I’ve Been Tagged – Questions and Answers

I was tagged a few weeks ago by the lovely Mummy Matters in a questions and answers meme. I’ve been so busy over the past couple of months that I’ve only just gotten around to doing it (sorry).  Basically all I have to do is answer the following questions as truthfully as possible:

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

My son! The more I learn about Aspergers and Autism the more amazed I am by J and his ability to get through each and everyday. Starting school, moving countries, dealing with a bully, seeing lots of new people (therapists/doctors etc) and even just going shopping are hard enough for anyone …………….. but for a 5 year old……………. with Aspergers…………. WOW I’m in total awe of you little man. xxx

When were you happiest?

If I think of the past I was always happiest listening to my beloved Nan talk about days of old, her life and things that she had done. Right now I’m always happiest when I am with my Husband and Son. I love watching them play together, it always puts a smile on my face and makes me feel warm inside.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

There’s far too many of them to choose just one!

Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?

My car!

What is your most treasured possession?

My Son! Although he’s not really a possession. My photographs are probably my most treasured possession, especially those of my family and close friends.

Where would you like to live?

If I could choose anywhere in the world it would have to be Florida, it’s warm, the people are friendly, there’s lots to do and it’s not too long a flight away from family and friends

What’s your favourite smell?

I have no idea!  I love the smell of babies, my son, freshly washed sheets when you bring them in off the line, fresh bread, a sunday roast…………………

Who would play you in the film of your life? 

Not to steal Mummy Matters’s actress but I think I would also choose Sandra Bullock.

What is your favourite book?

I don’t really have a favourite book but I love reading. I’m a huge fan of the Twilight series, Harry Potter and Danielle Steel books.  I have also recently started to build a big collection of books about Autism and Aspergers, I’m currently reading The Autism Experience.

What is your most unappealing habit?

mmmmm probably biting my nails, I know very unappealing but I only do it when I’m feeling a little stressed!

What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?

I guess that it would be something from the 50′s/60′s era or maybe a hippy from the 70′s, all eras that I love.

What is your earliest memory?

Singing Humpty Dumpty with my Uncle

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Ice cream, I love it!

What do you owe your parents?

Thanks for bringing me into the world, thanks to my Mum for bring me up and thanks to my Dad for not turning me away. Most of who I am I owe to my Nan, it is her that I owe everything to, so Thankyou Nan x

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?

My Nan,  I’m sorry I was the one to hurt you so badly by telling you that Granddad was gone and most of all I’m sorry that we had to say goodbye to the both of you.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My son is and always will be the greatest love of my life.

What does love feel like?

As Mummy Matters says there are different types of love and they all feel different, the love I have for my son is indescribable, it’s a feeling you have for someone or something that you would literally do anything for, it’s a feeling that can make you feel on top of the world and yet at other times break your heart in two, it’s a feeling that I never want to lose!

What was the best kiss of your life?

The one my son gave me this morning when he said “morning Mum, I love you”

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Probably Oh My God!  - J has started saying quite often too, mmmmm think he may have picked it up from me!   I can often be heard telling J “Use your words”, which is probably a little overused.

What is the worst job you’ve done?

mmmmm I’ve had a few, probably McDonalds!

If you could edit your past, what would you change?

Nothing, everything in life happens for a reason.

What is the closest you’ve come to death?

I’m not sure, probably with one of my miscarriages, I lost quite alot of blood or maybe one time with my Asthma.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Becoming a Mum!

When did you last cry, and why?

I don’t know probably a few days ago out of frustration and tiredness, it’s hard work dealing with meltdowns, a school that doesn’t listen and a child begging you not to send him!

How do you relax?

Listening to music, watching my favourite programs on TV, going for a walk, reading a book or just watching J sleep.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

Right now good health for all my family would be very welcome. Other than that a large sum of money would be great and enable us to buy a house here in Oz, pay for a specialist tutor for J, a variety of therapies when the funding runs out, a specialist to sort Hubby’s back out and of course to simply provide financial security not just for us but for J.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Don’t waste a moment, make the most of everyday, always remember to tell those that matter how you feel about them because you may never get another chance.

