Happy Birthday *CAL (Not quite WW but definitely WW)

I know, I know…it’s supposed to be “WORDLESS” Wednesday. WW.

However I’m SO VERY proud of my girl today I can’t possibly be wordless.

When she is SO Wonderfully Wired. WW.

My prayers were answered this morning, “Thank you Jesus!”

My little *CAL has been shutdown every morning and most afternoons since returning back to school after the six weeks holiday.

But this morning, she got herself up, washed dressed and ready to go with her big bag of Chocolate to share with her friends.

She has a little ritual on her Birthday

She doesn’t like to open ANYTHING, not even her cards, she waits until she gets home.

While she is at school I decorate the house with the things she wants to see.

This year she has been so grown up

She only has one present that the whole family have contributed towards.

The Nintendo 3DS in Aqua Blue.

The 3DS has become her special interest over the last few months, she talks about it most of the time.

So watching her make the decision this morning, to NOT open anything because she knows that once she opens her present she will want to play and NOT be at school, was wonderful for me.

Being Aware of our Aspie traits is SO important in learning how to self regulate.

My girl is growing up and she is becoming aware of how Wonderfully Wired she is.

Happy Birthday *CAL, I’m so very proud to be your Mommy. XXXX

Wordless Wednesday Playtime – acronym

Amazingly

Unique,

Totally

Incredible,

SPECTACULAR

Miss Eccentric

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Wordless Wednesday

Hello my lovely bloggy friends,

I’m not REALLY Wordless today,

There’s quite a lot I’m trying to say.

But first I’ll go away and pray,

I’ll be back once I have pondered.

“A place where *CAL can be *CAL!”

*CAL with her Great Auntie Bubble

This is my Auntie, my Mom’s little sister.

She stepped in and became grandparent to 6 children who miss there Nanny so very much.

*CAL LOVES going to Auntie Bubble’s flat. It’s “A place where *CAL can be *CAL!”

Wordless Wednesday, My little *CAL

Aspie-happy in the Co-op

Totally absorbed and Aspie-happy in Gamestation

High Functioning Autism…My *CAL, and what I see!

Hello my lovely bloggy friends,

I’m going to go through a day in the life of *CAL from an Aspie Mom perspective.

I’ll tell you about today it’s pretty average as it goes, I don’t usually post about day to day stuff but I thought I would today.

Today was *CAL’s first day back to school

After the 4 days weekend for the Royal wedding. As predicted she was completely shutdown this morning. This means everything I ask her to do takes forever or doesn’t get done AT ALL.

Getting her out of bed, washed, dressed and down stairs…If I leave her to do it herself. Just won’t happen. I have to stand and prompt everything she needs to do, one thing at a time. Or on really bad days do it for her.

I always plan a music lesson for *CAL on the first day back of each week. I find that this gives her a focus to get through the first day, it starts to get easier as the week goes on and then we get the weekend again.

Breakfast…Frosties, she eats half a bowl full…she always seems to only eat half. I tried once only giving her half the amount, she ended up only eating a quarter. We have dogs, NO food gets wasted here.

We actually managed to get to school on time today….Woohoo!!!

That NEVER happens on the first day of a week. But it did today, yes I pat myself on the back for that. 🙂 Giggle.

I’m a dinner lady at *CAL’s school.

By dinner time she was switched on again, she goes to Nurture Group and has 15 minutes out in the playground each day.

She came down to my playground, I’m on huff and puff this week. Lots of bouncy hoppers, skipping ropes, bats and balls, basket ball, mini golf and just LOADS of FUN actually.

Now that our weather is nice the kids are all enjoying playing on the grass. *CAL has 2 friends they are boys in her class and she plays quite happily with them for this short time. Any longer she can become a little lost and confused, then doesn’t cope well later.

After school I was in the playground,

A child in *CAL’s class came running up to me all very excited. She told me that there is going to be a competition in school to design a character for a computer programme the school uses. *CAL is EXTREMELY good at art. This little girl said to me *CAL’s AMAZING, she can draw anything I bet she will win. I felt so very pleased about this until I found out that the winner gets to go on a trip and take 5 friends with them.

I suddenly thought about all of *CAL’s sensory issues

How overwhelmed she gets and also she only has 2 friends. All my fears jumped in and attacked my thoughts, I started looping on the thought of her getting used for her talent. Thinking she has suddenly got new friends as the kids are telling her how brilliant her drawings are.

