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My Sunday Photo – Selfie and About Me

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A Selfie with me and Boo taken this summer.

I don’t do a selfie 🙂

A selfie with me and my daughter Boo

About Me

I’ve had some new readers lately, probably because of Blogtober, so I thought I’d do a little piece about me.

The photo above is a selfie taken of me in my wheelchair with Boo posing behind me. (I always think it’s good to add something pretty to a photo of me.) I’m really not normally a selfie person so you won’t see many.

Boo is my 12 year old daughter, she’s one of five. I have a 31 yr old son and a 30 yr old daughter from a previous marriage. Their Dad left us when they were quite young, and by the time they were Boo’s age he was living in another country.

The other three share the same Dad as Boo. Star is 14 years old and has a few medical issues. The youngest is my Little Man who is 9 years old. (As you may have gathered I don’t use their real names.)

I started this blog in 2011 as a follow on from my baby blog (Baby Number 5) which I started when the Little Man was born.

Now, most people could write a book about their life, well I could write about four. So I will try and condense a few things.

Quick Facts

I have five kids, as I’ve already said and they go, Boy, girl, girl, girl, Boy. Both my boys were born by C-section, the girls were all natural births. Apart from my first born they were all born either on their due dates or slightly before. Apart from my first born they were all born in the summer. Their hair colour is ombre, the eldest’s hair is so dark it’s almost black, then they go lighter in colour as they get younger down to my youngest who is blonde (but getting a little darker as he gets older.)

I got married young and had my first two young. I started work at 16 and only had maternity leave until my second was born then I went back to work when she was three years old. I worked full time until they were almost teens and I also worked part time for my degree which I received when I was thirty. I landed a fabulous job at Birmingham University which I had to give up for personal reasons . Since then all work I have done has been done from home.

Why am I in a wheelchair?

I was fine for most of my life, then suddenly, on New Years Day 2016 I was taken to hospital after becoming paralysed. I’d woken up with pins and needles which wouldn’t go away and ended up spending two weeks in hospital. They gave me intravenous steroids and several medicataions and taught me how to walk again. It was so hard, I learnt a new respect for toddlers, getting your brain to move your feet and hold up your body is an amazing thing that we take for granted.

I also learned how to pull myself up steps and get up and down from sitting. They also had to prove I could make a cup of tea and piece of toast before allowing me to go home.

I had every test under the sun including an MRI and a lumbar puncture. Eventually the only thing they found was that my body had attacked itself and damaged my spinal cord. It was termed auto-immune and I was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis. I was told I would be better within eight weeks. It seemed like a lifetime.

Diagnosis number two

A year later and few more tests involving long needles and electric shocks as well as bloods and I was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome with Progressive Enchephamyelitis with Rigidity and Myclonus. (PERM for short.) The condition is so rare that it affects less than one in a million people world wide. There is no cure and they are still working on treatments.

The prognosis is an average of three years of life (I’m currently approaching four) but the statistics have not been updated for years and were based on subjects who had other conditions including cancer. I do not have cancer.

Last Words

I’m not sure if you’ve got this far, like I said, this is just a snippet of my story. When I started this blog I was healthy and enjoying a life of fun and activity with my three ‘littlies’ as I called them. Now, my life is so different and my chidlren are growing up so quick. Sometimes I wonder where life has gone.

I also feel robbed. Because of my condition, I can’t continue with a ‘normal’ life. There is so much I want to do that I can’t and my independance has been ripped away, literally overnight.

However, no matter how low I get (And I’m pretty low at the moment) I know that I’ve done well in my life despite it’s ups and downs. I’m happy that I had my children and they really are my life. I’m not dissapointed that I haven’t travelled the world or found fame and fortune. The most treasure you can ever have is what you hold in your heart. My children are my fortune.

