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The Isolation Diaries Day 16 – Worries

March 31, 2020 by Anne Sweet 2 Comments

Back to Work – Day 15

The weekend did feel a little more relaxed, we put our worries aside and I let the kids just do whatever they wanted to. This did result in finding Boo still on her phone at 11pm in bed on Saturday night. I did say the no screens after 9pm rule was still in effect so she was sneaky in getting her phone into bed with her. I think she misses her friends a lot more than the others though.

Monday was not so good. I don’t want to go into too much detail but I think stress got to us a little more than usual. Graham has his own way of dealing with all of this. I know he’s struggling because he goes out a lot more than me, I’m used to staying in. So, he’s found a release, but he wanted to take it a bit further and I wasn’t happy about it which ended in a big falling out. We worked it out eventually though. We have to remember, it’s tough for all of us individually as well as together as a family.

I didn’t feel like working with the kids because I was upset, but in the end, I found getting some work done with the Little Man was a big distraction and helped a lot. Oh, he protested, he wanted to play Roblox all day, but we managed to drag him away and in the end he did a fair bit of work.

School Worries

It’s so difficult and I’m sure I’m not the only one with worries. Will my kids fall far behind in their school work? Will they catch up? Is it going to make a big impact on their lives? How hard is it going to be going back to school? So many more questions.

Everyone has their own approach, and I hate it when people criticize others. I have three very different children and I’m having to take a different approach with each of them.

My Three

Star is stressing, she will be in year 11 in September, exam year. She needs to keep up with her work if she wants to do any good in her exams. Her stress levels were through the roof before they shut the school and we had just managed to arrange a meeting to talk about it but it was too late. So now, she is completely torn as to whether to do the work and feel stressed again, or ignore it and hope it goes away! Yesterday I managed to get her to complete an art assignment. She loves art so that was something at least. I’m not going to force her to work and make her feel worse, but I am going to keep pushing her into doing whatever she can. Today she’s just asked if I have any lined paper, so that’s a good sign she wants to do some work.

Boo, is more interested in talking to her friends than doing any work. Apparently her friends aren’t working, so why should she? She’s the tween with an attitude. Her work is mostly online and the teachers are reading and marking everything submitted. She got a shout out in the virtual assembly last Friday for her work….so maybe she’s not gossiping as much as she’s making me believe?

The Little Man is younger and needs direction. He’ll do his maths work no problem, but when it comes to English, he doesn’t like writing things down. Get him into it somehow and his work is really good. I’ve read some of his past pieces and they are amazing. But again, there are pieces in his book with the comment from the teacher about him not trying very hard. It’s really hit and miss with him. I’m being sent info every day for him to complete, and at the moment I’m happy so long as he does about three quarters of it. We’ve not managed to complete it all.

Day 16

We had another shop delivered yesterday and I’m afraid I have to admit to panic buying. We normally have a big shop each week delivered and then Graham pops out almost every day for little things we need to stock up on. That’s not really something I want him doing now so I try to get as much as possible in the main shop. This week I even managed to get Easter Eggs for us all! (Don’t worry, they are stashed safely away out of sight.)

The freezers are full to brimming and so are the cupboards. We won’t go hungry for sure. And most of it is non perishable. The Perishables will be used up first and then we know we will have no waste. I think next week I’ll ease back on the frozen and tinned stuff and just hope the shops continue to fill up for when we fall low again. One thing I’ve been unable to get is pasta and I have a lot of pasta fans in the house. I know how to make fresh pasta, but it’s too time consuming when you are a family of seven. I might try the kids with gnocchi instead, that’s a bit easier.

