Is there anything baby wipes can't do?

So I had to clean my bathroom floor on the weekend, it was screaming for a clean. So I thought I would shush its desperate cries and clean it! Unfortunately my Rubbermaid mop cloth was in the wash as it too was screaming for a clean (a lot of screaming in my house that day!!). I was in the mood to clean and scared that I would not get back to this feeling again, I made the rash decision to use baby wipes to clean my bathroom floor. Why not? They clean poop from my son leaving his 'bot bot' smelling good and like he hadn't even done a number 2 in the first place. So I used up a couple of wipes and they really did a good job. I recommend you try it, you might find that baby wipes are the best thing for a bathroom floor.  I have also used baby wipes to remove vomit (baby or other...not going to detail anything it my make my dry reach!) from carpet and clean down the toilet seat, both at home and in public loos. We also have a leather lounge and baby wipes provide a good wipe over now and then.
So in the voice of Homer Himpson, "babywipes, is there anything you can't fix?"

What have you used your baby wipes for?

The Quest to be GOOD!

I am so over hearing the "Quest for Perfection". As a Christian its something I hear so often, but I have to be honest, I am really getting over it. The fact is that the concept of being perfect is so overwhelming, that we burn ourselves out quicker than if we just positively lower the bar in the beginning. If we begin our quest in life with the goal to be GOOD, rather than be PERFECT, than I think we can find it easier to live a happier and fulfilling life.

We all make mistakes, that is a given, and I don't need to dwell on that. It is a lot easier for us, though to be good. To make good choices, to surround ourselves with good people, good music/art, good books,  good films, and good TV shows that in turn will inspire us to be good people. Whatever you consider each of these things to be 'good' is really up to you, just as long as these 'good' things make you happy and make you want to be a better - gooder you!!

I personally feel that I can definately be a good person. I can be a good friend,wife, mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, aunty, and sister-in-law. I would also like to think that I am good at all these roles and that those who I interact with think I am good! It really is a more pleasant way to look at life when you think about it like this. It's easier to think about being good than just being ok.It puts a smile on your face and of course, that's a good thing:)!!!

What's with the music? Music Mondays

You know how you feel sometimes when you think your are alone with your own point of view? Well I thought that I was either the only one or at least amongst a few that thought that the music of todays generation is getting out of hand. I am not that old, I'm the ripe age of 32, but it bugs me that so many artists out there are being too provocative with their lyrics, dance moves, and video clips. I was talking amongst work colleagues last week and this very subject came up and I stood their silent to see what they would say. The comment that impressed me most was when the ABBA songs came up within the discourse. My friend said,
" I know the dance moves and lyrics are a bit dorky, but at least you know what you're gonna get. With today's music, you don't always know what you're gonna get!" 

How true is this? Sometimes I listen to a song on the radio and like the beat, the music, the melody but it gets ruined when either I turn it up and listen to the lyrics and how inappropriate I realise they are or that the song is actually not about what I thought it was about! Or I watch the video clip and am shocked or disgusted by what I see. I have to say I am no longer a fan of Lady Gaga for a couple of reasons. I don't mind some of her songs but unfortunately I can't enjoy her songs when I know what her film clips are like.  I can't listen to poker face anymore without picturing her in her skimpy outfit with those provocative dance moves.  The other issue that I have is directed to the age group of innocense. My daughter is 10 and is definately impressionable. I personally want to make sure that the kind of music I am listening to is the kind of music I would be happy for her to listen to and if she should happen to come upon the music video that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable seeing it. Young girls are so desperate to seek out role models and heros and as a lot of girls love to dance and sing they want to copy and immitate the female singers and artists in the music industry. I hope that all female singers would consider this when they make their film clips and write their songs.
The other issue I have is the 'F' word. It's not necessary in music. Its not necessary in the english language, but we can control how it gets used in other mediums, so why don't we? How many children do you hear singing, " I want to be a millionaire, so f... bad?" Does it make you feel good hearing a child or even your own child say that word or a word that replaces it? Our kids are viles of innocense and its our roles as adults to direct them in positive ways and their are so many other things in our world that make their growth so challenging, why do we have to add music onto it?  We don't need foul language in music nor do we need to see skimpy clothes on women to sell a record, do we? Really, do we?

