Babies Born ~ September 2007 #75

[AnyDream]

Hello, my lovelies - I don't have much time but I did want to pop in and say hello while I've got my lappy open... I do too much BB surfing on my phone and it's hard to find our lovely September babies home that way.

Anyhoo, I'm here now. How the goshdarnheck is everyone?

Cass, working from home is a dream... when the family is out. LOL. There was one day in the school hols when they were at home, and well, let's just say it wasn't my most productive day ever LOL. How's the countryside now that the seasons are shifting? Starting to feel more settled?

Arte, how's things, luv? Scouts sounds awesomesauce. DD1 did scouts briefly before swapping over to Guides - I found the Scouts to be more activity-based things while Guides there seemed to be more of a social-learning kind of feel to it (which was what DD1 needed). Just realised last week that Miss E is probably old enough to join the fluffy ducklings group (or whatever it is that Brownies is called now that it's not Brownies). They've just started a Ranger group in our area too, much to DD1's delight. Any progress on after-school activities? It might help to have a weekly routine, eg, Mondays is craft, Tuesdays we walk to the park, Wednesdays is cooking, Thursdays we go to the library, Fridays you're allowed to sit on your bum and watch telly all afternoon (LOL). Just a thought...

I'm waiting for MP to drop back in and tell us all about her new furry four-legged family member...?

[Artechim]

Hi MD I am floating around but I got a kindle for my birthday and that has been taking up most of my free time

Thanks for the day of the week activity. We had already started doing that but honestly the behaviour is just making it not worth it. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

[AnyDream]

Ha - love that you've discovered the Kindle joy!! Best reads so far? I'm currently wading into Finnikin of the Rock - which is kind of a YA fantasy by Melina Marchetta who wrote Looking for Alibrandi... slow start but *everyone* says it's worth hanging in there for. It's not on my Kindle though... which means every night I fall asleep and lose my page (!). LOL

How's the after school stuff - improving I hope. E goes to after school care on most days, but we still get a load of grumpy off-ness of an evening. I put it down to tiredness & also all the moments of holding in the way she's feeling during the school day. I've started encouraging her to relax with things like an earlier bath, a back rub, drawing it out (DIY art therapy LOL), and I'm also thinking of teaching my mob some mindfulness & relaxation techniques. I learnt a good one the other day 7-11 breathing. You breathe in for the count of 7 and then breathe out for the count of 11 (challenge). The inhale adds oxygen and the exhale builds the level of CO2 in the blood, which acts like a natural betablocker & lowers BP, etc. I've practiced this my whole life, but it's the first time I've heard of the 7-11 timing - but it works like a charm, and "Seven Eleven Breathing" is a quick way to refer to it with the kids. Am thinking of adding it as a permanent agenda slot to our family meetings. LOL. These days I'm all about getting them ALL ONBOARD so I'm not the only idiot pushing the bus forwards while everyone else sits back having a free ride.

In other news, Miss E surprised me yesterday by bringing out a novel that we had started reading together a couple of months ago & then set aside, with a bookmark inserted two chapters from the end. Apparently she's been sitting up in bed every night reading it. ie = actually reading, not just lying there looking at the pictures (!!). It's only one of those easy reader things (rainbow fairy style) but it was a thickish one. She watched the first Harry Potter movie on the weekend, and I told her she couldn't watch the next one until she'd read the book - and she's taken that as a challenge. She's determined to prove that she can read well enough to take on HP. Unreal. This never happened with H, who poo-poohed all my early novel reading suggestions for years & then suddenly picked up a really random book and read it.

[Artechim]

MD, best so far is the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I read a Terry Brooks trilogy and it wasn't that great, but I ran out of Sanderson so I am back for more Brooks
Well done to E with the reading!! It is super satisfying to have a kid that reads for enjoyment I sometimes find W in his room reading a book. He has started HP a couple of times but it seems quite hard going. He is working his way through How to train your dragon which is quite a fun series and I may just borrow them at some point

I would give your 7-11 thingo a try, but I just stopped smoking on Friday and I don't think I could manage a whole 7 count breath in lol.

Everyone has been sick on and off for nearly a week now. It is some crazy sleeping sickness - when I got it I woke enough to tell DH I was sick and then slept until 2pm! The girls had it on Saturday and slept from lunch until tea time, had tea and a bath and then went to bed again! Now they seem to have it again today with a big day nap and a very early bed time and slight temp. W had the day off school yesterday. As far as sicknesses go, I would take sleeping bug over V and D anytime! I wonder if we will get sick more living in a bigger town?

[Artechim]

Just spent half an hour blubbing on the phone to an ASD agency. I don't know what to do with him any more. It is so hard All these years and I still can't figure out if it is sensory, anxiety, ASD, gifted or bad parenting. Probably a mix of everything. Whatever it is I am just so tired of dealing with it every.single.day.