7 Quick Takes.

It is such a long time since I did a quick takes post. I went back and looked when the last one was. It was back in July 2013 so a quick 7 is well and truly overdue. 

-1-

Last Saturday, Joseph turned 5. I cannot believe he is no longer a preschooler. Here is a photo of him in his knight outfit that we got him. 

-2-

This week  has been a week of mishaps. We started the week, needing to prove our ID for the purchase of our new unit. Steve's went through without any hitch but when it came time for me to do mine, they needed a marriage certificate because my birth certificate had my maiden name. The certificate that we were given the day of our marriage was not enough though because it didn't have a document number. We went to births deaths and marriages and ordered a marriage certificate with high priority. It arrived in the post the next day fortunately and I went to the Post Office to do it again. I am pretty sure this has all been completed now and hopefully it hasn't held up settlement which is next Friday. 

-3-

Steve had 3 moles cut out of his back this week. We went to see the doctor today and he changed the dressing and said come back next week to make sure they are still healing okay. The lab results were back today and they were not benign so we are happy about that. Still, prayers for his recovery would be appreciated. 

-4-

Christopher is due for a new pump. Insulin pumps are only under warranty for 4 years and his expired last Friday. 

The hospital contacted our health insurance asking them if they would cover it. The health insurer we had hadn't got in touch with the hospital so today, I rang them and asked what was going on. I was informed that out of warranty is not enough reason for us to get a new pump and that they want more information. 

I decided it was time to look around and see if there is any other health fund that are going to allow an upgrade when the pump goes out of warranty. I found one that will cover us for this so from today, we are with a new health fund. 

A friend posted this picture on Facebook about health insurers and I took it on my timeline too. It was just what I felt like.

-5-

Back to Joseph. Today he received the award for his class at their school assembly. Here he is with his certificate. It says on the bottom Awarded for helping others in the class, always trying hard at all tasks and having neat and tidy work.

-6-

During the week, a friend posted this link to a Nutella Cheesecake. Here is the video from the One pot Chef. 

My hubby has told me not to make it because it sounds too fattening. 

-7-

I will be back with my quick 7's hopefully. It is now hosted by This ain't the Lyceum. This is my first time linking to the new hostess. Here are other people's quick takes.

 

Quick 7 holiday edition.

-1-

Term two finished today. The children have two weeks of school and I am so glad they are here. No more rushing about in the morning getting them all organised. 

-2-

Daniel, Sam and Madeline have found a house in Adelaide. Everything is falling into place. Madeline had an interview at Hungry Jacks in Darlington and the manager said he would look into getting Madeline transferred. She works at Port Augusta at the moment. We haven't heard anything since the interview so we are hoping she will have some news soon. 

-3-

Renovations continue through the holidays. Steve is finishing of the laundry. We started plans for our laundry so long ago that I cannot remember how long I  have been waiting for it. Over the Christmas break Steve connected water, tiled and painted walls and floors and put in the bench and trough. Today he finally put taps on. It should be finished by the end of the holidays. I think all he has to do now is the door. 

-4-

For my work on renovations, Tom's bedroom and the lounge room both need new curtains. I guess I will be sewing a bit. I am also hoping to get a matching quilt made for Tom's bed. 

-5- 

When Sam moves out, we are going to empty Tom's room completely and paint the walls. That is why I am going to make curtains and quilts. 

-6-

Christopher was going to move into Tom's room when Sam moved out and we were going to have Joseph on his own. We have changed our minds though and Christopher and Joseph will continue to share. Maybe the three of them will share in a few years time but for now we will leave Tom on his own. 

-7-

In other news, we have another new car. We had been considering selling our Carolla for a while. It is 16 years old and starting to need more and more repairs. then when we bought the Dualis we decided to stick with the Carolla and keep it. 

Since that time though, more things have gone wrong with the Carolla and we don't think it is that safe to drive to Adelaide if we need to. 

So we bought a new Mazda 2. Originally we were looking for second hand but then we discovered that Cruise Control was only in 2012 and 2013 models. It was a feature I really wanted and decided if we couldn't get a second hand one at a significant saving, we would get a new one.  We got this one last week. It is a Mazda 2 in Aquatic Blue. 

