What is normal? There is the thought that normal is just a setting on a washing machine or tumble drier, that no one has a normal life. Most of the time I subscribe to that thought. I can often be heard saying “but this is normal to us”, usually at the little things that really…
As I write this, it is the morning of Friday 8th March, 2015. The day after the General Election. The day we realised that we are highly likely to have a Conservative Government for the next five years. The day Esther McVey lost her seat The day Ed Timpson kept his seat The day Norman…
Last week, I was invited by Radio 5 Live to be part of their “Your Call” hour. This time it was to be part of a panel of “the public” interviewing Andy Burnham before the big day tomorrow. This was a much more formal set up than the last time I was on the show….
Like many of us, I have children who believe that sleeping through the night is just an urban myth. Oh the joy of having to cope with a full day of paperwork or appointments when you have had a few hours split sleep. Sleep deprivation is torturous, as you know, but I think my body has…
As I sat scrolling through Twitter a few weeks ago, I came across a conversation that set me thinking. Kath Evans (Head of Patient Experience at NHS England) was asking if people preferred an image showing “the ladder of participation” or “the circle of involvement”. Circle, Ladder or Venn? Initially I sat and thought “definitely…
On St George’s Day, as we approach the next General Election, I wanted to remind us of the awe-inspiring speech by the Rev Dr Martin Luther King on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial. The speech was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. One person with a dream can make a difference…
It’s been easy to fail at weight loss because everyone expects me to and I am always hearing that I should stop worrying about my weight, because I have enough on my plate without adding to it.
Like many of us, I joined Pinterest because it was new and seemed pretty. I had no idea how to use it. For the first six months, I wondered what all the hype was and why everyone seemed to be raving about it. Now, I am a social media junkie and you can find me…
Happy New Year I must be getting old because I cannot believe a year has passed since it was last New Year. How have twelve months happened without me noticing? Is this just an age thing do you think? I have set myself some personal goals this year, some I will be sharing over on…
When you find out you’re pregnant, you wonder what sort of parent you will be. When your child arrives, you wonder what sort of character they will be. As they grow, you wonder if you are getting this parenting job right. Is your parenting helping your child to be confident in their ability? Is your…
I am a big fan of those books you find in “personal development” sections of a bookstore. Robin Sharma, Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor, Lisa Nichols, Brene Brown, Jack Caulfield. Bring them on. The more, the merrier. My hubby refers to me as his dippy hippy wife but he happily buys more for me to read…
When J was young, we suspected that the day would come when he would say “I can’t do that because I am blind.” We knew, as his parents, we could encourage him, we could tell him that anything was possible but we also knew he was very bright and would realise we were his parents and…
I love October, it is definitely one of my favourite months. It’s that Autumn feel, it’s my wedding anniversary, it’s my twins’ birthday and it is halloween – my kids’ second favourite holiday. October brings dark evenings, leaves crunching under your feet and the countdown to Christmas – my kids’ favourite holiday. The first of…
Most of us did not chose to live in this community, we were dropped into it. Dropped in from a great height, very quickly, with no warning and no safety net or soft landing We eventually start to find our feet, although most of us probably fell back down on a number of occasions and, as my son…
Today I lost a friend. Those five words cannot convey the heartbreak I am feeling. I lost an amazing friend who has been part of my life for over 20 years. He was the type of friend everyone should have. My life was certainly richer for knowing him. Who was Jeremy? A friend who didn’t judge. A…
Almost ten years ago, I gave birth to my first child. For the first 6 months, we had the usual anxieties that new parents have with no warning of what was to come. Then the world of SEN arrived. Within two years, we had three children and had to learn about hydrocephalus, autism, Aspergers, retinopathy…
Why is it that when you have read everything you can about your children’s known conditions, another one pops up to knock the wind out of your sails? Why is it that your children’s conditions cause such mayhem and turn your life upside down in a way no one can understand unless they’ve been there?…
Today has been one of those days when I wanted to just say “stop the ride, I want to get off”. Yesterday my gorgeous youngest son started to have unexplained black outs, so as we have an amazing GP, we went along last night. We had to return this morning for bloods. Now, Emla cream,…
I’m now in that era where life is supposed to begin. Yes, the dreaded 40’s. When I was in my 20’s, the very number 40 sent a shudder down my spine, but here I am, a third of the way through and probably the happiest I have been. I am now at that “oh I…
Over the last few weeks, a friend of mine has been posting images of her new leather journal and Mont Blanc fountain pen on her Instagram account. Now, like many ladies, I have a passion for stationery. A visit to any stationery shop makes me a happy lady. Seeing my friend’s beautiful journal inspired me….
This song was released in 1985 so how come almost 30 years later, the lyrics are still so appropriate Walls come Tumbling Down You don’t have to take this crap You don’t have to sit back and relax You can actually try changing it I know we’ve always been taught to rely Upon…
I love January! Over the last few days, I have had lovely long catch up chats with my partners in crime work colleagues and I am now so motivated but desperately looking for the best Productivity App to utilise. Initially I had a lovely catch up with my counterpart in my new role with Community…
Earlier this year, we had a really rough time as a family. With the death of an aunt and a beloved grandad within 4 weeks of each other, my husband tried to cheer me up by buying tickets for us to see Simple Minds at the O2, supported by Ultravox, on 30 November. For the…
I go through phases with reading material and have often escaped in a good crime thriller- this was based on the premise that no matter how bad things got in my life, at least I wasn’t being hunted by a serial killer (or at least not to my knowledge). However, this year, I have…
After years of being involved with parent carer forums, I have made the decision to move on to a new challenge. This decision has been hugely daunting, as despite any frustrations the role may have brought to me (as any role will occasionally do), it was also a role I knew well. I was comfortable….
As any Mum will know (and this counts if you call yourself Mum, Mom, Mummy, Mother or any other variation), you are just not allowed to be ill. The thought of lying in bed with a thermometer (and Netflix, a cuppa and perhaps a good book) is a little secret dream we have. Why can’t…
Some of you may have noticed a new photo appearing in my side bar. I am Daring Greatly. What does this actually mean? About a month ago, I was recommended a book by Brene Brown – The Gifts of Imperfection. I couldn’t download it on my kindle here in the UK but I could download it via…
I have been approached by a magazine and asked for my views on the following: How should SENCOs involve parents in the decision making process and plan for their child? What can SENCOs do to improve co-production and communication in general? What types of questions do you think parents will be asking of SENCOs over…
As a parent of three children with a variety of SEN and Disability, I often said “I just wish they would show me some respect”. One day I was challenged to define what I meant by Respect, so I went to several parents like me and asked. This is what they said What else…
The last few weeks have been full of harsh reality checks; those moments when reality just slaps you hard across the face. They hurt. One of the big ones was the sudden unexpected reappearance of my gorgeous boy’s coping mechanism for anxiety. This is something we haven’t seen for almost two years – we are…
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