Who am I?

23rd January 2012

2012-01-23T14:49:00.001-08:00

I've not been feeling great for a few days, its only some cold virus I think but still I hate the fact that its enough to set me back. I've been climbing twice whilst being under the weather and have really felt the effect, not so good when I felt as though I was really improving the week before. Will have to keep up with the fruit and water intake to ensure I get back on top of the world soon!

Toothache!

2011-10-25T14:35:00.000-07:00

For almost a week now, I have been struggling with my top left wisdom tooth coming through and it is now inflamed. I have visited the dentist who have prescribed me antibiotics and want to see me again next week to discuss what will happen next as they say it is coming through at a funny angle. I'm really not looking forward to that.

The pain has been unbelievable but my doctors have now prescribed me some stronger painkillers (cocodamol 30-500)which are at least taking the edge off for me. They are also making me extremely drowsy and my body feels very heavy which in an odd way feels nice! I can't really take these during the day though as it would be impossible to look after the children.

Oh well, we can't have it all! :)

School Parents Evenings!

2011-10-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week came the time that many parents dread, visiting teachers to find out how your child is getting on at school. I never feel like this, I have been visiting the same school for the last 6 years and have never had a bad word said (surprisingly I must say. I love my children but do know they aren't always angels).
As always, the teachers tell me that my eldest two children Georgia and Luke were doing brilliantly in class and are always sensible and well behaved (it's such a lovely feeling to know that they may be handfuls at home but they know how to behave the rest of the time).
Archie on the other hand (his first parents evening), my little blue eyed darling seems to be making up for lost time with the naughtiness. He's been messing around at carpet time when he should be listening and disturbing other children, dive bombing on his physio equipment and generally being silly at times he should be sensible. In a lot of ways, I wasn't surprised to hear this, he's extremely bright but at the minute he seems to be using his intelligence to find out how many buttons he can push. He's had the advantage of so many people around him being soft on him because of his mobility needs that he now knows he can get away with a lot more than anyone else. This soft approach really hasn't done him any good.
I've asked his teacher to make sure all the staff take a firmer stance with him and I am going to ensure he gets the same at home.
Fingers crossed that by his next parents evening, his behaviour is under control.

Hearing the teacher tell me his antics has really quite bothered me, no one likes to think that their child is misbehaving.

It's going to be somewhat a challenge to make sure everyone around Archie knows not to give him special treatment but that is what I intend to do.

He's growing up... Eeek!

2011-09-09T14:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my youngest son's first day at primary school. The week leading up to this day, I felt sick, had butterflies in my stomach, was extremely lacking in sleep and in the brink of crying every time I thought about it.
Needless to say, he was absolutely fine, the school seemed relaxed too considering his additional needs and on the day, this made the world of difference.
I clock watched all day and couldn't wait to give him a huge squeezy cuddle when I picked him up. I felt much better when I took him thus morning and he was very eager to go in, even telling his brother that he didn't want to be late.
I know school is going to be fantastic for him and am so proud of everything he has achieved up to now.
I'm secretly looking forward to next week so that I can get on top of the housework!

Back to reality!

2011-08-23T15:16:00.001-07:00

With my children at their dads for more than 2 days in a row for the first time in 2 years, I was dreading this past weekend. I always miss them terribly when they are not with me. Luckily for me though, I have an extremely awesome boyfriend who quite willingly took it upon himself to look after me for a couple of days. We spent two whole days, pottering around, a bit of shopping, a bit of cooking and seeing some fantastic friends. I have to say, I think I feel more refreshed after the last couple of days than what I did after my last holiday. Still, it felt great to pick my little ones up this morning and get to spend some time with them. To see them smile when they saw me was fabulous.

It was nice to sit back and realise tonight that I really am lucky to have so many amazing people around me.

Reality for me may not be the conventional perfect but the people in my life are! That is what matters and that fact makes me smile a lot!

Thought of the day!

2011-07-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

Often one if the calmest times of day is when parents put their little ones to bed. After an exhausting day, its always nice for a little peace. For me, that 'peace at last' novelty wears off really quickly and I begin to miss the noise and the cuddles. I often climb into bed at night and consider going and giving them a cuddle.
I miss my children when they are sleeping!

A while since I posted

2010-11-27T14:59:00.001-08:00

I am sat awake in my bed, dreading the thought of trying to get to sleep as I have a bad chest and spent the majority of last night coughing.

So as I sat considering what I could do with my time in the attempt to make myself very sleepy, I realised perhaps I should type out a post as it has been a couple of months since my last and a fair bit longer since anything regular.

If I am completely honest, I have no true explanation as to why I haven’t written any posts, I have had time to although it has been an odd few months of my life with various things occupying my mind. I haven’t been physically busy however my mind at times has worked overtime.

I have recently found that I am struggling to get into a routine with anything, perhaps if I begin to blog frequently again, I may be able to reflect back and consider how I have managed to find myself in this routine-less hole.

Here’s to hoping I suppose.

6th September 2010

2010-09-06T00:59:00.000-07:00

It seems the summer holidays are coming to an end tomorrow, with my children back to school and Archie's first visit to nursery.

I know Archie will settle into nursery very well, I still am not overly looking forward to it as I already know how much I am going to miss him. I have to say though, I am quite looking forward to getting back to routine as the last few weeks has seen a major change in my life so it will be nice to get things back to normal.

As I was driving to my sisters this morning to pick up my niece and nephew for the day, I received a phone call telling me Archie's trike was going to be delivered. I managed to raise more than enough funds from the sponsored pyjama week I did with a lot of help from other people taking part in other various things. Really looking forward to seeing his face when it arrives, he is going to love having his very own mode of transport!!

The Last Three Years briefly ...

2010-05-24T12:15:00.000-07:00

This time three years ago, I was heavily pregnant, ten days over due and the weather was scorching. I spent my days eating pineapples and curries with Luke, and wishing I could meet my precious new baby and wondering what he would be like (I knew I was having a boy).