So, I have decied to share with you some music that I think is so amazing. For me its about the artist, their voice, their lyrics and their stories and nothing else. Its good solid music and you don't need to be shocked, offended, or uncomfortable to see where they are coming from. Its what 'real' music is about.
The first song is by  ADELE and I know I am not alone in liking her, she runs circles all over Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga does have a good voice, I can't deny her of that and yes she does have talent, but I do not agree with how she presents herself. This gets tiring and boring because there is only so much people can take. Madonna shocked us all and then what happened? She chilled out because we all got tired of it. I can't get tired of ADELE, she is timeless, like a lot of other great artists like Joni Mitchell, Peter Paul and Mary, Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Denver, to name but a few in this genre of the musical story tellers of timeless music. Their music relates to every generation regardless of what the current trend is. I love it!

So that is my spill for the day! What do you think? I will leave you with two contemporary artists that I love for my Music Monday. I hope you like them and they will give you a great start to your week:)

ADELE: Someone Like you

Sara Barielles: King of Anything

My little girl is growing up!

I had a great day today, until, I picked up my kids!! Of course I love my kids, but they have this ability to totally drain me. Today I decided to meet the kids at the shops across the road from school. I thought I would buy them a treat before doing some groccery shopping before heading home. It sounded like a great idea and I knew the kids would be happy.

So I met them in front of Wendys. I broke the happy news, that they could choose a treat from Wendys. So this is when it all began! I should know by now, that I should only give me kids three things to choose from. Instead, I told them as long as it was less than $4 they could have it. My older two kids decided upon their third choice. My second youngest child, took a little longer. He first asked for a milkshake to which I replied, if you want to share it with me, that is fine. Of course, this was not on! I said the naughty word, SHARE! This son has a major issue with sharing his food. He can share toys, he can share his bedroom, but if you mention food and share in the same sentence he goes off, big time. So, yes, I had a tanty on my hands. This son is 5 so, the tanty was on big scale and I think he achieved 95% of the shopping centre's attention! So in the calmest voice I could muster, I made another offer.

"If you calm down and tell me what you would like, other than a milkshake, I will buy that for you."

Unfortunately this did not work. He started shouting, " You never buy me what I ask for!" I'm starting to think this might be part of the second youngest child's syndrome. He has this big hang up about how everyone else gets what they want and he never does, which of course, I don't believe for a second, it's true. Kids exaggerate things to find out what kind of reaction they will get. I paid for my other kid's items and went and sat them down and, again, in a calm voice. I told my son, if he calmed down, I would be happy to take him back to Wendy's just him and me, and buy him something. This calmed him down and he asked for a hotdog. So I bought him one. Thank goodness for that!

I wish the day ended here, however, after the kids ate their treats I had to get some food items. So we piled bags into the trolley and I fought a toddler to get into the trolley too, but I lost! I figured I needed to choose my battles carefully from here on in, as I wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible.  Once in the supermarket, the first 3 minutes went rather smoothly, but I was cautious, it was just too good to be true. By the time I hit the dairy cabinets for milk, it all started up. The kids went troppo, with the boys running up and down isles, my toddler crying for juice and so on and so on! I managed to get the kids to the check out with no yelling, yes I did pat myself on the back! I am getting better at this controling my temper thing! We got to the car and then my toddler started up. It is at this point that I think I might just lose it when my daughter says, " You get the boys in the car mum and I will pack the grocceries in". I'm in shock for about 3 seconds and with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye I organise the boys in their seat with belts on and then go to help my daughter. She is already finished and wheels the trolley back to the trolley bay. I sat in the front seat with time to take a deep breath. I thanked her for being so helpful and she smiles back and says, " Well you needed the help mum". Ahhh, she is growing up:o)

Where are the role models in the Music Industry?

