Easter Holidays

We were really excited to go to spend the long Easter weekend with my Dad and his partner Rose on a small sheep farm in the Midlands. It is lambing season (well, we actually missed an actual birth by a few days, which was frustrating - but there were 3 baby lambs who needed 'Bottling', which the children took very seriously indeed, and thoroughly enjoyed. I have to admit to taking rather a shine to 'H' - a gorgeous lamb, and wanted to bring him home, but wasn't too keen to bring 'Mrs H' (his Mum) along too!

 The weather was really quite appalling, as you can see from our elegant rain gear - but we were prepared, and didnt let it stop us! We learned how to 'ring' a lambs tail, how to 'ring' a boy lamb sensitive areas, Isla was thrilled to learn that lambs are fed from a Ewes 'bags', and is using the term as often as possible. We learned that sheep herding is relatively easy, and that Lucas' cane works brilliantly. We also had a wet, but good Easter egg hunt, with Lucas using a superb beeping device with tags attached to 6 eggs. We miss my Dad, Rose, and of course our beloved lambs - 'H' 'Number 2' and '17'.

Videos of the children doing 'Farmy' things (Thanks Julian Brown!):

Feeding lambs video

Pony Riding video

Macaroons, bunting, jobs lists and fun!

Fun:
Easter holidays here - so I have very little time to breathe, never mind blog, so I am mostly sharing some pics of what we have been up to :-) We went to one of our favourite places in the world - Moors Valley Country Park. The adventure playground is fabulous, it has steam trains - Lucas almost wet himself because there was a new one, and the place doesnt get so crowded that Lucas goes into meltdown. Plus, we had super weather (now a dim and distant memory)

Macaroons:

The children and I also learned to make Macaroons - and did our first job always - making a print version o of the recipe for Isla, and a Braille version for Lucas. Now, I try hard - cant cook to save my life, and can bake just a wee bit better than that, but oh my goodness - these macaroons are seriously delicious - even Iain ate them :-)

Jobs Lists:

I have also been looking at the children jobs charts - they have certain jobs each, and earn pocket money if they manage to do them. It has to be said that neither child has yet to  have their money refused - so I think its an activity aimed at making me feel in control, rather than anything else, but ho hum - they haven't twigged yet!! Anyway, their lists were tatty, print and brailled jobs stuck on the kitchen doors, and not very interactive, nor easy to change - so I played around with magnetic paint - total waste of time - it just isnt magnetic, so we got a refund, then I decided that magnetic knife holders were the answer (I found one in the bargain bin, and had the other, so they don't match, but its a good start)- and hey presto magnetic, changeable, jobs lists:

I plan to make bag to hang under, so we can add and remove jobs.

Happy to do a tute if needed - but it wasn't rocket science. 

Now just need to convince Iain to hang them for us.

Bunting:

Lucas is a reluctant crafter, and his skills differ so much from Isla's, that to get them to work on a project together is tough - but I have to do something productive with them at least once a day - I find I relax more than just endless hours of the park and pretend play (brave to admit, I do feel a failure about this), but I struck upon a craft today that they both thoroughly enjoyed - easter/spring bunting (not a good pic, but you get the idea!):

Linking up with Stuff I Love's Wednesday Wander:

Tuesday 10

Linking up with Lena from Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby for another 10.

What 10 things would you most want with you on a desert island?

1. My husband Iain

2. My son Lucas

3. My daughter Isla

now it gets trickier....

4. Sewing machine, fabric and thread (and a power source)

5. Crochet hooks and yarn (we will get cold at night, right?)

6. Toys for the kids (note these come after the crafty things - these are my top 10 after all!)

7. Books, books, books

8. Music in some form - Ipods or instruments

9. Lots of food - we are vegetarians, so really cant be expected to catch, kill and eat stuff - gross!

10. Oh - really must insist on a working toilet!

Some advice?

I have spent too much time online and not enough making. Enough is enough! I really want to make something beautiful (yet quick)tomorrow - and have around 3 hours to play, including evening. What can you guys suggest? Share pictures of what you would make/have made in 3 hours? Can be Sewing, crochet (although I'm not super speedy),or anything needing most basic supplies and a glue gun. Share your inspiration please?

Tuesday 10 Spring Colours

Linking up again with Lena 

from Mom2Memphis and Ruby, 

and this week the co host is Jennifer

 from Queen Bees Hive

The theme:

 Spring Colours. Cant do colours without photos, right? Plus - I am showing off my beautiful family (again!)

Spring has well and truly arrived here in the South of England, so my pics are all from this week:

So - In my eyes, through these particular photographs spring colours are:

1. Pink

2. Blue

3. Yellow

4. Green

5. Orange

6. White

7. Purple

8. Red

9. and 10 Ok - cant separate colours from these last two shots that are different from the other 8! 

Cant wait to see what other bloggers have done :-)

Hospital, polymer, and the beach

Its been a funny old week really.  Two hospital appointments with Lucas, going to the Isle of Wight for my day job, having beautiful sunshine and going to the beach:

and lots and lots of polymer clay play:

and this afternoon after a our weekly Friday  library date, Isla and I bought this lovely box for my beads, and had a super time arranging them:

(It is worth noting that my Covert Robin gift is almost finished, and just visible in this box ;-))

Linking my Isla beach photo up with Our Reflection photo challenge this week, as fits really nicely with the theme of  "Something Sweet" I think - Isla, the beach, the sunshine, our last term of 'our time' before she starts big school in September. Days to be remembered, for sure.

15 minutes

Mornings have been a struggle, a chore, and quite frankly a pain in the arse for a while now. Only school mornings - those times when I expect something of the children, and myself, and always try to get Lucas to school on time and never quite make it - or if I do, its only just.
So - I got to thinking what are the problems? What do I have control over? What can I do as the grown up?

The 'issues':
Lucas isn't good at looking after himself quite frankly - he is blind, missing the whole middle of his brain, and therefore can't achieve simple tasks like buttons, zips, and so on. Add to this the fact that he has Aspergers (making him have to do every little thing in the same order without fail), and having Sensory Processing Dysfunction (meaning that socks can take up to 20 minutes to 'feel right'), plus the huge amount of medications I have to give him - which he takes like a dream, but it all takes time!

Isla just doesn't do mornings at all! She sulks, cries, wont eat, wont get dressed, needs holding all the time, is refusing to wee. Almost all the time she is an absolute joy - mature, funny, helpful, incredibly self-reliant - but sadly the times she isn't are when I am at my most pushed and frazzled (yes, I know there is a connection!). 

Me - I panic and stress. I lose my rag. I am also incredibly clumsy, and knock over drinks, trip down the stairs. I am also incredibly bad at time keeping just for me - never mind when challenged in this way!

What can I change? Lucas - not in a million years, quite honestly! Isla - time will certainly change mornings for Isla, but if she is like her Dad, not that much! Me - I have always been a short tempered stress-head, and will always be a short tempered stress-head!

It turns out that today it was pretty simple! - just getting myself out of bed 15 minutes earlier this morning turned from the picture painted above into this:

Now, I am a realist (some of the time ;-))I know this wont always work so effectively, but just for this morning I enjoyed being a Mum getting her children ready for school to the best of her abilities, and they went to 'their places' way better prepared and centred than normal!

Hurrah me today - go Team Sar!
Roll on tomorrow :-)