Not the best or was it....

I really struggled this week to come up with a one word to sum up our week.....I finally came up with....

 
 It hasn't been the best week.....The weather hasn't been that good and we found out Ellie is totally deaf in one ear now but I've found some positives.....More than I initially thought.

The girls are still doing well at school.....Becky has decided cookery is her favourite lesson despite burning herself 3 times on the oven.....She came home with the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted....Watch out Great British Bake off....lol She's keeping up with her homework and is actually enjoying it....Phew!

 Two days this week Ellie hasn't had to wear uniform which she thought was just the best.....Firstly for Roald Dahl Day she went dressed as a witch....From The Witches of course and today for Jeans for Genes day....

Ellie got the best seat on the bus both on the way to and coming back from the hospital.....Right at the front at the top....It's the simple things!!

We got our first letter about the famous secondary school trips that happen....

Two nights in London and sight seeing.....Pizza making at Pizza express, meals at the Hard Rock Cafe and another at the Rainforest Cafe....A visit to Madam Tussauds, the London Dungeons, The London Eye, the Science museum, a river cruise and to see a West end show....As well as a 3 hour guided tour of London.....We thought the £295 seemed a lot but when you add the price of all the attractions and the travel down there it's a fab price!! 

We've paid the deposit and now we have to keep our fingers crossed Becky is picked to go as only 20 children from year 7 and 20 from year 8 can go.....

Oh yeah and I'm the best mam in the world.....I won Niall out of One Direction....Well a cardboard cut out of him from a twitter giveaway....lol

I've said any fighting over him and I'll chop him in half then the problem with be solved.....Last night he stayed in Becky's room and tonight he's staying in Ellie's.....

So after thinking nothing good had happened this week it turns out it wasn't such a bad week after all....

Every cloud has a silver lining.....

So on Tuesday we took a trip to the hospital....Nothing serious....Just a check on Ellie's hearing....We got to see the specialist....Well one of his assistants....Who I didn't think much of at all.....

Ellie was diagnosed with Auditory Neuropathy a few years ago.....A pretty rare type of hearing loss where the cochlea and all the ear seems to work but there is something wrong with how the nerves work....Basically all the ear works, the nerves going to the brain work there is just a loose connection somewhere in the middle!.....My girl really does have a screw loose....hehehe

You can read the full story and about last years appointment here.....

Last year Ellie was 95% deaf in her right ear.....We had a hearing test in April and Tuesday was result day.

The results were not good.....She has no hearing at all in her right ear now.....It's not all bad though her left ear has perfect hearing......

It may sound bad but Ellie is used to it. She has never had more than 5% hearing in her right ear and she copes well.....She's been like this since she was born so it is quite normal to her....

The specialist mentioned to us that they could do tests....A MRI scan to see where the nerves are not working and maybe find out why.....It only takes about 20 minutes & Ellie will be sedated and have to spend a night in hospital.....It would help with the research of the condition but the results would not make a difference to Ellie.....She would be a Guinea Pig.....I said NO! 

Yes it would be nice to help with the research but I'm not putting my girl through an unnecessary medical procedure! Sorry! She has had her fair share of hospital visits and stays with the problem with her eyes, ears and her heart.....If there was a chance they could restore the hearing I would have said yes but not just to aid their research.....

Hearing aids were mentioned again but the chances of them working are slim and they are a last resort.....They are only to be used if her good ear deteriorates but there is no sign of that happening at all as the nerve damage is only on the right side.....Phew!!

We did also find out the problem with her ears is connected to the problem with her eye.....She has Duane Syndrome.... It's only took them 7 years to realise this......lol Her right eye is affected and the muscles in it don't work properly....She can't move her eye outwards as far as it should be....Again it doesn't bother her in the slightest, she has perfect eye sight but nothing can be done about it...

It's not all bad though......

We were discharged from the hospital!! After seven years of at least two hospital trips a year to check on Ellie's ears we don't have to go to see the specialists again!!......There is nothing more they can or want to do.....