I’m her Mom, but I’m also an Aspie and I know how much it hurt to find out that someone, you think is your friend, was only using you to get what they want. Not being able to see this and then feeling the hurt when you suddenly get dumped.

But this is my experience and I can’t allow myself to project that onto my daughter. She is NOT me she is *CAL she has different ways of coping and understanding. As her Mom I will help her to understand and discover her own way.

Fast forward a bit…*CAL’s Piano lesson.

*CAL has a key board at home, I would SO love to get her a piano. We simply can’t afford it yet.

But each week she gets to lose herself on a Baby Grand.

I watch the joy on my daughter face as she feels the music she plays.

Today she started to use the pedals….OMGoodness, you should have seen her.

The excitement of being able to control the length of the notes and feel her way in her music.

Her face lit up and she just started giggling and happy-dancing on the piano stool.

It was just so beautiful to watch.

She was so excited and totally absorbed in the sounds she could make using the pedals and playing her scales and chords.

Her tunes that she has worked out from all her video games. Suddenly came alive to her.

*Elaine, *CAL’s music teacher looked at me with tears in her eyes.

She said, “We’ve got to get her a piano!”

Then she turned to *CAL and lovingly said,

“If I had enough money *CAL I’d buy you a piano just like mine.”

I REALLY don’t know how I held it together because I know that *Elaine ABSOLUTELY meant what she said to my little girl.

So now it’s *CAL’s bedtime…and guess what?

She is wide awake and totally switched on, she has done everything on her list to do and is reading a book to herself in bed.

Once she gets to sleep she usually sleeps well, not like me and *AJ who both get up at least once every night to empty our brains…not our bladders like most people.

So…tomorrow we start again.

I know one day she will do it ALL for herself, but until then I’m here to help her find her way.

*CAL’s… “Hello Mr Sparkle!”

Hello Mr Sparkle!

Hello my lovely bloggy friends

You’re in for a treat, I haven’t written the following post, my 10 year old daughter *CAL has. She is extremely talented with music, poetry and writing (But I’m bias) She recently was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Two days ago *CAL picked herself a journal. She is totally loving writing in it each evening, and it is absolutely beautiful to look at. She writes in it as letters and addresses them to Mr Sparkle, a name she picked herself.

We had the idea of using different coloured gel pens to reflect her different moods, she also draws pictures and we have quite a few packs of different stickers.*CAL also uses emoticons to help her to express her feelings, this is very helpful for her.

We had the idea of printing out photos, that she can glue into her journal, from things she’s enjoyed doing.

I have added a tab to *CAL’s cool stuff, under My Kids…this is called Hello Mr Sparkle.This will be for journal entries that *CAL wants to share, after I have read through and feel she can…obviously.

So now…over to *CAL.

Mama’s little helper! 🙂

Hello Mr Sparkle!

So…I might tell you what I have been dreaming about when I was asleep.

Well, I dreamed a little bit about the Shaytards…and a little bit of me…linked together.

= ME meeting the Shaytards.

Not much but I did have some fun! (hehe. 😀 )

The Shaytards

The first thing that I did, when I woke up, that was cool is that I had an accident with the Frosties.

I told Mom and she let me use the broom to tidy up the mess.

The second thing that was cool is that Mama let me clean the Goldfish bowl.

I even moved the fish to the clean bowl with a net! 😀

Jack and Roger *CAL’s Goldfish

The third thing is that Mama let me do the washing up, I really enjoyed doing these jobs.

*CAL washing up

PLUS… Mama let me use her Blackberry phone to take some photos of the fish.

Sticker

Bye bye Mr Sparkle!

Poem…My Brother. by CAL (age 10)

Just a few hours old, *AJ with CAL

Hello my lovely bloggy friends,

This is a poem that my little *CAL brought home from school yesterday. She wrote it for *AJ, he was so touch by this poem he wants it framed to hang in his bedroom.

I spent the morning looking at photos of the two of them together over the years. I found it very hard to pick just a few, so I decided to share 20 photos of them because I find making decisions quite hard sometimes.

I think it’s one of my Aspie things…giggle.

My Brother.

by CAL (age 10)

My brother is very cute and funny

He goes round with his friends

When it is sunny

~

He’s good on the guitar

And fantastic when singing

He cheers me up

When someone’s hurt my feelings

~

He makes really silly voices

And let’s me make some choices

He is silly and clever

He is definitely…

The best brother EVER!

