blessed...

recently i've had the opportunity to share my story with a local newspaper regarding living life with autism. for those new to me and my blog i have 4 older kids and 3 of them have autism amongst other disorders and life here at times can be full on.

however and sorry if i offend anyone by mentioning this, life isn't always about autism. before anyone gets upset let me explain my thoughts behind why life isn't always about autism. as a family we have been through hell and back with our kids...no support, no help and when it was in it was rather unproductive, caused more harm then good and we asked of what little support we had to stop and no longer step in believing they could change our world in an instant when all they were doing was creating a mess. now if your still with me reading thank you....i'll continue.

we've had service providers and agencies in our home over the past 3 or so years (not for all that time but about 10/12 months on and off maybe) trying to offer the help and support a family needed but they weren't able to deliver the small things our family needed to move on and move forward and they cause a great deal of difficulty because many of the workers really didn't get it at all. it cause more distress, anxiety and harm to our kids and therefore us so we let them all go and told them to stop. now we still deal with the medical profession because they do actually know what they are doing but that's it...nothing more and we are able to breathe because of it.

as some of you may be aware we also deal with other disabilities/disorders whatever you wish to call them and i'm talking about depression, anxiety disorders and best's vitelliform dystrophy!

best's vitelliform dystrophy is not connected, linked or associated with autism in anyway like some people have thought it too be so and have told me that it is. it can't possibly be so.

best's vitelliform is a rarer genetic eye disease allowing for progressive blindness and there is no cure. my husband has it, both steph and isaac have it and steph and isaac have autism as well. but today we're talking the eye disease. they are both case studies, their eyes are famous here at least in australia with one paper already written about their eyes and the condition and the intervention needed. apparently a 2nd paper has been started and they are constantly monitored. now i'm not going into the nitty gritty of their eye sight because it's just far too difficult but what my kids deal with aside from the best's vitelliform dystrophy is torn retinas, leaking fluid and bleeds to the back of the eyes and what the specialists are not sure if all of the conditions are linked or whether they are completely separate conditions...thus and therefore the written work, case study papers etc etc.

so sometimes for our family it isn't always about autism...sometimes there are other major issues going on that can't be controlled and when you know that it's a matter of when and not if...that your kids are going to loose their sight then that to us as parents and family...is major.

let me tell you why else it's not always about autism...through my business chris turnbull photography, i've been supporting a gorgeous little girl by the name of ruby. i'm not the only one but ruby has touched the hearts of many of us as she has cystic fibrosis. ruby now needs a nebuliser and all the treatment that goes with that twice a day and for the rest of her life. i've had the opportunity to help ruby before by donating to an auction supporting and raising funds for cystic fibrosis and i'm helping and supporting again but this time to raise the much needed funds to purchase a new nebuliser for a little girl that needs it. they cost too much for any family to be able to purchase so i'm helping in a small way but still able to provide. you can read more about ruby's story here and here

there are families out there that have children with disorders and disabilities everywhere...their child doesn't have an autism spectrum disorder but they do have a serious life long illness or disability that they need support with as well. not every child or teenager or adult with a disability is funded...total misconception there. not every family dealing with these issues are able to purchase the items needed for their child no matter how life threatening their condition is.

the more and more i venture into the world of all abilities the more and more i have realised that just like me... a parent with a child or 2 or 3 with disorders or disabilities isn't funded...there are so many more families out there in the same situation and this breaks my heart to think that the aides and or tools one needs is usually left up to the parents to raise the funds for. i hear and read heartbreaking story after story galore. i know the families that have had to sell their family home to pay for the medical expenses, equipment, tools and aides for their loved ones. i know the families that have to pawn another precious item to make ends meet because their child needs another prescription filled or assessment done. i know the families where parents can no longer work or have had to take long term leave to help raise their child/ren because it takes 2 parents to support and look after. i've spoken to many face to face or over the phone or through email...this is their reality, this is the stuff the service providers or agencies may or may not know and this is stuff that the government has no idea about and even if they do they bury their heads in the sand!

i am blessed...i haven't lost a child although we have come close more times then i wish to reveal. we've dealt with crisis after crisis, medical expenses galore, financial hardship, lack of support and help in the areas we've needed it, mental and emotional strain and stress, we've dealt with situations that if you knew what they were it would break your heart as it has mine. but today is a good day...today my children are all here, safe, living life to the very best they can with all the support tim and i can give them.

