news news news...

ever sit at your pc knowing you want to update your blog, knowing you need to update your blog, knowing the things you want to update it with and then simply sitting at your desk trying to find the right words to say and not really getting very far with it at all? yeh thought so...you and me both!!!

so i'll start with some pretty awesome news that i can share with you all, yep the very same news i've been promising to let you know for a little while now and can finally do so. last night was BAAG's - bendigo autism asperger's group's AGM and last night i was officially voted in as president....wow!!!!!

i had been approached about 2 months ago by BAAG and asked if i would like to take this onboard which was pretty darn overwhelming and daunting at the time but wow what a privilege and honour to be asked and  take on this very worthwhile and incredible role. i mean this is huge and although i wanted to get my toes a little wet in the shallow waters, there's nothing like jumping in the deep end...boots and all!!!!

as a parent of 4 teenagers...3 of them with autism and other disorders/disabilities, i have a very real passion and drive to understand, learn, advocate, help and support my own children but then to take that and work  within the wider community and do the very same thing with individuals, families, organisations, services and professionals that is something pretty incredible and very much a privilege.

i believe that we can make a difference to bring about the much needed change for those who have a disability and those that are impacted by one if we continue to work together to bring about the necessary and vital needs of each individual as one size no longer fits all. much work has already been done but there is still so much more to do.....acknowledgment, acceptance and understanding are really critical because it's the glimmer of hope that allows us to move forward one tiny baby step at a time, it's the glimmer of hope that allows us to get out of bed in the morning exhausted to push through another day because our loved ones need us too and it's the leap of faith that we take to push through the constant knockdowns and negative boundaries society has placed upon us because many simply don't "get it".

together we can make a difference!!!!

as promised...

yep i did promise some pics of the new car that is not quite 2 weeks old...that is 2 weeks old in newness to us.......and have i told you it's a dream to drive. yup still feels a little surreal but we're trying real hard to make it feel more real. one thing i do have to say it is i love love love driving it. i love love love looking at it and i love love love the fact that it belongs to me....oh and the family hehehehe. anyhoo here ya go and thanks for your patience cause i know you've all been waiting anxiously to see it.....haven't you?!!!

ok so here she is and we've called her bill...pretty sweet ride hey!! bill is a 2008/2009 holden commodore omega and an absolute dream to drive. it didn't come with tinted windows when we first purchased her but before we brought her home we asked our local holden dealer to tint the windows as dark as legally allowed. tint is "street legal" yep that's the tint colour with the driver and front passenger done as dark as legally allowed there and the back windows and back windscreen darker but nicely blended so it doesn't look weird.

when we had the windows tinted we had to take into account the sensory issues and visual impairment needs of our children. thankfully after discussing this with our holden dealer accessory department after already being quoted one price, they came up with an even better solution with darker tint and said they would do that at no extra cost. not only was i so incredibly grateful as it was something i did not expect but they understood completely...yep they "got it" as they have friends with special needs kids and they knew what that meant.

she comes with so much, things i haven't even heard of before and the fabulous thing is she's also done very low km's and that's always a good thing. she's settled in very nicely and we ♥ her to bits and even lance and grace...both with their learners permits have been allowed to drive her, something i initially said no too but this car is one to be respected and the kids certainly do that. they've both only driven her once each in the past couple of days but interestingly enough, they are more cautious, more alert and really appreciate and respect her....that says enough hey?!!!

the even more incredible thing here though is something much more extraordinary...as you know we have 4 teens and 3 of them have autism...our youngest son isaac who is so disengaged from society has taken advantage of bill (the car) and just about everyday since we've brought her home isaac has come for a drive in it. whether it's been to drop grace of at her friends, pick up mr iggles (our rabbit) from the vet or just ask dad to go for a drive he has been really happy to do so. now it may seem weird to many of you but our son could barely cope with taking a step outside the front or back door and spends most of his time in a dark room on his xbox as his anxieties are just so high that he is incapable of much more. to those of you who "get it" then you will know that this baby step is huge and it means so much to us......yes a glimmer of hope!!!

the school holidays are nearing their end and i must say i'm not really looking forward to it. life becomes just so much more difficult when we're in a school term and particularly when your kids are really struggling and not being supported in anyway within the school system. but i haven't given up yet and nor will i....it's just about putting my energy to good use in a different way and working round it but this time and finally with the help and support of a team from disability services to come on in and do the so called "negotiating" for us and work it from their angle.