We have to go back once a year for hearing tests to check her good ear is still good but that's it....The appointments may even be changed to our local hospital I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that.....I hate the two hours there and two hours back journey.......Plus it means Ellie will miss one less school day a year at least.....Next year may be the year she gets 100% attendance!

So every cloud and all that.....

Just one photo please - #wickedwednesdays

All I wanted was one photo of the girls eating their tea.....

I must have taken about 20 to get one that was half decent.....lol

 Becky shoveling it in her mouth like she hadn't eaten in a week.....

Neither of them looking at the camera or only one of them looking at the camera....

Ellie starting at the TV.....

Becky putting a hot bit of pie in then wafting her hand about....

Finally got one....Phew!

That will have to do.....lol

Airwick Goodness - Review

I do love to have a nice smelling home.....I think it's because I grew up on a farm which didn't have the nicest smells.....Lots of cow, chicken & horse poop....lol There was always a stink in the air and I don't want it for my home.....

 When I was given the chance to review some of the other products Airwick produce I jumped at the chance....

As much as I clean and spray Becky's room it still has a smell to it....She's nearly a teenage girl so it can be expected and her not bringing her laundry downstairs until I nag and nag her doesn't help with the smell....The smell isn't a dirty smell it is a teenage smell.....

One of these products must make a difference surely....

 We were sent three products to try which were all new to me.....I hadn't used or really knew about the products I am going to tell you about....

The Airwick Colours of Nature - Purple Blackberry Fig Reed Diffuser.

A burst of juicy blackberries mixed with succulent fig to create the perfect burst of fruity freshness and brightness.

I have never owned a Reed Diffuser before....I have obviously seen them before but have never used one so didn't know what to expect....

Setting it up was simple enough.....Unscrew the cap, pop the sealing disc out and put the rattan stems in....Voila! It looked so fancy and very stylish.....

As soon as I popped the seal I could smell the Blackberries.....I am now sat at the other side of the room and I can still smell it.....The Reed Diffuser has a real autumnal aroma to it.....Perfect for this time of year.....

I have noticed that this gives off a constant fragrance rather than a spray or a timed burst of air freshener which is fantastic.

Not ideal for Becky's room though.....If it gets knocked over the liquid inside will spill.....It has now found a new home in on one of our book cases out of the reach of the girls....

The Airwick Colour Change Candle - Rich Vanilla & Caramel Swirl.

I love candles.....Especially at this time of year when the nights are getting darker....It's nice to shut the curtains and light a few.....It always feels so much cosier and homely with them.... 

Once lit, a soft and tranquil glow illuminates through the wax, the glow then gently changes colour. By softly shining through the design window, it creates an elegant rainbow effect.

The Air Wick Colour Change Candle is amazing.....Photos would not do this candle justice......Seeing is believing! It actually does change colour as it burns....How? Just how? I don't care....lol I think it's so pretty! 

The smell is just delicious.....As soon as I opened the packaging it came in I could smell it.....It is smells so sweet the Vanilla especially really comes through.....

I think this would make a wonderful gift for a lover of candles....

Fire and children don't mix so this is no good for Becky's room so has been put onto the fireplace with my other candles.....So far when I go to light a candle it has been the one my girls have begged to be lit first....

The Air Wick Crystal’Air - Mulled Wine & Cinnamon Apple.... 

Air Wick Crystal’Air contains a patented, fragrance gel in a high quality, glass disc that diffuses a pleasant and lasting scent around your living space....It works continuously to leave rooms smelling fresh and clean, stopping odour in its tracks.

This may be just a simple Air Freshener.....It doesn't change colour or have fancy balls or rattan reeds but I think this has the nicest smell....

All the products smell amazing but this one is my favourite out the three products I was sent....This reminds me so much of Christmas, winter evenings and makes me wish it was December so I can drink mulled wine....hehehe

This is ideal for Becky's room as it can just sit there and do what it's supposed to do.....It has been placed on her window sill and so far it is working wonders. She walked in her room and noticed the smell straight away....

I am very impressed with all the products I was sent....They all smell very different but all very good in their own way.....They would be a great addition to any home especially if you have teenagers.....hehehe

 I was sent the Airwick products mentioned above free of charge....This is my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own...