So my baby car just drove away **sniff sniff**, and that brings me one step closer to moving back home! I found a buyer for my little left-drive car through a mechanic that had done some work on it last month. This guy needed a left-drive to take to his villa in Spain...ooooooh, la la...and I needed to sell a left-drive in a right-drive country! Win-win then! LOL I didn't get as much as I wanted but hey, it's one less thing to stress about and since it's paid for, it's money in my pocket! It wasn't the snazziest or speediest car in the U.K. but I loved driving it with my Canadian flag proudly displayed in the back window. ;o) Now lets just hope we can manage with one car for the next few months...EEK. I'm glad there's only 2 weeks of school left as we have to drive Connor ourselves every day.
Tim is in Toronto again and spent another relaxing weekend chez Norm and Janette. He is flying back overnight Wednesday with the parental units and just to make me chuckle it turns out that Dad was able to upgrade himself and Mom to Business Class while Timmy will be sitting in Cattle Class with the pheasants...hehe. Brilliant! LOL I'm sure my Dad will take full advantage waving to him from behind the curtain and toasting him with champagne! Mwah ha ha ha ha. Now I may end up eating my words if my Dad turns on the charm at check-in and gets Tim upgraded too.
The kids have been little stars for the past few days while Daddy has been away. It was a busy weekend as usual and poor little Delsin is suffering from a rotten head cold and a cough. He missed preschool again today but I just don't feel right sending him there when he is hacking away. I'll see how he is tomorrow and make a decision about school but he'll go to Dawn's regardless, he so loves it there! We will both miss Dawn very much when we go. Connor elected to not go to his youth group this past weekend but has promised he'll go again for the last two sessions before the holidays. He very sweetly said to me that he would give it a miss to "help you out so you're not so stressed trying to get Maeghan to ballet and me to my group". I love that boy so much!
Things are ticking along with getting the house ready. I had to bump the estate agent AGAIN because my builder cancelled on me on Friday for his scheduled day on Saturday. I was NOT a happy camper...GRRRRRRRR! I missed my Christmas night out with the ladies from the stables at Parasol because we were still trying to get the kids rooms purged and all the furniture moved away from the walls for the builder before Tim left at 0:darkthirty on Friday morning. I almost cried when this guy called me back to cancel because I was so looking forward to a night out. Sigh. On a positive note, I did finish the last of the major painting jobs...woo hoo. Just the second coat of white on the door frames left to do...kill me...and some touching up and cleaning around the edges. The decorator is coming...and YES I have confirmed this with him...on December 14-15 to do the hall and stairwell painting. We will keep plugging away at tidying, decluttering, purging, and "House-Doctoring" over the next few weeks. I'm not anticipating many people wanting to view over the holidays anyway and will hope for a sale in the new year. Fingers crossed!
So counting down the days until my Mom and Dad arrive...oh, yeah and Tim too, hehe...on Thursday morning. Mom and Dad are only here until Saturday then they take off to Budapest and board a boat for a week long cruise along the Danube visiting the Christmas markets. It's a great life for some! LOL It sounds like a divine trip and I can't wait to see the pics. I'm glad they are taking advantage of our last Christmas in Europe to see a few more things while they have a base to work from. I guess we'll get out this weekend and pick out a Christmas tree and get the house decorated for the holidays. Although I'm an atheist, I still enjoy this time of year as a time to come together and celebrate life with the people I love.
So onwards and upwards! So much more to do and time is definitely counting down .
Love to all,
Laura :o)
Connor's puzzle piece!
Connor is a "Racing for Autism" hero!
Monday, December 4, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
My brain hurts...
So much to do, so little time to do it in! I have been working like a freaking demon since Tim left trying to get the house ready to sell and I think my head is going to explode. I will NEVER, repeat NEVER do this much painting again, mark my words!! All painter/decorators in the Ajax/Whitby area be on alert that I may be requiring your services in the near future! One wall left plus some trim to sort out and then I may put down the brush/roller. Then we still have to purge and clean before the estate agent comes on Monday...aarrgghh. Tim arrives back from TO on Saturday and has been forewarned that despite how crap he will feel from the jetlag, we are under the gun here. He's promised to help and I hope he will. He sent me details on a few houses and I just have to ask...what the hell are people thinking sometimes with their decorating???? Roman-style columns?? Tacky wallpaper borders?? Obnoxious colours?? Don't these people watch "House Doctor"?? Apparently not. Calling all decorators...
**I will get through this** **I will get through this** **I will get through this** (my new mantra!)
Laura :o)
**I will get through this** **I will get through this** **I will get through this** (my new mantra!)
Laura :o)
Sunday, November 19, 2006
He's Baaaaaaack!
My wonderful boy is back from Woodlands, YAY! I must admit, I was very emotional when I picked him up because he spotted me and ran into my arms and gave me a huge bear hug **sniff sniff** It was comforting to see that I wasn't the only teary-eyed parent there! Both Ms. McConnell and Miss Millington made a point of coming up to me to tell me what a great time he had, apparently he was a little star! He tried everything and was caring and compassionate to other kids when they were ill or scared. There was a flu bug doing the rounds and some kids were really ill but thankfully Cameron and Sophie were spared but Cam's buddy Jonathon was hit and did some very impressive throwing-up according to Cam..hehe. Cam also got to experience the joys of "having to go" outside and was coached through the art of squatting by one of the centre leaders...leave it to Cameron, hahaha! He is quite pleased with himself despite returning with a plastic bag with wet underpants in it..ewwwwwwww! Oh the joys of being a Mom, right? ;o) I can't tell you how proud I am of my boy, my heart is bursting with pride! We are supposed to be receiving a CD-rom with pics from the trip and I hope there's a few of Cam!
Cam with his scary pile of laundry!
My beautiful boy is BACK!
Tim arrived safely in Toronto on Friday and I hope he got a good rest yesterday, we didn't talk to him! Today is Grey Cup at my Dad's with Tim, Uncle Fred, Uncle Rob and Uncle Randy...I hope Tim heeds my warning and doesn't pollute his liver because he has an early meeting with his new customer, Rogers, tomorrow...consider this a "blog-nag", my dear. ;o) I'm so jealous that he is enjoying the blissful calm of the cottage but hopefully it won't be long before we are all enjoying restful weekends on the lake!
I will still work on getting some Paris pics up, just too busy...aarrgghh! So here's a few to tide you over!
A sidewalk cafe we found right after arriving in Paris! Note the guys in the window behind us...wankers...our waiter was killing himself laughing!
The Arc de Carosel at the Louvre...you can look straight through the arch and see all the way to the Arc de Triomphe!
Hey, what's that thing behind me???
I'm at the Louvre...wheeeeeeeee!
The architecture was simply stunning, everywhere you looked there were ornate carvings such as this handsome fellow!
Hope you are having a nice relaxing Sunday,
Laura :o)
Cam with his scary pile of laundry!
My beautiful boy is BACK!
Tim arrived safely in Toronto on Friday and I hope he got a good rest yesterday, we didn't talk to him! Today is Grey Cup at my Dad's with Tim, Uncle Fred, Uncle Rob and Uncle Randy...I hope Tim heeds my warning and doesn't pollute his liver because he has an early meeting with his new customer, Rogers, tomorrow...consider this a "blog-nag", my dear. ;o) I'm so jealous that he is enjoying the blissful calm of the cottage but hopefully it won't be long before we are all enjoying restful weekends on the lake!
I will still work on getting some Paris pics up, just too busy...aarrgghh! So here's a few to tide you over!
A sidewalk cafe we found right after arriving in Paris! Note the guys in the window behind us...wankers...our waiter was killing himself laughing!
The Arc de Carosel at the Louvre...you can look straight through the arch and see all the way to the Arc de Triomphe!
Hey, what's that thing behind me???
I'm at the Louvre...wheeeeeeeee!
The architecture was simply stunning, everywhere you looked there were ornate carvings such as this handsome fellow!
Hope you are having a nice relaxing Sunday,
Laura :o)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Gaaaaaahhhh, my Mommy heart...blah
I put my 2nd born, Cammy, on a bus this morning for his year groups' annual week long residential trip. And yes, I cried because I'm a big wimp **blub blub**. Last year he was adamant that he wouldn't go and I couldn't blame him really considering how he was being treated by some of his peers. When he went back this year he decided he did want to go and I am so proud of him! It's an outdoor adventure week and they will get to do things like rock climbing and caving...shame the weather forecast is looking a bit daunting! I know he'll be just fine but man was it hard to see his little face in the window of that big bus waving at me with a slightly concerned look. Ohhhh, my aching heart! Here's my little man and his buddy Jonathon waiting to board!
Cam chatting to Jonathon while they wait to board the bus.
Smiling for Mom!
Cam and his buddy Jonathon
I don't think my heart can take much more stress this week, so I hope karma works with me on this one. ;o)
I'll post an update on the last few manic weeks around here with some pics! Hope you are all well.
