MWNews 121

Hey look, two posts in one week. Don't get the idea that this is a trend just a lucky coincidence.  One thing I am finding is that I do not have a lot of pictures of Maeghan and William together, or I don't have a lot of them on this computer.  That is something I need to figure out.  I have pictures backed up to several different places.  I need something that will take all those pictures, compare them, and then store them all in the same place.  Right now, they are just everywhere. My phone, this computer, Juanita's computer and several online places.  I don't know which pictures are where.  I think we have over 10,000 pictures across all the different locations. Another one of those things I will eventually get around to.

I don't remember what it was I said I was going to talk about in the next post and I don't want to go back and read it to find out, so I will just jump in like I never said anything before this.  Probably repeat myself a lot and leave somethings hanging that I should explain, but hey, I am tired of writing this already.  Actually not tired of it but tired of the inability to type I seem to have developed.  Lots of going back and correcting misspelled words or erroneous characters.  It is really annoying.

William is getting a lot better at reading, not really proficient at it but he can sound out most words and read them.  He does it a lot lately so I am hoping that means he is trying and has not given up on it.  He gets discouraged a lot with not being able to do things but as long as he keeps trying, that is what I want for him.  It's a hard balance between helping him and criticizing him.  Not that we are criticizing but he sees it that way sometimes when we try to help and he just shuts down and stops trying.  With his total lack of patience with anything and his need to make sure he gets to say what he wants to say, his reactions to things are hard to judge and difficult to anticipate.  He has taken to yelling at people when they do not listen to or act the way he wants them to.  He has always talked loud and has to be told to not speak so loudly but lately, he does it when he is frustrated and feels he is being ignored.  Of course, he feels he is being ignored when you do not give him your full attention and are doing something else when he is talking to you.  It is just a difficult situation with his condition and his understanding of things around him.

I think it all comes down to his ability to read and understand and if he can master that, everything else will start to fall in place.  But it is hard and we keep working on it.  As I said, he seems to be getting better and better so maybe once he gets over that frustration, I can start to teach him how to deal with other people so they do not bug him so much.  He just wants to be friends with everyone and be part of what everyone else is doing all the time.  He is the best boy as far as manors and caring for others goes, he just has a hard time expressing it in a way that does not put others off or crowding into their space to try to be closer to others. Hard to explain without seeing him everyday and understanding what it is I mean by all this.  But I know we will get there.

Maeghan is getting closer to a time we need to make some decisions.  Decisions about what she is going to do with her life and what it is she can and may not be able to do.  She is typical in that she is interested in a lot of things but with her size and condition, there just might be things she will not be able to do.  Off hand, I can't think of any but we have to start thinking about it.

Thinking about it now, I just don't want to think about it now, so I am going to move on to something else.

Maeghan is doing really well in school.  Not great but better than most of her class, which is amazing since she misses so much school with doctors and things.  She does really well on tests and gets all her homework done on time, even when she misses most of the classes where they would explain things for her.  She just figures it out or helps her friends and they help her.

She is wanting to drive soon.  I am not sure how we are going to arrange that as she needs special modifications to any car she will drive.  I think she can get help from the government in modifying a car but I am not really sure how that will work.  If we can find out what needs to be done, I think her uncle Craig can modify a car to work for her.  Maybe my little Focus can be used, although I am not sure she likes that car and it is kind of old now.  But if we can, it would be good for her.  We still have a year and a half, when she turns 16, so we have some time to figure it out but she is hinting at it now.  I will probably have traded in the Focus by then so I might need to make sure the next car is capable of allowing her to drive it.  Again, we will see.

This entry has not had a lot of optimism about it or really good tidings for anything.  Just a reaction to how things are going lately, or for about the last year or more.  Just can't seem to get over the hump and allow us to start enjoying life again. Not that it has been bad but it has definitely not been great and there are very few times when we can say everything is going our way.  With my job, yes it is still an ongoing drama but if you can imagine it, it has gotten a thousand times worse.  The issues with Juanita's parents, the problems with Sydney leaving us and numerous other things I have not even mentioned, it has just not been a good time for us in a very long while.

Now we are dealing with Juanita losing her job and having to downsize, my greatly increased job situation and the need to spend more money on the kids as they get older, it just does not feel like we are approaching anything close to a stable situation.

But I tire of that and I am sure I do not need to put that in this blog.  So get behind me and leave me alone.

Some might ask how you can have chili on a diet but I am going to make the case for that right now.

As far as a diet goes, I am just trying to cut down on bread and I have eliminated as much sugar as I can from what I eat.  It means no pasta, no bread, no rice or anything like that.  We know how hard it is for me to give up pasta, I love my spaghetti, but I am doing ok so far.  Been about four weeks now.

