Autistic Children Blog

I can’t believe it’s April already, it’s bloody ridiculous! Feels like we’ve just taken down the Christmas tree!

We’ve been plodding along! We’re still looking into what Beth will be doing for her second day of the week. She is working Mondays still at A Twist of Willow in Mount Evelyn, the nocturnal zoo. She really enjoys going there and absolutely loves the animals, is quite fearless around them actually. Here she is with one of the pet rats. They offered her a hand reared one but Paul is absolutely dead set against it, even though Beth and Bridie would have a menagerie if I let them! It’d be a pain in the arse with the cats mind you. The whole point about these ones is that they are really tame, but if we have cats around the rats would have to stay in their cages.

Beth used to work 2 days a week but on the Thursday she was constantly sick, or making herself sick so she didn’t have to go. It’s so hard to tell with her! It’s such a balance between believing her and allowing it and trying to make her go when she’s clearly not wanting to for whatever reason. And often getting a call to say she is sick. She won’t say if anything is actually happening and I don’t think there is. If I suggest that we have a change and find somewhere else she gets distressed as she says she doesn’t want to leave.

We had a 3 week trial on a Thursday at a reptile organisation. I thought it was perfect for her as it’s still animals, she is free on that day, and the lovely girl we saw offered to pick her up! She was keen on the visit we did but then after the first week the lady with her said she didn’t want to do anything, wanted to go out in the car but wouldn’t go in the store, wanted constant breaks etc. I was so embarrassed! Beth knows it was the wrong thing to do. I have a good talking to her, she was very apologetic and tried again but was still out of sorts. Not like her at all, especially in a new setting when there hasn’t been any issues yet.

She is really keen to start up art again. Her art teacher is coming back at one stage but we don’t really know when. The organisation she went to in the past for writing has an art program on a Friday so we’re going to go and check it out when they come back from holidays. They’ve moved from their old premises so maybe a fresh start? Beth wasn’t that keen originally because it’s an obvious disability organisation which she’s not keen on but we’ll see! Otherwise I may look back into the tafe course she started last year who had a day one on Fridays. That would require the train trip and carer again so might keep that one up my sleeve as a backup if need be.

As far as the nrf tablets are concerned, I’m really happy with Beth’s progress on them. She turned 22 last month and we, as usual, went to the movies. To see Peter Rabbit 2. Which was actually really good! I told her that now she’s 22 she had to be more tolerant of her dad and stop yelling at him and having a tantrum if he coughed. Or any other noise he makes. Note to self, don’t tell him in front of Beth to stop breathing so heavily in my ear! Each night we have a chat and I let Beth know that I’m really proud of the way she’s coping and not yelling at Dad so much and that she’s being such a grown up girl. And she is responding! She is still annoyed by him. Me too at times! But she’s coming out once to tell him to go to bed, if that. And the other night she came out when he was watching Whose Line is it Anyway. She doesn’t like that show because it has very loud laughter track which she has always hated. She came out, asked when he was going to bed and went back in her room! Usually she’d either object or try and turn it off! Beth is on the trio pack. NRF1, NRF2 and probio which has helped her gut problems so much! Let me know if you’d like any information.

We had a visit to our lovely osteo this morning. Beth often needs cranio sarcral therapy for headaches and earaches which stem from her grinding her teeth in her sleep. After dentist and doctors visits we went back to what she had done years ago and it relieved it instantly. So here she is with our lovely Steph! Have a wonderful week everybody! xx

Well, as I had hoped, little things are changing within Beth which is pretty exciting for me. I have just upped one of her tablets – the NRF2 – which is the one that you see the most difference with. Due to tummy issues we had to only give her half a dose until the new probiotic kicked in and she seems to be coping much better with it now, just shows what can go on inside that we don’t necessarily see!

