An Ideal Husband‘, (the Jeremy Northam version, of course! Did I mention that I REALLY liked him in ‘Emma’?!) they didn’t have it. So instead, I ended up with ‘The Jane Austen Book Club‘, which I’d never watched before on account of the probability of teasing from Hubby. Quite a decent film, now I’ve seen it!
But a simple decision, to drive into town, has now meant that not only are we considerably out of pocket for the next week-and-a-half, but time-wise, there have been a lot fewer entries on my blog as I would like… hmmm…
Oh well. Never mind. There’s always tomorrow!