Buenos Días Mis Amigos

Hola from the Isle de la Mallorca :)

Airport Delay = 1hr 35 mins....grrrrr!
Average daily temp = 33 degrees and getting hotter daily :)
Number of books read = 2
Trips to Pharamacia = 1 (J wore his swimmy goggles a little too long and rubbed the skin off his ear...ouch!)
Scrapping = Zilch!
Photos taken = 874 and rising!(Cant share any yet either:()

We are all enjoying the rest....the guys have made friends with a great bunch of local kids....both are in the throws of their first holiday romances...love is deffo in the air....Bobs has his eye on a blonde babe, whilst J has selected a rather stunning Spanish beauty to shower his affection upon.

The food has been superb with us dining in style each and every evening...tonight we are planning to head for the beach to go try and catch our supper and have invested in a lil barbie to cook our finds.
Bob ate swordfish and lobster last night and really enjoyed it...J is still limiting his choice of fodder to mainly Chiritzo & fries or fries with a side order of fries...Im determined too get him eating Tapas before we leave.

The highlight of our morning is watching the 8.30am Derby which is performmed by the pool side undesirables.....there is always one family isnt their who are PITA??? You must have come across this breed at some point in your life......101 members of the same family all away together...various teen age daughters all at different stages of their pregnancies....Dads on disability allowance because he did his back in at work 20 odd years ago and is unfit for work, yet he is capable of playing volley ball in the pool all day long whilst shouting out "on me ed son" as loudly as posible...Mom is far too occupied in making sure she goes home minus any white bits, so she doesnt notice lil Shaznay Liberty is just about to deposit the content of her nappy at the poolside! (Thank goodness they go home tomorrow:) )

Anyways back to the 8.30am Derby.....Beach towels at the ready....the swimming pool gates are opened and they´re off......quick quick...pushing and shoving they grapple for "their" sunbed ...having achieved ownership for the day of "their" bed, they stand back with hands on their over indulgent hips and laugh at the late arrivals who have missed out because the alarm failed to wake them in time.....this happens every day and I sit sipping my Cappacino whilst watching on from our balcony....I feel slightly disgusted because some Brits abroad arent such a nice sight to see :(

The saddest thing of all is that if we want a day by the pool it means Hubs is going to have to join the Derby race! Arghhhhh! I dont want the alarm waking us up at the ungodly hour just so we can secure our spot by the pool:( *sigh*

Anyways hope you are all having a fab time......Im off to go soak up some rays, spend some time with my guys and chill.

Véale pronto toma el cuidado se divierte es feliz.....my Spanish is getting beter :)


T.x.x.

Dont forget to link back if you attempt the challenge I set(see previous post)....Ive a huge box of goodies for one lucky scrapper.

adiós mis amigos

Take a look at what Bobs made yesterday using a pack of goodies that came free in the post!



Hubs and the guys gave me an early birthday pressie last night :)


LOL! Hubs will get a shock on Sunday when he opens his Fathers Day pressie and finds he has one too!

I made the lil felt pocket last night whilst winding down after a rather hectic day....we didnt make it to the festival but I did manage to sit in the garden and listen to Amy sing :)Oh the joys of living so close to the beach:)

12 hours and counting till we head off for 2 weeks of the three S's....Sun, Sand & Sangria:)The house is full of excitement and J wants to leave now....ummmm but so do I ;)

Two weeks relaxing, spending time exploring, snorkelling, just being us....spending quality time together, chilling, hanging out, enjoying, being happy.....ahhhhh bliss.
Im so thankful that Hubs insisted we returned to Calla Ferera. We looked back at some of the holiday pics we took when we were there two years ago and I forgot just how beautiful it is.
When I was a wee young thing my Moma and Papa took us to Cala Mondrago, which is just a short taxi journey from our hotel....Im going to take my guys to walk the same beach I walked when I was their age. I just hope I can give my boys the same wonderful childhood memories that my parents gave me.

Whilst Im away I have a lil challenge for those who wanna play along.

Create a LO which captures your childhood memories.
How have these memories influenced your life?....maybe like me you try to recapture your happy childhood days with your own children?

This prompt has massive scope, so use it as you wish and please do link back here so I can see your stunning creations.
You have until 1st July to upload and one lucky scrapper will a bundle of yumminess as a thank you for taking part :)
Heres a snippet of whats up for grabs....a total riot of colour which includes products from SEI, Ki Memories, Queen & Co and Blonde Moments!


