D'ya ever wonder... Just wonder?

[MiniSoksMakeHardWork]

Evening ladies. Since we're at 999 now. Was feeling reflective tonight.

"To Matt and Matthew, we miss you more than words could ever say.
Eternal love from me and your lovely Mum, we keep you forever inside us. xx

Very tired and feeling emotional. Just watched a recording of Russell Watson at the Royal Albert Hall, so many songs brought back so many memories. He sings in many different styles, his voice is incredible, amazing recovery from his brain tumour. He sang "I left my heart in San Francisco"........an instant flashback of me, dh and Matthew aged 12 riding the cable car, watching the seals on pier 39. He sang songs from Phantom of the Opera, flashback to 2007, three 9 yr olds standing up in the theatre at The Venetian in Las Vegas, their eyes full of tears, clapping and clapping, he sang Bring Him Home from Les Miserable, and I wanted my boy to come home, and your boy too my friend..........music, music joyous and sad............night all xx

Tough night. But listening to a beautiful dawn chorus. Poor birds must be being buffeted left and right by the wind though.

Have been thinking of you Shabs, and Trips. However tough things get I'm reminded that I'm grateful to have my family together. Gentle thoughts to you both. X

Morning girls xx

Trips - San Francisco is my favourite place of all the places I have visited in the USA. Especially Pier 39 and the cable cars.....we were there in 1980 and I could happily live in San Francisco.

xx

......as always, the build up to yesterday was far worse than the day itself - thanks for all your messages my friends xxx

A lovely lazy day at the in laws today.The kids enjoyed playing Topfschlagen and have beening singing German folk songs all morning! :) Spent the morning will Apollo having cuddles and gave him his first breastfeed! :)

Lazy day here, slept in late, cooked a chicken roast and apple crumble, now sitting watching the box set of "Once upon a time" on Sky.
Hope everyone else's day went well.

Evening all, Ruby nice to see you :) After a plate of bacon and eggs I took myself off to the next village, nice walk along the common overlooking the sea. There was a garden safari, loads of interesting stuff for sale, met lots of friends so lots of talking! Walked my socks off and its very hilly! Didn`t get home until almost 3pm, left at 10am........did me good to get out! Our dawn chorus gets earlier, started at 4.20am today! Night all xx

James was quite simply hard work. But very sweet with it. How can you resist being asked for kisses and snuggles several times an hour.

Today he's had a pj day, biscuits and played Mario kart. Been bit better. Tomorrow we've a trip planned to the natural history museum. Looking forward to it

Urgh. Feeling so nauseous today, I think it was that curry I made yesterday, it never did taste right. I hope I haven't poisoned the kids ... called Apollo's unit and they said not to come incase it is food poisoning. They're not moving him until this evening so DH will be there when he finishes work at 3.

I'm hungry though...

Threw up twice today, so yup food poisoning. Lovely. Kids and DH are fine though. Luckily buggers.

I love the natural history museum. Unfortunately James didn't cope well, even though we tried to limit the crowded areas. He just wanted to go home. My heart broke for him.

Good morning ladies, Soks that is such a shame, it is an amazing place isn`t it? Really sorry :( Well its dry out there, took my friend for a walk last night, she has dementia and tends to get lost on her own, anyway the heavens opened on us and we were soaked, squelchy shoes and all!

morning girls

trips - that sounds lovely!

Soks - I remember days like that, it does get easier as they get older, I promise!

mama, hope you are feeling better today x

Aww Soks. Such a shame for him. I always loved the museums xx

Apollo is settling in well into his new room and we have reluctantly agreed to allow the grandparents to visit for 15 minutes tomorrow. I just hope they don't get all upset around him when we've finally managed to get to good place with and managing his SPD.