The differences I’ve found have been with her communication. She is more spontaneous, she is offering to do more things, she is wanting to spend more time with us. I wrote a testimonial on the page of the business. The exciting thing for me was something small but significant. On the days Beth is home I write a little checklist for her to do jobs. They aren’t big things but they give her a sense of purpose. She unpacks the dishwasher. She unpacks the toilet paper that comes in a big box. She will empty the bins from the bathroom into the big bin outside. Often I’ll have fun things in between such as take a selfie with the dog, or, be awesome! Or ones she has to hunt for such as take a photo of the plant in the red pot with the orange flower. When not doing gym there would be some exercises in there like – do 20 step ups on each leg. Anyway, you get the picture! On a Thursday I have a sleepover in her room. Her siblings often have sleepovers, Bridie pretty much most weekends! Beth doesn’t, so I’m her sleepover. On a Thursday she doesn’t have a checklist because she works, but I’ll ask her to change the sheet, putting the dirty one in the laundry and putting a clean one on. I’ve taught her the trick of the tag going in the top left hand corner! On Tuesday last week I had already changed her bedding so I didn’t bother asking. On Thursday when I got home from work she was most excited to let me know that she’d changed her sheet. She said ‘you forgot to ask me!’ Oh my effing God! Small for some but huge for us! Plus, she’s wanting to watch movies with Bridie as well as be in on her driving lesson and getting a haircut. Just because she wants to join in!

Beth did cooking this morning with Lachie, they did chocolate brownies. Lachie said that Beth was reading out the recipe to him rather than getting him to tell her what she needed to use which is what she usually does. So, small but significant steps. If you want to look up medical information, just google NRF2 and autism. And of course, let me know if you’re keen on knowing more, I’ll send you some more information. Here’s Beth with her brownies. I love how she holds her tongue when she’s concentrating, so do I! And can you tell, she clearly licked the bowl when she’d finished!

It’s the start of a new year (actually nearly the end of the month – wtf!) and I am sure I’m not the only one who is glad 2020 is over!

We’ve had a couple of slack weeks for summer. Beth is back at work and seems to be enjoying it but who knows. She’s been a bit up and down mood wise at times but last week she was complaining of a tummy ache and it ended up being a UTI. Because she can be a bit of the boy who cried wolf I can’t tell sometimes if she’s really not feeling well or if she just wants to stay home.

I’ve discovered some new products which have really great feedback from other mums with special needs kids. Google NRF2, especially PUBMED documents and there are promising articles on the subject. I’m a bit dumb when it comes to scientific stuff! Luckily for me there are very knowledgeable people who work within my business who can talk the talk when it comes to how it all works. So please, let me know if you’re keen on trying the products and I’ll set you up in a chat once you’ve had a look at some testimonials!

So, so far with these tablets, Beth has already shown a bit of improvement. She seems to be happier. And more chatty. I am taking them too and I am finding that I am already calmer and sleeping better. There are so many benefits to them! They say for full effect it takes 1 month for every decade you’ve been alive so mine feels like it will be forever! But… we’ve been on them for just over a week so far and I’ve already seen these differences. The brain fog is lifting and the energy is coming back – woohoo!!

Beth started back at cooking today with Lachie. They made bread today and we just ate some for lunch. It was yummy! She really enjoys cooking and seems to really enjoy Lachlan’s company too.

I’m going to look around for another art school also. I’m hoping that as the NDIS has been around for a while now that a few other schools might pop up. While she is enjoying being with the animals at work she is always asking when she can do art school. So I think it’s time to explore other things too. Ash is going to come back and teach her art at home but it would also be good for her to do a day program if one is available.

I hope all of you are well and that 2021 has gotten off to a good start?! Speak soon xxx

We’ve had lots of improvement lately in Beth’s mood, it’s been lovely! Lots of bits and pieces going on.

I think it’s partially been because she’s had a few things to do. It’s very easy to just let Beth sit in her room and watch tv or play on her tablet, there are times that you wouldn’t even know she’s there, unless the wifi stops working or she gets hungry! That is of course not good for her however so I have to try and think to get her moving and mentally busy.

So, there are 4 things that have been contributing to Beth’s mood I think.

