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930 stitches in secret cross stitch project completed. Only 91,470 stitches to go.

It is a drop in the ocean really, so far it is taking me a 4 full days of stitching to make that much progress.

However I’m really enjoying the breaks to stitch on Jungle Kitty and she is zooming along.  I can’t wait to get the camera back and take some pictures to show you.

Instead I’m going to write about Annie’s holiday homework that got sent home from school.

The 12 Golden Words.

These words are 12 of the most common words found in the books the children read at school.

So what are the 12 Golden Words?

• a
• and
• be
• I
• in
• is
• it
• of
• that
• the
• to
• was

I’ve made flash cards by hand and a set of snap cards also made by hand. The hardest part was writing in the Victoria Cursive Font which the children learn at school.

When your child can successfully read these words in any order to their teacher, they will receive a certificate at assembly to celebrate their success.  Then they start to learn the next group of words.

Annie is doing very well with 10 of the Golden Words words but she struggles with the and that which she continually reads as this.

If I ask Annie to spell the, that or this she can do out loud perfectly each time but when she looks at the words on paper 90% of the time she reads them as this.

We’ve spoken about how all three words start with TH but end differently and that it is important to read the letters on the end as well but she still struggles. It has only been two weeks so I’m not worried but frustrated because Annie is not understanding the way I explain the words. Any suggestions?

Here is Heidi hunting for eggs last year.

From Easter 2008

A couple of months ago I purchased some plastic egg shells that you can unscrew and fill with whatever treats you wish. That way I can make sure Heidi is getting nut and dairy free eggs and also keep our budget down by not purchasing the Easter stuff in the stores

We’ve been invited to a scavenger hunt with my nephews tomorrow and need to bring a little something along for the children to find in the scavenger hunt. Today Annie and I made little baskets and I will fill them with some home made chocolate chip biscuits.

I used a basket Annie had made at school as a template for our baskets, but changed the chick to a cross:

From April 2009

Annie cut up a toy catalog and used the pictures to decorate the baskets:

From April 2009

Ta-da finished product:

From April 2009

I had originally planned to get the girls to decorate some brown paper bags to put the biscuits in but Annie decided to make them into hand puppets to add to our Easter gifts for her cousins, which is great thrifty handmade gifting on her part

From April 2009

I managed to sneak in a few computer breaks when they went to the toilet but for most of the day I was forced to work on my cross stitch – oh the horror

I got my super secret stitching project onto the scroll frame.

From April 2009

Then I worked on it for most of the day (with all the usual children interruptions and stopping to make lunch and dinner), it was not an auspicious start because on the very first bit of thread I stitched the frog visited – remind me to triple check my counting next time. But I’m happy with the results of my labour.

From April 2009

The 18 count fabric is hard work stitching in our not very good light, I can see this being a daytime project for me when I can sit near a window in the sunlight. Also I forgot to print out the chart key so I’m having to keep checking on my computer to work out which colour matches what symbol.

Once hubby was around again the super stitching project had to be put away and this evening I have been working some more on Jungle Kitty.

From April 2009

Annie took a break from the computer games after dinner to make a Palm Sunday puppet theater. I’m not sure where the little Jesus is that she made but trust me he looks very cool. Tomorrow I need to help her make palm tree’s and buy a new feather duster to replace mine that got decapitated to make the palm leaves.

From April 2009

A very lovely lady from our Church let us stay at her holiday house near the beach and it was a most welcome respite from our daily life.

(photo’s are mostly thumbnails but you can click on them to see larger images)

Annie and Heidi were very excited to have TV again

From April 2009

I was very excited to see actual chairs in the lounge room, we have a treadmill, trampoline, hammock and lots of toys in our loungeroom at home but no chairs.

You can tell that the lady who owns this house is a keen stitcher because she had a lovely stitching chair set up with a great light, footrest and coffee table:

From April 2009

Heidi did very well staying in a ‘different home’ although my use of the word home to refer to the house we were staying it did cause great confusion to start with. We all quickly learnt to call it ‘the house with the blue door’

From April 2009

On the first day I worked at gridding out my secret stitching project:

From April 2009

I might not have stayed up to midnight stitching if I’d known the girls were going to wake at 4am the next day… although the giant spiders I’d been killing throughout the evening kind of helped put off any desire for sleep.

Day 2 we visited the beach

From April 2009

From April 2009

From April 2009

From April 2009

From April 2009

From April 2009

That was interesting, we got out of the car and Heidi asked straight away to go back to the house with the blue door. I pushed her to walk for a little with Annie and I, to start with Heidi enjoyed herself but she got very distressed about where the ocean finished. Hmmmmm. We went back to the house with the blue door and didn’t go back out again other than for groceries.

Annie had a great time, she loves exploring new places and she made the most out of staying at the house.

From April 2009

It was really nice just to spend time together without having to rush off anywhere or do anything, no phones ringing or emails to answer or playdates to go to. We just spent time with each other talking, playing and being.

End of day two and I got all the grid work finished on my secret stitching project:

From April 2009

I even got a little anal retentive and counted out the grid, although I did get Annie to help so that could count as a math lesson.
Width:

From April 2009

Length:

From April 2009

I stayed up late again and did some work on Heidi’s Jungle Kitty, once again giant spider killing had left me a little too nervous to sleep.

From April 2009

Day 3 – girls up at 4am again. After my late nights I was starting to feel a little like Heidi in this picture, ready to curl up and fall asleep at the breakfast table

From April 2009

Except that the giant spiders would probably attack while I was asleep. So I decided to pack up and come home in the morning instead of waiting until the afternoon.

