There's a J In there… Somewhere!
A blog about all sorts of things!
Blogging for fun
Melissa Gijsbers
I love books, stories, chai tea, and more
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What does unmasking look like?
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: What does unmasking look like?Given that we’re living through a pandemic, when most people hear the term ‘masking’, they think about wearing face masks. They think that ‘unmasking’ is taking those masks off. When it comes to AuDHD masking, it’s a different beast. When I talk about masking in this context, it’s something that a lot of us do…
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Review: Wishing on a Star
Categories: Book ReviewContinue Reading: Review: Wishing on a StarAuthor: Mandy Baggot Category: Novel Publisher: Embla Books Publication date: 10 October 2022 Blurb: A single mum. A superstar athlete. A Christmas like no other. Anna Heath is divorced, a single mum and trying desperately to keep her life in order. Despite her friends’ best efforts, Anna has stopped looking for love and is determined to give her daughter, Ruthie,…
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I am not OK…
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: I am not OK…You know how it is, you catch up with someone and are greeted with ‘How are you?’. This question is usually met with the expected answer ‘I’m fine’. I have said this for so long, sometimes I even believe it. But the truth is that I’m not fine, not even a little bit. And I…
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Review: Secret Science Society’s Spectacular Experiment
Categories: Book ReviewContinue Reading: Review: Secret Science Society’s Spectacular ExperimentAuthor: Kathy Hoopmann, & Josie Montano Illustrator: Ann-Marie Finn Category: Middle Grade Publisher: Wombat Books Publication date: 10 August 2019 Blurb: Mona likes to moan.Kiki is a worry-wart.Bart loves following rules.And Zane HATES following rules. When the four of them are put into The Secret Science Society together, this could only mean one thing: DISASTER! Will they be able to…
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Review: The Me You Don’t See
Continue Reading: Review: The Me You Don’t SeeAuthor: Sam Matthews Illustrator: Shaz Kennington Category: Picture Book Publisher: Lilly Pilly Publishing Publication date: 14 November 2020 Blurb: Some people say I am oppositional, disrespectful and uncooperative. That’s the me you see. What you don’t see is WHY I act the way I do. Have you ever wondered what autism feels like, on the inside? This is my story Review: The…
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Review: Paws
Continue Reading: Review: PawsAuthor: Kate Foster Category: Middle Grade Publisher: Walker Books Publication date: 7 April 2021 Blurb: At home, Alex’s best friend is Kevin the cockapoo, although what he wants most of all is a friend at school. But that is harder than he ever expected. A touching story about learning that friendship isn’t one size fits all and is often found…
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Hair on my Face
Categories: FashionContinue Reading: Hair on my FaceI don’t like hair on my face. I never have. When my hair is long, I usually have it up in a pony tail or a plait. When it’s short, it has to be able to go behind my ears or up in hair clips. If hair is touching my face, especially my cheeks, then…
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Autistic & ADHD Books
Continue Reading: Autistic & ADHD BooksI find that books help me to understand the world. One of the first things I did when I got my diagnosis was to hit the library & read some books. These books focus on stories and characters that are autistic and/or ADHD. I know there are many other things that fall under the neurodivergent…
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‘Revenge’ Bedtime Procrastination & why I don’t like that term
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: ‘Revenge’ Bedtime Procrastination & why I don’t like that termOver the last few years, I have seen a lot of memes and comments about ‘revenge bedtime procrastination’. This refers to a decision to delay going to sleep in response to a lack of control during the day so they can do activities they don’t normally do during the day. Often this is applied to…
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Impressions of Autism Growing Up
Categories: UncategorizedContinue Reading: Impressions of Autism Growing UpWhen I was younger, my first exposure to autism was a book. The October Child by Eleanor Spence was the CBCA winner in 1977, the year I was born. My birthday was in October. So I picked it up to read. This featured a family with a child with autism. The view I had of autism was…