Here's to a FanFuckingTastic New Year!

[FanFuckingTastic]

May 2013 bring many things; good friends, laughter, DLA cheques after a kickass appeal letter, a new home, a diagnosis for the kids, kittens, shiny things, wine, good times and lots of love.

Happy new year!!!!!!

To you too. x

I've finally found the thread!! I couldn't find where Christmas topic was hidden on the updated fucking App...

Hope you have had a good start to 2013 - ignore any naysayers, you know I for one believe you!

Things can only get better - lets both use 2013 as the year where we make REAL progress for us and our DC's.

And if my wink smiley has come out strange, I apologise - there's a big of a glitch with the App where the smileys are not coming out as they should!!

My kick-arse Charity lady has said that she has done all that she can do, and she is going to start the 4 week 'sign-off' procedure.

While I'm still waiting for my DLA decision.

Apparently if I need to appeal my DLA decision then I can 'self-refer' back to the Charity by calling up their office.

But why sign me off when I still feel that I need that support? It seems to happen every time - just when I find someone who really seems to be helping me, they sign me off even though I KNOW I will still need their support.

And I have the Health Visitor insisting we fill in a CAF form, even though I know that yet again, the SS Children with Disabilities team will refuse to help because I had prior Child Protection Team involvement TEN FUCKING YEARS AGO, it will get referred on to the Child Protection team.

Because apparently, in my area, the Children with Disabilities Team at SS cannot take on a case when there has been previous involvement with the Child Protection Team.

But the Child Protection Team will then come out, say that they have no problems with how I am looking after the DC's, say that they can't afford to do anything to help with the DC's disabilities as it's not in their remit or budget, and sign me off.

Thus rendering the CAF useless.

It's happened 6 times in the last 6 years.

[roll eyes emoticon]

I'm going to start recording all my meetings 'for personal use' from now on. Especially as DS3's Physio said one thing face to face with me, and put nothing about the conversation in her final report.

I'm getting a bit overwhelmed with the gazillion fights I am facing this year tbh. But I need to get the correct support for ALL my DC's this year - and myself - that's my New Year's resolution!!

Once more into the fray...

(Previous Child Protection involvement was because a) I had DD when I was only 16, I was on the 'At Risk register' myself due to my own upbringing and time in and out if kinship care and FC, was still on the 'At Risk' register myself until I was signed off at 18, and if you have a child while YOU are on the 'At Risk' register, that DC automatically gets put on the 'At Risk' register themselves.

All due to something SW's like to call 'The Cycle of Deprivation'. Which is a load of bollocks.

And b) Because I had had 'Mental Health Issues' before my pregnancy, and suffered PND after DD's birth. My MH issues weren't actually MH issues though - they were actually UNDIAGNOSED COMPLEX PARTIAL SEIZURES from my epilepsy - I was misdiagnosed from when the seizures started when I was 14yo, until I had a massive seizure when I was 21!

Just to clarify that!!

Do you think legal help might work? Record all this and say they are failing your children. Get an MP on your case?

It doesn't seem right at all.

Will discuss more once I wake up on the other side of my drip induced coma.

Ah, was just having a wobble, I'm fine now. I have to be!

I'm losing half the day after these drips, slept until the kids bedtime again today. Glad I have the last one tomorrow. Three flipping cannulas in btw, I've had three in over the last week, why they couldn't just do the midline and save me all the drama of putting and reputting needles into my veins to get the correct position. I look like a junkie of some sort.

My boychild is ill with a virus of some sort, if he is still kicking out major fevers tomorrow I will have him checked over by the doctor, think it may be in his throat, but he doesn't have tonsils or adenoids, so I'm surprised he's been so bad for so long.

Girlchild is not liking the lack of attention on herself, resorting to some bad behaviour to get some , so I sat her down and told her that I'd do something me and her tomorrow. Aquabeds GOD HELP ME! But I reckon that'll make her smile and I'll enjoy it too.

Three days into the new year and I don't feel like it's even started, need the kids back at school and a routine to feel proper again. My carer needs a rest too, she's sick and plodding on, and getting emotional about things, I want her to be happy, so I may have to send her home if she isn't well enough tomorrow.

I'm SO glad DD has finally grown out of bloody aqua beads! Those things used to drive me insanio.

The amount of times she knocked them over and I would have to sweep them up and spend an hour sorting each colour out.

How is your DS today?

He went off to karate with his dad yesterday looking a lot brighter, so I think the worst of the bug has cleared. My DD is looking sparkly today too, so I am hoping we've done with bugs for a few weeks, myself included, although I woke up this morning with a really sore kidney (dehydrated) and had to take some painkillers and go back to sleep before I could get up.