And Boo, is a lovely addition to any selfie, even if I do say so myself 🙂

My Sunday Snapshot bad from Rachel Swirl
“3

BLOGTOBER 2019 POSTS

5 Ways to Create the Perfect Family-Friendly Bathroom

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Bathrooms should be relaxing havens, a perfectly tranquil place for those bubble baths and ideal spots for a little me-time. Yet when you have a family to cater for, especially with small children, your relaxing haven can sometimes turn into chaos, especially if your bathroom isn’t well suited or big enough for a growing family. There’s no reason that your bathroom can’t be both family-friendly and a perfect relaxation spot, however.

bathroom blurred with bath ducks in front

Here’s how to create a bathroom fit for all your family needs.

1. Adequate Storage

As with any room in your house, you’re going to need a lot of storage when you have children, and the bathroom is no different. Bathrooms can get piled up and cluttered with child-friendly necessities, such as their favourite shampoos, soaps and bath toys, not to mention childcare essentials like medicine, first-aid kits and lice-shampoo (when that unfortunate period of their life hits!).

So utilizing your bathroom for the handiest space possible is going to be a huge plus. Storage space also means that your children’s items can be out of sight rather than cluttered around the bath or on the floor, meaning that when you’re spending some time in the bathroom, it won’t always feel like a children’s playground.

You can install storage under your sink, through using wall cabinets and even above the toilet cistern.

2. Choose a Color Scheme That Suits Everyone

A family-friendly bathroom doesn’t have to mean that you have to decorate to your kids’ taste – you can save that for their personalized bedrooms. You can add a splash of color to your bathroom in a way which everyone will appreciate, and this could be through a quirky shower curtain, colored towels, or a sparkly bathmat or toilet seat. Whatever your taste, ensure you stick to a style which you can enjoy and appreciate but which will stimulate your children, too.

3. Have Both a Bath and Shower if you can

Having the option of both is a huge win when you have a growing family – bath time is always easier for younger children, and of course it also offers you the opportunity to have a relaxing soak from time to time. However, having the bonus of a shower to freshen up in the morning quickly is always a plus. Depending on the size of your bathroom, you may be able to install both – if your bathroom is small, however, you may have to forgo the bath. If a bath is able to be installed in your bathroom, you can always consider an over-the-bath shower instead of a separate free-standing shower, meaning you still get the best of both without sacrificing floor space.

If you need advice regarding bath or shower installation in your bathroom, you can search for “plumbers in my area” and have a professional provide advice and an estimate for you.

4. Use Tiles

For a family-friendly bathroom, you’ll need surfaces which are easy to clean, as mess and spills are bound to happen. Tiling is the best choice for your flooring and walls, as it’s so easy to clean and maintain. Opting for wooden bathroom flooring, for example, can be harder to keep on top of when it comes to wear and tear with your children, so tiling is definitely the better option.

Tiles come in a variety of patterns, styles and colors, so you can still decorate your bathroom to your taste even if you have to choose tiles for the kids.

5. Choose Individual Towels

It’s always nice when you can have a big, fluffy towel reserved for yourself without the kids getting their hands on it. Likewise, your kids will love having their own towel set to use, especially if you can choose some fun designs with their favorite Disney or Superhero characters printed on it.

For extra design help, you could arrange your towel racks and hooks at differing heights on the wall – meaning your kids can always reach their own towels but aren’t able to reach yours!

In Conclusion

There are plenty of extra design features to consider when planning a family-friendly bathroom, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful experience – and it also doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on your own comfort or tastes either. When designing a family-friendly bathroom, just ensure that you have features and colors which suit everybody – and remember that extra storage is a huge plus for everyone.

Here is a previous post of mine about bathroom facts, but I’m pleased to announce that we have actually renovated our ‘boring’ bathroom now.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post

My Word of the Week #33 2019 – Holiday

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Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week, a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is holiday and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase but please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week.

There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK.

