rain rain rain!!!

Well its that kind if weather again, i feet haven't been dry for three days arghhh

I could stay in but thought no i'll attend some workshops and see what i can do to assist my children.

So i trudged in the pouring rain to a workshop on Makaton, its like sign language but much more basic.thinking why i am here, i could (should) be sat at home doing paperwork. Apparently there's a program  Cbeebies which actively teaches makaton and the character is called Mr Tumble.

Abit of history i have an eight year old child who is currently being assessed for autism and is on the autistic spectrum. One of his problems is verbally communicating with people. He's a chatter box once he gets started, but starting him off is a nightmare.

So there i am being taught very basic Makaton and i had a little lightbulb moment, i think i've found a way for my son to ask for the toilet without having to verbally ask!
Such a simple little sign which will make a world of difference to him. As he is mainstream school i need to find ways of allowing him to live a normal life with being picked on by his peers.

So fingers crossed this one little thing could save him from being anxious at school.

If you would like to know more here are some links for you.
http://www.makaton.org/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/article/makaton


If your in a similar situation as me where you feel quite isolated or just every things new to you please do not hesitate to contact me and i'll try and help. I literally got to the point after 8 years of struggling with my son that i thought i'm cracking up, i need some support. So i was advised to go a local group and its started from there. Two months on and the support is fab that i've had and the releif of knowing that i'm not the only one is such a great feeling.

back to the real world

Well its a been a long time since my last post, life got in the way and to be honest i got sick of trying to live frugally. After 7 months of running  a business i couldn't take anymore and had to take a break.
Yes i know i should have been strong but some days you just want to run away and scream and shout..


But i've decided to go back to life i had where money isn't important and getting stressed about the littlest things is just too hard and depressing. So we disappeared for eight days to the capital where i mooched about the streets with my children to watch bands and explore the free museums available to us. Its just what we needed, especially me.


Coming back i've started seeing people again who have the same outlooks as myself and who also struggle financially with having a teenage child. But also those whose lives have dramatically changed and are facing the scary future.




So today we went and spent the day exploring, caught up with some friends and it was great just chilling and chatting about anything and everything.
But the Olympic torch came through our little town today and the children loved it, just to the town out together was great. The children were chuffed as they watched the runner going by, along with lots of freebies and toys being given away. Such a little thing can bring such light. So keep an eye out it may come by near you!




Olympic torch in Middlesbrough

Please ignore the few seconds of me handing over the my phone to my son.