As you can see the kids are enjoying the run up to Christmas. I think they both may pop before the big day.

As so many others have said, I feel at the moment very restricted as to what I can say here . I have been thinking of going elsewhere but not sure yet .

If I am not about I wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

Well it's half term here, so I am off for the week. Unfortunately Heather is ill so any plans of going out are out.

Right catch up time...
Matthew: He still has not been seen by the physio, I have been back in touch with them and was told the waiting list is very long. My problem with that is we have a follow up appointment for January by which time we were told we would see a big improvement. On Monday I went out and bought him a balancing board and mini stilts (well buckets with string on).
School is going well but his homework load is silly. There is so much.
Matthew has decided he would like to sell his bike as it's been in the shed for so long. He finds riding a bike so difficult, his hope is to sell it and put the money towards a Nintendo Wii, at only something silly like £179.

Heather: Apart from at the moment she is doing well. Each day becoming iincreasingly more independent. She seems to be really enjoying school. She has recently been bringing home letters to learn, the idea being once she knows them all, reading will be easier due to being able to sound out words. We still have tears of a day but not as many so I think she is slowly getting used to it.
Both of them are looking forward to Halloween. Bah Humbug - I don'tlike it.

Ian: He has been very busy at work, working all weekend and going in early but fingers crossed all is back to normal well for now at least. He is taking Thursday, Friday and Monday off so that will be nice to have some time together as a family.

Me: I am good. I have been going to Slimming World now for a while and have lost just over a stone, so not bad. I wish there was more I could do to help Mum and Dad out with the kids but other than them moving in with me, which couldn't happen as there is little enough room as it is, I don't know what to do . I go down most days, talk to them every day and to Katy of a night on MSN. They sleep over when possible, but I still feel I am not helping them enough. Next week Katy is going to start bereavement counseling, and I am going to take her.

Mum and Dad have been in touch with the solicitor again and he has now, with theie permission, passed the papers to a professor in cancer science for him to determine if Donna had received treatment what would her life expectancy have been. Reading all the papers and reports is saddening.

Well I think that's me all done. Take care.

Took this today, after the kids and I had been to the cinema to see Barnyard.

Matthew seemed to enjoy it, and Heather fretted about having sticky hands, due to the Maltesers she had just polished off !

Take care, and I'll be back soon.

Well all is back to our normal, school and work routine. Both Matthew and myself went back last week. Heather now has also started "big girl" school , this week only mornings. From Monday its all day, that will be strange as I only work part time and I am usually with Heather of an afternoon.

Last week we had a much welcomed appointment with the physio dept at Alder Hey for Matthew . Both Ian and myself have always had concerns about Matthews legs and general development. He finds it near impossible to ride a bike, he runs like a child with arthritis, and has a lot of leg pain especially after prolonged walking. There are other things too. We have been seen in the past by our G.P who has put it down to growing pains . I have taken him to the hospital myself as the pain was so server, at first it was thought he had Perth's disease but that was dismissed. The community physio dept have seen him to do an assessment for dyspraxia the result being he was given a pair of insole and we were told he was flat footed. So as you can imagine this felt like our last hope in some ways.

The lady we saw was fantastic. She talked to Matthew and listened. Talked to us, asked the right questions. Matthew was X-rayed and examined. After long talks the doctor decided Matthew will need extensive physio on his lower body to develop his muscles as this is what the main problem is thus resulting in poor co -ordination, difficulty with gross motor movement, poor handwriting . I felt so bad while she was explaining this to us. I think mainly as I feel as a Mum I have somehow failed him. He's had difficulty with so many things for so long and at age 8 its only just getting sorted. The hope in our minds now is that although the physio is going to be a long process, and mean a lot of commitment from Ian and myself to help Matthew but that it will help him, he will walk without looking like he's in pain. Lets hope anyway.

The people who read regularly will know that my sister Donna died over a year and a half ago due to massive cancer, mainly in her bowel but also lungs and kidneys. But it was only diagnosed by chance when she was rushed into hospital one evening with severe stomach pains, the hospital thinking it was an ectopic pregnancy. Scans were done the next morning and Donna was rushed to theatre with a ruptured bowel, during surgery we were told the prognosis was poor as the cancer had spread rapidly. We were devastated as cancer had not even entered our minds until then.

