Sunday, May 25, 2014
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: fasten your seat belts...........
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: fasten your seat belts...........: With much thought i have decided to create a blog to be able to share with my family and friends my experiences of parenting two of the mos...
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: Dr Dolittle takes on the education department!!!
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: Dr Dolittle takes on the education department!!!: What a day? In Israel, when you have a child with special needs before he is accepted to a school which the government agrees to pay ...
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: MAKING CAKES AND BATH TIME...... THE MINKIN WAY.
A DAY IN THE LIFE..................................: MAKING CAKES AND BATH TIME...... THE MINKIN WAY.: There are two things in our home that can be described in two words, Organised Chaos! Both are beloved activities in our house, things tha...
MAKING CAKES AND BATH TIME...... THE MINKIN WAY.
There are two things in our home that can be described in two words, Organised Chaos!
Both are beloved activities in our house, things that the boys and girls both love!!! Making cakes or cookies,which happens once a week,and bath time which happens once a day (it could be more )
Now bathtime is a whole story on its own, so i will leave it for another time and instead tell you how we make a cake in our house.
Have you ever tried to swat a fly or catch an animal that does not want to be caught. G-d forbid I am not comparing my boys to animals But let let me explain why i use this analogy. When trying to catch a mouse for example you run from one place to the other thinking that each time you will succeed in catching it. From this corner to the next under the table under that couch darting everywhere. before you can get to it its on to the next place. Well sometimes that is how it is with my boys. For example one is playing with water, i hear the water running in the bathtub so i run to stop the flood , to late the water is already running out the bathroom door into the passage and tricking into the living room. I run to get my stash of old towels that i keep for these floods , as i am collecting the towels the flooder sees the toilet brush and decided to help by scrubbing the walls with the brush, i hear the girls screaming Moooooooooooooooooomy come quick David Aaron is throwing toilet water everywhere, with 10 towles piled high in my hands i run back to get some rags and the bleach, not before i have taken the toilet brush for my little darling. while all this is happening Moshie has decided to feed the fish,as i rush past i see half the bottle of fish food floating in the tank and 8 very happy fish!!! ( i an lucky its only fish food could have been cookies or pretzels ) with my hands full of towels and bleach i take the fish food put it up high (not quite sure why is that not why ladders were invented) "moshie you fed the fish chocolate milk this morning i already had to clean the tank I think that they are full" I run to the bathroom as i hear toilet flushing numerous times. Got there just a min to late i look down to see a toilet roll floating in the toilet, and the water rising slowly , ok whats a little extra water on the floor at this point. I take both sweet little boys put them on the couch with some books, take the toilet roll out (thank G-d it returns yo normal) mop the floor, bleach the walls and wala, all back to normal.
As i take a quick glance in the living room I see both boys with nets (ok one with a tea strainer) taking out the fish food from the tank, the only thing is it is hard to take out the food without taking out some water a the same time, a closer look reveals water and soggy fish food dripping down the book case and pooling in the pick up truck and fire engine. " Look mommy we helped to to take the food out, now we don't have to feed the fish for a year"
"Thanks boys" I say as i run to get my last remaining rags "come lets clean the toys and shelf and next time only mommy or tatty cleans the tank" "We just tried to help" they say "i know sweeties thank you"
As i am scooping out the fish food a strange silence has suddenly descended on the room I see one boy missing.
Moshie were are you? I jump up to see bottles of water and juice on the kitchen counter all filled to the tippy top. "moshie what are you doing?" i ask " i was so thirsty so i decided to make enough juice for five years" "I see " i say I guess the fish will just have to swim in their food a little longer. I go to get some rags to clean the counter, forgetting i had used the all. Oh well if the counter is already dirty i might as well make a cake with them.
I try to make it a step by step process with them first we see whet cake we making then we take out the ingredients one by one (we hope) the boys have pulled up their chairs to the counter and are waiting patiently the bowls, measuring cups and beater are all ready. Ok first we need flour I go and get the flour from the freezer and put it on the counter, next we need..... "wait boys remember we need all the indre..." to late the flour is already being poured into the bowl. Now i am not sure if you know but flour r feels really nice when you play with it and david Aaron love the feel. So while i am getting the sugar and oil flour is flying!!!
"Moshie do you want to get the eggs?" I ask "we need 2" he jumps off the chair and runs to the fridge to get them. I hear him counting 1 2 3 "Moshe i remember we only need 2".
