Broken arms and operations - the 2nd week of summer holidays! ! ! ! ! !

So it is the 2nd week of the school holidays and I decide that my son (who is 12) needs to come off his XBox for a bit and get some fresh air and exercise. With 2 dogs needing to burn off some excess energy and a 8 yr old daughter wanting to go on a bike ride I had the bright idea of taking them all the field at the top of my street!
It was about 3pm on Tuesday and the sun was shining and all 4 of them were having fun..... until my son fell off his bike! As a mum you can tell with the pitch and tone of their cry that they are in pain so without thinking I set off into a sprint to see what was up with him!
Holding his arm gingerly he said "Mum Ive broken my arm!!"

As you can see from the photo it really did look like he had done some damage! It was banana shaped!!! 

So we took him to the local Accident department where he was seen very quickly. An xray did confirm that it was broken but the break was bad with the bones not aligning! He had a plaster cast put on and then another xray which told us that unfortunately he needed an operation to realign the bones so they healed right! 

The hospital we were in did not have an orthopaedic team so we ended up travelling to Pinderfields hospital- children's ward. With his operation first on the list for the following morning we brought him home so he could rest here and have some nice food - I am firm in my belief that you feel better in your own surroundings! It was a bad night for both of us though - I didn't get a wink of sleep and he only managed a hour at the most! He was in so much pain!! 

By 7am Wednesday morning we were back in the children's ward and he was booked in for his surgery. I went down with him for his general and found it so difficult to see him so vulnerable and in pain - but thankfully all went well and he didn't need a pin putting in. By 1pm we were at MacDonalds drive through buying him his happy meal to take home! 

Settled on the sofa his shock finally set in and he was sick a lot - he still couldn't sleep much because he couldn't get comfy but he looked a little bit better than the day before! 

Now it is 2 days later and although he is fed up - he doesn't hurt and can almost manage to get back on his Xbox!! 

We have some more appointments at the clinic to see that it is healing right but hopefully things will go ok!!! 

I consider myself lucky because this is the 1st time in my 12 years of being a mum we have had to go to casualty with a childhood accident! The hospitals were amazing but even better my little girl is being fantastic and so helpful. Even though it is horrible he has gone through this it is nice to see how close we are as a family and supportive when times get tricky! 

Where is my motivation?? (And not the Greenday lyrics but just in general!!)

Ive got no motivation (and even though I can not say that without the Greenday song dancing around my head) this lack of motivation is not helping with my blog posts!!
*What blog posts??? hahaha

I would like to say I have been super busy trying to change the world or training for a marathon - however that would be lying!! Ive spent more or less this past month trying to sort out the families financial situation seen as the other half is now unemployed due to his ill health! Entering competitions (for a change), battling with my ears and the ENT Docs (for a change!), helping kids with their homework (both have huge projects due in within 2 weeks). I have also been signing up to Uni after finally coming to a massive decision about my career!

So in a quick round up - being doing well with my competitions - won quite a lot this month (Feel free to check out the specific page on this blog dedicated to my wins!) had to sell quite a few of the prizes so I can afford clothes for the kids. But I have had some nice beauty treats which I have kept because like any other girl I like to have a bit of a pamper every now and again. I'm now trying to win a few things to put away for Christmas! I know that it is months away but unless my lotto numbers come up it will be a huge struggle financially - if I can win a few things to stash away and wrap up in December I am sure my purse would be grateful. So fingers crossed I will have a few more wins - I got a £10 cheque this morning so I am hoping it is a sign of things to come!

The financial situation is too boring to explain and I will end up going on a rant about the economic climate and current affairs - but slowly we are battling agencies and government policies to try and stay alive.

My ears are even more boring to talk about but its a massive part of me so I am not going to spare the details - since November 2012 they have been leaking that yucky gunk! Well finally they have just stopped piling me with Anti-biotics and drops and have changed their tune. Apparently it is mucus which is leaking from my ears - so I am now on an intensive course of flushing out my nasal passages for 6 weeks to see if this helps? At the moment it is painful on my sinus' and does not seem to be working on the wet lugs - but its early days and I want to give it a fair shot! In general my hearing is rubbish and sometimes even with my aids in sounds are muffled and can be difficult to understand! It is so depressing when it is constant and the hospital just seem to shrug it off as it is nothing. Would they like gunk dripping from their ears for 6 months? Probably not so why do they seem to think that it is nothing to me??

Oh and saved the most important update for last - IVE SIGNED UP TO UNI!! Again - and at the moment it is only Open University but I have studied with them before and am happy to have another couple of years with them whilst I try to sort out a degree! Because them I am going to a local Uni to do my PGCE which is Post Graduates Certificate of Education! I want to be a teacher! Well always wanted to be a teacher but life happened and circumstances told me otherwise! Well now since I have been volunteering with my daughters school I have realised how fulfilling and rewarding I find it so I figured why not reach for the stars and get my degree!!

So in a nutshell you have the reasons I have been absent from here for a while. I am sure I will add more updates on Uni and my ears in the future - I will also pick up my A-Z of dislikes when I get the chance!!

I can't wait for the pitter patter of 4 small paws......

Just a quick post today because I wanted to introduce the adorable, cuddly, amazingly lovable pooch who will soon be the 6th member of my family.