today it isn't always about autism, today it is about cherishing life, no longer taking it for granted, supporting and helping others anyway we can and constantly finding inspiration all around us. we have gone without and we have sacrificed so much but today it's about moving forward and moving on and finding a place in our heart and soul for others because we all need to refocus and reprioritise and give a little to help alot.

chris xxx

if you can support this anyway you can little ruby roo and her family would truly be grateful ♥

bendigo special needs photographer...

for those that may not know i am an on location natural light photographer specialising in children and loved ones with special and additional needs such as autism spectrum disorders. however i also work with families and children who don't have any of these issues. recently a photography client of mine was asked if i did photo sessions for and of 'normal' families and of course the answer was yes i sure do much to the relief of the family that would like to book a session.

now before i go any further i have a special for the month of march which is pretty darn awesome so you'd best get in quick to book a session before all the time slots are filled up and you miss out.

$130 march madness deal includes:

• photographers time and talent
• pre session and custom editing of 15 full resolution digital images
• permission to print anywhere 
• a set of low res watermarked images for web
• up to 1.5 hours and 5 people
• $25 for each additional family member of friend

look below at the little ad i popped together and contact me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com or head on over to my website here and submit a contact form spots are already filling fast so before you miss out book a session.

now before i love ya and leave ya i thought i might share an image of my daughter steph below.

blogger issues...

so it would appear that blogger, google+ and picassa are having issues that for some time have not been resolved. i know i'm not alone here when i say that many images uploaded to our blogs have completely disappeared and left behind is an ugly black box with an exclamation mark. blogger is aware of this issue and apparently so are the other 2 and going into forums and doing a little research it seems to coincide with google+ being rolled out. 

so i'm not alone and my blog is looking worse for wear and so are many other blogs right across the globe. a fix!!! not as yet and there may not be one as the images seem to be lost. i have been blogging for a lot of years and alot of my images although not all are gone. so i'm not sure what to do about it except keep looking into it, how do you go through years of images uploaded and try and replace them.

it's actually very disappointing and quite dishearting to say the least. all those precious images are gone and i started this blog in 2006. so please excuse the uglyness and all i can hope for is that the latest blog updates complete with images are left alone. so i will apologise to all of you that come my way for all those ugly boxes where an image should be and isn't. i will also have to put in a complaint to blogger and see what comes from it if anything.

until then i will leave you with these images my latest collection you can find on facebook here. they are for sale for anyone interested in purchasing them. i am only doing australian residents only however if you are from overseas and wish to order i can find out how much they may cost to ship.

if your interested in ordering please contact me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com.

 

short and sweet and until next time, ciao and hugs xoxo

school holidays...

yes the school holidays are on us once again and today is our 1st week and 2nd day. i will be the first to admit i love school holidays and spending much needed time with my kids and hubby and so we are. today lance went fishing with a mate and caught 5 fishies, none came home as both guys just like to fish, catch and then let them go which is wonderful. grace obviously went shopping...lol online because i get a knock at the door with the postie bearing gifts...just not for me and totally had no idea what or where they were from of course until i saw the name...yup grace turnbull not anyone else...the joys of a teen with no responsibilities hey!!! steph slept in...till late and think rose sometime this arvo lol then complained about being bored, washed grace's car and tim, grace, steph and isaac all went for a drive leaving me here at home almost by myself (lance was in his unit) and loved every moment of bliss! then of course isaac, online gaming, played with our dog cora and of course went for a drive.

i managed to sort through our lounge and organise a little of the decor as we haven;t had a chance to do that since we painted. however i was restless today and realised just how much i really can multi task...lol uploaded an album on my facebook page with prints for sale so we'll see how that goes over time as i add more images from my personal gallery. i would love for you to take a sticky and check them out and please if you or anyone else you know may be interested in purchasing then let me know and you can do that by messaging me on facebook, leaving a message under the print/s you're after or email me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com

our vegie area is coming along really well and we will end up with 3...yep!!! one is the compost area, the enclosed area where i am growing the actual vegies and of course tim is yet to create a new pumpkin and spud patch...all 3 need to be cora lee turnbull doggie proof. man that dog is happy creating a mess...we're use to it and will be very grateful when she grows up a little...she's 18 months or so now and there's still a little while before she's out of the puppy stage.

