The one and only Friday Night Fred.

[EllenJaneisstillnotmyname]

Which is apt, as my friend, Fred, is due to arrive shortly for the weekend.

How are you all doing? It's been pretty quiet here. I've been doing housework (urgh) in honour of my friend and the boys are with their D for the weekend.

I've been crocheting Little Hugs which has eaten into my MNing time and read the book from my book club. Looking forward to a curry this evening.

[Ilisten2theradio]

Only one today? I don't think I'll ever dare start one again, having been beaten to it by 20 secs last week.

I hope this week has been a bit better for you all as there seem to have been some bad weekends for some last week. I hope everyone is out of hospital.

We have had a very grumpy DS this week as all the extra school musical rehearsals in the day and after school have messed with his routine, but we did manage to buy his costume last weekend in 10 mins in Sports direct. Result or what? He hates shopping so much you can imagine how relieved I was.

Other than that it has been pretty quiet other than me running around organising childminders before I start a new job on Monday ( worried and excited at the same time)

Will go and chill the , but on a diet so no chocolates or snacks to hand out unless you want a low carb one?

[bigbluebus]

Sounds like you're going to have a relaxing evening Ellen.
DD has been off sick today & had to take her to GP to get more anti biotics for what is probably a chest infection. I dodn't get much sleep last night due to her coughing.
Our shower broke this morning too so had to use the ine in DSs bathroom which didn't go down well. Haven't told him yet that the chap who came this afternoon couldn't fix it, so we will all be invading his bathroom for the foreseeable future - not looking forward to next week - it will be a bad start to the school day!
And the Social Worker who was due to come today so we can move forward with all the outstanding issues of DDs transition to adult social care, cancelled the appointment !!!!

[EllenJaneisstillnotmyname]

There ended up being 3 last week!

Good luck for your new job, IListen.

Hope your DD is better soon, bigblue, and you both get some more sleep. How old is she, 16? Transition to adult services sounds scary.

[Ilisten2theradio]

Big Blue - I hope your DD improves soon. There are so many coughs and infections going around at the moment. I hope you can get the shower sorted soon. I would be lost without mine.
Ellen - enjoy the weekend

[bigbluebus]

Ellen DD is 18. She is still at SN School, so haven't had to make any changes there yet, thank goodness - she has another year there after this one.
It is Social Care and Health services that have all changed, so our respite has changed and we now come under the District Nursing team instead of Community Children's Nurses. SHe can no longer go on the children's ward if admitted to hospital either so I am desparate to keep her out of hospital, as adult health services are just not set up to cater for people like DD. Have already had to threaten Social Care with raising a formal complaint and taking legal advice - she only turned 18 3 months ago!!!
Ilisten I can't believe how pathetic the shower in DSs bathroom is - now at least I know why he spends 15 minutes in there each morning! I want my power shower back!!!

[moosemama]

Good luck with the new job IListen

Bigblue, sorry Dd is still poorly. Hope these antibiotics kick in quickly and you manage get a better night's sleep tonight.

I'm popping in early, as It's looking like I'm going to be in bed before the dcs tonight. I've been so ridiculously drained this week, feels suspiciously like when I had anaemia, but not sure if it's just more of my as yet un-dx health crap. Have started back on high strength supplements and am hoping that will help. Can't be arsed with the hassle of trying to get a GP appointment. I've done nothing all week, bar rest and drag myself back and forth on 3 school runs every day. I feel like such a wimp.

Ds1 has had an ok week, in as much as nothing new or worse happened.

LEA contacted us to ask us to confirm in writing that we want the out of area indie school named on his statement and to say they've sent the paperwork asking the school if they will in theory take him. Deadline for naming is two weeks today, so dh and I are a bit stressy. Hate to be so suspicious, but I can't believe they are just going to place him in an out of area indie without a fight, even if it is one that already has several similarly dxd children from our area attending.

School is still not doing any of the things they agreed to (and which are in his statement) at the meeting with us and the LA in December. Dh and I had decided we weren't going to fight it, especially when everyone actually knows they are lying - but we have gradually become more and more angry at them getting away with bare faced lying and letting vulnerable children down. We had planned to just concentrate on getting his secondary placement right and supporting him through the next 6 months - but we just can't do it - so are working on a plan. We feel like if we let them get away with it with us, the other children/families coming up through the school don't stand a chance. I know most of them and there's no way they are prepared for dealing with this kind of manipulative, underhanded crap.

If I don't make it back online, hope everyone has a good weekend.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Ooh, lots of luck wishing here!!!!

Week okay. Giggled at MN Campaign thread version of Welcome to Holland.