Three days later I was taken in to hospital to be induced. Later that day, I gave birth to a very healthy 10lb 3oz baby. I took one look at him and knew instantly that he was amazing. Within a minute of him being born, I noticed that one of his toes was a little 'odd'. It had 2 nails and was in the shape of a hammer. This did not matter, if anything, it made me love him all the more. I never even imagined that anything else may be wrong.

The next few weeks following, my new baby amazed me all the more. He fed well and slept extremely well, through the night and I even had to wake hi for feeds in the day.

A couple of months later, I noticed his eyes were wobbling all of the time. I assumed it was him trying to focus but after numerous people pointed it out to me, I spoke to me health visitor about it. She advised me to see the doctor and he then referred me to a paediatrician.

The months following, I was informed that he had something called congenital nystagmus and that he had to see an eye specialist regularly and he needed a brain MRI scan to rule out anything serious. They mentioned that it could take him a while to start walking at first as he may not have full vision to see where he is going. Meanwhile, Archie was having regular developmental checks with is doctor at the hospital and I realised he was not hitting a lot of milestones of which both my elder two children, Georgia and Luke hit. He wasn't rolling, couldn't crawl and couldn't sit up unaided.

Whilst all of this was happening, me and my now ex husband split and this added increasing pressure to me. I was back at work full time and wondering where life would take me next.

Eleven months after his birth, I received the results of his scan and the doctors told me that he also had cerebral palsy. I didn't know what to think, I didn't understand why and neither did I know what I should now do.

I handed my notice in at work that day as the one thing I did know was that I wanted to be the best mum and carer he could have and I needed to make sure he was cared for the way I wanted.

Over the next year, I was referred to many different services and taking in so much information about my child's condition/disability was a whirlwind.

Georgia and Luke have both been amazing in understanding that Archie had additional needs although I do sometimes worry that they miss out a bit on the attention they deserve.

I now feel I have my head screwed on. That tiny baby that was born 3 years ago is now due to start nursery in September this year. He has mobility needs, and he still has a lot of vocabulary to find although his signing of Makaton is amazing. Far better than I ever imagined. I have been told that socially and cognitively he has the ability of a 4 to 5 year old yet he is still 3 days off turning 3.

He is probably the most amazing child I have ever met and yes, I know I would say that because he is my son but he has such a fascinating nature that I would not change him for the world.

I still get upset from time to time, wishing he didn't have to try so hard at everything he attempts to do, in fact I shed a few tears today because I knew how hot the weather was yet he still needed his socks to his knees,his leg splints on and on top of that I added leg gaiters. I wished I could let his run free in shorts and trainers but I know for the foreseeable future, that won't be.

Everyone around us have given so much support and I would like to take the opportunity to thank them for it all. To my amazing new partner, my amazing family, (specially my sisters and my grandpa) and my amazing friends for being there when all I needed was a hug or somebody to ramble on to. Thanks!

The person I need to thank most of all for helping me through the last 3 years is Archie himself, without his smiles, his hugs and his unbelievable determination to cope with everything his daily life throws at him, I would have crumbled. I most certainly would not be the person I am today without him. I feel so lucky to have him in my life.

Why I voted for the Labour party in the 2010 election.

2010-05-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Being only 25, I have never really understood politics before, well I say understood, I knew the gist but didn't ever pay much attention to it. During the build up to election day (today), I have had many conversations with a variety of people, took on board their opinions, read all the leaflets pushed through my letterbox and Googled the three main parties manifestos.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been determined in my mind that I would be voting for the Liberal Democrats, after reading their manifesto I had decided that David Cameron's campaign phrase 'Vote For Change' was correct but it wasn't in fact the Conservative party I believed we needed to change to (I am very anti conservatives). I like a lot of the Lib Dem's policies and still believe that they deserve a chance.

So why did I not vote for them when it actually came down to it?

Perhaps firstly to explain this, I need to give a sum up of my life at them minute. Just over two years ago, my youngest son was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and nystagmus (an eye condition). At the time, I had just split up with my now ex husband and was working full time in a job I had been doing for the previous 7 years. After receiving the diagnosis, I decided I had to be at home with my son full time to ensure he had the best care available. I handed in my notice without really thinking it over, in my mind, my son should come before anything else. I hadn't thought about the consequences, how I would get by, I didn't even know whether or not I would be entitled to any financial support.
I have three children in total and have noticed a lot of changes to their behaviour since they have had me at home. Whilst I was working, I was tired, we had tea late, we never really got any time before bedtime to spend as a family.

Secondly, the changing of my mind began a few days ago, more than anything, I wanted my vote to count, I wanted it to count against the conservatives, right up until this morning, I was still undecided.
Yesterday evening, I had a visit from the young lady who has been working very hard to introduce herself to the local community as she is running for labour MP in our area. She seemed very nice, down to earth and more than anything, she came across as being natural.
I told her my views, I made it clear I was undecided between two parties. I was told that Liberal Democrats have not been campaigning in this area and that the voting is going to be extremely close between Labour and Conservatives. Knowing that if the second party should win, it will have major negative effect on my life. I had to start really considering whether or not I should vote Labour and keep my fingers crossed or whether I should go with my first instincts and risk Conservatives getting in in our area, shutting down our Surestart centres and taking away the much needed tax credits from families

So that's why I did it. I feel a bit bad towards myself for not going with my heart but I think my head makes sense. I am extremely worried about the effects of this election.

My fingers are tightly crossed tonight!

It is just part of being Mum!!

2010-04-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

I have never quite understood parents that constantly moan about their children, about doing the simplest of things for them, talking about them as though they are nothing but an inconvenience.

There is one person in particular on my Facebook friends list who's regular updates moaning about her child really irritate me. The best part of the things she moans about, I consider to be normal for a child.

Don't get me wrong, my children can push me to the limit some days to the point that when they go to bed I take a sigh of relief but I always end up looking back on the day, picking out the nice parts and thinking about what my children have achieved that day. It always makes me smile.

