The Generosity of Strangers & Boys Toys

Amazingly another week has flown by at the blink of an eye! I should somehow be getting use to it! not enough hours in a day...not enough days in a week... this has been a big week here really in the sense that the generosity of strangers has enabled me to have my car air conditioning fixed finally!!! and to top it of there has been the tinting of the car windows with a little bit of a discount to also help us out as the Cheeky Boy is sensitive to light and the pull-over window covers that provide some protection consistently wear out and rip and ultimately are expensive to keep on replacing. I was driving my car today and couldn't really believe the sense of relief I had within me knowing that the Cheeky Boy would now be safe to travel in the car without having an increase risk of seizures...this is making me tear up even now...

So to those very special people, my words can not express the gratitude I have for your help, it's amazing.

THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART

 

 

Now that I have wiped the tears from my eyes... I have also come to the realisation the Fathers Day is on it's way!!! So to help sort out things for the Daddy of the House here... I have bought him a gift that will be of assistance for making life easier in the garden... what you may be thinking??? I believe most boys like to play with motorise toys so as our yard isn't big enough to have a ride on mower (a dream of his!!) but we do have a hedge that is a good 3 meters or more tall... I got him a rechargeable hedge trimmer :-) sooo many times I wish I could get up to trim the top as it grows like a wild childs hair but alas I can't reach it easily even with a ladder and I figure that the only way to motivate the man of the house to get up there (having asked for it to be trimmed on more than one occasion) is to buy him a toy he can't resist to try out!! the only problem being is that I will be heading to Sydney for a week for the Furry Fun Day on the 7th of September so this means he has a week to 'play' with this toy unsupervised... previous experience leads me to believe that parts of the garden may be trimmed that don't even need it!!! just for him to give the hedger a good 'test' run :-/

 

Also on Fathers Day I will once again have my RozArt stall open for business at the monthly Hartley Hall Markets. This will be my third time there and I am looking forward to providing a few of the dads out for the day a present of two :-)

 

Here's one example of a piece I have made dedicated to dads:

 

My Dad Rocks 

(available in a range of colours and materials)

 

Well I best be off, so much yet to do :-) I hope you all have a happy week with much laughter :-)

 

 

Twelve Rules and Dentists

A friend sent me these following twelve rules and I thought they would be good to share. Whether you believe in a God or Gods or no God at all, there are some very wise words worth having a think about, there are rules we could all learn a little more from and not all the rules have any spiritual slant, they just make sense!!

 

So please have a read and see what I mean....

 
Twelve Rules of Spiritual Wisdom

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.


2. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.


3. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.


4. Dear God, I have a problem, it's me.


5. Laugh every day, it's like inner jogging.


6. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.


7. The most important things in your home are the people.


8. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home.


9. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.


10. It's all right to sit on your pity pot every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.


11. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.


12. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

This is how one should feel about Dentists!

As for things around here, I have landed myself a new cold as things have been a little more stressful this week. Early in the week, the Cheeky Girl, had very bad ear aches all stemming from a large hole in one of her baby molars. So this is how the week pans out...

 

MONDAY: Cheeky Girl stays home from school due to the pain. So I get an appointment organised for lunch time. The dentist we saw looked at it and said yes she has a hole (smart indeed you could see it from the moon!) so within 5 minutes the Dentist sent us on our way with NO WORK DONE!!!

 

So least to say one child still with a bad ear ache and a mum who wasn't exactly happy and a call to another dentist for the next day...

 

TUESDAY: (After another night of pain) Dentist number two cost a fortune to fill the hole with a temporary filling and discovers that there are seven other holes forming between her teeth due to over crowding. He suggests a course of treatment that ultimately would cost over $1500!! on a 5 year old!!and when I tell him about our circumstances with me being a full time carer and if there was any room to give some discount he proclaims..."DENTISTS DON'T GIVE DISCOUNTS" (in a nice way!)

 

As you can understand I was taken back by this statement! Not even $10 a visit could he spare!!

 

So now a visit to another dentist is made...

 

FRIDAY: This dentist checked the new temporary filling, placed fluoride between her teeth and organised another appointment to fill a small hole on another molar. This dentist did not charge because my Cheeky Girl was only five and said "PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN FILLINGS".