Don't forget to visit Jen and Conversion Diary for other people's 7 quick takes. 

Seven Quick Takes.

-1-

This week has been a bit quieter for Steve and I. Madeline has been in Sydney at Campion College and Brigette in Adelaide with my girlfriend. Tomorrow they come back. It has been nice to have just the younger 4 and Sam home. I have more petrol in my car and haven't been taxi driving nearly as much. 

-2-

On Sunday Steve and I are going away for a weekend alone. The following weekend is our 22nd wedding anniversary and we wanted to have a getaway for it. 

In October, we went to Endilloe Lodge for one night. It was a great getaway and we thought it would have been even better to get away for two so this time we are going back there for 2. It is close enough that if there are any emergencies at home, we can get back quickly. 

-3-

I have started making little bags for Tom, Amelia and Christopher I started with the glucose monitor bag yesterday. This is my first attempt:

It is okay but it only fits glucose meter, strips and finger pricker. 

I really wanted them to fit the ketone meter in as well. The ketone meter can check blood sugar levels as well but the meter here, communicates with the boys pumps so we have two meters. I have a few ideas in my head to make them bigger and also a bit more attractive so will draw up patterns this weekend while Steve and I are away. 

-4-

Steve and I have been car hunting for a while now because we are not driving around as much as a whole family. We thought it would be good to get a bit of a smaller car so have been looking around at a few different SUV's. 

We looked at Holden Captiva, Nissan Dualis and Ford Territory. At the start of the month, we approached a couple of car dealers and told them what our price range was and what we are interested in. 

On Wednesday we put in an offer for a Nissan Duallis and it was accepted. It has to be ordered in and delivered but hopefully in a couple of weeks, we will have a new car. I am pretty excited about getting it. 

-5-

Having three diabetic children does have some advantages. This week we were helping pack up the crib at church and Christopher dropped his ketone meter out of it's box. We didn't realise till later that afternoon that we didn't have it when his bsl was on the higher side. Fortunately, I had two other ketone meters to choose from until we could get back and pick it up. 

-6-

One other thing I need to do is get some kind of wallet organiser for the children's cards and prescriptions. They all have 3 prescriptions each, a ndss card, health care card, medic alert card and wch appointment card with their url number. We also have a family member's card for Diabetes SA. It can be hard to keep track of who needs what and where I have each child's card so I thought I would get something that keeps them all together. 

I was looking around for an organiser like a passport one. I found a couple online but was a bit hesitant to buy online and find it wasn't suitable. 

I decided to look around for a tutorial for a card holder/wallet. I came across this one: 

Bi-fold Wallet. 

I will need to make it a bit bigger to fit their scripts in but I think it is just what we need. 

-7-

Tomorrow is 2 weeks with 3 diabetic children. I am getting into routine and maintaining most things. I hope it will continue once school goes back. 

For more 7 quick takes visit Jen at Conversion Diary. 

7 Quick Takes.

-1-

This week, term three started. On day 2, Christopher and I had our first power struggle. Mum was the winner. Day 3, 4 and 5 were proof of that. 

-2-

It is a month tomorrow since Joseph had his botox  injections. It seems to have been effective but his physio thinks they didn't give him a strong enough dose. We are seeing the Rehabilitation specialist on Monday so will see what he thinks about the progress. 

-3-

One of the reasons, Christopher and I had a power struggle on Tuesday was because I have started a new spelling program for him. This one is testing each day and once he has them all correct twice, we move on to a new group of words. This was the best spelling program I had for Tom and Amelia and the one that they retained what they had learnt. That is really the main goal of spelling so I decided to change over to this for Christopher. I will let  you know in a few weeks if it is working. 

-4

Tonight Steve and I had a night out for tea. We went to Cafe Primo. It is a bit loud there but I have always enjoyed the food there. Steve loves Indian so maybe next time, we will go to the Indian restaurant.

-5-

Since our night away to hear Jill Stanek, Steve and I have decided we will try and get away every school holidays for one night on our own. There are quite a few bed and breakfast places close by to us so hopefully we will be able to do this each holiday. The next school holidays will be from September 21st till October 7th. 

