Sunday 30th September – blog fest!!

Apologies that this is the fourth post of the day, but before you run away screaming: one was a “Silent Sunday”; one a product review that should have gone up Friday but, due to Follow Fridays, timelines are completely taken up and the other I was pleased to be asked to do – on blogging tips – and enjoyed doing it. I think I’ll keep the last one as a “page” so it’s at the top of the blog and add to it occasionally – any other tips welcomed too.

Our day:

A quiet one was needed for D after yesterday’s activities and she didn’t have a brilliant night’s sleep….neighbours..karaoke..grrr.

T had 4 pieces of homework to do, bless him, he’s certainly getting the challenging work he needs! I did a “fill in the blanks” for D to do at the same time, with the options written underneath so she had to read the sentence, understand and choose the word and then write it in. She did very well but got tired (as she put it) of writing very quickly. She will always say that writing is “too hard work” at school and I think they’ve realised that she finds this a challenge, and one of their aims are to bring on her keyboard skills.

Apart from having a moan about writing, she’s been okay. She finished the final mosaic picture from the kit we were sent to review, really enjoying it again.

I’m hoping to get an appointment booked to talk to a GP about T this week, his traits/issues are definitely increasing.

Both settling now, both preparing for whatever challenges this week may bring!

I hope everyone’s had a good day, comments/RTs/shares are ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

Blogging tips

I was asked if I’d provide a few blogging tips, I’ve only been doing my blog since January but have found it’s been a benefit to both myself (avenue to rant and vent occasionally) and (I hope) to others.

So here goes…

Research which blogging platform you want to use. If you feel you will be blogging on your phone/iPad more than a laptop/computer then make sure there is an app for it. One of the reasons I chose WordPress is that I can blog anywhere (signal permitting). My evening blogs are usually started in the bath (on my phone) because it’s peaceful there!

Make sure your “about” page is completed and up-to-date. If someone is visiting your blog for the first time, it’s where they’ll find out about you and the reason you blog.

Similarly, if your header includes a “just another WordPress (or similar) site” change it to something more personal to you and why you’re blogging.

Most blogging platforms come with free themes, take some time to choose your theme. Make it appropriate to your blog content. For example, blogging about your childcare establishment with a skulls and crosses background might look funky, but it will detract from your content.

Use pictures and images, they add interest to your blog but…

Remember that once a post is published, it’s out of your control. Yes, you can delete the post but it might have been seen and shared before you do. Therefore, consider the pictures you put on and how you would feel if they were used inappropriately. For similar reasons, my children are referred to by initials only.

And…
If you are sharing content/words from another site, be sure to reference them. It’s not only a matter of politeness, not to do so is plagiarism. I have had whole chunks of a post replicated and set up as another person’s Facebook page before, it really upset me and the person doing it completely denied it. Not a nice experience.

If you say you are going to do a daily/weekly/monthly blog then stick to it. Once you are blogging regularly, you build up an anticipation. But at the same time…

Don’t let it become a chore. Blog because there is a purpose and you enjoy it. If you become tired of blogging it will reflect in your words.

Make sure your terminology is correct, so that no-one reading your posts is offended.

Acknowledge when people RT (retweet) or comment on your blog, it’s polite. It shows that you appreciate them taking the time to do so.

Proof-read your post before you hit “publish”. An absolute must if you are blogging at the end of the day. It doesn’t take long and that typo is very quickly corrected.

Be careful of your wording, try not to use words that could bring the wrong readers to your site – for example (and I’m spacing these out)
n a k e d
p o r n
b a t h
s e x etc

Don’t get hung up on your blog stats. Everybody leads busy lives and publishing a post during a major event (ie 100m Olympic final) means it won’t be read very much, republish again in an hour or so.

Be truthful to yourself. Blogging has an anonymity to it but only to a degree.

Clear out your spam comments regularly, don’t give them another thought and definitely don’t click on any links!!

Add in the “share” buttons so readers can share to twitter/Facebook etc.

Hope this helps, please feel free to add in your own tips/comments.