  I am directing my post today to the young and vulnerable girls that populate our world. As a mother of  a 10 year old daughter I am a little worried. I worried about where the good role models are in the music world. Why am I worried? Well, I currently attend a gym and at this gym they have a music channel that runs all the time with all different music genres. Mostly it would be what I assume is the popular music. The music that teenagers would be drawn to and that freaks me out!! It really does, and in particular it freaks me out for young girls. The ones that love music and want to be grown up and turn to their music heros for direction on how to move/dance, how to dress and how to act. What I see on these video clips are girls/women who are scantily dressed, dancing like they should be in a strip club and acting like they don't value who they are. Why is it that a lot of women in the music industry feel the need to show off as much of their boobs, and other parts of their body to get 'noticed'. Music is about your voice, and how your voice affects the listener. When did this change to become more about a body than a voice? The only thing I can work out is those that don't have the voice, have the body and so need to sell that. However,  when you are listening to a record, you can't see the body, or the dance moves, you can only hear the voice.

The lyrics are also important. Listen to your favourite song, what is the message or story of the song? Do you know what it is? We need to be listening to the lyrics more, because we and our children and singing songs that could be inappropriate for their age groups. 

I am just worried for girls who are young and vulnerable and look to women in the music industry to work out how to be cool and accepted. They see how these women present themselves with their clothing, their language, their dance moves, and their interactions with the opposite sex, or sometimes the same sex. Its up to us mums, and whoever the caregiver/guardian is, to show girls how to respect themselves and not feel that its their body that is going to get them further. If we can teach our girls at a young age, we have a better chance of these values being blossoming in their minds when they decide to make their own choices and mums fall into the background(unwillingly of course). 

 I want to leave you with a female vocialist, that I absolutely love. I have many favourites, but this lady is modern and in the top 40 lists all over the world. She has an amzing voice and she is a good example of making it big because of her voice and not because she wears clothes that show off her boobs, or dances provocatively, or shows any indication of disrespecting herself.  I am sure you will fall in love with her voice too.

Lesson Learnt! Where do I find Happiness?

I haven't been happy for the last couple of weeks. I have had a smile on my face but I have not been happy. I had convinced myself that I would be much happier if my husband paid himself more money (self-employed) so that I would not have to work as much. I was so convinced that this would truly change everything and I would instantly be happier.
It was today, at church that I realised, that my happiness starts and ends with me. Its up to me to work out why I do the things I do and what I can make of it and what I can in turn learn. I work 3 days a week and I am a mum to 4 kids and I am a wife. That is a heck of a lot to take on, plus I love to blog. I put a lot of my spare time into my blogs because I really enjoy it. So,yeah, I have a lot on my plate, but I have chosen to do all these things, so how do I make the most of all them and not get too swamped and start feeling sorry for myself and falling back on the grumpy train. So here is what I figured.

Work
I went back to work because my husband is self-employed. A couple of years ago things were tight and because I am a school teacher, I knew I would be able to get work fairly easily and the extra income would come in handy. I had a 9month old at the time. With the other kids they were at least 18months before I considered working again, so I was feeling a little gulity about him being so young, but desperate times call for desperate measures and I was blessed last year to find the school I currently work for. I teach children with special needs and I so love what I do. Its not only rewarding, it makes me happy and I work with amazingly awesome and inspiring people.  I was blessed again to get 3 days of work this year, which for me being a casual and having a commited 3 days a week for the next years is amazing! These are the things I  remind myself when I am feeling like I don't want to work anymore. Don't get me wrong, we all feel like that sometimes (or a lot!!) which is life but I have to remind myself what I do and why I do it. I also thinkg about how much pressure my husband must be feeling when it comes to providing for a family. Regardless of recent trends, as old fashion and traditional as it might sound, the common belief is that husband goes to work to provide for the family, while mum stays home and takes care of the kids and tries not to go insane!! Its what happens in a lot of families and history tells us, that generally speaking women cope better with having the role as the homemaker. So, the pressure is on the dad to go out and earn an income large enough to cover this lifestyle of a single income to support everyone. I know its my husband's wish to not have me work and spend all my time with the kids and taking care of the home(and clean....he wishes!!!) but right now this is our life and this is what we have to work around. We both work to pay the bills, we share the load. I am in the process of accepting this and I would hope that once I completely accept it and stop complaining about it, then I will find I may not have to work anymore, then I will miss it!! Well, its a hope and I am allowed to hope!! I am HAPPY to be able to share that responsiblitiy, and help my husband and in turn he hopefully won't have to feel too overwhelmed and not be happy himself.  I am HAPPY that I go to a work where everyone gets along and has fun with what we do. I am HAPPY that I do have 2 days off that I can spend with my youngest son and drop my kids off to school and pick them up and have that time with them. I really want to see these things in a different perspective so that I don't complain about it being a chore, but rather a priviledge and being HAPPY to do it.

