My Saturday Caption

I am joining in today with the lovely Annie at Mammasaurus. I do love everyones pictures on this day! Some slightly wacky, some fun.

I have opted for fun, this is little AJ trying on his dad's old glasses. I think he looks like they are breaking in news readers quite young!!

So can you think of a funny caption for this? Or click on Mammasaurus' link (above) and join in the Saturday madness!

Reasons to be cheerful 16/05

I love this day of the week. I love doing the reasons and I love thinking of positive things when, maybe, the day isn't a positive one. Today, our car has gone in for an MOT. This is not a good thing, last year it cost us close to £700! I'm bricking it, if I'm honest.

I decided, when the hubby came back from dropping the car at the garage, that I would do this weeks before we got the results. I may not be feeling very positive in about 45 minutes! 

Here are this weeks.......

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Baby Names

I was reading a post yesterday, (mumofthreeworld). She had read another post, all about how they came to baby names for their children. It was a great read, and most people, when naming children, tend to lean towards family names or lost grandparents. Names that have a meaning for them.

So I thought I would throw my spanner in the works, and tell you about how I came to mine....

I wanted children at a very young age. I met my husband just 3 months after my 16th Birthday, he was 25, it was a big age gap at the time, and our relationship got grown up and serious quite quickly. By 17 I was living with him, at 18 we were given our own house on a housing associations site. Just after my 19th birthday we were married! See, quick.

So it was no wonder that at 18, children were on my mind......It didn't happen.

To cut a long story short, there were a lot of tests, a lot of concerns. Also, unfortunately, lots of miscarriages. I still find that quite hard to write.

All that time I always had a name for my 1st born, she was going to be Jasmine Angharad. It was a mix of modern and traditional. It wasn't a family name, just a combination of names I loved. I was positive our 1st would be a girl. My husband came from a family that, at that time, was all girls. He had 3 sisters and 5 nieces. We just assumed the girls would keep coming.

At 24 I got pregnant with my 1st child, we never once considered asking the sex. We didn't care!! After all we had been through, we were so happy there was going to be a child and, like I said, we totally expected a girl.

Then in the delivery room, at the change of shift, the new midwife brought in the days paper! Not totally professional, I know, but it was going to be a long day! As my child was brought in to the world there was a bit of drama, he was given oxygen and into a warming crib........HE!? 

As everything calmed down, my son was ok, my Mr. must of looked at the newspaper. Starting at the back, as usual, to a report on England's rugby team. We spotted the name of one of the players........and that is how KJ got his name!! Unconventional? Maybe....

Until you here how my 2nd sons name was thought up!!! 

We decided, as the time was almost due, that our, by then 5 yr old, KJ, could help name his brother. I don't know why, I just did. We knew on this one we were having a boy. He came up with the name, we were surprised how 'normal' it was, until he explained, many months later, how he came to it!

His best friend's mother, had a Welsh name, that everyone shortened to ROZ.......yep, that is how RJ got his name! I told the mother on one of our school yard natters, she found it amusing too. The funny thing is, KJ is now 15 and never bothers with the boy, but his mum is forever going to be part of our lives! 

Little A was just meant to be. I was pregnant, and my hubby's niece had just had a baby. We were at her house one day and I picked up a baby name book. I flipped it open, and the 1st name I saw, I loved!

I didn't know for definate what sex the baby would be, but by now I had kind of figured I wouldn't be having a girl. Also, finding the name felt right, like it was meant to be. I was right! 

A doctor also confirmed that I probably couldn't carry girls, it was most likely what my problem had been all along.

One other little thing about our names...........

As a family we are AJ, J, KJ, RJ, AJ.

How's that!!!

How did you come to your names? Tradition or otherwise?

Next term.....

I have drifted away from autism here, a little, lately. I haven't forgotten my boys! I just wanted to show that my life is not just Autism. I am trying to become a whole person again, in my own right.