Having a child with cerebral palsy, I get a lot of comments from people telling me I am doing such a good job, they don't know how I cope and they honestly believe I must need a break. I don't think personally that it is any more difficult being a parent to a child with additional needs than it was being a parent to 2 children without. If anything, it makes me appreciate all 3 of my children even more than I thought possible. Yes, there are extra things I need to do with my youngest son and yes, he may need a lot more supervision but to me that is not a problem, it is making sure my child, regardless of what his needs are, gets what he needs.

I am not a perfect parent, I have my off days but I wouldn't swap my children for anything, they are my life, my future. One of my favourite songs is 'Greatest Love Of All', me favourite line being 'I believe the children are the future'.

All children have needs, it is a parents job to look at them and think 'right, lets get on with it'.

Fxcamera for Android

2010-04-24T15:18:00.001-07:00

This picture was taken using this fantastic little app which uses automatic effects.

I am planning on experimenting with it to see if I can get a couple of nice photographs of my children which I can frame and put up on the wall behind my television.

I will post on the finished products. X

Picsay app for android

2010-04-23T11:52:00.001-07:00

I am enjoying looking through all the apps on the android market and have come across this nice one that allows you to edit photos. It's a fun app author lots of options.

This picture is a random one taken on my phone that I have added a couple of effects to. Definitely going to try and get some use out of it.

Preparing for my practical driving test

2010-04-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

As my son is now entitled to high rate DLA, I will be getting a car for him early June. I am going to be putting in a lot of driving lessons between now and then in the hope to have passed my test as soon after then as possible. Being able to drive is going to mean a lot to us as getting to and from the hospital is sometimes difficult.
I have already covered my manoeuvres and the majority of driving, I just need more practise and confidence now.

Will keep you updated with my further progress. x

Building blocks

2010-04-19T03:26:00.000-07:00

I love the creativity that children can have with blocks. This is a photograph of Archie after we had built a boat and two bridges out of a megablocks kitchen set. This was a brilliant idea by my clever little boy who never ceases to amaze me. x

Passed!!!

2010-04-13T10:19:00.001-07:00

Wahoo, today I passed my theory test first time.

I was so nervous beforehand, during and once I had finished the hazard perception section, I thought I was going to faint!

You wouldn't believe how relieved I was to see the word 'congratulations' on my letter when I looked at it.

Now I just need to get stuck into my driving lessons and prepare for my practical test, I think more nervous times are on the cards.

Archie and his accident.

2010-04-06T12:03:00.001-07:00

What a day it has been today!

Archie fell from the computer chair, I picked him up as he was crying and cuddling him better when I looked down at my arm, it was covered in blood. My immediate reaction was to compress it with a dry towel and phone for an ambulance. I then rang my younger sister and she came round straight away. All the while I had left my older sister wondering what had happened as I had been on the phone to her when it happened and only managed to tell her that I needed an ambulance. The paramedics came rather quickly and cleaned him up. They advised me he needed it gluing back together and that the waiting times were much shorter at the walk in centre than a&e so they rang them to say we were on our way.

Archie seems absolutely fine now although I am going to check he is still responsive during the night. He has been such a brave boy today, so proud of him. x

Testing another app

2010-04-04T07:50:00.001-07:00

The last app I tried 'androblogger' couldn't add labels/tags. I have now found this one, 'blogaway' which seems to have good reviews and I can add my tags.

Perfect for what I need on my phone. x

Posting from my new desire.

2010-04-04T05:47:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have the new HTC Desire and have had to fiddle with my Google account to get up and running so I now have two. One for my phone and one for my PC usage. I have just downloaded this app to test blogging from my phone..
So far it seems ok although I am a little insure how to add a new paragraph. Some more fiddling is required I
think. Watch this space! x

Building fun

2010-03-12T12:56:00.001-08:00

For Christmas, my mum asked me what my boyfriends little girl would like for Christmas and so with a little searching, I found these building animal blocks for sale at www.areafive.co.uk . As she and my son are both really interested in animals, I figured they were an ideal starting point to piecing things together.

Archie takes a great interest in anything he can put together or build and really enjoys toys such as jigsaw puzzles and building blocks.
This afternoon, Archie has been in a fantastic mood and he spent half an hour on the floor putting together these animal blocks.

Whilst watching Archie building and talking to him about what he was doing, I realised that these blocks actually offer much more than just building. I found myself talking to him about colours, animal noises (great for getting him to copy noises and promoting his sounds) different shapes and numbers of blocks that needed to be put together for each animal.
A fantastic product that offers much more than you first think.

Archie admiring his work! x

Something Special

2010-03-12T12:06:00.001-08:00

Something Special aka Mr Tumble is one of my youngest sons favourite programs. He would watch it from morning until bedtime if I let him.
He will be three at the end of May and due to his cerebral palsy, he is still unable to talk. He says a few words and can make most sounds with a lot of encouragement. Despite this he is a very proficient signer (we use Makaton) and I find myself now having to ask him what some signs are. I know the basics and ones that get us through most daily activities yet he still knows more than me and that is all down to watching Something Special.
When my older two children were younger, I didn’t even entertain the program, however, I now find it to be one of the best children’s programs about and it has helped me and my family enormously.
I would urge any parent to encourage children to watch it, with or without special needs as they are bound to come across a time when it could help them to communicate with someone like my son who wants to talk to everyone he meets. x

Tiesto – Kaleidoscope Tour 2010

2010-03-08T04:27:00.001-08:00

Friday night was the night I ventured to Sheffield with my fella and a few of his mates to go and see Tiesto live. Being the first ever time I have been to such a gig, I really didn’t know what to expect and by the time we were nearly there, I was so excited yet a little but nervous.
I made sure I had my flat shoes in my bag for when my feet began to ache and had some pro plus in my bag just in case I got tired from all the dancing.
As it happens, the night was amazing and we danced for 5 hours straight, I didn’t need to change my shoes until half an hour before the end and I hadn’t even needed the pro plus, I was just so happy to be dancing about in my own little world to the music.

