ENJOYING MY 'RESPITE' TIME !

After five minutes of attempting to do some housework my back said,
 'ENOUGH',
or it would have if backs could speak!
On Saturday a disc in my back slipped  (a not unusual occurrence) and I have been in agony since.

If Pollyanna were here she would say something along the lines of,
'Be grateful that you have had at least three months without a slipped disc ' ,
 which is true but sadly I am not grateful and it does not ease the pain.

And if Cardiff Council's social services hatchet men were here they would say,
'Just be grateful that your daughter is in school , remembering that we consider school time as RESPITE time, and you have plenty of FREE time with nothing to do but   relax during RESPITE/SCHOOL time so don't expect any sympathy from us even  though we promised  extra help three months ago and never followed through on our promises ..........!

On a brighter note, the Easter holidays are over today and Missy was thrilled to be going back to school, it is always really nice when Missy is so very  FLAPPY HAPPY  she cannot keep still :)

AUTISM MOTHERS USE HOMONYMS

When I  say I have done nothing all day I do not mean this

But this

This morning I have done the following

 Showered and dressed and fed Missy
 Washed and dressed and fed myself
 Picked up and cleared away all the rubbish, dirty dishes and dirty clothes
 Washed a load of clothes
 Washed a load of dishes
 Cleared and cleaned the kitchen sink and table


And yet if asked, I would say  I had done nothing.

My house still looks like a pinata filled with books and toys and clothes to be ironed and  DUST has exploded in every room of my house !
I truly believe that a new view on reality hits you when you have a child with autism and even if Anthea or Kim & Aggie wouldn't set foot in your house,
you don't really care :)

MISSY HAS SELECTIVE EATING......JUST NOT TODAY !

As far as Missy is concerned, ice cream comes in colours not flavours and she will only eat PINK or WHITE!

Until today :)

Whilst choosing a pudding  to buy in the local Farm Foods ,Missy discovered the chocolate bar ice creams and it was as if a light bulb turned on in her head !

We bought the Cadbury Cream Egg ice cream and I am sure if I had given her the tub she would have eaten it all.

Progress as far as Missy's selective eating is concerned may not always seem encouraging but it is days like this  that show there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Now if she would only  eat some fruit :)

HOLIDAY TIME......AGAIN !

It is school holiday time ...... again!
They seem to come around so quickly and even though they are meant to be a holiday, most of the time is spent with me trying to find ways to entertain Missy :)

 

Today Missy has gone to the cinema with the carers but she will bounce back through the door in 15 minutes and entertainment time will begin again.

Earlier  I washed Snow White and the 7 Dwarves and the rest of the garden ornaments and when they are dry our next activity will be to repair and paint them.

I better get browsing on Pinterest for other activities because after our 2 for Tuesday Pizza for tea it will be time to do something else.
I don't think Missy is any different to any other child when it comes to school holidays as I remember my older girls constantly saying BUT WHAT CAN WE DO ?
And if I remember correctly I used to say the same thing to my mother but I remember that she only ever had two suggestions for me , PLAY HOSPITALS or PLAY SCHOOLS.
Perhaps that is why I ended up training as a nurse AND a teacher :)

I AM DOCTOR SPOT !

I am Dr Spot......according to Missy !
Missy may be autistic but in most ways she is just the same as any other child.
And that includes SPOTS !
So I have to teach her to clean and scrub them and treat them and like brushing a child's hair ,it is a thankless task !
Sometimes I wish for the  technology of the Jetsons, where you walk into the bathroom and the robots and technology do it all for you !

IT IS A SHED......NOT A BABY !

This a photograph of the shed in the latest Cuprinol advert.
In the advert a SHED, crying like a baby wakes a young couple up and the man takes the shed a bottle of milk to stop it crying.
The woman however brings a tin of cuprinol and they make the shed happy by cuprinolling it.
Missy, however is convinced it is a baby crying and she gets totally upset when she hears crying.
I have to hold Missy when something like is happens to prevent her hurting herself.
Tonight I got away with a bruised hand where she threw herself against a wall(my hand got in the way) and my knee dislocated, a common enough occurrence for  me but knee and hand at the same time is a bit of a painful shock !
The only answer is to mute the adverts, sadly there is no way to mute squalling children in shops !

I HAVE A BELLY BUTTON

I have a belly button.
You have a  button.
Everyone has a belly button.
However, Missy has somehow developed the idea that if you have a belly button,
man, woman ,child or animal , then you are pregnant!
It can  be VERY embarrassing when Missy spots anyone who is overweight and says BABY!

So, I am looking for Early Learner books that might help bring some clarity to the situation.
If you know of any such books then please let  me know.
I will be truly grateful :)