Love from all of us, and big smooches going out to my darling boy Cammy.
Laura :o)
Cam chatting to Jonathon while they wait to board the bus.
Smiling for Mom!
Cam and his buddy Jonathon
I don't think my heart can take much more stress this week, so I hope karma works with me on this one. ;o)
I'll post an update on the last few manic weeks around here with some pics! Hope you are all well.
Love from all of us, and big smooches going out to my darling boy Cammy.
Laura :o)
Monday, October 23, 2006
She's here & we survived tobogganing...
It was a busy Sunday in the Taverner household! First of all, my Mom arrived safe and sound at Terminal 4 of Heathrow yesterday...after the flight from hell! A group of Swiss exchange students kept her awake all night with their chatting so she was very tired...ugh, poor Mom! She came along to pick Mae up from riding and then we came back home, had a quick visit and then left her to go tobogganing for Cam's birthday party. It was probably for the best because she was tired and was able to take a little nappy-poo while we were away.
Second, we survived a tobogganing party with 9 children...woo hoo! It was a lot of fun and it was great to see the kids spend 30 minutes running up and sliding down a hill of snow earning nice rosy cheeks in the process! There should, however, be a disclaimer warning parents of possible heart palpatations caused by trying to haul out-of-shape bodies up a snow covered slope...epecially when carrying an almost 30lb. 4-year-old...**pant pant**. To be honest, Delsin was an absolute star and didn't complain at all! He really enjoyed bombing down on Mom or Dad's lap! After the session we went back to the cafe where they had a table set up for us and big platters of food were brought out. There were pizza's, sausages, curly fries, veggies & dip, slush puppies and jugs of water plus mini doughnuts for dessert and party bags for each child to take home. I was very impressed with what was provided and the kids were eating for England after all that exercise...even Mr. Fussy-pants, a.k.a Delsin! We brought a cake and Cam was a bit embarrassed when we all started to sing to him, check out the grin on his face below..hehe. He enjoyed his day and we were so happy to see him having fun!
Cam is out today with one of the boys from his party, Jack, and I was really pleased when he was invited. Cam has struggled to "fit in" and find friends here and Jack seems like a lovely boy. I hope they are having a great time! I'm having a lazy day and think I'm "coming down" from the stress of the last few weeks. We plan to tell the kids tonight of our plans to move back to Canada and I hope they are okay with the idea. Part of the reason we waited to tell them was so that I could have my Mom here for some moral support. I'm sure that the boys are going to be fine with the idea but Mae's little world is going to collapse around her. She has a great life here and will miss her friends and her activities. Our task is to convince her that she can start her activities again in Canada and make new friends. Not so easy to understand when you are nine. I can remember doing this many times in my life as a "military brat" and it's not easy but you do it and carry on. I hope my experience will help her and my Mom will be here to reassure her as well.
On a final note, I thought I would post a picture of another one of my neighbours, well sort of. This little guy/gal is actually a resident of my neighbour's garden and came out for a little wander around on Saturday. A little glimpse of nature in a busy town.
Hope you had a great weekend,
Laura :o)
Second, we survived a tobogganing party with 9 children...woo hoo! It was a lot of fun and it was great to see the kids spend 30 minutes running up and sliding down a hill of snow earning nice rosy cheeks in the process! There should, however, be a disclaimer warning parents of possible heart palpatations caused by trying to haul out-of-shape bodies up a snow covered slope...epecially when carrying an almost 30lb. 4-year-old...**pant pant**. To be honest, Delsin was an absolute star and didn't complain at all! He really enjoyed bombing down on Mom or Dad's lap! After the session we went back to the cafe where they had a table set up for us and big platters of food were brought out. There were pizza's, sausages, curly fries, veggies & dip, slush puppies and jugs of water plus mini doughnuts for dessert and party bags for each child to take home. I was very impressed with what was provided and the kids were eating for England after all that exercise...even Mr. Fussy-pants, a.k.a Delsin! We brought a cake and Cam was a bit embarrassed when we all started to sing to him, check out the grin on his face below..hehe. He enjoyed his day and we were so happy to see him having fun!
Cam is out today with one of the boys from his party, Jack, and I was really pleased when he was invited. Cam has struggled to "fit in" and find friends here and Jack seems like a lovely boy. I hope they are having a great time! I'm having a lazy day and think I'm "coming down" from the stress of the last few weeks. We plan to tell the kids tonight of our plans to move back to Canada and I hope they are okay with the idea. Part of the reason we waited to tell them was so that I could have my Mom here for some moral support. I'm sure that the boys are going to be fine with the idea but Mae's little world is going to collapse around her. She has a great life here and will miss her friends and her activities. Our task is to convince her that she can start her activities again in Canada and make new friends. Not so easy to understand when you are nine. I can remember doing this many times in my life as a "military brat" and it's not easy but you do it and carry on. I hope my experience will help her and my Mom will be here to reassure her as well.
On a final note, I thought I would post a picture of another one of my neighbours, well sort of. This little guy/gal is actually a resident of my neighbour's garden and came out for a little wander around on Saturday. A little glimpse of nature in a busy town.
Hope you had a great weekend,
Laura :o)
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Half term...aaaahhhhhh...
So the kids have made it through to half term and have now earned a week off school to rest their little brains! Mommy looks forward to sleeping in a bit, I'm so not a morning person! Cam got to end on a high note with turning 11 and is looking forward to his tobogganing party tomorrow at and indoor snow done in Milton Keynes! I hope Mom and Dad survive 9 soaking wet kids! Even better, my Mom arrives tomorrow from Canada to stay with us for 3 weeks...bliss. I always feel much better when I have my family by my side and I can feel my mood lifting already! We will have to do lots of work this visit to get our house ready to sell and I know she will be a great help to me. I must purge the kids toys and found an article in the local paper about a toy shop in a neighbouring town that is having a "toy amnesty" where people can drop off any old toys, complete or not, and they will repair/clean them and sell them with profits going to the new childrens hospital in Oxford...I hope they are prepared for what I'm about do dump on them...urgh! Yesterday the builders arrived and did a fantastic job installing our new shower upstairs and skimming the walls in our entrance hall so that we can now paint them. I got back some quotes from the decorators as well and I've decided on one to hire to continue on the walls upstairs but think I will tackle the kitchen myself or else this is going to cost us a fortune. Oh well, it all has to be finished so that we can get our butts moved outta here. The lino quote has come in as well so that will hopefully be installed in the next few weeks. Fingers crossed that we will be ready to list at the end of November.
Tim and I are finally going to get to Paris!! Mom agreed to watch the kids for 3 days at the end of next week, while the kids are off school, so that I can finally see the City of Lights! We are going over on the Eurostar train...yes UNDER the channel **panic for Laura**...and spending two nights in a beautiful hotel near the Louvre. We have a day tour booked to see Paris by bus, then a cruise up the river to the Eiffel Tower where we will enjoy lunch on the first floor. To say I'm excited would be a HUGE understatement. I will now be able to tick Paris off my "Things to Do Before I Die" list. ;o) I'm thrilled that after six years in Europe I won't leave with the regret of not seeing Paris...isn't my Mom the BEST?
So busy weekend ahead and so much to do in so little time. I'm trying to take things slowly and make list of priorities to work from. I know it will all get done but I can completely understand why "experts" say that moving is one of the most stressful experiences you can have! I'm going to take some time out this evening to enjoy a night with two of my wonderful friends, Jan and Jen. Jen has invited us over for wine and nibbles so we can have a nice "girls" evening. It will be so nice to have some time away from all the stress in my life right now.
Hope you are all having a nice weekend so far,
Laura :o)
Tim and I are finally going to get to Paris!! Mom agreed to watch the kids for 3 days at the end of next week, while the kids are off school, so that I can finally see the City of Lights! We are going over on the Eurostar train...yes UNDER the channel **panic for Laura**...and spending two nights in a beautiful hotel near the Louvre. We have a day tour booked to see Paris by bus, then a cruise up the river to the Eiffel Tower where we will enjoy lunch on the first floor. To say I'm excited would be a HUGE understatement. I will now be able to tick Paris off my "Things to Do Before I Die" list. ;o) I'm thrilled that after six years in Europe I won't leave with the regret of not seeing Paris...isn't my Mom the BEST?
So busy weekend ahead and so much to do in so little time. I'm trying to take things slowly and make list of priorities to work from. I know it will all get done but I can completely understand why "experts" say that moving is one of the most stressful experiences you can have! I'm going to take some time out this evening to enjoy a night with two of my wonderful friends, Jan and Jen. Jen has invited us over for wine and nibbles so we can have a nice "girls" evening. It will be so nice to have some time away from all the stress in my life right now.
Hope you are all having a nice weekend so far,
Laura :o)
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Happy 11th Birthday Cammy-doodle!
