Tuesday, 8 December 2009

Guidance for the singing of 'Festive Songs' (ELF & Safety)

Festive frivolity for a change, rather than anything too serious ;) 

The Rocking Song 
Little Jesus, sweetly sleep, do not stir; 
We will lend a coat of fur, 
We will rock you, rock you, rock you, 
We will rock you, rock you, rock you: 

Fur is no longer appropriate wear for small infants, both due to risk of allergy to animal fur, and for ethical reasons. Therefore faux fur, a nice cellular blanket or perhaps micro-fleece material should be considered a suitable alternative. Please note, only persons who have been subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check and have enhanced clearance will be permitted to rock baby Jesus. Persons must carry their CRB disclosure with them at all times and be prepared to provide three forms of identification before rocking commences. 


Jingle Bells 
Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh 
O'er the fields we go 
Laughing all the way 

A risk assessment must be submitted before an open sleigh is considered safe for members of the public to travel on. The risk assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly if passengers are of larger proportions. Please note, permission must be gained from landowners before entering their fields. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.


While Shepherds Watched 
While shepherds watched 
Their flocks by night 
All seated on the ground 
The angel of the Lord came down And glory shone around 

The union of Shepherd's has complained that it breaches health and safety regulations to insist that shepherds watch their flocks without appropriate seating arrangements being provided, therefore benches, stools and orthopaedic chairs are now available. Shepherds have also requested that due to the inclement weather conditions at this time of year that they should watch their flocks via cctv cameras from centrally heated shepherd observation huts. Please note, the angel of the lord is reminded that before shining his / her glory all around she / he must ascertain that all shepherds have been issued with glasses capable of filtering out the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and Glory. 


Little Donkey 
Little donkey, little donkey on the dusty road 
Got to keep on plodding onwards with your precious load 

The RSPCA have issued strict guidelines with regard to how heavy a load that a donkey of small stature is permitted to carry, also included in the guidelines is guidance regarding how often to feed the donkey and how many rest breaks are required over a four hour plodding period. Please note that due to the increased risk of pollution from the dusty road, Mary and Joseph are required to wear face masks to prevent inhalation of any airborne particles. The donkey has expressed his discomfort at being labelled 'little' and would prefer just to be simply referred to as Mr. Donkey. To comment upon his height or lack thereof may be considered an infringement of his equine rights. 


We Three Kings 
We three kings of Orient are 
Bearing gifts we traverse afar 
Field and fountain, moor and mountain 
Following yonder star 

Whilst the gift of gold is still considered acceptable - as it may be redeemed at a later date through such organisations as 'cash for gold' etc, gifts of frankincense and myrrh are not appropriate due to the potential risk of oils and fragrances causing allergic reactions. A suggested gift alternative would be to make a donation to a worthy cause in the recipients name or perhaps give a gift voucher. We would not advise that the traversing kings rely on navigation by stars in order to reach their destinations and suggest the use of RAC routefinder or satellite navigation, which will provide the quickest route and advice regarding fuel consumption. Please note as per the guidelines from the RSPCA for Mr Donkey, the camels carrying the three kings of Orient will require regular food and rest breaks. Facemasks for the three kings are also advisable due to the likelihood of dust from the camels hooves. 


Rudolph the red nosed reindeer 
Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose. 
And if you ever saw him, you would even say it glows. 

You are advised that under the Equal Opportunities for All policy, it is inappropriate for persons to make comment with regard to the ruddiness of any part of Mr. R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R Reindeer from the Reindeer Games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offence. A full investigation will be implemented and sanctions - including suspension on full pay - will be considered whilst this investigation takes place.

Monday, 30 November 2009

Search for a missing "Hamster" :(

What a traumatic evening.... I always knew it could happen, it was a potential trauma all parents face but I had somehow managed to avoid for the past twelve years...  but this afternoon it actually happened. A has lost his "hamster". 

I should point out the reason for the inverted commas. This is not a real hamster, in fact it isn't a hamster at all, but a much-loved and long treasured beanie toy. And it really isn't a hamster (or "hampster" as A calls it) it's a panda. 


A has had this precious cuddly for years, they are given to children who attend the Portland Hospital and whom therefore become members of the "Portly Panda Club". All the children receive these bean bag toy pandas and both twins had them. Like everything else which has been duplicated by accident or necessity his had an "A" on the label and K's had a "K" on. They have been wrapped in muslins, like babies, carried around everywhere possible and I have been so careful to keep tabs on both of them. Finally it happened, the inevitable I guess - one was left behind in town this afternoon. A has been quite stoical. I've phoned everywhere we went, driven back after collecting J from his bus and hunted all over the place. On failing to find it this evening we headed home about 6pm. K was so sweet and offered him her "hamster" - which I was so touched about. We arrived home and he started to cry. Obviously I comforted him and he pointed out the one he held didn't have an "A" on the label. 