-6-

On Monday night, Christopher was out riding his bike. His pump was in his pocket and fell out. He rode his bike over it. He showed me and explained what had happened but I didn't really pay much attention to it. I could see that he had scratched the side of the pump but didn't realise he had broken it completely. When we went to give him insulin with is tea, I realised it wasn't working so we put him on his backup health care plan. We spoke with an Endocrinologist that night and then rang Medtronic on Tuesday morning. We had a new pump for Christopher by Wednesday afternoon. 

-7-

On a positive note, the boys diabetes has been going really well this week. I like it when I know what has caused a high bsl or a low one and just  about all of them, I have known this week. I am conscious that a lot of the time that I write about diabetes and the boys on here, that I am writing negative things about it. I want to write about the good weeks too. 

Don't forget to drop over to Jen at Conversion Diary for more 7 quick takes. 

7 Quick Takes.

Thanks so much to Hallie from Betty Beguiles for hosting 7 quick takes for the next few weeks while Jen finishes of her book.  

-1-

This week was the first week of school term 1. We had a good start on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday were hard days but today seemed better again. I am glad it is the weekend and we can sit and relax a bit again. 

-2-

Next Tuesday, Joseph turns 2. I cannot believe how fast it has gone.

Here are the first photos Steve put up of him the day after he arrived.

Here is the video I did on his first birthday.

-3-

On the 11th of February, Christopher will have been on the pump for 1 year. He is going really well with it. Whenever the boys have a significant event to do with their diabetes, I give a donation to The Faustman Lab.

-4-

Tonight the children are watching The Sound of Music. It is on the top of my list of favourite movies from my childhood. One of my most memorable birthday presents was the soundtrack from the movie.

-5-

I decided tonight to change the colour of my blog. I may change it again when lent starts.

-6-

Only two and a bit weeks till lent starts. I am starting to prepare activities for the children to do at home. Catholic mom has some great ideas for lent.

-7-

Next weekend, Daniel and my mother are coming for a visit. We are looking forward to seeing them both.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Therese.  

7 Quick Takes.

-1- 

Yesterday Steve and I celebrated 21 years of marriage. To celebrate, we went out for lunch to the Flinder's Hotel. It was a great day. We also asked all the children to come to Mass with us and they all did. I am so grateful to God for all our children and our faith which has made our marriage strong.

-2-

Today I took Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph over to Booleroo Centre to visit Linda and Bill.  We picked up Christopher's spelling and maths curriculum and shared lunch. It was good to catch up with them both.

-3-

Tonight Steve and I are watching The Kings Speech. I have read a few reviews on this movie and I am looking forward to seeing it.

-4-

School starts on Monday and I am looking forward to getting back into routine again. This year, I am limiting our children to one extra curricula activity. Last year, many of them had two and life was just too busy. This is one of the actions I decided on since my word for the year is simplicity.

-5-

Another thing I want to do this year to keep it a bit more simple, is baking muffins and snacks and freezing them.

On my list of things to bake is:

Zucchini bread.

Pumpkin bread.

Date muffins.

-6-

My girlfriend's daughter has just been fitted with a halo devise. This is needed as she has Torticollis. I am going to make her some new tops that don't go over her head over the weekend. Please keep my friend Di and her family in your prayers. Especially Nicole.  


-7-


Joseph now has his date for his MRI. I will be taking him to Adelaide on the 24th of February for it. 


His walking is really improving with the AFO. When we first got it, he didn't like it at all and was even hiding it from me. We can see a great improvement though from persevering through with it. He even asks sometimes to have it on. 


Don't forget to visit Jen at Conversion Diary for more 7 quick takes. 


Have a great weekend. 


Therese. 

7 quick takes.

Thanks so much to Jennifer for hosting 7 quick takes each week.

-1-

I thought I would post a bit about making my life more simple for 7 quick takes. Our household is very obviously busy with 9 people living in this house and at times to have a simple life can just about seem impossible for us. It isn't though. It just takes a lot of planning and scheduling. 

-2-

With that in mind, I am going to schedule everything this year. Fly lady tells us it take 23 days to make something a routine. I am going to focus on this at the beginning of term. 

-3-

Before school goes back, I am going to start off making menu plans, Religious Ed plans and home school plans. I am also going to get into a good routine with my prayer time. 

