Today is a new day!

beanielou

Take care hun.
I think the head is being difficult.
Provision has to be made.
End of.

InaPickle

Hey PaF,

Sorry to hear about your fall. And I'm gobsmacked to hear that a family has been given permission to take a child to school that late on a consistent basis. This can only strengthen your case, IMHO. You are being as honest as possible, and I don't think you are far off the mark with regard to the Head's punctuation record. When you meet them, be blunt: turn around and say 'Let's look at this logically. Put yourself in my place. In the morning X, Y and Z need to be done, and A, B, and C may happen, meaning that DD is possibly 5 or 10 minutes late. If you were me, what could you do that I am not doing to ensure that DD gets to school on time, other than getting up at about 5 a.m.' If she tries to brush off the question with a laugh or some other dismissive comment like 'Well, regardless...', firmly but politely insist that she answers the question before you all move onto the next part of the discussion. And really make her anwer. The truth is, she won't have any decent answer to give.

(Sorry, that sounds like me telling you how to suck eggs, but I really think she won't have a leg to stand on if you use an approach like that, cos she won't be able to answer. )

As for the falling...I know it's not much help, but when you get stressed (understandably so, given all that is going on), you get tired, then you fall. Is there any way you do something to help alleviate the stress like taking up yoga or something? I know it sounds like an stupid hippie suggestion, but I'm just thinking that if you could rest your mind before you went to bed then you would sleep better and then be less prone to fall. I also know that when I do yoga (and that's not all that often, I grant you!), that I come out feeling better and less attached to emotional situations, which means that I can process them better without getting all het up and stressed about them, which leaves me feeling better and more peaceful about them. I know you have a disability which may mean that you couldn't do some of the exercises, but I'm sure that an experiences yoga teacher would be able to help choose things you could do, and as time goes on you would get better and it would help strengthen your muscles which may, in turn, help you not to fall. Perhaps doing this once a week in a class and a few minutes per night before bed could help?

I know it's not much, and it's not immediate , but it might help in the long term.

Sorry, I think my suggestions are tonight a bit carp. I wish I could do something to help. :(x

beanielou

The yoga I do is mostly modified.
Any yoga teacher worth their salt will modify to suit you.

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Well, what a couple of weeks. Have been recovering from fall. So, whats been happening? In no particular order! --

1. Miraculously, everything paid up to date. V tight money wise, but thats ok. Dd and I have each other and things are ticking over.
2. Have written my complaint letter about MBNA to Financial Ombudsman who have agreed to take it on for me.
3. My dear dd at tender age of 7 entered a talent comp at school and reached the final! She sang Leon Jackson's song "Believe" Oh it reduced me to tears I was so proud of her. Dear little soul!
4. Have had to go to docs re fall and she has offered support re late issue with school. Have written to welfare officer, and sent a copy to the school stressing I just want matter resolved. Am waiting for outcome or some acknowledgement that there will be the occasional bad am when we may be a little late. Neighbours and friends have rallied round since my fall, and there have been some mornings where they have taken her for me and I have been eternally grateful to them.
5. I feel so loved by my customers too. One gave dd some apple juice and crisps, another gave me some roses from her garden, another a cutting of mint so I can grow my own, another has offered a place to rest and a cuppa, another an invite to a birthday party. The list goes on... I just love my business!
6. Accountant doing tax return next week. I will finally know whats what re tax credits and my tax bill, if they owe me anything which is likely.
7. A local charity who keeps in regular contact with me for support has offered us a 4 day trip away with them in the first week of the school hols. Its just up the road and will be a wonderful break. This is in addition to the 4 day break with the murder charity in August. We definately have a guardian angel looking over us. Have said a massive yes and thank you. Just have to make sure the money is in the bank for bills while we are away, so am focusing on working as hard as I poss can to get those orders in. Sold £900 last week, not bad considering Im just starting to look more normal after my fall!The charity also gave us some tins of food. Have successfully made a lovely corned beef hash which dd loves, going to be making a tasty fish pie with tins of tuna.
8. Mum and dad have been terrific. Mum and dd did my tubs while I was working one afternoon. I wasn't going to be buying flowers etc this year prefering to pay off debt and then mum did that for me. How lovely is that? I cried! Dd said it was meant to make me smile which of course I did do as well!