Two weeks later Donna died, leaving two children who now live with my Mum and Dad. As things settled in the months to come we all began to ask questions, why was the cancer not picked up earlier, why had no examinations ever been done. Mum decided she wanted answers and went to a solicitor to seek advice. He suggested on behalf of Donna's children,Mum take the hospital to court on grounds of neglect. Obviously I have missed bits out or this would go on and on . Well today mum rang me crying to let me know the solicitor had been in touch, the medical examiner had picked up from Donna's records that in 1993 Donna was diagnosed with endometriotis and a mass was found in her lower abdomen. But no treatment was offered or further tests or examinations. Donna was disabled and most doctors would not examine her, as it was "too awkward". Needless to say Mum will continue with the case, but today brought so many feeling and what ifs.

Guess what we did today?

Heather decorated some stones.

Matthew made a rocket.

Heather got VERY messy, but who cares they had fun.

My birthday seems like such a long time ago but thankyou for your wishes. I had a lovely day although I had to go to work in the morning. Part of my gift from Ian is a hot stone massage and a half hour in a vibro sauna which I will go for this Saturday. I am SOOO looking forward to it.

Things have been a little mad around here lately and we still have another week of the business to go. I finish work for the summer on Friday I can't wait plus we go on holiday in five weeks, I think were all looking forward to that.

I went to see Ronan Keating at the Liverpool Summer Pops on Friday night ,the night before my sisters wedding. It was fantastic.

Then on Saturday July 15th my big sis finally got married. It was a lovely day, fine weather, food and company plus lots of drink in the evening.

Happy Birthday to me!

Still miss you Do.

RACE FOR LIFE 2006

What a hot day - along with 3999 other females of all ages and fitness abilities yesterday I took part and finished the Race for Life. This year I walked the course with my sister, niece, cousin and auntie who is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. As I stayed with the others to help keep spirits up especially auntie Pat, our time was one hour and eight minutes. I think next year I am possibly going to do it on my own. A good day was had by all and everybody was in high spirit. Enjoy the pics.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

Our little girl is four today.

There seems to have been a lot on at home lately, but when doesn't there. It's half term here so Matthew, Heather and myself are all off. Matthew and Heather both have two weeks off, but I only have one. My Dad has very kindly said he will look after them for me the second week. As it's only for the morning as well, it's not too bad.
I joined Slimming World again a few weeks back and have lost 5lbs so far. I don't know why but this time seems different, I feel more determined. I have a busy few weekends coming up. This weekend is my sister's hen night and I am still in search for the right outfit - nothing like leaving it till the last minute. The weekend after is Heathers 4th birthday and a party as well. Then finally the weekend after that is The Race For Life. Personally I have so far raised £90, not too bad. I am not sure about the overall amount - I will have to find out. There is still time to sponsor me if you wish.
How could I forget to mention.....on Saturday I went to the Opticians for an eye test. Leaving all the boring bits out, the outcome was that I have a stigmatism of my eyes and I need glasses. I am only just within the legal range for driving plus my glaucoma levels were a little high. I get my new glasses next week.
Both children are doing great growing into happy healthy wonderful children.

Matthew and Heather recently went to a friends birthday party. A friend of the family is a Ranger and he brought some of his animal friends with him.
Heather thought the baby snakes were really cool.

I thought the owls were beautiful, I have to admit to physically squirming when I saw a tarantula.

Well I thought it was about time I posted something other than pics. If you have been to Ian's site lately you will have seen Ian's mention of Matthew's website. Matthew has worked so hard on it, I am very proud of him. We were saying the other night how much he is growing up, its scary. Matthew (well us on his behalf) bought a scooter yesterday - he loves it. He's been playing out ever since !
Since Saturday I have had a very heavy cold which has now turned into a chesty cough keeping me and Ian awake at night. But I have to say Ian and the kids have ben taking very good care of me.
When we went to Blackpool recently, Ian's sister came with us. On the way there she asked me if I like Ronan Keating. 'YES!' was my reply. So she asked me if I would like to go to the Summer Pops with her to see him. Whooo. So on July 14th We are going to see him. The day before my sister's wedding.

As you can see we all enjoyed our day out to Blackpool .
Heather loved the bungie ropes.
So did Matthew.
See - they can be nice to each other !
Proud Dad or what.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I have been busy having fun with my wonderful children. These pictures were taken at the weekend when we went to our local country park.

