Happy New Year

Well here I am only half hour to go before I say farewell to the year 2008.....

My family and I have made it through another year....

Yee haaa.....

What will 2009 bring????

Only time will tell but one thing i`m desperately hoping for is that my husband and children are healthy and happy....

That will be the best thing any mother and wife could hope for....

Happy New Year Everyone....

The year that was

as we prepare to say goodbye to the year 2008 I thought I would look back on the year that was....

............................................. January saw my two eldest Joshua and Krystal go on a holiday of a lifetime, visiting Queensland for a week and then Darwin for a week....It was also an opportunity for Matt, Daniel and myself to take a bit of a break away from suburbia and stay in a carvan park at Victor Harbour.....We loved the place so much that we want to retire there when the kids have left the nest...

................................................ February saw my son Joshua assulted by a kids neighbour and to this day there is still a fued going on by them....Hobbles lost his manhood, poor love now he is confused as to what he is.....lol.....Also we lost our cat Suzi to a dog which should have been restrained by it`s owner....

..................................................... March was where Daniel got himself involved with SAPASA..A huge achievenment for him as sport isn`t one of his strongest assests....He made me very proud as he did his best and was very sportman like on the day....

................................................ April was when Joshua went away with his father and he came back a very angry and disturbed boy....After getting to the bottom of it all we were able to fix the problem and start a fresh....April also saw Matt become quite ill...So much so that he had to go to his mothers for a few days just to get the peace and quiet he needed to recoup....

................................................... May saw my daughter turn sweet 16.....Still more issues with Joshua and school...LAst warnings were given to pull his socks up....

......................................................... June saw the begiining of what is now an on going issue with Daniel and disappearing for hours at a time....This was the first phone call we had to make to the police to try find him..Matt also celebrated another birthday...Every birthday is a bonus....

.................................................... July was the beginning of many tests for Matt..CT scans and hospital appointments...It was a very stressful month for us all....

.................................................... August we celebrated Daniels 11th Birthday.....Now i`m starting to feel my age...lol..This also was the month that Krystal came down with this mystery illness....Another stressful month.... September there were many hospital visits for both Krystal and Matt....By this stage I didn`t know whether I was coming or going.....There was some fun to be had in this month for the kids as it was the Royal show.....But as we know with fun there is always a downside.....This was the month that we lost our little nephew Callum in a tragic accident.....Also where his sister Chelsea was severely injured.....A very difficult and devasting month,.....

......................................................... October was a blur of a month.....2 funerals in two weeks having lost Callum and also an Aunty who lost her battle with Cancer....This was also my birthday which wasn`t much for a celebration this year....

........................................................ November saw for a busy month with school excursions for the kids....Then there was the little incident of Daniel and his burns...Also lots of strikes by the teachers at school....

....................................................... And finally we arrive at December....Shopping, lots of it....A holiday for Matt, myself and Daniel to KI...Then school breakups..More doctors appointments and Christmas Day....

............................................... 2008 has certainly had some highs but so too it`s lows....As I write this blog young Chelsea is still in hosiptal with her mother having not left her little girls side....There are signs of recovery but to what extent is still anyones guess....Everyday we pray that she will pull through and be that happy, energetic vibrant little girl she once was....

................................................ 2009 I wish for good health to everyone especially for those people who are suffering from illnesses......Whatever the year will bring I know that there will be laughter and hopefully not too many tears....

.......................................................... From my family to yours I would like to wish everyone a Happy New year....

Thank you for your friendship and support over the year, it has meant a lot to me....

A few happy snaps of Christmas Day

A few happy snaps of our Xmas Day....

My darling daughter and myself....

Geez I look brown compared to her...lol

My gorgeous boy who will always be the clown of the family....

He knows how to liven up a party....

The tribe all feasting away on Xmas tea....

Our family is slowly growing....

I truly treasure my family....They mean the world to me and I am ever so greatful that even though they can drive me nuts, and I probably drive them crazy, they love me unconditionally and vice versa.....

Happy Boxing Day

Another Christmas comes and goes which means another year that my poor husband is disappointed with his own children....The 3 of them made no effort to get in contact with him for the day nor have they replied to him about coming here for lunch today....He is so terribly upset....Yesterday as we were only around the corner from one of his daughters place, we decided to drop all the grandkids presents there...I sent a text message to all of them and still haven`t heard a thing....

