This is us: A ‘better late than never’ introduction

Posted on by Malin - Sensational Learning with Penguin

A little while ago our instagram account reached 1000 followers, and it made me think of that I’ve never really done a post where I/we introduce ourselves, on any of our social media. So I wrote a little post on instagram, and then went on to share a slightly revised version of it on our facebook. Now, having looked back through our posts here on the blog, I think a ‘better late than never’ introduction could be fitting to include here as well.

This is us - Bodiam

My very first post on here, over two years ago, was a kind of introduction too, but it was more about setting out the aims of my blogging (as they appeared to me at the time) than about who we are. So without further ado, this is us:

I’m Malin, and I’m the mother of Penguin. That’s a nick-name of his of course, not his actual name, we may be a little crazy but not quite THAT crazy. He’s just turned 12 (wow, how time flies!), I’m 42, and we live in East Sussex together with Penguin’s dad, my hubby, who I met almost a quarter century ago in a Hastings nightclub.

Penguin is home educated (homeschooled) since about two years back. He’s autistic, non-verbal and has developmental delays. He has an awesome visual memory, as well as a lot of sensory processing differences and learning differences. Living and learning with him is a fascinating journey, sometimes challenging and often exhausting, but oh so rewarding.

Soon after us starting to home ed, I started this blog, as a place to share some of the things we get up to (such as sensory activities, days out, baking together, crafts etc.), why we do what we do, and how we might do things a little differently to support our Penguin.

Before we started home edding, Penguin was attending school in Sweden, where he was born (as was I). Hubby’s English and we’ve always spoken a lot of English at home, watched English tv programmes, sports etc. When it became obvious that school wasn’t working out for Penguin (that’s a long story in itself…), we decided to move back to the UK. It was something we had considered/debated for years, and it finally felt like the right time. I’d been working with Penguin’s learning both in school and at home, and felt that home education could be a great fit for us, but it’s sadly not an option in Sweden. And Hubby was longing to get back to England, so there was no convincing needed there.

So, that’s a little bit about us and how we’ve got to where we are in life at the moment. To say a few more words about myself, I could add that I have a lifelong interest in music, photography and history. I have an MA in Art History, I went to art college in London for a year in the 90’s with plans of becoming a professional photographer, and I had an obsession with John Lennon in my tweens and early teens. I have pretty much no ability to remember names, while pictures and song lyrics tend to stick without effort. I’m a permanently exhausted pigeon with lacking executive functioning skills, and too much of a perfectionist for my own good (Please note that being a perfectionist does in no way correlate to being perfect! It just means that I keep trying to out-perform myself, which sometimes leads to great results, but also always to exhaustion…).

As you’ve probably realised by now, I’m also someone who struggles to stick to the point and keep myself short. So I’ll stop myself now, before I go off on another tangent. Thanks ever so much for reading my ramblings and for following us, I really appreciate you being here! x

 

Linking up with:

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday

28 thoughts on “This is us: A ‘better late than never’ introduction”

  4. lovely post hun, I saw the original on Insta and loved that too. what do you find most different to life in Sweden now you’re settled in th UK? #kcacols xxx

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    1. Thank you lovely ❤ Hmm, to answer what I find most different is very difficult to do in just a few words, I think… But an overall feeling that I have is that there is more of a pulse to life here. Sweden has always felt to me like it's not quite alive. It might have something to do with the longer, darker winters… possibly. I'm very thankful to be where we are right now xx

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    1. Thank you Clare! It is… then again, when writing about others (such as our child/-ren) as well as ourselves, I think it’s important to be respectful to them and their integrity, so some things can be better not to share about publicly. I think it’s possible to be honest in sharing about our lives, without sharing about everything xx

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  8. From another perfectionist who got tired of trying – lovely intro. I love getting to know folks online. I always enjoy stopping by and now I know the author a little better. #MMBC

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    1. Thank you Carol! I’m struggling with the not trying bit myself… I’ve kind of got to that point, and in some ways have stopped trying too hard. But life still places many demands, and I can’t stop making an effort when it comes to some things… it’s tricky to find a good balance! xx

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    1. Hi Alice! Great to hear, and I’m loving it! It suits us very well. I’m not sure how I would feel about it if we had a very ‘typical’ child though, I think that would be a very different experience. But I don’t hear many negative things about homeschooling, most people who do it seem to really enjoy it, both the adults and the children. It can be quite exhausting though, as you don’t tend to get much time at all for yourself.
      Also, some families who have been forced to homeschool due to failures of the schooling available may not be as happy with it as we are. Not everyone loves to teach (and learn). But if you do, it’s very enjoyable and rewarding, IMO xx

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  13. Lovely to get to know you and your family more Malin! And very happy that you are part of #MMBC. 🙂

    Hope you’ve had a fab weekend. x

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