Already laid down the rules to the nurses about his SPD and his perfume intolerance. They did not like that. But DH backed me up and we now have personal signs on his door telling those we approach

He liked the stairs and 'bridges'. So there was a positive for him. But we are planning on trying the transport museum next time. I think there is far more there that will perhaps grab his interest - being as train mad as he is. He enjoyed the trains and tubes, but again not the crowds which were especially bad on our return journey. Dh pissed me off though as I'd say with him on all but the return tubes and he was fine. Dh had him standing on the very crowded return tube. A nearly 4yo at penis-butting height! Poor lad was very shaken when we got off at kings cross.

Soks-transport museum sounds a much better idea
trips- I got soaked today too when walking the dogs. Cleo hates getting wet, she was a very miserable staffie on the way home.
mama- surely the nurses can understand what is best for their patient.
Did a night last night then tried to stay up, did housework this am, then walked dogs, but went to bed from 12 - 3pm, then finally had man from the CAFF referral came to assess what they can do for us(10 weeks after referral) Hope he can help, as J is having real anger issues at home. He smashed the glass on the picture I had painted for dh as a wedding present today. J has also been told he is likely to be excluded from the end of term reward trip to Pleasurewood Hills today as he has too few positive behaviour points from school. The silly boy earns them, then keeps losing them for not doing homework, despite all our best efforts to get him to do it
Sad to say, dh has said he has "given up" on him for the moment. I am doing my best, talking to the school, having the CAFF referral etc, but, as before, what J is craving at home is attention from dh, and negative attention is better than none at all. DH's AS means he cannot cope with J's erratic behaviour at all, and so is either shouting at him or ignoring him. I can't do it on my own, and really don't know what to do anymore.

Morning girls x

BUbby, that sounds awful :( He sounds like he is in a bit of a downward spiral atm, and not being able to go will prob make him even more upset. Could you get some 1:1 time with him at all to give him the attention he is craving? I know though, you are working such long hours. It isn't really fair neither that your DH is giving up and leaving it to you.

Soks, the transport musuem has that great elevated walkway too, which he will love if he likes bridges and steps. And you can 'drive' a tube train. I really enjoyed it there,never mind the kids!

Oh bubby! I really feel for you. Hopefully your caf will come up with some constructive help for you all. I know it can't be easy for your dh either, but it's not fair to completely opt out and leave everything to you.

I don't know if any of our things would work for you as your J is so much older. But I'm surprised they take points away from him at school if he's earnt them, and I'm sure that isn't helping. I was told to reward to good behaviour, but not to punish James by taking away from the good he had done. So kind of like the old stars and demerits we had at school. This is a clumsy explanation but by giving a child a star for good work, but then taking it away for being naughty, the two events aren't related and the child won't see the point in earning stars as they can just be taken away for something else. Surely better for the school to work out what target of points a child needs to go on the trip, because then irrelevant of how naughty they may have been, if they have been good enough times to earn that target, they are still being rewarded for the good work they have done - even if they have had bad periods. Whereas if they haven't earnt enough, they can't go.

Our school uses marbles in a jar for one child. So he can see how good he has been and remembers that for all the naughtiness, he can achieve that positive behaviour.

My muscles ache so bad after my fitness test yesterday. My legs are like jelly and my arms are like deadweights! And I'm currently on my way to do some practice on the ice. I still feel shocking and nauseous but hoping to sweat it all out. Then I'm off to spend the day with my gorgeous A-team while the DC are spending the day with my dad fishing...

Mama, hope you are feeling better soon.

Lovely sunny day here. Off to see Emily's teacher as she's started doing all her writing back to front, and it's a damn sight nearer than her normal writing. I'm convinced she's left handed more than she is - does some things left handed but not everything.

Then it's hair cuts for the boys... Wish us luck!

maybe she is ambidextrous, soks?

mama, what did they do to you?! Fitness tests aren't usually that strenuous!

I'm jsut back from a 5 mile run. It is already getting warm outside. Bring on the sunshine!!

Soks - my Matt wrote like that.....if you put a mirror against his writing you could read it perfectly. He was left handed and was diagnosed with dyslexia. His writing made no sense when you looked at it and then we put a mirror against it and - hey presto - it was perfect LOL.

Morning girls xx