His name is Budd - which is short for Buddy if you ask my little girl, or short for Buddha if you ask me!!! 

He will be five week old on tuesday and is a little chunk!! 

Im sure in a couple of months I will be writing to complain about chewed shoes and wet cold puddles in the middle of the night.... but right now I can't wait to see what fun and mischief he will bring!!!! 

Update positive, competition wins and puppies!

It has not all been doom and gloom however.

On the competitions side I have had some joy because the other day I received 2 parcels and was notified about 2 wins. All in the same day!!  I got some fantastic nail varnish through a blog and some herbal botanics cream which looks to be amazing stuff. And I am still waiting on £100 love2shop vouchers being delivered and some erotic fiction. It is these wins like these which give you incentive to keep entering more competitions whilst crossing your fingers that one day the 'Big Prize' will come my way.

I do update my competition win page when I receive a prize so as soon as my new wins come my way I will be adding to that list!!

On another note we are getting a puppy. I did mention this on the post I wrote on my birthday, but now they have been born. It is my mums dog which is a mixed breed spaniel type heinz 52 pooch and on the 5th Feb she delivered 4 healthy puppies. Although times are tough we believe another dog will help Cherry the pooch we already have, and the kids adore animals so in a couple of months we will have a new baby to add to the household. (The hardest thing is choosing which one to get because they are all so incredibly cute!!)

There are a few people who have mentioned in passing that we must be silly to get another dog when we are going through a tough time. But it means to afford it I need to cut down on my smoking, this will be hard but worth it for the kids and my health. I firmly believe pets are a benefit to children and a household, and because my ears are so bad I always feel reassured that I have a furry friend to help me out when someone is at the door or the kids are shouting me! (A doorbell on legs! someone said the other day!)

When I have photos and other news on this new addition then I will do another post!! But I am like a big kid and so excited!

Birthdays, Broken Laptops and Lost hearing aids!!

Well today is my 30th birthday. I was one of those people at 12 who thought that 30 was ancient - now i'm there myself I still feel like I am young. And I guess I am - but a lot of times I feel old and tired. 

I've got no huge plans to celebrate, I had a lie in this morning and woke to find cards and gifts off my children and hubby. My mum visited and had a coffee - and told me her dog having puppies so we could be getting a new doggy in a couple of months!!! The remainder of the day is going to be spent on the sofa entering competitions and watching mindless kids TV. Perfect!! My hubby cooking a Sunday dinner so that will be fabtastic too!!

The worst thing happened to me this week and my Dell laptop (2years old) bit the dust! We had just bought a new battery and the motherboard went. This is the 2nd laptop I have killed in the past 3 years - although the 1st one died from a large latte been poured over it. Been super super skint - a new one isnt an option so hubby is hell bent on repairing one of them in the cheapest way possible. Until then I am using my cheap and slow android tablet and his tiny web book. Which are more than adequate - but I am used to my laptop and do miss it. Im also one of the most impatient people ever and always want something yesterday. 

So until I do get my own machine working my posts will be sporadic. And will probably not include photos because I don't want to clog his memory with all my pics. 

I've also lost my left hearing aid - which is a nightmare! I've got a kidney infection and still got a bad ear infection so am on strong antibiotics and painkillers- this seems to have given me a forgetful brain - because my hearing aid has vanished!! Turned the whole house upside down and even been in the bin (with yellow marigolds on!) but still no joy!! Hopefully I can be fitted for some more soon because I don't know how I will cope with any future job interviews with lopsided hearing!!! I'm laughing about it - because it has just been one of those weeks! Hopefully next week less things will go wrong????

My 1st blog - about me

The 1st post!! 

All about me; 

I am totally new to this blogging malarky - however after looking at other peoples blogs and how much support and fun they seem to have has encouraged me to start my own. 

I've called it muffled rants - mainly because my world is muffled. Let me explain - I need to wear hearing aids otherwise I can't hear words. I'm not 100% deaf and can lip read to a degree but telly is a no-go (unless its subtitled) and in general day to day life I can struggle - even with the aids in. 

I don't want to just write about my impediment though - there are lots of other things that make me stand out and make me.... well me!! 

I love tattoos and piercings and will try to add some photos of my collection as I extend my blog. I read a lot, I crochet, I adore entering competitions (which is why I came across so many amazing blogs!), I enjoy writing, learning about history. I cook and bake, I am a life long chocoholic and coffee-holic!

So that's what I like! 

But that's not all - I'm approaching my 30th year (27th January), I've been married for 8 years, I have 2 amazing children (11yr old boy & 8yr old girl) and a pretty fab stepson too (he is 17). Oh best not forget our dog too - we adore dogs in our house!

At the moment I am trying to look for work, obviously the job market isn't as big for me because I am limited. (Noisy environments and lots of telephone calls not an option!) But my hubby is off sick so is willing to take care of the household duties whilst I try to start my career - having had the kids young I put it all on hold. 

Thats enough for now I think - I do tend to ramble on when I write! However as I get the hang of this blogging I am sure I will fill people in more. I'm sure you are all very interested. ?!?! 

If there is anything you want to know - just leave a comment - any tips on doing this blog thing- leave a comment!! haha