 

So can you guess which dentist we are happy to see again...

 

As for my Cheeky Girl... I am very proud of how brave she has been :-) especially to see three dentists in a week!! and each time she said "I will be brave Mummy" and she was :-)

Now to another cause that I will be helping with in a couple of weeks :-) My RozArt stall shall be going to a Furry Fun Day going to be held by the Animal Welfare League of NSW so I am getting excited about that and all the fun to be had :-) but before we get that far Fathers day is just around the corner...

I hope you all have a great week :-)

A Cause Close to My Heart

This is a blog entry with a special cause close to my heart. This coming week is "Bang on a Beanie" for people with acquired brain injuries. As many of you know my Cheeky Boy has an acquired brain injury which he has had since he was four days old. For those who are not familiar with his struggle for survival and the determination of my beautiful boy, if you wish you can have a read of 'My Sons Story' which I have shared with all those who visit my RozArt website to view my Dog Tags for People and Pet ID Tag Range of products.

 

So if you would like to purchase a beanie or perhaps even "Bang on a Barbie" for the cause you may do so through the following website: https://bangonabeanie.com.au/

A cause close to my heart

 

As for my Cheeky Boys progress this week, he has had a good week where he has had fewer seizures as he isn't sleeping as often during the day and a night he isn't waking up as often so he is having less seizures during the night :-) He is feeling he needs to be very close to me throughout the day which can make it quite difficult to get things done at times but I must say I quite enjoy the cuddling up on the lounge for naps because it means I get a little rest too :-)

 

I can only hope this reduced seizure routine can continue so that he can have a good chance to improve and grow and reach his milestones. There are words that he is beginning to use again that we haven't heard in over six months :-) Fingers crossed that the effects of this new regime of drugs doesn't wear off and we go backwards, which is what we have had to go through with so many of the other medications he has been on previously.

 

Well it's time for me to head off and feed the hungry mouths here. I hope you all have a happy week with much laughter :-)

Market Day

Here I am exhausted, suffering wind burn and my eyes look I have been smoking something I shouldn't... all because I had my RozArt stall at the Hartley Hall Markets. I was up to all hours getting  things ready for the markets last night. So after a couple of hours of sleep, I managed to get myself out of bed and got to the markets in time to set up in the chilling wind an sleeting rain. I had my Cheeky Girl wanting to help set up but that didn't last long - it was nicer to be in the car :-)

Anyhow, the weather did improve over the morning and nature showed it's beauty...

A rainbow amongst the morning showers

 

The afternoon did bring more showers, cold winds and a desire to be sitting some place warmer. Nature was just reminding us that winter isn't over yet after giving us a milder July that pervious years.

 

Despite the weather there was many people and their four legged friends (of the dog variety!) out for a stroll and a look around. There were those very few who were out wearing shorts!! never can quite figure out how they don't feel the cold. I couldn't feel my feet for part of my day and I had several layers of clothes on!

 

As some of you may realise, I am a little late with this blog entry, the reason, I was away on Friday night, met a lovely group of people related to creating some fund raising for my Cheeky Boy by which money will can be raised for him and at the same time provide vital nutrition to children in third world countries. A win win really. As things haven't been finalised as yet I will tell you more about this once it has :-)

 

As for now, I shall part to rest my eyes and body :-) have a great week ahead :-)

Mobile Phones

This morning is a morning I somehow feel that a bed would be my best friend. I of course had a day of relaxation when I went to my parents last week and because I put my guard down so to speak I have now got a cold and the underlying feeling that a chest infection is on its way :-(

 

So shortly I will go back to bed for a little more sleep.

 

I did have the chance to enjoy my afternoon out last Saturday, which was great :-)

 

There was one thing that really did surprise me when I was out, the reliance people have on socialising on their mobile phones whilst they are out with friends. I am one for always having a mobile phone on where ever I go as I have to be in phones reach if my Cheeky Boy goes into having a seizure whilst other people are looking after him but I was taken back by the desire people have to be of their phones checking and chatting on Facebook etc. instead of actually talking to the people right in front of them... I saw a couple out for lunch and the young lady instead of actually talking to the gentleman in front of her, she had her fingers working faster on her phone!

