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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Oh so very tired....

But I just can't seem to sleep! This is the 4th night in a row where I've gone to bed tired but to restless to sleep.


Anyone have a spare magic wand to wave around?

I thought I had done everything right to ensure I would crash when I went to bed, no napping, no caffine and I even went to the gym at 4pm (not to close to bed time so that I would be suitably worn out but not too energised lol).

Argh and now I'm sitting with a hot milo, but on the computer which is bad (apparently) but who minds when I'm probably going to be up til 3m like the last few nights.

I hate being this tired as it really affects the motivation for pretty much everything, and I start getting forgetful, like forgetting to visit people! Yikes!

Well surely I can't keep it up to much longer and will hopefully start sleeping normal hours again!

The only thing good about this is that I'm ultra prepared to attend to the babies when they wake up!!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

More of Christmas 2012

The tree survived the kids this year :)

Yes I have matching stockings (I even bought a couple extras just in case) lol

Our yummy Christmas feast

My family enjoying our Christmas lunch

Handmade goodies decorated the table this year

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Our Family Christmas Photo 2012

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours :)

(Silas 6, Jaidon 16, Braith 1, Livia 12, Kaydence 3, Aliya 8, Danion 8mths and Callum 13)




Some of Christmas 2012

The cookie that survived the food processor intact!

Callum and Jaidon figuring out the right size of the snow drops

Aliya concentrating on creating the perfect ripple cake :)

Livia waking up Kaydence it took several goes to convince her that Santa had delivered the presents :)

And so the present unwrapping begins

Danion's very 1st Christmas

The end of a successful Christmas day for Braith, especially when a truck feels comfy enough to sleep on!

My fat cat Tonka in the perfect post Christmas pose



The Year that was 2012

I truely believed that 2012 was going to be THE YEAR, the best year ever.

WHY? Because 12 is my favorite number :) Pretty corny hey?

While 2012 threw me a few curve balls, it has been a year of learning, growing, tears, sadness, strength, madness, change and a lot of growing up.

I realized that I am more vulnerable then I thought, but have more hopes and dreams for the future then I could ever imagine.

 *We started our jounery as a homeschooling family. I will spare you the rose tinted version, and just let you know that it hasn't been the wonderful new adventure I thought it would be. At time its was pretty shit. But then there have been the good times and those little moments that made it worth while, and we're committing to another year, so it can't have been shit all the time :) lol. While I had intended to go it 'alone' and register with the HEU, I was finding it hard to find some social outlets for my bigger kidlets. So after a midyear crisis I registered with a distance ed school who are very supportive of homeschooling families. And while it hasn't ironed out all our homeschooling issues it sure has helped us form a supportive base for our homeschooling jounery.

*We welcomed a new addition into the family, Danion (my 7th child) in April. This little guy was not on my to do list for this year, but I'm sure glad he chose to be :) I went into labor 2 weeks before the scheduled c/s date which threw any plans of preparation out the window. I had a hard and painful recovery, as I had adhesions which required repairing and of course my 5th c/s to recover from. Luckily Danion was a great baby from the get go and he fitted in just right :) A great sleeper, feeder and all round happy go lucky baby :)

*Now with 3 children under 3 and also having the older children to homeschool, life felt hard. I could manage, just, keeping it all together but life was hard. I was always on the go, the little guys were bored and getting into things while I was helping the older kids with their schoolwork. It was after going to an art gallery excursion and ending up in tears because my little guys were, you know, being little kids and touching things, and having 2 babies having a crying fit together that I needed to get help. Not because I couldn't cope, but because I couldn't do it all, all the time. So I decided to get a in home day care lady, Miss D. The kids adore her and they have a the best of me as well as keeping busy with Miss D.