I had meant to update you all about Matthew but things have been...I was going to say so busy but thinking about it they haven't - well no more than usual. I suppose life has happened, the last few weeks have seemed busy. Where do I begin ?
Matthew is now back at school minus a sling. He still has to take things easy, but without all the boring details he's generally fine. He came home from school today with a big beaming smile - he had his school assembly and was given a certificate for being considerate to others. Apparently at play time a girl in his class was freezing cold so Matthew gave her his coat. Then he was called back out because he was chosen to go on the school Wall of Praise. He's a happy bunny today.

Heather is doing well. Same old bouncy, curly bundle of mischief. Matthew and Heather had their school photograghs taken recently, it was Heathers first. They are beautiful. When we get them back I will pop a pic up so you can see.

My Mum and Dad - they're doing OK. We have had Mothers day and Katy's 13th birthday to get through but I think we have all coped well. Katy is growing so fast - every time I see her I am reminded so much of Donna. She's doing really well, at school - she has just finished a course to help mentor the younger children in the school.

Ian's getting there, he just needs to learn to switch off more. Our new shed is coming next week so he will have that to keep him busy.

Me...I'm fine. Mothers day was lovely with breakfast in bed, lots of beautiful cards and gifts. It was a lovely day. I went with my sister last Sunday for her wedding dress fitting, it was really nice. Katy and myself are bridesmaids. The wedding is in July, we have still not sorted the hen night or somebody to do our hair and make up on the day.
I finished work today for half-term for two weeks. Matthew and Heather finish on Wednesday.

So that's me about up to date !

Well how absolutely shitty do Ian and me feel then. Matthew fell whilst climbing on Sunday, we gave hugs and kisses and left things to see how he was. Yes he was in pain, but he had just fallen quite hard, and we both agreed to leave things and let him calm down then have another look. He had a bath and went to bed. Monday we weren't sure what to do about school. When Matthew got up it was obvious he was sore and in pain, but he does tend to exaggerate a little so after a long think we sent him to school.
Today, Matthew gets up very early, and we ask him how he is. He's still sore and not using his arm. We let him have breakfast and wake up properly and had a look at him. He was still in pain but our main concern was the lack of use and his reluctancy to use it. We decided to take him to the hospital.
After having an X-ray it was confirmed the Matthew has broken his clavicle. I cant begin to tell you how bad we both feel.
We have to go back tomorrow morning (Wednesday) so he can be seen in the fracture clinic. As to what treatment he will get, lets just hope its not a cast.
So as for today lots of T.L.C. - he deserves spoiling.

CHILDREN LEARN WHAT THEY LIVE.

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with praise, they learn to appreciate.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

If children live with security, they learn to have faith.

If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with acceptance and friendship, they learn to find love in the world.

Heather has been asking about Donna a lot over the last few days. I put on a brave face and answer her questions. Wednesday night I had just finished reading Heather her bedtime story and had a talk about Donna. When I came down stairs Matthew was with Ian but he looked sad. I asked him if something was bothering him and he began to cry. He told me he was missing his auntie Do. All my good intentions of holding back my tears failed miserably. The two of us sat, hugged and cried. I asked Matthew if he would like to watch a recent video I have of Donna. The two of us sat and watched it together. Well I sat and cried. I'm not sure why but Donna has been playing on my mind a lot lately, obviously the children's too. I have lost family and friends in the past, but I don't ever remember feeling so empty. I suppose it's because you always imagine your big sis will be there for you.

To be young again.

Ian sent me this yesterday, it upset me but in a nice way it brought back lots of memories from my childhood with my brother and sisters. We used to be really cruel to Donna (she never said stop :) ) in lots of ways like tipping her wheelchair back and leaving her, standing on the back of her chair when it had snowed so we could have rides going down a big hill. I still miss her so much.
Hope you enjoy.

Just for a minute, forget everything stressful and read this...............

Close your eyes and go back in time...
Before the Internet...
Before semi-automatics, joyriders and crack....
Before SEGA or Super Nintendo...

Way back........

I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park.
The corner shop.
Hopscotch.
Butterscotch.
Skipping.
Handstands.
Elasticc Twist.
Football with an old can.
Fingerbob.
Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the menace.
Roly Poly.
Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams, making dens.
The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass.
Bazooka Joe bubble gum.
An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune.
Chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan with sauce and sprinkles or perhaps a screwball.

Wait......

