Back to school

Well off they went, 4 of my kids started school this week..........ranging from Prep to grade 6. our 14 year old son Locky is away at camp at present, his school runs a 4 week preparing for life Camp at the beginning of every year 10 class with great results.
We had no tears, no stress and everyone remembered everything they needed too............looks like I was worrying about nothing LOL,

Adoption!

Today I was sent a link to a young teen who is available for adoption in the US. I get these kinda emails often as I am on a special needs adoption list, mostly they do not really affect me, I mean I can rationalise that the kids are in the US and we can't legally adopt them into Australia so it’s a non issue. But this young teen really got to me. She has a liver condition that requires a transplant and the Dr will not do it unless she has a forever family willing to make a lifelong commitment to her, can you imagine that? can you imagine being so alone in the world that Dr will not do life saving surgery on you because you will not have the support and family to help you with follow up care?.....it just breaks my heart.

So my question is to you have you very considered adoption? The US has some terrible amount of children available for adoption though the fostercare system, some of these kids have special medical needs some have disabilities and some have behavioural issues and/or have been affected by the abuse to which they were subjected. Some are just kids who with the love of a family will thrive, some need more than love. But every single one of them needs a family just like yours........I can see you thinking I am full, I have enough to deal with, I can't do that disability or that medical condition. I understand that feeling it can be a overwhelming to take on a child that has issues that you have never dealt with, but there’s how I feel about that, If God had blessed me with a birth child with say liver disease or Heart condition I would not have known at first what to do, how to manage or how to advocate for my child.........I would of learnt as I went along. Well it’s just like that, I didn't know how to place a feeding tube when we first took Katie home...........I learnt, I didn't know all the traits for Down syndrome when we took Jack home but I learnt, I didn't know what maternal drug addiction would mean for my Noah but I do now!..........You learn to look after these kids are you go along, I didn’t have the skills to look after Katie where we first took her I learnt on the Job so to speak. I am not amazing person, no saint, no angel, I am a average mumma, who cooks, cleans, hugs her babies and fights the stop drop and go at school every day, I am nothing out of the ordinary, I have not amazing skills that makes me better than you at parenting, I guess what is different is I had the desire to look into it and once I did I was hooked...........as a mother I just couldn't sit back when I knew kids where needing families. Kids needed love, stability and someone to care about how they got on in life.
I will grant you that we have had some ups and downs, but strangely no more than the average family, I sit and listen to the Mums and school and we all have the same issues, whinging kids, full schedules and difficult toddlers........ours lives are really no different in many ways.
Many people ask how I do it, to which I reply "do what?" parent?, be Jack and Noah's mother? well I do it the same way you do, I get up every morning see my child for the Miracle of God he/she is and get on with my day, I have the same challenges, the same stress's the same hang ups, I worry about my boys future, but so the heck do you from what I am hearing...........so see we are not different really.
So why not give it a look? why not look at one of the thousands of "waiting child lists" both here in Australia(excludes Queensland who do not advertise waiting for adoption children ughhhh) but mostly in the USA and talk it over with your hubby and or kids, Do a information course and see where God leads you........It’s that simple, you do not have to have loads of money, Homeschooling is not obstacle, Large families are accepted for alot of children/sibling groups, and you do not have to own your own home or provide a separate room for the adopted children.
I can't express to you the blessings, love and miracles that my adopted children have brought to my life........words really can't express how inspired, challenged and happy I am as a mother because of all my kids.....So will you take a look, look outside your home, see where it leads you???


Here are 3 of my Miracles,
Hugs

The Back to School build up!

Well for alot of Aussie families its almost the end of the Summer Holidays and the back to school build up has begun. We have 5 going back to school in just over a week so preparing for everything has begun, New shoes, New back packs, lunch boxes and water bottles.......not to mention the school book lists etc. I am so not a mother who likes this time of the year, the hype, the money, the stress, but my alternative? Homeschooling just isn't something I feel I could manage, I admire the many friends I have that homeschool many of which have kids with complex learning needs, but most of these families are in the USA where its seems that homeschooling is much more accepted than here. Don't get me wrong I have considered it and frankly have not rule it out in the future but right now I just can't seem me managing it.
So I put up with the hype, the waste of money and the stress on both myself and the kids display as the first day of the new school year gets closer and closer.
I did have a few giggles while we where gathering the school gear at our local shopping Centre yesterday, did you know that Kmart, Big W and Target combined do not have enough different character bags for my kids once you rule out Brats, Bart simpson and other Characters we do not allow or approve of? Did you know that Many shoe stores can't cope with 5 shoe fittings at once! and did you know that its almost impossible to find contact book covering to keep everyone happy!
So in less than 10 days my life to many will seem like bliss, but to me it will be kinda sad.........
Hugs Nicki