Now its my turn to do the tagging:

 

 Wonderfully Wired  

Growing my Family Tree

My Little Drummer Boys

 

 

 

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My Under 8′s Day Experience

Today was Under 8′s Day at J’s school, the theme was “bush to beach” and there was a teddy bears picnic and lots of fun art activities……………….sounds like fun eh?……….not for a child with ASD and OCD, a child who really isn’t into messy art, a child who doesn’t like crowds, (it was years prep – year 2 and in J’s school there are 3 prep classes each with approx 27 children in, so you can imagine just how many children there were), and definitely not fun for a child who hated the idea of a picnic so much that he refused to have a teddy just so he didn’t have to have a picnic!

I managed to convince J to go to school, promising that I would stay for the special time and that he wouldn’t have to sit on the grass, (have a picnic).

There was a small group of parents who stayed to help with the event, each had a small group of children to take around the different activities. Guess who scored a group of “special” children?……………………… Yep me!  3 gorgeous boys, J (of course) and his “friends” M and N………. 2 with ASD and 1 suspected, (going though the diagnosis route)…….. OH BOY!!!!

About half way around one of the teacher aides took N and so I was left with J and M.  WOW!  I was so proud of the boys there was so much going on and I could see both boys were starting to struggle so I took them to the prep playground and let them play for a while, then we went into the classroom, the quiet, non sensory overload, non crowded classroom so that both boys could relax.

After the activities it was time for the teddy bears picnic. J started to panic and asked if he could sit at a table and was told by his teacher that he could. I was supposed to be leaving once they had arrived and settled for the picnic………………….. unfortunately there was no table and I was asked to sit with J on a bench (which was away from the other children) with J whilst he ate his sandwiches……… although it was nice to see how J was at school.

I found it interesting to see just how little the school had taken into consideration the needs of some of the “special kids” and how often some of the tell-tale signs were completely missed. For example, when sitting on the mat at the start of the day J was grinding his teeth and doing his lip thing, (moving them in and out), which is one of his tell-tale signs that he is feeling anxious. Unfortunately the only person that noticed this, other than myself, was M’s Mum, I guess that’s why I get the feedback that I do from the school.

The whole morning, as fun as it was supposed to be, was complete sensory hell for the ASD kids and yet the school is supposed to be “Autism Central” around here and they are supposed to understand and cater for these kids…………… I guess not eh?

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A Mixed Bag………..

We’ve had 2 meetings this week both of which have created a mixed bag of emotions.

The first meeting was with a new OT, The OT and Speechy that we were seeing at the end of last year was a complete waste of time. Alot of our funding was used up and no progress was made, no sensory diet created………nothing. We were under the impression that this was one of the only places in our area to go, that accepted the funding, however at the beginning of this year we found a wonderful new Speech Therapist who in a short space of time has already helped a great deal and J responded well to her. It was her that gave us the details for J’s new OT, yes we will be seeing her again!

The OT that we met with was very switched on and (we felt) knew exactly what she was talking about and within 10 minutes of observing J whilst talking to us she had already picked up on a couple of J’s quirks/issues.  (very impressed)  During our hour with her she discussed the possibility hat J may have some ear problems that we should look into, he gets alot of ear infections and that along with a few of his “issues” could mean that there is a problem. This raised alarm bells with us because as a baby J was admitted to hospital overnight because he was unwell, when the Doctor “did his rounds” the next morning we were told that J had a narrow ear canal but because he was so small it would “sort itself out”, so ofcourse we are now asking ourselves if we should have pushed to investigate it further and if it is related to some of his ear issues now. The same Doctor also did some tests on J’s gut (that was the reason he was admitted overnight) and we were told that his bowel was slightly twisted but again because he was so small “it would sort itself out”. The OT that we met with this week feels that J could also have some gut problems, and so again we are wondering if we should have pushed to have it investigated further at the time…….. I guess when the experts tell you it will be ok you believe (or want to) that they know what they’re talking about and so leave it at that. *sigh*   Anyhow she has recommended that we see our GP and get a referral to a Dietician/Nutritionist, an Allergist and to get his ears sorted. Unfortunately we don’t have the best GP and so before we can sort all of the above out I have to search out a new GP……………..asap!  On the upside we were very impressed with the new OT and despite it being abit of a drive to see her we will definitely be going back to her

Our second meeting this week was not so great………………………. you’ve guessed it …………. the school!