1. Her Omega Q tablets. She’s been taking them for a few weeks now and there has been a vast improvement in her mental alertness. It’s said that kids with autism are often thought to actually be deaf before diagnosis because they get so absorbed in their own world that they just don’t listen or respond. Beth is very good at that! Since being on her tablets though she is more alert and often says things without being asked, quite spontaneously! This is fairly new for Beth, as an adult anyway. She could be quite chatty when younger, when the mood took her. She was in the school choir and loved to sing. Now, that Beth is showing through again and I’m loving it!
2. Her cooking lessons. Lachie is a lovely chap and Beth seems to really like him. As she is choosing what to cook Lachlan guides her how to do this, they sit and have hot drinks and it really seems to be a good fit. As you can see, she has made some yummy foods! This week it was gingerbread men. (didn’t realise how many bloody cutters we had!) In fact not so much men (though there were a few ninja bread men). She also made the crowd favourite of chocolate truffles which went down very well! I’m so pleased that this has become a regular fortnightly thing. We will be alternating with art lessons, probably starting in the new year, another thing that she loves. I have got her a cheap version of a kenwood chef mixer for Christmas as most weeks they use the hand beaters.
3. Cranio Sacral Therapy. (I think that’s how it’s spelled!) Beth had it years ago and I’d forgotten about it. We go to an osteopath and she hadn’t been for a while. We had been going to assess her for her personal training but that was quite early on. Beth had been grinding her teeth, giving her toothaches and earaches. I had taken her to the doctors multiple times and to the dentist but there was nothing wrong. We tried to get her a moulded mouth guard but she gagged so much that she vomited into the poor dentist’s hand! Luckily she had a glove on! I had our lovely osteo work on my jaw which immediately alleviated my headaches so I thought I’d try Beth again. Since she’s had that done she’s improved so much. Plus, when we went yesterday, I saw how much it was hurting beforehand as her jaw was really tight. So that has made a big difference.
4. lastly, it’s Christmas!!! Beth loves Christmas. She helped me do the tree, she loves the music and the advent calenders, all the things that the other kids don’t really bother about. Except the advent calenders, they still all love those! She’s singing songs and jumping around, loving it all. She’s already decided that she’ll make shortbreads next week at her lesson and she’ll then give some out as presents.

So, all in all, things are going really well! Hope you’re all getting organised? I’m really not, but trying! Speak soon! xx

For those of you who are long time readers you’ll know that every Christmas Beth becomes obsessed with Here Comes Christmas candycanes. Before you ask, it’s from a My Little Pony story. And no, it’s not possible to get one. Or to make one the way she wants. But… it still doesn’t stop her from asking constantly for one. every. single. year. When she was originally doing art with Ash Beth asked and Ash and her made a fabulous large paper mache one with glow in the dark glitter and Ash filled it with goodies for Beth for Christmas. There was a lot of planning and thought went into it. None of it mine mind you! The issue is that we can never make the real deal because it’s magic!

Yesterday Beth had cooking with Lochie again and of course she asked to do something along the here comes Christmas candycane idea. So they made chocolate muffins with sprinkled candy canes on the top. Of course I forgot to buy the peppermint extract. And the icing sugar! I found a packet mix for cupcakes so they used that icing instead and, the muffins tasted delicious without the peppermint flavour. When Lochie went to move his car I found Beth licking the spoon and bowl with it all over her face! She looks really happy with herself here!

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Beth enjoy herself as much as she is in this photo. She loves doing things with me such as pedicures or going to the movies or taking the dogs for a walk. But if I take a photo she forces herself to smile. She used to sing songs and dance around and as she’s gotten older a lot of that enjoyment seems to have gone from her. That’s why I was so excited when I asked her to smile and she let out that beautiful beaming one. Hopefully things are on the up for us all. I want her to feel like smiling more, not just because I’m telling her to.

