Time flies!

Goodness, how did a month go by already?

Since my last post I have logged ten knitting/crochet projects totaling 1,640 yards of yarn (nearly a mile!), and made more progress on my sweater (which often gets set aside to complete something with a little quicker gratification).  There have also been a few projects started that weren't going to work out right so they were undone.  I don't consider that a waste of time, though - there is always something I can learn about using different yarn or needles, or whether it's really the kind of knitting I wanted to do.  Sometimes I'm so captivated by a knitted item I decide I must do it, without taking into consideration that it incorporates a style or method I really don't care for.  Here is one that I couldn't resist, even if it does get a bit fiddly: a Norwegian baby hat that I knitted for a new great niece.  DW has been a great model for some of my projects and she always shows things off to great advantage :-)

Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap

Both kids are doing all right, alternating between sailing along and struggling in rough seas depending on the day or issue.  Girlie will get to ride in the equine therapy program through December (which she loves) until they quit for the winter.  Boyo is busy with preparations for The Nutcracker and looking forward to starting basketball.  This will be the first time he has been involved in an organized school sport and we hope for the best.

My mother's live-in caregiver left unexpectedly so there was a bit of a flurry trying to decide how best to handle it, and several meetings and long emails/phone conversations with siblings.  At this point I think I'll call it 'so far, so good', and leave it at that.

We are preparing for an IEP meeting next week with Girlie's team and I'm sure a lot of the focus will be on how best to work on transitioning her toward high school (eep!) next fall.  That, and the holidays fast approaching with extra rehearsals, tech week, gift and charity knitting, and starting basketball practices is quite enough to be going with for the moment!  We'll concentrate on the good parts because, after all, time flies whether we're having fun or not!

Accommodations

Accommodations:

1. The act of accommodating or the state of being accommodated; adjustment.

2. Something that meets a need; a convenience.

I’m going to address IEP accommodations purely from a parental point of view.  It’s a word one hears frequently in relation to IEPs and educating kids with special needs.  My familiarity with ‘the system’ stands me in pretty good stead, I think, and we have asked for – and gotten – some great accommodations for Girlie.  However, I think it’s really important to bear in mind that the world, in general, is NOT going to make accommodations for our daughter.

Sadly, I get the impression that Dearest and I are in the minority sometimes when it comes to our involvement in Girlie’s education program.  We do not expect the school district to implement something that would be ideal for Girlie if it would interfere with the education of twenty-five other kids.  We do not expect the teacher to keep her in the classroom if she is a disruption and a distraction (which, thankfully, is rarely the case any more).

It’s important to note that just because IDEA gives us the right to ask for accommodations for our children with challenges, it does not give us the right to demand special treatment that would create a detrimental learning environment for other students.  My responsibility as a parent is to do my best to raise children who are as competent as possible, and prepared to live in a society that, for the most part, expects them to get along as best they can.

Notice the second part of the definition of accommodation: ‘a convenience’.  Yes, there have been times when we could have made some very convenient changes for Girlie’s school day.  What would have been the advantage, in the end?  The most important thing is for her to learn how to make accommodations for the way real life interferes with her needs and expectations, not the other way around.  If Girlie grows up knowing how to be flexible in exercising her rights and practical in asking for accommodations, we will feel very successful!

Merino sheep - Wikipedia

One of the happiest discoveries I’ve made as a knitter is the wonderful accommodating properties of wool.  I don’t know how wool got such a bad rap in the first place; I’m not the only person who automatically thought of itchy wool sweaters, right?  Because there are many varieties of sheep, there are many varieties of wool, and each has its place.  It’s quite true there are some types of wool that are not ideal for sweaters or next-to-the-skin garments; those can be very suitable for outerwear and felted wool items.  There are other varieties, merino probably being best known, that are very soft and fine.  All wool has amazing insulating and moisture wicking abilities, making it my first-choice fiber.  Pointy sticks and wool: doesn't take much to make me happy!

Beginnings.

Recently, Girlie had her three-year academic re-evaluation and her Individualized Education Program (IEP) was updated at the same time.  There are only two people on her team who’ve been with her since the beginning (10 years, including preschool!): myself and her occupational therapist (who, incidentally, happens to have become a great friend and knitting buddy).  Sometimes during these meetings the OT and I talk about how much progress Girlie has made, and tell stories about past behaviors and challenges.  These anecdotes can be quite surprising to teachers and staff who may have only known Girlie for a few months, or maybe a year.  I think it’s good for them to have some perspective, and maybe help them see Girlie with a more realistic sense of her accomplishments.  I honestly believe there have been teachers who’ve gained respect for her after hearing some of the old tales.

The result of the meeting was quite satisfactory and Girlie will start the new year with what we think will be a less stressful schedule for her, and include a little more help in organizing her school work.  Now if we can just get Boyo to buy in to some of the methods we know will work… it can be so difficult for him to let go of the ODD behavior (even if it sounds like a good idea, it’s coming from parents and must. be. opposed), and his anxiety works against him here because he can be very fearful of change.

So - beginnings, fresh starts, new things, organization: must be talking about the New Year!  I don’t make resolutions because I recognize that, for me, it is likely I will get carried away with a new item/activity/method and then let it slide as soon as the novelty wears off.  True story.  However, I did start walking a couple years ago, and because I have chronic injuries and an autoimmune inflammatory disorder, walking is a great and very ‘do-able’ exercise for me. Family and friends know that knitting is about the only way I can tolerate the treadmill tedium, and due to an injury to both ankles a couple years ago I’m better off walking on the treadmill than on the uneven rural roads where we live.  So, I knit easy things and listen to an audio book while I walk.  Things like dishcloths, washcloths, handwarmers, hats, and the like are perfect projects and I think there are still a few family members who can use an item or two on that list!

Simple handwarmers, perfect for knitting while
on the treadmill, and wearing when I walk outside!

I wish for you that 2012 will be a year of finding wellness in whatever aspect of your life it's needed most!