don't you hate when things don't work, i'm on the laptop right now, we are down one computer because we can't connect to the internet, the network is working it just can't assign itself an number thingy whatsit. So all my links, photos and life live on that other computer, i feel naked without my blog pics folder and my printer. I have to do things and then stick them onto a usb stick and run to another room, drag them off and do what needs doing, plus i hate this keyboard!

but as grandma (michael's mum) is here we are in for a busy week, looking forwards to getting my camera back from dad so i can take some more photos, i need scrapping stuff!

tomorrow we are off to the royal show and then thursday we have party day fro Riley's 5th birthday.

I am so proud of this little guy, I was so worried about swimming lessons but he not only did the lessons with a group he put his head under the water!! You know I worry about so much, the list of things people need to know about Alec is pretty long as situations with him can change in a moment. Today is a celebration though he has completed his first level for swimming and my heart is bursting, every achievement is treasured and savoured fully and I love that our friends and family grasp the enormity of this achievement.

We had a few moments the first day when other boys were wearing shorts rather than speedo's and we had a talk and in the end I think he decided it was ok, others were wearing speedo's too, this has been our first I want what everyone else has moment and I nearly caved and got him shorts but I stuck with it and let him know I wasn't getting shorts.

The photos in this layout are pretty average as they are from a phone but here he is in the water joining in. This is design 6 from Donna Downey's book designing layouts, I needed a quick fix and from start to finish this took 30 minutes.

And here is his certificate! Next time he will be doing level 2.

at 6 something this morning I was rudely reminded by my first born that it was in fact my birthday.. 42 today, seems a bit unreal I am still coming to terms with turning 30 so 42 has a long way to go before it worries me. So while the kids torment their father before they go to bed I have snuck in to check my ebay bids, I haven't ebay'd for about 6 months so it is all a bit nerve wracking especially considering Michael had me place an $80 bid on some star wars figures!!!! If we win it it will be Riley's major christmas present.

The day started slowly, Michael went for a hair cut then came home and helped me clean the house, mum was coming you see. She also told me off for having him help me, apparently it is against nature, you wouldn't think she was a teenager in the 60's would you, very skewed view of male female roles. Mum bought afternoon tea and we had a nice visit, for once they didn't have to rush off. Michael and I made dinner together and then he washed the dishes.. don't tell my mum!

The boys were a great help, Alec washing tables and scrubbing pots, he even cleaned the bath for me, he and I took a quick trip to the shops to buy him a bionicle, which he loves! you see he lost his second front tooth, we had to write the tooth fairy a note because we think this one is in the bottom of the swimming pool at Arena. So we spent his tooth money.

Now I am off to read a book and have a bit of cake, my house is clean and my boys are on their way to bed. It has been a nice birthday, lunch with Lissy yesterday and a family day today.

Life is good.

and for the twopeas blogger challenge today.. I love this, it is a time capsule I made for Alec in 2005, it has so many memories inside, I must ad to it. I made it from a postal tube

Labels: altered things, everyday, off the page, scrapbooking

I am going to make a quilt, because you know it is almost summer and we all need a quilt in summer and what else would you want to do when you have sewn 3 things and one layout, a quilt for your bed seems like a natural progression to me.

But seriously, our new bed is too big for store bought packaged quilt covers, the cover needs to be 270cm (108inches) but all the packaged ones end at 245cm (98inches) see a huge difference. So me a novice at everything material or sewing have done this.. (click on it see how clever I am, I'm sure it is right)

So taking into consideration that material is 44inches wide from 2 yards I could cut 6x22in squares, to make my quilt, I want 25 squares, that would be the diagram on the right, all the different symbols denote different patterns, see I am pretty smart sometimes (remember I have not in any way taken into account the bits you actually sew up, I'm assuming I will be putting a border around it) and why on earth am I working in inches you ask??? well I have been browsing etsy stores and they are all in that foreign language of imperial while I am a metric gal.. but have calculator (and google) can convert.

Oh and I love these.. I want this first pile but wait for a gag moment, my room is a rich shade of grape.. the second would be more apropriate. But can't you just see how revitalising a quilt in this material would be.
So if you are still with me, here are my questions

• after I back it with the wadding stuff (got to love that wadding stuff) do I back it with anything else or do I sew just the material together first then do the wadding stuff and the back........
• this is where you can tell me I need to buy a quilt making book but until then you can help
  
• do I sew over each square.. I know you are thinking has this woman even ever see a quilt.. I'm still thinking about the answer to that one.
• final question are you laughing at me yet?
  

Labels: everyday, for a laugh, stuff

I did a bit of scrapping, a lot of relaxing (including a nap on the lounge Sunday afternoon that Michael kindly captured on video for me) and Alec's soccer carnival on Saturday afternoon.

We loved going to soccer but I was glad of a sleep in on Sunday morning. It was a 20 week season and thankfully we only really got soaking wet about 3 times. On Saturday they played 5 games of 10 minutes each and then the coach, Jude gave out the trophies.