Adiós mis amigos.
Sea feliz.
Sea creador.
Diviértase.
Disfrute de la vida.
Sonrisa.

T.x.x.

Reunited

My boy is home!
My lil Tazmanian Devil is whirling around the house....doors are slamming, music is thumping from his bedroom, I have a pile of washing to do and do you want to know something....Im soooo bloomin happy:)
We feel whole again....us 4 together...thats just how it should be:)

J ran out of school with the hugest of smiles....he huggled me sooo tightly and then realised that a bunch of year 11's were watching and remembered that its so not cool to be seen in public hugging ya Moma!LOL!
It was none stop chatter all the way home.....J has had such a fantastic time and Im so proud of him for coping so well.

Bobs is happy to have his buddie home......some of the other guys in the village called over to see J but he was far to occupied checking his bike was just as he left it! He wasnt at all interested in joining them on the ramps!




Bobs and I had quite an exciting morning:)


Mr Postie delivered the most awesome box of goodies from my SIStv swap buddie Breanne..... she has sent me sooooo many wonderful goodies to play with and Ive packed a few into my scrappin case to take with me! Thank you so much Breanne.....I hope you enjoy the stash I sent you in return :).x.x.

Excitement number two....the Red Arrows made an appearance at Midday....Bobs and I were hanging out of the bedroom window watching the jets fly over the sea.....it was pretty awesome...just a shame it was cloudy and raining:(



They arrived to open this years Gold Coast Ocean Fest...its the first year we will miss this festival, which is sooo worth the visit to North Devon for. All our buddies are down on the beach watching the live bands play and from the couple of text and phonecalls we have had it seems they are all having a fab time....maybe we will wander down a lil later because Amy Newton is playing the last set and I lurve her sounds sooo much.

Not much else to report.....cases are packed....Fathers Day pressies and cards made and wrapped...Hubs and the guys hit town to grab a couple of lil extras for Monday.....ummmm wonder why that could be???....tee hee heee...its my birthday whilst we are away and I know that a trip to my favourite jewellers took place because I shoved them through the door way of the shop and lead them to the Troll Bead counter:)I left them to it whilst I dashed off to go buy a couple of pairs of shoes....why is it that I feel compelled to pack sooo many pairs of shoes when I know I'll end up wearing just my favourite pair of Rocket Dogs every day?????

Off to play with my guys before we decide if we are hitting the beach til the early hours or being ever so sensible and having an early night!

Have a great evening. Have fun. Be happy.

T.x.x

She Rocks, He Rocks, Punk Rock

Rain, rain go away!
Grrrrr....if there is one sort of weather I detest, its rain....I hate getting wet!

On the upside rain means I dont venture outside, so the packing is done :)

The rain finally let up for a couple of hours late afternoon so I whizzed down to Bobs school and collected him to come join me in a lil retail therapy.
He wanted to buy Hubs Fathers Day pressie so we raided his bank account and headed over to the superstore.....Bobs bought Hubs a lil Ipod Shuffle in lime green!


J and I went shopping last weekend and he chose some rather splendid tunes for Hubs....we are deffo going to be revisiting our youff when we listen to these tunes :)




Today, I am loading them on to his new shuffle and will wrap it up and hide it in the case ready for Sunday morning :)A card making session has been planned for tomorrow night when J returns home :)


Whilst in Woolies Bobs grabbed a copy of the DVD Hot Fuzz. As huge fans of Sean of the Dead we were really looking forward to watching the film....sadly it did not live up to expectation :( There were a few giggly moments but nothing as rip roaringly funny as in Sean of the Dead.

Whilst curled up on the sofa I started to put together a LO I had originally planned to do for this weeks Pencil Lines sketch....I wasnt 100% with it so it got put on the "maybe another day" pile. Ive quite a few maybe LO's and have decided that when we return from our hols I am going to get them all finished before I start any new projects.

Gwen Steffani is my ultimate Rock Chic....Ive adored her music ever since I picked up a copy of Tragic Kingdom in 1996....I found it in a bargain bucket at the local S n V store and had never heard of the band before...thought I'd give it a whirl and was mighty impressed!! For me there is No Doubt....She Rocks




Im such a happy bunny today....look what we got in the post -


It must have taken J an age to write this short message. I can just imagine as he was putting pencil to paper he was concentrating so hard to get his bestest writing.....he rocks my world.

