Monday 20 October 2014

82 days left until marathon -


Running
Forgot to blog my Saturday run of 40 minutes.  Today's run was 1 hour.  I have a knack of heading out for my run and ten minutes later the rain begins.  But I'm really enjoying it.  Thankkfully it hasn't been torrential.  I don't know if I'd like that.  

Life
Life has been boring and stressful at the moment.  I've been working far too much and then trying to cram in study.  Next week I'll begin my clinical placement for 3 weeks as well as dealing with uni exams.  AND I have to stay down south for it.  Something has to give.  Its almost time for me to put my foot down about working to many shifts.
I wish I was back to blogging about high teas, movies and fun activities I've been doing with my boys but its not happening at the moment.
At least it was good studying weather!

I am really proud of T1 and T2.  T2's behaviour has been wonderful lately and he started Milo cricket last Friday arvo. He only just held it together as he was so tired after a full week of school.

In other news the twins have been invited to another party! Hurray for friends!

Which reminds me I have to organise the twins birthday party - at least working means we'll be able to pay for it! :)

Wednesday 15 October 2014

87 days until marathon - school meeting - Yum Cha at The Emperor's Table North Ryde RSL

Running
I had today off work (yipee!) but had a before school meeting about the boys so didn't run then.  My marathon schedule said 50 minutes for today.  I got home after the meeting and started studying in my cosy, quiet home.  Internally, I was making excuses.  I'll go for a run later, I have so much study to do etc etc.  Finally, I came to the words 'glutamine catabolism' in my textbook and thought to myself 'I'd much rather run in the wind and rain than read anymore of THIS!  So I headed out.  At first it was just windy and not raining.  I spent the first ten minutes actively looking above and avoiding any gum trees that looked they might come down on my head (seriously, that would just be my luck!).  After 10 minutes or so it started raining lightly.  It was beautiful.  There was no one else out running and I started to feel great. Towards the end of my run my mind turned to lunch.  A mantra of 'yum cha, yum cha..' began.  Thankfully my MIL hadn't eaten yet so off we went.  I did take my textbook to read over hot chocolate afterwards :).
Post run fuel!

I LOVE these egg tarts!

I did study while sipping this

One of the world's most comfortable (and perhaps most ugliest) chairs :)

I didn't take my phone on my run - for obvious reasons.  Thankfully no gums like this fell on my head.

Autism

My meeting this morning was positive overall.  It IS difficult knowing that ultimately its not up to me to make final decisions.  The school really has been outstanding and I couldn't expect more for them.  Next year the boys will be mostly unsupported in the classroom with T2 having a shadow on the playground.  The question of separating the boys next year came up and I voiced my opinion that we'd rather they stay together.  I'm very lucky T1 has such great language skills and I can clarify what T2 is trying to say because T1 was in the classroom.

I can't imagine how difficult it would be for the parents of a non-verbal or a child who can't adequately express themselves (verbally or non-verbally) going off to school each day.  For all of you who have 'typical' kids - imagine it.  You send your kid to school, they come home and you really don't know for sure what exactly happened, how your kid feels or perhaps why they feel a certain way.  These kids can be so, so vulnerable.  Its terrifying really. 

Do you have any IEP tips?
What is your favourite yum cha dish?  Mine are steamed prawn & chive dumplings

Tuesday 14 October 2014

A glimpse of old times! & the highlight of my eldest's life

Running

A beautiful cool morning, with little humidity for a change.  I ran 40 minutes this morning after work.  I had just finished a four hour shift on my feet and decided I wasn't allowed to sit down before I did my run (sitting is lethal for my training :)).  For the first 20 minutes my legs felt like lead but by the last 10 minutes I started to really enjoy my run and see a glimpse of my old fitness - just a glimpse though!  Rest of the day involve studying, watching summer soccer and taking the twins to Kumon.  I've got an early meeting at school tomorrow about the twins.  I'm hoping/ praying for a good outcome.



Nice lawnmower - hey!



Life

Yesterday was a day off running and work to drive 11/2 hours (each way) to watch eldest play in the state PSSA soccer semifinals.  For those of you who don't know - it is a BIG deal.  Unfortunately his team lost but he got to the last 4 school from about 500 in NSW.  Not bad son!  We bought him some jerseys and t-shirts which I think we're going to have to surgically remove to wash.  Boys!  Don't you love them?
My husband was very impressed with the pitch :)


"long run" & T1's first 'real' cricket match

I'm still getting back in the habit of blogging and didn't get to logging my one hour run yesterday.  I found my beloved Garmin, which I'm really happy about and ate a mammoth pancake brekky with amazing yoghurt, fruit and choc- chips.  And pure maple syrup of course!



Saturday T1 made his cricket debut.  He played really well and was much calmer than he was at training.  He did make a strange comment to his cricket teammates, who he doesn't know too well yet.  He went up to a group of them when he got to the game and in a loud voice asked "do you know what a million plus a million is?"  I cringed.  We need to work on initiating conversation!!  His batting was good and his bowling was excellent.  I've forgotten how bad the bowling is at under 8 levels.  Or should we just call it chucking :-)!


A perfect cricket day - T1's debut!