Me, Dad, Connor, Maeghan, Delsin, Oscar & Schat want to wish you a very Happy 11th Birthday! I know it's a school day (boo, hiss) but I hope your day is fabulous anyway. We can't wait to bomb down the toboggan hill with you on Sunday...woo hoo! Thank you for being such a kind, loving boy who gives Mom the best snuggles in the whole world. I'm very proud of the young man you are becoming and you were always the happiest, smiliest baby with the biggest and brightest blue eyes. I love you very much and am so proud to call you my son.
Much love and many smooches today from all of us,
Mom XO
Monday, October 16, 2006
Awwwwww, crap!
That's how my day started out today, typical Monday. Cat shit to be precise, in the sink in my utility room. **GAG** My fault really, I put Schatje's litter box outside on Saturday to clean it and forgot about it. Stupid thing is that she rarely uses the box anymore and that was the first time in months there was anything in it to clean...aarrgghh. Now that the nights are getting chillier, she is coming in for a few hours and her usual entrances/exits are closed to keep us warm. I guess I should be happy that she hit the sink rather than the baskets of clean laundry nearby...hehe. She was locked in the conservatory overnight a few months ago and similar chaos ensued, lesson learned then? She's lucky she so damn cute and I love her to pieces!
She looks innocent enough, don't you think?
Hope your Monday started off better than mine!
Laura :o)
She looks innocent enough, don't you think?
Hope your Monday started off better than mine!
Laura :o)
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Another week gone...
Sheesh time really does fly, doesn't it?? It's been a hectic week with lots of decisions to be made. I've got builders coming on Friday to install the shower and fix the plaster in the entrance hall...finally found one I HOPE I can trust to show up and do the job...the garage door is fixed, the guy was here today to measure for the lino in the kitchen and two bathrooms, and I've had two decorator quotes back as well...result! I'm hoping that by the end of November we can get the place on the market and see what happens. I don't think this is particularly the best time of year to sell a house and places listed around here are not selling right now...EEK. I just hope the size of this place and it's location will help to sell it and we are not holding out to make a huge windfall either, we will make a profit anyway and it will give us a good downpayment on a place in TO. Fingers crossed.
The kids finished up another busy week, Connor managed to get a detention for not doing his homework and that was a good lesson for him! I can only nag so much and he is capable of doing his homework despite his Aspergers! Mae has been practicing her flute regularly and what a difference it it making, I'm very happy with her. She lost her riding lesson on Tuesday after a monumental diva/strop moment and I think she learned a lot from that. Mom's threats came to a real punishment and although she was not happy, she took her punishment and has been much better since. She finished the week off with football club on Friday followed by a ballet class, two ballet classes on Saturday morning, skating with Emily, Beth, Neil, me and Cameron in the afternoon, and a day at the stables today...phew. I don't know where she gets the energy from! Cam did go to football club on Friday...and hated it...rats. I've told him that he still has to go and I'm hoping that the more he learns about the game, the more he will enjoy it. That's my theory anyway..hehe. Cam wanted to come skating with us on Saturday and I was really proud of him! He looked like "Bambi" when he stepped out on the ice and I thought he was going to say "forget this", but he stuck with it and stayed on his feet for the better part of an hour. He was really starting to sort out his balance by the end. Delsin and Connor had a very chilled out weekend with Daddy and I think they both needed that after a hard week. Connor went to his youth group on Saturday and enjoyed it as usual. Delsin "helped" Daddy do the grocery run today and came home all excited with candy in his hands...hehe. Tim went off to see one of his freaky gamer friends while Connor was at group on Saturday and then had a pretty chilled weekend after that. We still did our pizza and movie night on Saturday featuring "The Chamber of Secrets" and I was amazed I made it through as much of the movie as I did, what else is new?? I was "toast" after and early start to the day to get Mae off to ballet and then an hour and a half of skating in Oxford!! A couple of glasses of wine and some pizza and it was ZZZZZZZZZ for Mommy! Everyone went up to bed and left me on the couch and I eventually crawled up to bed at 12:30! It was another early day today to get Mae off to the stables for 9:00 and I had lots of tidying/sorting to do before Clive cam to measure up for the lino. I'm trying to declutter and pitch stuff as well, a very big job! I had a lovely ride out with Mae this afternoon on 'Solly' although Mae was pouting because she wasn't happy riding her pony Scrumpy..oh well. Sue did brilliantly on big King, what a gorgeous boy he is! When we got back, I popped over to Jan's because I knew she had been babysitting Millie while we were riding and I got my first "cuddle". I even managed to put her to sleep on my shoulder, what a great feeling...DOWN ovaries, BAD ovaries! Sophie was in big ka-ka with Jan and missed her ride today..as well her two rides this coming week..but it was good to see that she didn't look too upset. I think Jan is upset with our leaving and pretty much told me not to worry about working anymore which upsets me a bit as we won't be leaving for a while, but I guess I can see it from her point of view. Sigh.
So the kids are all up in their beds now and I must crack on with the ironing and get my butt off to bed too. Busy week as Tim is on a course so I have to do the Connor run for the next three days...ugh. Connor's annual review is on Wednesday and that will be a good thing for me to take back to Canada to give them an idea of his provision here, not that I'm holding my breath that he will get anything near that back home...sigh. Jen will hopefully be back to clean on Wednesday and I dropped off some ironing to her today, her family picked up a terrible stomach bug that is doing the rounds and she was desperately ill last week and couldn't clean. She looks much better now and really wants to get back to work.
Special thoughts going out tonight to my friend Wendy in NY state...they were hit by a terrible early season snow storm and have suffered extensive damage to their home. They now have power and everyone is safe and warm so that is a relief. I hope things improve and they are able to get things repaired quickly and get life back to normal. Love and hugs to Wendy, Bob and the kids.
Nighty-night,
Laura :o)
The kids finished up another busy week, Connor managed to get a detention for not doing his homework and that was a good lesson for him! I can only nag so much and he is capable of doing his homework despite his Aspergers! Mae has been practicing her flute regularly and what a difference it it making, I'm very happy with her. She lost her riding lesson on Tuesday after a monumental diva/strop moment and I think she learned a lot from that. Mom's threats came to a real punishment and although she was not happy, she took her punishment and has been much better since. She finished the week off with football club on Friday followed by a ballet class, two ballet classes on Saturday morning, skating with Emily, Beth, Neil, me and Cameron in the afternoon, and a day at the stables today...phew. I don't know where she gets the energy from! Cam did go to football club on Friday...and hated it...rats. I've told him that he still has to go and I'm hoping that the more he learns about the game, the more he will enjoy it. That's my theory anyway..hehe. Cam wanted to come skating with us on Saturday and I was really proud of him! He looked like "Bambi" when he stepped out on the ice and I thought he was going to say "forget this", but he stuck with it and stayed on his feet for the better part of an hour. He was really starting to sort out his balance by the end. Delsin and Connor had a very chilled out weekend with Daddy and I think they both needed that after a hard week. Connor went to his youth group on Saturday and enjoyed it as usual. Delsin "helped" Daddy do the grocery run today and came home all excited with candy in his hands...hehe. Tim went off to see one of his freaky gamer friends while Connor was at group on Saturday and then had a pretty chilled weekend after that. We still did our pizza and movie night on Saturday featuring "The Chamber of Secrets" and I was amazed I made it through as much of the movie as I did, what else is new?? I was "toast" after and early start to the day to get Mae off to ballet and then an hour and a half of skating in Oxford!! A couple of glasses of wine and some pizza and it was ZZZZZZZZZ for Mommy! Everyone went up to bed and left me on the couch and I eventually crawled up to bed at 12:30! It was another early day today to get Mae off to the stables for 9:00 and I had lots of tidying/sorting to do before Clive cam to measure up for the lino. I'm trying to declutter and pitch stuff as well, a very big job! I had a lovely ride out with Mae this afternoon on 'Solly' although Mae was pouting because she wasn't happy riding her pony Scrumpy..oh well. Sue did brilliantly on big King, what a gorgeous boy he is! When we got back, I popped over to Jan's because I knew she had been babysitting Millie while we were riding and I got my first "cuddle". I even managed to put her to sleep on my shoulder, what a great feeling...DOWN ovaries, BAD ovaries! Sophie was in big ka-ka with Jan and missed her ride today..as well her two rides this coming week..but it was good to see that she didn't look too upset. I think Jan is upset with our leaving and pretty much told me not to worry about working anymore which upsets me a bit as we won't be leaving for a while, but I guess I can see it from her point of view. Sigh.
So the kids are all up in their beds now and I must crack on with the ironing and get my butt off to bed too. Busy week as Tim is on a course so I have to do the Connor run for the next three days...ugh. Connor's annual review is on Wednesday and that will be a good thing for me to take back to Canada to give them an idea of his provision here, not that I'm holding my breath that he will get anything near that back home...sigh. Jen will hopefully be back to clean on Wednesday and I dropped off some ironing to her today, her family picked up a terrible stomach bug that is doing the rounds and she was desperately ill last week and couldn't clean. She looks much better now and really wants to get back to work.