On the supplement front I truly believe that her Omega Q brain health tablet has been helping. Her mood has been so much better since beginning it. I have only been giving her one a day, even though it says 2, so I will up that when I get the new delivery next week. Her conversation has been better, she’s been asking me questions and truly wanting clarification in the answers. She is suggesting things we can do and really looking into them before suggesting. And she’s been great at work by all accounts. So it’s a big tick for that one! I’ll increase this one and assess before I add other supplements but so far this one’s a winner!

Please let me know if you are keen on trying any of these out and I’ll send you a link. As always, every supplement and treatment is different for every individual, just as all of our kids have individual personalities and reasons that they are the way that they are. All we can do it trial and error at times but so far so good for us with this particular product.

I’m rather excited now that things are opening up again! Yesterday Beth started doing cooking with an organisation called I Hate Cooking. I found them via facebook as I saw they are an NDIS service provider. Beth enjoys cooking but we don’t often do it together. I contacted them and they sent a lovely young man out called Lochie. For their first cook they did scones because it’s nice and easy. That gave them a chance to get to know each other too. Beth is pretty pleased with her goodies. I loved the taste too, though they didn’t agree with the new dentures I got on Saturday and I very nearly had my bottom ones fall out in front of our lovely new friend! Here’s a piccy of the 2 together! BTW I told them to take their masks off for the picture, they were social distancing at this coffee and hot chocolate stage!

The other exciting news is that Beth’s lovely art teacher is coming back! Beth loves art so much and really enjoyed making all her creations as I know a few of you enjoyed when we did the calendar in 2018. This year has been such a shitshow for so many things and Beth has gotten used to doing not very much, so the hope is that there will be something each day now to keep her busy.

As far as the next stage in supplements go we did try the greens in her shake as it’s so very good for you. She could taste it in that though and, even though she drank it, has politely said no thank you every time I’ve asked since. Seeing as I can’t have actual food atm I’m going to make myself up a nice smoothie for lunch with lots of goodies from our lines so will pop some in myself to see what it tastes like then make one of them for Beth. I’m thinking frozen raspberries would make it yummy for us both. So hopefully next time I write I will have more news. As always, progress takes time but it’s worth it! Have a great week everybody xxx

I saw a conference for the new business I am doing and one of the things that they are joining forces with is a company who do DNA testing to help with what vitamins and supplements are lacking in a person. I’m pretty excited about this as Beth has always been a bit of an unknown in these areas. I know that she has gut issues, really we all do in this family. I get tummy aches even at the thought of going out at night, Beth’s anxieties always present in her tummy as do Bridie’s. It would be great to know what will actually work rather than doing things by trial and error! Here is an excerpt of what I read today which sounds fantastic.

Trait 43: Social & Relational Interactions. we test more than 200 DNA variants. This trait looks at your genetic profile associated with prosocial behaviour, empathy and compassion to others.Relationships are fundamental for the structure and function of society and are a key factor in the well-being of people. Knowing your genetic makeup can direct you to implement certain strategies to develop better social skills.

So far on the omega Q supplement Beth seems to be communicating better. Behaviourally she’s still fixated on Paul and his cough which frustrates the hell out of me. I’ve now taken a hard stance on it and remind her once only that if I hear her being mean to Paul again that her tablet will be taken from her for 24 hours. I have had to do this once which, as you can imagine, made my evening such fun! From crying and begging to her speaking on my behalf. “Yes Beth, of course you can have your tablet back, you’re a good girl!” in a high pitched voice while blubbering. It sounds funny writing it now but at the time it’s awful! But, I’m of the belief that no means no and, while times may sometimes be negotiated, the punishment will not. I know this when I do it and I brace myself for the tantrums. The outcome is however that she knows I’ll follow through with what I’m saying so she does what I saw. Sometimes!

She’s back at work now, 2 days a week. I am happy that we actually got good funding this year through the NDIS so, when the zombie apocalypse eventually ends,we will be getting her back into art and have lined up a cooking school to come out and cook with her once a week. I’m rather looking forward to her cooking dinner on occasion. Though the more likely scenario is daytime cooking thanks to dinner taking second place to Malcolm in the Middle that she simply must watch, despite the fact that we have the whole series on hard drive!