As a thank you to Jude for the fantastic job he did with the kids we had a book made at blurb.com from all the photos taken over the season, it turned out to be such a hit with the parents that I am putting an order in for 14 books! I know what some grandparents are getting for chrissy this year. I made it and it really is a cute book, I chose the 7x7 size and did imagewrap, which is the picture directly onto the hardback cover. We have had 2 books done by blurb now and are really happy with them.

And here is one of those photos I found. I couldn't think of anything to say about it though. I know how old I am because of the house I am living in but it could be 1985 or 86 but I have gone with 85. I got a few other pages done but they are for Buzz and Bloom and will be going up on Wednesday.

Labels: school, show and tell, stuff

This morning Alec woke up to five gold coins under his pillow. Yesterday morning as we were making the beds he called out..

mum look at this

What is it?

it's my front tooth, my hand hit it and it just fell out

He was so excited, he couldn't wait to get to school and show everyone, he didn't even bat an eyelid at all the blood. When I went to retrieve the little tooth bag that fits in the box I realised the last tooth was still in there. What do you do with teeth? do you keep them or quietly dispose of them.

So in the end everything turned out fine for Alec. Dealing with things can be emotionally draining for me until I get totally overwhelmed and dissolve into a blubbering pool of goo. I had to write some things about Alec for his new occupational therapist, I so miss our therapists from the centre but you have to move on. I fret that new therapists wont understand him or dismiss things about him, so today I thought I would just share a few things with you about Alec that I wrote. We are doing up a booklet together with his teacher and aide so as he moves through school or comes across new teachers they can learn all about Alec from his book.

• A lot of the things Alec likes also give him comfort. They act as a buffer against hard situations, when he is confused or hurt. At the top of the list are Alec’s animal print fleece blanket and his Thomas pillow. To stop Alec pulling the stuffing from his pillow we sewed it inside a pillowcase so he couldn’t work at it. This is mainly because Alec has had a tendency to put things in his ears and nose, the greatest concern now are things going in his mouth. We don’t have any small balls or marbles in the house as these are things he seems to like to mouth the most.

• Each day Alec selects something he likes to keep close to him, his most common choice is lego, and he likes to make laser guns and spaceships from lego. This is also something he likes because it keeps him from having to touch other things; it acts as a barrier and a companion. We negotiate with him as to what he can bring with him on outings, we try to have him keep them in the car but when he is playing army guys he liked to bring his boots, backpack and rifle with him.

• When we go to a restaurant we take Alec’s laptop and a game for him to play. We do this as otherwise he is unable to stay and one of us has to go and sit in the car with him (we have done this many times). Alec is assaulted by noise and smells and finds the situation unbearable and gets very distressed. We take the headphones for the computer and this allows Alec to block everything else out and for us to be able to go out as a family.

• Alec likes plans, especially advanced plans, we always need to make sure we follow through as he remembers everything; Alec has used his memory as a coping device. By knowing what is going to happen he is prepared. This can be something like informing him when a teacher or aide aren’t going to be present or for something like using the oven timer to let him know certain things are going to be happening soon. We use the timer for turn taking, bed time and when we are going out, so when something is going to happen we tell Alec so he knows when the timer goes off he must do something.

• When Alec speaks to people he likes to be touching them. Direct body to body contact isn’t unusual and he will also touch and pull on peoples clothes. He is attracted to buttons and jewellery. He has trouble determining his turn and will try and interrupt, to get attention he moves in close and touches.

• Alec has a little brother Riley, they are best friends and play amazingly well together. When they grow up they want to be dads and have lots of kids so they can hold their hands and take them to play at the park together. They also like to go on safari, this has been an ongoing game for the last 18 months, they also like to do star wars and stargate safari’s.Alec and Riley love star wars and will start watching the movie then sit and play star wars scenes on the mat in the tv room. They love to rescue people.
• 
  
• Alec’s coordination has always been poor so we signed him up for soccer this year. The first game he jerkily ran from one end to the other not quiet there but flapping his hands laughing and smiling, over the next 18 weeks each week his coordination improved to the extent that he has scored 6 goals this season, even getting two goals in one game. This has been a huge confidence boost to him and he has loved soccer

I love Friday's, it seems like many burdens are lifted. This weekend we have our last soccer day, an afternoon carnival on Saturday and then Sunday morning I am sleeping in!!