Special thoughts going out tonight to my friend Wendy in NY state...they were hit by a terrible early season snow storm and have suffered extensive damage to their home. They now have power and everyone is safe and warm so that is a relief. I hope things improve and they are able to get things repaired quickly and get life back to normal. Love and hugs to Wendy, Bob and the kids.
Nighty-night,
Laura :o)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
How can I be stressed when...
I have goofy kids like this?? Here are a few outtakes from Thanksgiving dinner last weekend, these kids really are nuts sometimes but they do make me smile more than bang my head, I'm one lucky Momma!
Here they are each of them being goofy in their own way! I particularly love the last picture of Delsin..."I said NO MORE PICTURES MOM"...little darling. Of the course the next minute he's smiling and mugging for the camera! It's hard to be four sometimes. Aren't they the most gorgeous kids you've ever seen?
Laura :o)
OH CANADA....
Well the decision has been made...we are going HOME! Cisco's global relocation team approved our transfer back to Canada on Tuesday and after a sleepless, stomach-churning night we decided to go for it and head back home. It's not that I'm not thrilled to be returning to my country, it's just the logistics involved in moving that is keeping me up at night. We haven't told the kids yet, I thought I would wait until my Mom arrives next weekend so that I have some moral support! The boys seemed cool with the idea when we've mentioned it before but Maeghan is having none of it...urgh. She has a great life here, loves her school, her activities, her friends, and I know there will be tears and tantrums when we tell her...sigh. My parents, as usual, have been so supportive and within hours of telling them our plans they were sending me links for riding stables and ballet schools for Mae...hehe. I know it will all be fine but my nerves are still frazzled. Yesterday was a whirlwind of phone calls to local tradesmen for quotes on finishing up the jobs that need doing so that we can sell the house...why is it we never do these jobs until we need to sell? So the guy to fix the garage door is coming tomorrow, I have yet ANOTHER (long story) plumber coming to quote on installing the new shower in the main bathroom, and I've got three decorators doing up quotes to finish stripping wallpaper and then paint the halls and stairs. The house will look so great that it will be a shame to leave it! Hopefully it will mean a great profit for us in ££'s which will translate into a nice downpayment in $$'s! I will miss earning the mighty £ but we're not complaining about our offer. ;-) Next comes the big clear out, we need to dump some stuff before we go back across the pond, we have the most spoiled kids on the planet and our house regularly looks like Toys r Us vomited in every room. There are boxes in the loft we haven't opened since leaving Canada in 2000 so some stuff needs to go!
My biggest stress involves Connor and his education. He is doing so well right now and I know that uprooting him is going to be difficult and I'm aware that Ontario doesn't exactly have the best reputation for services to assist Autistic children. This will be a trial to find him a good school where he can be successful both academically and socially and I just keep my fingers crossed that there will be some kind of assistance for him. Worse case scenario: I go back to work and we put him in a private school or I homeschool him myself. This boy has all the potential in the world if we can channel it corrrectly and I would crawl over broken glass on my hands and knees to give him every advantage he deserves! Cameron I worry about too and I hope going back home where he sounds just like everyone else will help his confidence and he'll feel settled and happy. Mae is the one who will stand out this time because she has an English accent so socially she may find things a bit difficult. She is so sweet, kind, funny, and clever that I'm sure the kids will take to her quickly and she will make friends soon. Delsin is developing an accent and I'm sure once we go back and he is around kids with Canadian accents, he will lose his English one pretty quickly. He is at such a fun age that once he is in school he'll be as happy as a clam!
Tim seems very relieved to be out of the European system. He has tried and tried to get promoted here and keeps getting denied and he really honestly feels a lot of it has to do with him being "foreign". I think he will just feel better being back around people with the North American "style" because his enthusiasm and "joie de vive" just doesn't seem to work here where they are very reserved almost to the point of being "anal"..hehe. He seems very excited about the new job and seems to have clicked with some of his new "team" already. I'm not sure what sort of timeline he is looking at to switch over to the Canadian team but I know there is no way we can be out of the U.K. before the new year as so much depends on selling the house. Worse case scenario: Tim has to leave to work in Canada and the kids and I stay until the house is sold.
As for me...I'm okay with all of this one minute and the next I'm feeling panicked and scared. It's not just about me anymore so as the Mom I do all the worrying. I want my kids to be back in their native culture and then I'm worried that the schools aren't going to be as good and they will have trouble fitting in. I know that thousands of people move every year and kids change schools...hell, I did it myself as a military kid...but I also can remember the trepidation of having to be the "new kid" in class...ugh. I'll just do all I can to help my kids make an easy transition and once the stress is over and everyone is settled I will finally be able to celebrate being back in my home country and close to my friends and family again. I'm so looking forward to being able to hop in the car on a Friday and drive to the cottage...bliss! I'm really happy for my parents because I know that our being so far away has been difficult for them and we have been so lucky to have them spend so much time with us overseas. I can imagine how thrilled my Mom and Dad will be to have their grandchildren so close by...oh and they might be happy to have me around again. Once you have kids, it's all about them! Hahaha!
In other news...another busy week chez Taverner, as usual. I drove to Luton airport last night to meet with my brother who had flown in to one London airport (Stanstead) and then transfered to Luton for an overnight stay before flying out to France. How we found his hotel was quite an adventure and lets just say it's a good thing that I have lived in the U.K. for so long, ask Ken to tell you the story some time! He has been "on the road" for a few weeks working and although it was a bit of a nightmare to get to him, I made it and we spent about two hours together and enjoyed a nice meal. To be honest, I can't even remember the last time I saw Ken and he had changed so much that I'm not sure I would have recognized him if I bumped into him in a crowd. In my minds eye he is still my "scrawny little brother" but he's filled out more, he's a bit taller, and obviously older than my memories. One spooky moment came when he lit a cigarette (and YES I let him know I wasn't too happy about that) and I looked at his hands. They are my Dad's hands on my brother's body...very weird! He seemed okay but tired and we had a nice but short visit. I told him of our plans to move back home and his first thought was "Mom and Dad must be thrilled"...amen brother!
So another busy week is almost at an end and no doubt the weeks will fly by now that we have so much to do in so little time. I must dig out my painting clothes and get cracking on some of the walls this weekend. Time to spruce this place up and get it listed and sold. I never seem to get very attached to the homes I live in and won't be particularly sad to say goodbye to this one either, I wonder if that is a hangover reaction from being a military brat all those years ago? Now we just need to find a new home in the GTA to start another chapter in our lives.
Wish us luck!
Laura :o)
My biggest stress involves Connor and his education. He is doing so well right now and I know that uprooting him is going to be difficult and I'm aware that Ontario doesn't exactly have the best reputation for services to assist Autistic children. This will be a trial to find him a good school where he can be successful both academically and socially and I just keep my fingers crossed that there will be some kind of assistance for him. Worse case scenario: I go back to work and we put him in a private school or I homeschool him myself. This boy has all the potential in the world if we can channel it corrrectly and I would crawl over broken glass on my hands and knees to give him every advantage he deserves! Cameron I worry about too and I hope going back home where he sounds just like everyone else will help his confidence and he'll feel settled and happy. Mae is the one who will stand out this time because she has an English accent so socially she may find things a bit difficult. She is so sweet, kind, funny, and clever that I'm sure the kids will take to her quickly and she will make friends soon. Delsin is developing an accent and I'm sure once we go back and he is around kids with Canadian accents, he will lose his English one pretty quickly. He is at such a fun age that once he is in school he'll be as happy as a clam!
Tim seems very relieved to be out of the European system. He has tried and tried to get promoted here and keeps getting denied and he really honestly feels a lot of it has to do with him being "foreign". I think he will just feel better being back around people with the North American "style" because his enthusiasm and "joie de vive" just doesn't seem to work here where they are very reserved almost to the point of being "anal"..hehe. He seems very excited about the new job and seems to have clicked with some of his new "team" already. I'm not sure what sort of timeline he is looking at to switch over to the Canadian team but I know there is no way we can be out of the U.K. before the new year as so much depends on selling the house. Worse case scenario: Tim has to leave to work in Canada and the kids and I stay until the house is sold.
As for me...I'm okay with all of this one minute and the next I'm feeling panicked and scared. It's not just about me anymore so as the Mom I do all the worrying. I want my kids to be back in their native culture and then I'm worried that the schools aren't going to be as good and they will have trouble fitting in. I know that thousands of people move every year and kids change schools...hell, I did it myself as a military kid...but I also can remember the trepidation of having to be the "new kid" in class...ugh. I'll just do all I can to help my kids make an easy transition and once the stress is over and everyone is settled I will finally be able to celebrate being back in my home country and close to my friends and family again. I'm so looking forward to being able to hop in the car on a Friday and drive to the cottage...bliss! I'm really happy for my parents because I know that our being so far away has been difficult for them and we have been so lucky to have them spend so much time with us overseas. I can imagine how thrilled my Mom and Dad will be to have their grandchildren so close by...oh and they might be happy to have me around again. Once you have kids, it's all about them! Hahaha!