Watching Saturday morning cartoons, short commercials or the flicks.
ChildrensFilm Foundation, The Double Deckers, Red Hand Gang, The Tomorrow People, Tiswas or Swapshop?, and 'Why Don't You'? - or staying up for Doctor who.
When around the corner seemed far away and going into town seemed like going somewhere. Earwigs, wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings.
White dog sh*t.
Sticky fingers.
Playing Marbles.
Ball bearings.
Big 'uns and Little 'uns.
Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, and Zorro.
Climbing trees.
Building igloos out of snow banks.
Walking to school, no matter what the weather.
Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Jumping on the bed.
Pillow fights.
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
Being tired from playing....remember that?
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Choppers and Grifters.
Eating raw jelly.
Orange squash ice pops.

Remember when...

There were two types of trainers - girls and boys, and Dunlop Green Flash - and the only time you wore them at school was for P.E.
You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas eve.
When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.
When 25p was decent pocket money Curly Wurleys.
Space Dust.
Toffo's.
Wham Bars.
Top Trumps.
When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there.
When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc.
Parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of us are still afraid of them.

Didn't that feel good?
Just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!

Remember when....
Decisions were made by going " Ip Dip Dog Sh*t"
And you all joined up for playing...... No boys/ No girls allowed!
"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly".
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs.
And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one.
It was unbelievable that 'British Bulldog 123' wasn't an Olympic event.
Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a catapult.
Nobody was prettier than Mum.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin.
Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.

Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED.

I'm sitting here with a Lemsip typing this. I feel lousy today. So what's been going on in Simeland recently? Not much.
Matthew has stopped his piano lessons ,which both Ian and myself were really peeved about but we didn't think it right to force him. He's doing well at school at the moment and seems happy enough.
YUCK just got to the bottom of my Lemsip.
Heather is fine, I really don't know where she gets her energy from, she bounces from morning till night.
Both Ian and myself are fine. Were actually going out on Friday night, well that's the plan - let's face it, one of us will end up being ill.
Matthew has just discovered Smarterchild on msn and thinks its great. I have had to tell him to come off the computer. If you havent come across it yet its a quirky robot that you can communicate with. Just add smarterchild@hotmail.com to your contacts list in MSN Messenger, and start a conversation - great fun.

Amarantine

Add a video to your site Webratsmusic.com

Well as you can see, I decided to have a change. I mentioned to Ian a few nights back that I was thinking about it, but today I actually did it!
The only problem with this was that whilst I remembered to copy all the links and blog information, I forgot the code for the comments. So after thinking I was being good and could do it without help, I in fact created more work for Ian to do.
So thank you Ian for your help :-)

RACE FOR LIFE

Well it's nearly that time of year again. Last night I entered my sister, my niece Katy and myself for this years Race For Life. It's on Saturday June 17th, and I thought I would try something a bit different this year and use an online sponsor form. It may end up being of no use but it's worth a try.

So if your feeling flush every little helps.

www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/joannesime

Matthew has put together a website for himself, mainly to showcase some of his recent Lego creations.

Why not take a moment to have a look to see what he has done, and perhaps even take a moment to leave him a message in his Guestbook, as I know that would make his day.

Click here to see Matthew's website

I love this picture of Heather it always brings a smile to my face. Hope it does the same for you. Have a good day.

I did say when I came back I may not post much and that's turning out to be true.
Christmas went well - on Christmas Eve my Mum and Dad, Katy and Thomas went into Mum's garden and released some Christmas helium balloons that the children wanted to do in memory of Donna. I think the past few weeks have really got to them, all of us really. Christmas day was lovely, we stayed at home for the morning and had lunch at home. In the afternoon we visited Ian's parents then went to visit mine. Mum had 7 adults and 3 children for Christmas lunch. The kids were spoilt rotten by everybody, including me and Ian. I got some lovely gifts from both Ian and the kids.
Katy stayed with us for New Years Eve. We spent the evening playing games and having fun, I lost at monopoly.
All back at work and school - Whoo Hoo ! Not.
We're having a bit of a to do with Matthew at the moment with his attitude towards a few things, but the main one being his piano lessons. He has been doing really well and just before Christmas there were little signs of resentment when it came to practice time. He still continued then he began working from a Christmas carol book, as he agreed to with his teacher. Then each time it came to practice time at home things went downhill - it became a battle to get him to practice. He says he wants to be able to play but doesn't want to practice. What do we do ? Force him to do it? I would hate for him to stop as he is so good at it and seems to have a real talent. His teacher was hoping for him to do his first exam in March but I really am at a loss as to what to do.

HAPPY NEW YEAR !