Dave Cameron's Big Society in action!

This week I have mostly been learning to walk a little again. This is not my only mammoth task although is the task I have to have the most patience with and I tend to lack patience where my illness is concerned.

 

Disabled Parents- Pass it on.

 

I created this new ,voluntarily run ,Facebook group page ran for disabled parents, disabled children or disabled parents with a well child. The group involves parents uploading a photo of any item they found outstandingly useful for independent parenting but no longer need. Not charging anymore than postage for the item so that another disabled parent or disabled child, healthy child can get a better quality of life just for the price of posting the item. Many disabled parents spend money they can ill afford, on baby equipment or baby clothes that they hope will be an accessible solution to helping them with a daily parenting task, only to find when they get something home, it is definately not accessible. I brought three car seats just praying one of them would actually enable going out with my son without a carer. I spent hours in shops trying their models but of course these display models had been worked so much by other customers, the harness buckle was a breeze to undo and do up etc. When I got the seat ordered and home I realised the new buckle was impossible, I realised I had neglected to look at various aspects of the seats which rendered it totally awful. I must have ended up spending two hundred pounds in my desperate car seat pursuit.

 

This group should eliminate expense and randomness of whether something will work for a disabled parent. The person wanting an item on the page will only need to pay for postage or courier to the person passing an item on. If the item is not working for the receiver they simply pass it back on to the group page and charge for shipping only.

 

I know Freecycle exists in the UK but very few disabled people find it very easy to jump in a car,drive into the back of beyond to try and pick something up without the need for a carer to go with them, to potentially jump out the car, run up a flight of stairs, negotiate a busy road to get to a property and lift a heavier item back to the car. Posting is often the only way disabled parents can get hold of anything easily.

 

So any disabled parents, with healthy or disabled children want to check out the group, contribute towards it by passing on anything etc please do come on by,I will be very glad to see you.

 

Photo shoot for the Sunday Telegraph Stella magazine.

I am to be in the Sunday Telegraph because well that is just the way I roll baby. A brilliant journalist , Eleanor Tucker, felt inspired to write about me, my determination I share with many parents to just be a good mother despite my severe physical limitations. To write about my blog and not forgetting my Canine Partner assistance dog. I expect this article to not be out until the end of October but will let every one know shamelessly. I also have a photographer for the ST coming over, that will be exciting as we have no professional photographs of my son and family as no photo studios in Gloucestershire are wheelchair or buggy friendly, nor can we afford hundreds of pounds worth of photos! I am collecting useful resources, blogs, organisations, Facebook groups that support disabled parents so when the article is out there ,there will be a well timed post of a wealth of information and support available to new visitors to my blog.

 

Small talk.

I have been involved with a Linguist researchers work,a chap named Ben Aldridge, at Liverpool University , in his quest to write a book on children's communication in the early years. This really interests me as is a subject close to my heart. At the moment his reasearch involves answering questionnaires on Christopher's first words, word sequences etc. Mr Aldridge is a modern chap and aware that not all of us can travel their house let alone the country and will be conducting interviews via skype, I expect Christopher will do his usual by just shouting "iPad" at the man!

 

Popping by saying hi to the guys off The Greedy Crow app.

 

I would like to mention this great online book that has kept my son entertained so I could get emails done, exercises, setting up of a Facebook group, arguing with Occupational Therapists for still not getting the ramp in our house to help me get out yet somehow expected to attend at least eleven hospital appointments in the next month!

 

The book is called "The Greedy Crow" by Jason Harris, it is an interactive app book so don't make the mistake of trying to find it in iBooks, it is actually located in the app store.

 

I am always sceptical about animated books, too often the book loses a story line because too much emphasis is put on animation, a bit like watching a block buster special effects film. With "The Greedy Crow" I was pleasently surprised. The story is like a modern version of Mr Greedy from the Mr Men, a crow flys down for a good old worm feast, eats and eats and eat, ignores warnings of his over eating which will result in an inability to fly etc, eats some more and then a fox arrives, the rest I will leave it up to you to find out what happens. With easy pictures of a bird for toddler to poke at to make move, sounds and the bright flat colour of illustrations this book kept my son entertained for a good five minuets which is a lengthy time for Christopher. Thank you Greedy Crow author and producers.

 

Grumpy father.

 

My dad, a great seventy year old, has had enough of his kids having finally all moved out but their stuff still remaining in what my parents now fondly nickname their "Big Yellow Storage garage". Latest whine is about a light weight kick out stroller that we gave to my mum for using with her grandchildren but the reality is the grandchildren are never taken out in it. So as both my sister and I have been asked to stop abandoning junk over there, it may be time to actually go over and review our wears and argue with one another as to who should have what, usual sibling stuff. If neither of us can store the stroller then I will "Pass it on". Someone potentially is going to get a lightweight, very easy to kick out and fold up buggy for the cost of shipping, not a bad deal considering it cost a fair bit!

 

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