** I just realised, that if I replace the word HAPPY with GRATEFUL, it makes sense but has a different meaning/feel to what you read***

Anyway, I just wanted to share this because I think its signnificant. Its so easy to think about all the negative things in life that can upset us and make us feel either inadequate or like we missing out on something.  We need to be reminding ourselves of what we have and why we have it.I worked this out at church and that's another thing I am truly grateful for. To be able to go to church, take my children and be part of something amazing. Church always makes me happy, even when I feel like not going, I make myself go and feel better once I am there. I also believe that a quest for happiness starts and ends with God. I truly believe that. Belief gives you a purpose, especially in yourself.

So these are my ramblings for the day. I hope I make sense:)

I'm the BEST mum EVER!!!! Check out the post for my daughter's 10th B'day Party

I did a full post on my other blog for my daughter's birthday party so click the link!

http://welfarewisdom.blogspot.com/2011/06/im-best-mum-ever-my-daughters-10th.html

My Daughter's 10th Birthday party - Dessert Table Suggestions

My gorgeous daughter turned 10 yesterday! Yes, the big 1-0, double digits! Firstly, I feel like most parents, where has the time gone!! It really does go by quickly when you look back. I remember so much of her life, but also know I have forgotten a lot too. Its sad when we don't have the memory we once thought we did. It gets worse when you have 4 kids! I remeber thinking as a kid, why does my mum forget things so easily? She was a whiz at finding everything, but she would forget simple things like how much pocket money she was supposed to give us, or what time certain activities were on. Now I get it! Your mind gets full of so much stuff that you worry about, thing about, dream about, that sometime simple things just get lost somewhere in the mix! Anyway, at least we remember the really important things:)

I asked my daughter what she wanted for her birthday not long after Christmas, basically so I could budget if need be depending on what she wanted. It was nice to hear her say, " I don't know! There's nothing I really want mum." Music to my ears is what that was!!! She did finally decide that she wanted a birthday party. So I decided what I would do is throw a super amazing party to remeber, after all its double digits!!

The party is to be held on the 28th of May and we have decided on a theme. It changed a few times but the invitations has been done so its "70's Disco Party". I want to blog about the process it will take me so hopefully others will get some inspiration for their child's next party, and I may also need some advice or suggestions as well.

The thing I definately want to do, Claire has given me the OK, is a dessert table. I came across a link to AmyAtlas and fell in love with the concept in a big way. Check out her site, Im sure you will fall in love with what she can create too!  I'm at the stage now where I kind of have an idea on what I want but I thought I would ask what you might suggest I put on the dessert table? What kinds of treats should I make and what colour combos do you think would look best? All suggestions would be appreciated:)

SAmuri Pizza FAce! I'm 32 and still getting pimples..agh!!!!