Bobs has really missed his lil bro. Last night just as he was about to go to bed he
told Hubs and I that despite all the hard times J gives him, J is his best bud and he's glad he is his brother....awwww bless.....I was very misty eyed as I gave Bobs a huge cuddle. He is such a sensible young man and his recent school report had the teaching staff singing his praises......with straight A's for all subjects I know my boy will reach his goals.

Off to the dentist today to get Bobs braces repaired! Two of the fixings fell off last night, whilst he was munching on some Mike and Ikes! Oppps!

Have a great day.....enjoy.

T.x.

Amazing Finds at 39!

J is a lil monkey...he's quirky, lively and so much fun to have around and despite being away from home, he has left us all a lil reminder that he is still in charge of this household!

Yesterday morning as Bobs was heading out to school he asked if Hubs or I had seen his Ipod....ermmm no...maybe he had left it in his bedroom??? Nope - no sign of it...he scuried out to get on the school bus with me promising to have a look for it. It is most unlike Bobs to loose anything as he is the neat freak in our family. He knows exactly where everything is because unlike me, he is tidy!

I searched high and low and couldnt find it....neither could I find my car keys and Hubs seems to have mislaid his mobile! Arghhhh....whats going on?...all of our bits have gone missing.

Hubs phoned to see how my hunting was going on and suddenly, *ping*, I had a light bulb moment....J has a serious collection of metal boxes hidden under his bed...he loves them especially if they have locks! He has boxes for his precious keep sakes...like screws and nails, bottle tops, old coins and little bits of plastic of unknown origins!
My boy is a magpie!
He collects everything and anything and stores them safely and if anyone dared to take a peep, then boy would he go crazy....these are his things....these little bits of cr@pola mean the world to him.

Each time a new box ventures into the house Hubs has had the fore thought to retain one of the spare keys, which means we are able to occassionaly sort out his secret stash and remove any undesirable or offending trash.....why J wants to keep hold of old crisp packets is beyond me???

Anyways....I delved under J's bed and pulled out a few boxes....opened them up and in box number three there lay all of our missing items....it was a misty eyed moment when I spotted the reason why the night before he left, he had been rummaging around in the attic...he had retrieved a really old photograph of Hubs and I and popped it in his box...bless.

When J arrives home on Friday he will save the day and find all of our missing items for us...what a hero he will be....how can we ever manage without him???? He is our family finder and we need him :)

His complex thinking really does have me baffled at times but I find myself learning more about his ways with each passing day.

So with my car keys found I have wheels and will travel.....today will be my final trek into the town centre to pick up the last minute essentials for our holiday :)Just 3 sleeps to go and we will be jetting off to the sun :)

After yesterdays horrid meeting I took myself off to my craft room...I needed to escape thoughts of what what the future may bring for J's education...indulging in a lil scrappin takes away the stress and strains of fighting and gives me the release I need to be just me.

I used some really old stash I found hidden at the bottom of a cupboard and attempted to follow the scrap map from Pencil Lines.




Looking at photographs of myself aged 9, made me realise that 30 years on, as I fast approach my 39th birthday, I may have grown older and wiser, but I still have the same hopes and dreams now as I did as a child. Im sure as I grow stronger as a person my dreams will come true.

Mr Postie has just delivered the most yummiest of stash from SIStv and Im so glad its arrived before our hols :) This little loot will be finding some space in my suitcase as I cant imagine spending two weeks without having some stash to at least stroke!




This is seriously the best kit I have ever bought and Im just lovin the tote bag, the papers are amazing and the ribbons delish....in fact the whole kit is just awesome.

Have a wonderful day....be happy.

T.x.x.x

Its Oh So Quiet!

Its very quiet here! A little too quiet for comfort!

J has gone away for a 5 day school residential. He will be enjoying the delights Cornwall has to offer.

Today he is visiting The Eden Project with fun days planned to be spent at Crealy and Flambards later on this week. Im sure he will have sooo much fun but the house is just too quiet without his chatter.

Its at times like this that I realise just how much of my day is spent looking after his needs. On a normal day, whilst he is at school I am always thinking ahead as to what we will do when he returns home. J needs lots of stimulation with constant adult supervison....so when 3.30pm came and went yesterday afternoon I was feeling a little lost! Bobs arrived home from school, changed into his skate gear and headed off out the door to go skate with his buddie....normally I would be treking along too so J could join in the fun....but instead I was home alone and feeling rather redundant!

Im missing J a lot more than I thought I would! Sometimes when the going is tough and J is having a bad day I long for a little respite....now I have it and Im wanting my guy here with me! It just proves that the grass isnt always greener!

