Facebook post

Something slightly different for today I watched a programme earlier today called "My child's not perfect" and was inspired to write a rather long facebook post. This is that post:

"My child's not perfect" Just watched this programme on replay after a friend recomended it. It's about time people were made more aware of children with special needs. They are not naughty kids nor do they need a good slap to straighten them out. They need love, patience, and understanding. A lot of people will watch the programme and have sympathy for the child and their family and tomorow will forget everything they watched the night before. I and several of my friends will not because we live with this every day. Here is the truth of Autism I am regulary physicaly abused by my son Brad so are his 2 brothers. Brad has even nearly been arrested for his violence towards us. I am called all the names under the sun usaly something along the lines of you stupid fat ugly bitch, I hate you I wish you would die, you are the worst mother in the world. Then comes the remorse for these actions I hate myself, Im the worst son in the world, I want a new brain, I want to kill myself, someone get a gun and shoot me. You have no idea how hard it is to hear such things from your 13 year old son whom you love more than life itself. No idea how hard it is to have to physicaly restrain your child to prevent him from hurting himself and others and yes I have had to do this in public before now. None of this is Brads fault he did not ask to be born this way and I know for sure he hates being autistic, he hates being different to his peers, he hates being stared at in the street, and he hates being abused by the very children he should be out playing with. My son has been called freak, weirdo, retard, inbreed, simple, thicko, knob, told to fuck off, piss off, get stuffed, go away. He has been mugged preventing him from going to our local shop alone any more. He has been exposed at by children where we live. This is not limited to children I have found adults to be the worst offenders when it comes to verbal abuse. Just 2 days ago a young girl in the shop was staring at Brad because he was doing one of his tics Brad asked her very polietly " please stop staring at me I dont like it " only to recieve a load of verbal abuse from the girls mother about not being nasty to girls and if he did not want people to stare at him he should stop being such a freak. What about you teaching your daughter not to stare at people who are different. Im damn sure if Brad had been in a wheelchair and asked the same thing he would have got nothing but sympathy from the mother. How I have kept my hands to myself over the years is beyond me. I have lived with Autism for nearly 14 years now and am now going through it all over again with my youngest son Brandon. I am not telling you all this because I want sympathy far from it I hate it when people pity us save your pity for someone who needs it because for all the bad times we go through we also have some pretty darn great times and even moments of clarity where Brad is almost "normal" what ever that is. I am sharing all this in the hope that it will educate people and make people think twice before they jump in with their nasty comments and torrent of abuse. The next time you see a child being "naughty" in the street stop and think maybe they are not being naughty at all maybe they have an underlying condition MAKING them behave that way. Rather than mock, judge and make comments on what a useless mother and naughty child they are offer to help. Hold their shoping or watch their other children so they are free to give the time and attention that child needs to calm down. Ask them about their childs condition instead of speculating I know for a fact if someone came up to me and asked me about it I would gladly tell them everything they want to know. That is why im sharing all this more awarness needs to raised about these beautifull special children why should they suffer due to others ignorance. To my special little boys you may not be perfect but I love you just the way you are xx xx xx

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Warning: This is going to be a long post lol

I have not blogged for quite some time as I have been really busy with my volunteer work so this is going to be a rather long post lol. I have to say Kel the lady I have been helping to organise her home has in fact become a really good friend. We have been seeing a lot of each other and we have become firm friends now. On saturday I did the xmas bizarre at my son Ben's school Kel came along to lend a hand and I have to say she was great. I dont think I would have made half the sales I did if it was not for Kel's amazing ability to sell. I was also lucky enough that Karen my best friend looked after Brad and Brandon for the weekend so that I was able to do the bizarre. Brad and Brandon are my two sons with autism and taking them to an over crowded bizarre where I am trying to sell items would be an impossibility. With autism in mind I found this great picture on google I wanted to share when I saw it I was struck by how true the words are.

                      

                             These are just 2 of the homemade cards I took to sell at the bizarre.

I was asked by a friend who also happens to be an amazingly talented artist if I could take some of her art work with me and in return she would drop us off and pick us up saving me the cost of taxi fairs. When I went round to see the work I fell in love with one of her pieces and just had to have it. Of course I was lucky enough to get it at mates rates but even at full price it would have been a bargain at £20.