It was truely fantastic! Will definitely be wanting to do that again. x

One of the many photos I took during the night …

Choices

2010-03-04T02:55:00.001-08:00

I think it’s amazing the power that giving children a choice gives as a mum. For example if you ask a child what they would like for breakfast without giving a choice it can generally be something you don’t actually want them to have and likewise if you give them something without giving them an option, they can quite easily say to you that isn’t what they want.
However I have found that if you give a child a choice of a couple of options which you have picked, it works great for both child and parent. The parent gets to pick what they would like them to have yet the child still feels as though they are making the decision.
It doesn’t always work but the majority of the time this method works fantastically and can save a lot of stress and arguments.
I find it works well in any situation, not only meal times. Something I will definitely keep doing. x

First ever …

2010-03-02T14:21:00.001-08:00

I have never been to a concert, gig, or festival before and I am now extremely excited about going to see Tiesto at Sheffield Arena on Friday night.
Me, the Mr and and some of his friends are going up and I flipping can’t wait. I have bought myself some new G Star skinny jeans for the occasion thanks to ASOS and am now trying to decide what top I should put with them. I feel a bit sad for constantly thinking about what I am going to wear …
Roll on Friday! x

I feel like the house is empty.

2010-03-02T14:13:00.001-08:00

Not very often but occasionally after my children have gone to bed and I am alone downstairs trying to relax, I get this feeling that the house is completely empty. Being a person who doesn’t much like to be alone, even through the day, it kind of puts me on edge and I become aware of every sound around me, inside and outside.
This is how I have felt tonight, my little ones are sound asleep and I cannot hear a peep from them, it’s as though they aren’t even here. It’s at times like this that I really appreciate the mayhem during the day that comes from being a mum. x

A quick update

2010-02-28T23:33:00.001-08:00

Further to my post http://nettiepants.blogspot.com/2010/01/apparently-i-need-break.html
I decided in the end not to take the funding and to keep Archie at home with me until he starts nursery in September. Shortly after, he was offered another 8 weeks of play therapy through the hospital which is so much better for him and he enjoys it a lot too. It offers physiotherapy and speech therapy through play and gives me a break all at the same time.
I also have met some fantastic people through this group and look forward to getting to spend some more time with them. x

Time goes by so quickly

2010-02-28T10:05:00.001-08:00

I have just been sat here looking at my daughter who turned 9 on Thursday and wondering to myself when exactly was it that she went from being a baby to a child and now to a young lady. She still amazes me just like the day she was born.

A photo of Georgia recently taken at a pantomime she was part of. She was a fairy in the choir and a very beautiful one at that! x

Herman .... the end!

2010-02-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make, I kind of killed Herman. On the weekend I was supposed to feed him, split him up and then cook him, we kind of had a disastrous few days and I never got round to it.

I am extremely sad to have to say, I threw him in the bin.

Valentines Day Activity

2010-02-17T00:26:00.000-08:00

Skint on Valentines day?
I was this year and so me and my boyfriend agreed we weren't going to do presents and instead, I arranged and activity and he provided the bubbles and chocolates.
I bought 12.5 kilos of Newclay which is airdrying and decided we should make models of each other. I didn't tell him what we were doing until we did it. The picture is the face model I did of him although it doesn't really resemble him much at all. It was fun and something different and we have something to keep as a memory. I would definitely recommend it as a cheap date or bit of fun.

I had the perfect day this year, just being able to spend it with my darling face. I can't help but smile when I think about him!

Diet Day One

2010-02-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

I find myself content and as with most people when contented, I am increasingly having to squeeze into my clothes so today is the start of trying to change that. I weighed myself today at approx 1pm and weighed in at 149.1 lb. Ideally I would like to lose 10 lbs.

I am also on a get fit mission, I have recently decided to give climbing a go and I am really enjoying it, I find myself thinking about it a lot and longing to go when I can't. I am going to aim at doing my regular exercises every morning and night and making sure I walk every day.

I am feeling really positive about being able to do these 2 things.

Herman Day 5

2010-02-15T04:50:00.000-08:00

Herman was fed yesterday as required, he still looks as he did on day 2 although there is more mixture. We have all been stirring him and I have had a couple of little conversations with him although I didn't get a response.

Only 5 more days to go and I can cook and eat him. Really looking forward to the results!

Herman Day 2

2010-02-12T01:56:00.000-08:00

Herman Cake

2010-02-12T01:52:00.000-08:00

I was yesterday given a present by a friend I met through a group my son attends. She handed me and another parent a tupperware pot with some mixture in. I gave it a sniff and it smelt rather yeasty. She then showed us both an instruction sheet. The instructions read:

Herman

Herman is a friendship cake which you cannot buy but can give away. Herman is alive and grows slowly but surely because of a yeasting process. It takes 10 days before you can eat him.

DO NOT put in the fridge as he grows at room temperature. You do not need a lid, just cover the bowl with a tea towel.

DAY 1: Today Herman is given to you. Congratulations, you must have a friend. Pour him into a big bow so

he can grow.

DAY 2: Stir Herman 2 or 3 times each day using a wooden spoon. You can leave the spoon in the bowl.

DAY 3: Stir Herman and talk to him.

DAY 4: Herman is hungry! You must feed him with -

200ml of milk

200g of self raising flour

250g of sugar

DAY 5: Stir Herman

DAY 6: Stir Herman. He really appreciates your visits.

DAY 7: Stir Herman.

DAY 8: Stir Herman. Are you still talking to him?

DAY 9: Herman is hungry again! Feed him as Day 4.

Having been fed, he now needs to be split into equal little Hermans. Give away 4 of the little

Hermans and a copy of these instructions.

DAY 10: Your remaining little Herman is absolutely starving after all that!