As i am scooping up the flour i hear a few small crashes behind me 1 2 3 smashing eggs on the floor, "moshie we only need two" I know but i thought we can make enough cake for 5 years to go with the juice" He's looking at me with his big blue eyes. I scoop him up in my arms give him a big hug and put him back on the chair "sweet boy cakes wont last five years" i say "we will make more next week" i pour some salt on the eggs they will have to wait right now i have more pressing issues. In the mean time i see the boys are tasting the sugar and salt. Finally all the ingredients are ready to go into the bowl each on gets a turn to pour them in, oil, sugar, eggs (not befor they have been poked eggs also feel nice you know) milk, baking powder (not before we see how it fizzes when mixed with the spilt juice on the counter) salt, vanilla essence( again not before everyone had a good sniff and yes may times its spills in the process) now for the long awaited mixing of the batter with a beater of coarse no one would touch such a slimy mixture with their hands. Each boy gets a turn to hold the beater.
Our beater is really special because if you slowly lift it up while beating, the batter flies everywhere, the more and the faster you beat the further it flies. For some strange reason the boys find this hysterical. it is inevitable that while we are beating someone will call me and it is alway an emergency. As i run to sort out the "emergency" i hear squeals of delight coming from the kitchen. I run back just in time to be hit in the eye by flying chocolate cake batter, as i wipe my eye i see my kitchen has changed from a peachy pink colour to a nice chocolaty brown. I go to the fridge take a big glass of water and slowly drink, batter flying everywhere, I wonder is this how it should be?
All of a sudden it is silent and no batter is flying both boys are looking at me, look mommy we did it all by ourselves, it is ready, I pour the batter into the pans, wipe down the counter pick up the dropped eggs (all this while the boys are putting the rags and towels into the washing machine)
All clean and with the smell of cake wafting though the house i sit down to read everyone a story. There is a knock at the door it is neighbour coming to borrow milk "wow!" she says "your house is so clean and everyone is so calm, and it smells amazing!!!!" "thanks" i say
Everyone bathed and clean (remember thats a storey on its own) Moshie climbs on my lap holding his warm piece of cake, "right mommy i made this all by myself?" "yes" and "right we helped you so much?" "Yes sweet boy you did" As i watch him eating his cake with such pride i realise that even though it was a really hard afternoon for me, my boys were going to sleep happy and content. I know that this journey with them is a process and we are walking it together as they are learning so am i. What am i learning you might ask.
For one i am learning that a sense of humour goes a long way, some patience helps to. Not everything my boys do comes from a bad place they are learning and exploring their world in a different way then most children their age and that is ok, and if the go to sleep each night feeling good about themselves, happy, with their self essteem still intact then it has been a great day. So what if my kitchen is now a nice chocolaty brown colour, I might learn to like it that way.
As i go into their room before i go to sleep and look at my 4 beautiful children, (yes they all like to sleep in one big mouse pile), I thank G-d for bringing these beautiful souls into my life, and entrusting them to me, and i wonder what fun tomorrow will bring!!!!
Both are beloved activities in our house, things that the boys and girls both love!!! Making cakes or cookies,which happens once a week,and bath time which happens once a day (it could be more )
Now bathtime is a whole story on its own, so i will leave it for another time and instead tell you how we make a cake in our house.
Have you ever tried to swat a fly or catch an animal that does not want to be caught. G-d forbid I am not comparing my boys to animals But let let me explain why i use this analogy. When trying to catch a mouse for example you run from one place to the other thinking that each time you will succeed in catching it. From this corner to the next under the table under that couch darting everywhere. before you can get to it its on to the next place. Well sometimes that is how it is with my boys. For example one is playing with water, i hear the water running in the bathtub so i run to stop the flood , to late the water is already running out the bathroom door into the passage and tricking into the living room. I run to get my stash of old towels that i keep for these floods , as i am collecting the towels the flooder sees the toilet brush and decided to help by scrubbing the walls with the brush, i hear the girls screaming Moooooooooooooooooomy come quick David Aaron is throwing toilet water everywhere, with 10 towles piled high in my hands i run back to get some rags and the bleach, not before i have taken the toilet brush for my little darling. while all this is happening Moshie has decided to feed the fish,as i rush past i see half the bottle of fish food floating in the tank and 8 very happy fish!!! ( i an lucky its only fish food could have been cookies or pretzels ) with my hands full of towels and bleach i take the fish food put it up high (not quite sure why is that not why ladders were invented) "moshie you fed the fish chocolate milk this morning i already had to clean the tank I think that they are full" I run to the bathroom as i hear toilet flushing numerous times. Got there just a min to late i look down to see a toilet roll floating in the toilet, and the water rising slowly , ok whats a little extra water on the floor at this point. I take both sweet little boys put them on the couch with some books, take the toilet roll out (thank G-d it returns yo normal) mop the floor, bleach the walls and wala, all back to normal.
