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Hi how are you all doing, been a while since I posted a lot has changed in the world at the moment, while we all have this huge Corona epidemic as a comman fight, all our lives are affected in some way our schools our work even just the basics like food shopping we all somehow take for granted.

Uncertainty over diagnosis of weather you have it or not and lack of testing our most vulnerable being isolated from the very services they struggled so hard to get in place and keep to improve thier quality of life. Maybe we get it and are more than likely to stick to lockdown rules because of underlining conditions that make us more susceptible to picking it up. I guess the whole world is getting an insight now in to the world of families with additional needs. an understanding into how isolating life can before many.

In fact many times I think many of us hoped someway to help others understand this, but we would never have expected or wished what is happening now be the way we would much rather people did not suffer or lose anyone we as carers or parent carers want to protect and preserve all life we do it with love and great care.

So much to catch up on but to just finish this little bit about Corona . Our Papou had a fall and broke his thigh whilst in hospital tested positive for the virus, and thankfully for us he is at home recovering from both we couldn’t visit because no visitors were allowed, it was difficult to find out info and arrange his release with the correct care plan in place for his recovery at home, but we got it sorted in the end was a very worrying time. while he was in hospital receiving support his beautiful granddaughter our niece Izzy is on a Coviod ward as a specialist nurse, she just graduated not long ago we hope she has everything she needs to stay safe while working.

I made sure they had food supples and healthy food to aid his recovery at home and for Yai yai . obviously was very precautious due to not noing if anyone else had already been exposed, before he was diagnosed with virus.

I am still doing my care work , but am keeping as much social distancing as possible where I can not so easy sometimes but nessassary I miss hugging the kids and Hayley the most, it is hard to see the slight hurt look in there eyes but i think they know it isn’t because we don’t want to rather then it is something that has to happen to keep them safe.

Staying connected either by phone or online is so important. and it is so good to see how well the children are coping with this huge change the first to draw pictures and go outside and clap for all the front line workers, in fact i think a lot of kids are coping better then adults.

The thing that I think is the hardest is not having the end date of when this all will be over and when we can go back to some sort of routine that we once had. to rebuild the things we may have lost, but that can be done we just sadly cannot bring back the most important things our loved ones that were lost to this tragedy.

Our family have lost many not due to this crisis but other reasons that i have talked about before and grief can be crippling in many ways but slowly the days pass one after another and then one day before you realize you can smile again with out this heaviness in your heart your days become more about thriving and surviving. Only this time you can use your pain to help others through the difficult days or months ahead, you can reach out and ask someone if they are ok, you can remember what the love one brought to your life the things they did that made you smile the special memories you shared. There is nothing we can do to change other than protect ourselves by staying in unless there is a valid reason for going out.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve each person is different, take the time you need ask for help if your struggling, be a friend in someones time of need how ever long it takes don’t take it to heart if they cant chat.

What I will say is that it is time to take a real hard look at if you have avoided doctors check ups in the past or you have put it off because your to busy, when this crisis goes and it will go and the doctors reopen a life begins to get back to some sort of normality , get that check up to make sure that you don’t have something that is easy treatable if you just go to doctor. leave Mr or Mrs macho at the door oh it will pass if i ignore it, it leaves you susceptible in these viruses how do you know if you have any underlining conditions if you never see the doctor. Be care and be safe at the moment, if you do have any health doubts that have not been looked at.

Now onto some more positive things

Keeping busy

We have had lots going on since this all started we have seen Niki’s 20th birthday through with just the four of us, our oldest not able to come but still celebrating with a phone call, Nanny and grandad and family members sharing it either by phone or online.

We had Tommy’s birthday, just before lockdown

We just finished decorating Jakes room, just as home school began, thank goodness for that it made the first week of home school run smoothly

The before Photos

All set up for teen life, plus plenty of fidget toys , sensory, reading , creating music. He choose a great colour because it is real calming, his laptop can plug into the big screen for when he is doing school work. the school have been amazing support, regular work teachers leaving little videos with positive encouragement, made his day the first video he got.