This time feed him with -

150g of Self raising flour

150g of Sugar

3 Eggs

2 tsp of cinnamon*

1 tsp of baking powder

100g of fine chopped nuts or mixed fruit*

2 Grated Apples*

100ml of oil (corn or sunflower)

* = optional

Herman would now like to go to a hot resort, the oven will do. Preheat it to 170 degrees Celsius (which is between 3 and 4 on a gas mark oven). With everything mixed, pour him into a 7'' cake tin. Leave him at the resort for about an hour. After all this care, attention and nurturing ... eat him!!!

Today I am on day 2 and have done 1 round of stirring.

I am really excited about seeing how this is going to turn out and am looking forward to talking to my Herman cake!

Random thoughts ...

2010-01-25T12:48:00.000-08:00

I often have random thoughts or questions, almost every day in fact and have to look these up and find answers to what I am thinking or maybe reasons as to why something is how it is. So I have decided that for each random thought I have, I am going to try and type a blog post about it. This will probably confirm in any ones mind that yes, I am slightly bizarre. That is me though and I am happy with me.

A random thought I had with myself a few days back was .... why do people type kk instead of okay when it would be just as easy to type ok. I looked the definition up on the Urban Dictionary and found the answer to be this:

K stands for okay
kewl is used for cool
so kk was originally used to say okay, cool. It does however seem that most people just use kk to say okay.

So you see, my thoughts are random but I enjoy them. Lol

Apparently I need a break ???

2010-01-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

We all know that being a mum isn't always a piece of cake but I wouldn't change it for anything. Being a mum to a child with additional needs can be even more tiring I suppose but I don't really notice, to me I am a mum to my children, their needs are just them.

So my youngest son has mild cerebral palsy, at 2 and half, his speech is affected so we learnt Makaton and he now signs and communicates very well, his motor skills are very delayed and he is learning to walk with the aid of a K walker. He needs physiotherapy daily which is generally incorporated into his general play. Our house seems to have been taken over with various physiotherapy equipment and since his diagnosis, our lives have changed completely.

Aside from his disability, he is a cheeky, loving and extremely smiley child whom every who meets him comments on how happy and clever he is. His cognitive skills are above average and his understanding of everything around him is amazing. I love being his mum (and obviously to my other 2 children who are now at school age, but this post is about my youngest).

We attend a couple of playgroups, one which is weekly at our local hospital and one once a month at the local Sure Start centre.

We have numerous appointments with various health and social professionals, to include, consultant, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, inclusion support early years teaching, eye specialist, health visitor and I have more than likely missed one or two.

Anyway, that was a little background information to the reason I am typing this post, between the Sure Start and Inclusion services, I have been offered funding for him to attend a pre school/ day nursery for up to ten hours a week. Until recently, I hadn't even considered it and when first asked to consider it, I had decided there was no point, I was at home to look after him.

It seems though that people are telling me more and more that it will do him good which I know, I am just not sure if I am quite ready to let go of him. Also, I keep getting told that it will be nice for me to have time to myself, have a break from him and that it will do me good ... this is debate-able considering I don't like spending time alone.

So I am guessing people think I need a break. I am of course going to take the funding offered, however I feel about it, I know that it will do my son good and I know that he won't have any trouble settling in as he is so social-able and is very much a people person. He needs to be used to others doing his physio and to be used to me leaving him with people other than family for when he starts school so I guess this is a good place to start.

Going to look around a nursery which has been recommended to me on Monday so hoping that will go well.

Yucky slushy snowy stuff ...

2010-01-11T04:01:00.000-08:00

Need I say any more. I love the snow and in the words of Lola from the popular children's program Charlie and Lola 'snow is my favourite and my best' but yucky slush it completely my worst!!

I thought to myself that it might be easier for me pushing the pushchair on the school run this morning but I was wrong and it was the complete opposite. Ewww! I am really not looking forward to going out in it again in a bit but we are off to playgroup and then another school run so no such luck.

I want the snow back!

The Hungry Caterpillar

2010-01-08T06:06:00.000-08:00

Ever since receiving various jigsaw puzzles for Christmas, my son Archie has been wanting to put them together over and over again. One of his favourite ones, which we seem to be completing two or three times a day is a jigsaw of the very popular children's book 'The Hungry Caterpillar'.

After we have completed this jigsaw, we sing a song (or sometimes just recap) on the life journey of a caterpillar. We have signs that go with the song as we use makaton on a daily basis. Archie now knows this process very well! The song is sang to the tune of 'She'll be comnground the mountain' and the words are:

verse one

There's a tiny caterpillar on a leaf wiggle wiggle
there's a tiny caterpillar on a leaf wiggle wiggle
there's a tiny caterpillar, tiny caterpillar
tiny caterpillar on a leaf wiggle wiggle

verse two

He will eat the leaves around him til he's full munch munch
he will eat the leaves around him til he's full munch munch
he will eat thelaeaves around him, eat the leaves around him,
eat the leaves around him til he's full munch munch

verse three

A cocoon is what he's spinning for his home spin spin
A cocoon is what he's spinning for his home spin spin
A cocoon is what he's spinning, cocoon is what he's spinning
cocoon is what he's spinning for is home munch munch

verse four
Then he'll be a butterfly and fly away flap flap
then he'll be a butterfly and fly away flap flap
then he'll be a butterfly, be a butterfly,
be a butterfly and fly away flap flap

This song and the signs were shown to us by our inclusion support worker. As Archie enjoys singing a lot, it is a good reward at the end of his jigsaw to sing the song and we both thoroughly enjoy this activity.

Footprints in the snow

2010-01-05T01:59:00.000-08:00

It was fantastic to open the curtains this morning and see that we have had even more snow during the night.
On my way home from the school run, I saw these footprints in the snow on my my lawn and wondered whos they were as they were fairly big. It took me a while to realise they belonged to two of my children. I know they have big feet for their age but to see them in the snow made me think about how quick they are growing up.

