Shmoo

Making gluten free blueberry and lemon friands for a picnic in the park with friends.

Thrilled about the Dyson DC02 that The OH found at the dump for him. 

Vacuum #4

We were away over the Chinese New Year so all the Asian relatives (and all of the 'aunties') showered the boys with those little red envelopes.

Shmoo had grand plans to save a little more and purchase a Dyson vacuum cleaner, however the temptation of a certain big LEGO set was just too much. He did have enough money left over for a vacuum from KMart and is now the proud owner of a Piranha upright.

Vintage Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner

 

The other day Shmoo's singing teacher kindly gave him her old vintage Electrolux vacuum cleaner. He is in heaven. I don't think Santa's going to be able to beat that :) We don't know much about it but will hopefully be able to track down some info on it for him.

Photo Catch Up

A few photos from the past month... 

Shmoo's 8th birthday while B and I were in Melbourne. They celebrated with a visit to Anvers Chocolate factory where they enjoyed chocolate fudge and ice cream. 

His favourite presents were Lego and a DIY vacuum science kit. 

And then Beanie knocked over the clothes airer, landing on top of it, and got 5 stitches in his cheek. Apparently my brave boy sat perfectly still with no fuss for both the anaesthesia injections and stitches. I had to see the GP the other week and she said she was amazed that he was so calm as she thought she was going to have to send him off to hospital to get it done. 

 

While I was away they also visited an open day for a community garden in Devonport. 

Since we've been home Shmoo and Loo both performed in the eisteddfod (Shmoo's first time, Loo's second). 

And on Friday night we celebrated the winter solstice with a little bonfire, marshmallows and damper. 

James Dyson, You Have Mail

I doubt this will actually reach Mr. Dyson himself but Shmoo was so proud of himself and excited to have written a letter to his hero (and possible future employer!). 

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Our swimming lessons finished up for the year last week and so this was the first free Saturday that we've had in a while. Our local Harvey Norman store does free Santa photos every Saturday in the lead up to Christmas and for the last few years they've had an wonderful, friendly, authentic-looking Santa so we always go there for the kids' photos.

We decided to stop by and get a photo done before we did our grocery shopping this morning. We were in the car, still about 10 minutes away, when Shmoo let out an exclamation of delight - he'd spotted a helicopter flying over. We got to the intersection outside the shopping complex and I could tell it was really busy for some reason. Santa photos are popular but it was never usually this packed... cars going in and out and people everywhere! We turned into the carpark and noticed a local radio station set up and signs announcing Santa's arrival by helicopter. Uh oh. We hadn't been expecting that. We'd missed Santa's big arrival by about 5 minutes but there were heaps of families sticking around for the sausage sizzle, face painting, balloons and Santa photos.

Surprisingly we managed to snag a park pretty quickly so we walked up to at least check out how busy it was. Shmoo walked up the steps behind the big speakers, looking a bit stunned, his hands over his ears. The line for Santa photos went right down to the back of the store. We stood in line for a couple of minutes, discussing whether we should just come back next week, however I'd already promised Shmoo the day before that he could look at vacuums and get some new catalogues and he'd been more excited about that than the prospect of seeing Santa (after all, there's no way that even Santa can magically squeeze a Dyson into a Christmas stocking!). The OH and Beanie waited in line while I took Shmoo and Loo to the vacuums.

By the time we'd thoroughly checked out the vacuum display, The OH and Beanie had moved a fair way up the line so we decided to stick it out. I got my mobile out and the boys took turns at playing games on it. Thank goodness for smartphones (the HTC One XL is all kinds of awesome by the way. Have had it for a couple of months now... a huge upgrade from my old <$100 Telstra smartphone. Love the android os).

And then it was our turn for a photo with Santa. I'd convinced myself that this year The OH and I wouldn't need to be in the photo, that the kids were old enough to not get freaked out my the big guy in red. Unfortunately Beanie had other ideas and while he was happy to say a shy hello and high five Santa, there was no way he was going to have a bar of sitting next to Santa for a photo, even with his big brothers there. Another family photo!

So that was our long, busy morning but the kids were happy that they got to see both Santa and vacuum cleaners. And we overheard that Santa likes a snack of milk and Tim Tams... just in case you were wondering what kind of nibblies to leave out for him this year ;)

Science Experiment - Magnets

This afternoon I came across Shmoo playing quietly in the hallway. As I walked past he excitedly said "Look, Mama!" and, with great delight, showed me his latest discovery: the magnets on the end of his wooden train carriages affected the needle of his compass. I asked why he thought it did that and he wasn't sure so I gave him a brief rundown on compasses and the Earth's magnetic core etc.