anyhoo before i sign off i just wanted to share one more thing with you.... i'm getting closer to being able to share my awesome news with you. i still can't let the cat out of the bag yet...well i can, but i've chosen not too because i personally think this time i'd simply like to wait till it's all official and i'll just have to keep you all in suspense till the 22nd of july when it all takes place. but it's big...well big for me and very exciting.

ok i've waffled on long enough so till next time, take care and keep on smiling.
hugs chris xoxo

school holidays...

have officially started and i've enjoyed every part of day one. today lance and i managed righteous pups now that we have our new car and can actually get there and back without any drama's whatsoever and that felt good.....really really good!!!

yep last thursday we purchased a 2008 holden commodore omega and last saturday morning we brought our new baby home. friday morning it went in to have the windows tinted to suit our needs and to keep all things legal and saturday morning just before pick up a complete car care package (fifth dimension) was done on both outside and inside of the car and the car looks simply fab.u.lous!!!!

pictures will arrive on the blog of our new car over the next couple of days i promise as i truly have been busy even though now the stress of having a reliable car has been sorted out my situation is still very very busy....but somewhat busy in a very new way and in a very new role and something i will share with you real soon i promise. in the mean time i am trying to find my feet a little and seems like i've taken the plunge and dived straight in but all for a very worthwhile and amazing cause.

school holidays have started as i mentioned a little earlier and the very title of this blog post and i really have enjoyed day one so far. things have gone really well today and that is really good. living the life we do means everyday is predictably unpredictable and we take the bad with the good, the good with the bad and try to manage moment by moment....day by day as best we can given the fact that hubby and i really are only human with no super powers or extraterrestrial gifts of any sort.

sometimes life throws some real curve balls our way...i could simply walk away and not deal with them and therefore not try but if i did that it would mean setting my children up to fail and i'm not like that.....or i can learn to catch them and use them positively and for good reason and for good cause. remember you can't fail if you keep trying...once you stop trying, you start failing and life is far too precious to give up on your loved ones or more importantly yourself.

i've walked a very painful journey my whole life, i've been bullied not only as a child but as a grown woman in my 30's and 40's and seeing as i'm 43 now, that bullying has left deep irreversible damage with agonising results. the impact has been horrendous but for the past 3 to 4 weeks i've stood tall and i've stood strong because my husband and my family mean the world to me and because they are worth every bit of it. i will no longer listen to those that thought they new best, i will no longer deal with "their" issues because they feel like telling me how things should be even though they have no idea what life for us is like, i will no longer allow these people to stand over me and treat me like i'm the lowest form of life in this world and they think i don't matter. well guess what this time i've taken back control and this time i've made a stand. if loving my husband and my children and wanting the best for them in every way possible is a problem to certain people then that's just it...it's your problem and not mine and we don't need it or you in our lives.

sometimes you just gotta take the bull by the horns and do what you have to do and that's what tim and i have done recently. not an easy decision to make and one that in itself was incredibly stressful for both tim and i although prior to making it, it was causing us stress and unrest beyond imaginable measure and although i prefer not to delve to deep into what tim and i have gone through for many  years...lets just say we are learning to breathe once again for ourselves.

life sure does through a range of challenges at us....learning to weigh them up and balance them is something we all need to learn. work through the priorities, work through what's right and best for you and your loved ones, listen to advice but only advice that is worth taking onboard and remember to always listen to your heart!!!

till next time take care and stay true to yourself. for those of you on school holidays, stay calm, stay sane and above all....enjoy life. remember when things are getting tough, there is always someone out there, yep another person, couple or family that are doing it even tougher. hugs xoxo

poor poor neglected blog

it's so sad i know....i can't even keep up with blogging these days and i had every intention to do so at least weekly. anyhoo sad thing is i haven't and as much i've written an entire book on excuses and very good ones at that for why i haven't been able to keep up....who's gonna read it.....lol

life is plodding along for us here one day at a time....yep we're no different to anyone else there.....lol but it's up and down like a yo-yo either spinning out of control or completed knotted and stuck in a rut.

