LindaMadHatter

🥳Happy Birthday🥳 To my dearest Quinn, who turns eleven today❣️ You are the light of my life 💡 My cheeky little monkey 🐒 The greatest giver of hugs and kisses 😘 You are all the colours of the rainbow 🌈, and so much more!!! (at Sizzlers Dinner) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5FUUvzhrlZxEkutSlWVRmRuVZ83_7Aw_EclxU0/?igshid=5q0jsk9hyyhv

Getting the royal treatment at Extended Day Surgery. Big bed and own room!!! (at Sunshine Coast University Hospital) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4tFen3BSPfDJnUnk6R-j1TYsePMk_Dd3MZk100/?igshid=jq9c3a59y4t5

When Quinn and I got back to the apartment earlier, this bird was here, preening. Hours later, it’s still here, head tucked in, and I’d say, in for the night ❤️ 🐦 💤 https://www.instagram.com/p/B4NEGajBjH5/?igshid=eywc1q4js954

Dinner out with Quinn @pappardelles_kingsbeach Awesome wood fired pizza! (at Kings Beach - Caloundra - Sunshine Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4MffOtBE5K/?igshid=18bkicqf40k1g

Having a one-on-one day with my youngest special man. Swimming, beaching, rock climbing, and playing in the waterpark. Next, we’re going out for dinner. ❤️ (at Kings Beach - Caloundra - Sunshine Coast) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4MPh5tBCG9/?igshid=ziok0ffgprnr

Table for one @domsatkings - Awesome food, awesome views, a wall of celebrity signatures, great family atmosphere, fantastic wait staff, and they let me bring home leftover pizza and my Tiramisu *drool*. (at Domenico's on Kings) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4J_AUVBLJA/?igshid=vjgmzh1xbyjl

My view for the next three nights. All by myself for the night and morning, and special one-on-one bonding time with the boys over the next two days. ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B4JypUphtBW/?igshid=1w7o9ppwgv2np

I have been selected to be on this Children and Young People with Disability Australia advisory board (though I am not a CYDA representative, and my views are my own), to co-design resources that will help families who want to self manage their child’s NDIS packages. ... I’m excited to be a part of this project, as I am not only a parent of children with disabilities, however I also have disabilities myself. My parental experience, combined with my “expertise by experience*”, gives me a little extra perspective. ... If there’s anything you would like me to know, or keep in mind, or bring up, please message me. ... * Thanks Jijian Voronka for this alternate way of saying “lived experience” lol. I’ve always found the term awkward. Their paper on the subject can be found here - https://www.academia.edu/31563081/The_Politics_of_people_with_lived_experience_Experiential_Authority_and_the_Risks_of_Strategic_Essentialism ... Picture is black writing on white background. It reads : ... “””The National Disability Insurance Scheme ... In control our way: supporting NDIS self-management ... About the project The “In control our way: supporting NDIS self-management” project is being led by Children and Young People with Disability Australia (CYDA). ... This project is funded from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Readiness Grant Round 2018-19. ... The aim of this project is to establish an information and peer support model to build the capability of families of to self-manage their child’s supports. The project will be delivered through co-design process with families to ensure the information, process and resources built over the project meet their needs. ... This project will include consultation and co-design through an Advisory Group who will provide ideas and share experiences about supporting choice and control, and how families of children with disability best support their child’s NDIS plans.””” https://www.instagram.com/p/B3_ttfGBKb-/?igshid=b4g8an4wgvtm

Quinn and I out today at #SeaLife Mooloolaba. He got to play with other kids today!!! We don’t have enough support for BJ and Nick to go too, but I’m trying to remain positive that next year will be better! (at SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast Aquarium) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3oKvGEBEg1/?igshid=x3zhrqykwts3

My first bubble tea!!! Cheated a little with the cookies instead of tapioca 😆... https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Y46rHBoqX/?igshid=11gzbaixoosh0

Getting ready for #NDIS Participant Service Guarantee Community Workshop. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3YDZajh64f/?igshid=stkg6a66rso9

My girl left us today 😿 It was relatively quick, and I sat with her in her final minutes. BJ was on the phone to the vet to let them know we were coming in - that’s how quick it was! She went downhill again, and just, we just didn’t have time. I held her like a baby taking her to the vet, and it took a while before I could let go. And I only could then because the kids were home alone and I had to get home and be a mum to them too. Nick decided today he is going to give his pocket money to an animal shelter in Maxie’s name. The rest of the family will follow suit. (Please don’t offer suggestions, thank you - I don’t want her death to be an advertisement opportunity). Now we have lost both our girls, and for the first time, we are a pet free family. Which adds an extra level of weird to the grief. 🥺 We had a small wake this afternoon - just the four of us, telling stories, crying, being together. Goodbye Maxie Moo Bar. Love you to the moon and back. May you find Lilly Pilly, and play together forever. https://www.instagram.com/p/B3O7LfYhitV/?igshid=18wxnwfsyv2df

Maxie’s house. Designed and built by Quinn. Decorated by myself. The inside house comes out, and has a roof that lifts for easy access inside. Maxie loves sleeping inside. Until one of us moves it to access the cupboard behind, forgetting to check it for her first 😂. She also loves being inside and swiping at any random fingers that go near the window 😂. https://www.instagram.com/p/B25bD-WBDZI/?igshid=5xihbix9wwi9

Some cute ducklings today as we were getting home!!! 🦆 https://www.instagram.com/p/B2oYF80hVYj/?igshid=q9nki8k4ws2j

Maxie 😺 sleeping on my stomach... Which she has been doing non stop for two months now!!! Cats know shit!!! 😳😻 So, I’ve been unusually quiet lately... Needed to talk to family first... I have grown a granuloma thing near my belly button, that’s also causing a dent in my stomach, and despite testing, doc doesn’t know why. One thing led to another, and now I’ve ended up in the “testing for cancer” stage. Stomach has been ruled out. I need the hospital to stop losing my referrals so I can find out about bowel. Something is definitely wrong, obviously things are more complicated than one can write about on social media, but hopefully it’s just one of those pain in the arse things (😂) that isn’t actually fatal. All of this had a little bit to do with our “LET’S GO ON A FUCKING CRUISE - OR TWO!!!” bent 😂 So if you’re wondering about that, this is one reason why we have decided this trip is so important. And no, we are not paying for all of it from our measly pension. Nor are we doing anything illegal, or starving our children. Apparently, people were wondering??? 😆 So that’s my latest. I’ve been quiet because I’ve been really fucking sick 🤢 and sleeping 😴 for 18 hours a day every chance I get. And I’ve prioritised a trip 🛳 (plus a dry run trip 🛳), that incorporates a lot of our family’s bucket list to do’s because we’ve been reminded life isn’t forever ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bh-aghUy4/?igshid=zejqt4nx821c

Up at Gympie today, visiting Nanna. And swimming... (at Gympie Aquatic Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Yib31Bf3t/?igshid=2ylkmb3ba2x2

Quinn made Gyoza 🥟 today for dinner!!! I taught E how to combine it all, and BJ cooked it, but Quinn and E made them! So proud of him. It’s a huge deal for him to sit that long. ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B2OY_FPhUrI/?igshid=rfw2k8ep2p03