The GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY

This pretty well sums up the past four weeks or so for me.

THE GOOD

The good is actually GREAT!  

I applied for funding almost 12 months ago for some play equipment for Michael.  He has high social anxiety so the equipment was so we could have friends over for a play, which was a better option than going to the park because if there were lots of people there, or people came in for a play, Michael would go into meltdown mode and we usually had to leave (in a hurry, with screaming Michael).

Well, we were lucky enough to get some funding for play equipment, plus we had saved up some money and  Greg's mum gave us some money too AND then the play equipment place had a big sale - so we were very, very lucky to get this fantastic play set, complete with tube slide and all.

Poor Greg worked his butt off to put it all up - through rain and then heat!!

The boys playing on the equipment

The kids absolutely LOVE it.  

Every morning they are banging on the sliding door to get outside.

Michael showing me the play equipment

Did you know, my all time favourite pet/animal is the humble

CHOOK

Chooks are fantastic pets.  They are friendly, they eat all your food scraps and they give you an egg most days.

What more could you ask for?

Sadly, I gave my chooks away when I found out I was pregnant with the twins.  It was another thing to add to the list of many things that I would need to be doing and I didn't want or need the pressure, especially with Michael needing lots of attention and newborn twins.

I really missed my chickens a LOT.  I talked to (hmmm read pleaded with) Greg and we decided to revamp the chook area and put up a new pen for them which was easier to clean out and a better set up (and he wouldn't have to have anything to do with it once it was set up).

Again, the gorgeous Greg worked his butt off to set my new chook run up.  What a fantastic job he has done - it's brilliant.  

Hand prints in the concrete

Helping Daddy

Door to the pen

Inside the pen

Pen with run

Different view

And finally, Greg's workplace.

Negotiating different work conditions is never easy (oh how I know that so well), especially in a male dominated, no one has ever been a part-time worker in this organisation before, type of workplace.

Funny how when you expect one thing, very often you get the opposite.

We applied for Greg to do part-time employment (and me as well), because we both wanted to spend time with the kids (Michael needs a LOT of therapy & it will continue even when he goes to school) and both still to stay in the workforce (for sanity & financial reasons - having lots of kids + a disabled child costs a lot of money too).

Greg's part-time application was approved without any issue at all - they didn't even meet with him - they just approved it!!

Even though they have never had this type of request before and have no part-time employees.  

They also don't have "Family Friendly" policies sitting on the wall either, they are just a family friendly and empathetic workplace.

Thank you Clark Equipment for your compassion to Greg and I - we will NEVER forget your support to us at this difficult time in our life.

How great is all this!

THE BAD

Its been a pretty tough month for me, which was the culmination of many stressful things over the past year and a bit.  About a month or so ago, I was asked to come in and meet with my workplace to discuss my part-time employment request.  I did realise I was asking them to go out of their way for me and as much as I wished I didn't have to ask this, our circumstances didn't really give me many options at this point in time.

Unfortunately my experience was the complete opposite to Greg's.

I came away shocked, hurt and upset at what was said to me at that meeting and very, very scared.

Why scared?  Work had offered me a temporary 2 day per week role instead of the 3 days I had asked.  Financially we were counting on the 3 days. How would we pay our bills? Would we have to sell our home & move away?  How would we pay for Michael's therapies?  For me, that was SCARY stuff........

BUT

Sometimes, not getting what you want may actually be the best thing for you.

I got quite sick after this meeting.  My whole body just ached and I felt absolutely dreadful.  It was partly the culmination of a lot of pressures and this situation was the straw that broke the camels back, to use a cliche.  If you know my personality, something like this happening really affects me very badly.

Lucky for me the school holidays came around so lots of our commitments were on hold and I was able to rest and relax a little. Greg was so wonderful and supportive and kept telling me everything would be ok.  Our families were very supportive to me as well, as were some wonderful friends and once I processed everything, I realised that this was a wonderful opportunity for me to be at work (which I do love) and also have time to spend with the kids.

TBH, this is really what life and happiness is all about

So we re-jigged the budget & worked some other stuff out and I'm now feeling positive and happy for the opportunity I have been given.

I'm really looking forward to new challenges, doing the best job and achieving the best outcomes that I can.

I have definitely learn't some good lessons out of this experience, both positive and negative, but all necessary I guess.

I also think we can all learn something from this quote:

THE UGLY

After the gorgeous Greg finished the chook pen, I needed some chookies to call it their new home.

I checked out some places and wow, layers were very, very EXPENSIVE.  We just didn't have the money to spend $25 - $30 per chicken.

So, I called an egg farm to see if they sold their old layer hens.  Lucky for me (and the chooks) they did sell them - $2 each.  Now that is in my price range.

The kids and I took a drive and picked up 5 brown ladies.

Oh dear, they are very, very, very

UGLY

Jemma and Michael checking the gurls are liking their new accommodation

Lots of bald patches with feathers missing, chopped beaks and very raggy looking.

See all the missing feathers

Poor ugly chookies

In a month or so, wait and see, they will look like new chickens and have no bald patches or be raggy looking.  They love their food scraps!

This is the real face of battery egg farms, where chickens are crammed into little cages with enough food and water to keep them alive, but none of their natural instincts can be completed (ie scratch in the dirt, nest to lay an egg, pick at the dirt & eat different foods).

So they pick at each other out of boredom, look awful because they can't do what normal chickens would do and they only eat a very limited diet.

Next time you're buying eggs, don't get cage eggs, better to go free range

or

get some of your own chooks - even better!


Have a great week, bye for now.

Rach
xxxx