Jake has an EHCP so was offered a place to go into school but finished a couple of days before schools closed due to his migraines so we decided he will home school like other children and leave that place for others that may need it more. We would also like to keep him safe at home for the time being he is coping well and the school are still accessible to him via phone or email if he should need it.The same with Niki’s college they have all been amazing , through this time.What else happened before lockdown Niki trod on a needle witch required a visit to a&e so got her in the car got round the corner from my house and the exhaust fell off my car, these challenges always happen at the wrong moment had to get my hubby to help me get car home and my dad to come and take us to the hospital.

She did so well She had multiple injections in her foot, the doctor was amazing at talking to her and distracting her, we originally thought it was a tiny bit of the head of the needle but it was almost half in the center of her foot.

I did by her a sewing box to keep them in so they didn’t end up on the floor only she trod on the open sewing box. she had already had her boosters so didn’t need a tetanus jab, but was given antibiotics and so new tape and bandage to keep it clean. Grandad came and got us and took us home. yes I got my dad to move out of his parking space, i was super shocked at that.

Jake walked with me to pick the new exhaust up from the shop he carried it home for me , bless him it wasn’t a long walk from where we live. My hubby and dad put it on the next day and the car was usable again thank goodness for that.

Hayley stayed with us for the first week of lock down, so I guess I was working from home we are trying to Minamise my time out of the house but still do my jobs with Hayley and Tom , Hayley at my house it is sterile and tom in his home he has his own little annex.

Karaoke, Cards, Jigsaws, Gardening Hayley has my room when she stays i have a spare mattress in my house so stay in front room with hubby.

We also had mothers day and the kids couldn’t go out the shops were closed any way so they baked me a cake.

The house is clean , every thing from sheets to towels to elves have been disinfected.

My electric meter needs changing but due to corona they are not coming out as i still have electric so , not sure how much that will cost us when its changed, we normally pay on pre payed key. the display has gone .

Little Tom had to go to hospital by ambulance, because his SATs were low and had a cough very worrying ,the hospital didn’t test him for the virus they think it was one of his normal chest infection and ear nose throat, so gave him antibiotics and said it would be better if he was at home.

He soon got better after a couple of days of antibiotics , at this time it is understandably worrying for some carers so one of his other carers didn’t feel comfortable working with him as he wasn’t tested.

I still did my night, couldn’t hug the girls or tom but still had fun with tom reading, playing songs , watching his favorite movie and also had him laughing with a puppet show.

Even better when i got there toms dad and mum fed me chocolate cake and coffee.

This week is a holiday off for me just a couple of short shifts before Working with Hayley next week. what has been happening this week plenty of insomnia for the kids really affecting there sleep even more then usual Niki suffered quite alot so we got some medicine from doctors as a short term thing to help her get some proper sleep it really has worked the last 2 nights.

we have had a little isssue of over excited Niki and Jake and spider jake climbed on the banister and it come lose from the wall, My hubby just finnished re attaching and repairing it, jakes always been a climber only noiw he is size nine foot and 9 stone and 5ft 5 so doesnt no his own strengh or size he can stand walking past it as he feels gulity.

I learnt a long time ago never to stress about things you cant change just change the way you think and act, we choose to make it a laugh, because we could see he was really upset and worried about it, right now we want to avoid any melt downs or stress especially while in lockdown.

so we distracted by cooking a home economics lesson.

Home made sheppards pie With Jake

Chocolate muffin and honeycomb ice cream with Niki.

We have done some gardening , planted our herbs

We are pretty happy just being home so make the most of it.

we watched the moon .

The elves continue to get up to mischief .

They continue to insire some creativity in the kids

Niki’s art , she made me Emo shoes

Although we are missing our oldest son Josh, and our Mums, and all our family so much and wish they were here we are talking to them every day, multuiple times we are missing all our family and as soon as this is all over I am making the best party celebration party ever. untill them you you will continue to see me smile every day. spread a little positivity through posts so not everything you seee every day is something sad.

Much love Faye xxx

Shocked I stole his outfit