As i take a quick glance in the living room I see both boys with nets (ok one with a tea strainer) taking out the fish food from the tank, the only thing is it is hard to take out the food without taking out some water a the same time, a closer look reveals water and soggy fish food dripping down the book case and pooling in the pick up truck and fire engine. " Look mommy we helped to to take the food out, now we don't have to feed the fish for a year"
"Thanks boys" I say as i run to get my last remaining rags "come lets clean the toys and shelf and next time only mommy or tatty cleans the tank" "We just tried to help" they say "i know sweeties thank you"
As i am scooping out the fish food a strange silence has suddenly descended on the room I see one boy missing.
Moshie were are you? I jump up to see bottles of water and juice on the kitchen counter all filled to the tippy top. "moshie what are you doing?" i ask " i was so thirsty so i decided to make enough juice for five years" "I see " i say I guess the fish will just have to swim in their food a little longer. I go to get some rags to clean the counter, forgetting i had used the all. Oh well if the counter is already dirty i might as well make a cake with them.
I try to make it a step by step process with them first we see whet cake we making then we take out the ingredients one by one (we hope) the boys have pulled up their chairs to the counter and are waiting patiently the bowls, measuring cups and beater are all ready. Ok first we need flour I go and get the flour from the freezer and put it on the counter, next we need..... "wait boys remember we need all the indre..." to late the flour is already being poured into the bowl. Now i am not sure if you know but flour r feels really nice when you play with it and david Aaron love the feel. So while i am getting the sugar and oil flour is flying!!!
"Moshie do you want to get the eggs?" I ask "we need 2" he jumps off the chair and runs to the fridge to get them. I hear him counting 1 2 3 "Moshe i remember we only need 2".
As i am scooping up the flour i hear a few small crashes behind me 1 2 3 smashing eggs on the floor, "moshie we only need two" I know but i thought we can make enough cake for 5 years to go with the juice" He's looking at me with his big blue eyes. I scoop him up in my arms give him a big hug and put him back on the chair "sweet boy cakes wont last five years" i say "we will make more next week" i pour some salt on the eggs they will have to wait right now i have more pressing issues. In the mean time i see the boys are tasting the sugar and salt. Finally all the ingredients are ready to go into the bowl each on gets a turn to pour them in, oil, sugar, eggs (not befor they have been poked eggs also feel nice you know) milk, baking powder (not before we see how it fizzes when mixed with the spilt juice on the counter) salt, vanilla essence( again not before everyone had a good sniff and yes may times its spills in the process) now for the long awaited mixing of the batter with a beater of coarse no one would touch such a slimy mixture with their hands. Each boy gets a turn to hold the beater.
Our beater is really special because if you slowly lift it up while beating, the batter flies everywhere, the more and the faster you beat the further it flies. For some strange reason the boys find this hysterical. it is inevitable that while we are beating someone will call me and it is alway an emergency. As i run to sort out the "emergency" i hear squeals of delight coming from the kitchen. I run back just in time to be hit in the eye by flying chocolate cake batter, as i wipe my eye i see my kitchen has changed from a peachy pink colour to a nice chocolaty brown. I go to the fridge take a big glass of water and slowly drink, batter flying everywhere, I wonder is this how it should be?
All of a sudden it is silent and no batter is flying both boys are looking at me, look mommy we did it all by ourselves, it is ready, I pour the batter into the pans, wipe down the counter pick up the dropped eggs (all this while the boys are putting the rags and towels into the washing machine)
All clean and with the smell of cake wafting though the house i sit down to read everyone a story. There is a knock at the door it is neighbour coming to borrow milk "wow!" she says "your house is so clean and everyone is so calm, and it smells amazing!!!!" "thanks" i say
Everyone bathed and clean (remember thats a storey on its own) Moshie climbs on my lap holding his warm piece of cake, "right mommy i made this all by myself?" "yes" and "right we helped you so much?" "Yes sweet boy you did" As i watch him eating his cake with such pride i realise that even though it was a really hard afternoon for me, my boys were going to sleep happy and content. I know that this journey with them is a process and we are walking it together as they are learning so am i. What am i learning you might ask.
For one i am learning that a sense of humour goes a long way, some patience helps to. Not everything my boys do comes from a bad place they are learning and exploring their world in a different way then most children their age and that is ok, and if the go to sleep each night feeling good about themselves, happy, with their self essteem still intact then it has been a great day. So what if my kitchen is now a nice chocolaty brown colour, I might learn to like it that way.
As i go into their room before i go to sleep and look at my 4 beautiful children, (yes they all like to sleep in one big mouse pile), I thank G-d for bringing these beautiful souls into my life, and entrusting them to me, and i wonder what fun tomorrow will bring!!!!
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Dr Dolittle takes on the education department!!!
What a day?