If anybody who reads this blog would like the artists details please leave me a comment with your email address and I will gladly send you her contact details. Whilst I am not an artist myself I do appreciate good art the thing I love about this contempory piece is you can see what ever you want to see in it. Every body sees something different no to views of the same piece of art are identicle I find that quite amazing and intresting. The bizarre went well and I made £60 not bad for 2 hours. After the bizarre I decided to take Ben to mcdonalds as a treat for being so good and patient while I was running my stall. I also wanted to take a look at a new store that has opened selling a great range of items from food to toys, from plants to xmas decorations, from toiletries to pet goods all at discounted prices. Wow I was in heaven I could have spent all day and a whole heap of money in there so much stuff at such great prices. Luckly I had my little concience with me (Ben) who I had told before we went in DO NOT let mummy spend to much money in here lol. I was able to reason with him on the following items

The 2 xmas tea light holders cost just £1.39 each and the shoping trolley was a snip at £8.99. There is a logic behind the trolley which allowed me to make such an extravagent purchase. I often go into town to visit the library and buy items that are on special offer in my local supermarket I also like to visit the charity shops and the cheap shop as I call it. Although I walk into town I nearly always get a taxi home due to being loaded up with all these knock down priced goodies. This usaly costs me around £4  this shoping trolley will now make it possible for me to walk home as well saving me £4 every time I go shoping so in theory the trolley will pay for itself in no time. When we got home I was thrilled to see that the book I had ordered a few days previously had arrived. It is called the moneyless man and is written by Mark Boyle a lovely guy who runs my local freeconomy community he also happens to be a friend of Kel's although I did not know this at the time I purchased the book. Mark decided to conduct an experiment and see if he could live for one whole year without money and when I say no money I mean NO MONEY. He lived in a caravan in a farms field in return for working for them 3 days a week, he got his food from growing his own, foraging, and skipping also known as dumpster diving in the US. This guy even managed to make it home to Ireland for xmas on no money what so ever. It is an amazing insight into how over rated money really is and the levels of consumerism and waste that go on in our country today. I have almost finished the book but will be re reading it as there are some great tips in there for saving money. If you like me are a frugalist I strongly recommend you have a read of this book all the profits from the book are donated to a charity whose aim is to set up the first real life freeconomy community.

Some times having autistic children is bloody hard work the fights the squabbles and the arguments magnified by 10 than that of "normal" siblings squabbles so when I get the odd moment like the one below I like to capture it to remind myself when times get tough that there are good times in this crazy autistic life myself and the boys lead.

Today has been busy for me Ben had an optitions appointment at 9.30am he has been getting headaches quite a bit recently and I wanted to check if it was because he needed glasses. He does need a mild pair of glasses but the optition said he thinks it sounds like migranes as opposed to the need for glasses so I have to take him to the doctors to get this checked out. Ben has picked a lovely pair of specs which I will have to pick up from town some time next week. After that we did a little shopping and took a walk upto Kel's when I got to Kel's the chickens had laid a fair few eggs and as she was not going to be there for the next week she offered them to me. Never one to turn down a freebie I gratefully accepted and will be using these in some baking I hope to do this week. Over the next week I will be focusing on my home and family and spending some time finishing off making the family's xmas presents. This year all the adults are getting homemade gifts whether they like it or not lol. To finish off this post I thought you may like to see our xmas tree it is the same tree and same decorations we have had for the past 3 years Ben and I put it up today and I think it looks fab.

Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Hectic week

Wow what a hectic week I have had here is what I have been upto:

Tuesday
My best friend works for the local council where there are literaly thousands of employees so she suggested I set up a station show caseing some of my items with a catelogue and order form to bring in some extra money for xmas. My friend will be over seeing this bringing me the order forms and delivering the orders to her work collegues etc. So I spent tuesday putting together some samples of the products I have in my shop, making xmas chocolates for the parcels I am selling, designing and printing up order forms and a catelogue, and bagging it all up ready for her to collect. This took me all day and some of the night but I eventually got it all done so im looking forward to seeing if this idea brings in any much needed funds. Because I had been working so hard all day I was in no mood to cook so I treated the boys to tea out in a local cafe we walked there and back to keep costs down the children had a kids meal each costing £7.50 and I just had a drink as I was not really that hungry.

