Reduce, reuse, recycle

We've had a pretty hectic week although I haven't really "done" anything... Next week is going to be a challenge as we are having two bedrooms replastered so have been spending all our free time trying to sort out the deritus that is taking over our bedroom. I admit it, I'm a hoarder, always have been and always will be. But I've decided to take a hold of myself and tackle it head on. So I've been clearing out my old toileteries, the childrens clothes, Christmas decorations etc etc etc. I have given a lot to charity, but will also sell some through ebay and I'm hoping to find a local NCT sale to sell some of the childrens clothes. Call me a sentimental old fool, but I find sorting through their clothes brings back all sorts of memories - I look at Bea's old clothes and find myself shocked at how small she used to be, and I look at some of James' old clothes and think of him wearing them "before we knew". So it's been a hard few days, as I'd find another tee shirt that reminded me of the happy go lucky days when our future looked rosy and bright - I know that it's not all doom and gloom for us, but it's a path I know is going to be full of bumps and dangers.

On the subject of clothes (sort of!) I was complaining about white tee shirts the other night. We have to buy quite a lot of clothes for James, first of all because he is always getting himself filthy or wet or both (he comes home from nursery in a different set of clothes EVERY day) and second of all because he chews the sleeves of his clothes and makes holes in them, to the point that he can't wear them any more. The chewing is a symptom of his sensory integration difficulties - he finds it calming, organising and reassuring. I, on the other hand, find it intensely frustrating as there are only so many tee shirts and jumpers in his wardrobe! There is a distinctive crispy feeling to the cuffs of his cardigans and jumpers as a result (the enzymes in saliva start to break the cotton down - nice!) and when the holes get too obvious I bin them. So nowadays it's bye bye Boden beauties and hello supermarket specials - these usually come in packs of 3 or 4 for £5 and my conscience is heavy at the thought of all the children being employed in sweatshops to keep James clothed. The most frustrating thing is that there's always one white/cream/pale yellow tee shirt in the pack. Now, perhaps it's just me, but there's no way I'm putting James in a white tee shirt. I've seen the state of his vests and they're not strictly exposed to the elements. So I have piles of unworn unloved white tees that end up in the charity shop bag, which alleviates my guilt a little bit. So when someone suggested dyeing them I felt like I'd hit the jackpot - it's been a long time since I did any tie dyeing but my hippy tendancies have resurfaced and I'm about to buy shares in Dylon. I do try and find "distinctive" clothes for James (although we have never actually lost him, if he is easy to spot in bright yellow or red gingham then it makes for a more relaxed trip wherever we're going) so dye is the way forward from now. James has a great selection of chocolate brown tee shirts now and Bea even got some tie dyed tights out of my experiment. For summer I'll be going for sunflower yellow I think!

I've also been thinking about what to do with all the clothes that I have to throw away - I usually take them to the fabric recycling bank, but then I came across a lovely pattern in one of my crochet books which used strips of rag. So one day I may make myself a rag rug from James' half chewed tee shirts - maybe a useful reminder of how he is now.

What a weekend

I love the weekends as I can slow my pace down, kick back a bit, enjoy James without the pressures of having to get him to and from nursery, have a bit of time to myself and basically try and live. My life is usually pretty challenging, but sometimes things get on top of me and are too much. This weekend has had it's share of ups and downs and I'll be glad when I get to sleep tonight and wake tomorrow to a new day and a new week.

Two weeks ago my husband took James to his weekly swimming lesson. It was only the second time he had taken him swimming and I made a nonchalant comment about James never pooing during a lesson. Of course, I jinxed them and poor David had to deal with a rather distressed little boy and a lot of poo. Everywhere. Luckily it didn't actually get in the pool or he'd have had to contend with the embarrassment of everyone being hauled out of the pool and the pool being drained for decontamination. So it wasn't really a surprise that when I offered to take James swimming this morning he breathed a sigh of relief and sent me on my merry way. I couldn't understand why James was refusing to try to jump in the pool and was about to prise him off me and sit him down to drop himself in from the side when his teacher realised it had happened again. Luckily I was a little better prepared than David had been and we coped pretty admirably. I had a chat with his teacher and she thinks it may be because he is scared of jumping in (he clings to me and really doesn't want to go in) so we will hold off getting him out from now on. I just hope it hasn't become a new "habit" - when autistic children develop a specific routine in certain situations it can be very difficult to break them, even when the behaviours result in something unpleasant for them.

After I'd cleaned and showered and dressed James I took him to the park behind the pool. I was really pleased at how willing James was to try some of the more difficult climbing apparatus. He is quite fearful of heights and has visual processing problems (part of his difficulties with sensory processing), so finds this sort of activity very challenging. He was happy to have a go at climbing up and down the rope assisted wall, and used the scramble net really well. It has taken us a long time, but he even went down the slide of his own accord!

We met up with Bea and my husband and went to ASK pizza for lunch. I was really impressed with the service and attention we received and the children really enjoyed their lunch and were very well behaved. The children's menu was impressive to say the least - James and Bea shared a menu between them and there was more than enough to fill them both up. I was highly impressed that the staff were thoughtful enough to bring them each a plate of pasta - usually we are presented with one dish between the two of them. James isn't a big fan of pizza but he loves pasta so we went for the polpette (mini meatballs) which were devoured. I was glad he ate happily as he refuses to eat pasta with a sauce at nursery. Bea was delighted with the banana split - she has a bit of a penchant for ice cream! Just like Jack Sprat and his wife, Bea ate the ice cream and James ate the banana, and the dish was licked clean.

Our afternoon has been less blissful - the children have been quite active and my husband has been searching for his credit cards which he has managed to misplace. Of course, this is somehow my fault and we've ended up having a rather heated row and have both said some pretty unpleasant things. In addition, Bea managed to hit her mouth on the corner of our futon and was covered in blood - I thought she was auditioning for a part in Dracula.... I'm sure my husband and I will kiss and make up later but right now I'm the one spitting blood......