New 52 Week 8

This week I thought that I would try a different scrapbooking style.  Using doodles...plenty of them in fact.  to add to this there is no photo and only journalling to embellish it any further.  This took me ages to create. So without any further ado here it is.

Gosh I wish I could doodle like this kit allowed me to do on the computer.  Anyway I used doodlemania kit by Dinskip and the heart from Hugs and Kisses kit from WW 

Wordless Wednesday 23 February

Here is my photo for today.  I just feel like eating something sweet so here it is.

I am linking to My Little Drummer Boys

Monday Menu 21 February

Here is this weeks menu

Monday  Steak n Kidney stew with rice

Tuesday  Chicken sausages, poptato and peas

Wednesday  crockpot chicken  on noodles

Thursday  chicken meatloaf and salad

Friday  Roast Vegetable frittata with salad

Saturday  Chicken and mushroom pies with rice crust

Sunday  leftovers

I am linking to I'm an Organising Junkie

New 52 week 7

I have been on this journey. 

Being a fit and healthy weight is really important for me. It shows me I value myself...my mind, my body and my soul (well I hope that is helped too). Without these things then the rest of my life struggles.


This year I managed to start the year at an idea weight for me. I was working really hard on my fitness through the couch to 5 km programme and even managed 3 christmas days, yes I know 2 too many, and 12 days camping to this day working on a maintenance plan.

I hope that I am setting a great example for my children about eating well not binging or the other extreme of not eating. Eating a balance of food including treats ocassionally. Showing my children that exercise is important. It makes me happier, it makes me more positive about life and ...oh....yes I feel less stressed.

So fingers crossed for the year that I can maintain where I am at. I can climb back up if I fall off the path I am on. That I acquire no injuries to prevent me exercising and I continue to love everything I have achieved.

credits can be found here at Nuts4Digi

3 weeks after I wrote this for my scrapbooking page I am still going strong.  Part of this challenge for me is too look after myself in everyway.  Today we were going to a family function, a 4 year old birthday.  I decided to hunt through my wardrobe to see what was in there.  Trust me I am on a mission to take care of my appearance.  To take pride in it.  I managed to find this cute little dress that now fits again, put on some jewellery and a little make up and off I went feeling pretty good.  When we got home this evening  I got my 7 year to take a photo.  Sadly it looks like I have been out all day at a childrens party and my hair well when you have that much hair it is difficult to stop it looking like a puff ball.  But the key for this week was that I made a big effort and that is something I have not done for such a long time.

Ok so the photo is not great but there I am.

This post is part of a challenge posed by Listgirl.  Her blog can be found here where you can read more.

Project Love Me. Prompt 3

So weeks prompt in the Project Love Me was to write about lost dreams.  So be warned that this post just could be a little heavy.

Dreams....A Cautionary Tale



Just as any new parent knows, when your child is born, it seems that those dreams you have for them begin to form. You know the ones. The ones that say that your child will lead a happy and fulfilled life in some way or rather. You never dream that anything untoward to could happen to them, that those dreams could or would be shattered. This is where my story, I hope, will help save someone from the trauma we have been through.

For us the signs were there. Albeit small signs, but hindsight is a great thing. Little alarm bells should have been ringing. Perhaps they were and I was just not listening carefully to them. Suddenly with a third child on the way I began to reflect on the little things I should have been noticing in our house and took this child to see specialists. I travelled home to New Zealand from our home is S E Asia for this to happen and was treated like a neurotic mother. Sadly now those alarm bells were being heard by me but I had been told by the medically informed that there was nothing wrong with my son. and I took this as though it was etched in stone.

Still perservering with all those little alarm bells I went back to our home in S E Asia with child 3 in tow. Don’t get me wrong, all the milestone were being met, it was the little things, his white blonde hair, excessive thurst and urination, reluctance to eat food, Diabetes had been ruled out along with tropical deseases.

Sadly for our son these little things did mean something and in February 2006 he suffered a serious and life changing medical event. I have written about this time on other pages so wont go into it now, but my sons brain was damaged significantly, his life hung in the balance for days and from that moment things would never be the same for us again.

