There is something about desperately waiting for something that makes time stand still. The flight from Tel Aviv to Hong Kong was fine – Milla didn’t sleep but was happy to hang out. She managed to be entertained by 3 screens with Peppa Pig at once – and wouldn’t let me turn off any of them! We stopped once again at the lounge in Hong Kong and had showers and a bite to eat before we boarded the most exciting…
Though I never thought this day would come… we actually made it! On Thursday we finished 8 weeks of intensive therapy and officially said goodbye to the therapists/teachers and other students at the Feuerstein Institute. While we were here I felt immense pressure knowing that Milla will be scrutinised when we get home to see what changes (if any) have occurred and I feel like if they’re not enough or not what we’d hoped then this is a reflection on…
11 weeks in Jerusalem is a very long time, especially when the city essentially closes down on Saturdays. Here are some great things that Milla and I did during our time in this wonderful city! Jerusalem Biblical Zoo – A fun outing that kept us entertained for a couple of hours. Not as comprehensive as Melbourne Zoo for example, however still a lovely morning out. There is a focus on animals which were mentioned in the bible and they house…
Once upon a time, the best thing in the entire world happened. My amazing aunt offered to have Milla for a weekend. That’s right… I would be by myself from Friday morning to Saturday night. For any parent that’s kind of amazing, but for this mama who is almost at the end of a crazy, intense and full on trip, this is beyond words. I decided to go to Tel Aviv to have some time on the beach and hopefully…
It’s hard to believe that Milla has just completed her 7th week of therapy. I truly thought this day would never come… yet at the same time I feel like we could stay here forever. This is a sterile environment. There’s no work calls that I need to take or conflicting schedules to manage – we are here with one sole purpose which is to give Milla the therapy that the institute offers. And she’s definitely making great progress with…
Someone much more wise and poetic than me once said “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. This essentially sums up our time in Israel (and the fact that I always have one eye on Melbourne). Israel is truly incredible – it is vibrant, rich in culture and incredibly fast paced yet also beautifully slow paced. Young soldiers with their guns cross the road to help you onto the bus while old women close a…
Wow… so we are now elbow deep in the program in week 5 of 8. What a crazy crazy ride. It may have been more fun to be riding the roller coaster at Disneyland but the highs definitely wouldn’t be as high – though maybe we can plan that for our next family holiday (Mr V. are you taking notes?!) The focus for Milla has been on focusing, organisational, sorting and scanning skills. This not only gives structure for current…
Last week I had 7 people telling me to be kind to myself. All people who know me well and presumably care about me. After the first I thought “I’m fine! What is she talking about?!” but as I kept hearing it I started to think… am I taking enough time to actually enjoy this opportunity? It is so easy to get caught up and become what you are doing – when I first started my career I spent…
Wow. What a difference a two weeks makes! Milla has settled into her new program fantastically. She’s thriving on the stimulation, enjoying the challenges and bonding with most of her therapists. She’s understanding the concepts being taught and showing improvements in each session. Naturally there are therapists she’s responded to better than others – this is human nature but even more so with children. Milla is so clever – she is able to suss out a therapist in the first…
Beyonce is a pretty permanent feature in our house. When pregnant, I first felt Milla kicking at the Beyonce concert and Queen Bey has been playing ever since. I always wanted my daughters to grow up in a world where they knew they could achieve anything they wanted as long as they worked hard enough and Beyonce is a fantastic role model. Now that I’ve been in Israel two weeks I’m just about qualified to comment on politics (most…