In other news...another busy week chez Taverner, as usual. I drove to Luton airport last night to meet with my brother who had flown in to one London airport (Stanstead) and then transfered to Luton for an overnight stay before flying out to France. How we found his hotel was quite an adventure and lets just say it's a good thing that I have lived in the U.K. for so long, ask Ken to tell you the story some time! He has been "on the road" for a few weeks working and although it was a bit of a nightmare to get to him, I made it and we spent about two hours together and enjoyed a nice meal. To be honest, I can't even remember the last time I saw Ken and he had changed so much that I'm not sure I would have recognized him if I bumped into him in a crowd. In my minds eye he is still my "scrawny little brother" but he's filled out more, he's a bit taller, and obviously older than my memories. One spooky moment came when he lit a cigarette (and YES I let him know I wasn't too happy about that) and I looked at his hands. They are my Dad's hands on my brother's body...very weird! He seemed okay but tired and we had a nice but short visit. I told him of our plans to move back home and his first thought was "Mom and Dad must be thrilled"...amen brother!
So another busy week is almost at an end and no doubt the weeks will fly by now that we have so much to do in so little time. I must dig out my painting clothes and get cracking on some of the walls this weekend. Time to spruce this place up and get it listed and sold. I never seem to get very attached to the homes I live in and won't be particularly sad to say goodbye to this one either, I wonder if that is a hangover reaction from being a military brat all those years ago? Now we just need to find a new home in the GTA to start another chapter in our lives.
Wish us luck!
Laura :o)
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Giving thanks...
So tomorrow is Thanksgiving in Canada but since we are in the U.K. we won't have a day off to celebrate so we did ours today! I love any excuse to cook a turkey and I must admit that Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite holidays. I think it's a great idea to pause once every year and give thanks for all that you have because it's easy to forget how lucky you are when you are caught up in the mayhem and stress of everyday life. I am thankful for a husband who provides us with a good life which allows me to be a full time Mom! I'm thankful that Tim loves (and lusts) me unconditionally. I'm thankful that I have four beautiful, healthy, brilliant children who fill my life with joy and unbounded bliss! I'm thankful that I have parents who are also two of my best friends and I love them with all my heart. I'm thankful for the many friends I have, some near and some far, who support me and love me. I'm thankful that I am healthy so that I can be a mother to my children. I'm sure there are many other things I am thankful for but those are a few I've expressed today. The most important thing to me is not the "stuff" but the people who mean the most to me and I hope the next year will be a great one for all of us.
Here are the people I am most thankful for today:
It's been another busy weekend with ballet classes for Maeghan, youth group for Connor, errands to run and a big dinner to cook today! Mae and I picked out Halloween costumes at Sainsbury's on Saturday with Mae choosing the "Devil's wife", Cam is going to be the "Grim Reaper" and Connor is sticking with his fave "Vampire" while Delsin was thrilled when I dug out his cat costume from last year! If it's anything like last year I probably won't get Delsin out of the costume until Christmas...haha! Today, Mae and I enjoyed a ride out with Sophie, Jan, Sarah, Sue and Fizz to celebrate Sophie's 11th birthday...Happy Birthday Sophie, we love you! Stuart was on hand taking photos so I'll check tomorrow to see if he got any action shots of our gang! I had a great ride, on my fave horse Max, and Maeghan had a blast on her fave speedy little pony Midnight. It was my best ride to date and I'm starting to feel much more confident with my trotting and cantering! Let's hope that I'm not doing a "John Wayne" come Tuesday...urgh. We popped over to Jan's after to sing "Happy Birthday" to Sophie and then enjoy a yummy piece of chocolate cake and a cup of tea...bliss!
Looks like another busy week coming up, as usual, and Connor is having a friend come back with us after school... a first for him! It's lovely to see that he is making a friend and it shows how much calmer and more mature he is this year. What a load off this Mommy's mind! Less than two weeks until Cameron is 11, the time seems to really fly by when you have kids!
One last note for today, please spare some thoughts, or prayers if you are so inclined, for Carrie and her son Zackary...you can find a link to Zackary's Caringbridge site on this blog...they had some bad news last week from Zack's test results on his spinal fluid and they could use all the support we can give. He is one tough little man and I have everything crossed that things will start to look better in this struggle to beat the bastard cancer. I'm keeping you both in my thoughts. XO
Hope you are all having a great Sunday and to my compatriots enjoy your Thanksgiving celebrations tomorrow. Wish I could be there to raise a cold "Blue" and enjoy some CFL! I will definitely be there in spirit.
Laura :o)
Here are the people I am most thankful for today:
It's been another busy weekend with ballet classes for Maeghan, youth group for Connor, errands to run and a big dinner to cook today! Mae and I picked out Halloween costumes at Sainsbury's on Saturday with Mae choosing the "Devil's wife", Cam is going to be the "Grim Reaper" and Connor is sticking with his fave "Vampire" while Delsin was thrilled when I dug out his cat costume from last year! If it's anything like last year I probably won't get Delsin out of the costume until Christmas...haha! Today, Mae and I enjoyed a ride out with Sophie, Jan, Sarah, Sue and Fizz to celebrate Sophie's 11th birthday...Happy Birthday Sophie, we love you! Stuart was on hand taking photos so I'll check tomorrow to see if he got any action shots of our gang! I had a great ride, on my fave horse Max, and Maeghan had a blast on her fave speedy little pony Midnight. It was my best ride to date and I'm starting to feel much more confident with my trotting and cantering! Let's hope that I'm not doing a "John Wayne" come Tuesday...urgh. We popped over to Jan's after to sing "Happy Birthday" to Sophie and then enjoy a yummy piece of chocolate cake and a cup of tea...bliss!
Looks like another busy week coming up, as usual, and Connor is having a friend come back with us after school... a first for him! It's lovely to see that he is making a friend and it shows how much calmer and more mature he is this year. What a load off this Mommy's mind! Less than two weeks until Cameron is 11, the time seems to really fly by when you have kids!
One last note for today, please spare some thoughts, or prayers if you are so inclined, for Carrie and her son Zackary...you can find a link to Zackary's Caringbridge site on this blog...they had some bad news last week from Zack's test results on his spinal fluid and they could use all the support we can give. He is one tough little man and I have everything crossed that things will start to look better in this struggle to beat the bastard cancer. I'm keeping you both in my thoughts. XO
Hope you are all having a great Sunday and to my compatriots enjoy your Thanksgiving celebrations tomorrow. Wish I could be there to raise a cold "Blue" and enjoy some CFL! I will definitely be there in spirit.
Laura :o)
Thursday, October 5, 2006
Grey hair...
Today one of my kids gave me a cringeworthy moment...I swear they are trying to give me grey hair sometimes...sigh. Cameron is turning 11 on October 19th and last week we made arrangements for a toboggan party at an indoor "snowdome" in Milton Keynes...hey this is England so you have to go inside to get "snow"! I asked him to pick 4 friends and so I booked the party for these friends plus his siblings and me & Tim. So this morning a lady I know from school, and walking the dogs each day, walks up to me in the park and hands me a piece of folded paper and I have no idea what it could be. She guesses this by the blank look on my face. So I open the paper and it's an R.S.V.P. from one of the party invites Cam took to school the day before...the only problem is that this kids is not invited...lovely. Cam and this boy have an on/off friendship which is probably why he wasn't invited in the first place. So I say to her that yes I am confused because her son wasn't invited to the party. She says, "oh well", he'd love to come and leaves it at that. Aarrgghh. Now if it was me, I would have said "oh I'm so sorry, there must have been a mix-up, no worries"...but not this lady. So I went home and had a think but my hands were tied..the party is booked and paid for. So I found her in the park again later in the day and just told her I was sorry but there was a miscommunication and her son can't come...EEK. She seemed to be okay with it but I'm sure she had some choice words about me when she got home. Why do kids do this kind of stuff to their parents???? My kids are lucky they are so damn cute or else I'd be auctioning them off on ebay, I swear!!
The kids had haircuts yesterday and I took this picture of them on the trampoline! I try to take a group shot after every haircut to see how much they have changed. Aren't they the most gorgeous kids you've ever seen? Well, I may be a little biased....
In other news...I've fallen in love...with my cleaning lady...LMAO! My dear friend Jen started yesterday in what will become a weekly routine of some cleaning in my house. She blitzed my bathrooms, vacuumed, washed my floors and did some dusting...plus she took a basket of ironing which was returned today. I already liked her and now I want to have her babies! :o) I made the decision, with prompting from my counsellor, to get some help in because I have to do everything in this house and it's just too much! I want to keep working part-time and I can't do it all so I'm handing some of it off! It's a win-win because Jen wants the work and I need the help. I'm one happy camper!
