Easy Like Sunday Morning...

And so goes the song...

However, other than when I hark back to childhood, and those days on holiday when all you need to do is secure your sun lounger with a beach towel...remember those days?..., I don't particularly find Sunday mornings easy. 

Sunday mornings consist of being hauled out of bed as per a school morning and standing at the hob, mixing eggs etc to make pancakes for the small people. I know, self inflicted, and boy am I looking forward to the day when the small people are flipping the pancakes onto my plate on a weekend. 

After clearing away the breakfast dishes, the dinner prep begins. I'm traditionally English when it comes to Sunday meals, and nothing, and I mean nothing can take the place of a Sunday dinner. Apart from the aforementioned holiday, when a salad, and wonderfully chilled glass of wine will do just grand.

Can you tell I'm missing my holidays?

After dinner, the great big clean up takes place. You realise how many pans you own when you cook a Sunday dinner and how many plates can be used in the whole preparation.

Generally, after the great big clean up, the clock is ticking, and it's time to prep for school the next day, and so out comes the iron, school bags, shoe polish...you get the general idea.

Then suddenly, it's tea time. Little hungry tummies start opening the fridge door. So, the kitchen benches fill once again with food stuff and Sunday tea is created.

After an exhausting day, little people need cleaning and settling into bed.

So, whoever said Sunday morning was easy, I'd like a word with them!

Kate

Special Needs in Mainstream? Does it Really Work?

Unless a child follows the 'special education' path from birth and has a statement (or EHCP as it's now known) in place for the beginning of their educational journey, us parents have no choice other than to plunge our child into the mainstream school and cover our eyes, hoping for the best when we do it.

I always say the same thing when asked: "Is your little one in a mainstream school?"

I reply: "Yes, we've decided to try the mainstream route first"

Really, that's extremely wrong. It's wrong because, actually, we don't have a choice, so we didn't 'decide' anything! Really, we are forced to put our child through mainstream education until the school feel that they can't offer our child any more.

Unless a child follows the 'special education' path from birth and has a statement (or EHCP as it's now known) in place for the beginning of their educational journey, us parents have no choice other than to plunge our child into the mainstream school and cover our eyes, hoping for the best when we do it.

I must admit that being on the path of review meetings and the mention of a 'EHCP' for a second time is rather a slog. It's very wearing on the mind and body, never mind wearing on the nerves of the child who is under constant scrutiny.

Rascal #1 is now comfortably ensconced in a rather perfect special school, after we 'decided' to try mainstream. We were also refused a statement initially (that's when the laptop was hurled across the room), however, after the second attempt, we hit the jackpot. This enabled our first born to attend school in comfort, familiarity, in a stress free environment, with small class sizes and for us as parents to blow out a huge sigh of relief. Suddenly mornings weren't so bad.

However, second born is not so lucky. Rascal #2 has to deal with overstimulation in a class of 54 at the age of 3, while dealing with ASD and potentially a rare genetic condition. Even the installation of a dark den in class doesn't seem to keep #2 from tipping over the edge once home.

Oh yes. Home time. That wonderful moment when our youngest two rascals are so hyped up from overstimulation and hypersensory that our house becomes akin to a zoo.

Rascal #1 however, is respectfully chilled out at this point. #1 has had the correct amount of stimulation, with the correct therapies to balance the sensory requirement, while learning in a creative teaching environment.

Unfortunately, the arrival of the younger two doesn't keep #1 calm and suddenly all three are as high as kites.

However, an EHCP is unobtainable currently for our youngest two. Wouldn't you think that if a child has a diagnosis, then surely, support they need would be put in place, no questions asked?

I believe that many mainstream schools are wonderful and do try ultimately hard to include children with additional needs, but the teachers don't have the training of SEN teachers, or the vast knowledge of what a child needs, and indeed the school generally doesn't have all of the facilities that a child with special needs requires.

Why do we have to fight so hard for what we need?

I would offer the following advice:

* Know exactly what you want for your child

* Persist with your requirements

* Always be polite, and respectful, but be very firm.

* Read up about the system and let the school know that you are clued up.

* Offer to help with the gathering of evidence whenever a stumbling block is hit (it will soon work out!)

This post was original written by me for The Huffington Post. To view the article and others from my author page, here's the link:

Kate Shippey Huffington Post

A Weekly Workout

 I've been thinking a lot about health and fitness recently.

I'm doing really well with my exercise at the moment. Once a week I go to Aldi. It's like an award winning HIIT class. 

The warm up; grab your trolley, disinfect under pressure with a queue behind you (this is the anticipation of what's to come!) ease yourself into the store, socially distanced, then begin to manoeuvre your way around the store, socially distancing with a delinquent trolley.

