Gastro is on the rise here

These days it`s hard to tell when my youngest is telling me the truth or not....

Yesterday he and his older brother decided they didn`t want to go to school because they weren`t feeling well, so after much arguing they got their own way...

Then last night I thought he was up to his usual bag of tricks where he was working his way up to having another day off school for today....The moaning and groaning of I don`t feel well...My tummy hurts..'

As parents you have probably heard it once or twice before....

Well suddenly from nowhere he gets up and threw up every where...

Hmmm maybe he was telling me the truth....

Don`t you just hate that feeling of doubting someone only to be proved wrong...lol

He was quite bad last night....

So much so that I had to get a doctor out for him because the vomiting wouldn`t stop...

I have been up most of the night with him as the terrible pains in the stomach that come with Gastro are excruciating....

The doctor gave him something to stop the vomiting (which mind you didn`t work)..

I`ve changed bed sheets and clothes twice throughout the night..

I`ve seen enough spew to last me the rest of the year...

And apparently Gastro is running wild here in Adelaide so becareful and be vigilant everyone...

It`s a bad one, never seen Daniel quite this bad before....

Something Light hearted to start the week off

Things I Hate About Everyone

1 People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2 People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the T.V.. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.

3 When people say 'Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too'. Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4 When people say 'it's always the last place you look'. Of course it is. Why the hell would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their asses!

5 When people say while watching a film 'did you see that?'. No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the damn floor.

6 People who ask 'Can I ask you a question?'.... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7 When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8 When people say 'life is short'. What the hell?? Life is the longest damn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that' s longer? 9 When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks 'Has the bus come yet?'. If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbass?

Not a good enough reason in my view

Boy am I glad it`s the weekend.. The weeks are just flying by and already two weeks away from the first lot of school holidays... Actually looking forward to the holidays, I need a rest from the same ol routine... Still have my doubts about the new school... Poor Daniel is the one who is struggling big time... He has learning difficulties and this school doesn`t or is it won`t provide extra help unless he has been assessed... Daniel has pretty much spat the dummy a couple of times at school because he is feeling isolated and frustrated, he can`t cope with the work and especially his teachers attitude... His way of dealing with it, walk out the class and "P" off from school.... I was so worried the other night I actually had to get the police out lookinbg for him....As you can guess he was found... So a note to the school stating that they need to get something in place for him... A phone call regarding my letter from an obnoxious woman saying that the classes are large and Daniel naturally won`t get the attention he needs... Well I came back with a smart ass answer which went something like they are teachers aren`t they... This is why we send our kids to school, to be taught isn`t it???? I think I took her by surprise..... Now they are going to get him assessed.... I don`t want my son to be some statistic where he just slips through the system... He is there to learn and if they can`t cope because of class sizes that`s not my fault nor my childs fault.... What gets me is they`re quick to take your school fees ..... Just a note....I`m not bagging all teachers here either...It just seems to be this particular school ....Daniel`s last school also had very large quantities of children in the one class...They didn`t give me the excuse that because of the amount of children in the one class he won`t get the attention he needs.... They instead did something about it and gave him the extra tutoring he needed.... This new school has a very funny way of dealing with kids and parents who need extra support.... So I will give it a little longer to see whether or not they actually do something about it.... If I get no response in what I call a reasonable length of time then I will go above their heads....Too many kids are left behind because of this very attitude by "some" teachers and I as a mother won`t let this happen....

There could be a change on the horizon

OK so it`s been another crazy week...

Kids have tested and tried me like there is no tomorrow but what has worried me the most is I haven`t been able to turn the other cheek like I usually do...

Sleep or lack of is playing a huge part in the way I have been handling things....

Lately I have been so moody i`m actually scaring myself...

So I am making a point of seeing a doctor next week and we all know how much I dislike doctors.....

I really do think I am going through the change....

And for those "packed to the rafter" fans NO i`m not pregnant....

For a while now the sleep pattern has gone haywire, then there is the night sweats...

I`m so bad that I actually have to sleep with a fan on of a night....

Then there is the hot flushes that I get throughout the day...

Don`t even get me started on the angry outbursts, they are ferocious....

Tonight I think I shocked everyone...Hmmm come to think of it I shocked myself...

A certain daughter told me to shutup...

Big mistake on her part...

I grabbed my bag , stormed out of the house, jumped into the car and went down to the beach to calm myself down....

As I said it`s very unlike me...