We had yet again another awful meeting this morning :(

Things are not good :( but we are trying really hard to be as positive as we can.

For one reason and another J will be deffo loosing his placement at the special school and there is very little we can do to prevent this. With just one place left at Bobs secondary school we both felt ever so slightly backed into a corner when we opted to accept it :(

Im feeling physically sick with worry....the school has no security what so ever and when your child is a runner its more than a lil worrying!
Whilst its a fantastic school and Bobs is very happy there it just is not the place for J. We have looked at all the other options available and none seem appropriate or able to cope with J's complex needs.

Initially the SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator) seemed OK and spouted out all the key catchphrases until we started asking slightly more in depth questions and then he didnt have a clue how to answer them! I did feel ever so slightly sorry for him because its not his fault! At the end of the day this situation we find ourselves in stems directly from central governments lack of understanding when they compile their ridiculous policies.

Anyways....The LEA are going to panel tomorrow, to award the ammount of hours support J will receive once in mainstream...this will allow the new school to appoint a support assistant for him....after a rather long telephone convo with the LEA officer, she let slip that they will not be awarding full support!!

Hold on a second....my son is to expected to go to a mainsteam school with less than 100% support after spending 2 years within a special school setting....he is expected to move from one class to another minus any supervison....yeah right! Like that will happen...J cant remember instructions no matter how simple they are...he'll get himself in a right pickle! When we mentioned this the SENCO said that we shouldnt worry because J will be given a map of the school....thats Ok if you can read! I just dont think they get it! J will be in an environment where he can choose to leave at any given time...my guess that he will be making his way home the minute the slightest thing troubles him! This really makes sense....doesnt it????

J is expected to travel to school on the local school bus....which I know he will love....but he is expected to travel minus an escort!!! Lord help the bus driver is all I can say! Its a struggle most days for the taxi driver and his escort.....but the LEA officer politely pointed out that Bobs will be on the bus to look after his brother....as much as Bobs loves his brother - he is not his babysitter!
This is turning into a catalogue of disasters before its even begun...talk about setting the kid up to fail eh?

With my mind elsewhere Ive not been feeling terribly creative....most of my time has been spent with my nose buried into various educational reports....I just hate reading about all the things J cant do *sigh* Having to sit and highlight his weaknesses makes me feel like I am betraying him because he is such a little marvel...he can and does do so much and I know with the right support will achieve so much more. I just hope that the person appointed as his support assistant is able to keep up with my lil Tazmanian Devil because he will be sure to cause a whirliwnd when he hits that school!

The sun is shining and I have a pile of paper sat outside on the table thats calling me to go cut and stick!

Have a great day.

T.x.x.

Friends, Fun & Frolics!

Its been a busy few hours since my last post!
I met up wth my buddie Sam and her adorable family on Saturdy evening just as we were heading off to a lil beach party.
I couldnt resist snapping a few piccies of her and her beautiful boys.







We partayed the night away and had such fun down on the sand, my only regret is that I didnt take my camera with me! As much as love my Canon, its bloomin heavy to carry around everywhere so Ive decided that I am going to dig out my old digi and keep it in my bag always.

Sunday morning we all woke early, dusted off our slaps and headed off in the search of waves....but none could be found :(


Its quite possibly the flatest I have ever seen the Atlantic! It looked like a mill pond with the occassional ripple raising our hopes that may be some decent sets may appear....sadly not :(
The guys buddie, Bill, joined us for the day as he had stayed for a sleepover on Saturday night....he is such a funny chap and has the most remarkably infectious laughter....he's just so comical...think of a cross between Benny Hill and Norman Wisdom and that'd be Bill!



The fact there were no waves didnt cause us any worries.....we chilled out on the beach....the guys swam most of the day and when they werent swimming they were up to other tricks!






Both guys were trying to perfect their forward somersaults!
Quite how they can hurl them selves into the air and flip with such ease is beyond me!
Oh to be young and agile again!
I was wincing and ouching with every failed flip but they just bounced back up and carried on and on and on....not giving up until finally they were both landing their flips perfectly.

No crafting has been performed at all this weekend!
The stash sorting didnt happen either!
The weather has been far too wonderful.....I just had to be outside....away from the computer....away from my craft room....having fun being Mom to the men in my life :)

Its been a wonderful day and is one I know my guys will always remember.

Have a superb day......enjoy the sunshine.

T.x.x.

My one wish......