Fear

There are so many things I really want to write about, rather than just the day to day stuff. But on the other hand I want to keep a diary too. Last time I talked about the Invisible War and how we are fighting something we can’t actually see or avoid…unless we stay away from others.

a white face mask on a pink background with the words Don't Panic above. worries

The past week I have seen a lot of fear. People are scared, it’s understandable. This virus can kill, and does kill. At first people were saying it was no worse than flu and that it was less deadly. But we have a vaccine for flu, we understand it a lot better and figures aside, it doesn’t matter. How many times have you seen the Country in lock down because of an outbreak of flu. We should never underestimate any other virus, but COVID-19 is proving to be a devastating one. People need to take it seriously and stay safe and keep others safe.

Some people are showing less fear and wishing to carry on as normal. This means meeting up with friends and family, going out to public places, shopping irresponsibly, even posting videos of themselves licking supermarket shelves….yuk!

Then there are others shaming people for going out, posting photos on social media of people on bus stops or groups of people out together. It’s all based on fear and we should be mindful of other people.

Fear can bring out the worst in people. I’ve heard of some awful stories. Don’t spread fear, but if you feel scared, ask for help. There are also some wonderful kind people out there. These are the people we need to get through this.

We may be apart, but we are never alone.

Finally, More Worries

I couldn’t leave this post without a mention of a lovely friend and her husband who are going through an incredibly tough time at the moment. It’s not COVID related but my heart goes out to them both this morning. You’ll get through this, I know you will. And once this damn virus has gone away I’m going to treat you, I promise. I just want to give you the biggest hugs.

Word of the Week 2 – Plans

January 10, 2020 by Anne Sweet 13 Comments

Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week. A nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is plans and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase. But please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week.

There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

My Word of the Week

Plans

This week we had many plans. Some good, some not so, and some changed.

The kids didn’t go back to school until Tuesday but we had plans for Monday. First it was a hospital cardiology appointment for Star. Then we planned to have lunch in town and a little walk around the shops. We did have lunch but the walking around was abandoned as we all just wanted to go home.

Tuesday the plan was back to school. I think it’s going back after Christmas that I dislike the most. The kid’s have so much fun with all their new stuff and games and it just seems a shame that it all has to end and everything cleaned up. It’s truly the end of Christmas. The girl’s had a good day, the Little Man not so.

Wednesday, no plans, which was good because I was really not well all day!

Thursday it was time for another hospital appointment for Star. This time to see her neurologist. We’d made lots of plans on how we were going to pick her up from school just after lunch, then Graham was going to leave us at the hospital while coming home to pick up the other two from school. Then he was dropping them at my sister-in-law’s before coming back to town to pick me and Star up. It was a plan, but it was also stressful. Star was stressed about leaving school at the right time. I was stressed at being left alone with Star in town for nearly 3 hours, and Graham was stressed about driving in and out of town and dropping the kids off and getting back to us in time.

But, on Wednesday afternoon we had a call from the hospital to say that the appointment had to be re-arranged. After all that planning!

The change of plan had a big effect on Star and the stress ended with her not going into school on Thursday.

Future Plans

I’ve also been thinking of some future plans this week. I’ve booked tickets to another ballet in February, I’m taking my friend to see Matthew Bourne’s ‘The Red Shoes’ and I really can’t wait. I love Matthew Bourne’s take on the classics.

Then towards the end of the month it’s my eldest’s birthday. He want’s to go out for a meal as usual but we are having trouble figuring out plans. He wants to go out lunch time with the kids and in the evening with the adults!! I’ve asked him maybe to split it over two days as I don’t think my stomach could take that much food.

Now it’s over to you, what have you been up to this week?

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Word of the Week #21 2019

May 24, 2019 by Anne Sweet 23 Comments

Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week, a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase but please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week.

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK.

I left you in the lurch last week while I went off for a weekend of fun and learning at the Flea Retreat. It was totally amazing and we got to see some stunning views of the Welsh hillside.

a road driving through lots of hills in Wales Uk and the word Panic

I had a panic attack on the way there because we went over some pretty high hills. Being the passenger I was sitting on the …very steep drop.. side. If I’d been driving I’m sure I’d have coped better, crazy isn’t it? I was so glad to get out of the car at Aberystwyth and enjoy the calm views of the sea. It wasn’t quite so bad on the way back because Graham had decided to go a different route which took us through the Elan Vally. It was ALL HILLS all the way home. But not as high and scary as some of the roads we drove on before. And it was so beautiful.