I hate seeing my hubby so upset because of his girls, it breaks my heart and then the anger sets in but I try my hardest to bite my tongue....Hard for me to do but I do it under duress for my hubbies sake....

Then my middle son Joshua drops a bombshell on me Christmas Eve saying that he will be going away with his father on Christmas night for two weeks....I wasn`t upset because he was going away, I was upset because I had organised a family get together this night....

Well you can imagine my frustration and I stormed out of the house in tears.....I`m very sentimental when it comes to Christmas Day .....

My daughter followed me out the house and she calmed me down....My son rang his father and told him he would have to make it today....So everything worked out in the end....

An overall summary of the day, it was enjoyable...Beautifully cooked lunch made by Matts brother, home to a nice tea and a few relaxing drinks...

Now to get ready for the big shopping spree which starts at 12:01am tomorrow or tonight....lol

Then and maybe then I can actually start to relax and enjoy the school holidays with my youngest son......

Happy Boxing Day everyone.....

Home safe

Here we are already on the eve of Christmas eve....Where has the time gone???? As you can see we arrived home safe and well...My excellent driving skills of course.... I had worked myself up so much on the journey over there that I nearly barfed on the ferry.....Would not have lived that one down...A quick exit to the top deck for some fresh air and I was fine.... It`s been many years since I have been on the sea and had forgotten that feeling.... Kangaroo Island is such a beautiful place, I fell in love with it...The people are lovely and so friendly...I was in my element chatting away to anyone and everyone....A nice place to visit but I wouldn`t live there...Not for another 20 years or so...Too quiet and not enough shops for my liking... Where we stayed the owners were new themselves...They made the sea change from Melbourne 3 months ago and are loving it there....Daniel made friends with their son and were inseperable for the whole time....They have swapped email addresses and will keep in contact....The son didn`t want us to leave.... I went camera mad but haven`t had a chance to up load the pictures yet...Hopefully I`ll get a chance later tonight... Unfortunately I didn`t get to see half of what I wanted too...As you know we took Matt`s 82 year old mother and it was a struggle for her to get around freely....So it looks like we`ll have to organise another time for us to go back....She did have a relaxing time though and this will probably be her last holiday she goes on.... Daniel and I went to Seal Bay and it was incredible....To see nature at it`s best I was just in aww about it....Everywhere you travelled on the island there were different animals to see....The people who live on the island are truly blessed to have such beauty on their doorstep... Now we are back in the rat race.....The house is still standing and by the looks of things nothing is broken....The house was tidy (kid tidy) not mine...lol....So now we have to take Matt`s mother home and then food shop...Joshua has eaten absolutely everything in the fridge and freezer.... I have two boys who will be going on diets after Christmas....They both need to lose at least 15 kilo`s each.... Oh and yes they apparently did miss me...Krystal rang me every single day whilst away and Joshua now knows how much I do around this place....Still yet to have this big talk with both my kids which will probably take place over the next few days....I did a lot of soul searching as I had plenty of time to think.....

I have read your responses to my previous post and taken on board what you have said... They have a different mother home now .....

Lastly I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas....Enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends....

I can`t sleep

I know....I told you my last blog was going to be it until I got back....lol

This post is also on my other one but as some of you don`t go there i`ve written it here because I would really like everyones thoughts on a matter that has arisen...Here we go!!!!!