On the case for chili, it is just meat, tomatoes, and chilies. Plus some spices and some meat broth.  If it wasn't for the tomatoes, which contain a lot of sugar, it would be perfect.  I add some greens on the side and I am all set.  And it is filling.  My biggest problem has always been how much I eat and not what I eat.  I generally eat healthy foods but I tend to eat a lot of them so they become unhealthy because of the volume.  I can eat a whole salad bowl of salad, which doesn't fill me up.  It just has always been a problem but I am getting old and I want to try to eliminate a lot of things that are making me feel uncomfortable and this is the biggest one.

I have been diagnosed with diabetes and I think losing weight will eliminate that, plus it will help with my heart and my sore joints and legs.  I think all of my problems stem from my weight so that is what I am trying to work on.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Again, I rolled into maudlin talk and have not entered anything upbeat and lively into this blog.  So I am going to end it now before I get into everything else that is wrong lately.  Sorry for the sad entry.  I will get better.  But that assumes I will type another entry soon and we all know how that goes.

Until next time

MWNews 120

I'm going to try this again, mainly because I am bored but partly because I need to do something to get back into doing things I like to do. I'd like to start playing sports again, but I am old and falling apart, so that is probably not a good idea. I'll talk about the kids because that is always fun and profitable. Maybe profitable is the wrong word. Seems I should be able to get paid for this as I am doing it instead of working, but I am not sure I can convince anyone to do that. I'll leave this as my legacy to the kids and they can make all the profits from it. Not that they will ever read it, but now that they can actually get on the internet they might be interested. I could give them the link. Some of these entries are actually entertaining, but making myself laugh is easy.

Ok, back to the kids. Long story that I might tell at some point, but we no longer care for Sydney.  I feel sure I have mentioned her before but if not, then I guess you can skip that part. It's not a good story and does not end well for anyone. That is enough about that for now.

In case you have not heard, Maeghan is in high school, or what they call secondary school here. I guess they call it secondary school where I come from too, but there is no high school here, only secondary.  Amazingly enough, she will graduate next year.  School only officially goes to 10th grade.  You can go to 11 and 12 but there is no requirement to do so and most schools do not even offer 11 and 12th grade.  They go straight to UNI, which is what they call college over here.  It's not really what I would call college, more of a vocational school in that you learn a specific trade or course.  It does not lead to a degree, just a certification in whatever you choose to apply for.  Not a bad system, but to get what I would normally call a degree in something, you have to go to an actual college and I do not really understand how that works over.  Maeghan can figure it out.

William is in sixth grade.  He still has a lot of trouble reading but has improved in the past year.  He does a lot of things at school that he is praised for, like teaching the younger kids or reading them stories.  It not only helps them but he gets a chance to read so it is good for him also.  I don't know if he is still doing that or not.  I have a meeting to discuss his learning abilities soon and I will ask if that can be started again to help him.

William does not do sports.  Mostly my fault as I do not follow any of the Australian sports so I cannot teach him how to play or play with him.  I really regret that. I should get him doing something but I don't want to force him.  I think it would be good but he has to want to do it and that has always been an issue in the past.  He loses interest fairly quickly and is not willing to put in the work necessary to learn how to play and have fun at it. I say I will get around to it, but I never seem to do it.  Another reason to start back into this as typing this out may motivate me to actually start doing something to help him.

In case it has not come up, Juanita and I still do not live together.  Not sure if that will ever happen again but I am going to put it in here that I really want it to at some point.  We basically live the same lives, just not in the same house.  Maybe it works out better that way.  I am not going to discuss it yet.  Just letting you know that situation has not changed.

Have to get back to work soon.  Juanita is coming over at some point to trade cars so she can take the parents somewhere.  I need to be finished so we can spend some time together without the kids. Not that I want that so much as I really enjoy all of us going out together but William is always restless and Maeghan is not doing well with her condition so it is sometimes good for just the two of us to get a little time together.

I will try to go into Maeghan and her physical issue at some point, assuming this is not just another failed attempt to get back into this blog, but not right now.  She is doing ok but is getting worse in that she cannot walk for long periods and gets tired a lot. I do not agree with the doctors or her physical therapy but I did not agree with it from the beginning and now we are seeing the results of the decisions that were made way back when. But, as I say, that will be another entry for later.

Speaking of another blog, I did start a religious blog sometime ago but I stopped doing that almost as soon as I started it.  Not to get into it too much here but going back and reading some of those posts, they are badly written and I am not sure they get my point across but if you are interested, look it up.  If not, I will try not to mention it here again.  I am going to try to make that one better though as I am told I have a lot to say.

Enough for now.  Might be another six months or a year before I get back to this again and I left a lot of questions unanswered but I am tired of typing.  Not that I am going to complain about my keyboard again but this is really hard to do, or I have lost the ability to type and it hurts my back to hunch over this and type.