*In the 2nd half of the year, we were struck down with illness, tonsillitis of all things. I fell sick first which is strange as I usually feel sick after caring for everyone else. I thought that I had just a sore throat/flu thing, but after being really sick for 4 days and loosing a few kgs because I couldn't eat or drink I knew I was sicker then I have ever been. Then everyone else started getting it, it would take a week for them to get better then the next one would get sick. Poor Callum and Livia had it twice!! It took a month and a half for everyone to finally get over it. We also had Silas go to hospital to have dental surgery as his back molars decayed and broke apart, my only child with teeth problems, I felt like a horrible mum :( Then Aliya was admitted to hospital for a kidney infection, Braith was admitted to hospital for a week as he had gingivostomatitis. And then Livia was admitted to hospital with appendicitis. And thankfully it wasn't something more serious for my little guys. We have recovered. And apart from the odd kid with a tummy bug we have come out the other side.

*After our run of illnesses I decided to commence study in an area of interest that I had been wanting to study since my teen years, Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy. Yes I am crazy lol. But as I am studying via online distance ed, it has been flexible and manageable. I am also able to VET fee the course so its not a financial burden on the family :)

*I also joined a gym :) I really feel my best when I'm more active, I have more energy and feel calmer if I'm working out regularly. I've been aiming to go every other day for 1hr and I have been feeling great. I also have a goal of loosing 10kgs in the next few months, but I'll be doing it by clean eating and regular exercise.

*I made a effort to maintain family and friendships this year, I can be a bit of a hermit but have really come out of my 'shell' so to speak and I'm glad I did. Just the little acts of picking up the phone, replying to messages, and just making an effort to say hey, has really maintained and strengthen the few but valuable friendships I have. I traveled a few times to meet up with family this year and had family stay with us :) Not as much as I would have liked but more then the previous year.

*I became a single mother to 7 children. It wasn't a shock, it was something that had been on the cards for awhile. I was hoping that perhaps marriage would happen, but Mike and I have some hurdles to get over first. He moved out but lives close by which has helped the kids adjust quite well. We have had a very civil separation and still see each other nearly everyday which I guess is weird for some but it is working for us. I'm not sure where things will go from here. We were together for nearly 14 years, nearly half of my life.


So there you have it, so much more had happened in 2012 but atm these are the most pivotal events that come to my mind at present.

I'm hoping for a blessed and adventurous 2013 :)

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Quote of the Moment


Howdy!!

Life has been busy! Its been months between posts and I thought I should start blogging again as I love flicking through my old posts, reminiscing on those little moments that get swept away with time.....



This is my coffee cup, and I've been trying to practice those wise little words.

I'll be back to update my humble little blog soon, I promise :)

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Sunday, August 26, 2012

After a sleepless week.....

You would think that any normal person would be asleep at 3am!?! Well not me! I woke up an hour ago and now I can't get back to sleep as poor Braith seems to have a itchy throat or something as he won't stop coughing! Poor little guy!






These guys get it good, regularly tucked into bed for a sleep no matter the time of day!! Yawn!

Getting on track after a hospital stay....

This last week has been a blur! Poor Aliya ended up in hospital with a kidney infection :(  The weekend before we went to the ED at our local hospital as Aliya had developed an kidney infection from one of her many UTI's. Our GP's had been unsuccessful in the last year in treating and getting rid of the recurring UTI's and this time she had become feverish and sore due to it progressing to her kidneys.  So after 6hrs wait we finally saw the hospital GP and we given a script for antibiotics and sent on our way.

But it wasn't going to be as easy as that! They had given us the wrong antibiotics, this strain of UTI was resistant to the antibiotics but the info wasn't passed onto us or our GP for follow up.  So during the week, Aliya wasn't improving but she wasn't really getting any worse, so I thought it would just take a little time for the anitbiotics to work. How wrong was I!!

By Monday Aliya was so sick that I took her to the GP for check up. I couldn't bring down her temps, and she was 38.9 even with panadole! The GP gave us another antibiotic and advised me that if she started throwing up then it would mean an hospital admission!! And of course that evening she did :( Up again to the ED at the local hospital, which was so busy with emergency patients that there was only one doctor working the ED room. We waited til 4am to be seen then at 6am she was finally admitted to the children's ward. By the time I headed home I had been up for 37hrs straight. I was sooooooo tired I felt as though I had a hangover!