-4-

This year, I want to have more focus on my own personal prayer time. I have been praying much more the last couple of weeks and realise just what a difference it makes to my day. 

Steve and I have been getting to mass everyday and often go in early to pray. I have stayed on my own a couple of times after mass too. 

When School goes back, I am hoping I will be able to go in early for prayer time before mass each day too. It will mean leaving for school by 8.10. I have already told the children that if they want a lift to school, they will have to be ready by then. 

-5-

I found some great idea's for menu planning via pinterest. 

From Mama and Baby love, freezer cooking for the slow cooker. 

This week we are going to try the BBQ chicken casserole. 

I am going to do a mixture of baked ahead meals and meal preparations. . 

-6-

One of the biggest things I really need to get more organised with is carbohydrate counting for Tom and Christopher. I know the carb ratio for most fruits and vegetables but when it comes to home cooked meals, I spend a lot of time weighing food and working out what % is carbohydrate. 

I am going to get a food diary to help with this. I am going to write all our main meals carb ratio for different meals and refer back to. I also want to get better and guessing the weight of different foods by looking at portion size. Sometimes we don't have scales available to work these things out and I need to be a bit more confident at guessing them. 

-7-

For Religious Ed, I have lots of plans for this year. 

Tom will be confirmed this year so I am going to find a program for him to work through at home. 

I am going to focus on the liturgical year more and try teaching our children what the different times in the church year are all about. There are so many good resources online to help with this. 

7 Quick Takes.

=1-

Today was the last day of school for everyone. We have 6 weeks summer holidays now. I am going to spend a lot of time sewing over the next few weeks. 

-2-

It is a while since I have done a big monthly cook. I am going to get back into it these holidays. 

-3-

Joseph will be going to Adelaide soon to have a MRI. He needs to be put under a general anaesthetic for this so they are going to take bloods for some other tests. I asked the Doctor that is in charge of the MRI if they could also take blood to test for type one diabetes since Tom and Christopher both have it. I really hope he isn't positive but if he is, it is better for us to know that it is coming. 

-4-

Joseph has had an AFO for about 4 weeks now. We are noticing a difference but he still has a long way to go with it. When he first had it, he hated having it on so much that he was hiding it from us. We also had a big fight with him to get it on his leg. Now he doesn't mind it being on and cooperates when we need to put it on. 

-5-

Tom has been on daily injections for a couple of weeks now. His pump malfunctioned and because he has had it for 4 years, it isn't under warranty any longer. Every 4 years, our health insurance pays for one so as soon as we can get everything organised for it, Tom will be back on the pump. 

-6-

This weekend we will be going to Carols by candlelight in Gladstone Square. We haven't been for the last couple of years and I am really looking forward to it. 

-7-

I cannot think of anything else so for number 7, I am just going to remind you to pop over to Jennifer's for more 7 quick takes. 

7 Quick Takes.

Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 quick takes each week. You can go and read other people's quick takes here. 

-1-

This week has been Sam's first week of exams. He had Physics and Maths studies. Next week he has Chemistry and Specialist Maths. Next Friday will be his last one and then he has finished school for the year. Next year, he is going back and doing 4 more year 12 subjects. He has decided he wants to get into sound engineering and needs to have studied music for this. He was originally going to try and get into Mechanical engineering and so did all maths subjects to get into this. 

-2-

Joseph is starting to talk and imitate us a lot now. He says his name and just about anything we say. I really like it when he calls Sam. He can say this quite plainly. 

-3-

This weekend I am hoping to do a lot of summer sewing. I desperately need some summer clothes for myself. I am hoping to get a couple of new tops and some leggings sewn. 

-4-

Joseph didn't end up getting measured for his AFO's this week. The appointment was cancelled. I hope it isn't too long till we get another one. 

He also needs to go to Adelaide sometime for a MRI. I was hoping to avoid this but his Paediatrician has asked me to take him down to have it so I will. 

-5-

The book, A Special Mother is Born has been published. I have written one of the chapters in this book about being the mother of two children with type one diabetes. 

The book can be purchased from Westbrow Press. 