Perhaps I am a little old fashion about this...

As for the Cheeky Boy and his hospital visit, he has had some improvements in his readings for his EEG but of course there is the side effects of his drugs that is of still major concern for me and our family. Amongst these, he has been suffering from laboured breathing and is still irritable and not quite sure what he wants - this makes it difficult not only for him but for those around him trying to help him...

 

We are now in the process of reducing one of his medications gradually, lets hope he's seizures don't increase. Fingers and toes crossed that all goes well and we can see a reduction of his side effects.

 

Can you believe another month has almost gone! Next weekend I shall be taking my RozArt work to the Hartley Lifecare Hall Markets again. I hope I am feeling well enough and the day isn't too cold :-)

 

Time for me to find my bed... I hope you all have a happy week with much laughter :-)

Dr Seuss

Today I am going to have a day out with some friends on a rare time-out for some fun :-) Sometimes it is needed to give one a chance to remember what it's like to be yourself, especially when so much of ones time is dedicated to others both day and night.

Here's a little wisdom from Dr Seuss that I think is so true...

The past week has been quite hard for the Cheeky Boy with the latest change in his medication and it has been hard to watch him go through it. He has spent the majority of the week walking around like a little zombie as the medication slows his brain waves down to stop the seizures. The end part of the week he has been restless, not wanting his favourite foods and wanting to lay down for a sleep and not being able to settle. It has not only been heartbreaking for me to watch him over the week but also for those who know him well have been upset by his zombie state :-(

 

Fortunately this has improved over the past couple of days but he is still going through side effects, at least he is becoming more his usual cheeky self. We shall see his neurologist in Sydney on Tuesday for another EEG, so lets see what comes from all of this.

 

As for my RozArt work work, I have been finishing off orders from last week and I have had the unfortunate closure of my website for a few days as there has been an virus attached to it, if only the people who came up with these things used their brains and energy for good!

Well I best be off, I hope you all have a great week ahead :-)

Joys and Worries

It's been a week of much work and my RozArt stall at the Hall Markets was a great success for my first time there :-) I have a few creative orders to fill which I enjoy as it gives me a chance to create something new and ultimately something that the client loves :-) The weather was lovely when the sun was out but when it hid behind the clouds and the wind picked up, it was a little chilly to say the least!

My RozArt Stall at the Hall Markets

 

The nice thing about doing markets is that you meet lovely people and stall owners who enjoy being there and enjoy what they are doing. It's always nice to go to a new place and feel welcomed by all of those around you :-)

On the home front, my beautiful Cheeky Boy has had another trip to hospital after a group of seizures. We were able to come home that night but he has had an increase in his medication once again and unfortunately he has been extremely tired and is still having absent seizures mixed in with his 'nods'. It is heart breaking watching your child go through these things especially when you know he is not his normal cheery and cheeky self... I am hoping after a few more days of being on this increase of medication his body will settle enough to let him get into his usual level of mischief.

 

If this medication increase doesn't help him we will be putting him back on steroids for a period of time just to help give his little body and brain a bit of a break, we hope! The problem with the steroids is that they make him extremely thirsty and hungry. With this comes the huge number of nappies we go through (at least 10 a day) and the poor boy gets quite demanding when the food doesn't come fast enough because of the increase in appetite. The steroid they use is the same one they use for children who have an asthma attach, the only difference is that he will be on the drug for a longer period of time.

 

We are on the waiting list to do a very special diet which can help some people with bad seizures control them to a point where some do not have them anymore. I will talk more about this diet at another time.

 

Now for a mention of a book called the "The Woman Who Changed Her Brain" by Barbara Arrowsmith-Young. This is an inspiring book and worth a read if you have an interest in or know someone with a brain injury. I have read the book and seen Barbara speak when she come to Australia for the first time last year. For those of you here in Australia and New Zealand she is coming back once more and if you wish to she her speak her upcoming events from August please click on the follow link: http://www.barbaraarrowsmithyoung.com/events/

 

Well on this positive note, I shall be off :-) Have a beautiful week ahead.