Journal Entries
Stirrings
Posted Oct 2, 2007
A couple of things have happened for me which have been quite positive. At work I'm having to do a major spring-clean ahead of moving buildings and going to hot-desking - and I'm really rather enjoying it. In truth, there generally doesn't seem to be the time to go through and weed stuff old stuff out. Now there's not really a choice (well there is - I could do nothing and then be in a real mess), I'm buckling down and - rip, rip, rip - away go the energies tied up in the files, including that of people who've left. I started a class with Roy (well, at the same time as, not in the same class as he's more advanced) in Philosophy with the School of Economic Science, which is really great and I was invited yesterday to join a T'ai Chi class on Tuesday lunchtimes and started the first one today. It's a different form than those I've done before and the teacher seems really good, so that bodes well.
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Latest reply: Oct 2, 2007
Phenomenal
Posted Sep 19, 2007
It's been an interesting couple of days. Little has been throwing up like a good 'un and needed lots of TLC. I went to the orthodontist yesterday and again today (I got the date wrong) and when he saw me today he said the my progress was 'Phenomenal' and that he doesn't often put that in a patient's notes. It's because I've been wearing elastics and my compliance has been so good that I've overshot the correction mark. I don't think there's much to be done. He made a gap in my front teeth last time to correct a slight cross (thanks to my brother bashing my head against a wall a long time ago) and now it's time to close it again. After that, I think it's all finished!! He said it would be a bit achey - and it is!
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Latest reply: Sep 19, 2007
Growing and changing
Posted Sep 5, 2007
Little is 12 today and has had his first day at his new secondary school. Smart new uniform, getting used to going on the bus and handling the fingerprint dinner money system - totally confused me - I'm used to paying half a term at a time. I think it's priced per item, so I need to agree some clear rules with him.
He's just completed four weeks of plays - mostly musicals - during the summer holidays and I've signed him up for a term of musical theatre on Monday evenings. He'll get tuition to help his singing as well as his acting. He thinks he can sing; he can't (OK he can hold a tune, but it tends to slip away, I think because he doesn't concentrate) and the tutor says he can help him overcome his nasality.
I've fixed an appointment with the doctor on Friday so that we can look at his weight. I think he's overweight for his size now and he seems always hungry. I thought I'd get some guidance about my own at the same time.
I came across a very useful model of parenting based on Adlerian principles - Jane Nelson's 'Positive Parenting' and I'm reading up about it. I have great hopes that it will prove to be really useful.
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Latest reply: Sep 5, 2007
Where am I now?
Posted Aug 27, 2007
I'm not quite sure. I've had one of those conversations with Roy and I'm not sure whether we're doing to continue as partners or not. I got so stressed last week that I called a counselling service and got some fairly helpful advice plus the promise of up to four face-to-face counselling sessions for us either as a couple or individually. There's stuff going on at work as well - we're going to be hot-desking from December and moving from bulk storage to various half-*rsed partial options at a time when I have two staff off on maternity leave and I'm trying to run a service. And also a time when little is moving from primary to secondary school and I'm getting precious little help with his (strongly suspected) Autistic Spectrum Disorder.
Having had the conversation, I feel much better. We're going to the Isle of Wight next week to see my parents - the first time he will have stayed with them - and it will be interesting to see what happens.
I asked little what he thought of Roy and he said that he had good and bad points. He thought the good points included the various sorts of support he gives us and the bad points included the amount of extra work he gave me. I agreed with the first, but wasn't so certain about the second point; it's much more complicated than that.
I have very much mixed feelings and have no idea of what I want out of this.
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Latest reply: Aug 27, 2007
Little fish's leavers assembly
Posted Jul 19, 2007
My gosh - doesn't time fly. Today, little has his leavers' assembly - OK he doesn't actually finish school until tomorrow, but the leavers' assembly was today. It was lovely; I cried. 
They did a kind of review, with excerpts from the Christmas play, Bugsy Malone. Little did two solo bits, including leading the school's army-style call-and-response song.
It was at this point that quite a few parents started taking their handkerchiefs out and dabbing at their eyes. I didn't do that until the last song - one of Queen's - 'Don't Stop me Now'. They also had poetry, cello playing, paintings, and automata. The kids were absolutely brilliant! At the end little cried and all the kids started writing messages on each others shirts, blouses and polo shirts.
They had a leavers disco in the evening and little was allowed to come home on his own, so he's been late to bed.
Aahh!
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Latest reply: Jul 19, 2007
Zarquon's Singing Fish!
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