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Jack Frost came he glittered the floor

image from Google

Jack Frost came he glittered the floor

by *CAL and Lisa Lock

Jack Frost came he glittered the floor

And painted our black car white

He painted the trees and all the grass

He must have had fun last night

˜

We got ready for school, we were actually on time

But we had to de-ice the car

Then we drove really slow so the car didn’t skid

It’s really not that far

˜

We was late again, only a bit

But it’s really slippery this ice

We had such fun skidding and skating

This memory is really nice

*********************************************************

But we get to school and the Head is there

Through the window he is staring

I looked at the floor to avoid his glare

My naughty girl mask I’m wearing

˜

Yet another late mark for my little *CAL

I feel like I’m letting her down

I don’t seem able to do what’s required

I seem to be just a clown

˜

So I skid and I skate and I feel really bad

As I walk on the frost back home

I try my best to fit in this world

But sometimes I wish they’d leave us alone

_______________________________________________________________________

 

My little *CAL and me made this up on the way to school today.

The last three verses came to me on the walk back to my car.

 

Pumpkin and Carrot soup…..with a Banana

Strange title wasn’t it, sorry if you want a recipe I haven’t got one it’s just the ingredient for my day.

But let us have a think about this silence thing first.

Keep silent…who they kidding, they don’t really know us do they???

So in an attempt to understand our social isolation and to raise awareness of Autism we have an on-line community shut down do we?

NT’s are being encouraged to not talk to their Aspie/Autie friends.

Boooooo-Hooooooo, I’m going to cry. I don’t like that idea very much at all!

In fact I will say it again but louder…..

****”I DON’T LIKE THAT IDEA VERY MUCH AT ALL!!!”****

………………………………………and I bang my fist on the desk…hehe

I’m so very glad that my NT friend loves me and knows me well enough to realise what a stupid idea this is.

Also that my Aspie/Autie friends are all thinking the same as me…..LMHO

Here is a link to one of my posts about what life is like living with a spectrum disorder

Autism meaning *self ???

Yes we spend much time alone and in thoughts of aloneness, so not having our on-line friends for just one day would really shake our brains….all aspies know what I’m talking about here….hehehe

Yes we go into what I call a frantic thought loop.

Enough about this anyway let’s have a look at my day.

————————————————————————————————————————————–

My day and all its glory!!!!!

Well today I have spent some wonderful time sending photographs to my lovely friend.

I also wrote a poem and had some lovely time in prayer.

I must show you what my kids have been up to.

They are both so quirky and so very silly, I think they must get it off me.

My Carrot and my Banana

Alienhippy image

Alienhippy image

Alienhippy image

*AJ actually got on a bus to our city centre dressed like that….with his friends.

One was dressed as Where’s Wally the other a cowboy with inflatable horse and false legs.

And as for the Pumpkin and carrot soup…it was very nice thank you.

I make the best Pumpkin soup around, my Leek and potato is not bad either.

Love and hugs to all my wonderful bloggy friends, you make my life have a smile. 🙂 X

Secondary Thinking

In England children in year 5 are now thinking about the move to big school. We call it Secondary School  here, for ages 11-16. I have been having a series of conversations recently with those who have worked with *CAL. We now have to pursue a statement for her and will hopefully get a diagnoses soon.

I was hoping that she would manage as well as *AJ has with main stream. However, as the days go by I watch the gap growing ever wider between her and her peers.

I work at the school she attends and it breaks my heart watching her struggle with things that other kids don’t think twice about doing.

As usual when I struggle for words, a poem is born.

************************************************************************

Secondary Thinking

by Alienhippy

So much goes on inside my head without the added mass

Of working through the feelings felt of whether CAL will pass

The scrutiny of strangers watching her every move

Every moment of her day and how she has to prove

That she needs help to make things better

I have it all written in this long letter

All the things that she CAN’T do

Making her different from you

˜

But every part of me is screaming

Look at how my baby’s dreaming

She is SO unique her mind is inspiring

Her patience, kindness, love of trying

She is a fighter with a heart of gold

My arty/poet truth being told

A musician, gamer and a writer

Her future will be so much brighter

Give her a place in special school

Please, anything else is just too cruel