Friday 10 October 2014

92 days until marathon day and IEP follow-up

Running

My marathon program said 40 minute run so that's what I did.  I plan to have a comprehensive search for my Garmin this weekend.  Meanwhile I think I'd be so disappointed by my pace that its a blessing I can't find it.  Conditions were a little hotter than they have been in the last few days but overall my legs are coping well.
Its going to be a long, hot summer
source:godisgiggling.wordpress.com


Autism

T1 had cricket training this afternoon.  It wasn't ideal timing, late on a Friday arvo.  He was tired, a little bit silly (most of the kids were!) and not at his best cricket wise.  Tomorrow is his first official game of cricket.  If someone had told me 2 or 3 years ago that he'd be playing a proper cricket match for 2 hours and holding his own socially and ability wise I wouldn't have believed them.  He doesn't know most of the boys and I must say his social skills have been a little shaky, with showing off and copying bad behaviours of others and having some of his own.  The bright side is that this will improve as he gets to know the kids or will give us something to work on with T1.  I'm usually so fixated on T2's progress that I sometimes forget that T1 still needs help.  Twins with autism - the stress, highs and lows!



I've been summoned to the school for an end-of-year IEP (individualised education plan) meeting.  I know what this is about.  School says - T2 is amazing and doesn't need a shadow, me saying yes he does, there are still many very obvious social and language difficulties to work on.  I am gearing up for battle!  Not to say that the school hasn't been amazing- it has.  I'm going to get prepared and try not to stress about it.

Wednesday 8 October 2014

94 days until marathon & just when I thought my life was calming down....

Running

50 minute slow jog.  I can't find my Garmin, which is probably a good thing as I'm not really fit enough to push the speed right now.  My beginner marathon schedule said 50 minutes and that's what I did.  It was so cool and no humidity for a change.  I really enjoyed it.  Tomorrow said a rest day or cross training.  I got a shock email today (see below) and am still recovering so I think tomorrow will be a rest day.
One of my favourite views from my run


Autism

The twins are doing swimming lessons with school.  Today I volunteered to be a parent helper (translation - I wanted to check out how my kids were going).  I was mainly worried about T2 as T1 is pretty good.   T2 was really well behaved but I doubt whether he would have absorbed any of the instructions if I hadn't repeated them in his ear and prompted from behing to listen to the teacher.  There were 10 (yes TEN!) kids in a class and it was a 45 minute lesson so overall he did really well. But at the same time his swimming was quite abit worse than the others in his group and his listening to instructions was not good.  Ho hum!

Life

I just finished a long afternoon/evening shift at work and logged on to my email to be informed that my nursing placement will start in 3 weeks - PANIC.  Its 40 hours a week for 3 weeks and 1 and half hours drive away.  My vital signs are through the roof right now.  What's worse is that I have a HUGE, HORRIBLE anatomy exam in the middle of my placement so therefore NO study time.  I'll be so ticked off if my GPA drops.  Freaking out right now!

Tuesday 7 October 2014

95 days until marathon and Australian Story

Running
This morning I went out for a very slow 40 minute jog as I'm hoping to finally start training for a marathon I want to run in January.  Then after I dropped the twins at school I went to the gym and did a pump class.  Because I was early I also did 15 minutes on the ellipitical.  I've just come home from a 5 hour afternoon shift which was really busy. Now my feet are aching.  Really aching!  If there are any nurses out there and you have a shoe recommendation, please speak up!
The rain held off this morning


Autism

I can't believe my twinnies headed out to day 1 of the last term of Kindy.  I know if I blink twice their first year of school will be over :(.

Last night we watched Australian Story, which featured a story on a young man with ASD  just finishing school.  He is the son of the owner of the therapy the boys went to.  It was a follow up to when he was featured on the show at 12.  It was so great to see his progress and that he has a career planned out and a good level of independence.  I can't wait to see how the twins will be when they finish school.  I no longer have gut-wrenching fear about it.  Probably a very extreme version of an average parent's worry, but not gut wrenching fear.  I no longer hopw I'll live to 100 so that they'll be ok and I can't look after them forever (but I wouldn't mind hitting 100 if I still had my faculties).

Thursday 2 October 2014

Getting back into it...

Running

This morning I ran a very slow 20 minutes.  Thankfully, I've had no aches and pains and I'm continuing to add 5 minutes to my run time each week.  Finally, I hope I'm on the road to fitness again.
A beautiful morning for a run!



Letting go

My eldest (neurotypical) is off to high school next year and I've come to face that I have to start letting go.  So today he and a friend went to see a movie without parents.  I dropped them off at their seats and went and studied in the foodhall for a couple of hours before picking them up.  All went well and it made me think about T1 and T2 and hope that their time will come.  I already know that T1 will get there but less sure about T2 (but deep down I know it will happen).
A good nurse can eat while studying cadavers and the urinary system!


The bad thing about letting eldest see movies without us is that we don't get to see the latest teen movies!  They saw Maze Runner and gave it a good review but eldest thought it might be too scary for me! :)


The whole family went to see the new Planes movies and for the first time T2 watched the whole movie.  Its the first time I haven't had to palm him off to my husband in frustration.  I did have a timer going and every 15 minutes of  'good watching the movie' he got more snacks.  It worked a treat.

Its good to be back!