I could write about the should and should not ofs, aportion blame but that is not what this tale is about. Wind the clock forward about 8 weeks and we find out that those little alarm bells really did mean something. This something was not an everyday occurance but a rare and significant medical condition. Yes the past blood tests, in the before times, showed that there was something wrong. I couldn’t believe it. My alarm bells were ringing true.

So if there is anything to learn from my little tale then it has to be, listen to your alarm bells. They could just mean the difference between being able to dream or not.
 
Here is the page I made with these words on it.
 

The credits for this page can be found here at Nuts4digi

Residential Respite Care

Wilson Centre is the place that I love to hate.  I know hate is a strong word but I really mean this in the best possible way.  It simply is that I hate that we need to use this kind of service.

When the disabled services of New Zealand offered us respite care for Hayden I have to say I was so relieved.  The constant and significant behavioural issues, the medication regeim every 6 hours morning and night were and are placing a strain on our little family.  It was a chance to give us a break from the life that we had been thrust into.

When the reality hit then a new set of emotions raised themselves.  Was I a bad mother to want my son to go away for the weekend?  What will people think of this choice we had  made?  You know the questions we really nagging.  I even asked myself what would we do when we didnt have all the issues to deal with?

Now two years down the line I am happy to say that I am past those questions.  Infact who cares what others think.  The rest of the people in my little family need a break and we are not going to feel guilty in any way.  We are going to embrace this moment and enjoy life just like we should.  I am happy too that Hayden loves his weekends away.  I trust implicitly that Wilson Home knows how to care for Hayden and all his special needs.  I have to really, because without that trust it would be difficult to relax and just for a moment forget that this is how it is for us.

So this weekend Hayden is 'on holiday'.  This is him helping with all his luggage for two nights.  Thank you all those wonderful people who care for him so that for just a moment we can forget.

Wordless Wednesday 16 February

A photo taken by timer on Valentines Day.  DH and myself

I am linking to My Little Drummer Boys

New 52 Week 6

With all that has happened in the last few years a glass of wine has really come a thing of the past for me.  Not that I ever drank a lot of alcohol anyway but now, with the demands of Hayden and me on the healthy weight and health exercise lifestyle I have finally decided that I can have a drink or two every now and again.  I can still manage to get up in the middle of the night for the nappy change and medicine run for him, especially if I know that he is well.

So here's to last night and two small glasses of wine.  I reminder to me that I can do this, enjoy a glass or two as a treat and still manage to get up to Hayden and go for a run this morning.

Here's too to the reminder that life is all about balance and I should remember that always.

Monday Menu 14 February

For the next few weeks I am trying to empty my chest freezer so am trying to use up what is left in the bottom.  Trust me this is not going to be pleasant because there will be lots of stews and corned beef.  Hmmm

Anyway on to this week.

Monday  Sausage potato and green vege

Tuesday  Grilled Vietnamese Steak and bok choy

Wednesday  corned beef in the slow cooker and paked potato and green salad

Thursday  meatballs and spaghetti

Friday Curry chicken pasta

Saturday Chicken Fajita

Sunday  pizza made with leftovers

I am linking this page to The Organised Junkie so if you want to see more great menu planning then pop on over.

Project Love Me

I discovered this challenge which I really like.  Project: Love Me.  It involves journaling which I love to include in my scrapbooking and also will provide a source of inspiration for photos and blogging.   So I started at the beginning today using the first weeks prompt of Dreams.

Here is what I was prompted to write.


I wish I had a magic wand and turn back time.  Not to make a fortune or live the silver spoon life.  It would be a chance to take action sooner so Hayden, my son would not become disabled.  I guess hindsight gives us that perspective on life.  I dream of what might have been and how things could be different.  How dramatically that dream changed and no I just hope that someday Hayden will be able to learn things that will enable his life to be more than it is and less of a burden.

The credits can be found here at Nuts4digi.