c.j our 13 yr old staffy is still bravely plodding along but we need to seriously look at being kind and put her down. cushings disease is nasty and she's at the end of it but she is not doing so well at all. all 3 cats are still cheeky and mischievous....oh wait is that the kids...all 4 of them....hummmmmm anyway yes all 3 cats bluey (real name is little puss), tilly and mini (real name apparently is winree - however winree is spelt) and talk about them being in charge....my goodness do they rule the house.

although there are no booked photo sessions at the moment i am hoping to get out and about downtown and take some random shots of bendigo. i've been wanting to do that for awhile but with time, commitments and being sick for the past week or more...hasn't been possible. so i'm making sure it is over these school holidays.

before i finish up i thought i would post some images from 2 more recent photo shoots. enjoy!

the images above are carefully edited and fully customised for my families. each family when they book a session with me and then order their prints have the option of a one off image like the above. remember if you would like to book in a photo session...contact me. ciao and hugs, chris xoxo

starting out...

3 months ago due to demand i started chris turnbull photography. offering quality and affordable photo sessions for families and of course children. specialising in those that have additional and special needs such a autism spectrum disorders. i thought i might take some time out and reflect on how things are and of course blog about it. 

i can't believe that 3 months have come and gone in what feels like a very short time and we're heading ever closer to christmas. i come at my photography probably very differently to many others in the 'business'. as a mum of 4 teens - 3 of my own kids have autism, they also have other disorders and the 2 youngest are visually impaired with a progressive blind disease that is incurable and basically means they will lose their sight. it's not a question of if but when!!!

believing that we need to document the negative/challenging/difficult along with the positive/inspirational/easier parts of our journey in life is partly how i approach photography. posed or unposed...i prefer the natural look, the natural environment, the unposed look to that of a child or adult for that matter. the other approach i have is that our lives are a journey we are on, documenting that journey both good and bad and everything inbetween is incredibly important...once again part of my approach to what i bring to photography.

it is not only important to me as a person, wife, mum, carer and photographer to give others the same opportunity to document their journey and be part of that in some way but it needs to be with compassion, understanding, acceptance and acknowledgement that whether you have a child or not with additional or special needs, whether or not you have loved ones with additional or special needs and whether or not you are indeed that wonderful person who has additional or special needs...you are important, your child is important, your loved one is important and you are all valuable human beings.

my own experiences over the years with different professionals, business people etc etc has been interesting. when asked whether they know or understand autism and they answer yes...you delve a little deeper and with a little hope you allow them into your own life giving them all the benefit of the doubt until your appointment or meeting and you realise they know nothing and you have put yourself and your child at risk.

i was determined i would not allow that to come my way again and more importantly i was determined my kids would not have to deal with that kind of attitude as much as possible within this society and culture we live in. i remember all too clearly the times my son would come away from a hairdressers appt after meeting with them and them clearly saying they would be able to look after him because they understood autism and would be able to work with and support him. i also remember the time this happened for the first time and on the way home from the appt my son threw himself out of our moving vehicle because that hairdresser did not get it right, did not understand, did not take into consideration that he had autism. i know, i was there and i knew it would end up in disaster...it almost did!

time and time again this happened with my kids...time and time again we soon learnt that unless that person had a child on the spectrum themselves...they really didn't understand...how could they!

too many times family after family would share their terrible experiences with me with the day to day challenges they faced for some of the most basic things that to the unknown...take us parents, our children and those around us sometimes months to plan, teach, support and help for our child to manage. the act or attitude of one person can make all the difference of whether it can be a success or not. far too many times it is the latter and far too many times the act or attitude or both with one person can bring undone years and years of hard work.

so getting back to the photography side of things...i offer a professional service with a personal touch. i enjoy every part of what i do and every process. it's early days yet and i gave myself 12 months, word of mouth is a great advertising resource and tool and so is facebook and all the social media that it allows. i don't just offer my services to families that have additional and special needs children and loved ones and in fact half of my clients are those that don't have these challenges. 

if you're after a quality yet affordable photo session and live in the bendigo or surrounding areas or a little further out as i am willing to travel, please contact me. you can do so by popping over to my website at www.christurnbullphotography.com or my facebook bus page at chris turnbull photography or email me at christurnbullphotography@gmail.com.

until next we meet...ciao and hugs chris xoxo

life in the fast lane...