I have also noticed that I have not said anything about food, which as we all know, is the real reason for this blog.  I will say I have been on a diet for a while so not a lot of cooking involved. I have added homemade chili to my diet and I am trying to create one that is good and good for you at the same time.  It was really just an excuse to eat something different instead of what I am allowed to eat. I have a beard and mustache now but that really has nothing to do with anything.  Only that it needs to be trimmed and it is bothering me as I type.  And, I hate my hair cut but Maeghan says it looks good so I have kept it. It goes next week as I can't stand it so long and getting in my eyes.

That's it.  I can't type anymore.  Have to get back to work.  I would end this but I can't remember how I always ended them.  Not that you will know about it but I need to save this and read how I do that before I actually end it.  You'll never know I did that.  For you, it will just end but in keeping with my random thinking when I do these, I thought you should know there was a pause.

Apparently it was just this.  Thought I had some cleaver line or ending for these but I don't see one.

Until next time

MWNews 119

Does this blog still exist? Strange to still find it here after all these years. Must have been twenty years since I posted on this thing. Not sure if I will continue to post, but I thought one more time couldn't hurt.

Seems there is a problem with the photos. Using the iPhone, I get moving images and they do not seem to post correctly.  Maybe they will, maybe they won't.  If I figure it out, I will let someone know.

Lots and lots of things have changed since my last post.  Going back to reread them, it seems I was a good writer at some point.  The last posts seem to have a dark nature.  I seem to recall it was a very rough time.  Let's just say things got better.

I am not going to post a lot. Was just surprised to see this still exists.  Need to figure out what has changed.  One thing that is very annoying is that it does not auto-correct my spelling anymore. Or maybe it never did. I am spending a lot of time retyping things that are misspelled.  Going to have to figure that one out as this is really annoying.  Or maybe I am just old now and I can no longer type.

Anyway, Juanita and I worked things out.  We still do not live together but we are still 'together'.  We might work it out someday, but for now and for a while, it has been good between us.

I will have to decide if I add Sydney to the comments and pictures.  Hard not to at this point but she is Juanita's foster child.  Soon, to be my foster child too but I will go into more about that if I ever post to this again after today.

Going to go now.  I have a lot to say after two years of not posting but the phone rang and I lost my momentum. I'll get back to it soon.  I remember typing that phrase a lot in the past.  Seems like old times, I suppose.

Until next time

MWNews 118

The kids and I went swimming a couple of days ago.  Not this picture.  We went to a pool in Hobart.  It was a nice pool.  A big lap pool, a small lap pool and a kids pool.  They have a big water slide and some other things the kids can stand under and play.  There was a little slide also, but it was for little kids. William did try it.  He was too big.

I got in the water for a few minutes.  Not long, about half an hour.  Maeghan and William were in the water for three hours or so.  I had time for coffee and read the paper.  It was fun.  At least it got us out of the house.  We will go again soon as it is fairly cheep, less than $10 for the kids. Add another ten for me if I decide to get in the water again.

We had the choice of going swimming, ice skating, or putt putt.  Maeghan chose swimming, which was good because it was the cheapest.  We had fun.

Their mother gets back tomorrow.  Not sure if I am supposed to take them back then or keep them longer.  Guess she will let me know.

Kids are off school for two weeks.  Don't know when I will have the kids during that time.  Hopefully, I can have them again before they go back.  We need to arrange a more permanent schedule but that will have to wait until we talk next.

Kids are kind of bored sitting around here.  I have tried to take them to lunch and stuff all week but there is not a lot to do.  We will make better plans next time.

I'll go now.  Still not adjusting to this but I am trying to keep this up as I feel like it.

Until next time

MWNews 117

Kids are sick again.  Not really but this is the last day of term, so William decided he didn't feel well and Maeghan is still a bit unwell, so I kept them home again.

Not sure what we are going to do today but we need to get out of the house again.  I am getting a bit stir-crazy.  Missing my life and sitting here is not helping.  Not the kids fault and this is supposed to be about them, but I am better when I am around people. We might go into town again.

We went to the shop yesterday and had coffee and got some groceries.  As we were driving home, we decided to keep going and went to Kingston.  Stopped at the shop for a few minutes to see Michelle. We tried to ring Karen to visit her but she is sick also and was not up to visitors.  While talking to her, she said Michael and Bev were in town so we called them and arranged to come see them at the shops.

Had coffee there too, with them.  It was nice.  The kids mother called Maeghan while we were sitting there and that was a bit awkward, but only for me.  The kids enjoyed it.

I got doughnuts for kids but Maeghan informs me she does not like doughnuts.  Don't know when that happened.  So William got six.  He only ate three, he wanted more. I made him bring them home and he had them for breakfast today.