I am going to get my own copy but I am thinking about buying a couple of extra ones to pass around for people to read.

It has all kinds of mothers stories in it and I am really confident it will be a huge success and help save many babies that may be aborted because of their disability. 

-6-

Today Sam bought a present for the family. We now have Mario Kart Wii. It is a great game. I haven't had a go yet but I will tomorrow. 

-7-

For my last quick take I want to ask you all to keep an online friend of mine in your prayers. 

Kalona from Knocking Everywhere has cancer. She can be treated but it is going to be a long road for her to travel. You can read about the treatment plan here. Please keep her in your prayers. 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Quick 7.

Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 quick takes each Friday.

-1-

Our car hunt continues. We have driven a Hyundai Getz, a Mitsubishi Colt and a Mazda 2. Steve and I both like the Mazda 2 the most. 

There isn't that many of them for sale second hand and the ones that do come up seem overpriced to us.

We are not in any hurry to buy a new one so we will keep our eyes open for a second hand one and save a bit more. Maybe at the end of the year we will have enough that we can buy a new one. 

-2-

Today Steve turns 45. He and I went out for a coffee tonight to celebrate. Joseph got to come along since he had a three hour sleep this afternoon. 

-3-

School starts again on Monday. 4th term only has 9 weeks.  Christopher and I will be doing a lot of one on one work this term. 

-4-

For his therapy, Joseph's physio said a tricycle would be good to help strengthen his legs. I have been looking around for a good one that is not plastic. Yesterday I came across one on Ebay that was the right price and bought it. It will be a Christmas present for him probably since he has a scooter that we can use until then. 

-5-

On Sunday Steve and I are having a joint birthday party. It would have been good to have it in the middle of the holidays but Tom was on diabetes camp so we couldn't. I am still looking forward to having our family and friends over. 

-6-

Tomorrow Steve and I are driving over to Whyalla to help Daniel pack up. He will be working his last day with One Steel on Tuesday and moving to Adelaide. 

He has applied to study teaching in Adelaide and will be working at Hungry Jacks while studying. 

-7-

Why we are in Whyalla, I will be visiting Spotlight and spending some of my birthday  money. I am going to get some linen fabric for a summer dress and a couple of patterns. 

Quick 7.

-1-
Today Tom left for diabetes camp. He is going to be away till Sunday afternoon. I hope he has a great time.

-2-
Steve and I are car hunting. We have a little carolla that is starting to cost us a lot to maintain. We have decided to sell it and get a newer car. At this stage we are looking into getting a Hyundai Getz.

-3-
The first week of school holidays have just flown. We had Steve's parents down on the first weekend and I spent a fair bit of time researching new cars since they left
.
-4-
The weather has been very overcast and dreary lately. Steve and I were hoping to get a bit of exercise in but only walked last weekend. I really hope next week is warmer and we can get some walks in.

-5-
The photo up above is my cute photo for the week. Joseph's cousin put him in this box and pushed him around. Joseph really loved it.

-6-
Next Thursday we are taking Tom, Amelia, Christopher and Joseph to see Scooby Doo live. They are all very excited about it.

-7-
Friday is Steve's 45th birthday. On Sunday we ate having a double party to celebrate both our birthdays.


Don't forget to visit Jen ay conversion diary for other people's quick 7.

7 Quick Takes.

-1-

This weekend, the girls and I are off to Whyalla for a girls weekend away. We will go shopping, eat out for tea and have some girl bonding time. 

-2-

Today was Tom and Amelia's sports day at school. I took Christopher and Joseph over there just before 12.00. We had a great time watching them all compete. Their team came in fourth but they had lots of fun. 

-3-

Joseph's physiotherapy is going really well. We can see a great improvement in his walking and control. This week, we are going to be working on strengthening his stomach muscles. 

-4-

We have had lots of summer weather here this week. I cannot wait for it to be warm every day. I really love summer. 

-5-

I haven't sewn very  much at all since Joseph was born. Now that Tom and Amelia are back at school, I should have more time to do some. I have quite a few plans for some summer dresses for myself and some summer outfits for the younger children. For some reason, my older children would rather buy their clothes. 

-6-

It is now 8 days till the feast day of St. Therese. I was told about a novena prayer that was starting yesterday so have started it. If you want to join in the novena you can find it here. 