amazing how the title of a new blog post can hit you in an instant or leave you pondering and thinking what the heck to title your latest blog post with forever and a day. for me finding that just like facebook...blogger has changed things around a little in here as well all in the name of progress and making things 'simpler'! only thing is before the change i thought things were fine anyway...apparently not! anyhoo enough about updates, progress and simple things in life right? nope not really that's why we bloggers blog...to update, keep our followers up to date with out progress and as hard as we try...try to keep things simple in life because dang it...life is darn hectic as it is!

this week has been fruitful but exhausting, positive but exhausting, moving forward but exhausting and i've decided i need a secretary or better still perhaps a clone. although hubby thinks one of me is enough there are many days i might just agree with him but having 2 of me would be quite useful. the real one of me would do all the things i want to do and the other one of me would do all the things i don't want to do....clear as mud! i thought so!

so i just wanted to say this...on tuesday the 6th of this month (september 2011 for those that are a little unsure ;) ), hubby and i celebrated our silver wedding anniversary. yep we've been married 25 years would you believe and would you believe we've known each other since hubby was 11. that is awhole lot of years because we're both in our 40's i being a tad older then he and he being a tad younger then me. we have overcome obstacles like you wouldn't believe and i can tell you now most couples would have walked out, ended the relationship, separated, divorced and basically opted out with the things we've encountered, been dealt with, been accused of, had our names slandered all over the place, lied about...oh and don't get me started on the rest.

i'm not here to dwell on the negative although it would be easy enough to do, in fact without tim...i'd be nothing, lost, completely insane (i'm pretty much there now) and i don't even wanna think about life without him or the kids. there are times in life we must pick our battles, give priority to what's really important and choose to live according to our values and our beliefs and not particularly those of others. i'm eternally grateful for what i have. i'm forever thankful that god continues to watch over our family and his blessings are there daily. 

life is what we make it, there are obstacles to overcome no matter who we are, no matter where we're from. we come across the most wonderful people ever, some just passing, others who stay awhile and then there are those that are life time soul mates...tim is mine. love ya heaps!!!

hugs chris xoxo

august...

wow can you believe today is the first day of august, first day of the last month of winter and it's almost spring...yes that season that is simply gorgeous us only one month away although the weather of late makes me think spring has possibly sprung a little early. blossom is already out, gorgeous wattle and it kinda smells like spring too. of course the obvious sign that spring has hit a little early is the fact that i've started spring cleaning and haven't quite worked out any other reason behind this weird and odd behaviour of mine...lol

anyhoo it's been quiet the past 3 weeks or so with photography...the weather (a negative when it comes to having on location photos taken) isn't the best for photo shoots and so as it starts to warm up i'm hoping that the bookings will also take off a little too. 

today is going to be a short and simple post in amongst everything else on my to do list this week. yes one of them was to blog and so here it is...my next post. can you believe that we have less then 5 months till christmas....scary as!!!! i'm hoping to be more organised this year then i was last year or even the year before. i love christmas with all it's trimmings i just dislike it when it creeps up so quickly and then announces to the world it's here way before i got a chance to realise it.

but i'm ready for it this year....very ready and this time i'm not letting it arrive unannounced...nope not this time ;)

ok well now that i've started talking christmas, probably secretly being told to hush up by my followers here's a recent photo. oh and pop on over and like my fb photog page....i'm on facebook here. share the love and spread the word and for all those local folk out there looking to have photos done contact me.

love my girl, love the look, love those huge brown eyes, love this image. hugs and ciao for now, chris xoxo

some days are tough and some days just plain difficult!

it's the weekend finally....saturday night to be exact and i'm sitting here at my pc catching up on emails, facebook, my ct forum for edeline marta designs and trying to make some sense of the day and the difficulty it has been mentally. today did not go to plan.....the "plan" was to finally start working on organising all the paperwork that we need to keep, filing and putting some order to it so we can try and keep up with it all. any parents who have kids with disabilities would know what i'm talking about and seeing as we have 4 teens, 3 of them have serious disabilities you can imagine the stacks of paperwork, assessments, letters and legal documents that come in regularly. then there are the receipts, bills paid or not and just all that stuff you can't throw out even if you want to because the law requires you to keep it for a period of time. it's a huge job for us although we started making headway a little while ago and sorted stuff out into expanding files until we could afford to purchase some more stable filing cabinets. finally we achieved that and tim was able to get them together for us last night. this weekend was meant for the beginning of organisation and order.....nothing could have been further from the truth.

