What I have been up to this week - Week 39

This week has been nothing short of crazy work-wise for both my hubby and me. Really early mornings, really late nights on Monday, tuesday and Wednesday... Really really tired Thursday, Friday. Poor Bug didn't get much mommy and daddy time all week so we kept the weekend extra cuddly and quiet: we all slept in, enjoyed late breakfast and staying at home for the most part.

I was way too tired for much crafting this weekend but I cleaned up the studio and snapped photos of recently finished projects. After that Bug and I watched "Tangled" huddled together.

Then Bug asked about her Halloween costume. Thankfully she did not say she wanted to be Rapunzel  (big relief!). But guess what: Bug still asked to be a princess. I pulled out last year's costume and while the skirt still fits, Bug had outgrown the jacket, well the sleeves. I unpicked them and made new sleeves with matching fabric and reusing what I could of the existing sleeves. Bug approved: she wore it for the rest of the day :) 

In other news, we had our first follow up appointment at Kennedy Krieger since starting the ADHD medication. Bug is doing awesome and even though the treatment messes up with her appetite during day time, her weight has been mostly stable. So far. it's been the only side affect. The benefits are so overwhelmingly positive, we are glad we went through with the medication. She has been doing really great in school, much better than we ever had hoped for. We are staying the course and will follow up again in December. 

What have you been up to?

What I've been up to - Week 37 and 38

If you missed my usual ramblings last weekend, sorry but the date needed to stay solemn. I preferred to skip a date. 

The past weeks have been all about getting into the new school routine, which we are finally getting down and also getting a few things done around the outside house before the colder weather settles in. Not so successful in that area but we got some other overdue projects tackled: Bug has now a proper homework desk in an area where the distractions are limited, I finally hung some artwork on the master bedroom's wall (after almost 7 years in this house ahem ... oops) and we reorganized a few things on the walls of the stairwell and second floor landing. Oh and I finally have a little desk in the office for "overnighters" when I'm on call for work. I will use it for the first time super early tomorrow morning .. yipee!! 

Bug is still doing wonderfully with her ADHD medication. We have a follow up appointment tomorrow morning but I think we are going to continue as is for the moment because not only the side effects are relatively minor, but she is also her happy, energetic and mischievous self, with the ability to concentrate on one task, including at school.

Not much done in the studio. I finished a corduroy skirt for Bug and a necklace for me, made a couple of pillowcases as a housewarming present for a girlfriend that just bought a house and started on a little halloween project I'm hoping to finish this week. I still have to take photos so the reveal will have to wait a little.

What have you been up to ??

What I have been up to - Weeks 35

Some week we just had !! First an earthquake on tuesday, then hurricane Irene last night. And on top of all that, we had to get ready for Bug's first day of kindergarten (which has been postponed by one day due to the hurricane aftermaths). We have been so busy I wouldn't have had any crafting done until today if we hadn't been sent home early after the earthquake. 

I used the unexpected time off to refinish this table and chairs to setup a homework station for Bug. 

Speaking of bug, after debating the pros and cons for days and researching extensively all our options, weighing the risks vs. benefits, we started her on medication for ADHD, the lowest possible dosage. So far she is doing great. She is our bug, but she is more settled not doing 10 things at the same time. We are now so much more optimistic about school. I'd be glad to hear your take on this issue.

In the family news, my FIL just finished his chemo. We are all anxious to find out about his control scans.

Irene only made minor damages in our neighborhood,  we were lucky the power didn't go out even at the worst of the storm. Last weekend, we went to our favorite farm to pick peaches and apples. Since we were stuck home most of the weekend, I was able to make some poached apples and peach jelly.  Yumm! But being holed up while Irene was raging out gave us a bit of cabin fever.

Late this morning, we walked around the neighborhood and found small branches and leaves everywhere, a few larger broken limbs...

 

and uprooted trees. 

Look how waterlogged the ground is !!

Bug was adorable with her little bumblebee umbrella

And I managed to sprain my ankle less then a block from home. On a big chestnut. Mpff!!

Finally this afternoon, after going through the pile of clothes needing mending/hemming/buttons to be restitched, I had some time left for a fun upcyling project. Come back tomorrow to see it ! It involves this fabric:

What have you been up to ?

Upcycling - Kid table and chairs

With  Bug going to Kindergarten and her special needs, we figured we needed to set up a quiet spot for her to do homework. I'm not sure what Kindergarten homework entails  but you can be sure if there is anything that can interfere with the task at hand, it will be transformed into a long and painful ordeal. We picked a corner of the main floor with as little distraction as possible then I went hunting for the perfect desk for Bug. 

This little table and chairs set was donated by aunt Joan, her (now grown) daughters used it to do her homework. I decided to spruce them up a bit to make them work for us. I had bought all the supplies and was planning to get this done over the weekend but I got unexpected free time this afternoon so I went to work !

All it took is some primer, 2 cans of spay paint and new rubber feet. Budget: $12

I picked colors that match the corner of the kitchen they will be located

I might add some hand painted decorations, olive branches, since our decor is mediterranean inspired.

If I have time ...

Ready for school... well almost.

And bonus ... the chairs and table fold so they can be easily stowed away.

What I have been up to - Weeks 34

Jet lag is behind us. We have settled back in our routine. Or have we? Bug has turned 5 this summer. In a week she will be starting Kindergarten. A big milestone.  When Bug was 18 months old we knew something was off in her acquisition of language. It took almost a year to finally get a referral to have her evaluated.  If you are a regular, you know that Bug has been in Special Ed for the past 2 years and will be attending the local school in a regular class albeit with some additional help. Back in April, we expressed our concerns to our pediatrician one more time and she directed us to the Kennedy Krieger Institute. After a long 4-months wait, we finally had our first appointment this week. Four letters entered our universe: ADHD.

We are  not completely stunned. We have known for a long time bug was not like other kids her age, in a subtle manner. In hindsight everything is starting to make sense.  We have a long road ahead figuring out the best strategies to help Bug overcome this challenge and realize her full potential. This is a big step though. Somehow this is a big relief too. We have been told for the longest time Bug's language delay was due to the bilingualism in our household, that everything would just resolve itself and that we were just worry warts. I'm so glad we decided to ignore the "wait and see" advice and got help for Bug quickly. And now she will be getting better, more targeted help and we will learn how to best help her too. 

Between recovering from jet lag,  the school preparations and trying to figure out how to organize our life to make things easier for bug, my studio and this blog have been gravely neglected. I'm hoping to squeeze some crafting time this week. We'll see :)