We tried to beat the heat today by riding in our airconditioned car to the airconditioned Powerhouse Museum where we thought we could have a few good hours of exploration.
Unfortunately, however, we realised Bright Eyes is not ready to hit a venue so full of stimulating sounds and sights. We could literally see him getting flooded. He turned bossy, controlling, anxious and loud. After a reasonable attempt for the rest of the family, we left for icecreams and headed home.
Maybe we'll try again next year.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Donut surprise
Of all the expensive kitchen appliances I've bought for the purpose of creating better things to eat for my picky food child Bright Eyes, the $17 donut maker from Big W has been the most successful.
The problem with a lot of gluten free cooking is that it just seems to crumble apart. I have not had good success with cookies and muffins. However, if you put the same batter in the donut maker it comes out so together you wouldn't even know it was GFCF.
Today's recipe is a lucky success: Zucchini and Banana donuts. Here's how I did it.
Peel (to get rid of the green bits for hiding purposes) and steam a zucchini. Whizz together with a ripe banana into a disgusting looking mash.
Cream 150g butter with 3tsp sugar.
Add the zucchini/banana mix.
Add one egg.
Mix in 1 tsp baking powder and about 3/4 - 1 cup of GF flour. (Honestly, I measured nothing, so I'm guessing. You need a relatively thick batter.)
Spoon into the donut maker and cook the donuts.
Ice with a thin coat of chocolate icing (just icing sugar, cocoa and water)
It might work in a waffle maker or small pancake maker too. The last batch of donuts had sweet potato in them, so you could try any type of pureed vegetable.
I'm pleased I made them with a banana because I'm not tempted to eat them at all, bananas being my least favourite food (besides liver).
The problem with a lot of gluten free cooking is that it just seems to crumble apart. I have not had good success with cookies and muffins. However, if you put the same batter in the donut maker it comes out so together you wouldn't even know it was GFCF.
Today's recipe is a lucky success: Zucchini and Banana donuts. Here's how I did it.
Peel (to get rid of the green bits for hiding purposes) and steam a zucchini. Whizz together with a ripe banana into a disgusting looking mash.
Cream 150g butter with 3tsp sugar.
Add the zucchini/banana mix.
Add one egg.
Mix in 1 tsp baking powder and about 3/4 - 1 cup of GF flour. (Honestly, I measured nothing, so I'm guessing. You need a relatively thick batter.)
Spoon into the donut maker and cook the donuts.
Ice with a thin coat of chocolate icing (just icing sugar, cocoa and water)
It might work in a waffle maker or small pancake maker too. The last batch of donuts had sweet potato in them, so you could try any type of pureed vegetable.
I'm pleased I made them with a banana because I'm not tempted to eat them at all, bananas being my least favourite food (besides liver).
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Happy happy happy happy happy
Fanfare: boom dish boom dish tah-dah. Bright Eyes has made a friend!
I walked in to preschool to pick him up from his first day back on Wednesday last week and I saw him hand in hand with a little boy. The two of them came up to me and the little pal said, "Could we have a few more minutes to play some more?"
Flabbergasted, I said, "Of course (heck, kid, go do what you want)" and made big eyes to the preschool teacher.
"They've been like that all day," she said. "They are playing together and enjoying the same things. They just clicked from the start."
The little fella (and I'll have to name him Buddy I think) is about 4 and was not in the class last year. He loves cars and trains and all the things that Bright Eyes loves so they are a good match.
Day Two was the same. The teacher showed me a photograph she took of Bright Eyes sitting next to Buddy in group time, with his arm around his shoulders. I walked out floating.
This is really the first friendship. I'm going to try to have Buddy around to play if it keeps going. If that happens, it will be Bright Eyes' first real playdate. And you'll hear about it.
Just when I thought I couldn't get enough happy things in one week, this morning for the first time ever, Bright Eyes went to Sunday school and stayed in for the whole class. It's a new class, with only one other little boy in it (also about 4, and looking exactly like Buddy), so that will be perfect for him.
Thanks for sharing my happiness!
I walked in to preschool to pick him up from his first day back on Wednesday last week and I saw him hand in hand with a little boy. The two of them came up to me and the little pal said, "Could we have a few more minutes to play some more?"