-7-

Today I went over to the church on my own for a prayer hour. I have told Steve that I want to try and get over there once a week for one hour. It was great to be alone with Our Lord and not have any distractions or any one talking to me. I thought the time might drag but it went by very fast. I am looking forward to doing this each week. 

Don't forget to drop over to Jennifer's blog for other people's quick takes. 

Quick 7.

Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 Quick Takes each week. Be sure to drop over and see what others are writing about.

-1-

My mother is all settled in assisted living now. It has been a long month for my brother sister and I getting it all organised but we are finally there.

-2-

This week Tom and Amelia's school had wheelies day. Everyone had to take something to the school on wheels. Tom took some roller skates and Amelia took a scooter. Christopher, Joseph and I went over for the last hour and there was a huge obstacle course for the children to ride laps around. Christopher had a go on Amelia's scooter. Tom didn't want to ride the roller skates but had a go on the scooter as well. I spoke with Amelia's teacher and he said she has settled in really well.

-3-

The school also had dress up today. Tom went dressed as a Mexican and Amelia went as a Chinese girl. Here is a photo of them both.

-4-

I have a new favourite meal. Chicken Fried Rice.  Go and try it. I highly recommend it and I am sure we will be eating it regularly.

-5-

Tomorrow Amelia plays in the grand final for netball. She is very excited. They will play Shamrocks. We hope they will win but runner up is pretty good too.

-6-

Does anyone know if there is a way to remove the amount of followers from my dashboard? I have a bit of love and hate to it. I find I get worried when someone stops following me and wonder if I have offended someone. I really hope though that if anyone were offended that they would let me know.

-7-

I have been enjoying playing Words With Friends from Facebook. I love scrabble and have learnt quite a few strategies for the game. Paramedic Girl from Salve Regina is a champ at this game. I am yet to beat her but at least she isn't doubling my score any more. 

Quick 7

Thanks so much Jennifer from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 Quick Takes each week.

-1-

Our week has been busy but fun. Amelia and Tom went to their new primary school and meet their teachers and principal.

We were shown around and I am sure they are both going to be very happy there.

They will be starting on the 29th of August. I should have everything organised by then for them.

-2-

Joseph will be starting physio on the 1st of September. We will go and have a play time with the physio and she will video tape him so that she can know what exercises will help him the most.

I have started working with him on his left side and trying to get him to use it more.

-3-

Daniel is having lots of fun in Spain. He went to the Holy Land first and is now in Madrid. We have spoken on the phone a couple of times and sent many texts.

Here a video from the Australian opening.

You can see this video and more at the XT3 WYD blog.

-4-

Fr Gordon McCrae writes a blog called These Stone walls. It is a blog I have been following for a couple of years.

Fr. Gordon is in prison. He was accused of abusing a minor. I believe the accusations to be false because I have read the case notes.

On Monday the 22nd of August, Esther from A Catholic Mom in Hawaii will be starting a novena for Fr. Gordon's intentions.

I will be joining in too. If you feel led to join in, please let Esther know.

-5-

My friend Ellie has loaned me some Zumba video's. I am going to start with the beginners video tomorrow morning. I think my goal next week for Smart Martha will be to do a couple of workouts.

-6-

I haven't really been reading blogs I follow each day in my google reader. I looked in there this morning and saw 500+ unread items. I think I will need to maar and move onto starting from scratch again.

-7-

I recently tried some Lipton Chai Tea Latte's and now have a new favourite drink.

Quick 7.

Thanks so much to Jen from Conversion Diary for hosting 7 quick takes each week.

-1-

We are having a few changes in our house next term. Tom and Amelia are off to school. I did originally think that we would start them next year but decided to get things organised for 4th term. I have been feeling overwhelmed at all I have to do with home school and looking after the house. I keep on thinking that I am not doing anything 100% and that is what I want to do. I am pretty confident that Christopher, Joseph and I will establish a good routine pretty quickly that I won't feel so overwhelmed by.

-2-

Madeline has been talking about going somewhere as an exchange student in 2012/2013. She has talked about Hawaii and New York. I think it would be good for her to go somewhere that isn't as well off as we are in Australia. Steve and I are going to look into it a bit more. I will keep you all posted on what we find out and if she does it or not.