We really did have a very enjoyable time, even the giant spiders were not so bad because I was brave and dealt with them all by myself.

Last time I was alone in a house with a giant spider I rang up Ralph and asked him to marry me because I needed someone to kill the spiders for me – he said NO! Thankfully a couple of years later when I asked again he did say yes, but now I know that I can kill the giant spiders all by mineself, go me Think it has something to do with my children being in the room and that Mama tiger protecting her cubs thing.

It was a lovely couple of days away, so peaceful and quiet and the girls have certainly been much happier the last couple of days. Thank you Mrs S from Church for your wonderful generosity.

Yes Tree Day is an event in our house

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/leechbabe/December2008TreeDecoratingDay?authkey=afCCEvujtzY#

Click on the link to see the Tree Day photo journal.

Here are is a sneak peak – The Big Pink Christmas Tree

From December 2008 – Tree decorating day.

Ninja Duck crashes the Rubber Ducky Nativity:

From December 2008 – Tree decorating day.

I have also got the Advent gift boxes all wrapped up and we have started opening one gift a day. Even though the Advent calendar is not finished I decided to do the personalised gift boxes.

I love the idea of the girls getting a real gift each day in the lead up to Christmas and not just a piece of chocolate that Heidi can’t eat anyway.

We had a budget of $2 per gift. Some are worth much less and others a little more. I purchased things I knew they would use as I was very aware that $s are tight. This was planned since last December so I’ve been able to spread the cost out over the year. So even though it is just the start of Advent now I’m very pleased with the results so far.

Advent Gifts Day 1

From December 2008 – Tree decorating day.

Singlets for Hubby and Heidi, always useful. Annie got the tray that she’s been asking for all year, now her tea parties can be proper tea parties as she has a tray to serve everything on, and scrapbooking stickers for me

My daughters are both going for allergy tests this week, the skin prick style tests.

This is due to them both getting red faces and slight swelling when they eat fish. Annie also complains of an itchy mouth, Heidi didn’t say anything but the last time she had the slightest bit of fish was about 12 months ago and she was far less verbal then.

Last night we had hot dogs with tomato sauce and grated cheese for dinner (a new meal for us) and Heidi’s face ended up with red splotches and so did her hands. Odd.

Anyways we are off for allergy testing because we have good solid reason to suspect allergies.

But I’m trying to prepare my girls for what to expect, thus social story time.

If you were being prepared for an allergy test what would you feel it was important to know?

I found this excellent site that had images of what would happen.

Here is the story I have put together (very rough):
social-story-allergy-tests1

Because I said so!

But why do you say so Mummy?

Does anyone else remember those conversations they had as a child, wanting to know how things worked, why things were done a certain way.  The frustration of not being answered or being given a brush off answer.

And as a parent have we all not at one time been asked “Why?”

My girls are both being taught about the world with the expectation they will ask the question “Why?”

I ask Annie today to cut out some pictures from a piece of paper.

“Why Mummy” is the inevitable reply

Because I am washing dishes right now and can not do it myself.

“But Why do you need them cut out?”

To go on the Advent gift boxes so we know which box belongs to who.

“Oh okay” she says and proceeds to cut out the pictures.

And that is good the seeking of knowledge, the need to know the reason behind what she is doing.  As an adult it is important to ask why, not asking why can lead to disastrous results, the simple asking of Why? can lead to amazing discoveries.

Why?  That one word, it has amazing power.

Earlier today at the supermarket Annie stood on the side of the trolley that Heidi was sitting in as I browsed the aisles looking for the perfect gluten free, dairy free cookie.

Don’t do that please Annie. Put your feet on the floor.

“Why Mummy”

Because it is dangerous the trolley could tip over on you, please put your feet on the floor now.

“Why would it tip over”

It would tip over because the side you are standing on is heavier than the otherside.  Put your feet on the floor NOW.

“Oh” she says stepping back down onto the floor “like that time we were in Coles and the trolley tipped me over”

Yes I say wondering how she can remember what happened and yet still repeat her actions that caused the painful event and much screaming and bruises.

And this is a problem because while there is a need to know why, there are also times when immediate obedience is required to avert a potentially dangerous situation.

I have parenting books overwhelming my bookshelf.  You can’t see the novels for all the parenting guides.  Yet I am so buys parenting that I barely have time to read a chapter here, a paragraph there, browse the index in the hope that will make up for not reading the whole book.

In my world blind obedience is wrong, yet some degree of obedience is required.  How to you get it.  At what point do children understand that not every situation requires a “Why mummy”.

And is blind obedience different from blind faith?  I expect them to have faith that Mummy knows what is best for them, yet I encourage them to question me, to seek reason in my requests.

Why do I do that?

PECS / Advent Calendar for Kids on the Spectrum

Yesterday I put together a page of 1inch images to use on our Christmas countdown calendar along with the Christmas images I linked to in yesterdays post – because even though it is the festive season all the normal stuff like going to school, visiting doctors and stuff still happens. Here is the .pdf if you would like to download it christmas-calendar-images

From Nov 2008

And because I’m very proud of them here are two PECS images I put together for the girls toy boxes.

This one is for all the Happy Meal type toys we get, these toys are actually pretty fabulous for Heidi because they are usually the perfect size for her to hold in one hand, and often they light up or vibrate or do something sensory.

From PECS

And this one is for all our WWE dolls

From PECS