Having a bit of a communication breakdown with ds' school but they 'appear' to be keen to meet with me to sort it so that's good. DS' behaviour there is deteriorating too.

[MareeyaDolores]

Bigblue, having spoken to high-ups might make you feel better about the hospital. Print this and contact your hospital's PALS to ask them for the local version.... then request to speak to a manager about 'pre-admission discharge planning'. Mention the huge expense of even a few days of bed-blocking / poorly planned care, given she'll probably have several admissions before they get it right through trial and error alone.

[MareeyaDolores]

Hi to star, moose, polter, ilisten & Ellen. Ds2 howling, hopefully will be back with later.

[signandsmile]

Hi all, quick pop in, as am still planning tomorrows lesson, (new group of SW students)

well ds went to the school disco last night and I did not stay, (and he coped fabbily) so chuffed. (he was absolute ratbag this morning though...so grumpy and noise sensitve and so cross and grumpy on the way home that he bit a lampost... however at least it was not himself or anyone else, so that was kind of ok,

and he also managed to go for tea at a friends house this week and managed really well. So all in all a good week...

right... should head back to lesson planning. ah the joys of powerpoint...

[bigbluebus]

That makes very interesting reading mareeya. I wouldn't mind betting that no such policy exists in our local hospital trust. They couldn't even make a decision about what age in-patient transition would occur at until I pushed them for a decision. It is all further complicated by the fact that DD stays with her Community Paediatrician until she leaves school, so has no Adult Physician at the hospital and has been discharged by the acute Paediatricians. We have not been transferred to any other specialist adult services either ie dietician, epilepsy nurse, just 'let go' by the children's ones. I think a conversation with PALS is an excellent idea. Thank You.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Hi to all respondents of the friday night fred..

Received this week the choice of options letter for Y9 in preparation for the next two years GCSE courses. He would like to do History, Tech and French (I can help him with that language). I just hope that school agree, already had a run in with them last year over their decision to pull him out of both languages without consulting me beforehand!. Not one of their better decisions as they discovered when I challenged it (and won).

A friend of mine has had the "if in doubt blame the parents" spiel from a school. Why do they do this and seemingly take great delight in doing so?.

I chatted to a mum with her delightful one year old today and it made me think where did all those years go eh with regards to my now teenager son?.

[hazeyjane]

Thankyou everyone for holding my hand in hospital with ds this week, it really does help to know there are geese flapping along gently behind you.

Ds has impoved, but is still pretty poorly, his gp has emailed all the other gp's in the surgery to emphasise the importance of treating any suspicious symptoms aggressively, to get us up ti the children's ward if there is any doubt,and in big letters at the bottom she wrote, 'LISTEN TO DS'S PARENTS' - I love our gp.

[Ineedmorepatience]

I have had a scary week Tbh, I heard of 2 autistic children in 2 schools very local to me who have been excluded this week.

What I found particularly upsetting was that neither of the children had been violent and both are having significant difficulties remaining in the classroom and the school management teams answer to that was to send them home!

I do not understand how sending them home is supposed to help them access the curriculum or stay in the classroom.

Sorry to be glum but one of the schools concerned is the secondary where Dd3 is/was heading.

[AuntStressie]

Evening all
Moose good luck with the school choice - I think they'll agree to it. Let me know what your 'plan' is for school. I have had very similar experiences and am getting my revenge as we speak
Ineed - that is a worry. Are they permanent or temporary exclusions? My ds was excluded and I know it was just to give the school a 'break' but they don't think about the consequences for the child and family

[AuntStressie]

Evening all
Moose good luck with the school choice - I think they'll agree to it. Let me know what your 'plan' is for school. I have had very similar experiences and am getting my revenge as we speak
Ineed - that is a worry. Are they permanent or temporary exclusions? My ds was excluded and I know it was just to give the school a 'break' but they don't think about the consequences for the child and family

[AuntStressie]

Oops twin posts

[ouryve]

Apart from DS1 developing a habit of deliberately wading though all the dogshit that accumulated in the 2 weeks there was snow on the ground, it's been a relatively quiet, sane week chez Yve. (For a given value of quiet)

Had contact from parent partnership and we're going to visit a local SS I didn't get round to visiting when I was doing the rounds, last year. It's not for over a month, but we've plenty of time while the Ed Psych does her stuff - she's planning on visiting the boys on several occasions. She said that, given DS1's circumstances (she's spoken to the EP about him) this school and the one I've seen should be enough to build a case for him transferring to the out of area non-maintained special school we have in mind for him.

[lougle]

What a week.

So tired now, but dd2's in a place where she seems happy and we might even be able to work out whether her behaviours are due to environment or really do need pursuing.