Welcome to my Lifestyle Parenting Blog, where I explore topics related to chronic illnesses such as ME/CFS, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia while embracing a passion for yoga, books, and blogging.
The Safe Place They Choose: Why Children With Trauma Fall Apart at Home
That sentence took me years to understand, and even longer to believe. At first, it sounded like something people say to soften the blow, a well-meaning cliche designed to make parents feel better when they are standing in the wreckage of yet another emotional explosion. But it is not a cliche. It is not a consolation prize. It is a truth, and a heavy one.
When your child has a meltdown at home, when they scream or sob or push every button they know you have, it feels personal. It feels deliberate.
Embracing Parenthood: Growing Up, Growing Together
Our house is full. Not just full, but bursting at the seams in the best possible way. Full of people, full of noise, full of stories being lived out all at once. Some days it feels like controlled chaos, and other days it feels like a deep exhale. What it always feels like, though, is home.
Developing Body Positivity in my Teen Daughter Who Has Childhood Trauma
As a Special Guardian (SGO) and kinship carer to my teen daughter, I have become deeply aware of how important it is to nurture a positive body image and healthy self-esteem. This is not something I ever expected to think so much about, but when a child has experienced early childhood trauma, even seemingly ordinary stages of development can feel layered and complex. My daughter’s journey has taught me that body image is not just about appearance. It is about safety, belonging, and feeling secure in who you are.
10 Things Kinship Carers Need to Hear
When I first stepped into kinship care, I did not feel brave or capable or ready. I felt overwhelmed, frightened, and quietly unsure whether I was about to break myself trying to hold everyone else together. Kinship care often begins in crisis, and when you are in the middle of it, there is very little space for reassurance. Over time, and through many conversations with other kinship carers,
Things I Hope My Children Learned When We Became Kinship Carers / Special Guardians
When we became kinship carers, our boys were just 3, 9, and 12. Even then, I knew their lives were about to shift in ways they were far too young to fully understand. Almost overnight, our home stretched to hold more emotions, more needs, more chaos, and more love than any of us had known before. I worried constantly about what the boys would take in from all of it.
Chronic Illness During Christmas Festive Days: 6 Coping Strategies for Families
This will be my sixth year celebrating Christmas while living with chronic illness. Although the first couple of years were not too bad, I have deteriorated over time, and now the season looks a lot different and feels much harder. It is not just challenging for me, but also for my husband and children as they adjust alongside me. The lights, music, and gatherings that once felt magical can now be overwhelming, physically demanding, and emotionally draining.
Letting Her Be Thirteen: Teaching My Daughter Boundaries With Makeup
I never thought I would be having conversations about makeup this early, but here we are. My daughter is thirteen, still very much a child in my eyes, and lately, makeup has become a much bigger thing in her world than I ever expected.
It started small and honestly felt harmless. A little bit of concealer here and there. I understood that. Teen skin changes, insecurities creep in, and I wanted to be supportive without making a big deal out of it. Then mascara came into the picture.
Tiny Humans No More: The Shifting Rhythms of a Growing Household
Our home is busy, noisy, and full to the brim with love. Between my adult children (and their girlfriends) and my teenagers, there’s rarely a quiet moment, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Our Kids and AI: Watching a New Digital World Unfold
Lately, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about the world our kids are growing up in. It feels like every year, sometimes every month, there’s some new leap forward in technology, something that changes how we work, learn, communicate, and even how we think. When I look at my children, I realise they’re standing right at the forefront of that change. They’re growing up side by side with artificial intelligence, with technology that’s learning, adapting, and talking back.
Listening From the Bed: Love, Laughter, and Life with Chronic Pain
It’s a bright, golden afternoon, the kind that invites the world to come alive. But I’m not part of that lively rhythm—not in the traditional sense. Instead, I’m lying in bed, my body heavy with fatigue and discomfort, the lingering effects of living with chronic pain and illness wrapping around me like a thick fog. The sun spills through the curtains, warm and gentle, a silent witness to the stillness that defines much of my daily life now.
6 Time Management Tips for Chronically Ill Mums
Being a parent is tough enough as it is, include chronic illness and chronic pain into the mix, and the difficulty level cranks up significantly. As a mum living with conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), chronic pain, and fibromyalgia, the daily juggling act of parenting duties and
Tips on how to parent with a chronic illness
Parenting is demanding at the best of times. Throw in my chronic illness, and it can seem like an uphill climb. How do I take care of my children while struggling to take care of myself? How do I balance their needs with my limitations? It's a never-ending cycle of guilt and frustration. But with my determination, adequate strategies, and a dash of self-compassion, I can not only navigate this journey but also create a wholesome environment for my children.
Embracing Shortcomings as a Mum by Celebrating Imperfections
Being a parent is no easy feat, but being an ultimate parent is even more daunting. As a mum, I always strive to be the best I can be for my children. However, let's be real - I make plenty of mistakes along the way. Despite the pain that comes with messing up, I make a point to learn from my errors and become a better mum because of them. Over my 23 years of parenting, I've learned that embracing my imperfections leads to personal growth, a stronger bond with my kids, and a more fulfilling parenting journey.
Mindful Motherhood: Why Self-Care Is Important for Both You and Your Children
Being a mum is one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences a woman can have. It brings so much joy, fulfilment and happiness. However, it is also be incredibly challenging. As a mum, you are constantly putting your child’s needs first and trying to balance work, family, and social obligations. In the midst of all this, it can be easy to neglect your own well-being and neglect the importance of self-care.
Treasure Your Kids When They're Little - They Grow Up Fast
When you’re about to have your first child they talk about the challenges of parenting....the struggles of sleepless nights, the tantrums, the messy house, having to take time off when they don’t feel well, helping them with homework, the never-ending laundry, the cost of bringing up a child, dinner-time challenges etc.. etc....
You watch and encourage them in their passions,
We are Lucky to Live In A Place With So Much Natural Beauty
The Guardian newspaper recently published an article about my hometown, Lowestoft, and how stunning the town centre and our golden beaches are. As a resident of this beautiful town, I completely agree with their sentiment. We are lucky to live in such a stunning location, with no shortage of amazing natural surroundings.
The Trials of Mixing Kids' Laundry: A Parent's Struggle
Discover the challenges of managing kids' laundry - from never-ending stains to sorting chaos. Explore tips for making this daunting task a little easier.
Things No One Tells You About Cleaning As An Adult
With 4 children, 3 dogs, and a bearded dragon cleaning as a parent is a never-ending task, and I can feel overwhelmed at times - it’s a thankless task that can be rewarding, i.e. a labor of love.
Here are a few things that often don't get mentioned about cleaning as an parent:
Being a Mum Can Be Hard
Whether you’re a mum by birth, legal guardian, step-mum, or kinship, its bloody hard.
Yes, being a Mum is hard, but it’s also amazing. It is full of oxymorons, fear, doubt, joy, love, and so much more; it makes you feel like a failure, but then makes you feel like you are super human. It makes you feel like you are crazy. And makes you feel like the most patient person in the world, but makes you feel like the most impatient person in the world.
My Dad’s Wise Words
It’s father’s day yesterday, the 2nd year without my dad.
I lost my dad 22 months ago and it has been the most heart-wrenchingly painful, confusing time. Grief never leaves you, it is consuming and suffocating and… numbing - it changes you.
Amongst all the pain and grief, I have many fond memories, many happy ones, ones that make me smile.
My dad was always good at energising me but at the same time keeping me grounded, he did this in many ways, and one-way would be from his wise words.