Getting back to normality after the Christmas break

2010-01-05T01:41:00.000-08:00

Usually after a school holiday, I am ready to get back to normality, kids back to school, back to routine. However, I seem to be feeling a bit uncertain this time. I have been looking forward to getting back into the routine and having something to get up and get dressed for so the school run was much appreciated this morning... but at the same time, I am going to miss my loved ones a lot. Yesterday I said to my daughter 'Wahoo, you're back to school tomorrow' (joking of course) and she responded by telling me that I would miss her and I knew she was right.

Perhaps it is just because we all had such a nice Christmas even though we all had a sickness bug and we were stuck in the house a lot of the time. It went really quickly too.

I was worried about getting up and getting organised after being out of our morning routine but I managed to get the children to school on time this morning and considering it has snowed during the night, I think I did pretty well.

Uploading from Picasa

2010-01-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

I have downloaded Picasa to my laptop for my photo editing and sorting and realised that I can upload photos direct to Blogger from there which in my opinion is pretty cool. So I have just added some warmth to this picture and not done anything else to it as I just wanted to test the process and see how simple it was. It seems it was extremely simple and I look forward to being able to use this process again.

As for the photograph, it is a pcture of my son riding his new rocking horse on Chrismas day, He even sat on him to eat his Christmas dinner and we have named him Chestnut.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-01T00:57:00.000-08:00

I have woken up this morning, a very happy and positive person.

The children are watching a Star Wars film and my Mr is still in bed so thought I would take a little time out to think about what may 2010 may hold for me.

The year has begun with me waking up to the most amazing man I have ever met. I expect that this is also how I would like this new year to end.

I have a few things that are going to happen this year that may or may not make a difference on my life but I consider them to be things I look forward to or things I don't so much. Anyway here's a few I have been thinking about this morning.

Firstly, my divorce should be through by March/April. My decree nisi is being read out in court on the 10th February so I have to wait 6 weeks and a day from that date to be able to apply for the decree absolute. I am looking forward to this being over as it will make a definite end to a not so good part of my life.

Secondly, I intend to start my driving lessons in a few months and pass my test by the end of the year, before if I can. It will make life a whole lot easier what with having numerous hospital appointments to attend with Archie and between me and my lovely one, we have 4 children so we would be able to go out on days out when we are all together.

Thirdly, I have a bit of a decision to make. I am going to be offered 20 hours of funded care for Archie a week, before he starts nursery so I need to decide if I want to take it up or not. He currently stays at home with me and I do his physio etc but I also know it would be good for him to get used to others doing little bits of his physio before he starts nursery. We attend playgroups on a regular basis and he is used to other children around him so this is not really an issue but I suppose it would be easier if he is used to me leaving him. Also a concern is that he starts nursery in 2 terms and would it be good for him starting somewhere and then moving him so he then has to get used to another group of people. I have a lot of thinking to be done on this subject and any advice or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Tying in with the above point, when Archie goes to nursery, I am going to have hours of spare time, not something I am really used to. Not really sure I am looking forward to this, I would much rather spend my days with my baby.

Next, we are hoping to go on holiday at the end of May, so that will be a well needed break.

Lastly (of which I can think this morning) In October, I intend to start a degree in youth and social care. I have been waiting until Archie goes to nursery before I start it and this is what I aim to use my spare time for. (No doubt I will use it for a little bit of shopping too).

I am looking forward to this year and wish everyone else a very happy one. xxx

A Quick Catch Up ( or perhaps not so quick )

2009-12-30T07:34:00.000-08:00

It seems I have been rather busy of late, what with Christmas being one of my favourite times of year, mainly because it gives me a fantastic reason to shop and buy people presents. I have managed to spend most of my time over the past month or so doing exactly that. One of my favourite things to do is to buy other people presents so it's usually a happy time.

At the beginning of December, me and my boyfriend visited the German market in Nottingham for something to eat and drink and we then proceeded to go ice skating on Nottingham's out door ice rink which the Victoria centre have provided in Market Square for the last couple of winters. It was a fantastic experience and we now want to go back with the children ( we did try this yesterday but it started to rain so we didn't).

Also during December, I have been to see my son Luke's first nativity play at school. He was a shepherd and a fantastic one at that. He didn't have any lines of his own but did some good singing with the other shepherds. I felt like a very proud mum. I also went to see my daughter Georgia's Christmas carol concert of which she was in the choir and she also sung with the choir at the local care home and also at Nottingham's Trent FM Ice Arena at the beginning of a Panthers Ice Hockey match. This also made me feel very proud. We then went to see our first ice hockey match which we both enjoyed. Although I think I will always prefer football, I do however think the ice hockey had a better family feel to it.

Me and Archie went to his Christmas party at the hospital and that was absolutely fantastic.

The snow just before Christmas was fantastic and it was the first year ever I remember there being snow on the ground at Christmas. I managed to take Archie for his first ever walk in the snow, not sure he was too keen if I am honest though.

Christmas came and even though both my boys were still full of cold and my Mr had been up all night being sick, we still had an amazing day, the best I have experienced since I was little. I think this may be down to me just generally being happy with my life.

Christmas day was hectic in the morning with family popping in and out with presents which I am used to as it happens every year and although it is busy, I wouldn't change it at all. We made a fantastic Christmas dinner and there was a lot left over what with the poorly people not eating a lot. Flaked out evening time and got a well needed early night.

I got some fantastic presents, including a new laptop which I am typing this post from. I absolutely love it and found my PC to be really slow when I had to use it yesterday for the first time since Christmas. I will probably use my laptop the majority of the time and leave the children and my younger sister to fight it out over the PC.

I also got lots and lots of socks, one of my other fave things!

Boxing day was spent with more family over and it was really nice to see my sisters and niece and nephew.