It started badly when it was assumed Hubby would be outside playing with J and not part of the meeting…………….. he became a little cross at this suggestion and let rip at the Psychologist who went outside to chat to him. I should point out at this point that this was Psychologist who had been invited to the meeting despite the fact that she had never met any of us before and as nice as she was, she didn’t know any of us or anything about our situation. Also attending the meeting was the Principal, who had also never met any of us before, (I guess in a school so big it would be hard to know every pupil but since they get extra funding because J attends you would think they might make an effort to know who the special kids are that they are getting the extra funding for).

Anyhow once Hubby and everyone else was inside the meeting began. We tried to explain some of the issues we had been having and some of the things that J had told us but yet again felt like we had wasted 90 minutes. We told them that J had informed us that *Billy* had been mean to him and was bullying him, the response we got was smiles and nods……………. if they know it’s happening why haven’t they addressed this issue?!?!?!   We went through various issues with them and basically got the general feeling that we weren’t being listened to at all. We felt like we were going around in circles…………………… To wrap the meeting up the Principal asked if they were to work on the food thing and if that was what they should be doing………………….. I responded with “Well just getting him to school should be first!”        Do you see why we felt we weren’t listened to at all, how on earth did she get that his food issues were something to be worked on first when we had been explaining some of J’s issues with school and just how much he doesn’t want to go school and some of the behaviour we receive as a result of him not wanting to go to school?!?!?

Anyhow, we’re now counting down the days until we go to see the Surgeon about Hubby’s back and hoping for good news, (although the way this year is going so far, maybe we’re hoping for too much). After we have seen the Surgeon and we know what’s going on with Hubby’s back we will be making some important decisions about our future. If we get the good news that we are hoping for J may be ending his time at that school sooner rather than later and when we are searching for his new school we will be taking with us a list of questions to ask the school and a tick sheet of requirements, (smaller class sizes will be top of the list, as this is one of J’s biggest issues with his Prep class). Until then we just carry on as we are and wait and see……………………….

Oh and J is off school again today, because when you’ve been up most of the night and you feel the way that Hubby and I are feeling about the school, when you have your child screaming, crying (real tears, not the temper tantrum type) and physically begging you not to make him go to school, you’re just too tired and heartbroken to fight………….. what would you do?…………………………….. maybe I should ask his teachers that next week!

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It’s Been A While…….

Helloooooo!

To quote one of my favourite songs (by Staind)  ”It’s been a while”……………… I haven’t really posted much on my blog over the past few weeks other than a few reviews that I was lucky enough to be asked to do. I’ve been super busy trying to …………………..how can I put this?……………….. sort some things out in our lives, I guess is one way of explaining everything.

After the miscarriage we had a huge amount of tests done, (it was our 5th) and were supposed to return to the hospital for the results and further investigation last month. However the hospital wrote postponing the appointment until June! As you can imagine we’re abit all over the place at the minute, wondering what is going on, if there is something wrong, if there will ever be another J joining our family, (yes I know he’s one of a kind but you know what I mean), and of course coming to terms with everything that has happened. I’m so proud of our little family, we’ve dealt with everything brilliantly and most importantly together

My Husband hurt his back at work, way back in January and well………..it’s pretty bad. Finally after attending Physio and doctor appointments for 3 months our Doctor has referred him to a specialist. We are due to see a Surgeon in a couple of weeks, (waiting lists eh!).  Both the Doctor and the Physiotherapists (yes he’s been seeing more than one) have told him that his back is so bad that he should not return to work and should consider looking at a new career…………… easy to say, not so easy to do when it’s all you have ever done!

J is still struggling with school and we are getting little support from them, because he somehow manages to hold it together whilst he’s at school and doesn’t erupt, letting all of his anxieties out until we exit the school, (although a couple of times has started to unravel just before we’ve got to the school gate), they don’t see that he has an issue with school. We keep getting the same response, “he’s doing well”, “he’s coping well”, “he’s settled in well”……..you get the picture. This week we have yet another meeting at the school to discuss what is happening and to make an action plan. This time Hubby will be with me, it will be great to have his support at the meeting, even if it is just so that they (the school) can hear things from his point of view and with a bit of luck they may listen and take on board what is being explained to them. I’m convinced that the majority of the staff at the school either don’t listen to what I’ve been telling them or simply don’t believe me and see me as an over reactive Mother!  So guess we’ll see how the meeting goes………………….apparently this time we will also be joined by the Principal.

