Talk to me someone. It's half-term, day two and I'm already knackered.

[moosemama]

Anyone around? Just feel like letting off steam and chatting really.

What are you all up to this week?

I am sitting here feeling completely knackered and washed out after just two days with my little darlings.

Ds1 is not coping with the lack of structure the holidays bring, as usual and I think he might be developing a chest infection as well.

Ds2 is completely worn out and keeps bursting into tears at the slightest thing.

Dd has a stinking cold and keeps falling over and banging her head, whilst simultaneously creating complete havoc in the living room.

... and of course they are all sparking off each other, so it's constant squabbles, tale telling and fights.

We had an ok day today. Went out to lunch and the library with my Mum, but as soon as we got home the boys raced to the toilet and stayed in there for ages, despite knowing dd was desperate. She was jumping up and down sobbing for them to come out - ds1 had an gluten insult at school last week so he was in no fit state to be quick, but then ds2 pushed in after him and dd ended up wetting herself. She was distraught and I have honestly never seen so much wee come out of one small child in my life!

Dh is going into work early and coming home late, as things in his new job are twitchy at the moment and he's still within his trial period - so he's knackered, stressed and in a constant foul mood and we haven't been 'allowed' to sleep through the night more than once in three weeks now!

Next week isn't looking much better. The dog isn't at all well and is going in for a biopsy on Monday. Ds1 has his indie school interview on Tuesday and then it's parent's evening on Thursday. Following week we have a funeral to attend.

Sorry to be such a moany old bugger - just needed somewhere to let it all out.

Talk to me about your weeks, what have you all been up to?

Moosemamma -sounds a bit like my week - although I only have the 2- I relented and have booked them in to Nursery for the afternoons individually as I could not cope with them both together today.

My DD has been tormenting DS by moving items around and playing with his toys- generally doing everything and anything to ensure that he is never out of a meltdown.

When I did manage to keep them apart DD got hold of some polystyrene and tore it apart everywhere to make snow- DS was then trying to eat it faster than I could hoover - I now look like I have bad dandruff.

DS is also really chesty and may need steriods - the thought of trying to take the pair of them to the drs to get him seen brings me out in to a cold sweat.

My DD has gone to bed in her clothes under her zip up with no nappy on for the first time- I have stuck loads of towels under her and will stick her on the loo later and hope for the best.

My DH has been working long hrs so gets home when the DC are asleep but after a SOS text from me - he is bringing wine and chock.

Hope your evening gets a bit better

I'm with you. Feel like it's at least midnight.

DD1 is poorly...thought she was lasting too long without being ill. She's been very quiet but limpet like today. Although she did go to Nanny and Grandad's this morning and we had her carer for two hours at tea-time.

DD2 has been quite mood-swingy. She's getting the wrong end of the stick, language wise.

DD3 is beyond exhausting with her list of demands and conditions on every.single.thing - to the extent that she goes into meltdown if I give her a biscuit instead of asking her to choose one.

So...the meetup on Friday will go well, then

Hi Kyz

Sorry you are having a crappy week as well.

Sympathies, I have been there with the polystyrene - exploded beanbag - exploded sensory squidgy head toy on Christmas morning was also an interesting one to clean up!

I am the same about getting my dcs to the doctors. I can't drive, so I have to enlist help and try and find a time that we can actually get an appointment and I have someone to drive us there. The alternative is two buses, despite the drive being less than five minutes by car. The annoying thing is that ds has a GP appointment on Friday next week, but I think that's going to be too late.

I have some chocolate, but no as to cap it all I'm not allowed it at the moment for health reasons.

Hope your dh gets home with some supplies soon and your evening - and the rest of the week gets better.

Hi Lougle

I know what you mean. I just looked at the clock and was gobsmacked that it's not even nine o'clock yet. I was sure it must be at least eleven.

Sorry to hear dd1 is poorly. This weeks seems particularly bad for viruses etc. My three seem to have been constantly ill since about the beginning of November.

Hope things improve for you this week and the meet up goes well.

Bless, sounds like everyone is having a tough opening to the holidays...

Well,
First off it was dinkys birthday Sunday so both full of cold we went to her party (so lucky it was a soft play party!)
Which left us both exhausted for yesterday. I couldn't peel myself off my seat, luckily my dad came up to see us and ended up dealing with the I'm poorly meltdowns from dinky, because everything is just more effort when they are ill. Today we are both a bit better, dinky much more so... She told me she was going to the toilet and someone knocked on my door to tell me she had gone to see the horses next door. I ran off after her. She refused to come in and ran off into the garden. I coaxed her into the house where she refused to get up the stairs. Eventually we sat down she broke down and started screaming uncontrollably and I had no energy whatsoever. 10 minutes later we are snuggled up on my seat and she is trying to explain to me that she is an adult too. Not wanting to set her off again, I explain that she will be an adult in 13 years which is a very long time... She didn't want to go to bed which nearly finished me off today :(

Now I am absolutely cream crackered!