Thanks for reading Jx 😘

Updated with some comments/additional tips below:
“once you’ve built up a reputation as a blogger, look at hosting your own site. Get your web domain and be creative. You can still use WordPress to blog, but instead of hosting with WP, you host off your own site. It also means you can have a web email address dedicated to your blog and looks great especially if you want to turn your blog into a business” – Becca

“use widgets on your site, it allows users to share, follow your twitter feed and there’s lots of other cool stuff too.
Also, join a blogging group ie. BlogHer, they will reference your blog on their site and you can interact with other bloggers.
For mums and parenting try BritMums” – Becca

“comment on other blogs and link to other blogs as much as possible, that’s when the networking side of things really start to build” – Nicky

“don’t get too bothered about what other bloggers are doing. Focus on creating your own identity and do what is comfortable for you. Also I’d recommend people take time to comment on as many other blogs as possible as this will help them to get known in the blogging world. It can also lead to more comments on your blog” – Deb

My First Picnic Sticky Mosaics – Product Review

We were very kindly sent a sticky mosaics kit to review by Fun Learning, a company who offer a large selection of educational toys for primary school aged children. You can visit their website fun learning or one of their five shops in the UK for products that engage children on a mental, physical or creative level.

This is the kit we were sent:

My first sticky mosaics – picnic

D was very engaged with the kit from the moment we opened the box, here are the contents:

Five sheets with various picnic scenes, the sticky foam sticker sheets and picture hangers. D especially liked the different insects added into each scene!

She chose a cupcake scene to complete and was soon very happily removing the corresponding sticker colours and shapes and placing them onto the cardboard picture. No glue required, so no mess!

D is 8 years old, with motor difficulties but very good hand-eye co-ordination and did not have problems with removing the stickers from the sheets at all. A younger child (the kit is from 3 years old) may require some assistance at first, but this could be turned into a look-for-the-matching-shapes-and-colours game.

It was nice to see D actively enjoying completing the sheet as she really liked the picture, quite often I have bought kits where she hasn’t been so interested and it was left after some 5 minutes.

Part way through with three of us completing one each, sharing the sheets:

The finished products:

It took D about an hour to complete the scene and she really enjoyed it! Definitely a product we would recommend and I’ll be browsing their website for craft ideas for the half term holidays.

Disclaimer: I was sent the craft kit – which retails at £7.75 – for the purpose of this review.

Silent Sunday

Saturday 29th September – a new arts and crafts experience

After the emotion-fest that was yesterday (bless her) D needed a good day today and, on the whole, that’s what we’ve had.

We tried out an arts and crafts workshop organised by Mencap this morning. D loved it – as I thought she would. It’s a book-in-advance thing and this is so (I presume) that each child has their own 1:1 volunteer with them, to encourage and assist with creations. Only £2 for a 1.75 hour session too. We’re definitely going back.

(if you’re in Berkshire and would like further details, please leave me your email address/DM me and I’ll send details).

This is what D made:

A colouring (everyone was amazed by how she kept within the lines):

Sticking (she made a few of these):

Sand art (this is a flower):

All activities that D very much enjoys. I was very proud of her – it was a new (long) bus journey, strange venue and unfamiliar people but she relaxed and started colouring straight away. I was able to slip out after five minutes and chat with the other mums in the little cafe there. Always nice to share experiences. The children weren’t discouraged from coming out and showing their mums their creations either, which was nice to see.

We took another bus into town after that as there wasn’t a direct route home. It was very very busy and I tried to notice the sounds and smells and people walking everywhere to try and imagine what it must be like for D – general consensus not nice, so well done to her for coping with it, albeit in her SN buggy.

She got this as a reward for doing so well today, it’s so soft and simply called “Bear”, snuggled proudly alongside Bunny tonight:

I think the excitement of today and the emotion of yesterday wore her out very quickly, so melatonin and an earlier evening routine for D and a quiet day tomorrow but, like I said, very pleased with all the new experiences she’s tried today.

So..a good one for us, I hope everyone’s had a good day, comments/RTs/shares as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

Friday 28th September – not the best day..

My exhausted D is finally settled, thank goodness for melatonin. Without it she wouldn’t be settling until the early hours, if at all. It’s not been a good day.

It was “dress like a super hero” day at school, to raise money for air ambulances. When I originally read the note my heart sank, I imagined D in her class of 8 excitable boys, them all dressed as Batman, Spiderman etc and I couldn’t imagine her being comfortable in there. I didn’t say this to her – of course, I wouldn’t want to influence anything – and she decided she didn’t want to be a “superhero”, I don’t think she knew what a superhero was anyway.

