In my life this week....
Trying to keep caught up. Feel like can't seem to do that though. Sad I know. My fibro is just causing some massive issues in my brain (and well as my joints), and everything is overwhelming. But like everyone else, I just smile and keep moving on. After all, isn't that what moms are supposed to do...lol.
Joey has been off the charts this week....literally been counting down the minutes to the next round of meds. It has been horrible. He's manicky and with my short amount of patience....it makes it worse. I feel bad saying that it has been rough on us, because I just do not even know how it effects him. I just do not know how his constant shifts in moods are effecting him. I know he's upset, because he goes from crying to laughing hysterically. He is like a walking pendulum just swinging back and forth emotionally.
Does anyone else have this issue with a pre-teen who is diagnosed with Aspergers?
In our homeschool this week....
Busy...busy...busy.....Lydia is still working on mastering addition and subtraction. Joey is attempting his new math program, which incidentally is working on multiplication right now.
Brayden has been giving me a hard time, not wanting to do his schoolwork this week. Only wants to sit in front of his computer and play an online game. Oh what a fight it has been.
The girls and I finally finished rowing through Madeline. And we started rowing The Rag Coat. Lydia is still working her way through the PAL Phonics/Reading system. We only did two full lessons and lots of review this week. For some reason she is struggling with a few combinations.
Lydia and I started reading the American Girl Jess book. We are reading a book about survival in a Jungle since the book takes place in the jungles of Belize. We will be learning about the Mayan culture.
We did not get much done for World Travelers. Sunday Joey will be visiting with a friend of ours to learn about leather tanning. She doesn't do Moroccan tanning, but is familiar with it and will be showing Joey some work samples. Lydia is learning about Henna tattoos. So we will work on that this weekend yet.
We did finish up learning a little bit about Claude Monet, which Lydia enjoyed. And our co-op starts a new artist tomorrow. I am pretty excited, we will be working on landscapes.
We had a wonderful field trip to the Art Museum and learned about the different types of paintings an artist can do. We had LEGO Club and our first meeting for the Adventure Club for Guys....both had wonderful turnout!!
Caty had a speech appointment this week to check where she's at...and I was very proud of her. I don't think she is really going to test with a delay anymore. But we'll wait and see what they say after Tuesday.
What is not working for us....
Bedtime routines....HOLY COW!!! For some reason we have been having trouble at bedtime. Kids have been horrible about staying in their beds and laying down period when it's time. We have tried with a movie and without a movie....and no change in either method. We have tried quiet and music/sound machine. This is driving Joe and I crazy. The kids don't sleep well as it is, so them getting up and roaming until almost 11 pm some nights is getting on my last nerve. The other night I was dozing off and couldn't because Joey was still awake. Any suggestions on this????
What I am working on....
I am planning the winterizing schedule for our house next week. Joe is taking some time off, so we have a few things we need to finish up. We have to close up our front porch....too much cold air comes in there. This past week with all those awful winds really opened up our eyes on that one. So there will be more days of rearranging coming up. We just about killed ourselves moving the kids rooms around a couple weeks ago, so this ought to be interesting...lol.
What I am cooking....
Joe made fun of me.....chicken and rice and rice and chicken...lol. I didn't even think about it...today for lunch I served a mexican chicken and rice meal and then made chicken fried rice for dinner. Both meals were quick and easy. We had our meal for The Rag Coat, even a dessert. We had corn bread with butter bean stew and collard greens on top. And we made pear stack cake for dessert. We had our last New Orleans meal for finishing up Marie-Grace and Cecile (American Girl Club)...we had jumbalaya and pecan pralines....yummy!!! It was a no meal plan week, but we didn't starve.
What I am reading....
Again, more books for the kids...lol. But I am reading a possible book for Joey. A friend is hosting a book club for the teenage boys in our group....we don't have a lot of guy clubs. So I will be starting Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Pictures from our week.....
Our Jambalya...made with chicken, chicken hot dogs (since I am allergic to pork...these are all natural and a great substitute for sausage), rice, green peppers, fresh tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and some cumin....very yummy!!!
We started studying/reading for our Jess American Girl Club meeting. Today Lydia learned how to tie a Bowline knot.
I now realize that Brayden managed to hide from the camera all week....shocker there. And so did Joey! I'll have to grab more shots of them last week.
Wow, you have been busy! I understand about the night time routine. If you get a moment drop by and leave your post at Its a Wrap. -Savannah
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! While reading through your paragraph about your son I knew he had Asperger's before I got to the end of it! We have a 14 year old with Asperger's. The mood swing pendulum is dizzying at times! We just settled down off a major mood ride with him. We do notice certain triggers to his moods. This time it had to be his growth spurt! We trippled one of his meds last month! He went from being shorter than me to taller in just a few weeks! He is also in a size 11 shoe now! (His dad wears 14's so I know he is far from done growing!) We have the same bed time issues too! About 5 years ago when we started counseling with him, the doctor recommended giving him melatonin about an hour before bed time. It was one of our biggest miracles! His brother takes it too (only 1/4 of the ammount). He goes up to bed about 15 - 30 minutes before everyone else each night with a kitten to snuggle with and is usually half asleep when his brother who shares a room goes to bed. I pray that your season of moods slows down soon!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the melatonin suggestion. My step-daughter had trouble sleeping and melatonin really seemed to help. You might also try having them take a warm bath before bed. Good luck with the mood swings. I haven't ever dealt with Asperger's but I understand it can be difficult.
ReplyDeleteWhat a rough week. Praying next week is better for you. I take melatonin. It does help me fall asleep sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI can't keep my two-year-old in his bed either so I'm looking forward to seeing any of these suggestions that are offered.
ReplyDeleteWow you guys have a very busy week! I think my daughter would love that ragdoll kit, where did you find it?
I copied your blog post and sent it to a friend of mine in Maryland. Her daughter also had aspbergers and is now an adult. I am hoping that she will have better suggestions and encouragement for you.
I totally understand having a rough school time. I will pray for you since we have just recently crawled out of that quagmire :-(
Oh, my, what a week you're having! But things always swing back to "smooth" (or at least "smoother"). Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteI'd say you're doing some yummy cooking! We tried a crockpot jambalaya a couple of weeks ago and it was super easy and tasty! We've had it again...and a batch last 2 meals!
I think Hatchet is a great choice for a boy's book club! All the Paulsen books are nature adventures.
ya bedtimes are hard, it took us a while to get on schedule and i think thats the trick, it takes time. We are now on a strict 8:30 bedtime. My youngest (3) goes to bed at 8pm and reads until 8:30 and then the boys (6&7) go to bed at 8:30 and read until 9. I think it takes a lot to get to that though, just keep trying and just like .. potty training, offer rewards maybe or something if they go to bed on time. But maybe ya try melatonin also. It works also. Ive never gave it to given it to the children but It has worked for me =)
ReplyDeleteI am always impressed with how much you get done with 4 children. Thanks for linking up to the NOBH
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