I can`t sleep, I want too but I have so much going through this head of mine... Plus I am in pain so here I find myself blogging.. My two eldest kids have been treating me like crap these past few days.... They have made me feel guilty for going away on holidays and especially because I am taking Daniel.... How short their memories are when only last year their father took them on a two week holday to Queensland and Darwin and not once did Daniel or anyone else say a thing... Bit oh no as soon as I want to go somewhere all hell breaks loose..... I`ve been in tears because of the way they have both treated me and to be honest I`m really not feeling much in a holiday mood.... To top things off I have given them each $150 to spend on whatever they want....Some of the money given from the government....As most of you know I am on carers for my hubby so we don`t have the luxuaries of being big spenders...Essentials in life come first and always have with me....I`m a big believer of food on the table, a roof over your head and the bills paid....Anything other than that is a bonus..... Well Joshua being the way he is has totally trashed his room including his mattress...It is ripped to shreds, totally destroyed ...I said to him by rights I should be buying him a new mattress with the $150 and whats left over he can get his new shoes....A $30 pair like everybody else in this world ....You see he doesn`t just want any old shoes, they have to be NIKE which conveniently cost $150.... His comment back to me was if I didn`t spend all that money on the holiday I could buy him the mattress plus his Nike shoes.... Little do they realise but Matt and myself have saved our own money for this holiday....It was money we had saved for Matt`s eldest daughters wedding but you know the story with that and why we couldn`t go.... This sort of comment plus others that have been going on for the last few days has deeply hurt me and i`m not sure as to what sort of kids I am raising now....I am truly having alot of doubts about them... I get the impression if it`s not about them then stuff everyone else....I am feeling used and most of all abused....I`m so tired and run down and i`m about ready to break.... I would really like to know your thoughts on a question i`m about to propose to you....I have my own thoughts on the matter but I would like to see how other people feel about this..... At what age do you think appropriate (if at all) that your son or daughters b/f g/f be able to stay over for the night in your home????? I`d be very interested to see some of your answers and be honest....As I said I have my own views on the matter and am curious to see whether I am close to what majority would do or say in a situation like this.... Ok so now i`m feeling a bit better for getting this off my chest....Now I know why I blog....

Baby 7 and it`s a boy

This will be my last entry before leaving tomorrow morning so i`ll make it a quick one...

Matt`s daughter did finally have her baby late yesterday delivered by "C" section as the baby`s head wasn`t engaging....

She is fine and baby Jordan is doing fine....

7lb something????

What a wonderful gift to have just before Christmas...

HAve a terrific week everyone and I will hopefully have lots to show and tell when I arrive back home....

Thanks for all your well wishes....

I can`t believe it`s happening

I don`t believe it....

Everything has finally fallen into place today so now I can officially say Thursday we are off to Kangaroo Island....

I`m excited...lol

Everything is paid for, booked, signed ,sealed and not quite delivered...

Back to the travel agents in the morning to pick up the tickets for the ferry....

I must say the lady at Harvey World Travel was an absolute gem...

She bent over backwards to make sure everything will go smoothly for us....

If I ever want to go anywhere else again I`ll defintely be going through them....

............................................................

Also got the new tyres for the car, fitted and wheel aligned so the car is now safe....

Now the hard part...

What to take?????

Not easy when being a female....

Decisions , decisions.....

lol

A lot to get done in the next few days

It`s my boys birthday tomorrow...15 years old already...Geez i`m feeling old now....

I say it every year with my kids...It only feels like last year that they were babies....

Not sure what plans he has but i`m sure he will think of something....

It also means that with his birthday tomorrow there is only 10 days to Christmas...Scared yet???...lol

My daughter has her own plans whilst we are away....Painting and redecorating her bedroom....She has gone out and bought the paint and other neccessary items to have the job done.....Knowing missy she`ll have the boys, being her brother and boyfriend at her beck and call so the job can be completed before I arrive home....

Well we`ll be at the travel agents tomorrow morning paying for our trip and so Thursday should be our departure day....I`m a little scared to be honest...I`ve been having awful nightmares about the ferry sinking on us....Stupid I know but even when I go out in our own boat I have some horrific nightmares.....Very gruesome.....Just an over active imagination...That`s what I keep telling myself...lol

I have a lot to get organised in the next 3 days and the major one will be writing a list of the do`s , don`ts and have too`s....They`ll soon see what mother does on a daily basis.....

They say it`s the thought that counts ?????

I arrived home after a long day of driving in torrential weather to find a new addition to the family.....

Putting it honestly I wasn`t too impressed......It is a present for Joshua from his girlfriend.....Daniel automatically fell in love with the new feline but i still have reservations about it all.....I really didn`t want to have another cat....Ours has been missing for about 3 months now (male) so there could be a slight possibility of him coming home.....

This one to make matters worse is it`s female.....

I`ve asked my son how does he intend to maintain it as he has no job to buy it`s food ect ect.....Then there is the matter of getting it desexed as there is no way I want baby kittens running all over the place....Kids, honestly they just don`t think about the bigger picture.....

