Making lemonade.... or a penguin
Today I had planned to get caught up on quite a few things around the house since the past several days had been rather busy. The afternoon was completely free, and I was looking forward to puttering. I should know better than have any expectations as to how my days might go. Today was no different.
For various reasons, R. completely fell off the rails today. This was not post-ictal psychosis; no seizures were involved. No, this was just plain old run of the mill meltdown due to having a trauma history that has made her vulnerable to, well, everything. So for three hours today I navigated life with a child alternating between screaming and whining, with some throwing thrown in for good measure every now and then. Once I managed to get some lunch into her, things settled down a little bit, giving me some breathing room. I needed an activity that could be put down at a moment's notice, and even better an activity that could perhaps be engaging enough that it might distract R. from her current state of unhappiness.
Then I remembered I had this book:
I has cute little felt ornament and doll patterns that I fell in love with a couple of years ago, but hadn't done anything with. (Remember my previous comment about more than enough craft projects? This is a great example.) One reason it has sat is that many of the cute little felt figures are very Waldorf doll-ish, and require a special knit to make the heads. I don't have the special knit, and I usually do things like this on a whim, meaning that ordering the special knit is just not part of the process. So the book sits.
But today I decided to get it out again, and there were a few ornaments that did not require any doll making techniques. Even better, my somewhat depressingly used collection of felt had enough bits and pieces to make one of the ornaments: a penguin.
I decided to make the most of the experience. I put on Christmas music; I had some tea; I lit a scented candle; I sewed a cute little felt ornament. R. did calm down enough to be interested in what I was doing, so life got quite a bit quieter for a while.
I wish I could say that life got quieter for the rest of the day, but sadly, that would be untrue. R. does not switch states well, and she was pretty stuck in her unhappy one. When I had to leave for my Bible study at dinner time, it was enough to send her spinning again. Some seasons this is the only way I know she has any positive feelings towards me since much of the time she appears to regard me as slightly better than the drool that drops from Olive's mouth as she waits for her dinner.
Sleep will be good for everyone. And if someone asks me what I did with my day, I can say I made a penguin.
For various reasons, R. completely fell off the rails today. This was not post-ictal psychosis; no seizures were involved. No, this was just plain old run of the mill meltdown due to having a trauma history that has made her vulnerable to, well, everything. So for three hours today I navigated life with a child alternating between screaming and whining, with some throwing thrown in for good measure every now and then. Once I managed to get some lunch into her, things settled down a little bit, giving me some breathing room. I needed an activity that could be put down at a moment's notice, and even better an activity that could perhaps be engaging enough that it might distract R. from her current state of unhappiness.
Then I remembered I had this book:
I has cute little felt ornament and doll patterns that I fell in love with a couple of years ago, but hadn't done anything with. (Remember my previous comment about more than enough craft projects? This is a great example.) One reason it has sat is that many of the cute little felt figures are very Waldorf doll-ish, and require a special knit to make the heads. I don't have the special knit, and I usually do things like this on a whim, meaning that ordering the special knit is just not part of the process. So the book sits.
But today I decided to get it out again, and there were a few ornaments that did not require any doll making techniques. Even better, my somewhat depressingly used collection of felt had enough bits and pieces to make one of the ornaments: a penguin.
I decided to make the most of the experience. I put on Christmas music; I had some tea; I lit a scented candle; I sewed a cute little felt ornament. R. did calm down enough to be interested in what I was doing, so life got quite a bit quieter for a while.
I wish I could say that life got quieter for the rest of the day, but sadly, that would be untrue. R. does not switch states well, and she was pretty stuck in her unhappy one. When I had to leave for my Bible study at dinner time, it was enough to send her spinning again. Some seasons this is the only way I know she has any positive feelings towards me since much of the time she appears to regard me as slightly better than the drool that drops from Olive's mouth as she waits for her dinner.
Sleep will be good for everyone. And if someone asks me what I did with my day, I can say I made a penguin.
Comments