Wednesday
Where I have been helping Kel I had let my house go a little. Kel had an art class wed morning so I decided to concentrate on getting my house back in order. I did washing, tidying, hoovering, washed up, emptied and washed out the bins, changed and washed all the bedding and put fresh sheets on, and I even managed to squezze in a soak in the tub before meeting Kel in town at 1pm after her art class. We hit the charity shops and as always I was like a kid in a candy shop. I got some great bargains this is what I got:
3x jeans for Brad £8.50
A shirt for me £2.50
A pink fleece jacket for me £3.99
3x play station games for the boys £7
2x harry potter books for Ben £1.98
A who wants to be a millionaire board game for Brad £3.99
A huge brand new Barney the dinosaur teddy for Brandon £5

We also went into the cheap shop as I call it. Its where they sell a little bit of every thing all at rock bottom prices. They had this huge canvas painting of the tardis and a darlik for £12.99. Well all 3 of my boys love Dr Who so I brought it as a joint xmas present for all 3 of them they will love it I can't wait to see their little faces. We then stoped off in the cafe for a cup of tea before going back to mine. Kel stayed for a few hours and I have to say it was so nice to have another adult to talk to for a change and the boys really liked her to. I think Kel and I are going to be great friends.  After Kel had left I sat and watched a documentry film called Earthlings its all about where our meat comes from, how its treated, and how its slaughtered. Im not ashamed to say I cried like a baby watching this film and made a decision there and then never to eat meat or fish again. It has been 3 days now and I have to say I do not miss it one bit. If you are brave enough to watch it this is the link to the film I watched http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHA4HNbmDLg

Anyway I brought myself a few specialist items to help me stick to my new found vegetarianism.

I have to say I was suprised at how good some of these items tasted with food like this avaliable to me I have no doubt I will be able to remain a vegetarian for the rest of my life.

Thursday
Today I spent the day at home with Brandon just enjoying our time together. We did a few arts and crafts and we made some xmas choclates for ourselves. I also pottered around the house doing odd jobs. I also filled in the forms needed for me to work with Alabare include. A pretty relaxed day in comparison to the rest of my week lol.

Friday
I went over to Kels to do some more house organising. We managed to get the front room finished before Kel became rather ill so I told her to get some rest and I would have a potter about for her. I had to take Brad to the doctors at 5pm as his eczema seems to be getting worse. He has been given a new cream and some tablets to stop the itching fingers crossed this does the trick for him. My best friend popped round in the evening to help me move my old sofa out ready for my 2 new ones coming in over the weekend. I got them on ebay for a bargain £90 the pair and they are delivering for an additional £10.

I also put together Brads new bed my friends brother works in a bed factory and was asked to get rid of a load of brand new beds so I was lucky enough to get one for just £10.

Also her dad works in a chesse factory and I was given lots of chesse for free which im really gratefull for as im eating a lot of it now ive turned veggie. As well as whats in the picture below there was also another 6 boxes of chesse dippers, and 8 packets of french roulde garlic and parsley chesse.

Anyway im absolutely shattered so I will have to do todays post in the morning as I can hear my bed calling me.
Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Just for the love of it

Today I joined a website called just for the love of it. Its a great site where you build a profile for yourself with a list of your skills. When you are in need of a service or skill that you do not have you have a look and find someone who lives close by that has that skill and approach them. It is completely free even the service you are provided with. It works on the basis of pay it forward someone helps you with thier skills and in return you help others with your skills. I created my profile and listed my skills I then put out a group post for a hairdresser to cut my 3 little boys hair and for a man with a van to help me get rid of some garden waste and collect a sofa and bed im hoping to get on freecycle. Well within 30 minutes I had a lady offering to do the boys hair and a nice chap offering to remove my rubbish. How kind these people truely are. It has really restored my faith that their are nice kind people out their after all. In return I will give them a little money for petrol and my personalised items skill. I have also put a post on freecycle for a single bed frame as Brads is broken and he is sleeping in my bed untill it gets replaced. Also a sofa as mine is on its last legs. I was going to buy these items but thought better of it when joining these online communities. Its also a great way of making new like minded friends.  Dinner tonight was a very frugal one tomatoe pasta and sauce it cost just 8p per serving and was yum we served it with homemade bread. I gave a friend of mine some personalised xmas choclates beutifully wrapped for her little boys ideal as stocking fillers. She said that they were really yummy and looked so good that I should sell them. So thats what im doing I took some pictures printed up some posters and I have one in my frontroom window, one in my sons nursery, and one in my local shop. I have already had 2 orders for these so im really pleased. I also really enjoyed making them which is always a bonus lol. Anyway im off to do my shoping now as its cheaper for me to do it online and get it delivered than it is to go into the nearest town by bus.
Much Love
Claire xx xx xx