It's been a productive week so far, I've had the plumber in to give a quote on installing the shower...FINALLY, I've picked up lino samples for the kitchen and bathrooms, I've called a decorator to come and give a quote for doing the walls in the hall and stairs and I've started sorting through some of the piles of crap and toys that are overtaking the house...no wonder I'm tired all the time!
Looks like another busy day tomorrow as well, Tim is "on the road" so I'll have to do the school runs, I have a meeting with Cam's teacher after school, then I see my counsellor, then take Mae to ballet. Good thing I go to see my hairdresser in the morning...I think she'll have the cure for the grey hairs!
Nighty-night all,
Laura :o)
The kids had haircuts yesterday and I took this picture of them on the trampoline! I try to take a group shot after every haircut to see how much they have changed. Aren't they the most gorgeous kids you've ever seen? Well, I may be a little biased....In other news...I've fallen in love...with my cleaning lady...LMAO! My dear friend Jen started yesterday in what will become a weekly routine of some cleaning in my house. She blitzed my bathrooms, vacuumed, washed my floors and did some dusting...plus she took a basket of ironing which was returned today. I already liked her and now I want to have her babies! :o) I made the decision, with prompting from my counsellor, to get some help in because I have to do everything in this house and it's just too much! I want to keep working part-time and I can't do it all so I'm handing some of it off! It's a win-win because Jen wants the work and I need the help. I'm one happy camper!
It's been a productive week so far, I've had the plumber in to give a quote on installing the shower...FINALLY, I've picked up lino samples for the kitchen and bathrooms, I've called a decorator to come and give a quote for doing the walls in the hall and stairs and I've started sorting through some of the piles of crap and toys that are overtaking the house...no wonder I'm tired all the time!
Looks like another busy day tomorrow as well, Tim is "on the road" so I'll have to do the school runs, I have a meeting with Cam's teacher after school, then I see my counsellor, then take Mae to ballet. Good thing I go to see my hairdresser in the morning...I think she'll have the cure for the grey hairs!
Nighty-night all,
Laura :o)
Sunday, October 1, 2006
Aspergers Syndrome
Someone from my high school alumni board emailed me yesterday asking for my experiences in getting a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome for our oldest son Connor and was wanting some advice for an assessment coming up for her son **** (I'll protect their identities for now) Writing down a shortened version of our experience dredged up lots of sad/anxious times for us as a family and I thought I would copy and paste my email here as a reminder of what we have lived through over the last few years. Aspergers Syndrome is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder which affect social and communication abilities. Please check out http://www.nas.org.uk/ for more information on ASD's and Aspergers.
Laura :o)
Hi ***
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to go through assessments for an ASD, not fun! Connor was 9 before we had a formal diagnosis of Aspergers and it was a long process to get that diagnosis. We couldn't really figure out what was "wrong" with Connor and when we look back now, the old "hindsight is 20/20" thing, there were lots of red flags but because he was our first child we didn't have anything to compare him to. Connor was always "in his own world" of sorts even back when we went to baby & toddler groups. He always preferred playing by himself and didn't really mix with the other kids. He was also exceptionally bright and was reading books to us by 3 years of age. He had started at school in Ottawa the year before we left for Europe and the school was not very good in my opinion because when he would have an outburst or not want to participate they would just throw up their hands and ask me to come get him, nobody ever clued in that something was wrong. The move to Europe was very stressful for him and it seemed that we had disrupted his world so much and he began to have awful screaming tantrum outbursts where Tim and I would have to literally hold him down on the floor. He wasn't in school right away as we were looking for a house for the first 6 weeks and when we did finally settle and put the kids in school it was a nightmare...the school was just bloody awful. The kids were in a foreign language environment but despite that Connor picked up the language easily and quickly, however his behavior was going from bad to worse and we just couldn't understand what was happening to him. We were in a very different culture as well (in Belgium) and the children there are "sheep" who literally have little free will and are told what, where and when to do everything so Connor seemed alien to them! They basically told us that he was a horrible child and we were bad parents...good grief. So needless to say we yanked the kids out of that school and put them in another school whose ethos was loosely based on the "Freinet" model (http://freinet.org/icem/history.htm) and within weeks of being there we were pulled aside and asked if we had ever considered autism...we hadn't!! We got a referral to a "neuropsychologist" who, in my opinion, was a bit of a "quack" but she did think that he showed autistic tendencies which started me doing a lot of research and Aspergers jumped out at me as it did for his teachers. We then had the opportunity to move to the U.K. and we felt that getting back into an English speaking environment would be very helpful as we were dealing with specialists who spoke Flemish and little English in Belgium. Once in the U.K. his new school agreed that autism was a possibility and got the ball rolling with the school psychologist and we got a referral through our GP to a pediatrician and pediatric psychologist in Oxford. It didn't take very long for them to diagnose Aspergers and this was done through a series of physical and psychological evaluations at the hospital and by a home visit by the ped. psych. I think the hardest thing about the assessments is that you have to be brutally honest about the "bad" and not try to justify how bright, wonderful, loving, etc. your child is. I found this incredibly hard because as a parent you want to protect your child and show everyone how perfect they are to you!! You also have to be a fighting bitch to make sure that people take things seriously and follow up on visits, testing, assessments, etc. After getting Connor's diagnosis we then had to get him a "statement of special educational needs (or SEN)" to make sure he got appropriate assistance at school to fulfill his potential. Of course when you are dealing with an education authority its a battle to get them to give you ANY funding to help your child. I did lots of relentless calling, pestering, questioning until we joked that they only gave us the statement to get me off their backs...beware the Momma-bear in protective mode! LOL Even having the statement didn't make things perfect because finding the right people to work with your child's needs can be nerve-wracking too. Plus because we elected to see the psychologist privately due to the waiting lists being 9-12 months, we have not had any follow-up from the ped. psych...I think we have literally "fallen through the cracks". I have had to reach out to some Autism support groups to get help and advice, but at least I have a diagnosis!
Okay...that was a bit long and rambling, sorry about that. My advice to you is to take off your "Mommy-hat" on assessment day and look at your child from the outside. Make sure you focus on his bad days rather than the good ones...very hard to do, I know. They will be asking for a full history on **** from the moment you conceived until the present day. Try to plan for that now and think back to your pregnancy, delivery, babyhood, toddlerhood, milestones, etc as they will be asking you about all of it. When it is your oldest child it is so difficult because you don't have a "baseline" to work from so it helps if you think back now before you get hit with all those questions... I wish I had been warned about his before I went for the first assessment. They will be asking you about his physical coordination, mental abilities, memory, habits, "tics", obsessive behaviour patterns, eye contact, communication skills or lack thereof, demeanor, social skills, school progress or lack thereof, interactions with siblings and peers and any other general concerns you have. I'm sure there's a thousand other things but those are some off the top of my head! Remember to think about the worst case scenarios in this, not if he's had a better week this week than last. It's the bad days that you need to be concerned about, not the good. They are going to want to talk to you and **** together and apart and they will do some tests with him in the form of games, puzzles, mental and tactile activities, etc. There were quite a few things they did with Connor but I can't remember all of them. In our case the ped. psych also came to our home to see Connor in his home environment and to see how he interacted with his parents and siblings. It was during this home visit that it became quite apparent that my husband is probably Aspergers too...oh joy!
I think so far you have done really well to get an assessment booked sooner rather than later and unfortunately it does often come down to he who yells the loudest..... Don't stop yelling, make sure to follow up the assessment with calls, letters, emails, whatever until they give you their thoughts or a diagnosis if one is warranted. You really do have to keep fighting because resources are stretched and nobody wants to spend money so they will put things off as long as they can, trust me on this one!
I hope this helps you prepare for Tuesday and I'll be keeping you and **** in my thoughts. I know this must all seem very daunting right now but you obviously feel in your heart that something is wrong otherwise your wouldn't be going through all of this. I hope they will be able to give you the answers you seek and find the best way forward for ****. Funny thing about Aspies is that it's their peculiarities that make them who they are and you couldn't imagine them any other way! They are still the same smart, funny, loving kids we gave birth to, they just need some help to make it through life!
Wishing you lots of luck and please let me know how it all goes if you get a chance.
Hugs,
Laura :o)
I thought of one more thing and sent a second email...
Hi ***,
Sorry just one more thing I wanted to add to my previous email...I may do this again as things pop into my head...hehe. They will want to know what immunizations **** has had in his lifetime...the MMR debate still rages in the world of ASD's so they will definitely ask you this.