Holiday

a big sun in a blue sky
Holiday

I’m away this week, hopefully enjoying some sunshine in Cornwall. I’ll write up all about it when I get home, but in the meantime, do link up your posts and I’ll read and share them when I can.

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My Sunday Photo 21 July 2017

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Ash on the Carpet

Ash the cat stretched out asleep on our new purple carpet
looks cosy doesn’t he?

The living room is finally finished. I may take some photos at some point, but just because we’ve decorated it doesn’t mean that the house ever looks tidy, sigh. It took moments for the floor to be covered with toys and the shelves full of junk. Minimilistic our home will never be! I do love my new coffee table though. It has drawers to hide everything away.

As a family of five our house is very much lived in, and always has that ‘lived in look.’ Most of the toys have been taken upstairs, but we still have a cupboard full of board games and boxes of lego. Then there are the games consoles, I think we could open a shop with the number of consoles and games we have. Thankfully, they have put away the amiibos which adorned one of my bookshelves. (amiibos – interactive game figures that come in many characters.)

Back to the photo. Ash, was not impressed with the carpet for the first couple of days, maybe it was because it smelt different (i.e. clean and not of cat!) Or maybe it was too soft. But he didn’t want to spend much time indoors. Then we had a day of rain and I found him stretched out like this. I guess the carpet will soon be smelling of cat again. My Cats do not have the full run of the house. They are allowed on the landing but not in the bedrooms. Sabrina,Our older, mostly indoor cat, was not amused with the new carpet either. Someone had left and empty cardboard box on the landing and she spent most of the time up there.

My Little Prodigy!

Boo sitting doing some crochet.

In other news, Ive taught Boo how to crochet. She’s learning pretty quick and although she’s a long way to go I she’s incredibly keen and is working her way through my stash of spare wool. I taught her how to make a chain and do simple stitches, then I coached her through making her first granny square. If she sticks with it Im sure she’ll get really good, she’s very determined.

Holidays

The School holidays have begun and for us that means mostly birthday month! First up it’s Boo’s 12 birthday next Saturday. She’s going to help me make a cake and is having a couple of friends around for our own version of ‘afternoon tea.’

We have lots of plans for this holiday, and it’s only just over three weeks until we go away to Cornwall. I’ve set a time table to encourage the kid’s to use less screen time. One of the new rules is no screens before breakfast. So, this morning they got up half an hour early so they could have breakfast and get on their screens the usual time!! Oh well, if that’s they want to play it, I can always fetch them off half an hour earlier than their alloted time…’insert evil laugh!’

Word of the Week #27 2019

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Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week, a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase but please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week.

There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK.

Go Go Go

My Word of the week (or phrase) is Go Go Go.

It has definitely been a busy week since last week’s post. Sunday was my daughter’s birthday and we had a lovely meal out. Then Monday it was back to decorating the living room. This spilled over to Tuesday but it was worth it. I helped as much as I could, which wasn’t much, but I tried.

I did sew up the curtains so they don’t drag on the floor so much. I also helped with cleaning up when I could. So, now we have painted walls, ceiling and door, and the wallpaper and new curtains. Graham just needs to gloss over the skirting boards now. We’ve decided it will be easier to do when we take up the carpet.

On Wednesday we went to choose our carpet and it’s a lovely damson colour. I’ve requested it to be fitted to save Graham another job. So, it’s just a waiting game of 7 to 10 days. Then we will move the furniture around a bit and it will all be done, yay!

I’ve had a busy week on the blog too, so many posts written. Don’t miss my competition post, I’m giving away a fabulous paint by numbers (for grown ups) set.

I send a lot of e-mails each week and I’ve been researching the apps. that you can now add to Gmail. Some of them are really great for mass e-mail marketing.

So as you can see, my week has been go, go, go! But that’s not all. The reason I chose that phrase is because tonight (Thursday) I‘m going to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat at the Hippodrome. Go, go, go, Joseph!

Now it’s your turn, what have you been up to this past week?

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