Flabbergasted, I said, "Of course (heck, kid, go do what you want)" and made big eyes to the preschool teacher.
"They've been like that all day," she said. "They are playing together and enjoying the same things. They just clicked from the start."
The little fella (and I'll have to name him Buddy I think) is about 4 and was not in the class last year. He loves cars and trains and all the things that Bright Eyes loves so they are a good match.
Day Two was the same. The teacher showed me a photograph she took of Bright Eyes sitting next to Buddy in group time, with his arm around his shoulders. I walked out floating.
This is really the first friendship. I'm going to try to have Buddy around to play if it keeps going. If that happens, it will be Bright Eyes' first real playdate. And you'll hear about it.
Just when I thought I couldn't get enough happy things in one week, this morning for the first time ever, Bright Eyes went to Sunday school and stayed in for the whole class. It's a new class, with only one other little boy in it (also about 4, and looking exactly like Buddy), so that will be perfect for him.
Thanks for sharing my happiness!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Journalling
My RDI task at the moment is journalling about working with Bright Eyes to cooperate and co-regulate.
Bright Eyes has been improving in his ability to be guided and to participate in a game or a task, as opposed to having to control it all the time.
We have really been enjoying having games with his Brum car and another one which I christened 'Sheridee'. It's a girl car apparently. They have been shopping, built garages, visited the beach and the snow, sailed in boats, pretended to be airplanes, gotten married to each other and generally had as full and interesting lives as is possible for small toy cars.
Bright Eyes continually invites us to participate with him, saying 'Want to play?' in a really sweet voice and full eye contact.
Today we made signs with the names Brum and Sheridee. I wrote their names in pencil, and gave him the fat texta to hold to trace over them. He wouldn't do it unless I had my hand very close to his on the pen, but the movement and the grip was all his. He seemed very proud of them at the end when I showed great excitement at the fact that he had written by himself.
We had a blow-out the other day on a walk around the lake. Bright Eyes decided to be the 'leader' and delegated his brother to being the 'follower'. His brother was unhappy about this and chased him to try to take over the 'leader' role. Fisticuffs ensued and I had to hold Bright Eyes back and say "That is not ok."
His brother took off, and Bright Eyes collapsed on the path. "I can't go. We have to go home. Home time. etc etc" in loud yells and screams. I sent the sister after the little one and got Bright Eyes up by noticing that he might get bitten by mosquitoes if he remained on the path. We walked along with him in varying states of unhappiness, but at least he was moving. It will be interesting to see if he can cope with not necessarily being the leader next time we try it.
Bright Eyes has been improving in his ability to be guided and to participate in a game or a task, as opposed to having to control it all the time.
We have really been enjoying having games with his Brum car and another one which I christened 'Sheridee'. It's a girl car apparently. They have been shopping, built garages, visited the beach and the snow, sailed in boats, pretended to be airplanes, gotten married to each other and generally had as full and interesting lives as is possible for small toy cars.
Bright Eyes continually invites us to participate with him, saying 'Want to play?' in a really sweet voice and full eye contact.
Today we made signs with the names Brum and Sheridee. I wrote their names in pencil, and gave him the fat texta to hold to trace over them. He wouldn't do it unless I had my hand very close to his on the pen, but the movement and the grip was all his. He seemed very proud of them at the end when I showed great excitement at the fact that he had written by himself.
We had a blow-out the other day on a walk around the lake. Bright Eyes decided to be the 'leader' and delegated his brother to being the 'follower'. His brother was unhappy about this and chased him to try to take over the 'leader' role. Fisticuffs ensued and I had to hold Bright Eyes back and say "That is not ok."
His brother took off, and Bright Eyes collapsed on the path. "I can't go. We have to go home. Home time. etc etc" in loud yells and screams. I sent the sister after the little one and got Bright Eyes up by noticing that he might get bitten by mosquitoes if he remained on the path. We walked along with him in varying states of unhappiness, but at least he was moving. It will be interesting to see if he can cope with not necessarily being the leader next time we try it.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A recent email from a friend who did some babysitting
Dear Cecily
Thought you might like to know that Bright Eyes really interacted well today with the kids and me! I think I told you he sat at the lunch table, waited till we were all there, and then said ‘George is my friend, and Amelia is Jemima’s friend’. A bit later when there was a lull in the conversation, he said “Sarah, I went ice skating and I had hot chippies (I think that’s what he called them) for lunch”. Also, we had a conversation then about whether he fell over, whether he got bruises, if he went roller skating.......
