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I've been tagged!

I have been tagged by Joanne.
You should check out her beautiful blog which is full of wonderful scrapbooking layouts ...

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

So, here are the 6 random things about me:
1. I love pancakes with maple syrup (but only real maple syrup)
2. I love to clean (its a curse I know)
3. I live in the town where a lot of the television series McLeod's Daughter's was
filmed (and no Pat I can't send you Aaron Jeffreys)
4. I love weeding (the results last longer than house cleaning!)
5. I have blue eyes with yellow rings around the pupils
6. I have a brand new digital SLR camera (is it wrong to love an inanimate object?)

The six people I tag are: Shelley, Aprilyn, Rhonda, Toni, Hayley & Lauren

Understanding language disorders...

As many of you may know both Mitch & Harry have been diagnosed with severe language disorders and are considered in the first percentile for their speech and language (meaning out of 100 children - 99 children would score higher than them). This is very hard for many people to understand because both boys are chatty, bright and responsive. Even doctors have questioned the diagnosis... which sometimes make it hard for us to know what to believe. But the reality is that while both boys are beautiful, loving and intelligent they do have difficulty with both expressive and receptive speech.

Here is a brief description of language disorders in children by Dr McDowell a leading developmental paediatrician...
(you may want to turn the volume up)



Here is the same doctor discussing whether language disorders can be cured...


And how inadequate speech services are within Australia...


And finally what this can mean when the child grows up...


While it may seem a potentially grim diagnosis - neither Kevin or myself view it as such. We are extremely fortunate that the boys' language disorder has been diagnosed so early and that despite their difficulties they are very happy to talk (and talk and talk). We view our role as helping the boys to develop strategies to assist them with their language. Although the boys do very well themselves. Mitch typically inserts phrases he knows will garner favourable feedback... "you are my BEST friend" and "I love you so much". And Harry talks about things he understands like numbers, the alphabet and colours - he even types his name out on the computer now. These are the ways they have already learnt to cope when their language lets them down. Best of all they are happy boys which we hope will continue as they face the challenges ahead.

Phew, now if you have managed to follow all of this my thanks :-)
Hugs,
Lisa

Turning 40 and other milestones...

Well I am on the countdown to my fortieth birthday. It is hard to believe that I am actually going to be forty! In some ways I still feel like I am in my twenties, until I look in a mirror and see an older, more wrinkled face looking back at me. There is certainly a freedom in growing older. I worry a lot less about what people think. I am kinder to myself and hopefully to others. I am less judgemental of others. And I allow myself time to smell the roses. Of course the aches a pains which weren't there 20 years ago remind me now and then that my body has aged.... but I have to say that I like growing older.

Life is good. Mitch & Harry are growing into beautiful boys with loving hearts. They are making new friends and enjoying kindy. And even the hurdles we face with both of them don't seem insurmountable. Kev is enjoying his work. He is a loving husband, a doting father and a good provider. Our home is comfortable and welcoming. And we have good family and friends.

The one hardship is that I don't have my beautiful Mum to share this time. The pain of her death never really goes away. I know how much she would have loved to be part of the family gatherings and how she would have loved to spend time with her three grandsons. Harry in particular talks about his Gran often. I realise he wouldn't have a particularly strong memory of her, but he gets comfort from seeing photos of her and talking to me about his Gran. Everything in my life has been touched in some small way by my Mum and this is what gives me comfort. I feel blessed to have had such a beautiful Mum.

So life is good. I look forward to the next forty years! And as I look of the photo of me as a little girl I wish I could say to her that life may get tough at times, but there are enough sweet moments to make the journey worthwhile.

Hoping everyone has a great week,
With lots of love,
Lisa

My latest layout...

I just wanted to share my latest layout. I love this photo - it was taken at Port Vincent as Kev walked Mitch, Harry and Jay back to the holiday house. I entered it in the Camelot Forum October challenge and won a $20 voucher to spend at the store!

Life is very relaxed at the moment. Both boys are enjoying kindy and Harry seems to be settling in (which is a relief). The garden is looking lovely. And the house is (relatively) tidy. It doesn't take much to keep me happy (grin).

Hope you are having a good week too,
Hugs,
Lisa

Camelot - lets go shopping...