After lunch and a quick Google to refresh my memory about some basic magnetic facts, we gathered up a few bits and pieces for a little experiment... a couple of magnetic toy train carriages, compass, fridge magnet, pin, sticky tape, craft foam, and a small bowl of water

 

We ran the pin along the fridge magnet a number of times to magnetise it and then taped it to the craft foam. Apparently a cork is generally utilised in this experiment but we didn't have one. I was rummaging through the activity cupboard, looking for inspiration, when I came across a scrap piece off a sheet of craft foam and figured that would do just as well. We floated the foam-with-attached-pin in the bowl of water and watched as it slowly spun and settled into its desired position. I nudged the compass over next to the bowl so that Shmoo could see that both the pin and compass needle were both pointing North.

  

Then I encouraged Shmoo to see what effect the different ends of his train carriages had on our homemade compass. We discussed North and South and the way magnets attract and repel. He was absolutely fascinated.

As we played and chatted conducted our experiment and discussed our findings, I wrote down the key points and results in Shmoo's notebook. I then left him to it and he continued the research on his own for the next half hour or so before he drew a diagram of the experiment next to my notes.

All of the boys were then distracted by the repair man who came around to fix our heat pump. They watched with intense interest as he installed the new bits and pieces.

Once the repair man left, Shmoo examined the dislodged dust bunnies that had been residing in our now-fixed heat pump for the last couple of months. Tut-tutting his disapproval, he promptly got out his vacuum and sucked them all up... and then went back to his magnet experiment :)

I love watching his curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. And it totally blows me away watching how quickly he makes the connection between things. Like when the tape securing our pin to the craft foam got wet and wouldn't stick anymore. He asked if there was anything else we could use and I stuck the pin to the foam with a small piece of Blu-Tack. After observing it in the water for a few moments, he then complained that it wasn't working as well, that it was much slower to move now. I asked him why he thought that was and after a brief pause he confidently stated that it was because the Blu-Tack was heavier than the sticky tape. And there I was thinking he'd just give me another one of his shrugs and a "Don't know."

Proud Mama :D

ASD Gift-Giving

This is so funny. I'm bursting to tell The OH but I promised Shmoo I wouldn't so I'm going to have to put it down here.

Shmoo realised the other day that it's The OH's birthday at the end of the month. Shmoo's old enough now to understand the gift-giving and celebration aspects of birthdays and knows that presents don't have to be fancy or expensive, just something special given with love and thought.

At the end of the day Shmoo excitedly came up to me and started whispering conspiratorially. He'd obviously spent a lot of time trying to think of something very special that he could give The OH for a birthday present. He'd chosen one of his treasured vacuum catalogues and hidden it away, ready to give to The OH on his birthday. Shmoo was so pleased that he'd managed to think of the perfect gift!

I didn't burst his bubble of course, and I told him that I was sure Daddy would absolutely love a vacuum catalogue LOL. It's the thought that counts after all! It's just funny that no matter how many times we gently tell him that everyone is unique and has different interests, he just doesn't get it. He's certain that everyone must be as intensely and passionately interested in vacuum cleaners as he is. =))

One Ecstatic ASD Kid...

Shmoo has been saving up to buy his first working vacuum for a while now (he already has our old, broken down, early model Dyson). He planned which brand and model he wanted to purchase; where he wanted to buy it from; how much money he needed to save; and how he could earn more money. He saved up his pocket money; the money he made from selling his homemade cards; and the generous 'birthday money' gifts from relatives. Finally he had enough to make the big purchase...

   

 Shmoo was a little over-awed and distracted by the range of vacuums around him. He figured out that he had enough money to buy either the planned for Ergorapido or the more expensive and more powerful Ergorapido Plus (which happened to be on sale, $50 off the RRP). He was drawn to the purple Ergorapido but finally settled on an Ergorapido Plus when remembered that he'd had his heart set on a brown vacuum which, today, was only available in the Plus range. The store also had a special offer going for purchases over $150, so Shmoo got to select a scratch & win card and he won a $10 gift card.

   

 Once his beloved vacuum was paid for, it was straight home to unpack, assemble and test it out. A little skittish about the noise but overjoyed at his purchase all the same.