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii68/jaimeemartinez/Nicki/Nickissiggiecopy.jpg" />

The Veggie Patch 2

Here are the Pics of the the Veggie patch and my new seedlings planted in my recycled seeding trays, most of which I found in my kitchen and recycle bin, Milk bottles, Soda bottles

Our New Veggie patch!

Well we are on our way, Dad and Tony got busy today making the 2 of the 4 no dig veggie gardens that I plan to have, we made both of them for under $60 by going to the recycle place at our local rubbish tip, since they sell for like $150 each as a premade unit I thought we did okay. Tomorrow I am heading off to our local Sunday market to plan the vegies we are going to plant, and on the way home we are going to pick up some compose and hay to complete the no dig part of the garden. We are going for a garden we can plant in straight away as I really don't want to wait for the breakdown to happen so it will cost us a little more at first.
So now I have to decide do I buy seedlings or seeds and grow them from scratch. I think I will do a bit of both, We are planning Watermelon, peas, cucumber, radish, lettuce, Tomatoes(several varieties) pumpkin, carrots, potatoes, rock melon etc. It will take us a while to work out what grows best here and how much of each we need to help us get more self sufficient. We plan on growing alot of our food but I guess it will take a while to work it all out.
if you have any tips or ideas we would love your feed back, here are some pictures of today’s project coming together.

Life in our new home is so different the kitchen is double the size and I have many plans for all the preserving,cooking and wonderful foods that I will cook once we have all our veggie gardens and fruit tree's going. My gran before she died made sure that we all have her recipes for preserves like mustard pickles and pickled onions(her secret recipe!) she was also famous for her christmas treats, Ginger bread and fancy cakes. I look forward to trying out some recipes soon.

We also have a wonderful sized dinning and Tv Room. Tony Dreams of his large screen one day, and I dream of a 10 seater dinning room setting....

Has it really been that Long

Gosh I can't believe its been since August since my last post, Slack girl I am, lots has changed for us since then, we have 3 new fosterplacements 'L' a 4 year old girl 'H' a 3 year old girl and 'H' their newborn brother who is now 8 weeks old. We have moved into our new home and LOVE it, but gosh its been hard work, I feel so warn out and tired.....so haven't really got everything going that I wanted to get going. I will start my new Gardens soon, and sort out what I am growing. We have our first fruit tree going and will add more as money permits. Due to major issue with out builder we ended up having to pay alot more than we thought.......lesson learn't READ THE FINE PRINT!!!
BUT over all we are very happy with the home after a few hiccups.
Christmas went well, with 3 extra's this year it was a mad rush down the the line to get it all orgaised but I guess its not Christmas without the rush....right?
I'm still working on that baby and it likely that we will begin IVF in Febuary after no luck(except the first time which ended in miscarriage) with ovulation induction.
The children are all doing very well, Locky is 14 and full of attitude, Katie is well and is now 11, Jack is well also and is now 10 and my baby is 6 and going into grade 1 this year.......Time flys.
Anyway I promise to keep more up to date and will share some pictures of the House ASAP.
Hugs Nicki

Crazy time here

Sorry, about the huge gap in posting, Life here has been nuts, then my Computer got a fatal virus and is still down.
I'm back up with a new laptop computer.
The house is coming alone nicely, after a few hitches it seems like we are finally getting somewhere, we are nearly to lock up stage, actually they locked it up today, but due to a issue with the bricks and the mortar, we only have lock up because the guys working on the inside of the house are so far ahead and are needing it to be locked up, but the bricks are way behind. I think the inside will be finshed way before the bricks, as all that is left is the kitchen, tiling, toilets, sinks, the last bit of wood work(most done) and the light switches(all the wiring is done. WE think that if they put there heads down it could be done if about a month but they are saying that its still 8-10 weeks to move in date...........grhhhhhhh
House building just isn't my idea of fun.
Our home here isn't sold yet either......thats a bit stressful.........We are praying that the reserve bank reduces intreset rates and that the banks follow it though. then maybe the house market will get busier again, its just flat as here with house sales.
We start another round of fertility treatment next month after alittle hicup that I will not bore you with(I'm post any exciting bits as we go though that)
The kids are great.........life is good, but just so busy, although not to busy that we couldn't have some fun cooking some Ricebubble rockyroad slice....Yummmo