When I was about 14 or so there was a cartoon on ABC (I think) called Samuri Pizza Cats. It was about cats who knew karate and would use it to save the day. They also ate Pizza alot, kinda like Ninja Turtles I suppose. But the theme song was rather catchy and me and my older brother and younger sister would sing this song all the time and one day when our older sister was being particularly mean, my brother called out to her, " Samuri Pizza FAce"! This hit her hard because she had pimples in a pretty bad way ( I did too but it was my sister on the receiving end, so I was happy!!) as most teenagers do. From then on it was the nasty catch phrase so to speak of our family and as we all had pimples at some point in our teens we would yell it out to each other when we wanted to hurt the other persons feelings, I know it sounds bad but being 1 of 5 kids it happened!
Anyway, the reason why I bring it up today is because I am now 32 and I still get these stinkin pimples! I can't stand getting them. They look so gross and I feel like I should have got over the getting pimples a good 10 years ago, at least! The only time I have really great skin is when I am pregnant. So whatever hormones I am producing then is what keeps me clean and clear and I loved it!!  But as much as I love my kids, I am not so desperate that I feel like getting pregnant again to have clear skin, i don't want it that bad!!!  I did try Proactiv and that actually did work for me but it costs quite a bit to maintain that routine. I am currently using Neutrogena Cleansing Foam. It isn't doing a good job at all. I still use it, in vain I think because I spent money on it and I don't want it to go to waist.I think my other problem is I can't resist not squeezing my pimples. I don't squeeze all of them, but it they have a white head, it has to go. I can't stand seeing a white headed pimple on my face, I think its gross, so I can only assume others would too. So naturally for the ones that I do squeeze I get a scab and then its the scab that is just as obvious. So its the vicious cycle that I thought as a teenager would leave me be when I hit my twenties. Maybe its stress? I'm a wife, have 4 kids, work part time and tend to a house hold. I think that's a good reason. But how to combat that? Maybe I should just suck it up and get the Proactiv again. Yes, it is pricey but if it clears up my skin, then I know I will feel better about 'me'. Any of my hundreds of loyal readers out there have any suggestions?? Anyone??

Boy, I crack me up!!!

I HATE YOU!!!

I have heard this a good 10 times today, at least! My daughter is only 9, well closer to 10 really. I shudder to think what I have install for me in the future! I don't care that she hates me, because I know she doesn;t really mean it. She first told me she hated me when she started going to primary school. I should be grateful I suppose that she was 5 when she said it and not any earlier. I remember feeling like crap when she said it. I always thought I would be a cool mum, the kind of mum that would never be hated!! But I soon realised that most mums would be hated at some point in their lives, little did I know I would be hated a lot more than once!!

It was about 6 months or so after I first heard her say she hated me that I realised something that has really kept me going and I'm always more than happy to share this pearl of wisdom with anyone who cares to listen. I figured that if she tells me she hates me, then we have a pretty good relationship. I would be really worried I think if we never fought(is that a word and was it spelt right?) and if I heard she hated me when she was like 12 or 13 I think it would have hit me harder and I would have a harder time dealing with  it. So in a weird kind of way I don't mind so much that she started this at younger age, my skin is thicker and it doesn't affect me. We have a good relationship and while I have no idea what she will be like when she hits those horrid teenage years, I can deal with the nonsense she yells at me . I just really hope she gets better, is that wishful thinking? Some teenage girls are nice to their mums aren't they???

Confessions of a ZipLoc Bag Addict

Ok, I am new to this, so please do not laugh. This is a serious matter that needs some serious attention. Ahem {clear throat}. My name is Courtney and I am a Zip Loc Bag Aholic!! I'm absolutely serious here, this is a problem that really should be taken on. I realised I had a problem when I couldn't find my box of Ziploc bags. I was absolutely frantic because I didn't know what I was going to do with my half onion and my new bag of spices and my just opened bag of lollies!! What do I do with these things if I don't have a Ziploc bag? I searched everywhere until I finally found some old ones that I realised I could wash out and reuse.Then it hit me, why have I been throwing out so many bags when I could have been washing and reusing? Childhood memories of my grandma's clothes line came to me. She used to wash and resue as many freezer bags as she could. She even washed and reused gladwrap when she could. We used to make fun of it, but now the genius of the idea makes sense! I am sure somewhere in this all I could throw more salt to the wound be guilting myself further by all the ziploc bags I have touched that I now sitting in land fill. {breath}

When you open my pantry cupboards there are ziploc bags scattered throughout holding all types of edible and even non- edible items. I even use ziploc bags to hold toothbrushes, laundry powder, salt, sugar, milo  when we go camping (all in seperate bags of course!) I use and abuse those bags and i think I have got to a point where i need to stop. I rely so heavily on them its gettting embarassing!  So my reason for this post is a kinda like an intervention, except i am organising it!I need some ideas on how to get over this addiction but still have good organisation and storing ideas. C'mon fellow bloggers I need your help, if bloggers can't help me than who can??!!!