My plan for fallen beads is the same as everything else on the floor, hoovered or swept up, so should make her careful anyway.

I am off out today. To a social thing. This is unusual for me. I've taken my meds just to be less scatty.

What's life flinging at you today?

DD was a right little terror at bedtime tonight, took from 7:30 until 9pm to get her settled, she was just purely rude and obnoxious.

We've set up our Moshi Monster behaviour charts for next week, so we will see how we go with it improving their behaviour.

Meal plans are all done for the rest of the month, to make things easy, and I am starting to introduce a lot more structure to the day with the carer, as I think she will benefit from it.

Tomorrow I intend on going out to another town to pay a bill, so long at they are open. Then finishing and printing off many letters to get posted out Tuesday.

And I need to call everyone for appointments to check I don't miss any.

Have had a bad few days with my joints AND my epilepsy. Plus Friday and Saturday night, DS3 only slept for 2.5 hrs a night.

Thankfully he made up for it this morning - he only woke up at 12, so he had 11 hours sleep! Most unusual for him.

I got up at 7 to help DD get ready for school (DS's go back tomorrow), then after she left, I fell asleep in the chair until DS3 woke up!

That's the longest time he's slept for, EVER. I know he's got a cold, but blimey!

Routine does help, I find it hard to stick to one though, because my seizures make me sleepy at odd times, and so do the pain meds for my joints. I try to stick to it when I can as much as possible, though, because I get less meltdowns then!

If I'd have hoovered DD's aqua beads, she would have had the meltdown to end all meltdowns...

I only did it once, put it that way!!

I don't do it while she's there, don't worry. She's quite happy leaving mess lying at her behind. I just wait until she's upstairs occupied, then whisk out the hoover.

Sorry to hear you haven't been doing too well, I did think you were quite quiet on here, so did worry you might not be well.

I've squeeeeeed in excitement all round the kitchen because my Organised Mum family calendar and magnetic week planner are now here. Woot! And since I've collected all my appointments today, I shall pop them in. And write out this weeks things on my week planner.

I've found a desk calendar that has a page per day, so I can rip off each day as I go to bed.

It's certainly less obtrusive than my bloody post it notes!

I've had a letter from DLA : "We are sorry that we have not given you a decision on your claim for DLA yet. We will deal with your claim as quickly as we can. Do not worry you will not lose money. We will write to you again as soon as we can with more information."

Does this mean that I'm not going to get DLA and will have to appeal, or does it mean that they think I should get it but they are trying to decide what rate?!

I have also been asked to book am appointment with my GP to discuss my application for DLA - so I assume they are asking him to give information too.

Was meant to have an answer next week, doesn't look like that's going to happen now. Just want to know tbh.

It sounds like it could be positive. That they may be trying to ascertain how much you need, what levels to award.

I know waiting is hard but there is a sweet side to that called back payments. I could have enough for a deposit, plus a holiday for the kids, with leftover on mine. Are you on income support?

Yes, I am on IS.

You will get a disability premium on your Income Support then, when you are awarded DLA and it will be backdated to the beginning of your claim also.

I'd forgotten about that from last time! It's been over two years since I last had DLA.

Might actually be able to pay all my bills!

I should get a back payment of about £1000 from IS and £800 from DLA as I have waited since April.

APRIL?! Are you having a laugh?!

So you have been waiting nearly 10 months for a payment? That bites!

I can't last another 7-8 months, I'm on my uppers financially now, and I NEED a new Medicaid bracelet and I NEED new anti-suffocation pillows!

Had a phone call from DLA today - they are sending a doctor out to do a medical check in my home on Monday evening. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.

I think that is really positive Couthy, I think it means they are considering giving you the higher rates and want to check with their own doctor to be sure. I really wish you luck for tomorrow as I think you deserve a break. Fingers crossed the doctor is sympathetic. Don't do a thing for them btw, no cups of tea or anything, can you have anyone with you to help you out, indicate that you need the help, because if they see you coping without even just a little I'd hate to think they'd mark you down. Plus I imagine it would just be good to have the general support. xx

Okay, I've decided to go with Slimming World for a while because I lose weight pretty quickly on it, and it gets me out in the day time to a social event.

I am now filling out my swimming form to hand in on Monday and thinking Mon/Wed/Fri to start with just gentle swimming for thirty minutes to start building up my strength. One it starts the week on a positive note, I can go after my SW club and then I've four days left of the week to fit in the last session, if I miss a Friday I am sure I can fit in a swim during our family swimming time, which I intend to also start soon.

I will ask my Rheumatologist on Wednesday whether he can direct me towards someone who can show me some physio suitable for doing in the water.

Just mulling over the prospectus for college. I fancy studying but I think full time would be pushing it, so a part time course maybe? Or am I pushing myself too far then?