I will be honest, I am not completely succeeding.......My social life needs work. I find it hard to leave them to anyone else for just a night! It's getting worse as they get older. Physically they are harder to manage, as they are growing lads.

Today, I had my 1st piece, about Autism awareness,  edited and shown to me, that a friend wanted for a publication she writes for. It should be published soon, she has done a great job of polishing it up. 

This has brought other things to mind, that have been niggling at the back of my brain.  Little AJs next term in school being the biggest.

I am not going to lie, I am Terrified, with a capital T. 

For RJ nothing is going to change much this year, he goes from year 5 to year 6, simply a change of teachers, a different classroom in the same hallway. He has done this 4 times, as all the classes in his school are along one side of a corridor and the hall is the opposite side, easy transition.

KJ has a big year coming, it's his final year of Comp, his GCSE year. We have managed to apprise most of his teachers of his home situation, they were fantastic. Many have told him the classrooms are available after school for a little while, for him to do any revision/homework that he can't get done at home.

Little A is my main worry. I have spoken to his teacher ( I really wish she could go with him!). There are health and safety issues for him, that means he can't be unsupervised during lunch hour, if out on the main yard. If he has an accident, bumps into someone, or gets hurt, he will bolt. There is very little chance of catching him if he does that.

'So make sure he is supervised in the yard?!' I hear you say. 

I agree, however, the funding is complicated. AJ only gets 7.5 hours a week, if he has to be supervised at lunch and break times, he will get nothing in the classroom. This doesn't just affect his education, but the other children in the class. I don't want to be responsible for that.

Then there is the issue of his toilet needs. He is still not 'dry'. He still goes barmy if we mention using the toilet. This last week he has not been going properly, I think he has stopped himself, because we have mentioned the toilet too much. This is common in Autistic children, I actually went to a 'class' on it when he was younger. Basically, until he is ready, it won't happen. Will the school continue to change his nappies, I doubt it. I don't really think it's their job, but then what is the alternative?

Then there's the issue of him going to a new classroom, I have documented my trouble getting him there now, this being one of the main ones. He likes his teachers, what the hell am I going to do if he doesn't!?!?! I'm not sure who is next teacher is yet, but I hope she is as understanding of the situation as the teachers and TAs have been this year. We will set up an enhanced transition, he will probably go once a week for the last half term of this school year. What if he hates it........and I have to get him there after having 6 weeks off!

He's going to think he's finished for good

*SIGH*

Big years for these 2!

Well, anyway, I am off now to stare a alcohol until it's an appropriate time of day to drink it! (not really but I wish I could)

As usual, any advice or just cyber hugs will be gratefully received! 

monday meal plan 13/05

I haven't joined in for a couple of weeks. In all honesty, I haven't been organised enough!

I don't know why, I just haven't seemed to have time to do anything, but I don't know what I've been busy doing?! confused????

So anyway, here is this weeks plan....

It's a pretty simple plan, and I am still fasting on Mondays and Fridays. I work in a meal around what they have. So for Brinner tonight, I will have mushrooms, scrambled eggs and a spoon of beans.

While we are on the subject of food I wanted to share a simple cake recipe that has been used by my family for years. I see lots of cake recipes, but I am not a great cook, just a great tryer. So if I am making cupcakes/fairy cakes or a large sponge I fall back to this simple one. It's also a great 1st recipe to teach your kids if, like mine they love to cook.....

The ingredients are:

eggs

plain flour

caster sugar

cooking margarine

1tsp of baking powder

I suppose you've noticed the lack of quantity, well that's the simple part!

Weigh the eggs, in the shell. 12 fairy cakes will normally take 2-3 eggs. Whatever weight the eggs come to in total, is the weight of every other ingredient. 

So if your eggs come to 119g, you need 119g of flour etc..

It really is simple! Bake at gas mark 4/5 for 20 minutes or until a stick comes out clean. 

I made some last night and as an easy cheat spread some nutella on the top.

Super easy, but very moist and yummy! Go on try it, you know you want to!!

As usual I shall be linking up with the lovely Mrs.M

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