Why can't I just be a Mum for a day... rather than a radical?

Why can't people who have handicapped children who are in wheels, just be able to pick up their kids just like everyone else?

Why can't people who are handicapped mentally or physically just enjoy Disneyland or other "magical" places like everyone else? Why did a few moronic corrupt people ruin the was magical experience and just add to the plate of the disabled parents life?

Why, can't every day be like the Saturday we just had? Our local CP association had their xmas bash and it was awesome, the dance-floor was filled with wheelchairs, walkers, canes and people holding the hands of their beloved with CP. The place was buzzing! and there was food and crafts and a photo booth and EVEN Santa came! No one made excuses for their child dribbling or rocking or jerking or anything as we all understand the other families without even having to say a word. Everyone could just relax and it was magic for me.

Just today, (we did have a snow storm at the beginning of the week),... and then when my husband took the kids in on the day the school board said it was open as usual, the "path" that the school board said that they put in just for us (total lie, the principal the Winter before we joined broke her ankle outside the school) so they put a path for HER temporary wheelchair!!! not for my son as this man from the school board was quoted saying in the paper.

Then! Then! the ramp wasn't even shovelled and the principle then had the audacity to imply that the kids should have been at home... when they sent an email saying school open as usual!!?!?!?!

Anyway that was all 2-3 days ago... today, I couldn't park anywhere, everywhere had 1-2 feet of snow like a wall... any able bodied person wouldn't even notice it as you'd just naturally step over it! can you get a wheelchair through that? no! can you lift a wheelchair over that? no! I was then 20 minutes late waiting and waiting for any space that looked like I could haul a stroller and then a wheelchair over... I can't use the field as that's covered in snow and so in the end I just went to get the kids and worry about getting the wheelchair back to my car afterwards... My friend's mom who cracked her skull outside the school one winter from lack of snow and ice management/removal... her husband offered to help lift the wheelchair (hes older than MY dad) and I was like, really really sweet of you but no...(so I'm about to burst into tears as I've just tried to walk into school to pick up my kids and can't) and now I have the people who need help themselves wanting to help me... as he'd just recovered from shingles and still not all better. I don't know from where, but a man about my age appeared and... was my wheelchair ANGEL! he lifted Oatie with me over the 2 foot wall of snow and the stroller too! A stranger, whom I've never met, I hugged... I can't believe a stranger was prepared to help me and Bashed him with the wheelchair when I slipped... helped me and our own children's school doesn't give a dime.

The school board won't return my calls, the principle on the phone was like what do you want me to do about it... she won't even verbally take a stand behind oatie, or push for the school board to do anything... nothing.. she doesn't care either. I now feel that that they want Oatie and his wheelchair to @-off... that is what I'm feeling.

I've met nicer people who were very angry with me.... ( when I worked at the airport and told them that the airline had overbooked their flight so they couldn't go on their dream vacation as they had planned and saved for 3 years for...)

So that's that. My kids principle has totally disgusted me, I can't believe that she was in a wheelchair for a month or so and can be so cold... and that she is a mother of multiple kids and doesn't even care that one of her pupils, can't even get in or out of the school... she doesn't even care. Why aren't people like this SACKED!

Smudging, Axel and arghghghgh

Oatie, was seen by his brother and sister today, screaming at his aid... screaming at her.. (I don't like the aid, it's the one who should be sacked....) but Oatie doesnt know i don't like her as I never have to interact with her and all i say to her ever is bonjour... So I know it's not from me...

So, I dropped my older two off at Skating, and I put him to bed early today, as I'm sure that when he's tired he gets less tolerant, I know that I get less tolerant when I'm tired...

And.... I missed my eldest's Axel... he's been trying to land the darn thing for 2.5 YEARS!!! lol! My friend said that he only landed it because I wasn't there. lol!

One of my friends is tutoring Oatie in English and Maths for an hour a week which he's enjoying....

Well I'm going to make some cookies for a celebratory pudding for when my Karate Kid (with an axel) gets back!

Oh and today I smudged where my cat died.... I really think that there is something in smudging...

Skate, Swim and Ski...

All of Oatie's activities are kicking in now... Oatie is swimming twice a week with his dad at lunch and then I'm his skating aid on Saturdays' where he is in Mainstream learn to skate programme and then after Christmas he ski's once a week in an 8 week programme!

Oatie has been doing great with his learning this year, but the school is failing him at present. He can get all his sums right etc and then mark his work as a ZERO just because of his penmanship isn't as good as a typical 6 year olds... its on par for the standard Doctor! lol!

One maths concept really annoyed me was him learning to count by two's from 0-10 he drew out the bounce by 2's and he forgot the 7 so it went 0,2,4,6,9,10 so he understood what was asked and the concept and yes I know the 9 should have been an 8... but, guess what mark he got? a big 0 ZERO! not a good try... some of his other sums have been marked incorrect when they were correct... and got a zero for that too! how is that helping him, how is that inspiring him to work hard? How is that good for anyone to build confidence!??!?

I'm annoyed to say the least!

Mysterious Reading Wallet - won't be saving my pennies for Disney anymore!

The Baby is increasingly mobile, and whilst I'm not complaining after OATie!! it's a full hands on challenge at all times.

Yesterday we decided to read Oatie's school books at the rink, between the arena and the car park, the folder was presumed missing as when we got home, neither I, my eldest son, my husband or I could find it in the car.... not there all day, I checked in full sunlight this morning!!!

After school... TahDah!!! it was back in the trunk!?! I'm like how did it get here?

Well not complaining as now I don't have to replace $10 of books... just weird and i had people looking at the rec centre yesterday and just so weird.

