I think school is going to be ok.

Owen had his second school orientation day today. I was meant to have his permission form for a speech therapy assessment filled in and returned as they assess all the preps in first term but had forgotten it. The Vice Principal was right there when I mentioned that I dislike filling them in because they force you to be honest about your kid and when you write down that his sounds (for speech) aren’t great and that he has virtually no eye contact and no attention span etc etc well it doesn’t sound good. Yes they need to know these things but they look book so it is kind of a reality call. Well the VP then asked me a couple more questions about Owen and was INTERESTED.

When Owen finally got to the top of the early intervention waiting list (having waited 18months) he really didn’t get any assistance and I was basically told that while he had problems they weren’t ‘bad enough’ for him to qualify for any aide or assistance when he went to school.

The VP was very keen to find out more. Wants to see the early reports and have a meeting with me b4 school starts and has asked if I would mind having him assessed if need be. At last someone who seems to understand that this kid, for all that he is gorgeous and funny and loving, might need some extra help and instead of the usual fob off with we’ll see I got, lets get on top of it early, lets have a meeting and discuss what he needs, lets look at the reports and arrange any necessary assessments and assistance…in short lets help this kid to not just ‘get by’ at school but to actually get something out of the whole school experience.

I know that it is early days yet but I didn’t realise just how much I was worried about how he would go at school until she said those few words….perhaps it’s silly but that 5min conversation made my day, ok perhaps I shed a tear or two but mostly just the sense of relief.

A productive weekend!

yes for a change I actually got some things done!

The new top50 advertising shop – complete with direct debit payments is now up and running – with no loss of order details or member details!

New guidelines for posting in the forum have been added and publicised.

The forum has had a spring clean and things have been deleted, moved and generally reorganised.

And I bought a storage trolley from kmart and have started to pack it with things for the getaway. I also printed out 5xA4 pages plus 25 4x6photos to take with me. Have packed chipboard, alphabets, stamps, ribbons and flowers. Am planning to pack my 3 half completed mini albums plus match some card/paper to the printed photos and pack the lot – have NEVER been this organised for a getaway!

Also worked out a calendar with who is going to have the boys for Nov/Dec as with the getaway and kinder AGM/dinners, Xmas etc it all gets a little complicated…just waiting on the ex to approve it.

organised? who me? really?

So the boy is SIX

Well talk about little birthday dramas….

I had enormous trouble getting the training wheels on. I had them on but minus the stabilising bars. Just 3 peddles down the driveway they came off and he fell off. So what to do…?

It was 5 to nine so rather than wait and call the bike shop when they opened we popped the bike in the car and drove down. They had a look and basically said that there is no way training wheels would go on that bike. So I’m not happy as I specifically asked that question when I bought it from Toys R Us last month.

So had to make a quick decision – boy needed a red bike on his bday. So we bought a new one from the bike shop. It cost a little more (ok price went from $80 to $150) but it is a better, stronger, tougher, brighter red bike – or so I’m told. It was assembled and ready to go by the time we finished with kinder and the meeting so we went to pick it up and wow he loved it – so confident (which I thought he wouldn’t be especially after the wheel falling off incident). So we took a ride to the playground and along the bike track next to the river for a bit. One happy boy.

So yesterday I finally gave up on finding the receipt for the bike from toysRus and took it in anyway. Without the receipt I couldn’t get money back but got ‘jeffery dollars’ so I used those to finish the Xmas shopping for the kids. All good – except of course that I wasn’t planning to do that THIS week. Ah well it happens – just means it will be a bit longer before I am able to pick up MY bike from layby I suppose.

anyway exhausted and going to bed. photos soon…

and tomorrow Owen is SIX

I know I know predictable but time flies!

I spent this evening assembling and then wrapping up one enormous looking bike! I say enormous and yet really it is the right size for a 6year old boy it is just that he has been riding [and knocking his knees on] a tiny 12″ bike designed for 3yr olds since he was, well 3 actually. So the new one is RED and I hope he is excited about it.

Tomorrow is a kinder day for him and we have a meeting after kinder. He has asked me to stay at kinder and so we will be dropping Corey at daycare and then heading to kinder. Have a meeting after kinder which Owen is thrilled about as he LOVES meetings after kinder (means he can stay longer and play outside AND there is FOOD (most of the kinder committee bake for meetings). WE have made little choc cakes with red icing and white ‘spider webs’ on them for him to hand out to the kinder kids too.

I feel like there is something kinder wise I have forgotten…I hope that it wasn’t handing the roughly written minutes of last weeks meeting to the secretary who was absent for typing cause if it was boy am I in trouble!

well must away to wrap up the pressies from the other boys too as we forgot to wrap them today while Owen was at kinder.

And as if to remind me the boys is growing up….Wednesday is the first of a 4 week school orientation program!

Two tomorrow

I can’t believe my little man will be two in less than 4 hours!

I have the party food and cake all organised. – He is sharing a party with Owen at gym monkeys.

