Moving House ...

... No, not in the literal sense, but in the blog sense.

Everyday Life of a Suburban SAHM has had a re-brand and a move.

You can now find me at thiswestlondonlife.com.

Please bookmark my new home and add me to your reader(s).

Everything you've seen here should now be there.

C'mon on over, there's a warm welcome waiting!

** Please note that no further posts will appear here **

For the Love of Books | To Siri, with Love

When I changed how I wrote about the books I read, I'd settled on a monthly round-up.

One post on all the books I'd read that month.

But some books deserve a mention in their own right, and not be lumped

in together with three or four others. 

To Siri, with Love by Judith Newman is one such book.

 I read an article by Newman that lead to the book,

and that, in turn, lead to me knowing that we are not alone.

I know that we are not the only family living with autism.

Of course I do.

But living in a family where autism dictates much of how we live,

it can certainly feel like we are the only ones. 

I devoured To Siri, with Love over a few evenings ...

and took a yellow highlighter pen to it.

The descriptions of her son, Gus, resonated deeply with me.  So many of his traits/quirks

are recognisable in The Boy Child.  Although Gus is a few years older, it's clear that Newman and I (we) are experiencing/have experienced the same things.

If I wrote about all the similarities, you'd be here reading until Christmas,

and neither of us wants that.

If you want to read a well written and realistic account of what living with autism is like,
one where the young man in question is extremely similar to The Boy Child,

then To Siri, with Love is the book for you.    

LSNED | Days 26-30

26 September:

There's always somewhere new to explore when you live in London.

27 September:

Doing something random and completely out of the norm is fun!

28 September:

A walk in the park mid-morning with The Brainy One 

is always a good idea. 

29 September:

Unsupervised homework gives a better indication of his ability.

30 September:  

Sometimes, you realise at the end of the day that you haven't learnt anything new,

and that's okay.

***

Thirty days, thirty lessons.

Let's do it again next September.

This Weekend I ...

... joined in with the birthday celebrations for 

Los Pequeňos and their Mama.

{I can't recall if I told you that when they arrived early, they arrived on The Colombian's birthday?}And here we are, a year later.  A year that has been worrying at times,
but a year that has also been filled with a lot of love. 

All of us fully appreciate how lucky we are to have the three of them still here. 

What Caught My Eye #12

"... there's a typical look of the mother:

skin a little ashier than the average woman her age,

hollows under the eyes a little more pronounced,

a smile playing about her lips as the eyes dart nervously, 

wondering what might happen next.

She is sometimes proud, sometimes amused.

She is never quite relaxed."

~ Judith Newman

from her book To Siri, With Love: 

A Mother, Her Autistic Son and the Kindness of Machines 

Weekday Walks | Marylebone

Even though I am now in my thirteenth year of London living,

there is still a large part of the city waiting to be explored.

Recently I spent a happy hour strolling the streets of Marylebone in Central London.

   With the natural boundaries of Marylebone Road to the North, Oxford Street to the South, Great Portland Street to the East and Edgware Road to the West, Marylebone occupies the NW1 and W1 postcodes and is one of London's most sought after residential locations.

Given its proximity to Oxford Street, Marylebone still manages to offer a quiet contrast

to that tourist hotspot.  You'll find pedestrianised shopping alleys like St. Christopher's Place,

gorgeous mansion blocks on Chiltern Street and both fabulous and quirky museums like

the Wallace Collection and the Sherlock Holmes Museum.

Marylebone High Street is, usually, worth spending some time on.

There's a plethora of independent cafes, restaurants and shops, but on my visit,

it was spoilt by a mass of never-ending construction and nose-to-tail traffic. 

LSNED | Days 21-25

21 September:

Secondary school Open Evenings are terrifying things.

22 September:

If Friday had a face, I would kiss it.

23 September:

The support of other autism mums can't ever be underestimated.

24 September: 

Autumn is absolutely on its way.

25 September:

The smallest of injuries can still cause the largest amount of pain.

Month in Numbers | September

October's dropped by in a haze of blue sky, sunshine and crisp winds.

But first, let's see whether September was sensational ...

Yr. 6: the final year of Primary School ... gulp!

One RAK: took a photo of the two Mormon missionaries and

emailed it to their mums.  Job done.

24,297: my highest daily step count.

Exploring London is one way to rack up the number of steps.  

Thirty: lessons learned throughout September.

140: miles put on the car loaned to us for the weekend.

We had a great time!

4: bags of old or outgrown clothes given to charity.

***

Month in Numbers is the brainchild of Julie

and you'll always find a warm welcome over at her place. 

 Not to mention entertaining posts about a varied list of topics.

Go on over, stop by and say hello.

You can see my previous Month in Numbers here.

This Weekend I ...

... had a busy time of it.

The Brainy One celebrated a birthday on Saturday

and we marked it by going to the pub for dinner with cousins.

  Nothing fancy, just good company, delicious food

and perhaps one too many glasses of wine.

Sunday saw us up early for the Bicester Scramble in Oxfordshire.  

We've never taken The Boy Child to a car event before because of considerations

about the noise levels, but, as the Bicester Scramble is predominately a static event,

he loved it!

   He also had great fun ordering me to take his photo with what felt like

a gazillion different cars.  That pose?  It's his new 'don't mess with me' pose.

Apparently.

As for me, well, I found it much more enjoyable that I thought I would.

I enjoyed looking out for Instagram-worthy shots

and trying to be arty-farty with depth of field shots.

 We'll definitely be looking to book for the next Scramble.