Mother's Day

Fantastic Progress

Bella wearing Somewhere Over There Spectrum
by www.squarepegclothing.com

This little legend may be approaching 9 and may be in year 4 but yesterday I got some news that couldn't have made me prouder...for the first time in her school life she is working ON National Curriculum for English!

This is big!

She has always floated around the top of the P levels (the levels before you enter the National Curriculum levels) mainly because it's so blinking hard to get her to do anything she doesn't want to do. Communication becomes a real issue when reading becomes comprehension, she can read and can do it well but can't relay what she has read or discuss it which is vital on the curriculum. There is very little way to check she has understood it and not just memorized words.

Somehow her teachers have coaxed enough out of her, they've thought way outside the box...and then managed to tick the boxes which put her working at Year One for English.

Today I'm proud is an understatement, to say I'm grateful to her school and staff is another.

Let's hope she can keep it going with English and maybe other areas such as maths where she teeters around level 9.

Go on Bella, you've got this!

Kindness

Logan has been working on kindness and being thankful at Beavers. Although he drives me to absolute distraction and we argue more and more as he gets older I honestly don't know a kinder boy. Since before he can remember he has been my helper, my second pair of hands when it was just the three of us. He knew from a very young age that Bella needed to be kept safe and he took it in his stride. It's hard enough being a sibling to a special needs child but it adds further stresses when that child has their own issues.

On his list of things that he is thankful for we just beat pizza and eggs but were pipped to the top position by Lego Club and Beavers ah well 😊

School Residential!

So Bella has been invited to go on an 2 night residential trip with school. Cue me whipping myself up into an absolute panic! Last week there was a meeting at school so I went along to do my due diligence (and confirm that it's not for Bella.)

My overriding feeling was just that...not for Bella. Sleeping away from home for two nights, no iPad, 3 meals of not her specified food, outdoor events, no iPad, sleeping in communal rooms and again NO IPAD! I've been worried about this trip for about two years so going was really a formality so that I couldn't be accused of overreacting.

I sat down in the meeting trying to hold my emotions together, just the thought of Bella going makes me want to cry uncontrollably.

These are the actual facts, the things I need to consider...hang on did I say consider?

*Location is just over an hour away and accessible day and night
*Her school have been going to the centre for 12 years and know it inside out
*Her class teacher is going
*All doors in the accommodation are either lockable or (if a fire door) alarmed
*I can send her with chocolate spread and crackers for if she won't eat anything else
*They've given the option of her just staying one night if preferred
*Most importantly they've said as her iPad is more than a toy that she could take it with her
*She will have two to one as usual
*They're happy to medicate (ie crush tablets in chocolate spread 😂)

I must admit that I'm swaying now, I don't know how this happened? I was reminded that her teachers look after her everyday, they take her out into the community all the time. Just this week she went into Birmingham city centre to watch the pantomime which surely entails many more dangers than the residential?

Have any of your children been on overnight trips and how did they/you cope?

Back to normality...

We've had a really lovely couple of weeks but now it's time for the kids to go back to school, back to routine and back to activity both physical and mental. Both Bella and Logan are back on Tuesday, I haven't broken the news to Bella yet (wish me luck.) Logan is already saying he doesn't want to go but I think he'll be happy to see his friends when it comes to it. 

For Paul the holidays are hard as he works from home which, during the holidays is basically like trying to fly a kite in a hurricane. The kids, the toys, the presents, the arguments the noise... It's a challenge to say the least so a calm quiet house is something to look forward too. 

I will be going back to work (as in physically in the office two days a week, I've never stopped working mentally and am pretty sure I was texting about work while in labour!) It does make a difference when you can take your baby into work though. 

How were your holidays, are you happy or sad that they're drawing to a close?