Labels: autism

Today Alec's teacher is away, so is his aide, he is at school with a teacher that doesn't know him. I am so worried I feel sick and I just want to cry. I want to go back there and get him. I am so so tired of worrying, I want some easy and stable for him for a little while is that so damn hard. Is this my fault? it so feels like it you can't imagine how hard it is to leave him there when I know he is going to be confused and uncetian. I don't want this for my baby but this will always be here and I feel so powerless and bloody useless and so damn sad

Labels: autism

On Saturday when I worked the election I noticed at about 8am my battery was low on charge on my phone so I turned it off to save it. I turned it on a couple of times during the day and collected photos Michael had sent then turned it off again, then at a little before 8pm I called Michael, and he ended our conversation by saying we are sitting in the car park. It was a real heart wrenching moments. The boys had been worried about mummy, so Michael told them they would drive to where mummy was but only until 8pm when they had to go home to bed. Well I was out there in a flash getting hugs from my boys, I had missed them so much. So now here I was all teary having to compose myself to go back in and finish my work with the grown ups, all I wanted to do was go with them. Thankfully by 8:30 I was done and another couple gave me a lift home. The boys were still up when I got home, it was so nice walking in the door and hearing them tell me about their day.

The next thing that almost bought me to tears was a conversation Alec and Riley had at the park that Michael told me about.

Riley turns to Alec and says Awek when we grow up and are dads we are going to have lots of kids so we will have lots of hands to hold and we can take them all to the park to play. Right now they both want to grow up to be dads, with mummies for the kids (Riley did want multiple mummies for a while but still wants lots of kids) and with the example Michael supplies them who wouldn't want to be a daddy.

Labels: kids

We had a state election here in Western Australia on Saturday and I worked as a declarations issuing officer at a polling station for the day. It was an amazingly long day, 13 1/2 hours for me. Our first voter was grumpy and mean and we had no idea how to deal with him, but we got him sorted and he was the only hiccup in a very smooth day. Thankfully our polling place never had long lines and everyone was in and out within a few minutes. It only really struck me at about 7:30pm when we were counting the votes, WE WERE COUNTING THEM! that I realised the job I was doing. It made me glad to be part of the process.

While I was working Michael took care of the boys, they were taken to the beach and a park all before 8am when Michael bought them to the polling place to see me while he voted.

He also took them to our neighbours 1st birthday party, Alec amazed everyone by holding the animals, hugging a calf, going on a pony ride and eating party food, crackers, cabanossi!!!! I mean cabanossi how amazing, a cocktail frankfurt with the skin on and loads of fairy bread. You can find all the photos HERE but here are a few of my favourite. I so wish I could have been there, I really felt it 1/2 way through the day like I was just not where I was supposed to be but the 250+ photos Michael took helped a bit.

Labels: autism, kids, stuff

The enormity of what we do strikes me at the strangest times. I've been feeling a bit pointless lately, while being a mum is great when every one forgets their pleases and thank you's and thinks you will come running when they scream and an endless stream of I want's and do we have to's and it can seem like a pretty crumby job occasionally.

I ask myself how will I leave my mark what will I do, what will I discover and I come up with nothing. Then I finished a layout today, it has been a three day process, I don't like to rush things these days. As I wrote the date on the layout it struck me, 1968 was 40 years ago, I have no idea what was going on in my life or the life of my family, but when Alec and Riley are 42 they will be able to see what was happening and who I am and what I thought. If I do nothing else in my life at least I have been a record keeper for our little family.


and look how much sewing I was able to cram onto that layout :) it is the first layout I have sewn on with my machine. I even managed to change the stitch!

if I knew then what I know now, I would have run inside and put a bra on because 23 years and 2 babies leaves its mark.

I was truly amazed yesterday when I found a plastic bag of photos I thought were lost forever, and among them several photos of me as a youngling, 19 seems young now but I am surprised when I look in the mirror and don't see this girl, I still feel like her. The most amazing thing I found was a 28 year old polaroid photo of my first boyfriend, I laughed so much, I am going to scan the polaroids I can't believe they have kept so well.


And here I am at 2, I have mourned this photo thinking it lost forever, you see when I left my previous life I didn't think much about things like photos and mementos, I left a lot behind, but I am thrilled to have found these gems from the past. (these two are printed and ready to scrap, thought it was about time I added to my book of me)


Ta daaaaaaaaaaa my bed arrived this morning, I almost did myself an injury putting it together, actually just trying to get the plastic off was hard. I need a bigger bed spread, this one wont tuck in at the sides, this is a seriously big bed, I need a cover that measures atleast 165cm (66 inches). Would you believe I have had a lay down on it yet, I am saving that for after I have picked up Alec, I'm going to kick my shoes off grab my book and read for an hour!

Labels: scrapbooking, stuff

forms for swimming, excursions, cake stalls, fathers day stalls, all these are littering my bench. All this with only three weeks of school left until holidays, the first week of the holidays we have the Perth Royal Show and Riley's 5th birthday, how did that creep up on me.

I just finished making 70 of these little gems, cookie dough with white chocolate the idea courtesy of the pioneer woman, I didn't have candy, so I used chocolate buttons, they got the thumbs up from the boys.


And here is our rescued blue tongue lizard, he was playing chicken with a truck on the road so we closed in our back yard and he has been with us for about 3 months, we haven't seen much of him but there was a little sunshine today, this being the first day of spring and all. While I took this the cats sat and stared at him, but he has a big hiss and they are big scardy cats so they wont bother him.

Labels: kids, school, stuff