The night before Christmas

1

DAY TILL CHRISTMAS

Well, it’s Christmas Eve, the kids are super excited, though little man’s brain seems to have become somewhat over stimulated by the whole thing.

No children are yet in bed and if I hear the word Nerf or Monsters high again, I think I may go for a long, long…. walk to ‘No Man’s Land’.

Harley is now 2 and he understands that bit more, I love that he is excited and keeps saying “HO-HO-HO Merry Christmas” in a little deep tone, it’s just super cute.

I’m still baking Christmas cake and will be for the next two hours (bear in mind this mum is no domestic goddess, so here’s hoping it turns out Ok, well, edible at least)!

Have I even wrapped a single present out of the hundreds of gifts bursting to escape their designated hiding places (the wardrobe, airing cupboard and under the stairs) to name but a few!

Hell, no of course I haven’t!

I think it’s a little crazy, I’m the mother of a child on the autism spectrum, yet organisation and planning is like an unknown second language to me! Seriously, I think I spend so much time making sure all them little things that tip my little guy over the edge, are just right in-order to avoid the mighty meltdown! The end result means that all the bigger stuff is left for me to tackle at some crazy hour! Will I sleep tonight? I can see me and Santa having a glass of something stiff and a mince-pie together tonight, So… that says it all really!

There is one Christmas Tradition I don’t want to miss (but sadly I may have to).

Midnight Mass is an event that I like to see in Christmas with, I’m not overly religious but somehow I find myself sat in the church whenever I am down or I just need some place quite to reflect. I used to live in a beautiful area that had a huge heath with a church sat right in the middle, that’s where I used to go to attend Mass and it was totally magic.

The Children’s father has offered to be with the children so I can go, I just can’t see me having the time nor energy!

Our very purple Christmas tree replacing last years snowy white tree.

Regardless of the big Christmas rush I am really looking forward to watching the children rip open their gift, even if I know Little man will want to know what shop each was brought and the amount they cost (and there just the ones he didn’t google and point me too). Yes… I’ve kept all the receipts, not only in case of problems such as, toy failures or the need for returns, it’s also to give to the Little man to save me reeling of all the prices and shops from memory (Oh the joys of parenting a child with Aspergers)

Merry Christmas everyone

I hope you all have a truly amazing day.

Love all at A boy with Asperger’s

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Preparing my child with Aspergers for our family festive break

17

Days till Christmas

We’re off to Butlin’s this weekend and are all rather excited about it.

 However, it’s really not a case of “just up and leaving” for us! Well, I suppose it isn’t for anyone really, but for us such a trip means extensive preparation.

 Little man is looking forward to the trip, however he has many concerns, things that for most add to the excitement of a holiday!

Image via Wikipedia

 Little man wants to know, how everything will plan out! Just how will we get there; how long will it take; how long does each and every activity last; what are the bedrooms like; what do they use to clean the pool; does the hotel smell of bleach, will there be a shower?

 OK, OK… Most kids ask questions but for Little man it’s not just a question but a real concern!

 When it comes to days out we need to ensure good preparation has played its part, otherwise Little man will suffer and the entire family will pay dearly. The truth is, I’m unsure why god considered me the “Right” person to mother a child on the autism spectrum! Organisation has never been my strong point! Well, when it comes to actually getting somewhere on time, I’m the worst ever! Seriously no matter what I do, something always seems to happen… always!

 We went camping back in July and absolutely nothing went to plan. It was extremely hard work and at certain points of the holiday I did have to stop and ask myself why I was actually putting myself through this. Yes, that may sound selfish and maybe a thousand adults on the spectrum reading this will now jump on my back! I know it isn’t easy for the Little man either, but at the time when his having an almighty meltdown in the tent at 2am, I did ask myself why!

 I always come up with the same answer! His my son, and just because he has Aspergers doesn’t mean he should miss the experiences that all children are entitled to. As a family, we are all entitled to a holiday and as hard as this may be, I’m determined to keep on trying! It’s my belief, the more we do these things, the better Little man is able to deal with them. It’s not that he don’t want to go on holiday’s or have day’s out, if this was the case then of course I wouldn’t push him, the fact he does want to engage in such activities, no matter how hard these things become it gives me that nudge to keep trying.

Camping wasn’t ideal for a child on the spectrum, especially camping at a festival, to be honest, it was the most unstructured place to take a holiday and as much as he now declares his a big camping fan, I would need to be thinking long and hard before embanking on such an adventure again.

 Now, we have been Butlin’s before! Little man was around 5 and this was prior to his diagnosis. Nevertheless things went surprisingly OK. I know his that bit older and yes, things do tend to unfold quicker and normally in a bigger more explosive way, but considering how structured Butlin’s can be I think it may actually be a really good place for a family consisting of a child with Aspergers to take a break.

 Well, we’re leaving on Friday, after school so it really is upon us.

 Here’s what I have done in preparation so far.

 We are staying in the Butlins hotel and I’ve checked with facilities are in our room (tv, shower, single or bunk beds etc.)

Image via Wikipedia

 Packed his clothing separately from ours, making sure they have been tumble dried for maximum softness.

 Made sure I’ve packed him entertainment for the journey (Lego, books etc)

 Downloaded the Butlin’s iphone app which has the full weekends entertainment, including opening times of certain activities, shows, the weekend line-up and any additional special bookable extras. Also includes a Map which is a bonus as Little man is driven mad when we get lost.

 As we haven’t been for sometime (I last went about 6 years ago) I’ve been speaking to some mummy bloggers on twitter who have been telling me what we can expect (What to avoid and what not to miss) I’d like to personally thank @TiredmummyofTwo who very considerately contacted me to ask if there was anything I wanted to ask as she was aware of my situation (please note, this isn’t someone who works for Butlins just a fellow blogger) I really am grateful that she took the time to contact me and offer that bit of support (it really is the little things that touch a person’s heart)

OK…  I’ve planed transport

 As the children’s father is now unable to attend, I’m now taking a friend who knows little man really well and is as good as family. This is important as on the Saturday I’m at the Tots100 Christmas party and my friend will take care of the children (a great mate)

 Trying to plan Sunday as-well as I possibly can as it’s Harley’s second birthday and little man can find other people’s birthdays difficult at the best of times.

 Making sure Little man knows exactly how many days in-till we leave and the times in-which we are leaving.

 Plus a host of other things that are actually rather jumbled in my head right now!

 Oh… and you better believe it! I have spent so long worrying about the Little man, plus ensuring all three children’s belongings are packed that I haven’t even thought about what I’m taking! That means packing when his at school today!

I can’t wait till everything is sorted so myself, friend and the children can look forward to our festive break which is promised to be filled with Christmas Cheer.

So… Wish me luck people! I’ll have the Mac so let’s hope that the holiday update is just that, “An Update” and a happy one at that, avoiding a festive holiday “Rant!”

Related articles

• We’re planning a break away (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)
• What we got up to on our Butlins Skegness Family Holiday – Part 2 (showard76.wordpress.com)
• “Mum, your christmas presents belong in the trash!” (aspergersinfo.wordpress.com)