Had a party at home with my friends and sisters on the Sunday after Christmas which involved a fair bit of alcohol being drank. Me and my sisters made a couple of different bowls of punch which went down nicely and we had a 'sophisticated game of alcoholic snakes and ladders'. There were a few photos on my camera the next morning of things neither me or my fella could remember happening so guessing it was an all round good night.

Tomorrow for New Years eve we have a table booked for a meal at a Spanish restaurant for us and the kids which I am really looking forward to.

As far as the year 2009 is concerned, it has been a year of many changes, mainly for the better and I will be looking forward to continuing into 2010 a very happy person.

All I want is to win the lottery...

2009-11-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

I suppose it is quite a lot to ask.

I don't want to win millions (of course I wouldn't say no if I did) I just want enough to be able to buy my own house and not have to worry about having the expense of rent every month. To be able to support my children without relying on anyone else.

I want to be able to think about living with my boyfriend without then thinking to myself that we are never going to be able to afford to live together.

I woke up this morning and rolled over to snuggle up to my boyfriend and it was one of the mornings he wasn't there. I hate these mornings where it comes as a shock to find he isn't there, first I feel all confused and then when I realise he stayed at home, I just want to cry.

I know we will get there eventually, it just sometimes seems like such a long way off. I suppose I need to take my darlings advice and have a PMA (positive mental attitude) hehe x

Baby and toddler training cups ...

2009-11-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

Ok, so how many of us as parents have stood looking at training cups and wondered 'how exactly do I pick one?' They all offer basically the same way but which one is your child going to take to.

I like many other parents have tried and tested many different styles of training cups, each time whilst buying a new one, keeping my fingers crossed that my child will be able to drink from this new one.

Trying to move your child from bottles to training cups takes a lot of patience and consistent encouragement from you to your child. They aren't going to know how to use it straight away and too many parents that I have come accross are so quick to say 'my baby can't drink from a cup'. I mean seriously, they need plenty of time to learn and if you give up trying, they aren't going to are they?

Whilst looking for a first baby cup for my youngest son, I came across Vital baby products. I fell in love with the range as not only are the practical, I liked the look too. I bought their Baby's first tumbler.

This was a non handled cup with a removeable valve inside. As with most children, at 4 months my son found having to suck through the valve with out actually knowing what was inside an annoying chore so for a few weeks, I removed the valve and helped him learn that out of his cup was going to come his juice. Then when I put the valve back in, he was more determined as he knew what he would get for his hard work.

I then tried him with a flip up lid cup which he could drink from easily but unfortunately when left to his own devices with it, he would enjoy tipping it upside down and emptying the contents onto himself and his surroundings .... needless to say, i went on search for another one and but this cup in the cupboard as a spare.

Next came Tommee Tippee's Easy flow cup which was fantastic but my little monkey eventually took to chewing it whilst teething and the spout didn't last long but to be honest, I think this is the case for any cups with soft spouts.

So I looked at cups with a hard spout and found one with a plastic lining kind of valve. Every child I have known try these cups have struggled to drink from them.

So next I bought a Tommee Tippee Explora easy drink cup which was absolutely fantastic and my son took to it extremely well. (Again not one for a child who likes to chew on the spout)

I tried my son on a Tommee Tippee Explora Active straw beaker and although at first he seemed quite excited by the idea of a straw to begin with, I did notice he was drinking less. I have now reverted back to the previous cup and once again he is drinking wonderfully.

Today though, I was asked a very good question, whilst they are in the chewing stage, baring in mind hard spouted cups as we have been over are no good in my opinion, what kind of cup would be suitable.

Me being me have always muddled through this stage trying various things and coming out the other end none the wiser but I have recently come across a cup I hadn't seen before, the Vital Baby 3 stage trainer cup which eventually becomes a cup without a spout but also none spill. I think these cups are definately worth a look. Tommee tippee also do these type of lids to fit their First cup. Really wish I had of given these a go when we were looking for something different. I am thinking however that I might just buy one and have a try with it.

So quick overview of baby/toddler cups I would recommend:

Vital Baby's 1st Tumbler - from 4 months

Tommee Tippee Easiflow Cup - from 6 months

Tommee Tippee Explora Easy Drink Cup - from 6 months
Tommee Tippee Explora Active Straw Beaker Cup - from 12 months

Ones to consider:

Vital baby 3 stage trainer cup

Bonfire night / Fireworks

2009-11-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

On one of my favourite nights of the year, very unusually, I have had nothing planned and so am sat nicely in the warm listening to the bangs and whizzes whilst my 3 little ones are tucked up warmly in their beds.

Normally every year, I will make sure I at least have a small box of fireworks to do for my children, some sparklers and of course bonfire night would not be the same without toffee apples but for the very first time I have nothing, it just kind of slipped my mind. In all fairness to myself though we did go to a halloween/firework party at the weekend so my mini me's are quite satisfied with that.

So what is it that makes bonfire night and fireworks so popular?

Personally, I love having to get wrapped up warm, to me it is kind of an indicator that Christmas is just around the corner. I love the excitement in the children as they anticepate when the next firework is going to begin and watching their heads ducking each time there is a loud bang. (Luke my middle child did an extremely funny example of this at the party last weekend).
I also love toffee apples (think I may have to buy some tomorrow).

For other people it is the building of a Guy (This is not a tradition I have ever taken part in but am definately going to keep it in mind for next year as I think my children would enjoy it), or it could be the food, mushy peas and jacket potatoes to help keep everyone warm, for others it could just be that they love having the excuse to get snuggled into their someone special and watch some pretty fireworks and warm beside a nice bonfire.

Whatever it is, there is no doubt that it is an evening of fun and magic for most. A night I don't plan on missing out on again.

It really shouldn't be hard work ...

2009-11-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Firstly, a little background knowledge ...
Being a parent of a special needs child suddenly changed my life. I am a mother of three children and my youngest son Archie was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy in early August 08 although I had been warned of the possibility in the April. Since then, my life has spiraled into worlds I didn't realise existed and I have met some amazing people both parents to other special needs children and health professionals that have been working close with us to help Archie develop to the best of his ability.