Thankfully hubby has said he will go with me to the doctors as he knows I will probably chicken out....

So if it is the change omg how am I going to cope or is that, how is the family going to cope???....

Life might be about to get a whole lot more interesting....lol

In a mood

Unfortunately !!!!!!

My kids have tested my patience starting this morning with their carry on`s and it`s now spread into this evening...

I have been unwell for the past few days and you would think that they would be considerate of this but oh no let`s make mum`s life hell....

Teens and bickering , honestly they are acting like two year olds...

So I have repaid the favour and sent the whole lot of them to their rooms for the night....

If this is the way they wish to behave then I will treat them like babies...

Then to top the day off teen son Joshua earnt himself a suspension from school because of his smoking habit....

When will their nonsense cease????

A nice afternoon out

After being stood up by my son on Saturaday , he had a better offer (friends) we did manage to get out this afternoon ....

A lovely stroll down Jetty Rd Glenelg and then a short stop off at the beach....

I bought him a skimmer board as he nagged me constantly until I gave in....

It was worth the $10 as he gave me some great laughs watching him trying to work out how to work the thing...

In the end he gave up and went for a dip in the water....

Too cold for my liking so I was just happy to take a few snaps for the album...

On our walk towards the beach they had the local band playing....They drew quite a crowd in the end and I must say they were very good...

Daniel was in aw with the drummer....He has been wanting to play the drums for a while now and this has stirred him up again....

I need a sound proof shed before I will contemplate going down that path...

The life guards were on duty this afternoon not that too many lives needed saving today....The beach wasn`t terribly busy and there were less in the water......Just the way I like it...Any other time you`re fighting for a space on the beach....

It still disappoints me to see this eye sore on the front of the beach .....It used to be so green with lots of trees but now a days all we see is cement....

TGIF

At last we have made it to the end of the week with minimal damage done..

What a week it has been too...

Packed to the hilt, what with the house inspection, hospital visits, new school and children faking sickness and finally wagging...

Now that the kids have had a week of settling in i`m praying that from here on in things will finally get into a routine...

In between this I managed some great bargain shopping...My haven for some sanity....lol

Plans for this weekend are to relax, maybe take the youngest for a drive in the country and enjoy the scenery...

That`s the plan anyway...

You all have a wonderful weekend...

Stay safe ...

Sebaceous Nevus

15 years ago I gave birth to a healthy baby boy who had what is known today as sebaceous nevus....

To put it in English it looks like a scar of sorts and this was on the side of his head...

Most frequently, a solitary, hairless patch is noted on the scalp at birth or in early childhood.

A velvety tan or orange-yellow plaque may also occur on other areas of the head and the neck. Hormonal influences from the mother may briefly increase the prominence in an infant, whereas pubertal hormones enhance the verrucoid appearance in an adolescent.

Doctors were baffled by the sight of it as it is very rare indeed....

Well my boy had a specialist appointment with the dermatologist today as it has changed in size and colour....

It`s something he and I , yes I passed it on to him , have to live with and be vigilant of any changes that occurs with this condition....

The specialist has only ever seen one other case like Joshua`s so they were excited that they were given permission to take pictures of the lesion....

We now have to return to the hospital next month for a biopsy...

In very rare cases it can turn cancerous and seeing as Joshua's has now changed colour they are not taking any risks....

As for me mine has never changed colour...

Still a lovely shade of pink but it has grown over the years....

It`s getting to the stage where my hair is having difficulty in covering it so it might be time to see whether they can actually surgically remove it...

Not quite the day I had planned

I`m sure this is what my two sons planned last night as today was an absolute nightmare...

What made matters worse is that I woke with a sore throat and runny nose...

Not a good way to start a busy day...

Then teen son acted up because he didn`t get much in the way of sleep so he wanted to take the day off school....

I wasn`t having any of that especially as he has already had a month off school.

So he was in what I would say the foulest of moods when I dropped them all off at school...

Not an hour later I received a text message stating youngest, Daniel showed on their records that he was absent from school...

OMG where was he????...

Then five minutes later I get a call from the school saying Joshua was having some sort of asthma attack....

Deep down I knew this wasn`t the case as he hasn`t suffered from asthma for well over four years...

I thought to myself could my day get any worse...Especially today of all days...

It was supposed to be a day where I could sit back and reminisce about the good times I had with my dad....It`s been 3 years since his passing and I still struggle with having him gone....

I digress...Sorry...