And the leftover savings and $10 gift card? Shmoo's decided that they'll go towards the third vacuum in his collection: a Dyson handheld :D

Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger - Vacuum Cleaner

Glancing over the TV guide, I saw something that made me pause. The OH laughed at me as I enthusiastically exclaimed "Oh oh oh... look", tapping the page in front of me. Well, he stopped laughing when I told him which TV programme I'd gotten so excited over - Bigger, Better, Faster Stronger. A New Zealand show where they 'take everyday household items, look closely at the science involved in their inner workings, then set about re-modelling them to solve problems created by their inherent limitations'. And the theme of this week's episode? The vacuum cleaner.

The OH and I stared at each other, thinking the same thing. How many docos are there about vacuum cleaners? None that we've ever come across. We're recording it right now. We know a certain 7 year old who's going to go nuts over it :D

Monitoring Visit

We had our homeschool monitoring visit this afternoon so this morning Shmoo made a yummy gluten free, vegan coconut lemon slice to share for afternoon tea. He managed to do most of it by himself (just needing a little assistance with the stove and oven) and even helped with the cleaning up... by giving the bowl a good licking :)

 

The monitoring visit went really well . The THEAC rep was lovely, so supportive of natural learning and very encouraging and positive about what, and the way in which, Shmoo is learning. She didn't see any reason why the council wouldn't approve our 'programme' and said that we probably won't have another monitoring visit for 2 years.

It was so great to be able to talk to someone 'official' who is supportive of homeschooling. It gets a little discouraging when I have paeds, psych, therapists etc pushing to integrate him into the mainstream schooling system in some way. And you know what? It's never about the 'education', all they're concerned about is the 'socialisation'. Yep, I really want to drop my super sensitive, anxious, not-fully-toilet-trained 7 year old into an environment where there is rampant bullying and principals who turn a blind eye; overwhelmingly large classes that he'd get lost in; where he mixes with kids only the same age as him; where he has to get permission to speak, walk around or go to the toilet; where he can only eat or drink at designated times... 8-| Yeah, great socialisation.

Anyway, it's always good to get some whole-hearted support and encouragement. I am so grateful that we have such a good homeschooling system here in Tasmania.

Seven

 

We recently celebrated our gorgeous Shmoo Bear's 7th birthday. It wasn't too hard coming up with gift ideas that would appeal to his interests and, sure enough, he couldn't have been more thrilled with the presents we gave him (except maybe if we'd bought him a vacuum ;) ). We gave him a pack of oil pastels (a medium he hasn't worked with before) and a toolbox with a spanner, calipers, measuring tape and compass. He has been having so much fun exploring the tools, figuring out how they work and measuring all manner of things. And learning all kinds of fascinating things along the way!

Watercolours

Shmoo had his first go at watercolour painting today. He spent the afternoon/evening making cards to sell (proceeds to go towards his vacuum fund). As I expected, he absolutely loved it, although he struggled a bit at the start with the concept of simply exploring the colours rather than trying to draw a particular object or scene.

The OH and Shmoo designing an of alphabetised poster of vacuum brands and logos.

Loo was recently given a dinosaur biscuit cutter. We put it to use...

We had a few errands to run in town this afternoon, one of them meant we had to stop by Harvey Norman. Of course, there's no way we could avoid a tour of the vacuum section without Shmoo having a meltdown. While we were there we ran into the lovely salesperson that sold us our new vacuum and she remembered Shmoo and his passion for Dysons. She was nice enough to have a really long chat to Shmoo about vacuums and answer his 101 questions. She even explained all the ins and outs of the Ergorapido that Shmoo is saving up for, and let him have a go of a demo model. Shmoo was in vacuum heaven (although, he was a bit skittish when he thought a vacuum might be unexpectedly turned on). When we were leaving he told me that he was really happy :)

ANZAC Day

Today was the first time I've really discussed ANZAC Day in depth with Shmoo and Loo. It's the first time I've felt that Shmoo would be able to grasp the meaning behind it all.

We had quite a few good discussions about it throughout the day, covering lots of topics including what the acronym stands for; the meaning of corps vs. corpse; what 'war' is; World War 1 and World War 2; conscription; the events of April 25th 1915; what it might have been like to be in the trenches and how the soldiers would be deeply affected by what they saw; what ANZAC Day represents for Australians in modern times; and the traditions of the day.

Shmoo was trying to understand the reasons why countries go to war (personally, I think that a lot of the time it boils down to the same reasons why a 6yo gives his 5yo brother a blood nose by whacking him with a vacuum 8-| ) I used analogies to explain some of the reasons why wars are started. One of the examples I gave him was of a hypothetical situation in which a group of people decided that they wanted our house and that they would just walk up and take it, any way they could. We would, of course, try to do whatever we could to stop them. Shmoo pondered this for a few seconds and then looked at me, confused, "But where would they take our house? How would they move it?" :)) There's that very literal ASD thinking again!