I've just remembered I have to take her to the job centre tomorrow for my JSA appointment because she has turned 5. Ugh

I just hope the next few days are better

Oh Dinky, another house of poorlies with an exhausted mum at the helm.

Sorry to hear you and dd are both poorly. It's the pits when they get better faster than you do and you can't keep up with them isn't it.

Eurgh at JSA appointment - I thought it was 7 years that you had to start looking for work - I can't keep up with all the changes.

Hope you have a quiet night and feel a bit better in the morning.

My dh is now home and still grotty, so I'm hiding on my laptop while he takes his temper out on Tony Hawkes Wii (he's just an oversized kid really ).

Thanks Polter.

Mine have blooming INSET on Monday as well, but as you say, it's Pokemon League club on Saturday and homework on Sunday as usual, so ds1 will be happier, as it'll be his normal weekend routine. We do keep to a fairly standard holiday routine, but it has to have a degree of flexiblity to allow his siblings some freedom.

Forgot to say earlier.

Ds1 took it upon himself this morning, to fill in the Asperger assessment quiz my Mum brought round from last weekend's Sunday Times. He scored 45 out of 50 and even then I thought he'd answered a couple of those wrong - he has an interesting view of his own limitations! He thought it was hilarious and said "Mum, I think perhaps those doctors might not have been wrong about my dx."

Funniest thing was that some of the questions are rather confusing if not nigh-on impossible for a person who has ASD. One of them asked if "Are you you able to 'read between the lines'?" Ds had just put row of question marks next to that one. Another one said "I normally notice car number plates or similar strings of information". Ds answered it no, because he said he doesn't even look at number plates and he's never seen a string with information on it! I explained that it meant he often notices details that other people might not in his environment and often sees patterns in things and then he put 'strongly agree'. Honestly, you'd think they would take literal interpretation into consideration when they design these things.

He also put that he doesn't have trouble creating a picture in his mind when he is trying to imagine something. I tested the theory and discovered that if it's something within his direct experience, so for example imagine an elephant - he said he could do it, but if I asked him to think of a pink elephant wearing a blue hat he couldn't. He could imagine a rug with a flower on, because he could recall an image of one he'd seen previously eg the one in my Mum's living room, but couldn't get a mental picture of a rug with pink flower with purple leaves when I asked him to.

It was an interesting exercise for both of us really.

Exactly, Polter. Ds needed to know what type of pink, what type of hat etc and then what variety of flower, what shaped leaves, what shade of pink and purple, where it was placed on the rug. So really - not much left to the actual imagination!

at spiders as big as a dinner plate!

I told DD2 about the meet-up. It was the most exhausting conversation:

Where are we going?
Swindon.
what's Swindon?
It's a town, like "Southampton"
But where are we going?
Swindon!
I know that, but where are we going? Gateway Church.
We're going to church?
No, we aren't going to church like we do on Sunday. We're borrowing a room at the church. There will be toys though.
Baby toys? Not just baby toys. Infants age toys too.
But I don't go to that school anymore, "INFANTS!" I go to the school "primary"now!
Yes, but you are still infant age.
NO I'm not!
Darling you are. Your school has infants and juniors. you're still infants.....Infants means 'until you are nearly 8'.
Will all my old school children come and see the new school infant toys?
What???? Ooh, no, these are different children.
Do you know their names? errr....no

It's only 07.30...

Oh dear lougle...
Defo have a

Im still dreading the job centre later with dinky... Bribery and corruption is defo on the cards for that one! Well, it will serve as a warning to them not to make sign on after school until I get a job! Lol

Good idea zzzzz, I am having a coffee right now! This week we are mostly chilling out and staying home rather a lot. We had GPS over at the weekend and Monday we had friends which was exhausting. Yesterday just us at home, mainly cos I forgot there was roadworks outside and forgot to park my car in next street. I was a bit crazy by the end of the day but mostly cos I don't deal well with being in ALL day. We have more friends today, my friends kids both have disabilities and whilst this reminds me that I don't have it SO bad, it always leaves me feeling terribly sad and I wonder if she goes away feeling like no one has it as difficult as she does. Our oldest children are same age and my boy is lovely kind soul who will be great with all of them today, he is the only one of today's crowd without a disability, but it must hurt. I know how I feel when mums of 5 year olds bang on about how well little Timmy is doing with his reading etc while my 5 year old slips further n further behind. Anyway, enough, hope everyone has a great day today and at least we know we are not alone with this :-)

I managed the first two days but have now run out of energy. All DS2 wants to do is go on the computer, so today I am letting him do exactly that. We went for a walk yesterday and then to the park. He spent the whole time asking when we would be going home (so he could use the computer). And I've just found out that Monday is an INSET day.