dealing with autism is not easy....far from it no matter how positive you try and stay and sometimes it is just plain tough and too difficult even for me. it is mentally challenging and demanding, physically demanding and challenging and together....mighty hard and tough stuff....24/7! life revolves around routine, structure, meltdowns, visual cues, major communication difficulties and learning to understand each child and their behaviours, the why's and what's......when and wherefores....and that's just me.....yep me as a mother trying to do the very best i can with hubby raising our 4 teenage kids.....3 of whom have multiple diagnoses....the primary one being autism.

today was a tough day dealing with one of our kids (no name needed) and the difficulties there....the difficulty that our child has understanding social skills, puberty, stranger danger, the struggles they have with communication both in understanding what people say and what struggles to come out of their mouth....which doesn't so we go non verbal and usually deal with pointing, poking to gain our attention and visual gestures of all sorts trying to make sense of what they are desperate to tell us and what we are desperate to say to them although most of the time the processing part just gets too much. yes we are getting help but it's saturday and "the help" is not there 24/7 and always when you need it the most, it's either the weekend or "the help" is on leave as is in our situation so we wade it out hoping that things get better, hoping that things settle, but ever so watchful and mindful of all that is going on and praying desperately that it doesn't result in another breakdown, self harming and another hospital trip!

dealing with autism also results in families feeling the pure isolation as they are doing so much on their own, struggling to deal with so much that goes with an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) and the impact it has on a family.....worse still is the truth.....often families find that those they thought were in their life, those they hoped for some support, understanding and acknowledgment within the family and friendship circle realise that mostly and sadly many of them walk away and life becomes such a lonely journey dealing with such a serious disability. yesterday i was told that tim and i were going to have a hard life after telling someone our situation when i was asked how things were going....but what i kept thinking was what about my kids........what about the struggles they will have, the tough life they are going to have because of their disability and the lack of respect and understanding of it in this world of ours....what about them? not every parents wish hey!!! but tim and i will be there every step of the way fighting for the help they continue to need and now all our kids are being cased managed and helped. maddi is finally onboard with dhs (dept of human services) and we are hoping for the same workers that work with lance will work with maddi (the request is in we just wait).....and steph is of course with camhs for now and being cased managed there. we are the lucky few but it's taken us over 12 months to get help for maddi and tons of fighting for it....i can only thank God in all his glory for what he has done....without him we would be lost.

till next time....when you see kids/teens even adults out and about with vacant/strange expressions on their faces, strange body postures and gestures, non verbal communication or an odd sense of language, meltdowns, hiding in their hoodies or behind their hair, strange behaviours and extreme anxieties....don't judge them for it or the parents for trying to keep it altogether....instead acknowledge that it's possible the situation before you is because we are dealing with the impact of autism and if you have no idea what it means to be autistic....click on one of my links under the autism title in the right margin or just goggle it....then maybe you will understand what we deal with on a daily basis. acceptance and acknowledgment is all we ask for!

hugs xoxo

Yes another blog update!

Ok so I thought it time to post an update seeing as it's already March and a new season has begun. Oh I so love autumn and the milder days. Such a beautiful season with all it's glorious colours and changes....well it's still hot here down under and the trees are only changing because the heat has burnt all the leaves, there is no water, there is little rain but still it has to be better then the past few months with one of the worst heat waves ever recorded and all the tragic bush fires with a few still burning almost a month later.

Well what's new you ask.......Lance's unit is coming along really well and I do promise to take a photo of the outside and the paint work recently done. It is looking fabulous and even though the colours are cream and green...colours chosen by default by the Department of Human Services who supply the unit, it is fresh and clean and really is coming together now. Lance is a little more excited but at the same time very very anxious as to the HUGE changes taking place and I reassure him continuously that it will all be baby steps for however long it takes. We have so many strategies in place and so many plans that even I am eager to get it all sorted but can't till the unit it finished. Whiteboards and cork boards with daily routines, visual cues/pictures where needed in the unit so he knows how, when and why to do things. Intercom system so we always have that backup, fire safe products in case of fire and the list truly goes on and on. Huge process for us as a family in trying to teach Lance to become even a little independent.....not easy but certainly one we must try with the help of professional disability workers helping long term.