Our day:

Once T was dropped off this morning, D had her ten swings at the park that she pass through, saw the cat that always seems to wait and miaow at us (another one for routines) and she went in happily with her TA.

I wish she’d stayed happy. It was a very different D I collected. She already looked unhappy through the door and as soon as she saw me, she bolted into the toilets area – she does tend to save up any emotion until the end of the day. Staff said that another child had been upsetting her and this was why she was unhappy. Eventually she was calm enough to take out, but she absolutely refused to say goodbye to the teacher or TAs, which is very unusual.

It was a shout-y journey home, she started telling (shouting) me about her day. From what she said, this child (boy) had not only been upsetting her, he’d also been hitting her today. Both in the morning and afternoon. She did say that he does hit other children, so it’s not restricted to her alone. Poor D.

She alternated between being very cross about her day and crying. Didn’t want to see or talk to T and Hubbie as they are “boys”, didn’t want to do anything apart from be next to me, having a cuddle, staying close. We had frequent shouts of “I’m not doing that because I’m too GRUMPY!” – my truthful D!

I’m really sad she’s had such a bad day but I know the theme of the day cannot have helped. It’s a tricky one, the school wants to be part of the community and raise money, but for those children who can’t cope with unexpected change and here over-excitement of others, it’s very difficult.

At least she’s settled now and she has something to look forward to tomorrow, we’re going to a SN arts and crafts session, organised by Mencap. Should be ideal for D (fingers crossed).

I hope everyone’s had a good (or at least better day than D), comments/RTs/shares via the buttons below as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

Thursday 27th September – Walking 500 miles metaphorically

The “500 miles” refers to The Proclaimers song. D was singing it in Music again today and I’ve been treated to a few renditions tonight.

I looked up the video for her on YouTube, it’s been viewed nearly 6.5 million times! And quite a few more by D tonight, she’s found it very funny. Another one to “add to favourites” I think.

She was a bit anxious about going to school today because Thursdays is swimming day and, as she’s the only girl, she has to change away from the boys. She said it’s with no-one with her or assisting her, which – if true – can’t have been nice. Her motor difficulties mean she finds dressing herself a slow and frustrating process. A quick chat with the TA who collected her seemed to alleviate her concerns and she went off happily.

I’ve played telephone-tennis with the SenCo at T’s school today so no real progress on that front. I am going to ring our local autism charity for advice tomorrow, hopefully they can suggest something.

D came out very well at the end of the day, judging by all the staff’s wet hair, there’d been a lot of splashing fun!

Tonight has been Playmobil play for D and football training for T and of course “The Proclaimers”!

So, a not-really-any-progress day but sometimes, after an emotionally-charged one, you need a bit of time to regroup, gather yourself and consider next steps (or batten down the hatches and pick up your shield!).

I tweeted this picture this morning but I think it was a very funny example of positive thinking!

I hope everyone’s had a good day, comments/RTs/shares as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

Warning by Jenny Joseph

💜Bearing in mind my love of all things purple (see below), I thought I’d share this poem by Jenny Joseph:💜

“WARNING

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out on my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people’s gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only eat bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too
shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph”

Now I don’t know about the red hat, or brandy (urgh) and certainly not the spitting or the swearing, but I’m certainly practising:

Thanks for reading Jx 💜😍

Wednesday 26th September – a return to routine but “cry me a river”

I’m going to be honest…I didn’t feel like doing this tonight and wasn’t going to, until I decided that, realistically I’ve had worse days than today and it’s guaranteed that I will do in the future.

After days of playing telephone-tennis with our GP (who incidentally is our registered GP in name only, I’d never met him or spoken to him until today) and explained D was already on the autistic spectrum etc and our concerns; he warned me that we’re going to be “in a murky puddle”. By that and after having told him that the paediatric doc who diagnosed D has left the area and D is referred to as an “floating ex-patient” (why? She’s not “cured”); I presume we’re in for a long journey, with very little unprompted assistance.