Back when I was a child
Before life removed all the innocence
My father would lift me high
And dance with my mother and me
and then spin me around till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me
And I knew for sure I was loved
If I could get another chance
Another walk, another dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
How I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

When I and my mother would disagree
To get my way I would run from her to him
He’d make me laugh just to comfort me,
Then finally make me do just what my mama had said
If I could steal one final glance
One final step, one final dance with him
I’d play a song that would never, ever end
‘Cause I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

Sometimes I listen outside her door
And I’d hear her, mama cryin’ for him
I pray for her even more than me
I know I’m prayin’ for much too much
But could You send back the only man she loved
I know You don’t do it usually
But Lord, she’s dyin’ to dance with my father again
Every night I fall asleep
And this is all I ever dream.

Luther Vandros - Dance with my Father.

10 years on and it still hurts like crazy....I miss my Dad every single day and wish for just one second he could sit by my side and watch my children play whilst I thanked him for the happiest childhood memories any girl could wish for.

Night Night Dad.
XXXX

Tidy!

Finally Ive had some spare time to make a start on tidying all my stash and putting it in its rightful place.
The new craft cupboard Hubs built for me is amazing. It has so many shleves which means I can store everything within easy reach.



Ive still loads more to sort out and organise before this misson is complete but Im aiming to be done before the weekend is over!
With such lovely weather though Im finding it hard to stay inside the house. I love the sunshine and enjoy curling up outside on the hammock reading a good book.

Yesterday afternoon I added the finishing touches to a LO Ive been working on....Im really pleased with how it turned out but cant share a full piccie just yet! Heres a wee snippet.


Ive lots to do today and this dreaded cold is making me feel yuck! I want to curl up and do some scrappin but instead will be dashing around like a loon for the rest of the day! Im heading off shortly with a huge list of jobs that need to be done and then will be meeting Hubs for lunch....I have to go collect travellers cheques and euros....collect the guys from school for haircuts...meet up with Hubs afterwards to go grab the last minute essentials that J needs for his residential week away with his school buddies....when I finally return home I have a couple of things that need to be done before the weekend hits me!!

I plan to spend this weekend finsishing my stash sorting, packing J's case and then will deffo be doing some scrapping. I havent had much time this week to do all the things I want to and feel the need to have a lil session with my stash!

Have a great day....enjoy the sunshine....smile.

T.x.x

Ohhhh Looksey!

New Basic Grey...Infuse....yummy.




Loads to do and not enough time and on top of everything else Ive developed the most awful cough!

Anyone watching Big Brother will by now know that Emily has been evicted.....a simple case of brain not engaging with mouth before she uttered the offending word.
Its been suggested that the comment was passed in jest...maybe so but this is going to be one joke that will sadly seriously backfire.
Im feel for her parents, family and friends and only hope they get the necessary support to assist them ride this storm.
Im certain the backlash will be horrific because the press feed off negativity, which is why I quit buying the dailys over a year ago.

Who wants to sit and read about all the bad in the world when there is so much good!

You never pick up the trashy papers and read headlines such as "BB Carol made Tea for all" noone wants to read about how she shares her love....well not unless its with an 18 year old toy boy!

Off to finish a LO which has taken me far too long to put together cus I keep spluttering and coughing.....this cough had better clear off soon cus its only 9 days til my hols!

Have fun.

T.x.x

Job vacancy....

Following on from yesterdays post Thank You for the wonderful emails, phone calls and messages left offering us hugs and support......it means lots to us both and we really appreciate it.

Big thanks to MWG for sendig me this today....it really made me smile.

JOB VACANCY : PARENT

POSITION : Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop
JOB DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment.
Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities .
Travel expenses not reimbursed.
Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs £5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat
in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.


Its still the best job in the world and I wouldnt change a single thing cus I love being a Momma to my guys.

Ive been on a lil retail excercise today, finished the last of our holiday shopping and spent a couple of hours having a pamper sesson at the hairdressers!

The sun is shining so Im off to jump start my tan!

Have fun.

T.x.

Toot Toot....Grrrrr!

A massive TOOT TOOT to Beckie and KimmyS for making it through to the top 20 of the Rusty Pickle DT call.
Take a look at their stunning entries here.
Its great to see UK talent receiving the recognition it deserves.
Wishing them oddles of luck in the next rounds.



Ive been busy working on a lil project and am almost ready to submit my entries! I doubt I will get anywhere but hey its worth the go and it doesnt matter if I dont cut it becuase at the end of the day I have some pretty yummy LO's in my album. :)

Maybe its a good time to leave my blog now because Im going to have a lil rant....no forget that....its a HUGE rant!