I do want to mention that tomorrow the 5th of March would have been my dads 74th birthday, I even have it marked in my diary and I feel very saddened that he is no longer with us since passing away suddenly on the 6th of October last year. I do think of him all the time and everything that has unfolded since his passing and so much of me wants to yell and scream and say it isn't fair because simply put it isn't. I try to think on all the good things over the years even with the hardships our family always seemed to be in but keeping those good memories in the forefront of my mind helps ease the pain a little. R.I.P Ronald James Parsell....love you and miss you terribly. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

I have scrapped a couple of LO's for BSM....can't show you though but that's ok because that just means you have to wait a little longer to see them......lol and while I am on that topic I have to share my exciting and totally unexpected news with you......Ann-Marie asked if I wanted to be a part of Karah Fredricks (Owner of Blue Flombingo and selling at Oscraps) guest CT for the month of March in "bring a buddy to work" approach. Of course I said yes because wow what an opportunity and I miss scrapping so much because I am so so full on busy and I decided I needed some "me time" and I needed it now. So look out for those LO's and when I am done here for today I plan to start scrapping for Karah. BTW thank you so much Ann-Marie and Karah for this awesome opportunity....more so that you think my scrapping is worthy enough!

Ok well that'll do for now and until next bloggin', take care and stay safe. Hugs Chris xoxo

Yay it's done it's finally done!

I can't believe I finally got out there on Thursday and did the bulk of my Christmas shopping. Not only is most of it done but now I can sit back and relax that apart from Grace's birthday shopping (23rd of Dec) and the stocking stuffers I am done and for me this year that has been a huge achievement.

Oh and did you want to "hear" some exciting news?! Yeh you did, ok then here we go. A few months ago Lance's tv simply stopped working. Now to those of you out there thinking yeh so just replace it and we'll be fine, well we simply couldn't afford to and so Lance kinda took over our main tv in the lounge watching all HIS fave shows etc etc which has caused some difficulties for the rest of us.

Anyway his case manager and psychiatrist found out, decided that because of Lance's many difficulties and the impact it has on the family, that he needed his own space within his room and his own tv. A funding application had to be made, put in for approval further up the line and if approved we would be funded a new tv. Guess what..... the approval took about a week and we received that funding yesterday and Lance is the new owner of a flash new 32"LCD TCL tv. How awesome is that and already he has set up his DVD player and XBOX and even his computer can be connected to it and just in one day it has made the hugest difference. So a huge thank you to our health system here because with that small amount of funding it has made the biggest difference. Oh and there are a number of extra digital channels he can access too, something like an extra 19 ....not bad 'eh! Check it out below!

L32E9AD 32' (81cm) Integrated High Definition LCD

Features
Built in HD tuner
8 ms response time
3000:1 Contrast Ratio
Viewing Angle 178º (H) 178º (V)
Resolution (pixels): 1366 x 768
Colour: 16.7 Million
Stereo
3 x HDMI Version 1.3a, YPbPr, VGA
S-Video Input
AV input
Parental control/Child Lock
Wall mountable (bracket not included)
Teletext DTV
Analogue tuner
CEC control simple to connect with DVD etc
Super power saver( standby < 1 W)
Hotel lock
3 Year Warranty

PURE AWESOMENESS!!!

I am now starting to look at high level care nursing homes for my grandmother. There are 7 of them for me to inspect of which 2 I have already made an appointment for next week with those I need to and once fully done 5 of them will be put down as preferences and we wait for a bed from those 5 to come up and then move her to her new home. All the paper work, the assessments, all the legal documents and the difficulty with it all as mum still wishes to maintain being her full time carer and power of attorney but doesn't want to do anything she needs to, has to or is responsible for. That makes things extremely difficult in any legal matter. So we do what we can with the Doctor and Social Worker who are there helping me with what's necessary.

Oh and guess what? We have finally put up the tree. It went up last Saturday and stayed naked until I found some time to pop the decs on it but slowly it is coming together and I just need to add a few more along with an angel topper and all will be done, promise I'll take a pic when it's finished!

Well I think that's it for today but how 'bout that pure visual in Lance's new TV?!.....total awesomeness!!!! Ok take care, stay safe and until next bloggin' be cool, hugs Chris xoxo

Creative chaos and all things hectic!

