Trying not to get too excited that my pain is becoming more manageable this last week. I am finding I have to be careful what I do, no where too noisy of frenetic etc. Which is limiting but not impossible and MUCH better than a few weeks ago.
It's hard to tell whether this is due to the new medication starting to kick in or I am coming into a more settled bout....but with these types of neuro disorders any relief is welcomed with glee from me.
Today we all went swimming, something I normally find impossible to handle. I was able to see how far Blokey has progressed with the children and how much stronger they are getting in the water.
Owen finds it hardest as coping with his gross coordination is challenging. Most of us would not have to think about keeping our arms and legs going together ...but it takes him an enormous amount of energy and concentration for him to remember how to move effectively in the water and just stay afloat. We are very proud at how hard both the children work to overcome these issues.
Blokey is building a new PC for the children as our old one was getting a bit laggy on certain operations. He's been working hard soldering and building and getting a bit tetchy on and off. We managed to persuade him to take a break yesterday and get out cycling in the sunshine. We stopped at the park so the boys could play footie with the other children, then cycled on down a bridle way for a few miles. Everyone's humour had returned after some fresh air and there were big appitites at the tea table. Sam enjoyed his first ever steak and Owen tried english mustard (!) ...he had a tingly nose and decided 'I may not be quite ready for mustard just yet'.
We all cuddled up under blankets to watch some Dr Who later and after the children were tucked up with their books, Blokey completed the PC. I crocheted and watched some more episodes of Scrubs ...bliss.
Monday
Owen woke VERY early and is clearly struggling. They both played online with friends on Minecraft in the morning whilst I did chores. After lunch we played at money games. I was amazed at how much their skills are developing and the game flowed much better than previous times.
Owen complained he was cold and didn't look himself, so we bundled him up in blankets. Sam played nurse and brought cushions and extra covers for him, he's such a caring boy.
I put a documentary about light on for Owen to watch whilst Sam and I played a game of Speedy match...he's beating more often now and in the end he declared a draw and decided to watch the documentary with Owen.
Tuesday and Wednesday
Inbetween Minecraft and baking bread Owen asked to 'do some experiments'. We recreated the ones I did with Sam last week at his request. So volcanoes and firing foam rockets.
The boys went to their regularly Jujitsu lesson in the evening, they always return tired but very giggly. Tuesday night's bed time routine always resembles two parents herding cats and we collapse on to the sofas once they are tucked up with their books.
The next day always starts out slow after their jujitsu. Horrible History Top Trumps were requested and we researched further information on some of the more gruesome characters we came across. Ivan the Terrible, Henry VIII and King Herod to name a few.
After lunch Sam and I looked at 'Wonders of the World' using Top Trumps as a starting point and finding out about the items in more depth on the iPad as they grabbed his interest. I love how excited he gets about the more hard to believe facts.
We played with our Blend Blocks and did a rhyming word game Sam made up. Also hangman and noughts and crosses.
We played Cars Operation..which always makes us jump.
Also this week our garden work was completed, we are really pleased with what has been done and can't wait to get some plants in. It's already meant we have spent more time out there playing because we are no longer wading through a soggy lawn. We still have a large grassed area, with trees to the side of the house but plan to make this newly landscaped area a sensory garden, which is more 'Shadow Proof' ( hopefully) and easier for me to maintain if I am unwell. That way the boys can pick, plant flowers, herbs etc to make their 'potions' with.
We had a very busy day Thursday, I needed my ECG done and frankly it's a faff. We have to tear round to various places and back. The boys were fabulous and really helpful, despite Owen having a really tricky start to the day.
Once the medical stuff was done, we headed off to the library, Owen ordered some books and both boys grabbed fresh reading materials and puzzles. They also requested a new information poster they saw whilst we were in there. We have had a few of these and try and buy a new one every so often. Today's was British Wildlife.
We dashed back home to make sandwiches and walk the dogs, then scooted off out again to meet friends at Trentham Gardens. By chance, we also met up with some new Home ed families whilst we were there and all had a fabulous afternoon climbing , chatting and playing. We finished off a perfect but cold afternoon out with a walk through the grounds, looked at the spring flowers, spotted water boatmen in the ponds and looked across the formal gardens from the viewing platform. We found a beautiful but sadly, dead, Jay bird too. I did a mental count down as to which of my boys would poke it with a stick first. We played pooh sticks on the bridge for a while, tried not to swallow midges and said our goodbyes to our lovely friends. All the children we tired but happy and Sam and Owen kept telling me how much they had enjoyed the afternoon as we drove back home.
Thursday
As Owen has been struggling with the breakfast routine we discussed changing things around a bit. It went well and Owen was far less stressed today. It also gave me a chance to spend some one to one time with him talking about how we can ease him through transitions.
We then researched some helpful apps and games and had a happy time discussing the pros and cons. This lead us on to completing some word searches and a brilliant puzzle app:
TwoDots by Playdots, Inc.
https://appsto.re/gb/yrND0.i
It's very easy to start with but gets more challenging quite quickly, it's also free and has many levels to progress through.
Sadly Terry Pratchett died today, I felt upset even though it was expected, he had such a cruel illness and his loss will be felt by many. The boys asked about him, what type of a person he was etc. Hopefully his legacy will live in in the boys once day..I hope so.
We were pointed to this site this week by another Home Ed family:
http://learningworksforkids.com/playbooks/
It's is a fantastic resource for finding specific apps and games to facilitate learning. I liked the fact it explains what skills each recommendation can help with. It also has some nice videos and write ups explaining why we use certain, different types of skills. Owen and I watched some together and I loved how he pieced together and worked out how he can sometimes struggle with certain things. We talked about how he has managed to overcome some of these difficulties and how I believed in time he would find new strategies to overcome some of the frustrations he has now. He pulled his chair closer and gave me a huge hug.
They children have spent time this morning talking to friends online about Minecraft related things...they never run out of 'stuff' to talk about where Minecraft is concerned.
In the afternoon we met up with more friends at the Ice rink and had a skating session. We all really enjoyed ourselves and our companions have been taking lessons, so very kindly gave us some tips. Owen is getting more confident and released his vice like grip on his support penguin . Sam is whizzing round rather confidently, he does this little,half run, half skate shuffle, that's working well for him.
Friday evenings have become takeaway night and I am delighted to see the children trying new things. We get a selection of starters or share three meals and sides. Sam prefers indian food, Owen loves the crispy and surprisingly spicy chicken from the Chinese . I am just happy not to have to cook ;-)
No comments:
Post a Comment