In Israel, when you have a child with special needs before he is accepted to a school which the government agrees to pay you have to have a Vaad hasama (not quite sure what the english translation is ) but it a committee meeting of 5 people (all working for the education dep or government)
Now they prefer that a child with PDD goes to a special school that deals only with autistic children, or children on the spectrum. I don't agree with this. I believe that because the boys are both high function integration is the best thing for them. We have seen such amazing progress with Moshie and David Aaron is also thriving in this type of environment. So I wanted them to go to a school where they would get all their therapies that they need as well as being exposed to regular children. Just so you should know these committees are very intimidating. Little me against all these psychologists and ministry of education people, but i know that i am the only advocate for my child, and with the help and guidance from his school and therapists we know (we pray) what will be best for him. So this morning i donned my lawyer garb and presented our case. Let me add this was all done in hebrew!!!! well thank G-d we won and next year he will be off to one amazing school!!! .
Not sure if you know but i was asked by the school to do animal therapy with a few children one on one once a week (since we have a few animals at home) I am using the DIR method (floortime) which i have been doing with moshie for almost 5 years now and David Aaron for 2. Iit is a incredible therapy that allows you to enter into the childs world, in a very non threatening or intimidating way. As the name suggests , you get down on the floor and play with the child but really it is a whole lot more then playing, you meet the child where they are and build upon their strengths and abilities through interacting and creating a warm safe relationship. you can then challenge them to go further and develop who they are rather then what their diagnosis says. so am trying to incorporate this with animals which are just theraputic on their own.
why all this long blab the bottom line is i ordered (if you can call it that) A HAND REARED Parakeet, which i picked up today she (i think) is beautiful, yellows blues and greens,the kids decided to call her candy since we have a chocolate a sugar and wiggles candy seems to fit the theme. So a bird has joined our family of 6 people 8 fish one rabbit and two hamsters. My kids are thrilled as you can imagine> Shaindel Bracha has decided that she is going to teach it how to speak because as she said she is very good at speaking. I told the boys that they have to be very gentle with her as she is a baby and doesn't know them yet a little while later i heard the introducing themselves to the bird telling it how old they are etc it was really cute.
Well i guess she knows them now!!!!
In Israel, when you have a child with special needs before he is accepted to a school which the government agrees to pay you have to have a Vaad hasama (not quite sure what the english translation is ) but it a committee meeting of 5 people (all working for the education dep or government)
Now they prefer that a child with PDD goes to a special school that deals only with autistic children, or children on the spectrum. I don't agree with this. I believe that because the boys are both high function integration is the best thing for them. We have seen such amazing progress with Moshie and David Aaron is also thriving in this type of environment. So I wanted them to go to a school where they would get all their therapies that they need as well as being exposed to regular children. Just so you should know these committees are very intimidating. Little me against all these psychologists and ministry of education people, but i know that i am the only advocate for my child, and with the help and guidance from his school and therapists we know (we pray) what will be best for him. So this morning i donned my lawyer garb and presented our case. Let me add this was all done in hebrew!!!! well thank G-d we won and next year he will be off to one amazing school!!! .
Not sure if you know but i was asked by the school to do animal therapy with a few children one on one once a week (since we have a few animals at home) I am using the DIR method (floortime) which i have been doing with moshie for almost 5 years now and David Aaron for 2. Iit is a incredible therapy that allows you to enter into the childs world, in a very non threatening or intimidating way. As the name suggests , you get down on the floor and play with the child but really it is a whole lot more then playing, you meet the child where they are and build upon their strengths and abilities through interacting and creating a warm safe relationship. you can then challenge them to go further and develop who they are rather then what their diagnosis says. so am trying to incorporate this with animals which are just theraputic on their own.
why all this long blab the bottom line is i ordered (if you can call it that) A HAND REARED Parakeet, which i picked up today she (i think) is beautiful, yellows blues and greens,the kids decided to call her candy since we have a chocolate a sugar and wiggles candy seems to fit the theme. So a bird has joined our family of 6 people 8 fish one rabbit and two hamsters. My kids are thrilled as you can imagine> Shaindel Bracha has decided that she is going to teach it how to speak because as she said she is very good at speaking. I told the boys that they have to be very gentle with her as she is a baby and doesn't know them yet a little while later i heard the introducing themselves to the bird telling it how old they are etc it was really cute.
Well i guess she knows them now!!!!
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
fasten your seat belts...........
With much thought i have decided to create a blog to be able to share with my family and friends my experiences of parenting two of the most delicious boys with PDD( pervasive developmental disorder)
Beside wanting to share these experiences and anecdotes with those closest to me, i feel that so much goes by in my days,that it helps me to process my experiences,in writing, not only this, but sometimes its is the small things in life that i feel the greatest need to share. most importantly we are so spread out across the world that maybe this will help us to feel more connected to each other.
I hope and pray that you will come along for the ride and get a glipme of our colourful lives, the ups and down and sheer joy of parenting not only my boys with PDD but also all my girls, all my children each one a world unto their own.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)