Back to the subject of the two trouble makers ...lol

Joshua was hyperventilating when I walked into the sick room....I was angry with him that he actually worked himself into such a state....

I had no choice but to take him home and miraculously halfway home he was breathing quite normally....

Do you know how pissed off I was????....

VERY....

Then I had the worry of Daniel...

Where was he and why would he want to wag school only being his second day in????....

I just could not believe this was all going on ....

Eventually Daniel rang home....

He was at a local McDonalds...

Convenient hey !!!!!

So I picked him up, had a good talking to him and the solution I came up with was I will have to walk him to class every morning until I can trust him again....

Life was supposed to be easier having them all in the same school...

So far it`s been far from that....

I NEED A HOLIDAY.....lol

In some short spurts throughout the day I was able to think of some fond memories of Dad...

Obviously not enough time has passed for the grieving I still go through...

I know it will get easier EVENTUALLY....

I think the hardest part is that he was all that I had.....

New school, a different sort of pet and the Queen of the house

Don`t they look sweet in their new uniforms.....lol... How long it lasts is yet to be seen...hahaha

It was up bright and early this morning as it was the start of the kids first day at the new school plus house inspection day....

It just about killed the little darlings as they had to make their own beds and clean up after themselves...

You should have heard the moaning and groaning, anyone would have thought they were being tortured...lol....

I think they were excited though....Very nervous chatter in the car heading towards school....

Infact I couldn`t shut them up....

Usually it`s just Daniel and me and Daniel like me is not a morning person...We like peace and quiet in the mornings but the other two omg they could talk under water if need be....

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

A change of subject...

Last week when we were waiting for our bus Daniel who is not one for sitting still went for a wander ...Not far from the bus stop...

Next minute he yells out at the top of his voice "mum there`s a pig here"...

Well Daniel is good at spinning a tale or two so I didn`t take him seriously....

"Mum come look i`m not joking" he screams again....

So we wander down to the house where supposedly there is a pig....

Well I nearly fell over..

Sure enough there was a pig penned in on someone front yard here in suburbia....

Naturally now the kids want their own pet pig which mother is having no part of...lol

We have far too many animals as it is and they are all so domineering....

I mean the cat we have thinks she is Queen of Sheeba....

I don`t know how many times I have trodden on her as she follows me everywhere even to the toilet....

I literally have to kick her out so I can have some peace doing what a girl has to do ....lol

Was this fate??

Anyone would think that i`m the one going back to school tomorrow as i`m excited....

But my excitement is due to the fact that I will finally have the me time I have been missing these past few weeks....

Don`t get me wrong I love my kids but when they are under your feet all day everyday it can be quite wearing....

The youngest has only been the one going to school on a regular basis, the older two well with all the trouble that`s been going on in their lives should hopefully now ease....

Speaking of trouble the ex g/f is still to this day giving Joshua a hard time ....

Funny thing is I happened to run into her at our shopping centre yesterday.....

Was it fate that this happened?????

Whatever the reason I took the opportunity to have a little heart to heart with the trouble maker....

I had her in tears, Not my objective, but she has been spreading malicous rumours about my son and now some not very nice people are after my boy due to her lies....

I know he is far from an angel, i`ll be the first to admit that but I will not tollerate lies....

So I kindly gave the ex a week to fix the mess she has created otherwise there will be a bigger mess waiting for her and she knows not to mess with mama.....

How`s them for fighting words....lmao

The things you do for your kids honestly....

I suppose I was pretty much the same with my siblings...They would come to me for help when they were younger and it`s now in me to help my own kids.....

So now a new start, new friends, new environment and a new attitude.....

And if they don`t god knows what I will do to them....lol

The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long

My friends what can I say,

It has been a c r a z y couple of days...

Firstly yesterday...

We arranged for the car to be towed to the mechanics first thing in the morning...

Hubby went with the car...

Meanwhile I organised the kids and our bus journey started...

Arrived in time for the interview with the new school...

It started off a bit bumpy as they were unsure as to whether the two older kids would actually get in because of subjects and personally I did wonder whether Joshua`s looks had something to do with it...lol...

But thankfully it all worked out and the kids start their new school come Monday morning....

Then another bus trip home and I was thinkng to myself I do hope that the car won`t be far from ready...

Well that thought was soon put to rest....

A phone call from the mechanic to say they had found another problem.....

"Why am I not surprised" I said to myself.....

Anyway the car wouldn`t be ready for at least another 3 hours....

