A semblance of normality: An ex- lawyer/ stay at home mum/disabled mums view

Today I am having an extremely proud mummy moment both my children got Blue Peter Badges. My daughter wrote a letter in the summer and then promptly forgot about it. I found it mid-December and submitted it on her behalf. I wasn't expecting a response anytime soon but they replied in 10 minutes to say they were sending them. I am so pleased and very proud. I am disabled and they have to do - and have always done - lots of stuff to help me. For example, in Lockdown I had no help with housework so we had 30 minutes of daily tidying for months or 'helping me' time with the song, 'high-ho' or 'A Spoonful of Sugar' indicating the start Although it isn't just lockdown my children have always had to be incredibly helpful and tidy- I can't have toys or anything left on the floor in case it trips me up. I am so pleased and proud of them. Those that have read my posts for a while know I don't go to many places because of the constant faf - even when the

Christmas 2020, like this whole year, is going to be a bit different… No office parties, many of us foregoing larger gatherings and missing out on meeting loved ones. And it sucks. However: I want to share a fundamental thought I had in hospital after my brain haemorrhage. I do this in the hope that if, at any point, you are struggling this festive season, you can refocus and realise that things will pass and things will improve. The thought I had was this: Concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. After my haemorrhage, I was left unable to walk and speak properly, let alone read (double vision) or write. My recovery has been long, arduous and still continues. Seven years on, I still walk only with a walker (though I’m working on that) and I cannot drive. There were going to be no overnight changes - my recovery has been/and is a marathon. If I am honest, I don't really remember my first Christmas after my brain haemorrhage. This is probably my way of protecting myse

I don't suppose I am the only person struggling to feel positive going into the end of this year!! Therefore instead of a normal blog post, l thought I would share with you some phrases which I have found useful. I don't know where a lot of these came from (it wasn't me): - Before Alice got to Wonderland she had to fall pretty hard down a deep hole! - Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow (Mary Anne Radmacher) - You can't go back and change the beginning but you can start where you are and change the ending (C.S.Lewis) - Overthinking can ruin a day - it only creates problems that aren't there - Everyone is on a different journey - Positivity makes for a better day - Kindness doesn't cost anything - Thoughts are not facts - Put one foot in front of the other. - You can be negative and not enjoy life or you can be positive and live a lovely, healthy, joyful and happy life. (Nik

It’s been a strange old year, hasn’t it? Riding the old Corona-coaster: lockdown, re-emergence, second wave and the prospect winter - of more lockdowns. I know it’s only just November and no one probably wants to think about Christmas yet – especially not at the moment. But I’m going to talk about it anyway. I thought it might give you all some elf ideas and in a purely selfish way I want a break. The Elf can take the strain this month. Before we start: if you know my children or have children who know them - Please don’t let them know about this post. Mainly because of what I’m about to write next. 'I hate the frigging Christmas Elf on the Shelf" There. I said it. Perhaps 'hate' is probably too strong, but I certainly have issues with it. At first, I thought it was cute and fun to move a 'naughty' little festive elf around every night - the idea being that he would go back to the North Pole to report to Father Christmas. Sure, it was fun and cute when I ha