He recommended that I get something from the SenCo at T’s school detailing his “traits” and then drop it in and make another GP appointment (but not with him, he’s “too busy”…yes, he actually said that) and have a chat and discuss ways forward (pass the tissues).

And then there’s flipping Early Bird – the course CAMHS recommended I go on before they will offer strategies for dealing with D’s anxieties – I still haven’t heard from them and if I moan to CAMHS about this, they’re going to write me off as a “difficult parent” and suggest that D’s anxieties are down to me. Well, hello, she has autism; she’s always had these anxieties. I wouldn’t be saying to her from birth “now, we’re going out, you might see people walking on the other side of the road..they’re bad, be very scared of them”.

The fact that these two issues reduced me to tears today surprised me, I thought I was prepared for a potential diagnosis for T. But to be told that it’s going to be a very hard journey despite the fact that his sister and cousin are already on the spectrum was …I don’t know…disappointing is not the right word.

Of course, a potential diagnosis will not change the way we feel about T – he is our “Mr Pick” but it will change the way he is perceived by people external to our immediate family. How true is this poster:

👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫👫

Our day anyway:

D was much better today health-wise but had some anxieties about returning to school today. Once we were nearer school, her need to use the toilet overtook everything else and she dashed off with her teacher! Good timing.

She came out very well at the end of the day, having had a good day despite the break-times taken indoors due to the weather.

It didn’t take long for her and T to be at loggerheads unfortunately, they both seem to “push the wrong buttons” on each other at times so, quite a few stomp and shout offs from D.

Both settled now and a new day for all of us tomorrow.

I hope everyone’s had a good day, comments/RTs (via the buttons below) as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

My reasons why I want to raise awareness and acceptance of autism
below:

Tuesday 25th September – Happy Birthday Mr Bluecrisps

Yes, my Mr Bluecrisps’ birthday today aka Hubbie. Nicknamed that as my twitter name used to be “Bluecrisps”, see my “About” post or “Mr Bluecrisps” post for more info.

D had a much better night but still awake a lot and Spilly Spoon was needed again 😳, it’s only when she woke up this morning that I noticed she had some crusty stuff around her ear so that’s obviously been the problem. I wish she’d told me but I guess ear ache is pretty much all encompassing and what with calpol, rest and cuddles she’s on the mend – doesn’t stop me feeling guilty though.

So, she was off school again today, hopefully she’ll be back tomorrow, otherwise it’s going to be very difficult to get her back into any sort of routine – and then we’ll have the weekend!

We all headed off for a menu in town, at a place we’d been to before and D was therefore very familiar with (not MacDonalds!!). She happily did some walking out of her buggy on the way, and she always enjoys seeing the ducks passing by on the canal.

She was very good in the restaurant, very patient. Bunny and her picnic basket came with us and we had a booth so kind-of enclosed in our own little box, it wasn’t that busy being lunchtime either.

An obvious indication that she was feeling better: her appetite is back with a vengeance! She ate very well!!

As an incentive for doing well in the restaurant, I’d said D could choose a book in Waterstones afterwards, which she very happily did: “Daisy and the trouble with coconuts”, she enjoys the Kes Gray stories as well as the illustrations. I also found these in Waterstones, thought they might help with imaginative sentence making:

The idea is you roll the dice and then tell a story (or in D’s case, hopefully compile a sentence or two) using the images on the upturned dice, there are 9 cubes, 54 images and 10,000,000 combinations. The more-than-likely scenario is that she’ll play with the dice and then they’ll disappear in her room but I thought it was worth a try.

A very enthusiastic rendition of “Happy Birthday” too for Hubbie at home too. This is the first year that D’s been very excited about her birthday and other peoples’ birthdays, it’s lovely but there were 7 beforehand where her birthday wasn’t really recognised by her. Very grateful now 😃.

So, tomorrow will hopefully bring a successful school run and maybe a phone call from the GP about referring T, we’ve been playing telephone-tennis since Monday! This is the one instance where I am glad D’s clinic appointment (the one I asked for in January!) is in December – after having been pushed back 4 times by them – as hopefully the GP can suggest they look at T at the same time…I can be hopeful, yes?

So, that’s our day…a good one and I think the birthday boy has enjoyed it too!

I hope everyone’s had a good day, comments/RTs/shares by the buttons below as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