Current Activities

I was reading someone's blog the other day and saw how they said that they found it they didn't blog every day, they seemed to forget what they had been doing; I can relate to that!

I originally started this blog with the intention of it being daily, but life hasn't really cooperated ;0)

The point being, I'm trying to catch up on what we are doing at the moment, HE wise.

The relationship building with other families, and regular gatherings, are continuing to provide a framework on which to hang everything. For example, this week, one of the families had the boys over to lunch whilst I had my scan, and then we went round there afterwards to spend some time there as well (being joined by another HE family). I find these building relationships very rewarding, and very different to any such "contact" I had with other, schooled families when the boys were still at school.

On Friday, the families in and around the Bromley area continued with their fornightly meeting at the park near us. This week, as well as two new home educating families, we had another six come along. What I particularly like is that this is a mixture of families from "our" group, and other groups, who all pick and mix activities in order to meet up with as many families, and do as many different things, as possible. Being here on the outskirts of London and Kent, means we get to join in the central and southern London HE lists/groups, the Bromley group, our Kent group, to name but a few.

I was late getting to the park, as I met for lunch with some of the other pregnant ladies from church, which was nice as I'd missed the last two gatherings.

Samuel and William helped their Dad on Thursday with the cutting of the outside of the hedge which hasn't been done since last June. He just focused on the outside, as we haven't got the time at the moment to do it all in one go - especially as I can't help him this time like I did last year. The boys raked up the clippings and helped bag them up. In the afternoon (after a frantic dash to the GP as I'd forgotten my appointment again..) we took the bags over to the dump; a few snatched moments for us to talk about some stuff without having the children (or my mum) around to listen/interupt!

Samuel then spent over 2 hours helping his Nan in the garden, and was suitably chuffed to get £2 from her, and £1 from us for all his labours (William got paid too for his help). I always encourage him when he gets focused on something; especially as we still don't seem to be over this particular "aspie" period at the moment. Talking with other mums, we all agreed that our ASD kids were having a bad week or two. Seems to be tied in with the moon but can't think of any (scientific) explanation for that.

For example, he's finding choices very hard again; took him 25 minutes to decide on which flavour bag of crisps to have mid morning today. I didn't interfer, just sat there - just BEING there - whilst he worked it through, and made a fuss of him for finally managing to decide logically which one to have (on the basis of which flavour it had been the longest since he'd last had them).

Talking with Roarke, he says that its fascinating to him to realise that is exactly how he feels about all choices, but how over the years (not knowing he was an aspie) he has "taught" himself to not be like that. He describes it as worrying that by not chosing one option, he'll lose out. All the time he hasn't decided, he hasn't "lost" anything.

Its so ironic. My issues with decisions are "learnt" behaviour (from the depression), and my natural state is good, clear decision making. Roarke's clear decision making is "learnt" and his natural state is procrastination!

He's off today working in Tunbridge Wells at the B&Q, demonstrating/selling, for the agency we both do work for, so I'm making sure I rest and keep my legs crossed ;0)

Other than that, when he's around, its hot currys and long walks now; just want to meet my little lad!

He had Joshua and William in stitches earlier, as they sat watching my belly heave and move and Jonathan wriggled around.

We were kindly given a lot of learning CDs for reception/year 1/2 by someone in our HE group and I am currently working through them; hoping Samuel will take on the year 1/2 stuff in order to help him focus and regain some confidence in his learning at the moment.

Joshua has asked for help looking into catapults; having built his own lego one he wants to know more about their history and design. All sounds quite promising...