Ever feel like you live on another planet? Well if you answered yes then welcome to my world!
Every day seems a whirlwind, every moment chaotic and every morning I get out of bed I surprise myself that I still am!

Today I managed to bring grown women to tears (including myself) who share a similar experience as I do......looking after a child who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Today I attended my first Autism Support Group meeting here in Bendigo and although my very intention was to sit and listen, take note in new surroundings, learn of others in similar situations, slowly pace myself, crawl before I walked, walked before I ran, I found myself to be the very opposite when they all asked me about my son Lance and our struggle in everyday life with him before diagnosis and the here and now since his diagnosis of autism some 2 months or so ago.

Just like me they were shocked to hear and learn it had taken so many years for our son Lance who mind you just turned 17 on Monday (15th) to be finally diagnosed with a lifelong neurological learning disability - Autism and that he indeed suffers with depression, severe anxiety and has learning and communication difficulties just to name a few.

Today I felt that I was able to sit, share and talk with all these other amazing and incredible mums who not only know exactly what it means to have a child on the autism spectrum but the difficulties and complexity of such a diagnosis, the impact it has on everyday life for not only the child but the family as well. Life will never be normal for the Turnbull family.

So ok it's been a while since my last blog but life has been somewhat hectic, oh and that in itself is an understatement. Since my last blog posting on the 2nd Lance had an EEG to check out some sort of seizures he has been having. Hopefully we find out the results of that next Monday. Tim and I with Lance were asked to go in to CAMHS to visit with one of Lance's assessors last week - this psycologist and talk to us about the diagnosis and listen to our journey with Lance his whole life completely undiagnosed and then begin to tell us that Lance is a high support needs child and they will put in place everything he needs and with some things he has become a priority. Appointment at the high school for Stephanie to sort out her course selection for next year -yr 9 and get that underway, completed, filed and signed off. Dealing with Lance and the aftermath of a massive meltdown and blowout last week. Another doctor's appointment for Lance yesterday with more health issues, ultrasound today, results next week on top of seeing his paediatrician Monday. Never ever a dull moment here...ohhh and that's without normal life, raising 3 other children, dealing with school camps this week, my own appointments, family visitors this past weekend, school difficulties with Maddison and his difficulties with his visual impairment, trying to implement strategies and plans for Lance and dealing with NETschool and coming to the realisation that Lance is not coping as well as we would like him to.

OH and let me tell you that it was mine and Tim's 22nd wedding anniversary on the 6th, Lance's 17th birthday on Monday (15th) and my mother's birthday yesterday (Wed 17th) and it is Maddison's 13th birthday tomorrow (19th)! Happy Anniversary and Happy Birthday guys and gals!!!

So that's my lot, anyone want it? Nah didn't think so......lol, however I could seriously do with a clone!

While I have you here though I have managed to scrap a LO or 2 or 3 or more....ohhh yeh they are far and few between at the moment but still when I can I will. This one is for the latest Hodge Podge Challenge here over at the Hodge Podge Art Blog in which you are all invited to join in. Tara invited me on very short notice and although it was one of the quickest LO's ever done......lol it was finished in record time and has been up over on their blog ever since, I am only getting about uploading it into my own personal galleries. Such is life!

Hip Chic

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......and this one below too!

{huh}

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....and last but not least (for tonight anyway)

Old Building

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Ok so that should take care of the creative chaos and there are a few more CT LO's ready to go but you know, I think I'll leave that till next time. Till then blogging buddies, take care, stay safe and be true to yourself! Hugs Chris xoxo

There's so much too say and so little time!

Well that's how I feel anyway and I still haven't had a chance to fully finish my blog but it will have to do till I have some much needed time to work on it a little more and finish it. Life is still a little chaotic at the moment although I somehow think that won't change too much in the near future and we just go with the flow of it all as only one can.

Good news...Tim is so much better, his depression is pretty much out of here and he is just dealing with his anxiety which is part and parcel of having a breakdown but we are working on it day by day and he is now able to do a little more then just stay within the walls of our home which is a huge step forward and I am feeling somewhat calmer myself because of it.