I have made a card even

and I snuck in to take the last photos I’ll take of him as a One year old

note that he is cuddling Jake [the snake] his beloved teddy and his cuddly toy car. The car is funny actually. I bought it as an afterthought because he had one less xmas present than the other boys and then a few months ago Brett felt he should have it in bed and he has been cuddling it at sleep time ever since – with Jake in the other arm.  His special blanket Aunty Sue made him is under the doona – he loves that too. He will probably have to go into his bed soon. For now he can still be my baby a little longer. Even if he is two and talking in full sentences.

gotta love him – Happy Birthday Corey James!

stuff goes wrong….

a lot lately it would seem!

first it was the site crashing and the digital topsites losing it’s memberlist

Then it was having to change plans and have the kids back overnight on Saturday as ex has a funeral to attend.

Then Tam manages to score the misfortune of 4 ear infections (no she isn’t a deformed monster with 4 ears just 2 inner and 2 middle ear infections) so is unable to fly down to see me and attend Paperific.

Then the little things – like mild injuries to a finger and a foot and jamming a 4yr olds finger in a freezer door at coles. Like realising that having paid money of my cc for Corey’s new bed I then paid for it out of the other card causing problems when home loans and stuff needed to come out (all fixed now thanks Karen lol)…

sometimes I feel someone doesn’t like me very much.

On the bright side – with a lot of help from TAM – I’ve just about managed to finish getting an idea I had a few months ago from ‘vague idea’ to ‘concrete notion’ and then to file and almost ready to print! I will be heading to Paperific to the trade event on Friday night after all although I may only be there for an hour in which case I will have to focus on talking less and getting around to everyone. All a bit hush hush for the moment but big plans – workable plans – looking good. I’m pleased with the shove I have had to get this ball moving.

Oh and anyone want to buy a cookbook to help support Owen’s kinder – we made them with recipes from all the mum’s etc and they also feature artwork drawn by the children….$5 each.

Almost two

ok so I really need to take more photos….will have to try to get some tomorrow…

My little Corey James is almost two! How did it happen? I know time goes on but wow…I’ve known that the big 2nd birthday was coming for a while. I have organised a joint party with Mr almost six (that’s another post), I’ve decided on the cake, I’ve bought one present and thought about others…but I haven’t really thought about TWO.

Today, somehow I’ve fallen behind on the washing again (?) and was in search of a pair of pants…he wore size TWO jeans…and they FIT just about perfectly. Tonight I put him in his size 1 PJs – the same Pjs that both Owen and Brett wore before him….and the arms really only just go past the elbows – they really are too small.

More reminders that he is growing up….

He talks often (not all the time but often) in full sentences

He says NO a lot, and runs away when allowed to walk out to the car or at the shops (and he is fast too)

He climbs

He does as he is asked – he knows how to put his clothes in the laundry basket and his cups etc in the sink and rubbish in the bin!

and I wonder where my baby has gone….and sometimes I want him back….

and then he stands on my chair in the lounge room in those very familiar green Pjs with a great big beautiful smile on his face and his arms out wide and he says ‘cuddle’ and throws himself at me and wraps his arms around and snuggles in….no I don’t want my baby back….I love my nearly two year old. I really do, every cheeky little bit of him.

Progress – little by little

Top50 is up again – yay…but the digital topsites is still down. Everytime we get past one issue I find another stopping me from getting it done – was aiming to do it by 6pm and somehow haven’t yet managed to really get started.

Instead though I have managed to clean my gas hob til it shines and the bench all around it. I’m up to date on my dishes and the microwave is clean too. Little by little I’m reclaiming my house. I know there are some who probably won’t believe me but I really am going to get it sorted out this time. I have spent the last 2yrs coming out of a long long depression and I am able now to think much clearer. I could always contemplate complicated web code or tax returns but tidying house was beyond me – I didn’t know where to start – sad but true…and then it is a case of not so much so many bad habits but just the lack of good ones…am getting there though – slowly making inroads…am in a better place financially too which means that as I tidy/reorganise I am slowly buying the storage equipment I need to maintain it – sadly it means many many trips to IKEA – gee what a shame lol!

So now back to waiting for an email to say that hosting shop have fixed the next bit and meanwhile I’m back to my scrapping – I’m working on the participation challenge for the top50 cybercrop which – despite the website dramas – is STILL ON – and in fact the deadline has been extended to midnight on TUESDAY – how nice is THAT!?

Oops

ok I know I’m slack of late.

But really not much has been happening here anyway. Well except for the exciting news I think I forgot to mention – Tam is coming down from Townsville for a visit – timed to take in Paperific.

Apart from that not much….I mean I caught up with the washing and in trying to put it all away realised that I am so often not caught up that I didn’t actually realise that the old towel storage box somehow became a bath toy storage box several months ago….which necessitated a trip to IKEA – well damn we all know how much I hate that place lol! So now I have towel storage shelves behind the door in a previously disused corner – I love that!

A simple tip for car drivers though – cars need petrol…they don’t forget that even if you do….had a lovely afternoon tea with Judith and Jessica before remembering (when car wouldn’t start) that I had meant to get petrol this morning – bugger…that is the first time in over 15yrs of driving that I ever done that! well copped a lecture from the racv man but back on the road…a little red faced but if that is the worst thing that will happen to me this week….I’ll survive!