Life takes over some times!

I have finaly decided it was time to do another blog post ! The months have just ran away with me this year I've been so busy!

I haven't done any stitching to speak of since last November, but I did do a wedding sampler for my nephew's wedding last month. I left it until the last minute to start it so had to shorten and adjust the original design, but it was well received any way :-)



The only reason I managed to get it done is because Janine and I took a few days away in the fostering association caravan, in Talybont, North Wales. I really needed the break and it was lovely to unwind and relax. The tv in the caravan didn't work, as Wales have already gone digital, so we watched a dvd each night and stitched and went to bed early. After having 2-3 long walks on the beach every day I was ready for bed I can tell you lol. Janine has adopted CAL, a collie cross rescue dog and he came with us and loved the freedom of the beach ... but not the water! lol

I finaly got some extra support from fostering, and last month a carer started coming in for an hour in the evening to help me get Jack sorted and in to bed. He's getting so big now! He had his 13th birthday in April and I had a party for all his family, here in my home. My ex went down to Ludlow to pick up all 17 of them and bring them here, then returned them back again after the party. I hired a bouncy castle for the children and put on a buffet, so every one had a lovely time and realy enjoyed them self. It's the first time since Jack was little, that both sides of the family have been together and it went off very well.
Jack is struggling to eat and drink so much now that we're having to go to Alder Hay Childrens Hospital to have a gastrostomy peg fitted so he can be fed straight in to his stomach. He choughs and splutters so much that he's asperating his food and it's getting quite dangerous for him, so although it will be such a shame to take the food away from him, it's the best thing for his health. We're going to see the consultant in a couple of weeks and will hopefully get the date for the surgery then. We have also had to alter his meds this year as his seizures have been very irratic and not very easily controlled, but we're getting there slowly!

I have taken on another foster child as a long term placement. Daniel is 8 and has autism and learning disabilities. He has had 3 placement breakdowns in the 2 yrs he's been in care, and needs an experienced carer to look after him. He has been struggling with going for poo's but with lots of good food and extra fibre, I've got him going reasonable well, and he is so proud that he isn't soiling his pants any more! Bless him lol He can fixate on things and get very distressed if things change with out him knowing, so I have to be carefull what I promise etc. ie I said he could have crunchy nut cornflakes for breakfast one night, but Janine had the last of them before going to work that next morning, so I gave him frosties instead, but he knew it was wrong and it took a bit of coaxing to stop a full blown paddy insueing lol He has a phonominal memory and remembers the days things happen very clearly and exactly what has been said!!! If you have ever seen the film Rain Man, with Dustin Hoffman , then you will have an idea of what Daniel is like, although he isn't a Savaunt like the charactor in the film.

In May the girls and I had a day out in London for my birthday. We got an early train down to Euston and did the London Eye, the Tower of London and Madme Tussauds. It was a lovely sunny day and we didn't have to rush any where it was just so nice! We did however lose Cindy on the underground lol She got off the tube ahead of us and the doors shut, trapping me and Janine inside the tube and took us off down the track! Cindy had the sense to wait there and we got on the return tube back again, but when I said I'd meet her at the top of the stairs (as we were then on the opposite side of the track to her), she followed every one out, through the barriers, and ended up on the otherside of the dual carriage way to us !!! Thank goodness for mobile phones!! We managed to find each other again, but she was shaken up and needed a cuddle lol She is now DEFINATELY not going to live and work in London rofl

Well, that's my news in brief, just to keep you updated and to let you know that I'm still here, working hard and still smiling :-) :-)

Catch up at last

I'm afraid I haven't been in the mood for blogging or visiting boards for quite a while and have fallen by the way side in reading blogs etc. Life has been busy and so I've just been visiting Face book and Stashaholics Central and leaving it at that. I'm not sure if it's to do with the long, cold winter we're having but I'm sure we're all begining to suffer the effects of S A D, I certainly feel down and don't want to do much of any thing lately :( I'm longing for some sunshine and warmth! .. and I'm not a hot weather person usualy! lol .I had a lovely email from Julie and a poke from Barb in one of the funny emails she sends, which reminded me that although I haven't met any of my stitching friends from blog land and boards, they still think of me occasionally and wonder what I'm up to. So I thought I'd better do another post :)