So, its nerve wracking re money, however, if I dont have it, I dont spend it. Just 3 more payts and mtge reduces. MBNA complaint and tax return may mean I get more money back too. Investigating other areas to cut back, my mob phone is due to be renewed, so a lot to do. Am just so pleased the debt is reducing slowly but surely.
Realised that at 1 time it was increasing by some 5K each year, now its going the other way!
All in all, I feel very blessed, and so grateful to all my family, friends, neighbours and customers. They are just simply terrific and one day I hope I can be just as wonderful to them as they have been to me and dd.

hypno06

Lots of positives there. Enjoy the rest of your weekend x

taxi73

What a lovely positive post and thank heavens for charities xxxx

InaPickle

Ooh, that all sounds good! You need to print off that post and stick it somewhere very obvious so you can look at it every time you have a bad day to remind yourself that sometimes good things happen to good people!

Glad to see that things are progressing well. And go Mr/Mrs Financial Ombudsman: fight PaFs corner for her, please!

POSITIVE_AND_FOCUSED

Well, had dd's school report yesterday. Shes done so well, more so in art and PE, showing her creative side. We - mum, dad and I - are going to the school fete today where dd will be performing in a presentation of the musical, "Annie". My dh was in a band as a singer and drummer. She obviously has the performing side from him!

Interestingly, the report included an attendance report. Dd has had 1 day off sick this year, and then 38 lates which if you multiply by the worst case scenario of 10 mins late equates to 380 mins which is 6 and a half hours, so in total dd has missed 2 days this year, or in the best scenario of 5 mins late, a day and a half inc the day off sick which apparently warrants a report to Social Services!! Need I say more! I sent my letter to the school and the Welfare Officer last Mon and if I need any more proof that I think they have made a mountain out of a molehill I will forward to them the attendance record. I do believe there is an element of discrimination or belief because Im disabled I am unable to provide dd with an adequate family life. I have met mums who have taken their kids out for hols which I personally think good for them, 1/2 weeks at a time and not been treated in this way. Other children who are sadly off sick for a number of days, those mums Ive spoken to where that applies, no they have had no correspondence from the school or social srvices.
2 days at worst, 1 and a half at best and we've had all this going on when Ive never lied about our situation. It was all on the original application for the school 3 years ago!. Makes me mad. Calm, calm, calm........

Tax return, Hoorah, I do not have to pay anymore tax, indeed they owe me something like £35!! Plus my accountant is writing to tax credits for me to resolve this issue with them about owing them money which keeps rearing its ugly head.

My newest team member in Kl has successfully signed up her first team member within 4 weeks of joining. Am so pleased for her. We went to see the lady together this week and thats all v positive.

One of my team, who is an ex customer who is a dear dear friend. Shes an amazing woman at 78, does Kl with her grandchildren, well her dd is 50 in a couple of weks and she has asked me to do the food for a small buffet for her family for a surprise birthday pty. I would have the sat to prepare for it happening on the sun. She wants to pay me, we are sorting it out on Mon when Ive thought it through properly. Apparently, my reputation for home cooked food is going far and wide!! So, I haven't said yes yet, Im going to though!! Im seeing my dear friend/team member/ ex customer on Mon to discuss it, make sure she is happy with what I could do. Go from there.

On that note, must go, busy day ahead, and will promise to pop into some diaries tom eve.

beanielou

Enjoy the fete

moo2moo

Have you considered approaching the problem with school differently and asking to see their Young Carers Policy? Thats educational lingo covering a multitude of things. It does not mean that the child is a carer but more that the childs routine is more likely to result in lateness because of unpredictable events in a morning. It should make reasonable allowances for just about everything including lateness. It also allows the school to enter DDs attendance as a different coding on SIMS (the computer programme which calculates their precious attendance figures) and so their figures won't be affected. If DD is only 10 minutes late shes unlikely to miss anything more than registration anyway. Sounds like your Head is a real jobsworth who is going out of their way to make your life miserable for no reason whatsoever. You could always suggest that the Head is welcome to collect DD from your doorstep if that would appease her number crunchers.