Keep a steady mind...pilates...stay in the zone....stick to your list...

The Barre workout begins. Steady the breathing in the mask; stretch to the top shelf and duck to the bottom, stretch and duck, approach, withdraw. Breathe. Keeping a distance from other humans at all time. This is the repetitive part and lasts for some time. It tests your form and stamina.

Finally, once you have completed the circuit, you join the socially distanced checkout queue, half way up the aisle. Boxing begins. Do not let your guard down. Be prepared to move left, right, duck and swerve when you least expect it so that fellow shoppers can access all products.

Then, your time has arrived, yoga is applied as you stretch into your trolley, and turn, stretching to place your bread with your other products which are hurtling down the conveyor belt at a rate of knots. You create a new gymnastics move; 'the windmill' as you fling the products from trolley to conveyor belt as quick as you can without dislocating your shoulders, while noticing that your queue has doubled in length. (Pressure builds, heart rate rises rapidly)

At last, all items are ready for checkout.

Now, the crescendo. The cashier has a plastic screen - your items will be fired at you from the letterbox style gap at the bottom. Keep your hands ready, goalie gloves optional....and GO! don't take your eye off the hands of the cashier...hand to eye coordination is essential or you will fail at the last hurdle. Keep the eggs til last, and once they are scanned, gently take them and place them in their cosy spot.

Step back from the checkout, bow, karate style and push your trolley out of the shop.

The weight lifting ends the session with placing the bags into the boot of your car, return trolley, anti-bac on hands, and return to car.

Finally, deep breathing....in....out....in....out until your pulse returns to normal.

Here endeth your weekly Aldi workout. Well done folks!

Peace out folks

Kate

Half A Face Of Make-Up

 Yeah. That.

The whole mask thing. Now, don't get me wrong, I am very pro mask wearing, in fact, they have become quite a fashion statement for me and I'm becoming quite fond of our household's collection of facial attire. 

Who'd have thought, but you know, there is a slight issue...the make-up thing...

so, I was going shopping...

Rule 1

No lipstick, particularly no gloss. Lipstick is nothing but a nuisance during our mask wearing times. Its my staple make-up item and from an early age, I loved that slick of colour, or tinted lip balm across my lips, but with a mask it's just....no...just no. I made up my face as per pre-mask wearing times. parking the car, I donned my Darth Vader style black mask (it went with my black outfit...I'm talking more rock chick than Morticia Adams - just to clarify) and immediately, the lining of my mask attached itself lovingly to my lips. I spent the entire time pouting my way around the supermarket. This also causes a problem trying to remove said lipstick from mask lining.

Rule 2

Foundation/powder/blusher. Yeah, that stuff. if you are spending a period of time in your mask, when you take said mask off, you are going to look delightfully made up from the top of your nose, upwards. Your lower face could be in any form of artistic creation akin to a Picasso painting. You have been warned.

I also found that in winter, the wonderful mask was like a face warmer and I was grateful that at last, I had a solution to warm my nose, however, summer could be very different!

So, masks are a thumbs up for me! Not only is it doing a great job in keeping you safe, but there are some fantastic designs to suit your style aaaand...it saves you money on make-up...let your true beauty shine through, au natural!

Kate

The Holidays Are Nigh

 And that's a wrap for the three weeks of spring term for our little people!

It sure went in the blink of an eye, and now, we are awarded with a nice two week break. So, what plans do you have? 

We have no plans whatsoever. Still in lockdown, our movements are competely restricted, and so, we will be having a full tribe house tidy.......

Yeah, right, who am I kidding? I will run from room to room in an attempt to make my home look remotely tidy, while our little people sail between Fortnite and the fridge. Hubby, meanwhile will be venturing out into the garden to start the years worth of maintaining. 

The fridge door will be open ninety percent of the time, generally with a little person either standing, staring into it, or rumaging frantically for a sweet treat.

I always wonder if at school the teacher is asked for a snack as often as we are? how many hands raised in a lesson is a kid whinging "Miss, I'm hungry", "Miss, when is it lunchtime?", Miss, just one little snack, please...please!....pleeeaase" 

Even during remote learning, I made snack boxes for each child, as I had my head in the fridge more times than enough during the day, chopping apples, grapes, bananas....yeah, yeah and grabbing chocolate bars, crisps and hauling out the sweet jar onto the 'school table', just to keep them going as they studied. In the end, I grabbed a basket for each child, and placed their snack allowance in it each day. obviously fruit and drinks were unlimited, but it did help to limit the sugar intake, and it worked quite well.

So, operation Easter is about to begin...

wish me luck folks!

Kate