Ryder

Please send prayers and happy thoughts my way.

Two of my kids are unwell, and it’s stripped everything back to the bare essentials.

One of my children is in the middle of a significant mental health crisis, which has meant I’ve needed to be constantly alert, always listening, always watching.

Sleep has come in short, broken stretches—never enough, never deep. The kind of tired that settles into your bones.

Another of my kids has been experiencing severe bullying at school—so intense it has led to trauma responses no child should have to carry.

There have been incidents that required medical care. There are no words for how it feels to see your child hurt like that, again and again, and not be able to shield them from it completely.

It is taking everything in me not to dissolve into tears most days.

These are gentle, kind, beautiful souls. They should not be questioning their place in the world.

They should not be surprised—truly surprised—when someone is kind to them. Hearing, “Mum, I met someone today… and they were nice to me,” said with awe, is something that stays with you. It shouldn’t be extraordinary. It should be ordinary. Expected. Given.

But here we are.

Stress has been constant, and the emotional load is immense. I am so, so tired.

It’s in moments like this that I feel the absence of a village more than ever. Someone to talk to. Someone to bring over a meal without being asked. Someone to sit with the kids while I sleep for a few uninterrupted hours. Parenting—especially parenting children with additional needs—can be deeply isolating.

And yet, we keep going. Because that’s what love does.

I am a proud mum and foster mama to children with a variety of very high special needs (heart conditions, ASD, cerebral palsy, FASD, anxiety, PTSD, and intellectual disability).

I am a very lonely and isolated person who has been swapping and penpalling for over twenty years through various groups. It is my connection to the outside world.

My likes/wishes/dislikes are just suggestions. The truth is, if you show kindness in your swap, no matter how small, it will make my day, if not my month.

Including extras goes not automatically generate hearts. I give hearts based on if the item brought me joy. A simple postcard can get a heart from me, it might be the message, the nice stamp, or the picture on the card. Please do not feel obligated to send extras.

If you have not been rated by me, it is because I am yet to get your swap. I live very remotely and all mail comes in via road or rail only. There are often delays due to flooding or buckled rails from the extreme heat.

I mark as 'sent' the day I place it into the street posting box. Please note that this is not always the day they process the mail. It is not unusual for our mail to remain where it is for several days before they ship it out. We are a tourist town with a massive volume of mail, and not enough staff.

If you have any issues or worries, please reach out to me.

Some of my favourite crafts to create include:

• Altered envies, books and journals
• Memory Dex is my absolute obsession.
• Quilting

My favourite themes are firefighters, bugs, ocean/beach, Christmas (candy canes, nutcrackers, and gingerbread are my favourite themes).

• Christmas (candy canes, nutcrackers, and gingerbread are my favourite themes).
• Swiss Miss hot chocolate sachets.
• Squirrels, bees, jellyfish.
• Cotton fat quarters (bright, colourful, patterned) for making eye spy quilts.
• Pipstickers.
• Bright happy scrapbooking paper pads.
• Notecards with envelopes.
• Ocean/nautical themed scrapbooking papers, clear stamps, and ephemera.
• Memory Dex cards you have made for me.
• Cozy bed socks, size 8.
• Bella Carta, Stamperia, Echo Park, Stampin Up, Heidi Swapp, Versa Mark.
• Legami pens are my favourite.
• Firefighter themed scrapbooking papers, clear stamps, and ephemera.
• Gutermann thread.
• Daphne's Diary magazine.

All of my children and foster children have high special needs, including cerebral palsy, ASD, intellectual disability, FASD, PTSD and heart issues.

Mr W loves everything and anything related to firefighting, firefighters, and fire appliances and tools. Patches, caps, coins, merchandise, literally anything to do with firefighting. He loves Air Heads, Lucky Charms, and coffee.

Mr T loves bugs, caps, tee shirts (particularly from places like a theme park or attraction). He wears a youth size 10 shirt.

Miss K loves books, Barbie dolls, sunglasses, hair scrunchies, and bags. She wears a girl's size 5.

If you are in a postcard swap with me, I really love postcards with the following themes...

• Beaches
• Christmas
• London
• Canada
• Alaska
• Hawaii

If you are stuck on what to write, I always love getting lists or little bits of truthfulness.

I have been pen palling for over twenty years, and am always looking for new friends. I am particularly keen to find a like minded pal in the following locations:

• Canada
• Alaska
• Scotland

• Lavender (allergic)
• Nuts, liquorice, sour candy
• The colour purple in any form
• Post-its and sticky notes
• Loose glitter
• Anything hateful or toxically positive

I am currently chasing Memory Dex cards in the following themes:

• Summer
• Birthday (feminine)
• Fall/Autumn
• Winter
• Christmas
• Teacher (feminine)
• Easter
• Beach
• Christian (feminine)

I am working on finishing several boxes this year.

If you have any extra that you would like to pass on, let me know what you would like in return. I am open to private swaps :-)

Thank you for taking our likes/dislikes into consideration.