Laura :o)
Laura :o)
Hi ***
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to go through assessments for an ASD, not fun! Connor was 9 before we had a formal diagnosis of Aspergers and it was a long process to get that diagnosis. We couldn't really figure out what was "wrong" with Connor and when we look back now, the old "hindsight is 20/20" thing, there were lots of red flags but because he was our first child we didn't have anything to compare him to. Connor was always "in his own world" of sorts even back when we went to baby & toddler groups. He always preferred playing by himself and didn't really mix with the other kids. He was also exceptionally bright and was reading books to us by 3 years of age. He had started at school in Ottawa the year before we left for Europe and the school was not very good in my opinion because when he would have an outburst or not want to participate they would just throw up their hands and ask me to come get him, nobody ever clued in that something was wrong. The move to Europe was very stressful for him and it seemed that we had disrupted his world so much and he began to have awful screaming tantrum outbursts where Tim and I would have to literally hold him down on the floor. He wasn't in school right away as we were looking for a house for the first 6 weeks and when we did finally settle and put the kids in school it was a nightmare...the school was just bloody awful. The kids were in a foreign language environment but despite that Connor picked up the language easily and quickly, however his behavior was going from bad to worse and we just couldn't understand what was happening to him. We were in a very different culture as well (in Belgium) and the children there are "sheep" who literally have little free will and are told what, where and when to do everything so Connor seemed alien to them! They basically told us that he was a horrible child and we were bad parents...good grief. So needless to say we yanked the kids out of that school and put them in another school whose ethos was loosely based on the "Freinet" model (http://freinet.org/icem/history.htm) and within weeks of being there we were pulled aside and asked if we had ever considered autism...we hadn't!! We got a referral to a "neuropsychologist" who, in my opinion, was a bit of a "quack" but she did think that he showed autistic tendencies which started me doing a lot of research and Aspergers jumped out at me as it did for his teachers. We then had the opportunity to move to the U.K. and we felt that getting back into an English speaking environment would be very helpful as we were dealing with specialists who spoke Flemish and little English in Belgium. Once in the U.K. his new school agreed that autism was a possibility and got the ball rolling with the school psychologist and we got a referral through our GP to a pediatrician and pediatric psychologist in Oxford. It didn't take very long for them to diagnose Aspergers and this was done through a series of physical and psychological evaluations at the hospital and by a home visit by the ped. psych. I think the hardest thing about the assessments is that you have to be brutally honest about the "bad" and not try to justify how bright, wonderful, loving, etc. your child is. I found this incredibly hard because as a parent you want to protect your child and show everyone how perfect they are to you!! You also have to be a fighting bitch to make sure that people take things seriously and follow up on visits, testing, assessments, etc. After getting Connor's diagnosis we then had to get him a "statement of special educational needs (or SEN)" to make sure he got appropriate assistance at school to fulfill his potential. Of course when you are dealing with an education authority its a battle to get them to give you ANY funding to help your child. I did lots of relentless calling, pestering, questioning until we joked that they only gave us the statement to get me off their backs...beware the Momma-bear in protective mode! LOL Even having the statement didn't make things perfect because finding the right people to work with your child's needs can be nerve-wracking too. Plus because we elected to see the psychologist privately due to the waiting lists being 9-12 months, we have not had any follow-up from the ped. psych...I think we have literally "fallen through the cracks". I have had to reach out to some Autism support groups to get help and advice, but at least I have a diagnosis!
Okay...that was a bit long and rambling, sorry about that. My advice to you is to take off your "Mommy-hat" on assessment day and look at your child from the outside. Make sure you focus on his bad days rather than the good ones...very hard to do, I know. They will be asking for a full history on **** from the moment you conceived until the present day. Try to plan for that now and think back to your pregnancy, delivery, babyhood, toddlerhood, milestones, etc as they will be asking you about all of it. When it is your oldest child it is so difficult because you don't have a "baseline" to work from so it helps if you think back now before you get hit with all those questions... I wish I had been warned about his before I went for the first assessment. They will be asking you about his physical coordination, mental abilities, memory, habits, "tics", obsessive behaviour patterns, eye contact, communication skills or lack thereof, demeanor, social skills, school progress or lack thereof, interactions with siblings and peers and any other general concerns you have. I'm sure there's a thousand other things but those are some off the top of my head! Remember to think about the worst case scenarios in this, not if he's had a better week this week than last. It's the bad days that you need to be concerned about, not the good. They are going to want to talk to you and **** together and apart and they will do some tests with him in the form of games, puzzles, mental and tactile activities, etc. There were quite a few things they did with Connor but I can't remember all of them. In our case the ped. psych also came to our home to see Connor in his home environment and to see how he interacted with his parents and siblings. It was during this home visit that it became quite apparent that my husband is probably Aspergers too...oh joy!
I think so far you have done really well to get an assessment booked sooner rather than later and unfortunately it does often come down to he who yells the loudest..... Don't stop yelling, make sure to follow up the assessment with calls, letters, emails, whatever until they give you their thoughts or a diagnosis if one is warranted. You really do have to keep fighting because resources are stretched and nobody wants to spend money so they will put things off as long as they can, trust me on this one!
I hope this helps you prepare for Tuesday and I'll be keeping you and **** in my thoughts. I know this must all seem very daunting right now but you obviously feel in your heart that something is wrong otherwise your wouldn't be going through all of this. I hope they will be able to give you the answers you seek and find the best way forward for ****. Funny thing about Aspies is that it's their peculiarities that make them who they are and you couldn't imagine them any other way! They are still the same smart, funny, loving kids we gave birth to, they just need some help to make it through life!
Wishing you lots of luck and please let me know how it all goes if you get a chance.
Hugs,
Laura :o)
I thought of one more thing and sent a second email...
Hi ***,
Sorry just one more thing I wanted to add to my previous email...I may do this again as things pop into my head...hehe. They will want to know what immunizations **** has had in his lifetime...the MMR debate still rages in the world of ASD's so they will definitely ask you this.
Laura :o)
Another busy week!
Yet another busy weekend, what else is new? Cam had to (once again) learn the hard way about who really are and aren't his friends and against my better judgement started hanging out with a boy who lives up the street and is in his class. It only took 2 days before this kid and another local boy managed to manipulate him into doing something he knew was wrong and he ended up grounded...sigh. Poor kid but I won't let him get away with stuff just because he is naive. I can't wait for this year to be over so that he can start at a new school next fall away from all these little wankers! His teacher has been wonderful (again) this year and we're using a home-school notebook and lots of reward ideas to keep him on track. He's had a "blip" again last week, so we'll have another meeting to discuss this. He is so incredibley bright but just can't focus, I'm starting to have that panicky feeling about him showing autistic tendencies and I hope we're not having to deal with a second diagnosis. I'll try not to panic until it's really time to panic...easier said than done!
Mae had her ballet schools' awards night yesterday and she walked away with 3 trophies and a certificate...little star that she is! She did really well performing for the parents despite how incredibly nervous she was, she gets a really bad case of stage-fright every time...haha. Her little face was a picture when she came and found us with her hands full of kudos...well done girlie-pants! Delsin loved that he got to go to his babysitter rather than come and watch boring old ballet!
Connor was back at his youth group this week after our car trouble last weekend caused him to miss out...4 new tires...OUCH! He says he is still loving the group and its so nice that he can go and do something social without Mom and Dad hanging around cramping his style..hehe. He has had an amazing start to the school year and so has earned his "reward"...a copy of Homeworld:Cataclysm...give me strength...sigh. I will never understand the pull of PC games as long as I live!! He deserves his reward though, school is never easy for an Aspie!
Delsin has had another typical week of fun being four, it's such a wonderful age and he is such an easy kid...most of the time. He had a little meltdown at his swimming lesson on Thursday and I think he was just exhausted and not willing to "play ball" that day. A quick chat about spending time sitting on his bed when we got home seemed to pull him out of his pissy mood and he had a little cat nap which seemed to sort him out. Sometimes it's hard to be four..hehe.
Its Sunday so that means loads of laundry and errands to be run but I'm not setting foot out of this house in this attrocious weather...oh how I hate this time of year in the U.K., so grey and miserable...bleck. I just feel like hibernating until Spring. Snow I can handle, rain and misery I cannot. The plumber comes tomorrow to quote for our new shower enclosure and I need to dig out the house so that the cleaner can start on Wednesday...cleaning for the cleaning lady...ironic, isn't it? At least it's spurring me on to dig out this pit of a house, it looks like Toys r Us has vomited in here most days. So it's time for a big clear out and the local playgroup and charity shops are going to LOVE me!
I can't freaking believe it's October already...EEK...where the hell did September go???? At least this means my Mommy will be here in 3 weeks...**bliss**...I miss her so. Can't wait to introduce her to the MK Centre in Milton Keynes **drool** we can do some serious damage together me thinks...think my Dad is in for a coronary when the Visa bill comes in after this visit...sorry Daddy!
So ready to tackle another week...I hope.