there is heaps to say but man i won't bore you with the finer details however i will mention that we're finally getting a new car....yep the ford has to go and it's time to replace it with something more reliable and capable of actually starting, driving, staying on the road and getting us to and fro.....so tomorrow morning we take ownership of a new car....well a 2008 commodore and i simply can't wait....in fact none of us can but we have one more sleep to get through and then we bring our new baby home in the morning.

what else is news with the dudes here....school holidays have officially started and i am so looking forward to 2 weeks of no school runs....there are still appointments but no school runs and i ♥ that!!! sleep in's, wintery days, rain, boredom, kids fighting, kids nagging.....yep gonna enjoy the lot....hehehehe and when it all get's too much i'll be able to jump in the car and go for a drive.

actually tim and i are going to spend some of the school holiday's ripping up carpet, lino, tiles and revealing the awesome floor boards that sit underneath all that in very good condition ready to sand and seal. we hope to repair the plaster walls in grace's room and prepare it for painting as soon as the warmer weather appears, look at some new bathroom goodies like shower and handbasin and paint colours to redo the inside of the house and do part of the back yard and garden and front yard with stones, pavers and a little of this and that....yep we're on a mission.

anyhoo quick and simple tonight just to touch base and say hey yep i am in the land of the living even if it's in zombie mode. oki doki signing off for now and i'll post pics of the new car asap....ahhh i can't wait but of course i have to....only one more sleep though.

for all those parents out there ready to embark on 2 weeks of school holidays...stay strong, stay calm and remember to breathe. hugs chris xoxo

what a week...

yes it has been one incredible week, both good and bad, both positive and negative but tonight as i sit here blogging, putting my thoughts down and out there for all the world to read....i realise i am grateful for so many things.

despite the fact that for most of this week we've been without a car as repair after repair was dealt with at our mechanics to get it back up and running, that without the car i could not get anywhere that i needed to go without the help of someone else to take me, that for four days it pretty much sat at the mechanics having so much done to it that even i didn't know if at the end of this time we would have a car or not and the fact that i seemed fairly stressed out because of it...what i am grateful for is this

• no one had any appointments to get to this particular week
• although lance does righteous pups 3 times a week he was ok with the fact we could not get there for 2 of those times while the car was being attended too
• steph's paediatrician's appointment with Dr Ken Armstrong was rescheduled till this coming week because he was urgently called away
• my good friend trish offered to help in anyway we needed and we took her up on that with getting kids to and fro school and to the shops as i needed
• and although i don't want to go through that again in any hurry that we managed and we survived

what else am i grateful for...that as i "celebrated" my 43rd birthday yesterday (Saturday 29th of May) that my children coped and we got through the day without any drama's. see for us having children who have special needs....getting through a day such as a birthday without any meltdowns, without any difficulties, without any major issues even if it means we do nothing "special", even if it means we don't have any other family over, even if it means dining out in front of the tv with take away, junk food and soft drink and everyone is happy and coping....that is a day worth remembering and that is a day worth celebrating and i am very content and very happy!

so yes yesterday i turned 43....wow can you believe that and of course my kids now consider me an "old fart" and i'm ok with that. i did get spoilt with pressies too. a canon ef 50mm f/1.8 II camera lens for my canon dslr, 100ml bottle of mariah carey luscious pink perfume, and a dining table and chairs.

because we rarely use our huge dining table and chairs and the fact that it takes up so much room in the dining area we decided to downsize and pick up a really nice 4 seater (big enough for 6 if needed) dining table and chairs and outdoor proof the larger one. once done it will look fantastic outside in the outdoor dining area and i can't wait to get everything done and sorted and really do up our dining area and kitchen nicely...oh and not too mention the eating area outdoors.

there is also some really exciting news i want to share with you but i am keeping that hush hush just for now. all i can say is i have been incredibly overwhelmed with the fact that i have been approached to take on this role and although it's somewhat daunting it's also an incredible opportunity and a once in a lifetime experience, but i've said too much already and before i give it all away i'll zip my lips and leave it till i can actually tell you all what it is.

so for now i'm done, yep another post, another update and another week that has flown by once again without it's difficulties but through it all there is a glimmer of hope and sometimes that glimmer is a little brighter. today that glimmer and that hope is brighter then it's been for sometime and i am very grateful for that!!!

hugs chris xoxo