We’re walking the dogs daily and Beth’s doing her personal training once a week too. So all together I’m pretty happy with how things are travelling. I’m going to trial her on a probiotic supplement starting from tomorrow, it’s in powdered form and has the equivalent of a kilo of green veggies in every serve! I’ll let you know how we go, I know a few of you have issues getting all the good stuff into your kids due to various issues.

Have a wonderful week everybody! x

hello there lovely readers! Last time we spoke I was talking about the drink that I was going to try Beth with, a lovely calming drink. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to agree with Bethie. It is an adaptive drink, meaning it zeros in on what the body is having issues with, so it could have been helping in other ways. As she was getting tummy aches though I decided to stop it for the time being.

The good news is that I have other products that I am going to try and, if and when they work I can then go back to the drink. She has always had gut issues so I believe if that’s not quite right then things won’t work as they should. I’ve started her this week on an Omega3 supplement. It’s to help with brain and heart function. Interestingly I’ve already seen an improvement! Mainly in alertness in conversations. In the past if I said something to her she wouldn’t bother responding if it didn’t actually interest her or suit her needs. Typical teenage behaviour really! I said something to her last night and she responded quite ‘normally’ and I was pleasantly surprised!

I am pretty excited about having an array of products at hand that are all natural and I can use with Beth without worrying about side effects. Long time readers of my blog will know that I try pretty much anything that isn’t non invasive and painful. We’ve done metal detoxification, allergy elimination, homeopathic remedies, you name it, we’ve done it! I’m a big believer in helping issues within the autism, therefore helping improve actual physical ailments, rolling over into mental wellbeing. An atypical person has the knowledge and awareness to explain how they are feeling, physically and mentally. Some people on the spectrum can do this too, absolutely. In our case, Beth may just say she’s feeling yucky, or may just appear teary and we don’t actually know what the issue is.

We also have the problem of things that often work with others don’t work with Beth. When trying homeopathy she had the opposite reaction to what she should have. I made sure not to go to somebody advertising in the local paper (yes it was that long ago!) but went instead to the college where they teach homeopathy. I know that some locals would be brilliant at it but I also know it can be claimed that they are very experienced and have done a short course. I wanted somebody who lives it and is invested in it. Anyway, it didn’t work unfortunately. Same thing happened when she was 1 and we went to the UK. The doctor prescribed medication to help her sleep on the flight and we should have clearly tried it beforehand. She ended up wired the whole bloody time!

Anyway, we had tried lots and lots of things. Looking promising when faced with a list of alternatives. Looking quite sad when we got to the bottom of the list and realised that all avenues that weren’t quacky, expensive or dangerous were finished. So I am excited to be in a situation that I can have access to products that help with various aspects of her autism. Gut health, brain health, probiotics, anxiety helpers, lots of bits and pieces. But as usual, one thing at a time! So far the brain health one is working and she’s just at half strength so far. So will keep you posted.

Now, I’ll share a quick Beth funny to finish off. I know you’ve missed them! I went in to give Beth her hot chocolate and kiss her goodnight. I went to close her blinds and she said no, I had to keep them open so she could still see Caleb. I asked who Caleb was and she said he was a spider. I asked how she came up with the name and she said ‘He told me his name!” Of course he did, silly Mum!

Look after yourselves! It’s Friday eve! Have a great week xxx

I’ve been looking for a couple of years now for a cannabis oil company in Australia who I can legally and medically access. As in, in conjunction with Beth’s doctors as I don’t want to trial something when I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’ve read that there are huge benefits to using it and I love the idea that Beth could wean off of her medication if her anxieties are lessened.

Beth’s anxiety (to me anyway) is the root of her autism. Her behaviours have always stemmed from anxiety. Her fight or flight response, her ‘ruling the house’ behaviour, all of it stems from sensory sound issues and the anxiety of the possibility of hearing a noise or being startled by something that has happened before.