Hugs Nicki

A wonderful women died today

My Grandmother died today, she had been battling a agressive bowel cancer for just 8 months, she died at home surrounded by her 3 children at about 4.00am this morning she was 80 years young.
She will be sadly missed by her only sister Silvia , 3 children Terry and her partner Don, Nigel and his wife Gina, Deb and her Husband Bob her grandchildren Nicki, Christian, Nancy, Darryl, Joshua, Stuart, Aaron, Dylan and Jessica and by her Great Grandchildren Lachlan, Caitlan, Alec, Jack, Natasha, Noah and little Lauren, she had many many friends many of which have known her and my Grandfather(before his death 13 years ago) since they came out as $50 pound poms back in the 60's.
She was a very gifted crafts women, cook and gardener, she loved her family and her little Dog Harry very much.
Its a very sad day, but when you believe in God you know that this is just the beginning.......so until we meet again Gran give Grandad a hug when you are again one in heaven, and enjoy Dancing with Jesus!

We are all better :O)

Katie is doing great, after the earlier scare but after all of the house then coming down with the flu we are just know raising our heads out of the cloud of fluville!
Our house is coming along great, and it promising that we might even get in before November YEAHHHH

NO luck on selling our current house, although we have a open house today so we will see.
The kids are on holidays for the winter break........yeahhhh!!!!

Katie gave us a scare

We the life of a Mother is never dull, Miss Katie gave us a scare today, for those that don't know she has a complex heart condition, well anyway today she fainted or blacked out while out shopping(the Dr aren't sure what she really did), She is okay but she sure gave us a huge scare, so after a trip by ambulance to the ER, every test done and a long ride home in peek hour traffic we have had a day I sure wouldn't like to repeat anytime soon.
Life with Cardiac kids is kind of like living on a knifes edge at times, one 1cm the wrong way and you’re on your way to hospital with a child who is scared out of her brain about what’s going to happen this time. Will it be more needles, more horrible test etc, from a parents point of view your just asking yourself is this the time that they tell it there is nothing more they can do, or is this the time they tell you more surgery is needed or is this another false alarm that has you aging 10 years in 10 minutes.
Mostly we live in a world where CHD's(Congenital Heart Disease/defects) is the enemy we spend out life running from the next crisis trying to avoid admissions to hospital, while trying to protect our kids from harm, it’s a heart breaking balancing act.
Don't get me wrong Katie lives a full and happy life for the most part, she is active, happy, cheeky, and full of spirit, she is bright, a great speller and she loves books and emailing her teacher and friends......she's an average 10 year old in so many ways. But there is this part of her life, CHD that makes her so different from her peers is so many ways, a simple virus can have her in hospital, if she gets a chest infection we are in ICU, if she gets a common childhood disease its panic stations, her friends parents are scared to have her stay over (who can blame them), and a simple every day tooth ache can mean a life threatening infection.
CHD parents don't see life that same way as most parents do, CHD does something to our spirit, our soul, it changes you, I am not sure it’s bad changes, you just see things in a different light I guess, you balance protecting your child with letting them be them, you balance risk and fun all the time. But unlike a parent of an average health kid you see danger, risk and harm in everything, you place signs on your door in winter asking people to not enter if they have a cold, you have to decide if preschool is worth the risk of them being sick all the time and you have to spend your life explaining to teachers, friends and even family why your child is tiny, can't run in cross countries and why letting them run around in the middle of summer could kill them......after a while though it becomes ingrained in your parenting, almost automatic and you have this kind of unnormal normal.........Then days like today rock your soul, they show you just how fragile life is, how easy it can just vanish before your very eyes, but if you are really lucky, for each day like today one filled with fear and heartache(and greying hair) you get a hundred days of joy, days of watching the child that everyone told you to give up on, or told you would never function at a normal level achieve milestones that no expert ever imagined they would achieve and it make you proud, proud of her, proud of yourself and proud that you where blessed with one of the most amazing kid on the planet.

Is it Saturday already?