It is cute though and it was trying to worm its way into my good books last night by sitting on my lap.....I`m such a sucker when it comes to animals....lol

The week is flying

I`m sitting here reaking of hair dye at the moment....It`s only been waiting here for me to do for over a week.....Never enough hours in the day of late .....So seeing as I have to wait for a half hour it was perfect opportunity for a catch up here....

Absolute bedlam at the shopping centre today.....And some rather impatient shoppers to say the least....Tempers were flaring and I must admit I did lose my cool today but at the wrong person....My hubby.....I apologised profusely but it didn`t make me feel any better....

I did purchase a digital camera today and quite happy with the price...$99 for an 8.2 megapixel 3 x optical zoom and a couple of other features....Plus it`s pink....Hubby laughed at me and asked why pink???....Silly question really!!!!

So now there will be happy snaps everywhere....Picked up the last of the layby`s today so thankfully no more shopping.....It was bad enough trying to do food shopping tonight....

Daniel is an angel when he wants to be....At the supermarket there is a lady who gives samples of new foods out on the market to the shoppers within the store...Well he has befriended her and every week without fail Daniel will be standing by her side giving her a helping hand...Plus sampling the food himself....lol

Today he asked me if I could give him $4 so that he could buy the lady a flower for Christmas....I gave him the money and like he said he would, went and bought her a marigold plant.....

She was at a loss......When I came to collect Daniel she asked me if it was alright that he did this....Naturally I said it was and she thanked him ever so much.....

So I know he does have a good heart and intentions...He just needs to get them in order.....He did make me proud though.....

A day I would rather forget

A bad, bad day and it didn`t end until 10pm tonight....

After I got Daniel off to school my mobile phone rings...

It`s hubby letting me know Josh`s g/f arrived on our door step unannounced....

Rule number one in this house is that no one is allowed in the house when i`m not home.....

So I ring the boy and remind him of Rule number 1 and that she needs to go home....

Then I get to the bank and my money hasn`t gone in....

Just wonderful.....

So I took out what I had and got a few important things done like new shoes for Daniel and a couple of other things....

Mainly got window shopping done so that come tomorrow i`ll go straight to where I need to and hopefully get the job done quickly....

Arrive home only to find g/f was still there.....

Grrrrrrrrrrrr

Big talk with son tonight....

Then to top my day off Daniel decided to sneak out from the backyard and go walkabouts AGAIN....

Found out where he was by ringing around and he was told to get his little backside home as it was 8pm......

Well he chose not too.....

Bad choice by his part....

When he eventually did get home after we drove the streets yet again he copped it big time....

His father this time actually smacked him and grounded him....

2 weeks of not going anywhere or seeing anyone and no swimming pool...

His favourite all time thing he likes to do.....

It was the last straw with the smacking .....

My husband has never done it as he is the softie out of us two but Daniel isn`t listening to reasoning anymore.....

The worst part is because of hubbies health he now has suffered a seizure.

A bad one too.....

I am really lost as to what to do with this child of ours....

Wedding pictures of the happy couple

Finally we have some photo`s of Matt`s daughters wedding day.....

The bridal party arriving

The boys waiting patiently....

The blushing bride herself....

The little bridesmaid at the front is Matt`s eldest grand daughter and the bridesmaid 3rd from the right is his middle daughter....

Time to put the roller blades on and fly like the wind

This week has been so hetic and somehow I don`t think it`s going to slow down any time quick.....

The two eldest kids have finished the school term and just one more to go....

Will that mean sleep ins????

Somehow I`m finding the possibilty of that happening is nothing but a pipe dream...lol

I`ve done a fair bit of shopping this past week but it will be nothing compared to the week coming up.....

New tyres for the car in readiness for our trip the following week...

As long as everything goes according to plan....

I have my eldest boys birthday coming up also....I can`t believe he`ll be turning 15....

Also there will be the arrival of number 7 grandchild....

And finally last minute shopping for anyone I have forgotten to buy for....

Believe me there is always one that you miss....

So looks like the days ahead will all be blending into one....

Ah the joys of Christmas, don`t you just love it....

lol....

Now to find those roller blades.....