I had an interview for a clerical position at the hospital on Friday. I originally applied for atleast 10 positions as a Healthcare assistant, basically a non-qualified nursing support. I just felt it was time for a change and quite fancied the challenge. I applied for a couple of clerical positions as well because thats what I have done all of my life.

This lead to Fridays interview for a support secretary. I've always like the job that I have done, but that kind of work always brings a lot of stress and hassle for very little money. I mean Aldi staff get £8.00 per hour for sitting on a checkout. So I fancied something different and interesting.

I have also looked into doing a childminding course so that I can earn money and be around for Grace too. Thats probably the least favourite of my options but the most sensible.

Anyway, being a bit rusty in the interview stakes, I decided to look on line at standard interview questions and answers and brush up on what was 'now'. I got together a highly polished package and was ready.............. until they started asking questions and my tongue developed a very dry thick coating (thick being the operative word) my brain emptied and I couldn't remember a thing..... I was grasping for words and eventually it was just a lot of babble.

I'd like to say that hopefully the interviewers were looking for 'babble' but to be honest my heart was just not in it and I didn't want to work there. Well, saying that, it would be nice to be back in work and amongst 'workers' but I know in my heart of hearts that I would be constantly worrying about Grace and worried that I won't be able to hold down the job if she's ill.

So I think that I have resigned myself to the fact that being a childminder is my best option.................. I'll write more on the subject when I know what I want to say next, but it has made feel much more relaxed than I have been knowing that I can earn and take care of Grace. Also, my neighbour who is already a childminder is going to employ me as her 'assistant' so that I can train quickly and she benefits from twins that she cannot care for on her own, so I may be up and running much quicker than I thought............. God certainly works in mysterious ways Suzie

I still haven't received any correspondance with regard to the Healthcare Assistant positions so I suppose thats a no go too?

Oh dear what can the matter be!

Grace had to take a treasured posession to school today for R.E. I suggested she take in her acapella but she said "by no means do I treasure that thing"!

Instead she took in a bear that belonged to me, but I gave him to her to help her through difficult times because he is very old and qualified in sympathy.

His name is Poo and he is 44, a bit battered and a bit sewn up in places, due to an eye falling out and his arm being pulled off and once my niece vomited on him after eating a curly wurly (curly hurly more like) so he had to have a bit of a trip to the launderette.

Anyway Grace told me all about it when she got home, and told me in detail all of the things she told the class about the bear. I then asked about things that other children had taken in, and there were lots of bears and Grace was most impressed by her friend Charlie, she had brought in her HSM book and inside there was a song that she had written herself. Grace said she sung the song to the whole class! and she sang it beautifully and she had an amazing voice. Charlie has been separated from her Mummy recently because she has had to have an operation and had to stay quite a long way from home. I know that she will be home on Saturday, but I just wanted to say - I hope you have a speedy recovery and that you should be very proud of Charlie.

The other thing that Grace told me was that she got locked in the school toilet today and was there almost an hour before anyone noticed that she was missing from class. The teacher then had to stack things on a chair to climb up high enough to reach over the door to get it open. Poor Grace was shouting help for ages and she even tried to squeeze under the door! and unfortunately no one came to the toilet during her whole ordeal! Thank goodness for Vivienne whom eventually remembered Grace hadn't returned to class.

Back to School

September already!

Grace has gone back to school, and Faye is.... well Faye, has a place at De Monfort University studying Contempory dance, she also has a place at stage school for 3 years with a teaching degree at the end.

We advised her to do the uni degree as its less money and a ucas loan, the stage school is very expensive and a student bank loan.

It turns out that with student accomodation in Leicester, the price of the loans work out about the same. She is desperate to go the stage school but will do the Contempory degree if we feel its a whole world of debt! She will be atleast 20 big ones in debt at the end! Do all students have this amount of debt? its really scary!

I am struggling to advise her as I didn't go to university and I know nothing about performing arts, but I know that she just adores theatre and jazz and white teeth and jazz hands type of stuff, so any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Grace is still well, although she is finding it a tad tough and got a little out of breath this morning whilst trying to hurry in the rain. I think at the moment that this is just an adjustment to a change in circumstances (going back to school and not laying around all day watching spongebob), however, time will tell.

Grace is due at BCH on 17 for an appointment with Dr W and also she is to do an exercise tolerance test, with the lung function people beforehand. This came about at the last appointment because at that time we took the wheelchair so that she could manage the whole day out. As she is much better presently I am just waiting for the smug physio to say 'I told you so', hence the test is probably a waste of time.

I have been to the gym this morning and they have new treadmills, at my usual speed and distance I thought I was going to kill myself! I did stick out however, and am totally exhausted now. The other machines were definitely worn out in comparison, so I might see some significant changes to my physique!

I have been applying for jobs and I have been looking into healthcare. I have applied for numerous positions, because its easy to do it on line, you just do one application and then copy and paste it to whatever job takes your fancy and then hit send. So far, I have been offered one interview but its for a support secretary, having been in admin all of my life, I don't know if I want to continue, its lots of hastle for not much money or job satisfaction. I am also looking into becoming a childminder, that way, I can earn money, stay home and keep an eye on Grace too! I just have to decide if I want lots of jammy finger prints all over my house again?

