school

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.

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.

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

Tales From Mamaville

My Sunday Photo December 12th 2018

December 9, 2018 by Anne Sweet 10 Comments

Festive

Christmas is nearly upon on..I know because I have all my food shopping deliveries booked from now until Christmas Eve! I’ve decided to share some festive photos with you today.

a display of Christmas festivity, a tree, reindeer, polar bears, snow men and lots of snow. — School festive display

If you are a regular visitor you may remember that I took my youngest son, The Little Man, out of school in June when bullying had him end up in A&E. I couldn’t find anywhere for him to go straight away so I home educated him for a while. Then in October we found a lovely school, a little further away, that seemed good for him. And they could start him straight away.

festive display showing a lit up tree, snowmen and polar bears — Festive display

Last Monday we went to the school for a Christmas crafting session and were greeted with these lovely displays. But that’s not all, there was a huge sleigh in the foyer, lots of decorated Christmas trees, and the whole school was lit up with fairy lights in bowls, jars and hung up. There was a singing and dancing Christmas tree and a whole corridor where children could hang up the crafts they made at the session. I can’t show you more in photos because the lighting wasn’t good enough for my phone camera, and a lot of photos contained lots of other children which I would not share without permission. But trust me when I say the whole school looked magical.

In the Little Man’s last school there was very little in the way of decoration and I was actually told by the head teacher that they didn’t like to get the kids too excited before Christmas as it affected their work. This was a primary school, children should be allowed to get excited at this time of year surely. Also, there was one Christmas assembly and only the nursery class did a Nativity or Christmas play.

This year The Little Man has something Christmassy going on nearly every day in the next two weeks and I am so excited to go and see his Christmas performance. I have so missed all this.

p.s. for a lovely idea for a unique Christmas gift and a way of sharing your photos with a loved one, please see my review of Neveo on my previous post.

It’s a Week of New Things

October 11, 2018 by Anne Sweet 10 Comments

a purple star with the word, new, in the middle

Last week my word of the week was School as we had found a new school for the Little Man. We went out on Saturday to buy his new uniform and although we got everything we need the day didn’t end well. More about that in a little while. First I want to tell you that the Little Man absolutely loves his new school. He’s made lots of friends already and thinks his teacher is great. In one week I’ve found him keen to read his book just so I can give him his comment in his reading log (he’s never been keen before) and he’s been singing songs to me that he’s learnt.

He is happy and excited to go to school in the morning and comes home bubbling. I have missed him like crazy but it was certainly the right decision to send him back to school, he is so much brighter.

The Crash

We also have a brand new, I mean, so new it’s only just over a month old, car! It’s a top of the range Mazda with leather seats and so many features, including many safety features. Graham is in love already. BUT, it’s not ours really, it’s a courtesy car while our poor Skoda, Bernard, is being repaired.

After uniform shopping on Saturday we were involved in a car accident. While waiting to turn right another car ploughed into the back of us at speed. Thankfully the girls were safe at home with their big sister so there were only three of us in the car.

Graham was fine at the time but has since become stiff and sore from whiplash and is suffering from recurring headaches. The Little Man was hysterical, but it was more fright than anything. He hit is head off my seat, despite being strapped in. He has bruising on both his legs and also has a stiff neck and shoulders.

I don’t even remember what happened but I remembered seeing blood from my foot and my shoe was missing. My back was really hurting and I’d gone stiff in spasm from my condition. I can only surmise that the shock of the accident caused my startle reflex to set in and I somehow managed to get pretty bashed. I was taken to Accident and Emergency by ambulance, but my experience at the hospital was not good. The Dr had no idea how to treat me because my stiffness meant he couldn’t make his usual examinations, after poking my back and sending me into a massive spasm again. It’s difficult to examine someone for spinal injuries when they already have a knackered spine. I can’t blame him for not knowing what to do, nobody ever knows how to deal with me.

I left hospital unable to weight bear on my left side and my back has been hurting like crazy. But, it is slowly getting better so I just need to heal. If it was getting worse I would be worried. About three days after the accident I also suffered from the stiff neck and shoulder pain. My ankle is also swollen, bruised and grazed. But the main thing is, we survived.

New Plan of Treatment

On Tuesday I was back at the hospital but this time for a scheduled appointment with my consultant. We first discussed the IVIG which I am feeling benefits from now that I’ve been having it for a year. Changing it to every month, rather than every three months, has made a big difference.

Then we discussed all the new issues I’d been having and he told me that they are all side affects from my medication. I’ve been taking this medication for three years now without side affects, but now that the IVIG is in my system there seems to be a battle going on with the IVIG and my medication. So, the plan is to reduce the medication and adjust the IVIG so that I get the best benefits without the side affects.

It sounds good to me. I’m quite happy to be pumping less drugs into my body, especially if it gets rid of the side effects.

Other issues I’ve been having can be put down to me lacking in B12 and folate. My medication can stop my body from absorbing these from my food so now I am taking supplements for four months to help.

I am actually beginning to feel more positive. I know there are other drugs that can be used to help my condition, but as it’s so rare it’s hit and miss as to whether they work. So although, although I’d give anything to take something to make me better, the thought of taking even more drugs was making me feel anxious. I’m so hoping this works out, my consultant seems quite confident it will.