By chance a few months ago I came across an online store and forum for one of my favourite scrapbooking stores in SA - CAMELOT! This shop has to be seen to be believed. Room after room jam-packed with everything you could possibly want. And just when you think there couldn't possibly be anymore you venture outside to a huge shed with row after row of paper shelves with every imaginable kind of card stock and patterned paper. It truly is like an Aladdin's cave!

Anyway, one night I was surfing the net and found their forum and so (of course) I joined. The forum is still very new and quite small. BUT the girls are lovely and welcoming and the moderators are clearly passionate about scrapbooking.

So if you are looking for somewhere to do a bit of retail therapy or if you want to find a forum to share ideas about scrapbooking and card making then why not visit CAMELOT.

More scrapbooking and an brief update...

Here is my latest layout. Each year just after the boys' birthdays I write them a brief note to include in their album. They each have an album for each year of their lives. Kev has pointed out if I keep scrapping at the same rate the boys will need a semi-trailer to take their albums when they leave home (grin).

Speaking of the boys - the first 2 weeks of kindy have been a steep learning curve for the boys and I. They have clearly found the effort of getting out the door by 8.30am each morning a bit tiring (they like long, leisurely breakfasts). A few times they have cried and asked to stay home, but we have headed to kindy anyway and then within a few minutes they are excitedly playing with their little friends. Well I should say Mitchell is playing with his little friends, who are all girls by the way. Harry doesn't seem that interested in playing with the other children and prefers solitary activities like puzzles, the computer or drawing. This is something that the kindy teachers and I are watching closely in case it becomes an issue. They are at kindy four mornings a week and on three of those mornings I go straight to the gym afterwards for 1/2 an hour. At the moment it is a big struggle because I am SO unfit, but the ladies at Curves are lovely and I hope to lose some weight and improve my overall fitness.

Apart from that I have found a renewed passion for gardening and am out in the garden most nights - weeding, hand watering or generally tidying up. The garden is certainly showing the fruits of my efforts and it looks very pretty despite the lack of rain. Goodness knows how it will cope with summer. I have found that my time gardening is very therapeutic and that coupled with my exercise my mental well-being has improved markedly. Who would have guessed I just needed some sheer torture followed by solitude to feel happy (grin)?

Well I better sign off now,
Hoping everyone has a lovely weekend,
Lisa

My latest layout...

Just wanted to share my latest layout.
Very simple, but I like it :-)

Microwaves and toys and other important lessons for four year olds...

Mitch and Harry recently had a very important lesson. I decided to check the emails(our computer is in the shed) and both boys seemed to be settled watching TV. So out I went and within 5 minutes I heard a frantic shout from Mitchell and crying from Harrison. So I rushed inside only to discover the kitchen was filled with smoke and the microwave seemed to be on fire. Closer investigation revealed that one of the boys had placed a Thomas the Tank Engine Helicopter toy with a large magnet on it inside the microwave and hit autostart. Apparently the toy had exploded into flames and the door had shot open. There were still flames coming out of the toy when I came inside - so I had to use tongs to dump it into a sink full of water. Harrison was hysterical because he had tried to take the toy out and had burnt his finger. Luckily he didn't get the toy out of the microwave otherwise I imagine the kitchen bench would have been burnt or worse. Once the emergency had passed I made the boys throw their toy into the rubbush. Somehow the microwave survived - a little scorched, but still functional. Harrison was so traumatised that a week later he still keeps saying he is sorry. Mitchell on the other hand seems quite oblivious to the danger and excitedly recalls "lots of smoke and flames Mummy".

I thought the day couldn't get any worse and after tidying up the kitchen and airing out the house we went outside for some fresh air. I popped inside (I should have learnt my lesson shouldn't I?) to get a drink for the boys. I heard Mitchell say "Look at all the buzzy bees" and then Harrison started crying. Once again I dropped everything and rushed out to discover that Mitchell had found the fly catcher filled with dead flies and containing an awful smelling liquid and had thrown it at Harrison. Poor Harrison was covered in dead flies and fly attractant liquid and was sobbing hysterically. So off to the bath for both boys! And a strong drink was the order of the day for Mummy!

I am left wondering what they will get up to next...

Another layout

This is my layout of Bonnie