I have to tell you that Aliya is one BRAVE little kid!! As this was her 1st time in hospital, the thought of having needles and an IV was freaking her right out (even though she has seen me with IV's in the past and I assured her that they weren't that bad). The docs and I talked her through the process and she gripped Sprinkles, her favourite teddy, tightly to her face so that she didn't have to look at the needle. The docs were great, very kid friendly and after 2 attempts had the IV in place. One little tear rolled down her face. My heart was breaking but I knew that this was for the best. That was the easy bit (seeing the nurses flush it during her stay and having her cry in pain because it had stuck was so sad!)


It was suspected that she would need a 5 days of IV antibiotics, but she responded so well we were able to come home after 3 days on IV antibiotics.

So we are now home, with 7 days of antibiotics, and a course of a bladder relaxant medication to help retrain her bladder. Its suspected that she has had recurring UTI's for years as she has had issues with staying dry throughout the day, but trying to get GP's to take your concerns seriously is like pulling hens teeth!!!

Aliya will need a long term antibiotic plan to keep the UTI's at bay and also a DMSA scan, where a radioactive substance is injected to be able to scan the kidneys to look for permanent kidney damage.

But I'm so glad that she is getting better. And the best thing is that she hasn't wet herself since getting out of hospital, and for a social active 8 yr old girl, this is BIG news :)



Oh and Aliya experienced a touch of fame, the local school was giving out daffodils and the local newspaper was there to take photos :)

Monday, August 13, 2012

Changing my life - step one :)





So as I mentioned the other day, I am on a mission!! A mission to make 2012 amazing! And to do that, I need to make some amazing changes. Changes inside, outside and around me :)


Step one - Hire an Inhome Daycare Worker.

Here in Australia we have a very generous government. Everyone is able to access affordable childcare,  if one parent is not in the workforce, volunteering or studying , for a maximum of 24hrs per week

With 4 of my children being 5 and under, I have to admit that my biggest struggle with homeschooling has been entertaining these little guys while I help the older kids with their school work. But what would the point be in sending them off to daycare? May as well have everyone in school!

So I decided to follow up on the concept of Inhome Daycare (to be able to access the service you need to have 3 or more children under school age at home). I had heard about it on the grapevine a few years ago, but had never needed to use it, heck why would I even admit to needing to use it when everyone else I know can cope with having their kids at home with them without any extra help!

And its not really that I can't manage all my beautiful children, they are really great kids! Its just in the last couple of months its dawned on me that I am only one person and that I was stretching myself thin, and that I wasn't able to give the best of myself to my children. We don't have family we can rely on for a helping hand, and I can only ask so much of my friends, so this is the next best thing :)

Today was our first day of our daycare lady starting, and she did not disappoint! She jumped straight on in with energy and enthusiasm, whipping out a bunch of craft and fun games for the kids to enjoy!! The kids had a blast! I didn't quiet know what to do with myself, I'm usually so busy checking on the little ones and cleaning up after their messes!

And she is able to also come along on our homeschool excursions! I've been so blessed to have some other homeschooling Mums help me wrangle my little ones when out and about, but sometimes I feel guilty that I take up their time, even though they assure me that its no problem. They really are giving people :)

So step one is one giant leap in making life easier! :) 



Tuesday, August 7, 2012

“If you want to have a better future, create it.”


I'm not one to moan on about things. But sometimes I need to let things out and I guess there is no better place then here. I am keeping a blog as a reflection of my life and to look back on both the good and the bad, will be of value in the future. 

I am the 1st to admit that life hasn't felt that great this year. It was hard being pregnant (I almost felt depressed and really unwell) and starting our homeschooling jounery.  We were struggling with renovations and being in debt. Mike was working really long hours as well, so it was usually me managing all the kidlets.

Then Danion came 4 weeks before his due date, I wasn't organised, thinking that he would come on his scheduled c/s date (silly me!).  The recovery this time around was horrible, I experienced alot of pain, and the recovery seemed to take longer.  The lack of sleep from getting up to Danion, Braith and Kaydence has been, well, more then draining!! Still is!

I had doubts about my ability to homeschool and have a happy family, I even rang the local schools to get enrolments for the kids!! And I SWORE that I would at least give it a year before even contemplating possible failure!