Where did my week go, My Grandmother is gravely ill with terminal Cancer and my Mum has gone interstate to care for her which leaves me running her scrapbooking business, while I of course have not issue stepping up to help its making for a pretty hectic life around here right now.
We know have a frame to match the slab on the house, YIPEEEEE


We so can't wait to be into this new house.
I do have to share these cute pictures of my baby girl abby(she's a dog by the way) after her first ever visit to the Beauty palour, she's so cute,


Well that was my week,
so Far, Hug your love ones and remember we live one life!

The Merry Makers

Not everyone reading this will realise that one of my son's had Down syndrome, he is one of the most amazing kids, he inspires me everyday to be a better person, he see's good in everyone, and loves life. BUT to the average person who has never lived or given birth to a child with Down syndrome all they will see is a kid with a disability, I think that is so sad, he is so much more than his disability, he is bright, smart, cheeky, happy, a joy to parent, challanging, inspiring and most of all I am so glad he is my son. Tonight on the ABC, Andrew Denton played a documentary on the Merry Makers, a group of amazing dancers that bring joy, hope and inspiration to everyone that see's them dance, they also happen to have disabilities, but this is not who they are, they are amazing dancers with more dedication and skill than most of us can dream of, check them out http://www.merrymakers.com.au/
And next time you see a person who appears to have a disability, remember they are not their disability, they are so much more!!!!
Hugs

Our New house has a SLAB

We have real action on the house building, we have the Slab and the frame work arrived today too.......I'm so excited, I'll post pictures tomorrow.
I've been asked to be a guest poster on a friends blog, I am excited but nervous, this great Friend Trish has been a huge blessing for me though my last rounds of fertility treatments, she also has a awesome blog check her out
at http://mylittledrummerboys.blogspot.com/

Now the trip is over....

Well know that the trip updates are finished I will start to blog our everyday life, I hope it doesn't bore you all ;o)
Our house has finally started, so hopefully if the darn rain gives us a break we will have a beautiful new home by September/October. The Slab should be layed tomorrow after a 3 day delay due to the rain.
This last few weeks has been a bit heartbreaking in our family, My 80 year old grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, we aren't sure how much longer she has but its not long. I have just returned from 3 wonderful days being with her and I will hope to get back to see her again real soon. She lives in Adelaide so its a bit of a trek for us these days.

Day 8 Oh Darn its over ;o((((((

Well today was our last day in Orlando and the US, we are very sad about heading home, but overjoyed with the amazing memories and the unbelievable time we have had.
Like all days at GKTW we had breakfast at the beautiful Ginger bread house,



After breakfast we where directed to the main square for a party. A wonderful group of school students who have made it their schools mission to support GKTW where throwing a party for the families at GKTW, there was dancing, bubbles, and lots of crafts and fun things to do, the kids had a blast enjoying the fun these amazing young people where organising.


Then we headed to the Castle of miracles, to place Katies Wish Star in the Castle. Each wish child is given a star to name and place on the roof of the castle, the amount on the roof is amazing, its both inspiring and also sad that so many children have been granted wishes and have placed there stars here. Katie was later sent a star passport that shows here where the star is.


All the children where also allowed to make a wish pillow in the special wish pillow machine in the castle, we got to bring home all the pillows, with each childs most treasured wish stitched into the pillow.


After we had our last fun time in the Castle of miracles we had our last ride on the Carousel, Jack loved this the most.



We then went back to the unit, did our last packing, loaded the car with all the amazing gifts that the children had been given at GKTW, and we headed to the outlet store to finish of our gift buying before heading to the Airport.



Our trip home when smoothly until we hit a hour from Brisbane and had to be diverted to Sydney due to fog in Brisbane............BRISBANE NEVER has fog LOL
SO after sitting on the tarmac at Sydney airport for nearly 2 hours we finally got home 4 hours after our original lading time, but all that was forgotten once we landed and where met by our family.
Our family can't express the gratitude we have for both Make a Wish Australia and Give Kids the World USA, along with all the amazing places that support them, WE HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES, and Our memories will last a life time.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Day 7 Nasa

Katie asked to Go to Nasa as part of her Wish, So GKTW gave us some tickets and off we went, it was another hot day but it was a nice break to get away from Orlando The Kennedy Space centre wasn't very busy so we managed to do all the attractions by lunch time, we had a nice lunch in the space cafe. After Nasa we headed back to GKTW to spend some time just hanging out with the wonderful staff and taking our last lot of photo's.