MILEY CYRUS UPSET

My daugther came to me a little upset a couple of weeks ago. She said she found something out at school that she can't work out if its true or not. I was worried and a hundred different things rushed through my head at once as to what she was going to ask me! She said:
"Someone at school told me that Miley Cyrus drinks, smokes and takes drugs"

My daughter is a big fan of hers and the show Hannah Montanna, so to hear that the girl she admires on those shows , was now doing the above things, she was really perplexed. I could have told her no, but I have seen the youtube videos online and seen other footage in the media, so I knew it was true. She is almost 10 so I figured, she needed to know that teenagers, even the famous ones make these choices in life. I told her it was true and I could tell she was instantly disappointed. I told her that Miley was no longer a young girl, and I would say she has decided to do these things to show to others she is more grown up. I also told her that I don't think she is making good choices and doing these things doesn't mean you are grown up, it means you aren't good at making some choices!! Hopefully she will realise this soon and realise she has made a mistake. My daughter said, she will still listen to her music but is sad that she does those types of things.

I personally am upset with Miley. I know she is growing up, but really she needs to be aware and accept that her fans are young girls and like it or not, she is a role model to these girls. Her fans got her to where she is, so she needs to be respectful of that. Why does she feel that these types of activities will show her as "grown up"? I hope she realises sometime soon that you can grow up and show you are no longer a young girl without doing these types of activities.

That's my mummy rant for the day!!!

I'M CRAZY ABOUT CRAZY 8

I am a big Gymboree fan and I finally purchased onlieg back in December and then again in Janurary. The dollar is so good at the moment and the sales were too good to miss. So I decided to give it a go. It was very easy and straight forward and all I needed was my credit card to purchase. The first purchase took exactly 2 weeks to arrive as I paid for standard postage which cost me $35USD. It gets delievered via DHL which is great because it gets dropped off to your local post office/delivery centre and its delieved by them and if you aren't home to get it, you just have to go pick up it up at your local post office.
I earnt some Gymbucks from my first purchase, I think it was about $40 worth which meant that on my next purchase of $80USD or more I would get $40 off! There is a time frame that you have to spend the Gymbucks in, but I got some amazing bargains and I think I ended up getting about 12 items for less than $8AUD each!! Including an amazing puffer jacket for one of my sons, that is so amazingly warm, anything like that here in Australia would cost a minimum of $60AUD. So that was an awesome purchase! I also ended up choosing Express postage which only cost me $30AUD and this is delievered by Fed Ex and the order arrived 3 days after I paid for it. You get a tracking number which gives you estimated delivery which for me was on time and was great because I knew when I needed to be home.
So this is all cool, but what is Crazy8? Well Crazy8 I would personally describe as a sister store perhaps? Kinda like the connection between Gap and Old Navy. I checked it out and I was happy with what I saw. I also have a friend living in Utah at the moment and she told me Crazy8 is good quality. So I decided to trial Crazy8 too as I was finding that I could get more for my money compared to Gymboree and I was liking more at Crazy8 for my daughter in particular this time round compared to Gymboree. This time round the promotion was 25% off my total order  in addition to other sales that happening as well. The 25% off  basically meant my postage was for FREE and instead of Gymbucks they have Crazy Cash so I scored $40 worth of Crazy Cash to go towards my next purchase. My other bonus came when I purchased. The AUD was stronger than the USD so instead of costing $122USD it came to $119AUD, but the downside was the bank charges for an international transaction which meant what I saved was added back in fees:o( But I still got 17 items of clothing for around $7.15 a piece! So I am happy about that:) The items are yet to arrive, so I will post again when they do.

My overall experience with these two companies prompted me to tell others, espeically Aussies, how awesome it is. You get good quality items sent to you for reasonable postage rates and with our dollar being so strong right now, its really a good time to stock up and save.

I grabbed some pics from the site to show you some of what I purchased:

The PJs are actually for me! They had adults sizes for this style.

My Fat has Seperation Anxiety!!