The other issue is that if these things aren’t discovered and stopped right at the beginning then Beth just reacts more and more and the original issue is either forgotten or irrelevant.

Take for example her elephant issue. When she was a toddler she loved Sesame Street. During the show she occasionally would run out of the room for a minute then back in. I really didn’t think that much of it. Over time though these leaving the room incidents got longer and longer. After a while she stopped watching Sesame Street. Then it started happening in ads. This is in the old days where ABC Kids were only on until 10am. This was my time out and she was doing my head in! As we know, the ads are frequent on ABC kids. There might be a 5 minute show, an ad, another 5 minute show and so on. She’d be peaking around the door to see. By the time Bill came along she had basically abandoned watching ABC kids at all. Then all of a sudden she got like it with Channel 10! I realised what the problem was but it stemmed so far back! There was an ad on 10 that had people pressing buttons as if on the screen of the TV. And one of them made an elephant noise. Long story short, Beth was avoiding ABC kids in case there was an ad for Sesame Street, in case Oscar the Grouch was in the ad, in case Oscar’s pet elephant was in the ad, in case Oscar’s pet elephant made the trumpeting elephant sound! OMFG!

I was so pleased that I realised what it was. We took a trip to the zoo, along with ear muffs and ear plugs and visited the elephants. This was a few years after the original issue and Beth actually didn’t have a problem with the noise anymore. So I could talk to her about this, saying how good it was that she was good with the elephant noises because it meant that she could share Sesame Street with Bill and Bridie so they could all enjoy it together. I was careful not to let her know that she was scared of it as I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.

She is still like this with her obsessions. Paul has had a cough for years, we’re really not sure what it is. Beth noticed this not long after Dad died and was really worried about him. This has now developed into an avoidance of Paul in the sense that she wants him to stop making any noises and every night comes out to the lounge to tell him to take his medicine, that she’ll run him a bath, that she’ll get him a drink of water. Often in tears. I suggested that he sees a specialist as it’s continual, and he now has a referral, but of course nothing is open due to lockdown. It’s sweet of her but it’s also really draining as it happens every night.

Anyway, sorry to go on! My point is that I want to do something to lessen her anxieties which of course compound her behaviours and affect her life in so many other ways. Hence the cannabis search. Doctors are loathe to research it at this early stage within Australia, except for in some cases, epilepsy, which it has shown can make such a huge difference. Of course advances in other countries mean that it’s commonly used for individuals with anxiety and autism. I did get some drops which helped a little but I don’t know the correct doses, nor how to transition her from her medication to only the drops.

Recently I’ve started selling for a new company. It’s the type of thing that I can do from home, it’s selling the products and gaining my own reps to then do the same. It’s what they call a side hustle! I have done party plan type selling in the past, because I love a product, but I hated the party side of things, going out at night, doing presentations, all of it really made my own anxieties arise and made me feel quite ill. I decided that I’d try some of the products for myself first, then if they worked I would then promote the actual products while trying new ones, taking it slowly. I didn’t want to be selling something that I didn’t actually know if it worked or not. One is a mask to help my skin and lessen wrinkles which is divine, I absolutely love it! The other is a daily drink to help calm anxieties, stress and mental alertness. I’ve really noticed a huge difference in myself. The things that annoy me so much about people (read husband!) and situations don’t annoy me as much anymore. Don’t get me wrong, they still really shit me, but I just don’t care as much now and certainly don’t react in the same way as I used to. The whole house is calmer as a result. Which got me thinking, I wonder if it would help with Beth? So…. I gave her her first drink yesterday and she really enjoyed it. Hopefully in a few days I’ll notice a difference. If it works with her like it has with me it will be amazing. If not I’ll be so disappointed but at least I’ve tried. There are other products that I would like to try with Beth also, but I’ve always been one to do one thing at a time with her. Otherwise, how will I know which thing has actually helped her!