We read a library book together about Gallipoli. The boys were fascinated by the pictures of the soldiers holding their bayonets; the photos of the boats landing at the cove; the story of Simpson and his donkey. Shmoo couldn't understand the picture of the ANZACs helping the wounded Turkish soldier. I tried to explain but he couldn't get past the fact that they'd been trying to kill each other and now they were helping him.

Shmoo loved listening to a few pieces of music that are traditionally played during commemorative ceremonies, and he listened to them 4-5 times each... The Last Post, The Rouse; Reveille; and the Australian national anthem. He was quite curious about the bugle.

In the evening the boys got to watch part of the live broadcast of the Lone Pine service. They were pretty excited to be able to recognise the bugle calls!

Most young kids save their pocket money for a fancy toy or game. Maybe some of them save up to buy lollies; or to go somewhere special. My nearly 7 year old is saving for his first major purchase. Shmoo is saving up for his first real, working vacuum cleaner.

Ideally, he'd love to have a working Dyson but, short of saving up for the next 3 years, that's a little out of his price range. Instead he's settled upon the Electrolux Ergorapido. He first saw one of those at one of Beanie's Early Intervention sessions and the staff, knowing about his passion for vacuums, allowed him to take it for a 'test drive'. Shmoo was quite impressed at how quiet it was and the fact that it was a 2-in-1 upright and handheld vacuum.

The other day we sat down and worked out a bit of a plan. I wrote down the things he needed to figure out and he filled in the answers. He now know exactly what he wants to buy; where he will buy it from; how much it will cost; how much he has saved; how much more he needs to save; and he has a few ideas on how he can earn the money he needs.

Usually Shmoo tires quite quickly when it comes to writing. He writes very slowly and carefully and it takes a lot out of him. I thought it would take us a few days to work through the pages I'd prepared but he was so excited about his vacuum that he happily completed them in one sitting. He even tackled the maths side of things rather enthusiastically!

Now I just have to figure out how to relate every KLA to vacuums... :-?

ICT

Shmoo hasn't had much to do with computers or the internet to date, only emailing family and playing around typing words a handful of times. As he's fast approaching 7 years old, we're starting to allow him some occasional (supervised) computer time.

And guess what his favourite thing to do online is... researching Dyson vacuum cleaners and exploring the James Dyson Foundation website. When we explained how to use Google to search for information, suggesting that he could research various animals or explore different countries, he looked at us blankly and said "But I only like vacuums." Uh huh. :)

Dyson Engineer in Training**

 

Ever since Shmoo Bear inherited the old Dyson he has totally immersed himself in investigating its parts. He even asked for a screwdriver so that he could pull it apart... except he soon discovered that not all screws are the same and a Phillips head won't work on Torx screws.

So while we were out today The OH bought Shmoo his very own foldout Torx screwdriver set. Within minutes of getting home Shmoo had completely taken apart the vacuum head. And, just as quickly, he reassembled it again. And took it apart again... The inner workings of a Dyson should keep him occupied for months :)

**Shmoo's fave item of clothing is a hoodie we bought for him from Simply Colours. It says 'Dyson engineer in training' on the back.

Farewell, Trusty Old Vacuum

After nearly 7 years of much (ab)use, our beloved Dyson DC08T vacuum cleaner passed away peacefully last week.

3 kids + 2 cats + no vacuum = big mess. A new vacuum cleaner became our top priority. Thank goodness we were saving my tax return from last year. A decent vacuum isn't cheap and, with a Dyson obsessed 6.5 year old, we couldn't very well consider any other brand!

So Shmoo is currently in vacuum heaven. Not only did he inherit his very own Dyson to play with, but today we also got to go shopping for a brand new Dyson. We already knew which one we wanted (the DC39 Allergy) but Shmoo was very excited to have a look at the display and pick up some new catalogues. The sales assistant was also a bit of a Dyson enthusiast so  Shmoo  enjoyed asking her questions. She was quite taken with  Shmoo and his passion for Dysons and at one point laughed and said "Look at him, he's like a little professor!". The OH and I just looked at each other and smiled. It's very common for children with Asperger's Syndrome to be called 'little professors*'.

Can't wait to see how the new vacuum performs. It looks quite different to our old one. The technology has come a long way in 7 years!

Now off to investigate the James Dyson Foundation.


*The link is to an article that is, in my opinion, the best description of an Aspie child. Definitely worth a read if  you are interested in ASDs or if you have a little Aspie in your life that you would like to better understand.