Its been a hard morning for both Hubs and I.
Today we attended the final decission making meeting regarding J's educational future.
For those that dont know J is a guy who has very complex needs. He has a string of diagnosis which include Autistic Spectrum Disorder. He is high functioning which means at first glance he looks and behaves like any other child...scratch the surface and J's world is very different to yours and mine.
J has no theory of mind....he believes that what he thinks everyone else thinks...what he sees is what everyone else sees. He has complex language difficulties and a significant learning delay. Current assesments lead us to believe he is functioning at 5 years below his chronologoical age with very little evidence that this will ever improve.

He has been in a special school placement for 2 years and during that time has come on in leaps and bounds. Previously to his placement being granted I home educated him for 2 years. He attended mainstream primary until he was aged 7 and was removed by ourselves after he was subjected to a torent of abuse and torment by both pupils and teaching staff.
J couldnt cope with school and school couldnt/wouldnt cope with J!



So today, after 2 years of specialised teaching, we are blessed with a son who can now write his name and address...he can recite his home telephone number...believe me when I say this is a miracle...we were told he would never do any of these things!
He doesnt understand math at all...has no concept of time....the value of money means nothing to him....neither do the days of the week.
He struggles with social skills and doesnt understand the underwritten rules of life. He shows no reaction to emotion. Typical example of this...I was really upset when a very close friend died and needed to go have a cry....I took myslef off to a quiet space and sobbed my heart out....J wanted to ask me something and when he saw me he asked
"Why have you got black rain on your face?"...my mascara wasnt waterproof!
j is a fun loving guy who enjoys the comapny of adults as he struggles to relate to his key peers....spending time with him is just the best. He is funny, has a wicked sense of humor (which ASD children, if you believed what was wriiten in the books, arent supposed to have!) He is creative, excells at sport and can strip down his motorbike engine and rebuild it without any adult suppervison!!

Recently the men in grey suits have decided that 50% of all children within a special school placement have to be reintegrated into a mainstream setting....inclusion is the buzz words atm!

Im all for J being included into society and will fight to my dieing day for my son to be socially accepted for the wonderful person he is. However can someone please tell me how my son is going to cope in a mainstream secondary school because Im sure as hell confused!
If J is functioning 5 years below his age that means he is functioning as a 6 year old....who in their right mind would pick up a 6 year old child and put them in a secondary school???

Well thats whats going to happen in September! My boy is going to a mainstream secondary school!
The poor headteacher was really fighting our corner but they wouldnt have it....minds had been set....decissions made....money saved!
I just hope that they understand this is my guys future which is hanging in the balance.....I wil not allow him to be subjected to the torment and abuse he suffered whilst previously in mainstream....I will not allow my boy to be the subject of ridicule and made the easy target.

Hubs and I have worked so hard to bring J into the "normal" world and I AM NOT prepared to see all our hard work go to waste.
Those that have met my boy would confirm that he is a wonderful lil chap....its taken 4 years to bring him to that level. 4 years of continually investing all our love and praise....working hard on therapies and strategies to enable him to survive as best he can and they had the cheek to ask me what I thought the point was of all our work...J, afterall will not be an independant adult....says who?????

Noone can predict what will happen but I have a pretty good idea. J will not be able to cope within the classroom setting....he will struggle....he will become frustrated....he will become disruptive...he will be labelled the "norty kid" again! His self esteem will plummet and Hubs and I will be the ones left to pick up the pieces!

J has taught me so much about myself...he has taught me that I was wrong to believe that those professionals out there know better than I do. Just because they have an "ology" doesnt mean anything....they know jack sh*t....I live ASD every day....my life revolves around ASD...my life is ASD because my life is J.
He has taught me that I can take on these men in their grey suits and fight and win battles I never thought possible.
He has taught me that the world can be an unkind place....that not everyone is understanding...he has taught me how to make a difference.
I am soo grateful that he is in my life....J has made me a better person...an understanding person...a fighter.

Time to put the soapbox away and start my plan of action....if all else fails Hubs and I have decided we will go back to home edding...at least that way we know he will be given the life lessons he needs to live as much an independant adult life as possible.

The clocks ticking and my wee marvel will be home from school any minute....Im going to go off to the beach with the guys and prise this lardy body of mine into my wetsuit....I need a surf!

Have a good one.
T.x.