We were off out in the rain to Packwood House in Solihull.
We liked the stained glass windows and each one had a tale to tell.
We love these old houses and try to visit as many National Trust places as we can to make good use of our membership.
This part was newer and a converted cow shed. The woman here was good with the children, and they enjoyed listening to her tell them about the room and it's objects.
The gardens were lovely but rain was lashing down the whole time we were there, so it wasn't a day to explore them fully. Hopefully, we can come back on a sunnier day.
I managed a quick look round the kitchen garden ( which was fab), before the boys started to get tetchy and needed food.
The next day Owen was aiming for world domination, so it was tricky. We are employing measures to try and keep him on track behaviour wise and of course he's railing against them. We are making progress but it's slow and his need to control everyone and everything is hard for everyone. I manage to get him through the morning and he works on his maths, sees to his pet and with help, manages his personal hygiene.
Sam did his breakfast and work early, then goes off to build Rome on his PC. Like you do.
In the afternoon Owen starts to stress out about his jujitsu class, his causes more difficult behaviour.
As a parent I find this incredibly hard. On the one hand I can see his ASD/PDA fuellng the behaviours, however, separating this and working out what parts are changeable are hard. For instance, I know his special needs make him controlling and that part he can't help but also Owen needs to adapt to the fact that he simply cannot rule the world how he wants. He can't make all the local children do as he wishes all the time, or his brother or me or the government ..so how do we remap his brain to try not to be angry and frustrated by his lack of influence over 'all the things!'.
I will get back to you when I figure it out, don't hold your breath though. Currently we are having to put some strict guidance in place, to ensure he understands that certain responses are not ok. He still challenges everything on a daily basis but is calming down..a bit!
Feeling you have to be in charge of the whole world at 10, is a massive responsibility and adds to his already high levels of anxiety. It's kind of a 'if this, then that' approach at the moment, if you do your teeth next, I will X,y,z for you. If I don't have a goal insight for him, he simply can't move forward. As time management is a valuable skill, and one he's struggling with, I am setting it up for him so he can succeed...hopefully he will conclude that it helps his anxiety as time goes on, he does tend to work stuff out but until he comes out of 'one child to rule them all' mode, we will plod on best we can.
We needed to see Sam's consultant today. As parents we are very relieved about this, Sam is a little anxious but loves talking to her and will be fine once he gets face to face. We know that Sam needs his meds tweaking, so we were happy to go and discuss the options for his care plan. We really have got to the 'Holy Crap' stage of his current care plan and regret not putting his meds up 6 mths ago when she suggested it. There's always a lot of guilt when medicating your child, we agonised for years over it before getting help, so even now we think long and hard about his care plan and worry about it. Hence us being more hesitant at his last appointment...hopefully we won't make that mistake again...but 'who knows'?
Sam worked on his maths before his appointment:
Then asked if he could practice his writing, so we worked on developing his lower and uppercase letters. He still mixes them up quite a bit, so we both had a bash at looking at the differences. He's getting much neater and surprised himself with how much better his pen control is getting. Even so it's very evident that his fears are surfacing again when he becomes teary over the thought of attempting a lowercase 'f'. He manages a line of very good ones and brightens immensely.
Owen started off by asking for instructions and then ignoring me. I explained why I found this very frustrating and he decided to negotiate terms. We worked on his maths and he was delighted to get his next certificate. He admitted to me that he was glad this one didn't take as long as the last one. I am hoping he makes the link between how much effort he makes and the length of time between certificates.
We then practice hand movements with a pen to strengthen his fine motor skills.
I now have to get him through his personal hygiene routine..deep joy. It takes some time.
Blokey took a half days holiday to drive us to Sam's appointment..but before we left he got mega Dad points for getting Sam this Asssassins Creed jacket.
Owen is disapointed that the knee pads and skateboard gloves, that Blokey has ordered for him, haven't arrived yet. Expect a scowl and Owen glaring out the windows for the postman until they arrive.
You can see our dear old dog lying by Sam's feet. She's struggling to walk on her back legs and we have to take her to the vets this week. Sadly, we are concerned she may not be with us for much longer. We have no idea how the children will cope ( or myself for that matter), she has been a constant companion since they were born and it's going to be a sad day when she leaves us. I just hope her passing is as easy and painless as possible.
Sam's appointment went really well and we have new meds and strategies lined up. His consultant is just utterly amazing and we all enjoy seeing her. She's a never ending supply of inspiration and practical help...a rare thing. I come away feeling like weight has been lifted and am so proud of Sam. She is the first doctor he's ever engaged with and he sat and described his symptoms beautifully, what bothered him and how he would like to progress.
After the appointment we headed off to find food and got home late but happy.
The next morning Owen was up early. Both children worked through RM Maths and some handwriting practice.
Owen now likes to use this book ( previously rejected) to help his coordination and fine motor skills. Even a few pages of exercises still make his hands cramp up. I am so pleased he's decided to put more effort into this and we will be exploring other writing curriculum soon. ...keep em peeled..no seriously, eat cake, go to the park...poke things with sticks..or not...we will be doing all of these!
Later we went to the park to see some friends but sadly their car broke down. So we generally had a laugh and muck about...*ahem*. I mean we worked on social intergration, gross motor skills, wildlife studies and gymnastics.
Owen is practicing tricks on his board.
I was up early for some fresh air. There have been some great sunrises this week.
Back home Sam has finished his breakfast and is working on his maths. Whilst he's busy, I get to shower and put the washing out.
After my breakfast, Sam and I make cookies. His cold is really making his asthma play up now and he looks pale.
Sam then decides to vacuum and clean the kitchen cupboards. I am eternally grateful for his little spurts of house cleaning!
He then works on his hand coordination, it's improving already. He moans about getting started but enjoys the work once actually doing it...typical.
He then sees to his pet and does his maths:
On Saturday we visit my parents house. I have been up all night with Sam because is asthma was bad and both he and I are shattered.
Sam makes me laugh with his attempts at Nanny's, Mothers Day card.
He rallied after a little nap and enjoys a roast dinner. It is highly evident he's feeling really poorly though.
Owen plays out at the park when we get home, Sam asks if we can walk in the sunshine. He does better than I expect but is starting to get tired much quicker than normal and we head back home.
The next day is Mothers day and Sam decides to help me with the housework.
In the evening we all go out for a meal.
Owen orders gammon for the first time and manages to eat the whole lot...and a pudding. I take a break for my diet and enjoy steak pie and chips...Sam has the same. I even manage to catch a photo of the lesser spotted Blokey.
As the clocks went back I will be running in the dark again tomorrow. I managed to get some lovely Spring photos when I went out today.
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