As you may remember from my last post, I finally managed to get the Social Services to pay the down payment on the Motorbility car, and I took delivery of it this week. One whole year after starting to ask for their help in getting a car! I have been able to sell my VW transporter back to the dealer who I bought it off originally so I'm pleased about that. It has done me proud over the years, and I've transported alot of things in it, not just Jack. I helped my friends move house, took furniture to the tip, a treadmill up north, and a marble fireplace to name a few ROFL
The new car's reg no is NK59FJJ which translated means ... Nice Kit .... For Jack's Journeys ... very appropriate don't you think lol

I have had two very major meetings with the senior managers about the way I've been treated this last few years, and the lack of support I've had. I managed to get the support of the Fostering Network's Advice and Mediation Officer for this and she has been a real help. She is appalled at the treatment I've had considering the disabilities Jack has, and the impact it has on our life 24hrs a day. The out come ... so far.. is that they are looking in to setting up a protocol for carer's of disabled children and looking in to the cost of looking after these children, the support needed and the training required.
The 3 senior managers did a 'roadshow' around Shropshire last month, to let every one know about the new changes they're bringing in, none of which where about disabilities, so I took Jack along and 2 other sets of carers who look after disabled children, and we 'high jacked' the meeting! We told them about our grievances and problems and made them listen, it was awesome!!
Some thing must have worked because just this week I have been offered Manual Handling and Makaton training ! I have been requesting M H training for years!!! So hopefully some thing will get done and stay done

The nursing help that was put in place has been very hit and miss! The PCT team have staffing problems and don't come out to Jack at all now, and the agency who started before Christmas have been terrible. They didn't turn up on Christmas Eve, so the girls and I had to cancel our meal out! I had to run around and make a christmas dinner at short notice and we ate at home. Luckily I'd bought in a turkey breast, so I could cook it and have cold meat on the buffet, Christmas Day. So I cooked that and did all the trimmings and where I would usualy put every thing in to dishes on the table for Christmas dinner, I just dished up the food on to the plates and served it up. Even though it was a last minute dinner, every thing was lovely and the girls and I enjoyed our meal :) We had a couple of glasses of wine and had hysterics when the desert was dished up because I'd taken it out of the freezer a couple of hours before, for it to defrost, only to find that it was an icecream desert and when I cut in to it, it oozed out over the plate and all over the table in a puddle of icecream rofl It was sooo funny!! lol

Jack is entering puberty, now he's almost 13yrs old and as a result his seizures are increasing in strength and frequency, so I'm struggling with him at the moment. I had to call out the ambulance to him last month as the buccal medazalam wasn't working (he produces too much salivor for it to absorb in to his cheeks) and I needed rectal diazapam to be administered. We have since met with the consultant and she has introduced a new medication. I have to increase it every 2 weeks and each time it causes him to be very sleepy for two days and he has clusters of 5-6 seizures which require rescue medication. So it's been very fraught lately! The consultant also pointed out that Jack is in the group of people who could die in their sleep through epilepsy! It is similar to sudden death syndrome in babies, but is caused by the seizures ! A very scary thought, and it's not a nice thing to live with!
As I mentioned, Jack will be 13 yrs old in April, and I have arranged for him to have his birthday party here, and have arranged transport for all 16 of his family to come up for the afternoon. He usually goes home to his mum for his birthdays, but last time he visited, he didn't get his tea or a nappy change, and I don't feel that it's fair on Jack. Also, mum doesn't have the equipment needed for hoisting him etc and has to manually lift him out of his chair, which is dangerous now he's getting bigger. So to avoid upsetting any one, and to safe guard Jack, I will have his birthday here this year :)

My parents bungalow, which is up for sale, has now got a tenant in. They are a family who were interesting in it last summer but hadn't sold their house. They now are renting the bungalow and will be buying it May time, when their finances are sorted. My sister didn't ask my brother and I if we agreed to this, but there's nothing new there! At least the house is occupied and will be sold soon :)

Both girls are doing well and still working hard. Janine has rescued a collie from the National Rehoming Centre at Roden and so we now have 3 dogs. He is called Cal and is an absolute darling, but he doesn't like sharing his food with the other two and his chases cats!! Oscar is keeping to the front room and the bedrooms and has now decided that the front room window is his new cat flap, as the proper one opens in to the kitchen where the dogs are lol I will post a picture of Cal next time I post :)

I hope your all keeping well, happy and loved xxxxxxx