One of the groups he has attended since last April came to a halt 2 weeks ago as places were limited and he had already benefitted from two terms. He attended on a Monday and Thursday afternoon to the hospital where the specially trained nursery nurses did a wonderful job of providing his physio, occupational and speech therapy. This as you can imagine eased the strain on me a lot as it gave me time where I knew he was getting the care and I didn't have to worry too much. Unfortuately, there is nothing else close by with anything similar.

We now attend the over 18 months playgroup that runs at the Childrens Centre at my local hospital which Archie attended before the therapy group began. The group is ran by the same set of nursery nurses and has alot more children attending so it is not one on one like the other group. It also has a wider range of special needs children. I was looking forward to going back to this group as I enjoy meeting new parents and getting to know new children and their needs.

I attended the group this afternoon and Archie enjoyed it (although he was a little bit off and did push another child which shocked me) and as usual, the parents got half an hour drink time at the end of the group where the nursery nurses look after the children.

Secondly my problem ...

Other than the parent I know from the therapy group and one other parent, I felt it extremely hard to make conversation with anyone as I would try and start it up and it just didn't seem to flow. At one point, it felt as though the 7 of us were in silence for over 5 minutes. Surely parents who have an extremely strong common interest (their children with additional needs) should be able to share their stories and experiences, voice their opinions and ask any advice from the other parents. Hopefully it is because they are all new to the group and need a little time to feel at ease.

I have decided to stick with it until Christmas and if it still has that awkward feeling, I am going to look at getting Archie into a playgroup and asking his physiotherapist to train up the staff. I will just have to see how things go.

Todays achievement!!!

2009-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

I managed to bake the raspberry bakewell cake today. I never realised how easy the recipe for it is and think it will definately be a winner for future.

Here is the recipe I used.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/11695/raspberry-bakewell-cake

I also baked some cookies at the weekend and found the recipe on the BBC website. Loving their recipes at the minute.

It's just not happening ...

2009-10-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I was given a tub full of raspberries so this morning I googled raspberry recipes and found a really nice looking raspberry bakewell cake on the BBC website which I decided to bake.

I went and bought some almonds and was looking forward to starting it when I went to get out the blender and the lid wasn't there ...

I then decided that didn't matter and went to get the cake tin with the loose bottom ... that wasn't there. I have looked all over and think they must be hiding somewhere together and I have no idea where they are.

Now I just need to figure out what on earth I should do with all these raspberries. Smoothies maybe?

Caution when shopping at Verbaudet.com

2009-10-29T06:51:00.000-07:00

This year, I have looked everywhere to find a winter coat which I liked for my daughter aged 8. I finally managed to find one at Verbaudet and was over the moon it had 30 % off. I went back onto the website today to purchase the coat after receiving their winter catalogue to find it was back to full price on the website but still reduced in the catalogue. I was confused and added it to the basket thinking it would then reduce the price. I then realised they had the exact same product under another product code at the reduced price. Needless to say, I ordered the cheaper one. I continued to browse the website and came across a number of items which they had done the same thing with.

How many people have they actually ripped off by doing this if people did not check the sale first.

I have to say I am utterly disappointed as I have often bought things from there and the quality of their products is fantastic.

Tut tut tut naughty people!!!

One last test

2009-10-28T05:51:00.001-07:00

Fingers crossed!

After much testing ..

2009-10-28T05:21:00.001-07:00

I am still not sure if I know how to blog from my mobile or my email ...

Testing

2009-10-28T05:09:00.001-07:00

Just doing a quick email test …

Testing

2009-10-28T05:05:00.001-07:00

---------------

Just doing quick test to see if i can blog from my mobile. Apparently it is a dumb phone so fingers crossed it works!

Introduction to my blog

2009-10-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

One of the hardest things to a blog is possibly getting started ... what do you you type about? Do you introduce yourself? Do you stick to one subject? Is anyone even going to be intrested? etc etc.

The title of my blog is Who am I? Not because I want people to guess but because I can't sum it up in one blog, it is something people will probably find out over a matter of time. Not even sure I could answer that question myself. I mean I know my name, I know where I came from but that isn't knowing a person and people change their views and their personalitys all of the time so the answer may never be the same from one day to the next.

I hope this blog is something I can look back at after a period of time and see maybe how I have changed, developed or just to reflect on where I was, where I am and where I am going.

I hope it is a place where I can note down my feelings and memories so I can look back and remember that that was then and this is now.

I hope that anyone reading this enjoys my general ramblings and randomness.

Who am I?

23rd January 2012

Toothache!

School Parents Evenings!

He's growing up... Eeek!

Back to reality!

Thought of the day!

A while since I posted

6th September 2010

Sponsored Pyjama Week

The Last Three Years briefly ...

Why I voted for the Labour party in the 2010 election.

It is just part of being Mum!!

Fxcamera for Android

Picsay app for android

Preparing for my practical driving test

Building blocks

Passed!!!

Archie and his accident.

Testing another app

Posting from my new desire.

Building fun

Something Special

Tiesto – Kaleidoscope Tour 2010

Choices

First ever …

I feel like the house is empty.

A quick update

Time goes by so quickly

Herman .... the end!

Valentines Day Activity

Diet Day One

Herman Day 5

Herman Day 2

Herman Cake

Random thoughts ...

Apparently I need a break ???

Yucky slushy snowy stuff ...

The Hungry Caterpillar

Footprints in the snow

Getting back to normality after the Christmas break

Uploading from Picasa

Happy New Year 2010

A Quick Catch Up ( or perhaps not so quick )

All I want is to win the lottery...

Baby and toddler training cups ...

Bonfire night / Fireworks

It really shouldn't be hard work ...

Todays achievement!!!

It's just not happening ...

Caution when shopping at Verbaudet.com

One last test

After much testing ..

Testing

Testing

Introduction to my blog