Oh and Disney have introduced a fastpass style thing for disabled people if they go to disney because of a few people abused the system.... We were saving up to go, but now, I don't think I want to.

Some people who have a disabled person in their life say how rosy it is.... well it isn't and it sucks and every day is a huge physical and mental challenge! There I have said it... luckily my blog isn't popular to get the wrath that some peoples blogs have got for saying it.

I would have preferred that Oatie wasn't handicapped... and that right now he would be a smelly hockey player (he loves hockey) than being in a wheelchair. I am not an ice hockey fan... grass.field hockey is what I played and loved.

But life does generally suck, whether its the not being able to all jump out the car like other families, or not being able to get to certain places, or having to push the wheelchair on a 20-40 minute detour because the path hasn't been approved or obviously built yet... or not being able to queue like other families in the theme parks.

So, THANK YOU DISNEY, YOU ARE ON MY BOTTOM PLACES TO GO, it was the one place that someone who is handicapped could feel like magic... and now it's just a place of torture...

Our own local theme park still operate the old Disney Method. on occassion they will make you wait a cycle, but they don't make you have the indignity of being treated like scum.

Apparently there have been at the new Disney system, wheelchairs are now in the queue because that is now where they are sent... only to be pulled out because it's not wheelchair friendly, then to be sent to the front, to then be accused of queue jumping to then be thrust back at the back of the line.... WTF!?! NO THANK YOU DISNEY!

presentation out the window! lol!

OK, well you know that I'm a neat freak.. and quite possibly related to Monica from friends.... well I'm over it!

I threw that plate firmly i the bin! gone, smashed to smithereens...

I do like it tidy and clean, but not immaculate anymore.... maybe I've grown... who knows...

I don't know if it was by coincidence, but after we smudged our house and cars and ourselves we have felt much better. The kids were really into the ceremony and they actually spontaneously said that they felt much better afterwards, like this angry feeling in different parts of the house and basement have gone! I never knew why they didn't like certain parts of the house... when we had pretty much finished the ceremony, they asked to go back to the basement and made me resmudge where a horrid house guest once stayed.... now they seem happier too...

I have to say I feel better as well, and since that day, I've been happy letting the housework go a bit more... in a nice way... like the laundry room was a tip.... but now I like hey-ho, it's all clean in there, so no worries.

The kids had a skating comp at the weekend, and my son and daughter were in hold, and anyway he took a huge fall for her, and he kept his head way up off the ice and well it was amazing really. I feel like our luck is changing... I didn't want to jinx it, but now for 2 weeks I'm like WOW!

The kids seem more content and Oatie has had way less nightmares?... coincidence?!?!

The house doesn't feel angry anymore when I walk in....

So I owe a huge thank to the my dear friends Phil and Sharon, who suggested we smudge our house.

And no, we're not doing anything really different at all as our weeks are fairly rigid with the kids activities etc... and we've had extra meetings after school and stuff but everyone seems to be taking life in their (excuse the pun) stride a bit more.

Oatie is doing amazingly in the CanSkate, I must get a photo for the blog.

The Press

Oatie had his photo taken for our local rag, to promote disabled people in the community, to improve access for all disabilities...

All was well until when I went to put my skates on the coach shouted at the photographer for walking on the ice... (not my fault), also highlighted that there isn't a waiver form for him to sign for the press to go on the ice....

Well anyway, the photographer got the photos that he wanted anyway,and I think my husband did good damage control.

We enjoyed our thanksgiving weekend, it was super and our baby turned 1!! yes 1!!!

There was something I wanted to blog about and now can't remember what it was.... when I remember I will blog about it lol!

Violation of a handicap parking spot

Today's excuse from a mother in a handicap bay, with no handicap person in the vehicle or collecting of a disabled passenger...

I pulled up, went to get Oatie out in his wheelchair, but first I got out my babies wheels.... and....

This other mother thought she would do the same... SO... there was no blue badge... no handicapped person in the vehicle... and so I plonked Oaties wheelchair right out side the drivers door!!! Voila!

Meanwhile I started to get Oatie and the baby out... She then wound down her window and I was like "can I help you????????" she was just looking at me and then saw the wheelchair,.. so you are collecting a disabled person from the rec centre????!???? Or do you have a disabled person in your vehicle?

Obviously the answer to both was.. NO! So I just looked her in the eye and blinked at her... she said

"I had to pull in here to pull out my hair tie..." I was like RIGHT!?!?!?!

Do you know someone like this...

OMG,

Well basically there is this one woman who I have to encounter for years, basically lies, does whatever she can to push her kid ahead... stamps her feet, and if she doesn't get her own way she CRIES and her daughter CRIES and they cry all the time! She has done this for YEARS... every year end wrap up, her child gets an award.. EVERY SINGLE YEAR... there are some people who NEVER get one... NEVER! but her kid, each YEAR! She targets her jealous on each and every family that "threatens" her daughter being the best. If her daughter gets 3rd place she cries it's not GOLD!

This woman had been so malicious she sent rude emails about another parent, all because she is jealous of this other parents child. Then her daughter came last in an event and her daughter LIED about it saying she came somewhere else.

Anyway this whole drama unfolded, and I couldn't take the lying anymore, I was prepared to keep my mouth shut.. but then she came to DEFEND the lying.. and I was like ENOUGH is ENOUGH! So yes if you're wondering... she went off to do her sob story and (she vowed to report me) so I guess she did to the organisers... as someone else saw them consoling her...

Oatie has been really tired.., and no news on the therapeutic riding as the school board man hasn't replied... yet.

I'm really tired, I HATE stuff like that.