Bad few days

We have had a bad few days here with a tummy bug doing the rounds. First my youngest Brandon had it then my middle son Ben had it and today im just getting over it the only one who seems to have avoided it is my eldest son Brad but then he very rarely gets ill but when he does it is usally pretty bad. It was a really nasty bug that zapped us of all energy as well as other symptoms which I wont go into as they are pretty yuck. So there is not much to report really I did my shoping and saved an amazing £80 on what I usally spend so was very happy about that. I also had that clear out and found some items to sell and made a great £120 which was enough to buy all 3 boys new shoes, coats, gloves, school uniform, a set of books Ben wanted and I still had a little left over so I was very pleased. I still have a few items to put on ebay which I will sort out in the next few days. Other than that there is nothing to report hopefully now we are on the mend things can start getting back to normal here then I will have more to blog about.
Much Love
Claire
xx xx xx

3rd Nov 2011

Today I have been looking at ways I can make some extra cash. Its been ages since ive had a good clear out so decided to have a look round and find what we no longer use or need and sell it on ebay. I was suprised to see how much stuff we dont use anymore or in some cases have never used at all. So over the next few days I will be putting these items up on ebay to make a few extra pounds. I have also had the idea of making personalised calenders, bookmarks, name meaning certificates, and clocks to sell on etsy with xmas coming up I think these could sell pretty well. I have also been looking at ways I can save money. First I looked at all my outgoings and got rid of all my subscriptions. Second I looked for better deals on my electric, phone, internet, t.v, pet insurance and managed to cut these outgoings by half. Third I have looked at reducing my shoping costs by buying value own brand alternatives. Fourth I have switched from cigarettes to roll ups. I have also joined free cycle its a great place where people put up their unwanted items for others to have free of charge you can also post wanted ads if there is something you need you can check them out here www.freecycle.org . At the minute I dont have 2 pennies to rub together and Brad needs new school uniform his trousers have lost their clasps and so they keep falling down. Well you have heard the saying "make do and mend" that is exactly what I have done today I took an old black bra of mine that I no longer wear and cut off the clasps and sewed them onto his trousers and hey presto they are fixed. He also needs new school shoes so I had a good look around on ebay and managed to pick him up a brand new pair for just £7.50 and free p&p bargain. I also needed a few items for Ben but am lucky enough that a friend of mine has a son 6 months older than Ben and he goes to the same school so she has just given me some shirts and a pair of school shoes that no longer fit her little boy result. When I was searching for items we no longer use I was lucky enough to find 3 pairs of trainers in very good condition 1 of which will do for Ben when his feet get a bit bigger and the other 2 for Brandon so they have been put away ready for use in a few months time. I also made a very frugal dinner tonight it was pork bolognaise this is the recipie and priceing for this meal.

Pork bolognaise     Serves 4
500g Pork chunks
250g Dried pasta
1 Jar of bolognaise sauce
Dried mixed herbs
Olive oil
1= I fried the pork chunks in a little olive oil and mixed herbs untill the meat was cooked through.
2= I then added the jar of bolognaise sauce and left to simmer while the pasta was boiling
3= Once the pasta was cooked I added this to the frying pan with the meat mixture gave it all a good stir and left to simmer for a few more minutes.
4= I dished it up and served with bread and butter
costing
500g Pork chunks £0.00 (I bartered some of my personalised products in return for 1 1/2kg of pork chunks)
250g Dried pasta £0.09 (I brought 500g of value dried pasta at asda for 18p)
1 Jar of bolognaise sauce £0.21 (value bolognaise sauce at asda)
Dried mixed herbs £0.00 (I had them in my store cupboard)
Olive oil £0.00 (I had this in my store cupboard also) 

Total cost 30p                 Cost per serving 7.5p

Thats it for me today but I will be back tomorrow to share more of my journey of frugal living.
Much Love
Claire
xx xx xx
p.s if you have any tips on living a frugal life please let me know about them I would be very gratefull thank you.

Introduction

Hi my names Claire and I will be your blogger for the day lol. Let me tell you a little about my life I live in a beautiful area of englands countryside and I love living here. I have 3 stunning little boys who I love dearly and they are my world. I suffer from a condition called menieres disease and 2 of my little boys are autistic. I have always had an intrest in frugal living and crafts. This blog is a way of me keeping a log of ways to cut my spending, and ways of making a bit of extra money using my skills. I do hope you will join me on my journey of frugal living.
Much Love
Claire
xx xx xx