Frustration Again

Yet again I am writing a post entitled 'Frustration'
I last wrote one just over a year ago and now I am writing another on exactly the same subject.

Frustration at being home from work with a sick child.

Now don't get me wrong...I love my children and they mean the world to me, there is nothing I wouldn't do for them.
I also know there is nothing that can be done when they are sick, you just have to love them and help them through it.
BUT that doesn't help work!

In January I was off for a week sick, I had a medical certificate to back me, so no worries.
In March Alex was sick and I had a few days off with him.
Ben got sick somewhere along the line and Steve happily took time off.
Alex also had another 2 days off somewhere else and we both shared that time, taking 1 day off each.
In May I got a nasty viral chest infection and ended up with a week off again.

By now you can guess that I have used up all my sick time from work!

Unfortunately on Saturday night the babysitter informed me that Alex had redness on his back. Thought nothing of it and promptly forgot.
On Sunday morning Alex informed me that the redness on his back was bigger, like all of his back, he had a nasty rash.
It wasn't chicken pox (no spots) and it wasn't measles, German, English or any other nationality!
It started to fade by the end of the day, well it was still under the skin but just not so prominant. The dose of Phenergan also helped I feel.
Monday there was still a hint of rash but nothing else. He went to school and I to work.
Last night unfortunately Alex looked like he had done 6 rounds with a mosquito, hive type bumps all over his legs and back!
So another quick visit to the emergency doctors only to be told he has a viral infection and that .....wait for it......you guessed it........it is contagious! So no school.

So here I sit, at home with Alex who is feeling fine apart from so itching.
I got so frustrated last night I actually called the emergency doctors and demanded a medical certificate for Alex that I could present to my work, because it just made it much easier to swallow knowing I had something in writing from a Doctor.

So today, before going to see my manager, I went and saw the manager above her. Felt I really had to talk to her first before my direct manager informs her yet again that I am away sick!
She was understanding, grateful for the medical certificate and even asked if there was anything they could do to help me?

It makes me feel so useless, so unreliable. I hate that feeling of not being able to support the team and feeling that they may feel I am not a sure thing, cause you just never know when I might take a day off sick! In fact last time I was sick I actually went back to work way too soon and practically killed myself in the process and got sent home being told not to return until I was well again.

Oh well, life goes on. Got a week off in July for annual leave, aren't I lucky!

P.S - this is when I wished we lived next door to Grandma!

The Egg

Ben's class are egg sitting or more to the point egg caring.
Yes, they have an egg each and they have to care for it during the week.
Unfortunately some eggs have already cracked under the pressure of being cared for by 7/8 yr olds.

They do not have to do anything special with these eggs, just still have them in one piece on Friday.
I learnt today that apparently they do have to look after them during lunch break but they seem to have devised a plan to get some of the girls to egg sit so nobodys egg gets broken.

Not sure what happens on Friday when all is finished but we will wait and see.
Not actually sure even what they have learnt from this but will wait with baited breath to hear what Ben has to say when it is over on Friday.

Comments

I know that lots of people are having trouble commenting on their friend's blogs, some blogs will let you comment whilst others will keep asking you for an account sign in?
I don't know what the probloem is anymore than you guys do but I have worked one thing out.
There are 3 ways that comments can be shown on a blog. The blog writer can decide to have the comments show up in one of the following ways:

1. Seperate page - this way when someones comments, the comment field pops up as a balloon on the page and when finished you close it and you are then still at the blog site.
2. Full page - when you comment this takes you to a new page with all the comments down the left side and the comment field on the right. To get back to blog you are reading you ahve to hit back key.
3. Embedded below post - when you comment, you are taken to another page where the comment and comment field are at the end of the post.

I have worked out that all the sites I am having trouble commenting on all have their comments set as "Embedded below post"

How do I change this so friends can continue to comment, I hear you say?

Easy - go to settings on the dashboard, click on the blue word comments within the settings tab, (do not click on the comments tab next to settings tab)
3rd down is the 'Comment Form Placement' here you can choose how your comments field shows when someone wants to leave a comment. If you have embedded below post, consider changing to one of the other styles.
Go to bottom of page and click Save.

People should now be able to leave you a comment

Hope this helps

Shoes

I do not have a fetish with these, never have and never will.
I am not a girl who has oodles of them in her wardrobe waiting for that special moment when 1 pair will have its moment in the spot light and proudly get worn with that one all time special outfit.

I have shoes, don't get me wrong and usually I live in the same few pairs. So I am usually gutted when that pair dies and I have to scour the town to find another that suit my need.

But, I do have shoes and so do my children.
Unfortunately what gets me is the amount of children I see wandering along the street on their way to school in the morning....without shoes on!
We are in winter folks, it is cold outside, yet I can honestly believe these kids probably do not have a single pair they can wear.

It annoys me even more when you see these young mums in the supermarket, walking along in the latest designer outfit, complaining they have no money for food and their kids are wearing next to nothing with the blackest feet where they have not been wearing shoes ever!
Why do people seem to think that shoes are optional? To me they are as inportant as clothes are, yet I see so many people wandering around the hospital with no shoes on and their kids are following suit.
People seem to think shoes are not needed for children, they seem to think they are a waste of money as you have to buy new ones every 6-12 month. I am lucky in that my boys manage to make a pair of shoes last for a whole year. We usually buy new sandles at the beginning of each summer and new trainers at the beginning of each winter, these then last them until the next season they are needed.
Even if we could only afford one pair of shoes, then they would still have 1 pair and they would sure be wearing them in the wintertime.

My moan and groan is over now!

Birthday

Alex has gone from this

to this

6 years old today

Happy Birthday to our gorgeous little boy