I’m back, only briefly.  Thankyou to all the minti members out there for your compassion and understanding.  You have all been so supportive.

I have been away for a little while to sort through a few things.  I decided to stop my minti time for a little while, because I had to focus on other things and I know that minti can be very addictive- the more I read and write, the more I have to read and write!!!

So what did I miss? Any births? Weddings? (??DA, LOL), catastrophes? Triumphs?

 

Well this is what I have been up to:

-working, as usual.

-saw the lawyer and found out that I would no longer be able to afford my house after settlement.

-went through a short grieving process about losing my dream home and the kids stability.

- had a valuer come to value my home and found out that the structural damage in my home was more severe than we first thought.  I then got a building inspector in to do a proper assessment.  He said this is only the second house in 15 years that he has seen deteriorate so rapidly (he inspected the house when we moved in 4 years ago).  It just wasn’t built properly and the footings are inadequate.  The house is only 15 years old!

- trying to get the builder to come and fix it, may have to go through court if they are not cooperative since it should still be covered under their structural warranty.

-started house hunting to check out the market- don’t get much for your money these days.

-had nothing but trouble trying to get the bank to give me a general idea of how much I could borrow on my own, they eventually gave me a tentative figure to work on.

-the kids have been sick.  I think Lachlan had swine flu.

-I was contacted by occ health and safety saying that I had a swine flu exposure at work and ended up on tamiflu.

-Imogen broke her finger.  Charlotte accidently dropped her terracotta pot plant on Imogen’s hand.  I took her straight to the GP, who said that she was still moving her finger and using it so it probably wasn’t broken.  Told me on this Wednesday to wait until Friday and if it was still swollen get an x ray.  She cried all afternoon, even with regular panadol and I knew something was not right- she has a very high tolerance to pain and never complains.  After a night on painstop we were at the hospital first thing in the morning, x ray and confirmed middle left finger fractured in 4 places (2 on the proximal phalange and 2 on the middle phalange).  It was one of those incidents where you just can’t get the words “put that down” out fast enough!

-I have bee trying to keep the house as spotless as possible with all the various inspections.

-still playing netball twice a week.

-I am now an aunty.  My sister in law gave birth to a baby girl, 8 ½ weeks early but all are doing well.

-I have been spending a lot of time with a calculator, working out budgets and financial stuff.  I think we will be OK!

 

What I am thankful for

-         that Charlotte’s asthma was well controlled on her preventers when she got sick (I thought she was going to end up in hospital once she caught what Lachlan had).

-         Through all this I haven’t been sick once- And I have been exposed to just about every bug imaginable through home and work.

-         Listening to mother’s instinct and not waiting 3 days to get an x ray on Imogen.  I know my baby and I know that she wasn’t alright.  Just goes to show that just because a child is still moving and using a hand doesn’t mean that its not broken.

-         I am thankful that Imogen has a high pain threshold and has been coping very well with her broken finger.  She’s no sook.

-         I’m too busy to crash into a heap.

-         My tax time bonus came just at the right time.

-     Meeting and having our photo taken with cricketer Darren Lehmann at the hospital.  He was in promoting the new PED treatment rooms.  Imogen and I may be in the newspaper.  She’s famous at the age of 14 months!

-         The ex has been cooperative with all my requests with the house issues.

-         I have great supports and friends.

-         Now that I am over the initial grief over my house, I can focus on building a new home for the 4 of us, that is ours.

-         I am really thankful that I am strong enough to deal with all of this, and I know that I will only be given what I can handle.  I am thankful that I am organized and rational.

-         I haven’t broken down once- maybe I am suppressing, maybe I am in denial…..who knows!  Maybe I am just waiting for the right time.

 

The future

Get house fixed

Do some work on the house ready for sale

Buy a new home, hopefully nearby, so the kids don’t have to move school and childcare

Slow down and live again.

I was thinking I might buy a cheap Tarago after everything settles and take the kids, mum, dad and my sister on a family holiday.

 

I am still busy, and wont have much time to respond.  But I just thought I would throw in an update to let everyone know that, even with all the shit….I am still alive! (and I can still find the positives in my world).  I do read all comments, and appreciate them, and eventually I will get around to responding.

 

Love to everyone.

Xx josie