As for me, I have been keeping busy with the above issues and working very hard on Tafe, (College), assignments. If Hubby can’t return to work I will be returning to work full time, rather than part time. I don’t have a problem with this but in order to return to work I have to have Australian qualifications. I work in Childcare and over the last year have been trying to get my UK qualifications transferred over to their Australian equivalent. Finally I have received confirmation that most units/modules have been transferred over…………. all except 2, which I will have to enrol at the local Tafe to do. I have enrolled for one and have been frantically trying to get an assignment completed that is due at the end of this month. Then the fun will begin again once I enrol for the other unit……….. however once I’ve completed both units and a first aid and CPR course it will all be worth it, (so I keep telling myself), because I will be able to return to work

We have also discovered that J’s passport runs out next month and so have also been trying to organise everything in order to renew it…………. do you know how hard it is to get a 5 yr old ASD child to pose for passport pictures!?!?!

I have also set up a parent support group for parents with children on the spectrum with a good friend of mine, D and so have been very busy trying to help organise everything. We have, so far, only met a couple of times but have seen new faces each time and have received a very positive response to the group. Because of everything else that has been happening over the past week or so I haven’t really done a great deal to contribute this week so sorry D and thankyou for making such a big effort, you are doing a great job

We’re also considering a move, (not overseas, within Australia), and have been having a huge sort out over the past couple of weeks. It’s been very hard parting with some things and even harder trying to convince J to part with some things but we’ve done it! Anything that hasn’t been used in the past year has either been thrown, given away or sold……………. except for a few keepsakes of course. It’s amazing how much “stuff” we have managed to accumulate over the past few years. As for a move, well nothing can be decided until we have seen the Surgeon in a couple of weeks time, after which hopefully we can start making some plans.

Well that’s about everything for now, I really must go do some more of my assignment and write a list of issues to address at our meeting (school).

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Disney’s Pinocchio Review and Giveaway

Growing up Pinocchio was always one of my favourite movies and today it still remains one of my favourite Disney movies, despite the fact that it is now 70 years old!

Disney has opened it’s vaults once again and  Pinocchio has been released on Blu Ray and DVD for a limited time only……….. you only have until 30th June 2011!  I was lucky enough to get the chance to review this fab DVD……………. YAY!

Ok, so to be honest I was going to love this DVD no matter what, so what about J?  I bought J his first Pinocchio storybook last year and it quickly became one of his favourites, (along with Cars and Toy Story).  I wondered if he would love the DVD as much as his book, (he loves books and I had bought the shortened version).  Well as is the usual with J he loved the “baddies” and thought Pinocchio was great.  He was singing and dancing along to “I’ve Got No Strings” and absolutely loved Jiminy Cricket! So I guess Pinocchio gets the thumbs from J too

What I love about Disney Classic’s such as Pinocchio being released again is, they haven’t changed anything to make them modern and pc and so watching them takes you back to to the time that you first watched it

Remember be quick Pinocchio (along with Snow White) is only available to buy on DVD and Blu Ray until 30th June 2011 so go get it while you can.

I have a copy of Disney’s Pinocchio to giveaway to one lucky winner. To enter simply leave a comment below telling me what your favourite Disney Movie of all time and why

Giveaway closes 16th May 2011, winner will be chosen at random,           Australian residents only

Good Luck

 Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of the DVD courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

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Romantic Flair Original:Personalized Mug – Review and Giveaway

I was super excited to be chosen by Marthese to review one of her beautiful personalised mugs. All I had to do was to choose the picture that I wanted to be printed on the mug……………….. after a little bit of thought I decided on a picture of J feeding a Kangaroo at the Zoo.