-3-

I have a new handbag. One of the things I dislike about living in a small country town is the limit we have in stores. I went to both Target Country and Big W and they all had a really small range of bags. They were all overpriced imo too. I bought this one online. It is great. It isn't too big or too small. I fit everything I need in nicely.

-4-

Diabetes SA put on a diabetes camp each year for children with diabetes between the age of 10 and 12. There are a lot of children that apply to go on this camp so not everyone that applies, gets to go. We sent in the application for Tom to go a couple of months ago and heard this week that he can go.

The camp is on the middle weekend of the October school holidays. I will take Tom to Adelaide and stay there while he is on the camp. It will be good for him to meet some other children with diabetes and be at a place that has diabetes educators and Registrars that know how to look after them all. Tom is very excited about going and the rest of the term cannot go fast enough for him.

-5-

Steve's singing lessons continue. We all know the different exercises by heart. He said to me tonight, he has a new appreciation for what Singers go through to become really good.

-6-

Daniel is in the Holy Land this week. He has been swimming in the dead sea, stayed by the sea of Galilee, gone to Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We have spoken a couple of times with him and he is having a great time. He says the traffic there is bedlam. I hope we will see for ourselves one day.

-7-

This week in Australia we had the Census. I did ours on line and it was a great way to do it. I knew all the questions by heart though by the time I got to doing Joseph. It took me about 1 hour to complete. Interestingly, many households didn't complete the online census. They entered all the data but failed to submit. I am pretty sure I submitted because I got a receipt number. I also saw our census guy tonight walking down our street. Since he didn't come to our place, he must have our receipt number.

Quick 7.

-1-

We have had quite a week here. I won't go into everything that has been going on but I have felt rather stressed and over burdened. We are all over it all though and hopefully the weekend will be relaxing and rejuvenating.

-2-

Today Daniel left Australia for WYD. It is in Spain this year. Before they go to Spain, they are heading to the Holy Land. I am sure it is going to be an experience of a lifetime for him. There are 5 pilgrims going from our parish including our parish priest. I will update with news as they travel.

-3-

Steve has been taking singing lessons. He bought a program online and has been listening to them and doing all the exercises in time to the scales. He is doing them so much, I am hearing them in my sleep.

-4-

Do you know who Stanley Clark is? He is the person that invented blood glucose meters. He died recently. RIP Stan and thanks so much for making it easier to look after my two boys.

Go here to read Stan's obituary.

-5-

This weekend is the Warfest in Port Augusta. Our younger children are all very excited about it. There will be rides, games and lots of yummy food. Once the girls have finished netball, we will probably head straight over.

-6-

Today Tom got an invite to Diabetes camp SA. It will be on the weekend of the 22nd of October till the 24th October. He is very excited about going. This will be the first time he will have been away from family so I am also a bit nervous for him. I am sure he will be well looked after and have a great time. I hope he makes some really good friends too.

-7-

I have been thinking about doing some fundraising on here for Dr. Faustman's research for a cure. I have seen some blogs do some fundraising but don't really have many ideas about what to do. If anyone out there, has some idea's it would be great to hear them.

Dr. Faustman's link is over in the sidebar. To read about her research, click on the photo of her in the sidebar.

Remember to visit Jen from Conversion Diary for other people's quick 7.

7 quick takes: The holiday edition.

Thanks so much to Jen at conversion diary for hosting 7 quick takes each week.

-1-

The holidays are just about over. We have Saturday and Sunday left and on Monday it will be back to school for us all. Well, except Brigette. Her school doesn't start till Tuesday.

-2-

I have had a very relaxing week this week which was needed. I still need to finish of my planning for term three but feel pretty prepared. I should finish it of tomorrow.

-3-

I read the book I'll walk alone by Mary Higgins Clark this week. Mary HC is one of my favourite writers. I really like her style of writing. If you want to see what the book is like, the link has the first two chapters for you to hook you in.

-4-

Joseph will be seeing our Paediatrician on Monday. He had xrays on his hips and legs a while ago and there was no abnormality. He is definitely walking with a limp though so we will just go and see the paediatrician and see what they think could be causing it.