And like you suggested when he wanted a second apple iceblock, and I said that’s fine, but can you ask me with manners (which is exactly what I say to mine), and he did.
I have read your blog about Bright Eyes, and the past week at RDA (how full on). I was reflecting on what I knew of him when he first arrived here and where he is now, and although I know you see a long way to go, I also see a long way come. Please be encouraged, and encouraged to keep going.
Thought you might like to know that Bright Eyes really interacted well today with the kids and me! I think I told you he sat at the lunch table, waited till we were all there, and then said ‘George is my friend, and Amelia is Jemima’s friend’. A bit later when there was a lull in the conversation, he said “Sarah, I went ice skating and I had hot chippies (I think that’s what he called them) for lunch”. Also, we had a conversation then about whether he fell over, whether he got bruises, if he went roller skating.......
And like you suggested when he wanted a second apple iceblock, and I said that’s fine, but can you ask me with manners (which is exactly what I say to mine), and he did.
I have read your blog about Bright Eyes, and the past week at RDA (how full on). I was reflecting on what I knew of him when he first arrived here and where he is now, and although I know you see a long way to go, I also see a long way come. Please be encouraged, and encouraged to keep going.
Monday, January 19, 2009
TV free
So far so good on the no TV front. They don't seem to be missing it at all! The littlest one asked where it was and Bright Eyes said, "It grew arms and legs and walked away."
?????! Where did that come from?
?????! Where did that come from?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
RDA
RDA stands for Relationship Development Assessment which is a number of appointments spread out over five days with our RDI consultant. We look at how Bright Eyes is going, try some things out with him, and make plans for progress.
I thought the first session went brilliantly and I was a great RDI person... so I was extremely humbled to realise through our consultant that actually Bright Eyes wasn't doing so well. He appeared to be communicating and being an apprentice but if you looked closely, he was actually taking over and directing the play the entire time. I was accommodating him in a big way so that things would go smoothly. However, once he was asked to go along with me, he resisted dreadfully.
Once we worked this out, the rest of the week was spent helping him to be ok with being an apprentice and learning how to play within a relationship rather than having to be in control of everything. It took a lot of crying and tears (both of us) to get to the last session in which our play was a lot more interactive and relational.
I found it all very emotional and quite draining, but I've come home positive.
We have also made a HUGE change by putting the TV away. We knew, but we didn't want to admit that for a while now, Bright Eyes has been living in TV-land. It has become an addiction for him.
We have let it go on because it has been easier to keep him quiet by putting on a video when things get a bit rough. However, in the long term, that won't work for his benefit. So now we are TV-free, and we'll be strictly limiting computer time for everyone.
Today was the first day. I was expecting tantrums and fuss, but honestly - he hasn't even noticed. Let's hope it continues to be this easy!
I thought the first session went brilliantly and I was a great RDI person... so I was extremely humbled to realise through our consultant that actually Bright Eyes wasn't doing so well. He appeared to be communicating and being an apprentice but if you looked closely, he was actually taking over and directing the play the entire time. I was accommodating him in a big way so that things would go smoothly. However, once he was asked to go along with me, he resisted dreadfully.
Once we worked this out, the rest of the week was spent helping him to be ok with being an apprentice and learning how to play within a relationship rather than having to be in control of everything. It took a lot of crying and tears (both of us) to get to the last session in which our play was a lot more interactive and relational.
I found it all very emotional and quite draining, but I've come home positive.
We have also made a HUGE change by putting the TV away. We knew, but we didn't want to admit that for a while now, Bright Eyes has been living in TV-land. It has become an addiction for him.
We have let it go on because it has been easier to keep him quiet by putting on a video when things get a bit rough. However, in the long term, that won't work for his benefit. So now we are TV-free, and we'll be strictly limiting computer time for everyone.
Today was the first day. I was expecting tantrums and fuss, but honestly - he hasn't even noticed. Let's hope it continues to be this easy!
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