Panic at School

Back to school on Monday and The Little Man’s school went into lockdown. They had an intruder on the site. It was a big panic, but soon resolved when the police arrived. The man was just looking for his children that were no longer attending the school. I guess he wasn’t supposed to be looking for them because scaling the school wall is not the way to go about it.

Then on Tuesday, because of the panic from the day before, the school decided to practice another lockdown. This worries me a little. I got thinking that maybe they hadn’t got it quite right the first time when they could have been in real danger. I guess they have to get used to their new school building and grounds.

Also on Tuesday, Boo had an after school club and Graham almost forgot to go and pick her up. He was less than five minutes late but she was already in a panic and getting the school secretary to call home.

Wednesday had Star in a panic about school. Her classmates were going off to do Duke of Edingburgh awards for the last two days of the week and she had no idea what she would be doing. As an autistic child she doesn’t cope with change easily. And with her physical disabilities she couldn’t take part in the DoE awards. Thankfully, she has two close friends who are also just like her. If it was not for them, I doubt she would have gone to school at all.

I’m now hoping for a panic free weekend! It will be nice if this sunshine sticks around, especially as Graham has been working hard on the garden.

Here’s the badge.

Raisie Bay

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Now it’s your turn, tell us how your week has been.

Word of the Week #11 2019

March 15, 2019 by Anne Sweet 8 Comments

Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week, a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. You reflect back on the past week and sum it up in one word. Then share your word with us in a blog post, with as little or as much explanation as you like.

There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. Do try to stick to the theme of summing your week up. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix (formerly Stumble.) Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

My Word of the Week

Winner!

This week has been a good week for me and two of my children. I think Winner sums it up because I feel like we are winning at some things in life for a change.

First there was the call from Boo’s teacher. He phoned me about 4pm after school one day. He was really nice and explained that he was really happy with Boo’s progress in her music classes. She is learning to play the guitar and has done really well. Her teacher said she is the best in his class and she is to receive a special certificate today for being Student of the Week. She is a winner to me.

Then it was the Little Man’s parent evening. School has been a bit hit and miss for the Little Man and he didn’t go for six months last year after we took him out of his old school and taught him at home for a while. He started his new school last October and has settled really well. He is behaving himself and getting on with the other children. But the biggest result is how good he is at his work. The teacher showed us a piece of his writing which is outstanding and he said he’s flying up the levels in maths. I could have burst with pride. He is a winner too.

Finally, it’s been the Cheltenham festival this week and as you may or may not know, I do enjoy some matched betting. I’ve had to spend about an hour and a half a day placing bets and matching them, so I won’t lie that it’s been easy. It all works on the best offers you can get and how to match them for the best results. I actually enjoy watching the horses race too. It takes me back to my childhood when my Nan enjoyed watching the horse racing on television on Saturday afternoons. Us kids would pick a horse before each race and see how many winners we could choose. There was no money involved then, it was just for fun. I really hate to see a horse fall at the hurdles though, and wait for the commentator to say that they are ok.

So, now it’s over to you. What word or phrase sums up your week?

(Some people have been having trouble displaying my badge, It’s nice if you can, but don’t worry if it won’t work. I’m sure it’s down to the WordPress changes. I’ve tried different codes with no luck. I’ve started copying badge images and linking them to the blog. Or a simple text link is fine. I’m sure it will all work out eventually.)

Raisie Bay

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Flu, Strains, Hunger Tales and Conkers

February 12, 2019 by Anne Sweet 14 Comments

If you thought last weeks post was a downer, then you’ve not heard the worst. I left you with two kids down, off school sick but it didn’t stop there. It turned out to be some kind of gastric flu, fever, congestion, upset tums, headaches…and general all round feeling bloomin’ awful.