Kitty kat has settled in nicely and seems to be in love with Mark, she never moves from his side,(and he feeds her toast and slices of chicken sandwich meat for breakfast), she is currently stretched out fast asleep next to him. So I have been redundant in that department also, hopefully if she learns to make him a cup of tea and iron his shirts, I can have more time to myself.

Ironic

After years and years of Grace plaguing for a pet, and the fact that Mark absolutely despises animals......... he eventually gave in, hence the little bundle below on a previous post.

Grace constantly used her CF as an angle to needing a pet,myself also.

Little pussy cat went to the vets today for her very first check up, and guess what??.... she's now on antibiotics for a respiratory infection, and of all the people in the house, Mark is the only one she will go to, it was so funny this morning watching him try to read the horse racing page whilst the cat was walking all over the paper..... cheered me up no end x

Pictures!

Grace as a catterpillar in DR Doolittle and Bitsy Binx

Wow! August already, doesn't time fly?

Well this is what we've been up to since I last blogged.......

We have been down to Devon for a week, to have a bit of a break and also to check out properties. From the properties that we saw, and also the fact that Faye is still undecisive about her further education at the moment, we have decided to put the move on hold for a bit longer.

Mark is no longer at the bookies, but work is a bit thin on the ground, and we are just hoping that it starts to come in as soon as his advertising goes into the yellow pages at the beginning of October. Currently he is distributing leaflets by the hundreds, but not a lot of work has come in yet. Still I have told him that when the children go back to school everyone wants painting and decorating done..... Its hard though..the waiting, he keeps thinking should I apply for a job or should I stick it out??

After a week in Devon we had a major hectic week with Grace in a 3 day show with nightly performances and a matinee. Rehearsals and photo shoots, costume fittings etc, you name it and we had done it in that week. Still it went really well and all of the proceeds went to purchasing equiptment for the oncology department at University hospital Coventry as 'Emily' a little girl in nursery ballet has been undergoing treatment, and had a kidney removed because of cancer.

We finished the show on Saturday evening and the following day we were off to Dorset for a week, and we had a thouroughly good time at both holidays! We were very lucky with the weather as its been dreadful since.

Grace must have thrived on her breaks as she had a glowing report from her consultant and he was very pleased with her, although I have currently changed her meds to augmentin this week as she was being troubled a little by a bit of a loose cough, but generally very well.

Two days ago we bought a little rescue kitten..... she's so cute, but she's not too good today, not eating or drinking and very sleepy, but hopefully she's just adjusting to the change, but she's going to the vets tomorrow for a full check up. We have been through a whole range of names...but we have finally settled on Bitsy-Binx, this is because after narrowing it down to two, Grace and Faye couldn't choose so now she has both of them.

I'll post some pictures shortly.......

I've not been around much generally due to the battle in my head with Mark having no work and being constantly scared, but i'm learning to see positives and I am working my way through it. I have applied for some jobs myself in Healthcare, but so far have had no repies, other than confirmation emails that the applications have been received..... still it gives me a chance to get the pusskins settled in, but I was really looking forward to getting involved in some training for a new job.

Yesterdays post was short and sweet as I didn't have a lot of time and I have other things on my mind.

We are currently trying to close down our existing business and are ready to move on and begin another one, but, and its a big but - I have always wanted to move nearer to the coast and Mark feels that we should do it now.

Faye has just finished a HNC and is going on to further education. I feel that she should go to a university and stay on campus or move with us and stay at home, but she has set her mind to a very expensive private school of teaching. I have great concerns that she will run up a huge debt and possibly not finish the course (you have to rely on scholarships after the first year and only if the school deems you good enough to receive one). Also she has to find somewhere to stay and although I will have family in the Coventry area, no one feels that they want to put her up for 3 years.

In my opinion if she goes on campus at Uni for the first year, it would put her in good stead to manage her finances better and be able to rent with students for the last two years, and I would feel much better about her doing that and at a fraction of the cost including the maintenance fee that at the private college.

Its not all about the finance, I just think that she has a wider scope at University rather than specialising in one area only.

I have taken weeks to work out in my head that that is the only thing stopping me from coming to a decision now. We will be going there with no work, but Mark will advertise as soon as we get there and hopefully start jobs more or less straight away. He is going into painting and decorating, one because he has done it on lots of occasions to help out his best friend who does that for a living and two because he is very good at it.

This may all sound like irrelevant rubbish, but when you have a very sick child life has to be relatively problem free so that you can devote all of your time, energy and worries to them without other stuff getting in the way.

With all that in mind, I still think it would be a great thing for Grace if we moved, so I must have come to the right decision????

I forgive the person that left a comment yesterday saying that my blog was irrelevant and not at all interesting, but hey you didn't have to read it, and its meant as a release for me, no one in particular, but if they like reading then what does it matter. I only hope you are never faced with the difficulties that a family looking after a sick child has to deal with every day. Hows that for love week Suzie?