Work...(back to it) and other uses for 'paca fleece!

Ok...I know it's obvious...but he looked like a girl when he was a baby (the Speckles debate - Hubby concedes)

The Speckles saga continues... well now that Speckles has come 'out of the closet' and there is no denying that he is a fine young ROOSTER, he wants to demonstrate his manhood in a peculiar way.  He has obviously spent a lot of time practising his 'cock-a-doodle-doo', under his breath and discreetly under his wing...but that is all in the past. 


Now, at 5 (bloody) 30 am, when 3y old decides that it is time to yell 'Mummy...I UP!!!!!' and we quietly get up to let everyone sleep until a more sociable hour...I flicked the light on in the kitchen and HELLO....Speckle decides 'here comes the sun' and yodels his little head off.  I flick the light off, and he goes quiet...probably wondering...whhhaaattttt?????...flick the light on and he is off again! This was very funny the first morning, slightly amusing the second morning...by the third I am looking for a new home for Speckles!

Leaving this...cuddly Chester coming up for a kiss...for the workforce?!

Trying hard not to just grab him and squish him

Gorgeous and he knows it!

Whilst I have spent a week full of cold (thoughtfully bought home and distributed by Hubby from the hospital), amidst tissues, lem-sips and a (more than usual) boisterous 3 y.old, I have also been stressed about returning to work (hence the probable longevity of my cold, little man's behaviours and generally grumpy and anxious Mum).  No, I'm not talking about the lovely Alpaca stud, I am talking about a return to the world, the workforce after two years of 'hometime' with the toddler (oh, and setting up a farm).  Throw in there my birthday, and I need a Vit D shot for 'happy' times LOL.

I would love to say I made this...I would love to say this was made from Malibu's fleece...instead the truth is that Daughter bought me this for my birthday

Handmade Alpaca cardie - something to aspire to?!

I am easing back into said workforce, just some relief teaching this year, and have made contact and visited the ONLY special education school in Launceston.  Luckily for me it has two campuses, so that means at least two possible work sites.  I have since completed two days of relief, the first saw me so ridden with anxiety that I almost cancelled and drove off back to the alpaca sanctuary! A deep breath, and I forced myself out of the car, and completed one of the most difficult days of work I have had.

There was no lesson plan left, and I had no idea of the level of the students (not just age, but ability), let alone what they wanted me to teach.  The communication system is different to what I have trained with and used, so I was limited in my ability to just communicate in general with seven students in wheelchairs (aged 17-19yrs) as they came in.  Out of the six, only two students could verbally communicate, three required peg-feeds and there were no other augmentative communication systems (switches/voice outputs)...and then I was asked to teach science! So...a quick scan of the classroom resources, with six students and three teacher assistants all looking at me, sweating profusely, and I decided to attempt a push/pull lesson.  All ended well with a tug-of-war between the students and the staff, with everyone laughing (my laugh sounding somewhat hysterical and manic).  The rest of the day was a blur, and the second day was the same difficulties but with eight 4-6yr olds with Autism (and no visuals/timetables other than a PODD system arghhhhh).

Anyway...3y old and I have been busy, regardless of my being sick, and have been making sensory boxes and boards so that I have a repertoire of things to do when I next get called in (oh, that will now be next week...I must have done something good!) and he has enjoyed himself immensely!  I have even washed and cleaned some of the alpaca's fleece to put into my 'soft' sensory box!  Now I'm thinking...as of course I logically would...how I can take some alpacas to school?  Or having the class come to the farm (talk about keeping it in my comfort zone!). 

The weather is getting colder here, and I am always amazed at how quickly the seasons change in Australia, like flicking a switch.  The fire has been on, the wood shed is now the centre of the universe and we are having a heat pump installed next week.