Star and Boo barely moved for four days! No1 son was much the same but he stayed in his bedroom where I could hear him moaning all day. I kept the Little Man well away from them and eldest daughter stayed in her room as much as possible (she’s lucky she has her own bathroom too!)

It was obvious that me and Graham wouldn’t escape the bug though.

Weekend of Hell.

photograph of a mug in foreground with a bed in the background — Photo by David Mao on Unsplash

Thursday I went to bed feeling unwell, my hands and feet were like ice and I just couldn’t get warm despite the heating being on in the bedroom. I woke on Friday with a migraine. After doing nothing all day I crawled to bed just before 6pm as I just needed a dark room to lie down in. Then I started vomiting. I’d not eaten more than a piece of toast all day, but the vomiting didn’t stop all night long. It felt like I was turning inside out.

Saturday, I was really poorly and Graham was also feeling ill. Thankfully the girls were starting to feel better and No1 Son, although still not out of his room, was gaining more of an appetite.

Sunday was much the same but the girl’s were looking much brighter. I started having a pain in my side which was really sore and unbearable. I couldn’t get comfortable and when I went to bed, I couldn’t lie on it.

New Week

Monday came and the girls went back to school. The Little Man was still fit and healthy and so was eldest daughter. I had to go to the GP and it wasn’t until I saw all the posters for the flue jab that it struck me. We must have all had some type of flu and the Little Man and Eldest Daughter didn’t get it because they had the flu jab! They were immunised, safe, protected….I’m definitely making sure I get my flu jab next.

Anyway, back to my GP visit. I’d gone because of the pain in my side. I’d managed to pull a muscle and it was very tender. That’s the joy of Stiff Person Syndrome. My muscles contract on their own in painful spasms. When I’m not well the spasms get worse. So, where someone may pull a muscle by lifting something heavy or over exercising, I can pull one by doing nothing at all.

It’s starting to heal now though, so no worries.

Hunger Games and Conkers

pink background with a white empty plate. On the plate is a sad face drawn with pen and a knife and fork — Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

Last night I had two stressed out girls. Today is Enrichment day at school and Star’s year is doing ‘Hunger Games’ while Boo is going to the adventure center, Conkers.

Star has been told nothing about what they are doing for the Hunger Games, the teachers have told them it’s a surprise. Star doesn’t do surprises, she doesn’t like the change of routine either. The school is usually really good in preparing the autistic kids for these kinds of things, but not this time. I’m not sure if it because she has been away from school and they haven’t had the chance to take her to one side and prepare her, or if it’s because they really want to keep all the activities a surprise from everyone.

It did feel a bit weird for me this morning, waving my daughter off to the Hunger Games, she’s no Katniss Everdeen!

Boo’s problem could probably be described as the Hunger Games too. She was stressing out because she doesn’t like packed lunches. She’s not a big fan of sandwiches and when we usually have a packed lunch I pack her some different things to eat. However, because of her being off school last week I did not even know she had a trip until she came home yesterday. I may have still had time to have made her something but she wouldn’t tell me what she was worried about…….until five minutes before she was going to school! I know, I should have realised, but I guess not feeling so good it hadn’t occurred to me. I offered to put some snacks in her bag but she refused in case she got into trouble.

I’m pretty sure that they will both have good days, and neither of them will go hungry, but, oh the stress.

The Next Chapter

The illness has left the building, so that’s the best point to end on. It’s hard to think of any other positives after such an awful week, but getting well again is good enough. I have missed my treatment for this month, if I did go in now I’d have to change all my appointments for the year and I’ve arranged everything around them as they are now so changing them will just cause problems. So, I’ll just have to wait until my next round.

Next week I’m sure I’ll have better news to share. It will be half term at last!

Thanks for reading x