-5-

Annie the musical is coming to Australia next year. I have already told Steve I want to go to Melbourne and see it.

-6-

Tom and Christopher have been playing a lot of diddy kong racing these holidays. I love the game too and have helped Christopher win a few races.

-7-

I have decided I am following too many blogs. I really have to cut back the amount of time I spend on the internet. In the holidays, I do have the time to keep up with them but once school is back, I just cannot.

I am going to keep the same blogs in my reader but will cut the list that I am following. I really wish I could follow them all but my priority needs to be my family and home.

7 quick takes: The holiday edition.

7 things to do during the holidays.

-1-

Sew my Jacket.

-2-

A family day in Whyalla. We are going to go bowling and out for lunch.

-3-

Visit family and friends.

-4-

Sew some jeans for Tom and Christopher.

-5-

Sew Joseph some overalls.

-6-

Finish planning term 3's curriculum.

-7-

sleep in often.

As always, visit Jen at Conversion diary for other people's quick 7.

Quick 7.

-1-

Netball.

Tomorrow morning the girls have games first thing in the morning. Amelia plays at 9.00 and Brigette at 10.00. At least it will be over early and we should get a lot of other things done.

-2-

Sewing.

I have traced most of the pattern that I was frightened to sew. Looking at the pattern, it doesn't seem as frightening and the instructions make more sense. I am hoping to finish tracing the pattern tonight and get it cut out tomorrow morning. (If I can get up early enough).

-3-

Musical Theatre.

This year, Madeline, Brigette, Tom, Amelia and Christopher are all in musical theatre. It takes up a lot of our time but they all enjoy it a lot. On Sunday, there is going to be a sewing bee for it so I am going along to help sew some of the costumes.

-4-

Pumps.

Christopher is having a lot of trouble with his pump breaking at the end of the tubing. I think he is just too rough with it. I think he will need to have the pump put in a backpack where he cannot touch it. I am the one that operates the pump all the time anyway so there is no need for him to have any access to it. I hope I can work out a pattern for a backpack fairly easily. Tom had one before but they were way over priced so I am going to have a go of making one before I buy one.

-5-

Joseph.

Joseph is walking with one of his feet turning out. We are noticing it more now that he has been walking for a few weeks. He pulls it around in an odd way too. Next Tuesday we are seeing the doctor and seeing if he thinks we need a referral on for it. Prayers for him would be appreciated.

-6-

Second Term.

Second term only has another three weeks to go. We will have two weeks holidays and then term three will start. I cannot believe we are already half way through the term.

-7-

St Ann.

I have a picture of St. Ann on my sewing table now. Steve is going to put it on the wall in there this weekend. Honey found out that St. Ann is the patron saint for sewers. I am going to be asking for her intercession a lot when I do my coat I think.

Have a great weekend everyone. Don't forget to drop over to Jen from Conversion Diary for other people's quick 7.

Quick 7.

-1-

Another driver in our house.

Today Madeline got her Learners permit. She did the test a couple of months ago and passed but life has just got in the way of her going and getting the permit. Today we took her down and finally had enough id that she was able to get her permit.

-2-

Netball.

This weekend, Amelia plays at 10.00 and Brigette at 11.00. Fingers crossed they will both win.

-3-

Pumpkin cooking!

We have been cooking plenty of pumpkin treats. I have made 4 pumpkin loaves and 2 of Tania's pumpkin tea cake. I am going to do a few more this weekend and get them in the freezer.

-4-

New Computer.

We have another computer. I have Steve's old one and he has the new one. He has been telling me all the components that his new one has and I keep on saying, I don't care. Tell me how to work xyz on this one.

-5-

Sewing.

Joseph needs some new overalls. I am going to cut them out this weekend and hopefully I will be able to start sewing them.

-6-

Joseph.

Here he is falling asleep in his chair after tea one night.

-7-

Missing.

We have misplaced a couple of books that we borrowed from the library. I am going to be having a good look through our book bins this weekend for them and asking St. Anthony for help in finding them. If you could also pray that they all show up, I would appreciate it very much.

Don't forget to visit Jen from Conversion Diary for other people's quick 7 posts.