I have had such a busy week that I didn't even realise that I was late at organising my blog entry until this morning. Only a few hours of sleep per night and being a stay at home mum and budding business woman makes the days of the week seem to blur into each other and make you loose track of which day you are really up to.
When people ring me to make an appointment of any kind, I always ask, "so what day of the week are we up to?" I can hear some people on the other end of the phone stop breathing for a moment with the thought..."what she doesn't know what day we are on?" As many mums at home understand, when you are physically not going to an external work environment each day and you are busy trying to do the washing, clean up the kitchen, make sure the kids are not getting into that one thing you said the couldn't have and your mind is still going...what else do I need to finish?...what food do we have for dinner?...what things do I need to buy at the shop?...why have the kids gone quite...THEY MUST BE UP TO SOMETHING THEY SHOULDN'T...and in most cases they are!!!! they are cheeky like that :-) Any mum of small kids can tell you that silence is not a good thing to hear when the kids aren't having a nap...
Anyhow, with all these things going on in ones mind and many more tasks at hand, no wonder I need to ask the person at the other end of the phone what day of the week I'm up to. This question gives me a grounding point by which I can then schedule the latest appointment into my minds diary and it also gives me a moment to look at a calender, if I have one at hand. Things get extra hectic when you need to schedule in appointments for a Cheeky Boy and fit them into the school routine of a Cheeky Girl. There seems to be even less time in my day when there is the commitment of making sure you get to and from school on time especially when the school isn't just around the corner.
With the therapy classes and special therapy playgroup my Cheeky Boy will attend when school starts...I'm tired just thinking about it! There is one class we try our best to attend each week of the school term and that is Gymbaroo. I have been taking my Cheeky Boy to these Gymbaroo classes for a couple of years now and even though they're not close to home, we both enjoy getting there and giving it a go. Some days he's so tired from his seizures and medication that he doesn't have the best time but I have seen him progress over time with each class that it makes me smile, especially when he finally does something that he has had trouble doing previously. Just the simple act of having him lying still for a few minutes for the massage each lesson has be a great achievement and letting me move his arms through activities without resistance on his part has been a wonderful thing (doesn't happen all the time but I know he can do it when he wants to).
The Gymbaroo activities are aimed at helping children from 0 to 5 years old develop motor skills essential for their early childhood development. These activities are done in a fun environment and include music, dance, massage and working their way through physical obstacles. The routine set helps my Cheeky Boy and the support and understanding from the staff around his health has been wonderful. I can not thank them enough for their help over the past couple of years. I would recommend Gymabroo to all families with small kids no matter what developmental level they are at, there is so much fun to be had and the best thing about it is they don't even know that they are learning!
Here's the link to Gymbaroo please have a look:
Please note that there are Gymbaroo classes held all over Australia.
So to conclude, I thought I would add a love story...
A love Story (you're gonna love this)...
Humans have so much to learn from animals...
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. The dog had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had quite clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.

Jasmine, however, had other ideas. No one quite remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It would not matter if it were a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or any other lost or hurting animal. Jasmine would just peer into the box or cage and, when and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
Geoff relates one of the early incidents. "We had two puppies that had been abandoned by a nearby railway line. One was a Lakeland Terrier cross and another was a Jack Russell Doberman cross. They were tiny when they arrived at the center, and Jasmine approached them and grabbed one by the scruff of the neck in her mouth and put him on the settee. Then she fetched the other one and sat down with them, cuddling them."
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings. She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Jasmine, the timid, abused, deserted waif, became the animal sanctuary's resident surrogate mother, a role for which she might have been born. The list of orphaned and abandoned youngsters she has cared for comprises five fox cubs, four badger cubs, fifteen chicks, eight guinea pigs, two stray puppies and fifteen rabbits - and one roe deer fawn. Tiny Bramble, eleven weeks old, was found semi-conscious in a field. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, Jasmine cuddled up to her to keep her warm, and then went into the full foster-mum role. Jasmine, the greyhound, showers Bramble, the roe deer, with affection and makes sure nothing is matted.
"They are inseparable," says Geoff. "Bramble walks between her legs, and they keep kissing each other. They walk together round the sanctuary. It's a real treat to see them."
Jasmine will continue to care for Bramble until she is old enough to be returned to woodland life. When that happens, Jasmine will not be lonely. She will be too busy showering love and affection on the next orphan or victim of abuse. 
Pictured from the left are: "Toby," a stray Lakeland dog; "Bramble," orphaned roe deer; "Buster," a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; "Sky," an injured barn owl; and "Jasmine," with a mother's heart doing best what a caring mother would do.
In 2003, police in Warwickshire, England, opened a garden shed and found a whimpering, cowering dog. The dog had been locked in the shed and abandoned. It was dirty and malnourished, and had quite clearly been abused.
In an act of kindness, the police took the dog, which was a female greyhound, to the Nuneaton Warwickshire Wildlife Sanctuary, which is run by a man named Geoff Grewcock, and known as a haven for animals abandoned, orphaned, or otherwise in need.
Geoff and the other sanctuary staff went to work with two aims: to restore the dog to full health, and to win her trust. It took several weeks, but eventually both goals were achieved. They named her Jasmine, and they started to think about finding her an adoptive home.
Jasmine, however, had other ideas. No one quite remembers how it came about, but Jasmine started welcoming all animal arrivals at the sanctuary. It would not matter if it were a puppy, a fox cub, a rabbit or any other lost or hurting animal. Jasmine would just peer into the box or cage and, when and where possible, deliver a welcoming lick.
"But she is like that with all of our animals, even the rabbits. She takes all the stress out of them, and it helps them to not only feel close to her, but to settle into their new surroundings. She has done the same with the fox and badger cubs, she licks the rabbits and guinea pigs, and even lets the birds perch on the bridge of her nose."
Pictured from the left are: "Toby," a stray Lakeland dog; "Bramble," orphaned roe deer; "Buster," a stray Jack Russell; a dumped rabbit; "Sky," an injured barn owl; and "Jasmine," with a mother's heart doing best what a caring mother would do.