Leading up to Christmas

That moment I've been dreading for years finally came around this week and wasn't as traumatic as I thought it would be.  So yes, Santa is out of the sack in our house now (I'm sure you all know what I mean), and that's all I'm going to say on that so there are no spoilers.  

I have to admit that I am relieved.

On the crafting front, I've finally finished the shopping bags I've been sewing for the teacher's gifts.  I've even got a few extras to add to my gift stash and am loving the way these have turned out.

They really are the perfect gift as they fold up quite small and are something a little different and unique to all the other generic shopping bags you buy.  

I love all the different ones of mine that I've made over the years and use them all the time.

They're also easy care as they get thrown in the washing machine regularly and are good to go again.  In fact one of the ones I'm still using I made about 8 years ago.

The crochet has been trundling along very, very slowly.  It's been way too hot to work with anything wool, even with the air conditioners on but I've decided that I really want to finish this wrap by the end of the weekend if I can.

Things have also been very hectic around here too which is why things on the craft front have been slow.  There have been NDIS meetings, a couple of paediatric appointments, psychologists and equine therapists for the kids and plenty of school visits.

As the end of the school year draws closer and the final weeks of Master M's time at primary school comes to a close, things have been pretty stressful.  In fact the past 6 months or so have been very stressful for him because he's freaking out about going to high school.

He really doesn't cope with change well and the thought of high school has been daunting for him so I'm often getting phone calls from the school and have to drop everything and run to pick him up.  I can only make appointments and plans for myself when hubby is home from work so I know there will at least be one of us here for him if needed.

Both schools (primary and high school) have been incredible and so supportive with him.  He's already had a number of transition days where he goes to the high school for a small period and is getting used to the sensory room they have there.  

We go in every Wednesday morning when we drop Miss R off at school and he spends some time in there before we head off to his school.  He's slowly getting used to it and we'll have more chance of actually getting him through the gate next year.

He also has a specialised program where he will only attend school for one hour a day to begin with and we'll build on it from there so in effect, I'll be home schooling for a good part of the first half of next year.  I'm not sure how I'm going to cope with that!

We've already got his uniform for next year.  They didn't have everything in stock as they don't get the next shipment until a couple of weeks before the next school year begins but I wanted to be able to try the sizes out when he was on his own so he wouldn't freak out.  So he'll start the year with his new uniform and I'll pick the rest of it up once he's started and he doesn't have to be there for that.

All I can say is that if anyone has a child that is having difficulty with transitioning or any other problem, just talk to whoever you need to at the school and they are usually really receptive to helping you.  The key is to ask and to work together because the child is the one that needs the support of both school and home.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week.

xx Susan

A date lunch and other things

I feel like we're hurtling towards the end of the school year at an alarming rate.  

I start to think that things are slowing down and I can catch a breath but next thing I know our calendars are full again.  I'm learning quickly to manage things when they crop up as well as to take the spur of the moment opportunites to relax and do something with those I love.

Last week was the perfect case in point.  I feel like I'm up to my ears in paperwork of some kind lately and in the middle of what ended up being a really busy week, hubby and I were able to spend some time together.

While out and about up the coast we were able to squeeze in a wonderful lunch at The Bridge Seafoods at Mooloolaba

We ended up sharing the seafood platter which was very, very tasty and full of prawns, oysters, sand crab, moreton bay bugs, chips and calamari.  It's been ages since we've done something like this and was just the tonic in an otherwise busy week.

My Dad is also home from hospital.  There were a few issues and delays with his recovery as he had to have a few blood transfusions and there was a problem with his wound not draining properly but the surgeon was really happy with how the hip replacement operation itself went.

He ended up in hospital for 9 days but is home now and recovering as well as can be expected.  He's sore of course and the heat we are experiencing right now probably isn't helping.

It's been pretty terrible with temperatures in the mid to high 30's Celsius most days.  Some days are dropping to just below 30 (today is forecast for 29 Celsius) but it's still really muggy and humid.  The rest of the week they're forecasting it to be back in the mid to high 30's and it's not even summer yet!

Anyone that has been reading my blog for awhile knows that I don't like the heat and don't cope with it very well which is a bit ridiculous when I live in such a warm climate.

At the moment though it's even worse because there are so many devastating fires about.  Outside is a constant haze of smoke from fires up near Noosa, and Central Queensland and northern New South Wales are especially experiencing some horrendous fire storms.

Everything is incredibly dry and there's no rain in sight to help give some relief to the exhausted fire fighters who are doing an incredible job.

So for now, we're just continuing on as best we can and dealing with what's in front of us.  We're also very aware of how fortunate we are that we're not in the pathway of any fires, but you can't be too careful as mother nature is so unpredictable and everything is so dry.

As a result of everything else going on, I haven't been getting much crochet done.  I can say that I'm about to start on the purple section of my latest make which is the last colour change.

Since I'm making it with a wool mix I'm only working on it when I have the air conditioners on of course!

I hope everyone is safe where you are and are able to enjoy your week.

xx Susan