Emma Sutton

Ooo .. I wonder if we can get Faraday wallpaper and curtains?

I once found the skeleton of a bright blue de-feathered budgie in my lounge

I was all "where did you get that?"
The cat took the 5th

So that when they put them down on a surface, the sound is clearly empty & hollow

Yet they pick them up & drink from them later

So we shut down screens and phones

But that doesn't work
We shut down the WiFi

We know she's hot-spotting her phone to Yet Another secret device

Her AuDHD brain just cannot cope with being offline to enable sleep

Instead we have to juggle IT madness & sleep deprived teen

Why is it all so hard?

Did this ever happen? Did I need to do something?

Can I have India Holton's "the Geographers Map to Romance" please?

We don't think "high functioning alcoholic" is a compliment, why should we consider "high functioning autistic" was any better?

I'm fed up of people sharing their experiences of savant neurodivergent people and presuming my teens will be the same

They are not coping
End of

Best TikTok thing going is the two dudes trying food from every country without leaving NYC. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s incredible. My favorite so far is last week’s. Legit got me emotional.

A thin branch against a snowy winter backdrop. Along the branch are a long stretch of tiny spots of bright orange fungus

Today's been tough.
Eldest was on a phone call at 4am and I didn't get back to sleep

Navigating Olympic level parenting challenges in 4h sleep makes me go slightly insane

Patience - nil
Empathy - who cares?
Compassion - nada

This bright orange fungus was the highlight of my awful day

It's hard to feel so distanced from the festive narrative

We've had the worst Christmas yet, and that's after over a decade learning to manage lack of routine, emotions, dysregulation, sensory overwhelm, food issues

Throw puberty & teen stuff into the mix and it's been very hard to navigate

I wish it was as easy to save young lives as it was to mend the 3 items of clothing I saved from landfill

*A pocket on my dress
*A neckline of a teen's fav top, resewn
*The lining of a dress

There's a huge sense of achievement in mending that isn't the same as buying a replacement

A footpath through a woodland with leafless trees and plenty of blue sky. There are fallen leaves, bracken and an icing of snow on the ground.

Today I contemplated paths on my long dog walk .. I noted how some are wider with clear destination, some barely visible with twists and turns so you have no idea where they'll lead

The walk felt like a meditation on life & reminded me to search out those who've been here before, for advice.

A large black bronze ampersand statue overlooking rolling landscape, a few mature trees with a dappled setting sun in the background (at Yorkshire Sculpture Park)

Found/ designed time to immerse myself in creativity, art, sculpture in the gorgeous landscape

A much needed mini-holiday in a two week festive break that has been exhausting, not much fun & almost devoid of festivity

I'm not looking forward to next week - I fear the struggle will be huge

I asked my OH (in all seriousness) if it was too early to take them down today (and that's me holding off for 3 days)

A chocolate brown spaniel stares at his owner with a gold festive Christmas stocking in his mouth. He's in a lounge. His eyes say "what about me?"

I think Fred wants a stocking ...

Or a treat if he gives up the stocking without ragging it to pieces/ swallowing bits so he ends up at the vets

Despite the obvious ruse, I'd rather swap a treat than spend hundreds at the vets

Celebrities sharing their experiences can help with education & representation

Today, I saw a paragraph about Robbie Williams

As I read, some ideas clicked in my brain - I think my son might have dyscalcula

His time blindness
His inability to memorise phone numbers
His struggles getting lost...

Eldest was on her laptop until 5am this morning

Despite her begging not to have screen time limits, her AuDHD brain can't seem to make smart decisions

I woke at 0330am and am now stomping around like a bear woken from hibernation to an empty fridge

It's the gluten free element (and actually really liking nice food) that trips me up the most

Today I want to make lasagne, but I've only 4 sheets and I can't face a big supermarket for one packet worth (masses of other pasta in the house, so might use macaroni instead)

We keep routines as close to normal as possible - but even decorations, extra crowds, the radio, TV are different

It's impossible to avoid the craziness

Many will have their routines off the charts this week. Please be gentle. 🫶🎄

#Autistic #Autism #Neurodivergent #Neurodivergence #Holidays

I'm currently at "I hate Christmas" levels of feeling like the burden is too heavy and very unevenly distributed

I reckon the distribution is about 90% me, 9% my husband and 0.5% per teen (which is being generous)

Everyone wants to put their feet up and have a good time

Hello incompatible wishes

There's a fun part?
When? Where? Who?

I've done my fourth present wrapping session

To be frank I've not a clue what I've wrapped, whether I've found everything, or what day it is

It's been a very odd few weeks with far too much adrenaline, far too little sleep and I'm totally discombobulated

SEND parenting is hard at Xmas

Some things don't need gamifying

My book recording app (so I know which book is next in the series, favourite authors etc) now tells me how long my reading streak is

I don't need to know
It doesn't matter to me, as much as not taking books on holiday I've already read

Stupid app

I'm sure it is

Darn it - saw a grave for Fanny Fiddling and that name is now ruined

Lol

Large wreath made from silver, gold & faux fur baubles with a few blue bell baubles - wreath is hanging on a brown front door. Some distracting reflections that aren't worth describing...

My festive mojo has been cowed beneath family stuff, but poked her head out today & put my homemade bauble wreath up

I also strung a few lights around my focus tree

And got the ladder ready to get the decs from the loft (next year, we'll have a loft ladder, she says for 7th year in a row)

My daughter needs to know in advance if her most desired present is under the tree

Or her anxiety makes the whole experience too stressful

Her expression is not a measure we use as feedback ...

a woman says " my girl " while looking at something ALT: a woman says " my girl " while looking at something

I applaud you

How much did you buy?