However what amazed me most was when he said:- "But Mummy, I'm sad because hamster is missing, and you will cry if we don't find him." !!! Bless. Empathy in bucketloads (thank goodness) and hopefully not emotionally scarred for life! He's in bed asleep now... and I'm off to check ebay for alternative pandas! (sorry, hamsters!)

UPDATE
Three trips to town later.... and countless calls to all the shops we visited and we found him!! One happy small boy :) It would appear "Hamster" became engrossed in the children's magazines at WHSmith and got left behind. The Wonderpets saved the day (and Mummy!) and he is safely home on A's bed. Thank goodness, Mum was at least as worried as A was!



Wednesday, 18 November 2009

School Nativity Plays

Christmas just wouldn't be the same without a school Nativity play - complete with plastic baby Jesus, shepherd's in dressing gowns and tea-towels and fake angels covered in silver tinsel. The sweet simplicity of a nursery production of fifteen minutes which (I know) has taken the teachers and assistants weeks of careful preparation is the essence of its success. 

More complicated productions with older children have something different to offer in their frequent attempt to convert the traditional Nativity into something more current and acceptable to today's youth - but I love seeing 3 and 4 year olds stumble on stage in their too-long costumes whilst looking for Mummy and Daddy in the audience!

This year we are in for a treat. A has been chosen to play "Joseph" and K is an angel. (Of course!) However my current difficulty is explaining to her that angels are different from fairies and although they do indeed have wings her wand will have to stay at home. (This didn't go down well but I'm working on it.) A on the other hand is chuffed to bits to have been chosen to stand over Baby Jesus and fortunately doesn't have to say his name during the production, since I think a lisped "Jofish" is very cute but may be a little confusing for the audience! I must admit to being stupidly proud and am anticipating the big day eagerly. Of course, he will most probably see me and run off the stage on the Big Day for a cuddle!!

H's Christmas Production is a closely guarded secret at his school, but he is participating this year which is great. I did hear that someone had make the mistake of referring to Christmas as "Jesus' Birthday" though, which they hastily regretted when H proceeded to explain how Jesus was most probably born in July and Christmas couldn't be called his birthday since it just wasn't "right".

Note to self - Must keep the theological philosophising to myself in future.......


Sunday, 18 October 2009

Ice-Cream Meltdown on a Cold Sunday afternoon

There is a God. I have proof.

Today we visited my husband's parents in rural Cambridgeshire. (Well, fairly rural and certainly not in town. You'll see the relevance later... ) H was in a really twitchy mood, everything was bothering him and he was not happy to be fobbed off with his world of Pokemon on the DSi, needing instead to point out at every available opportunity how distressed he was. He even resorted to some echolalia and stimming, which I find rather unnerving since we are definitely seeing some regressive Autistic behaviour which I hadn't been prepared for.

My in-laws live a quiet life and an invasion of a large family must be a challenge for them at the best of times, but H was not built with any type of volume control and tries the patience of most older people on a good day. Today was not one of those days.

At lunchtime he decided he needed ice cream for dessert. In fact, skip the main course and forget the cutlery, he just needed ice cream. Now.

After realising there was no way of explaining the reality he chose to ignore (that there was none) and the implausibility of his preferred parallel universe (where we magically produced or made some) we tried ignoring him. But anyone who has a child with an ASD will know the odds of this tactic succeeding are about as good as winning the Lottery! Some chemistry experiments and playing yo-yos with spiders (don't ask) with Granddad helped buy us some time (Granddad is now recovering with a stiff drink in a horizontal position no doubt) but by 4pm we were running out of ideas and H was NOT running out of steam. 

And that's when we heard the most bizarre of sounds in a smart Cambs village cul de sac full of retired people and very few children. On a rather chilly Sunday afternoon. It was an ice cream van.....

So there you have it. Irrefutable proof that there is a benevolent God. One who realised the desperate nature of our situation and came to the rescue. Perhaps this God has an appreciation of life on the Autistic Spectrum or at least some experience of dealing with those on it. Pity then that I don't have his number for next time....



What was it Jerry Springer said? "I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin."

Wednesday, 14 October 2009

Coffee Shops and Clinics - A magical mystery tour of London via "Underground Ernie" with a princess and her wand!

"So that's a tall, skinny, sugar-free vanilla Macchiato...." the Starbucks barista repeated back to me trying to suppress a grin. Well, it had been a long day, I *shouldn't* be drinking that much milk but a black, brewed house blend just wasn't going to cut it this time....

K and I had travelled into London (sorry, "Town", with the important capital "T") for two appointments with two different Speech and Language therapists and a Video Fluoroscopy (real time swallow X-Ray) in an attempt to make further progress and future decisions on her reflux and the impact her gut symptoms were having on her pro-motor development. The day started well, we left the house before H had woken up, K had chosen matching skinny jeans and her Next imitation Uggs to "match Mummy" and was surprisingly excited given the previous trip last month for more invasive tests.