But I was lucky enough to have some of my wits and remember that another homeschooling family I knew were with a small distance ed school, so I met up with them, and thankfully they had a place for us! So we are still homeschooling but with a better foundation, clearer focus and happier kids. We still have 'those' days but they are fewer, and we can access more excursion days, and teachers on call as well :) 
 
We then had tonsillitis and a virus go through the family, so for the last month at least one or more of us have been sick!! We're only just starting to get out and about again!

The year has flown by, and I've only just started to overcome the 'rut' that we are/were in! I'm starting to realise that if I don't actively grasp each day in my hands then it will slip on by in a blur of sleeplessness, chores, school work and chasing after babies. I really want to be able to look back on these years and have them be the GOLDEN YEARS, I don't want to be 60 and retired to start 'finally' enjoying my life.

And you know what? I feel ashamed to be complaining about things!!! I have a good life. We have food in our bellies, a roof over our heads, we have our health and we have each other.

But I don't feel like we're 'living life to its fullest'.

So I'm making some changes. To make life feel easier. To get the most out of the time that I have. To have some fun with my family. To really seize the day and make it count.


Mid-life crisis? Perhaps....

I'll let you know how it turns out as I start implementing things, wish me luck!! :)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Danion and his Umbilical Hernia

A few weeks after Danion was born he started to develop an Umbilical Hernia, actually it just seemed to appear overnight!

I had never seen nor heard of it before so to good old google I went to search for answers! It is quite a common thing and I didn't feel too concerned but of course went to the doc to get it checked out. He had an ultrasound and it was revealed that the gap was 6cm (generally they are 1-5cm) and that most of his intestine was poking through! In rare cases the intestine can strangulate causing an emergency situation.  He was referred to the hospital and booked for an outpatient appointment.






But luckily, we won't be needing that appointment. While away on holidays is closed up itself in a week, it just got smaller and smaller and now there there is just lax skin where the belly button is!! I can't believe how lucky we are, some kids usually don't have theirs close up til the age of 5!  

Wordless Wednesday



The beautiful kid free lunch I enjoyed while on holidays with my sister in law Taren, who happens to be my best friend!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Awe photos like this make me clucky!!





Snuggling with my littlest guy at the park, enjoying the sun, watching the big kids play! Totally love the flexibility of homeschooling, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather, being able to make spur of the moment decisions and take off to the park!!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Baby #7 - 15 wks old



Its amazing how fast little ones grow!! My littlest man is now 15 weeks old!! Danion is a very sweet content baby, only wake a few times at night for a feed and settles well for his sleeps. I still don't have a routine for him, but generally he'll settle by 9.00pm at night and will be up about 7.00am. During the day he just feeds and sleeps whenever, but with him being so happy I don't mind - at the moment.  I'm sure it won't be long til a routine would suit us better.

Danion loves to smile and will laugh up a storm when tickled!! I'm still breastfeeding, which is going well, usually I've given up on breastfeeding by now but this time it seems to be working out really well, and having some real life mentors, successfully long term breastfeeding is inspiring as well.  I quite like the quiet time, where I have to put my feet up and sit, and with Danion giving me cheeky, milky grins makes it all worth while :)

I really wish there was a pause button, just to really be able to cherish these fleeting moments!!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Holiday Fun

The kids and I were lucky enough to go for 3 wks holiday visiting my brother and sister in law, it had been too long between visits!! (Poor Mike stayed at home to renovate and work).

So after spending a week packing far too much stuff, and driving 7 hours driving with 9 kids we were finally in good old Gladdy.

We while we were away we went to the beach, celebrated NAIDOC week, celebrated  Callum's 13th birthday, my 31st birthday and my niece Kaliyah's 8th birthday. We even got to catch up with my Mum and younger brother in Bundy on our way back :)

We did so many fun things and the best bit about our holiday was the weather!! While everyone at home was rugged up moaning about the cold, we were running around in togs swimming at the beach!! I call it our summer holiday in winter!!


Looking at these pictures makes me miss my family heaps!! They all live so far away but we sure do have fun when we are together!!