Not sure what we will do today.  Probably just stay home as tomorrow we might go to the market.  It is a big and crowded market in town but we might go anyway.  Got movies on for the kids to see. Not a lot else happening.  It is cold and raining, so no outside activities.

For me, I need to get out and do something for someone.  Not sure what, but I miss taking care of someone.  The kids don't need much but maybe I can go and cook dinner for their grandparents.  I like to cook, as we all know, and cooking dinner makes me feel better.  Can't really do it at my place as it is not big enough.  I am trying to change that, get a dinner table and rearrange the rooms but that will take a while and I need to do something now.

Ok, going now, beginning to depress my self again.  Probably going to be that way for a while. Hopefully not too much longer but it has been a month now.  I am hoping writing this will help.  I started another blog.  It is a religious blog and I was encouraged to do it by Michelle, but the world is not ready to hear my beliefs and no one I actually know would ever believe I am writing it.  But it helps while I am writing and maybe someone somewhere can get something from it. I don't really advertise it but if it is meant to be, it will get out.

Until next time

MWNews 116

No pictures today.  I don't have access to my pictures anymore, so I might not be able to include any unless I take more.

Maeghan is sick today.  Staying home from school.  I am keeping William home as well as it is the last day of the term, or tomorrow is, and I am sure they are not doing any work.  Not sure what we are going to do today but we will go out later.

Maybe we will go to Kingston.  Visit some people or something.  Anything to get out of the house. Hopefully, Maeghan will feel better.  And I need a coffee.

Had one of Maeghan's friends over last night, or after school.  Had to take her home to Geeveston.  Then we stayed up late to watch a movie Maeghan had rented.  Cinderella.  It was ok and almost exactly like the animated version, except it was real actors.

William is watching his movies.  He has four, but he wants to rent the new Ninjago movie and I said he has to wait until he finishes these.  Probably be watching them all day.  That are not good.  The Ninjago ones are ok. They are Lego movies.

I'll keep this short as I need to go take a shower.  Do something besides sitting here.  Not a lot of work lately but I won't go into that right now.

Until next time

MWNews 115

It's been so I long I forgot how to do this.  I don't have a lot of new pictures, actually I do, but I will use what I can find.

A bit of sad news to start out.  Juanita and I have separated.  I won't go into it a lot but just say it was not my choice and I am still hopeful.  Not sure why, but that should be all I say.

I live in Tasmania now.  Been here for a couple of years.  I chased Juanita and the kids over here.  I live in Huonville, they live in Kingston.  Look it up.  About a 20 minute drive between the two of us.

We have not worked out a schedule of when I see the kids yet.  Not sure how all this will work.  I am starting to write in here again as a kind of therapy for me.  Not a happy camper.

But enough of that.  Some kid news.  Maeghan and William both go to St. James Catholic Collage.  It is about a 20 minute drive from where I live, about an hour from where they live.  It is kind of far for them to take the bus each day but I didn't have the choice.

They like the school.  The used to go to Sacred Heart in Geeveston when they first came over here. They like that school.  It was pretty good there, small and plenty of individual attention.  Not that Maeghan needs it but William does.

William has some learning problems.  They are still diagnosing what they might be.  He cannot read yet and he is already in fourth grade.  He can read some but not very well and he does not remember what he had read for any length of time.  They think dyslexia but I am not sure they know.  As they only do tests once a year, they have made no progress in diagnosing what his problem is.

But he tries.  Sometimes.  Not always.  He is very enthusiastic but he gets bored or distracted easily and it is hard for him to concentrate for any length of time.  But everyone says he is willing to try so I suppose that is something.

He gets in trouble a lot in class as he is always willing to speak his mind and does not know when it is appropriate to do so and when it is not.  But again, they say he is getting better.  I think we can work it out but without me seeing him on a daily basis, it makes it very, very hard.

Maeghan is great.  The teacher told me the other day that she is a big asset in the class.  She is one of the only ones that actually pays attention and she is very helpful with the others in getting the work done.  She tells me that most of the boys in class are very disruptive and the teacher cannot control them. They spend a lot of time going over and over the same things.  The teacher says Maeghan is always there to help explain things and the other kids seem to look up to her.

Which is hard as Maeghan has still not, and never will, grow taller.  She is still tiny but she has gotten over a meter tall now and they expect her final growth spurt to begin soon.  She might make four feet. I hope so.

The doctors have said it could be bad for her as she grows but I am hoping for the best.  She is such a good girl and willing to try anything.  I love her very much.  I love William also.  I am hoping to remain an influence on their lives but the current situation does not bode well for that.  We will have to see.

I am going to close this now as I am depressing myself.  Maybe I can get back into a rhythm with this and it will begin to be helpful again.  I started it the last time to help me with the way I was missing my family.  As they never responded, that didn't work well, but for a while it did me some good.

Until next time