Laura :o)
Mae had her ballet schools' awards night yesterday and she walked away with 3 trophies and a certificate...little star that she is! She did really well performing for the parents despite how incredibly nervous she was, she gets a really bad case of stage-fright every time...haha. Her little face was a picture when she came and found us with her hands full of kudos...well done girlie-pants! Delsin loved that he got to go to his babysitter rather than come and watch boring old ballet!
Connor was back at his youth group this week after our car trouble last weekend caused him to miss out...4 new tires...OUCH! He says he is still loving the group and its so nice that he can go and do something social without Mom and Dad hanging around cramping his style..hehe. He has had an amazing start to the school year and so has earned his "reward"...a copy of Homeworld:Cataclysm...give me strength...sigh. I will never understand the pull of PC games as long as I live!! He deserves his reward though, school is never easy for an Aspie!
Delsin has had another typical week of fun being four, it's such a wonderful age and he is such an easy kid...most of the time. He had a little meltdown at his swimming lesson on Thursday and I think he was just exhausted and not willing to "play ball" that day. A quick chat about spending time sitting on his bed when we got home seemed to pull him out of his pissy mood and he had a little cat nap which seemed to sort him out. Sometimes it's hard to be four..hehe.
Its Sunday so that means loads of laundry and errands to be run but I'm not setting foot out of this house in this attrocious weather...oh how I hate this time of year in the U.K., so grey and miserable...bleck. I just feel like hibernating until Spring. Snow I can handle, rain and misery I cannot. The plumber comes tomorrow to quote for our new shower enclosure and I need to dig out the house so that the cleaner can start on Wednesday...cleaning for the cleaning lady...ironic, isn't it? At least it's spurring me on to dig out this pit of a house, it looks like Toys r Us has vomited in here most days. So it's time for a big clear out and the local playgroup and charity shops are going to LOVE me!
I can't freaking believe it's October already...EEK...where the hell did September go???? At least this means my Mommy will be here in 3 weeks...**bliss**...I miss her so. Can't wait to introduce her to the MK Centre in Milton Keynes **drool** we can do some serious damage together me thinks...think my Dad is in for a coronary when the Visa bill comes in after this visit...sorry Daddy!
So ready to tackle another week...I hope.
Laura :o)
Oscar is 6!!
Our beloved dog Oscar is 6 today (25/9/06)! Mae had the idea to make him a "cake" so we took some of his food, some "gravy bones", chopped up a Dentastix, added some of our leftover roast chicken and smothered it in gravy...boy would I get a telling off from the Vet if he finds out..hehe. We took him outside and sang "Happy Birthday" and then presented him with his bowl of delight which he promptly scarfed! We love this dog so much and couldn't imagine our family without him, he is truly our big lovey, lunky boy!
Laura :o)
Sunday, September 24, 2006
OMG, I SUCK!
Can you believe how much I SUCK at this blogging thing??? Yeesh! To say my life is hectic is the biggest understatement, but still......
I've been caught up emotionally this week in the loss of a beautiful 9 year old girl by the name of Christi Thomas. Christi lost her battle with Neuroblastoma, a very aggressive cancer, that she has been battling for 4 years. I found this especially hard since I have a daughter only a few months younger than Christi and, like Christi, my daughter is a ballet dancer. I can only imagine how horrific it is to watch your child die and I spent a lot of time glancing at my darling daughter and wondering how I would deal...I'm sure I wouldn't and I have been so amazed at the grace the Thomas family has shown over the last few weeks. Truly inspirational and it puts all the petty crap that happens in every day life into perspective!
So, onwards and upwards with a renewed sense of how you should enjoy every minute of your life here on planet earth!
My kids are still wonderful and healthy and life is good for the most part. My Mom arrives in less that one month and I'm counting the days until I can hug her and tell her in person how much I love her. That's what it's all about!
Hope you are all having a great weekend and are ready to "carpe diem" again for another week.
Love to all and give your kids an extra squeeze tonight while they are sleeping and be thankful that they are healthy and happy.
Laura :o)
I've been caught up emotionally this week in the loss of a beautiful 9 year old girl by the name of Christi Thomas. Christi lost her battle with Neuroblastoma, a very aggressive cancer, that she has been battling for 4 years. I found this especially hard since I have a daughter only a few months younger than Christi and, like Christi, my daughter is a ballet dancer. I can only imagine how horrific it is to watch your child die and I spent a lot of time glancing at my darling daughter and wondering how I would deal...I'm sure I wouldn't and I have been so amazed at the grace the Thomas family has shown over the last few weeks. Truly inspirational and it puts all the petty crap that happens in every day life into perspective!
So, onwards and upwards with a renewed sense of how you should enjoy every minute of your life here on planet earth!
My kids are still wonderful and healthy and life is good for the most part. My Mom arrives in less that one month and I'm counting the days until I can hug her and tell her in person how much I love her. That's what it's all about!
Hope you are all having a great weekend and are ready to "carpe diem" again for another week.
Love to all and give your kids an extra squeeze tonight while they are sleeping and be thankful that they are healthy and happy.
Laura :o)
Monday, March 27, 2006
Good week, bad week!
All caught up now...
Saturday, March 25, 2006
 | Good week, bad week! So, two kids have had a GREAT week, and two have had a so-so week! Both of my older boys have had bullying issues at school...nothing new here....grrrrrr! The oldest, Connor, was called "Canadian scum" and physically assaulted by a little wanker in his year group. I hope this kids' parents have a roaring case of the shits as revenge..hehe! We try to teach Connor to turn a blind eye but I'm severely tempted to tell him to stand up for himself and kick some ass...he's not a small guy! Is that so wrong of me?? I will never understand this "foreigner" anger that persists in some of the smaller regions of this country...get over it already, we live here, we own a house here, we pay our taxes here, so KISS MY ASS!! My 2nd born also had issues with the same group of bastards that regularly bother him at school. There is another "foreign" girl at school that is being given grief and she decided to fight back this week....and it worked! She is bigger than my 10 year old..and she's only 7! Woo hooo! I think Cam should team up with her and kick some serious ass! How much bullying should kids be expected to take before they fight back???? It is really hard as a parent to tell them to ignore it when you know that the parents of these little bastards/bitches that do the bullying are not discouraging theirs kids' behaviours! Think we need to start a rebel alliance all of our own! Now, that could be the vodka tonics talking...urgh! |
chipper Homesick...
And there's more...
Thursday, March 23, 2006
| Homesick... So I'm really homesick today...yah, yah, I know I'm ALWAYS homesick, but today is a bad case. Went over to do some PTA stuff last night (okay, I'm a loser PTA woman too...sheesh) and sat in a room with a bunch of women who are all from "here", have known each other for dogs years and I felt suddenly very sad...again. I just long to sit with my long term friends again, have a glass of wine and just gas about the world, the universe, etc. I just miss my confidantes so much...blah. It's not that I want to be close to any of these particular women, in fact there's a few I can hardly stand to be in a room with, it just stirred up those general feelings of longing for the familiar. I miss hearing accents like mine. I miss being able to use my own brand of sarcasm and wit without getting odd looks. I miss using slang, expressions and euphemisms that make sense to the people in with. Sigh. Like I said, just damn homesick. I know I'm here for the long haul but some days are just tougher than others. Guess I just get to be a big whiney pants for today. Sigh. |
blah Home stretch???
Cut and paste....
Laura :o)
Sunday, March 19, 2006
| Home stretch??? Bear with me....boring Mommy stuff! I think we may be on the toilet-training home stretch here...woo hoo! My 3 y.o. woke up yesterday and ran to the toilet insisting on doing a pee....naturally when Mommy thought she had found some peace and quiet with a magazine...sigh. He was still wearing his training pants and usually we get an earful when we try to strip him! He has been wearing regular old underwear yesterday and today and has managed to do all his "stuff" in the toilet....woo hoo! I took the kids swimming today and he even told me he had to pee and we ran to the toilet and....SUCCESS, our first pee in public! Woo hoo! I have been told to wash all of his Spiderman underwear....yes SIR...so that he can wear them to Preschool tomorrow...he wants to show his teacher what a big boy he is....awwwwwwww. So fingers crossed that this is the home stretch and that I may, at long last, have four kids and will never have to deal with stinking diapers/trainers ever again! Yippee! |
Happy Tuesday...
Another repost...
Laura :o)
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
| Happy Tuesday See...I told you it would take me awhile to remember to blog!! |
mellow Greetings...
Just wanted to cut and paste a few blog entries from another site I was using!
Laura :o)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
| Greetings... Okay, I'm new at this blogging stuff and will probably forget to do this regularly, but here goes! Just figured out how to upload pictures...woo hoo! I feel like such a technophobe when I try new things only to discover that I'm brighter than I give myself credit for and I really can do it! So lets hope I can use this webspace to my advantage! |
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Hola!
My first post on my new blog...wheeeeeeee! Welcome to my adventures in the big world, hope to keep all my family and friends updated on the Taverner family as they continue on their lives "across the pond".
Laura :o)
Laura :o)
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