I had a feeling I was heading for a crash and sure enough - here it is.

I had a terrible night resulting in dh having to get up to fetch my medication and drinks for me in the middle of it. I've spent the day so far under a duvet on the sofa, turning a blind eye to the tv being permanently on for the dcs and the fact that we are all still in our pjs.

They watched a cartoon/film together for an hour and a half first thing and then alternated programmes - without fighting!

Fortunately yesterday's trip to the library paid off and the boys have been reading since then. Ds2 borrowed a visual dictionary, which is ds1's idea of a heavenly read, so he's lent that to ds1 and is reading a frankly gross paperback himself.

Just trying to summon up enough energy to face making lunch at the moment. Haven't even managed to make myself breakfast or even a cup of coffee yet.

Fortunately it's gluten free night at the chip shop today, so dh is picking tea up on his way home (strictly a salad pitta for me though).

Dinkysmum, probably too late, but hope the appointment goes ok.

LimboLil you sound really switched on and organised. Your dcs must love the holidays.

ThreeBeeOneGee, commiserations on the INSET day.

ThreeBeeOneGee, meant to say, my ds1 is exactly the same about the computer. He never wants to go out during the holidays because he wants to have his computer time at the same time every day - oh and he only ever wants to wear his pjs.

He only agreed to the library because he's desperate to read the Hobbit and I'd reserved him a copy. Of course they didn't have said reserved copy when we arrived, which didn't go down at all well. Checked online and found another local library with a copy, so went there. Checked every single possible section, then asked at the desk and watched the assistant check all the same sections, then come back and say, "Well the computer says we have a copy, but doesn't appear to be on the shelves."

I had to come home and order one on 24 hour delivery instead to placate ds.

Right, off to see if I can manage to shove some cheese between two slices of bread each for the dcs!

I sympathise.

My dd is 5 and a half and asd. And in yr 1.

I almost lost the plot by Tuesday evening, things had gotten so bad with half term. (I am dreading the 6 weeks in the summer). Her behaviour in school holidays get worse with every school holiday we have

So far apart from 'normal' asd things she does, she almost accidently strangled herself on a necklace on her wardrobe door, ate a chocolate biscuit then spat all over my wall to floor mirror and smeared it all over with her tongue and fingers, ( i think it was tongue and fingers but I was not in the room at the same time). The spat all over the sofa. Had a humourless hysterical laughing fit for a hour, followed by a crying fit for about half an hour. Kicked a small child's bicycle twice when he was standing waiting for his mum when we were out for no apparent reason...... the list goes on.........

Tues and Thurs I look after my nephew which made both days worse.....

Thankfully our inset day was last Friday so have got it out the way already.

moosemama, gosh no, not switched on or organised at all lol just accept out limitations. I find this quite easy to do when it is just the one week off. Luckily my ASD son loves being at home in holidays, it is my older son I feel for, it gets a bit boring for him. I did discuss with him sending my 5 year old to a special playscheme a few times in the summer so we can do stuff just for him but bless him, he said he doesn't want him to go in case he doesn't like it. Kids are fine. It's me who's a bit stir crazy!

Moosemama......Dd was not as bad in the job centre yesterday as she was in the docs today!
I guess that isn't a bad thing as the docs was to get her a referral, and the doc spent 5 minutes trying to get her to come out from under the table! Problem is job centre arranged my first sign in date for tomorrow so I have to take her back again. Other than that she has just been playing with the other kids here. Although we did go to the library before the appointment yesterday....
Saturday we are going to soft play, my dad is coming sunday and we have inset day Monday

That is so annoying when books are out or you can't find them on the shelves... And I hope you are feeling better!

Sign on date? Haven't you applied for carers allowance (or the 'underlying entitlement' which means you don't actually get the money, but you do avoid Pauline types and pressure to apply for posts www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2237516/Jobcentre-advertises-hitman-kill-undesirables-Government-staff-fail-notice-fake.html

Try again unsuitable posts

Mareeyadelores I love that advert... Unfortunately I don't have any sniper experience... Unless you count call of duty on the x box

No I haven't yet... I have just received dla pack for dd. but I don't hold out much hope as nearly everyone is citing our current housing predicament for dds issues... Although the doc appointment today was fruitful in the fact he agrees it isn't housing related after talking to dd. So sign on will be until I can get the forms completed sent off and heard back, then made a claim IF she gets awarded anything.
Nothing but fun times ahead!