J doesn’t drink from a cup, he only ever uses a water bottle so I thought this would make a great first mug for him. I chose to have “lunch time” printed on the mug along with the picture, I thought by making it personal to J, he might be encouraged to use a mug at lunchtime rather than his water bottle.

The mug came beautifully gift wrapped and J loved it when he opened the box, (of course we’ve also had to keep the box and the ribbon because they are special!), he immediately asked if he could use it!
This mug is made of Fine Bone China and the images are not screen printed like you find in most places that offer them…but they are fired in a kiln…which means that they are dishwasher safe..and they do not fade with light or heat.  The image printed on our mug is stunning, it’s bright and looks just like the photo I took. (sorry about picture quality, my camera not really up to the job) Not only was J impressed with the mug but so was I, it really is beautiful.

This would be something I would buy for one of J’s Grandparents (he has 4 Nannies and 2 Grandads!), or maybe even for a good friend back in England, the only thing that would worry me about buying one for them is if would arrive in one piece, (England is a long way to send something breakable, without it getting broken). I think it would make a great personalized gift and even comes gift boxed so there’s nothing left for you to do.

Our only problem now is, it’s so nice and special that J has decided that he doesn’t want to use it anymore because  he doesn’t want to break it and has placed it on his shelf with his other “special things”

Marthese also has various other personalized gifts available here , including some gorgeous baubles which I’m already thinking would make great Christmas gifts for some special people in our lives. Also available are various toys, including a good selections of wooden toys, (some of which I have already purchased). I’m a big fan of wooden toys, J loves them and they seem to last so much longer than some of the plastic toys available today.

In order to win one of these beautiful personalized mugs please head over to Romantic Flair Original here and leave a comment telling Marthese how gorgeous these are (they really are stunning) and then leave a comment below to let me know that you have done so and why you would like to win one

closing date for entries is 29th May 2011, Australian residents only    Good Luck

You can also follow Romantic Flair Original and find more information on all of the products that Marthese has at her Facebook page here 

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary review copy Personalized Mug, courtesy of Romantic Flair Original via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

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Biozet Attack Ecosmart – Review and Giveaway

I received some Biozet Attack Ecosmart laundry liquid in the mail to review a couple of weeks ago…………………… I promise I have done my laundry in the past couple of weeks I just haven’t had the time to post my review, (what with everything that has been going on in our world).  Anyhow I finally got around to using the liquid over the weekend, (another reason it hasn’t been done is I like to finish one bottle before I open another lol).

Here’s some of the info that arrived with it

“Biozet Attack Ecosmart is a new laundry detergent that offers advanced cleaning performance without compromising the environment.

The ultra concentrated formula requires only 19ml (20g) to be used per wash: the smallest amount of liquid required for use by any liquid laundry detergent provider in Australia. (Source: Lanfax Laboratories independent test report 2011)

Biozet Attack Ecosmart Green Credentials

• No fluorescers or bleaching agents and no added phosphorus
• Contains less than 10%water, compared to the Australian market average of 57 % water
• Low in sodium, it makes water from the rinse cycle suitable for grey water use.
• High performance, low in energy consumption (as it is designed for cold water use.)
• 100% recyclable PET bottle.
• Plastic refills weighing just 11g (an 80% reduction in plastic packaging) “

All sounds great doesn’t it?………………….. but is it as good as the claims?

I say yes, I’m happy with it’s performance. It did the job it’s designed to do just as well as my usual laundry liquid, however I think I’m tempted to now make the permanent change to Bio Attack Ecosmart.  It left my clean laundry with the same freshly laundered smell that I love (there’s nothing like the smell or feel of freshly washed sheets when you get into bed is there?) but the bottle took up half the space as my usual liquid in my cleaning cupboard and, as I like to do my bit for the environment, this is a much greener way of doing the laundry.

The wonderful people of Bio Attack  have let me give 1 lucky reader of MumtoJ the chance to have  this and see for themselves how good this product is!

For your chance to enter this giveaway simply leave a comment telling me what is the hardest stain you’ve ever had to remove?   (for me chocolate is always the hardest)

Giveaway closes May 9th, Good luck

 Disclosure: I received a complimentary Biozet Attack Ecosmart via Aussie Mummy Bloggers. No financial payment was offered nor accepted for this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

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