We travelled light - one child, no buggy and gratifyingly normal adrenaline levels since I had avoided the pre-Ritalin nightmare back home. (I cannot describe the enormous positive impact that has on the rest of the day.) We ate breakfast at Liverpool Station, a necessity rather than a luxury since by 9am I was in dire need of caffeine after far too little sleep over the past week month year.

Today I saw a different London. Our first appointment was in Sloane Square and it was my first ever visit to this part of London. I found myself in a delicious time warp of duffel coats and Startrite T bar shoes, feeling oddly unique in up to date fashion myself. There wasn't a child there without a cashmere cardigan, tweed shorts and beautifully tailored shirts or blouses. I found myself pondering whether I should be growing out K's fringe and clipping it to one side, but quickly snapped out of my reverie.

We were drawn to "Peter Jones" and after the princess had been supplied with a magic wand to compliment this fairytale idyll we window-shopped, finally purchasing some of the ubiquitous shoes for school described above.


 Having never before been to Kensington/Chelsea I'm not sure we did it justice since the shoes were required and we paid no more than at home, but they DID come from "Trotter's Children's Outfitters" and we have the bag to prove it.

Our experience was complete as we passed Dame Maggie Smith as we headed back to the tube!
K sang "Underground Ernie" much of the way to the hospital, then back to Liverpool Street as we hurtled round the entire Circle Line during our trip.

It was, in actual fact, the single most useful and enlightening trip of its kind for us (obviously helped by the magical powers of K's new wand!!!) and we will be returning to my (newly) favourite part of London for Speech Therapy sessions in the not too distant future. Next time though I might leave the skinnies and Uggs at home and make sure K has her Startrite Mary Jane's on. It wouldn't do to let the side down.

Saturday, 10 October 2009

"Under the radar" and when to worry!

I had an interesting chat with A and K's nursery teacher yesterday. Apparently she hadn't realised how competent/able A was because he often "slips under the radar". She's realised he has his own agenda and likes to (quite cunningly I might add) complete tasks and move on. He makes little fuss, is always busy and has no interest in being star pupil like his sister. K can recognise all her letters and knows the sounds and willingly demonstrates this in school; so came home with a letter book. A was most indignant, not that he hadn't got a book, but that Mrs W hadn't realised he knew at least as much as his sister. His teacher was actually concerned that she might have "caused me some trouble" by sending one home with a book but not the other, but we treat them as individuals so I wasn't bothered in the slightest. She spoke to me and commented that A often "slipped beneath the radar" and had his own plans for each session but he was happy, socialising and doing well. 

Now, in actual fact the time to worry with A is when you can't hear him. When you are not aware of him, when he is "below the radar" he is most likely decorating the walls with lip-salve because he likes the oily texture......, signing his name everywhere "to practice", re-wiring the Wii (yes it WAS him) or downloading the entire "I can cook" recipe book from the CBeebies website and printing each page. He has also been known to link everywhere in the house with sellotape! 

Granted this is difficult for his teacher to grasp. After all, four yeas ago she had H in her class. Now with H, the only time you do not have to worry or think about what he is up to is when he is quiet. Which let's face it isn't very often. So Mrs W might be rather pleased to have a quiet boy from our household who has his own agenda, completes everything required with minimal fuss and slips away to do his own thing. 

However, I hope she's got that interactive whiteboard insured, has locked away the lip-salve and sellotape.... and the computer isn't connected to the internet...... 

A's take on things was pretty amusing actually. I asked him if he was going to be bringing a book home soon. He replied "No Mummy, I don't need the practice!!!!





Thursday, 24 September 2009

An Ode to the concept of "Special"

Humour me, it's been a bad day...

"Special" is the child who wakes you up screaming like a banshee before 6am

"Special" is the cat who needs a premium on the cost of spaying to avoid those pretty spots...

"Special" is the glitter on the masterpiece created ON the kitchen table and signed underneath, ON the table, in biro

"Special" is the medication which can only be collected from the main surgery - but it was closed due to a "Special" type of day

"Special" is the Leave your son's Consultant has been granted which is so "Special" you can't be told why and no one saw fit to let you know why the June appointment has yet to be realised

"Special"is the permission needed for Harry to attend wrap around care....but it's so "Special" everyone forgot to book him in on the "Special" form

"Special" is the Statement which took YEARS to fight for and win, only to be used as extra crowd control in the class

"Special" is the permission needed for the extension which you thought was the same as everyone else's

"Special" is the time in the bath when everyone is in bed

"Special" are the cuddles in front of the TV with everyone together

"Special" is the reality, not the pretence. The underneath, hiding behind the "Special" facade

"Special" is the glass of wine after a very long day. ;)



To Mel - who shares my type of "Special" life ;)
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