Wednesday 28 June 2017

WonderfulWednesday: Father's Day at Sea via @bobscartoons

Still from an animated memoir by The Telegraph cartoonist, Bob, of his family’s first holiday

This month's wonderful Wednesday share was a link emailed to me by my husband.  It's a fantastic animated memoir by The Telegraph cartoonist, Bob, of his family’s first holiday which happened to fall on Father's Day this year.   Bob's daughter, Poppy, is a happy, cheeky, determined little girl who also happens to have cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  This year the family went on holiday and found that despite the difficulties it was well worth going.

Tuesday 27 June 2017

Whose birthday is it today?

Whose birthday is it today? Car birthday cake

"Whose birthday is it today?"

That was the first question I was asked by Anthony this morning.  I racked my brain and wondered if I'd forgotten something.  Then he said, "You'll never guess."  Usually Anthony is right about this kind of thing.

Thursday 22 June 2017

Thank you little girls


Performance has always been difficult for Anthony. The pressure of a spectacle, the potential of failure and the large number of people are a lot to cope with. We've always been very proud of Anthony's effort to participate in his class performances but I've noted that it's not only his increased ability to cope with summer concerts and plays that gives me hope for his future. It's the actions of the other children too.

Tuesday 20 June 2017

MadeUpMilestones: 'Bye Bye' with @kaiden_laverty

Small boy

We have finally been able to enjoy some good weather - and there's more good news!  It's also time for this month's #madeupmilestones series when we celebrate the achievements special to us and our kids.  This month it's Kaiden and a lovely step for his son, Joshua when leaving nursery.

Thursday 15 June 2017

My CarersWeek 2017


It's nearing the end of Carers Week 2017.  My week has been like many others, full of highs and lows, based mostly on the highs and lows of my kids.  I have three kids and although I'm 'mum' to all three, I'm also a parent carer to my sons Anthony, age 9 and David, age 6.

Tuesday 13 June 2017

Wacky weather tree motor skills learning activity

Weather Station

We've had a rather wacky few weeks.  And this had included the weather.  We've had cloudy days, sunny days, wet days and even night time thunder storms.  If this is causing conversation in your house like it is on ours, then turn it into a fun motor skills learning activity with a weather tree craft.

Sunday 11 June 2017

SEND & SpectrumSunday #50


Welcome back for Spectrum and SEND Sunday #50, the place where sharing autism, special educational needs and disabilities, and mental health posts is the thing to do.  In the spirit of keeping calm and carrying on, our linky is open but there's no denying it's been a shocking few weeks. 

Thursday 8 June 2017

The good things about our schools


Cuts, restructuring, costs, staffing, SATS. And this doesn't even get me started on special educational needs and disabilities.  There seems to be plenty to be concerned about, and rightly so - our schools are vital, our kids education important. As Parliament seems to be fighting over what should be done with our schools I asked some online to tell me what they thought their kids schools did well - what was happening in their schools now that they wanted to celebrate? Here's what some fellow bloggers said.

Monday 5 June 2017

Why it's ok for my son to be playing Minecraft on a sunny day

Why it's ok for my autistic son to be playing Minecraft on a sunny day - Anthony plays on Minecraft Story Mode

It's half term.  The internet is full of photos of kids in paddling pools, at the beach and having picnics. But in our home, you are just as likely to see my kids playing apps and computer games as you are seeing them outside.

Friday 2 June 2017

Dare I think about my autistic son's future?

Dare I think about my autistic son's future? David looks through a fence

We are thinking that our son may need a different school.  I imagine all parents consider how to get their kids the best education, whether that's your nearest school, one of your local maintained schools, an independent school, home schooling or something else.  Our boys have additional needs and we consider their education just as important as we do for our daughter.  We want them all to have the best opportunities now so they still have the best opportunities in the future.  But sometimes, that future is blurry, unknown, perhaps even unexpected.

Thursday 1 June 2017

Seeing things from another point of view with AniMalcolm

Anthony reading the AniMalcolm novel

Sometimes it's not easy to think about others.  It's easy to think about ourselves. And that's the most natural thing to do.  Evolution has mostly meant looking out for one's safety and we even develop by first thinking about ourselves in what seems like a selfish fashion.  Young children need to be taught to share because the part of their mind that allows them to think about others is still developing.

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