Hi everyone. How are you doing? I had my last cup of coffee for the day, but still I want to join in with #WeekendCoffeeShare. I guess you could get a Senseo if you want one, or a cup of tea, or soda. Or you could go for water like I will now. Let’s have a drink and let’s chat.
If we were having coffee, I’d ask you how your weather’s been. It’s been a month since I did a coffee share post and winter has well and truly arrived by now. Daytime temperatures hardly get above 0°C, although we don’t get very low night-time temperatures. Thankfully, despite the cold, I’ve been able to go on walks everyday, as it’s not been raining that much.
If we were having coffee, I would share that I finally reached breaking point here at the new care home last week and my mother-in-law called the home to get to speak to a higher-up, either the behavior specialist or the manager. She was told that I’d had a good day that day. While that was mostly true, it wasn’t about that day. My mother-in-law then contacted the mediator I had been in touch with too. She is independent and helps advocate for clients or family members but is paid for by the care agency.
After a week of playing phone tag, the mediator finally got in touch with the manager and was able to convince her to schedule a meeting between me, the mediator herself, a staff and the behavior specialist. This will most likely take place before Christmas, so the staff who will be attending won’t be my support coordinator, as she’s off on vacation till after then. I did ask that my mother-in-law be invited too, which the mediator initially didn’t feel would be appropriate. Her reasoning was that it’d be too many people attending and that she (mediator) would be there to support me already. However, the mediator is not able to realize how much I’m not able to process during a verbal conversation, so I stood my ground.
If we were having coffee, I would share that, earlier this week, one of the staff and I were able to create a new, more suitable to me day schedule. It was (unofficially) started today (while we’re waiting for the staff to type it out). The new schedule is organized around timeframes, like my day schedule at the old care home, but of course with the note that these are rough directions. I am quite satisfied with my first day using the new day schedule, but of course I do realize that it may only be 2 1/2 weeks before it will be trashed by my support coordinator.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I am loving spending time on my polymer clay again. I am not getting my hopes up yet, but, in my new day schedule, I have lots of opportunities for claying. I made use of them today and created my first actual unicorn! Granted, it doesn’t have a mane or tail yet, because with the particular tutorial I used, you had to bake the unicorn and then attach those parts and bake again. I am hoping to do that tomorrow. I however am completely excited about crafting again. Now all please pray my new day schedule works out and my support coordinator won’t trash it when she comes back.
If we were having coffee, lastly I’d tell you all that I got some lovely presents in the mail from my parents on Thursday. I got a lavender-filled unicorn soft toy that can be heated in the microwave. I also got three different kinds of candy: chocolate, licorice and so-called Dutch traditional candy, which was hard candy. I loved all of them. The online shop also sent a few random samples of a sugar soap, so-called immune boosting capsules and some kind of fruit and veggie powder that you need to put into water and drink. I threw these away. So far, I haven’t actually microwaved the unicorn, but I did hold it when trying to sleep.
A Multitude of Musings 
Hi! I’m sorry I havent checked in with your blog in a while. Things were so hectic around here. I havent read as many blogs as I’d like to lately.
I’m so glad you got nice gifts from your parents, that lavender unicorn sounds fab! Hopefully the meeting will go well, and you’ll feel more supported soon. xoxo
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Thank you so much! Don’t worry about not reading or commenting on as many blogs as you used to. It’s only to be expected with what’s going on in your life.
I really love the unicorn and indeed do hope the meeting goes well.
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Fingers crossed it will 🙌🥰
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I hope that the meeting goes well and your new schedule remains intact.
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Thanks so much. I really hope so too.
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All the best my friend
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Thank you for your weekend coffee share. I’m glad to read you got some lovely presents from your parents. I hope you get the support you need at your care home soon.
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Thanks so much! Well, if this new day schedule is followed, I’ll get pretty much the support I need. Thing is my support coordinator is on vacation till after Christmas and she strongly opposes any time-organized day schedule and claims I got more support at my old home (where I had a time-organized day schedule) than I had funding for. The solution of course, even assuming this is true, isn’t to do away with time-based schedules at all, but just to cut back on my support hours. However, I am very fearful that this may become a huge fight once she returns.
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The weather with you sounds a lot like ours here. At the moment here it’s -2 and some areas have had snow.
I am glad you stood your ground and you have a meeting arranged. It’s just a shame it took you to get to breaking point for it to happen. Sending hugs. I am glad the new schedule is going well so far. I am glad you are finding time to do your clay work again. x
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Thanks so very much! Indeed, it’s truly sad that it took me to get to crisis point to get a meeting arranged. I’m so happy thoug that the new day schedule is working for now. Here’s hoping my staff will see it too and help me convince the support coordinator to keep it as it is.
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Why did you throw away the stuff you didn’t use? Couldn’t you have passed them on to someone else?
Good luck in your meeting.
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Oh, thanks for pointing that out! I hadn’t thought of giving the samples away. Honestly, they scared me a bit, since I wasn’t too sure what they were supposed to be for. But someone else might’ve known. Then again, we aren’t allowed to give stuff to other clients, so it would have to be a staff member.
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I hope things come together okay for you at the home and with the mediator. Our weather has been getting colder, but we live in a mild area when it comes to climate…usually. We’ll see. I keep hearing we might have a hard winter.
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Thanks for your kind words. Here’s hoping your winter won’t be too harsh. That being said, I’m skeptical about people predicting the weather for anytime beyond the upcoming week or so.
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