So… hopefully I will be back on here again in a few days to tell you all about how well she is doing! Have a great weekend everybody! x

Wow, I didn’t realise how long it’s been since I wrote on here. I was talking to a friend who I had met through the blog and she had said that she went to show a friend and it was gone! I realised that I hadn’t given my new email address, which I’ve had for about 2 years and it had all lapsed. Panic stations and being told that it had all gone, deleted, kapoof. I contacted my old school friend Paul who had set it all up for me. He guided me through the dummies guide to getting it all back and yippee here it is! It panicked me so much that I have now vowed to get back on track and update our life with Beth again. Thanks Jo for the reminder and thanks Paul for helping me, a woefully crap internet person!

One of the reasons I hadn’t written on here is that I’ve gone back to work. I now work in a Post Office 5 days a week, 5 hours a day. I really enjoy it (after the initial ‘I have no idea what the hell I am doing’ – still there sometimes!) and it’s put everything else in my life on the backburner.

The other reason is that I’ve found our life a little sad at times as far as Beth is concerned. She had lots of problems at work, which we’ve all persevered through, and is having lots of hangups that we don’t seem to be able to get a handle on. We upped her medication which made her put on a lot of weight. I know that’s not the be all and end all but it’s not good for her health or wellbeing and she doesn’t have a lot of energy or even seem particularly happy most of the time. She has real problems with her dad. She has had a bee in her bonnet pretty much since my Dad died which is nearly 6 years now. Where the hell has that time gone? Around about that time Paul developed quite a bad cough and it really hasn’t gone away. She went from being worried about him dying too to now constantly telling him to go to the doctors and to take medicine and to drink water, and I mean ALL the time. It’s just horrible as she shuts herself in her room and if she hears him cough she starts crying. Yawning or any other noises other than talking set her off often too. We’ve seen various specialists and it doesn’t seem to help. She saw a psychiatrist who neither of us particularly liked, who tried her on a medication that made her lactate! So no more of that. I really want to try medical marijuana but it’s still a little taboo. I believe if her anxieties could be lessened then it would help. She’s a bit like it at work too, telling people to turn their music off or something on the tv because she can’t cope with certain noises (still the laughing) or whatever else they’re doing that’s annoying to her. The last thing is that we’re now in the process of changing her medication. A) because it doesn’t seem to be working anyway and B) because she’s put on so much weight in the last year because of said medicine.

This year I decided to check out some tafe courses for art for Beth. She really isn’t keen on being with others with disabilities and I figured her funding may allow for somebody to take her to a mainstream course. It’s in the city which means that they catch the train from home and go to 1 class a week. She seemed to enjoy it but then Covid happened and I had to cancel it. They were doing remote learning which just wasn’t suitable. Her support worker couldn’t come here because she was home schooling her kids and isolating and I was at work. Even if not, the whole point was for her to be independent of me. She needs hands on, not working from home. She did an art class once a week from home for a few months which was wonderful but that stopped and she really misses it. Anyway, we’ll start up the tafe one again probably in 4th term if restrictions are eased then.

Beth turned 21 this year! It was a bit sad because we isolated her due to her predisposition for getting asthma whenever she gets a cold. I was so worried about Coronavirus as she is in the high risk category. So she was home for much of the time that the other kids were home remote schooling and Paul was home working. So the year has been a bit of a nothing really.

I finished my personal training course at around the time that coronavirus hit so haven’t been able to start seeing clients yet. I have a gorgeous young girl lined up to work with but with isolation it just hasn’t happened yet. Plus, I am working 5 days at varying hours so never sure of what times I can commit to. I have signed up to learn Auslan so I’m excited that I will hopefully be able to communicate with my non verbal clients if they know any signing or any deaf clients. I am doing some online life coaching if anybody needs anything! My new website is www.changeofhabitfitness.com.au There’s not a lot on it at the moment because I’ve not done much yet, but I will track my progress as I go.

I’ll let you all know more often how we are all going. Sorry it’s been so long! Life does indeed get in the way at times. I hope you are all well. Stay safe! xx