More good news...we had out very 1st meeting on Friday with Lance's school to deal with his autism. Attending the meeting was his school coordinator, his case manager, Lance, Tim and I. We talked with his coordinator on what autism is, Lance's own journey with autism, what was needed for Lance and what everyone who dealt with Lance needed to know to best implement the help Lance so desperately needs. What will be implemented is an integration aide, support aids (one in particular will be a laptop to help him with his writing skills because of the difficulties there) and we did try to enforce visual aids because Lance needs them but the school coordinator said because this was a senior school there was no way they would be implemented which I must say as much as I understand the reasoning behind it once again it also hit home that everything in life is orientated towards those of us who are neurotypical and not those of us with special needs and disabilities. Anyway he will undergo another IQ assessment this time with the school psychologist asap and reports will be sent to the school from the autism assessment center and CAMHS here in Bendigo to get this ball rolling as soon as possible. We will be changing his total school curriculum and with much thought and total cooperation with his school we have all decided that this will start as of next year when everyone else starts fresh as it would be too detrimental to Lance and his well being if we decided to do it now and we can prepare him for that over a longer period of time so it's much easier for him to manage the change. I'm sure there will be many steps backwards for Lance so he can move forward with a more positive outlook and approach with all the help he will need.

You know my husband read something from a book last night and I will quote it here.

Point to Ponder
I have heard that some folk have difficulty with the giving of a label. 'We are all different', they say. 'Labels separate and can make "difference" a noted factor that might mean "discrimination". Well. I must say that if the baked beans in my cupboard were not labelled differently to the tins of cat food, then I would not know how to encounter these foods appropriately! I think labels are useful.
(ref - Understanding and Working With the Spectrum of Autism. An Insider's View. Wendy Lawson, pg 64)

Wendy herself was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in adulthood.

Could you imagine going to the supermarket and every item there had no label?! Or even your own pantry or food cupboard?! How would you feel? You would become confused, frustrated, disorientated and possibly angry because you would not be able to make out the difference between the items and therefore you would not know what to buy.

Imagine the frustrations, confusion and anger Tim and I have felt over the years when the early intervention officer that took on Lance's case when he was just 3 yrs of age first mentioned it was possible that he was autistic but 2 years later with 2 years of speech therapy and other things put into place she decides the he was now fine and they would close his file and that was that. He starts school, is a mess and no-one could work out why. He continues on, suffers with depression and plenty of meltdowns, is labeled with ADHD sometime further on, then in yr 7 his teacher mentions to me that he thought Lance was autistic because there were just so many similarities in the autistic kids he worked with prior to working at the high school and he saw them in Lance.

We took that to his case manager back then and she refused to listen and said that there was no way Lance was autistic. Funny how things turn out hey because when Lance's diagnosis was made official a couple of weeks ago and that he indeed was autistic all you can think about was what you had been through all these years and that all these years we had been right. Indeed Lance did have autism and the so called "experts" got it so terribly wrong.

So having no label or indeed the wrong label can cause more harm then you could ever think possible. Imagine being told that your son was normal....there was nothing wrong with him despite the long list of difficulties he presented or how about this one.....we think the parents are too blame for their son and the way he is......an all too familiar story yes? Oh how much Tim and I can relate to this because it has happened to us far too many times and all we could question was how is it possible when our other 3 children were not like Lance. Seems silly how they could never answer that one. Having the right diagnosis or the right "label" allows you to become fully educated and with that knowledge, understanding and power you can then help your child in every aspect of his/her life.

For Tim and I (and the rest of the family) we have started a new journey. We now have a diagnosis and because of that we have researched, read many books, watched DVDs and asked many questions about all things concerning autism and Lance fits into the spectrum perfectly. We have started to understand our son and who he is. We are no experts in autism, but we are experts in our son and our mission (for want of a better word) is to continue on this journey and learn as much as we can about autism and to be our son's advocate in every way we can. We will continue to learn and by thus doing so we hope that we can make some small difference in this neurotypical world of ours for those that are on the Spectrum of Autism which now includes our son Lance.

So what's new well seeing as I have been pretty sick for thepast 3 weeks and have only just come good this past day or so I am desperately trying to catch up with so much including my scrapping forums and sites. Check this awesome collab kit out by Tara and Ann-Marie pretty darn funky I say but then hey I'm also bias. Funky Chickadee is available at Tara Dunstan Designs and Pickleberrypop.

And here is my CT LO for Tara using this fabulicious kit. Gorgeous ha!!!! Well I think so anyway!

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Ok well I think that about suns it up for today so until next blogging, stay safe, take care and tell someone how much you love them. Hugs Chris xoxo