Take Each Day By Day

I have to admit that this week I am totally uninspired. I think I am in a rut. A cranky, tired, sore nose, sneezing rut. I have so much but so little to say this week and as much as I don’t really have a deadline to   my writing my new dedication of an article a week for my blog is totally out the window only two weeks in. EPIC FAIL. So this weekend was much better than the last one – no meltdown in the street with shop owners checking the security out the front of their premises, so that was a win. Visit to kmart happened – so that was a win. Built a chair from kmart and only had one screw left over so that really was a big win. Found myself out to dinner and the movies on Saturday night – so again feel like I am winning. Dinner was great, good company and I have to say I definitely don’t think that Bad Moms 2 deserves the bad reviews because I thought it was hilarious.   I thoroughly enjoyed my night out. Except for a random voice message from my mum but that really is a

I now know that the problem was that I said it out loud. I said it to my friends. I said it to my husband, I even said it to his teacher. I now know better. Never say it out loud.   "He's having a really good week."   And he really had been. My little ASDer had been happy, cheerful and compliant. Excited to go to school and doing extra homework he was ever a delight.    Saturday came and under the illusion of this wonderful behaviour, I didn't hesitat e to take my child to a boxing class at the beach. He was great! This streak was continuing so off to breakfast I suggested to a friend.    Fate and luck had run out.    He chose the wrong food.    He didn't like the toys that were there.   He was bored.    So after his chocolate milkshake was consumed and he ate the discovered gingerbread that marginally saved breakfast- it was time to go. Suddenly instead of being the rational human he usually is - impatient but still considerat

Off to Diamond Beach. My little ASDer was so excited! We had been to this holiday park before and even though last time we packed up after a rough couple of days and our instincts should have warned us we were still hopeful that this time it would better. This was our first big adventure family  since my husband had been diagnosed with his work-related PTSD. All the trip planning had been his idea so I was confident that he would be ok venturing so far away from home. We settled in and everything seemed to be going well until my son attempted to bring some routine to his daily activities. For two days he wanted to do the same thing in the same order and the same way. Not such a big deal but within 24 hours of being away from home, the stress and great outdoors started to affect my husband. He was down. He was restless and he craved the dullness of a few beers. He couldn't handle the friendliness of families by the pool - people who just wanted to say hi as our sudden

Ok not really, that is a little dramatic but it did occur to me recently that I have referenced my husband's PTSD several times without actually addressing it directly.  So rather than put words in his mouth, or in this case type my own ideas on things (that can be a whole separate post...) here are his words directly. Hope they clear up a bit more of the journey we are on and help anyone out there who is suffering. His background is a sad but all too familiar one of giving his life up to serve and help others. Entering a job whilst practically a baby and although he smashed it and was a success in terms of patient treatment and team player the demons he was already exposed to took advantage of the horrors that we only hear or read about.  Here is his most recent post from his facebook page Racing REHAB. "Mental Health awareness is front row and centre at the moment and I can safely say that if you are struggling mentally in Australia there is so much help out there

Food, glorious food. After 6 days at home, I have to confess that if you tell me you are hungry, I might respond in a seemingly stark over reaction but frankly this uttered phrased has driven me to the edge. It is spoken at least every hour. On the hour. No matter where I am. The toilet, shower, kitchen, working, hanging the washing, driving – nowhere is sacred for this phrase, this demand, this constant need. “ Mum I just have something I want to tell you.” “I’m hungry”. It has been a long beginning to the school holidays. The frantic panic to write THE LIST (my chores for the holidays that has become ritualistic and I can’t settle until it is done) to settling into a routine that doesn’t disrupt my PTSD husband’s much needed routine, but also doesn’t see me take on too much or I might as well not be on break. The first couple of days felt like a dance, not wanting to go too hard too fast for fear that my child will think every day off is a crazy adventure

My husband recently rang me after running some errands with our son. He was very frazzled and needed some calming down. Our darling ASDer had tested his limits in the shopping centre walking in strange patterns and running into people. My husband was carrying the groceries and couldn't quite keep up and got very annoyed at our child's lack of direction or walking in a straight line. Or looking up for that matter. I talked him through it (my husband has PSTD, so things like this can set him off) and agreed that D was a monster to take on errands and that he was ok at being frustrated at the whole experience.  After that event, I visited the same shopping centre and found myself looking at the ground. I asked my husband who was with me if D had been walking like this and proceeded to walk in diagonal lines seeming haphazard but actually in a set pattern. My husband watched me and said yes that was exactly what he had been doing. I pointed out the different coloured tiles on t

Super excited to be off to the city today for a school PD. I'm going to be participating in a workshop on creative writing which I think will be awesome!  I have started a program at my school called Word Vomit where we are encouraging the students to write down whatever they think and then concentrate on making it better.  The biggest challenge for kids today is the art of drafting and not getting it perfect the first time. I have so many students who are afraid to write as they can't get started because they don't have the perfect opening line. This concept of having to be perfect I think comes from the use of technology. I think we have always felt that the 'typed' version is the final version. As such students don't edit or rewrite what they have already typed.  I have tried to implement the rule that nobody gets an iPad until they have written a draft. Most of the time it works- some of the time I end up with an argument!! Students will maintain

This term has gone so quickly! It's been my first of working four days, starting a drama department and being a school mum! It's taken a while to get into the swing of things but I'm finally fairly confident I can survive!  I am looking forward to the break and spending time with my little man.  Here are my top 5 things I'm looking forward to doing! Hope you get a bit of inspiration!  1) A gear and pulley project. Ambitious for sure but we read a book about gears and he's so excited to try it out. It's much simpler than I thought and I've enlisted Grandad to help. Will post pictures of the progress.  2) Doing a photo collage. My son has become obsessed with stories and histories so I'm hoping to get a few pictures together and work on our family tree.  3) Project 100- this is actually a school project but he has really gotten into it. We could collect anything to represent 100 but I printed off 100 squares on an A3 sheet. He is filling

I had a conversation with a neighbour a few days ago and it's both annoyed and complexed me. He had heard through the rumour mill that I was a teacher. He asked my husband whilst he was mowing the lawn if I could help his daughter with maths. Rather than turn him away my husband called me out and I got stuck in an awkward and strange conversation. After I explained that I was an English teacher and thoroughly reassured him this meant I really couldn't help with maths (" so you can't like just tutor some maths?") (" no really I'm actually pretty bad at maths") he asked me if I know any maths teachers.  Contrary to popular belief teachers don't know every teacher on the coast  and we don't all hang out together in a room doing weird teacher things (at least I don't!), the only maths teacher I know is the one who I work with. Now although she is a fabulous maths teacher as a full time teacher and full time mum and travelling 40 minutes to