I had so much to do that day and without a car it was going to be a long day....

So another bus trip to go get a few basics done....This time I just took the daughter with me...

Did what we had too and back to the bus stop where the bus was waiting for us and as I parked my bum on the seat my phone went off...

It was the mechanics saying that the car was ready to be picked up....

Hooray......

There was yet to be another bus ride to where the mechanics shop was and it was a joyous occassion for owner and car to finally be reunited....Even daughter was over the amount of bus trips we did that day...lol

By the time I finished what was needed to be done that day it was 7pm before I could park my behind down for the evening....

Then we come to today`s events...

Firstly there was the hospital appointment at 9am for Krystal...

So our day began at 6;30am as we were busing it again....

Yes people`s another bus...

Actually two buses to the hospital...

We arrived early and amazingly we weren`t kept waiting long....

By 9:30 am we were out of the hospital and waiting for another bus for the journey home...

Then it was into town as we had to go and purchase new uniforms for the kids ready for their big day come Monday...

Boys were easy...Polo tops and bottoms....

Krystal on the other hand opted for the pinafore...

Naturally it was too long, "too nerdy" were her words...lol....

Quick phone call to her nana asking could she take up the dress for her ....

No mum can`t do these things.....I`m just no good at hemming...lol

Nana is a lifesaver as she did it there and then....

Then pitt stops off to the schools to drop off books and say goodbyes....

Another long, l o n g, l o n g day....

I am exhausted from these past couple of days...

The amount of buses (9 all up in case you lost count) and walking I have done has really taken it`s toll on this old out of shape body of mine....

I am ready for bed and somehow I think I will sleep tonight....lol

It can only happen to me

Just when I think things are starting to turn good for me SOMETHING pops it`s little head up to upset the apple cart....

I don`t know WHY I get it into my head that things are looking up....lol

The day started out well...

Doctors appointments for Matt and Joshua came home from his fathers after a bit of a break from home....

Coming home from the doctors I noticed the temperature gage in the car creeping towards a very dangerous level....

RED LINE infact....

Well being a female naturally I panicked thinking i`m going to blow the motor.....

I found the first available parking spot and pulled over...

Thankfully hubby was in the car with me otherwise I would have been a mental case...lol

'Seems the water pump in the car has ceased...

Wonderful....

We waited for a while for the car to cool down .....We were only 5 minutes of car driving away from home...

So hubby carefully drove the car home....

Made a few calls to get the car in to be repaired for tomorrow and a nice price to fix it....

Meanwhile it will be buses for me and the kids tomorrow as I am enrolling them into a new school.....

I`m cursed I tell you.....

People know just how much I detest public transport and it`s now been forced upon me....

Damn cars....

Can`t live with them and definitely can`t live without them...

A good outcome for all in the end

It was a very emotional day at the nursing home yesterday...

From reports we had heard about Matts mother being settled and happy in her new environment we were eager to see her....

When we arrived it wasn`t what we expected....

Yes she did look well but both Matt and I could tell by the way she was speaking and her lack of motivation and enthusiasm to get out of bed that she was far from happy...

It was heart breaking to sit back and watch what was a vibrant woman just give up on everything that she valued most,,,,

Her will to live....

She is far from happy....She didn`t say anything but then she didn`t need too, we could tell....

We stayed for an hour or so and then went back to Matt`s brothers house...

This was where the mother lived, with her youngest son for twenty plus years....

I burst into tears saying I can`t stand by and watch her go through life like this....

He was bewildered by what we had said to him as he was only in there yesterday and she was fine according to him...

He rang her whilst we were there, she finally told him the truth, she wasn`t happy there but she didn`t want to say anything to upset everyone...

He told her he was coming to pick her up today and bring her back home...

Well you should have heard the glee in her voice...

She instantly picked up knowing that she was finally going to come back home....

She asked the son how did you know that I wasn`t happy....

He told her what we had seen on our visit....

She laughed for the first time in ages and said that she has never been able to hide anything from Matt and myself...

So now what we will be doing is rather than leaving it all up to Matt`s brother to care for her is we will organise in home care....

A carer will come out twice daily to tend to her needs while she is in her "own " surroundings where she feels safe , comfortable and most of all HAPPY.....

And finally I told her off , jestfully of course never to try and hide her true feelings....

Not that she can hide them from Matt and myself....lol

The great outdoors

Yep still trying to snap myself out of this gloomy mood of mine....