I worked it out finally! I have been trying to work this out for so long as to why my fat is not coming off!!  The only explanation is seperation anxiety. I will explain. I have been trying to loose some kgs and it always seems to be the case that if I do loose 1 or 2 kilos it tends to find its way back on my body within a week or two of it leaving or it just won't budge at all! Its kinda like a child who doesn't want to leave. He might leave you for a minute or two but freaks out and has to come back or he will go crazy. Or he just won't leave you alone at all for fear of never getting you back if he leaves!! So this is what I think of my fat. It just can't bare to leave it me, it has got so comfy and cosy that it just wants to stick to me forever!!! Oh, I really hope not! Anyone else relate??

HAVE SOME SPARE TIME?

If you have some spare time today and want to Flog Yo Blog, checkout wanderlust's blog and join in:)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT BATTEN DISEASE IS?

Ok so do a little ranting on here, and I vent about my sometimes difficult days or moments with my kiddies. However, I do have humbling moments. I work at an SSP school. SSP stands for Schools with Specific Purposes which basically means children with disabilities. These kids have hearing and visual impairments and mental disabilities that prevent them from being able to attend mainstream schools. A lot of the children at our school are tube fed, have medications throughout the day and need to be monitored. We teach a lot of children who are autistic in all its different forms.  This year I will be taking a class with a student that has been diagnosed with Batten's Disease. We have another student who is older with this disease already at the school, but the student in my class is new to the school. She has been transitioned to our school from mainstream as her condition is deteriorating. Some children who have been diagnosed with this disease can be eating drinking, talking and doing a lot of regular functions and then, brain cells begin to die and these functions slow down and eventually and sometimes suddenly stop. I want you to take a look at this clip from YouTube, its a little long but do you best to see it through, or if you skip a little stop at the mother's interview because it really pulls at your heart strings and makes you appreciate what you have but also empathise as best you can with her and what she takes on each day in her life.
I love my job and learning about the students that I teach and come into contact throughout my day. Working with children with disabilities gives you a new way to look at life and your own family but also how we can serve others. All the kids at our school just want to feel cared for and have fun, its a great experience and if any of you out there are looking to volunteer for anything, please consider going down to your local SSP school and doing a day or two of service they would really appreciate it I'm sure, but I will guarantee, you will go home with a different perspective on life and if you are a mother, on motherhood too.

2011, a year for me?

So I got a gym membership for my christmas present, don't worry I did ask for it!! So my goal is for the school holidays to go every day and so far I only missed one day, so I am kinda proud of myself. I so badly need to get myself back into shape and be happy and proud of myself to do something for me, for a change. I actually enjoy going to the gym, I didn't think I would. I like wanting to be clearer in thought and in my life. Don't get me wrong here, it doesn't make me want to be a better house cleaner, in fact some of that has fallen by the wayside, but I get away with it, because I say, "I either go to the gym or I fuss about the mess" and it is working for the now!!!

Anyway, I just felt I was ready to take on the whole getting fit thing. I also accepted the challenge to take part in the Breast Cancer Triathlon in October this year. I figured, why not, I want to get fit, why not have a goal and try and see what I can do with it! Wish me luck, I shall need it. If I get around to it, I might even post some pics of my progress. Hang on, who am I kidding, when I go back to work I won't have time to do much of anything, my goal then will be to squeeze the actual exercise in!!! Anyway, take care and hope you have something big planned for 2011:)

So my Kids think I am a bad Mother!!!

So I woke up early today and headed off to the gym, got home had a shower got everyone up and got them organised for the day. We headed off to the cousins. Picked himMrE up and then we went off to my dad to go swimming. We spent most of the morning there until it got too hot and there was no more shade. I got everyone organised went back to my sister-in-laws and hung out there as the kids played on the slip and slide and other fun activities. Then I gathered my kiddies up swung by hubbys work so they could scooter around the parking lot and so I could pick up my little man from daycare. We got home, I organised them dinner, let them watch TV and watched them organise a skateboard/scooter ramp for a little while and then jumped on the puter to check out some blogs. Now apparently, because I have taken an hour or so out to do something for me, I have my 9 year old in my ear telling me I'm a bad mother because I am on the computer! What? How does that work? Moral of this story, you can never win with kids!!!