Today instead of being locked up in the house I was able to get out into the garden which has been so neglected over the summer months...

It felt great to finally get outdoors and listen to the birds chirping....

The big bonus was there were no European wasps to contend with...

This year has been shocking for them....

It certainly put a dampner on our social activities outdoors this summer...

Barbecues were very limited as every time we tried to have one we would have so many of these wasps to contend with it just wasn`t worth the hassle....

Since the cooler weather has arrived , plus the added bonus of rain for the past two days everything seems to have come alive again....

For 3 hours I got stuck into pulling weeds, yes weeds, they still grow don`t they ???

Not even the heat can kill them...lol....

My poor vegie patch has taken a beating this summer...

Unbelievably we still have tomatoes growing even though I have neglected it.....

I will have to pull the plants soon though as I want to get the garden ready for the winter crop......

I am pleased with the results I got this summer from the vegetables I grew...

It gives you great satisfaction and much cheaper on the hip pocket too....

I must say I much prefer this cooler weather we are experiencing at the moment....

Give me this sort of weather any day....

Keep the coffee rolling

I`m feeling much the same as you Fran...

Tired and worn out....

Lately there never seems to be enough time for anything and the next few weeks aren`t slowing down for me either...

I have two specialist appointments for the kids at the hospital...

Doctors appointment for hubby and in between that a house inspection....

And how I detest house inspections...

I worry that they`ll find something that`s not up to their standards....

Then in between all this I am going to try and get the kids all into the one school....

We have a school close by that goes from reception to year 12...

The daughter isn`t happy at all where she is currently now and the teen son, well he is having all sorts of problems still with his ex.....As for the youngest he is not fussed where he goes but thinks it will be pretty cool to go to the same school as his brother and sister...

I`m not sure how it will go but I will give it my best....

Thankfully it`s a long weekend here in Adelaide being Adelaide Cup weekend so an extra sleepin day will be greatly appreciated on my part.....

We still have a lot of paperwork to fill out regarding hubby`s mum so this will be done Saturday.....

I can see lots and lots of caffeine will be consumed to keep me going...lol

Here`s to a busy week ahead...

We have rain

After 3 long months we have rain....Yes nearly fell over myself...I almost forgot what it feels like....

Only problem now it`s turned very humid and I have terrible trouble trying to breath in this sort of weather....

I`ve woken this morning with a rotten chest cough...Sounds like a dog barking...lol

Son came home for a visit from his fathers and good news , he has broken up with the g/f for good this time....And I am making sure it`s for good if he is to return here....

I can`t have one person upsetting the household any longer and with this young upstart off the scene life should return to some sort of nomality....Note to oneself "must stick by what i say"...lol

Im off to take Krystal to see the specialist today.....Some sort of diagnosis on her problem would be good.....

Only downfall on the trip to the hospital is it will be by public transport....We all know how much I hate this part but the way things are with public hospitals and their car parking system public transport is the easiest option....

An interesting trip to the nursing home

On our way down to see Matts mother in the nursing home there was plenty to see....First stop was Hindley St all blocked off with police tape everywhere, cop cars everywhere and tv camera crews galore.....

We had no idea what took place until we watched the news that night...Another fatal stabbing....

That`s beginning to be one place that no one wants to venture too....It`s just not safe anymore....

Then about halfway to the nursing home we saw this fantastic piece of machinary....One sort of car I wouldn`t mind having parked up my driveway...

A Lotus....Wouldn`t the neighbours be envious??..lol

Finally arrived at the nursing home an hour and a half later....Just my luck we caught nearly every red light possible....And hubby kindly reminded me of the fact....A real darl he is...lol...

The place looked lovely from the outside...We had plenty of time to take in the view as we were locked out for about 10 minutes....Doors wouldn`t open up for us...At least they have good security on the premises...lol

The inside was remarkable....

You walked in to like a little plaza on the ground floor...

A cafe, hairdressers, gift shops.....You wouldn`t believe this was a nursing home...Even the internet....I nearly fell over when I saw that....lol

As for the upstairs where the residents are it was immaculate....The nursing staff were very friendly and made us feel right at home....

Matts mother said she feels very safe there...Not surprised as it`s bloody hard to get through the doors....lol

It will take her a while to settle as she has always had the freedom of her own home and now everything she does is a set routine within the nursing home...Then there is the adjustment of having to make new friends...She seems to be hiding in her shell at the moment but i`m sure as time wears on she`ll make some lovely friends and feel right at home...