Family Archives - Page 3 of 12 - Conversations through the middle

Reasons to be cheerful

March 3, 2013

The Angel of the North – I know I’m home when I see this. Image from www.picturesofgateshead.co.uk

Hello, hello, helloooo. I bet you thought I’d fallen off the edge of the world, I’ve been so quiet these past couple of weeks. Nothing so dramatic, but to be rather melodramatic, I’ve been trying to sort out the rest of my life!

A week in Newcastle over half term helped me see where I need to be at this particular stage in my life and relationships. It’s not so easy though with a bolshy 11-year-old giving you constant earache. Of course it’s only to be expected. The week had a happy outcome with both of us looking forward to moving north, Dot enrolled in a new school and a couple of properties that made it into the ‘yes, we could really live there’ category (as opposed to the OMG, how can those landlords live with themselves putting shit like that on the market, category).

So optimistically we headed south again for the second part of this term. And it’s like we’ve never been away. I’m starting to think it was a bad move coming back, as all of the angst, tears, acceptance and cautious excitement from Dot have been replaced by a resounding I AM NOT MOVING. And we’re back to square one. She is of course, she is a child and we will move sometime in May or June, but it’s painful being on her hate list.

Then there’s work. I love, love, love the new project I have taken on, but it is really a job for more than one person. Several times this week I’ve been overcome with panic thinking about how much I’ve got to do – then just got on with it. I don’t have time to waste panicking you see, which is a good thing. It’s an interiors magazine and I believe the end result will be worth it – I’ll post more when it hits the shelves.

So now you know, I haven’t forgotten you and I hope you haven’t forgotten me. Stay tuned this week because I have another competition to run, beauty reviews coming out of my ears to post and lots of other bits and pieces in the pipeline.

What have you been up to while I’ve been away?

Looking for – and finding – the happiness in life

January 24, 2013

Sometimes my daughter winds me up so much I feel like I’m going to explode. She can be so cheeky and the amount of back chat I get from her brings steam shooting out of my ears. One of those times happened tonight, over the silliest thing. Anyway, it’s over now, she has gone to bed and I have calmed down.

I love her more than anything, yet during those moments when my head is in my hands and I just can’t believe how she can be so… I don’t know. She’s only 11, perhaps I’m expecting too much, I have nothing to measure her against as she is my only child.

Before we started our mega bust up I was about to write that I’ve discovered a linky that really speaks to me: What has made me happy. It is hosted weekly by Helpful Mum on her blog You’re Not From Round Here and its sentiments struck a chord because no matter how bad my week has been or how horrible things seem, there’s always something to be thankful for – and I need to remember that.

I had a short time to reflect after Dot went to bed; I had decided not to bother writing as I was in such a bad mood, but you know what, that was just me being petty. Now, sitting here writing this the thought of my beautiful girl fills me with love. I have so many things in my life to be thankful for – and the most important and precious one is Dot.

This week the snow is behind many of my What has made me happy moments…

Monday, school was closed due to the snow and Dot was very happy to be at home. She came for a walk with me and the dog (not something she does very often) and we had fun with snow angels, snowballs and, well, snow…

I enjoy walking the dog, it gives me an opportunity to think and the space to run through issues and situations in my head, sorting problems and creating plans for action. It’s funny watching him play in the snow also, he is such a cutie.

Workwise, this week I had a meeting with the editor of a magazine I really admire. It went well I think and there is the prospect of freelance subbing and writing work with the title. Tomorrow I have another meeting about potential work on a magazine and I’m really buzzing about the possibilities this title could present.

Finally, I made soup. I have been talking about homemade soup for a while and I produced a rather good bean and pasta version, if I do say so myself. Dot liked it, as did I, though I did use too much pasta and we could be eating it for weeks.

Giveaway – The Best of TV & Movies game

January 16, 2013

For the first 40s Chic giveaway of the new year I have a real treat for you – and a great way to spend quality family time together, snugly warm indoors while the snow falls outdoors, brrrrrr.

Drumond Park is offering one lucky, lucky person their best-selling Logo The Best of TV and Movies game, worth £29.99. Astound your friends with your stupendous knowledge of soaps, fantastic facts about film, colossal cookery know-how and realistic take on reality TV.

There’s TV and film trivia from Coronation Street, X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Miranda and Saturday Kitchen… to Bambie, Shrek, James Bond and Star Trek… and more. And it’s all played out on a traditional board, with theme cards, picture cards and pot luck cards. Not a flashing light or electrical lead in sight.

The kids can join in, too, as the game is suitable for ages 12 and up.

To enter, just follow 40s Chic at GFC and like our page on Facebook – you can do both in the sidebar here in just a couple of seconds. Sweet.

Then simply leave a comment below and also tell me you’ve followed and liked. That’s it! Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

For information on this and other great games from Drumond Park visit www.drumondpark.com.

(One entry per person; please leave a twitter or blog address, or some other way to contact you, but not telephone numbers and preferably not email; UK giveaway only – sorry; entrants should be over 18 years old; one entry per person; the giveaway closes on 14 February and the winner will be chosen at random through random.org. Any questions just let me know).

ThePrizeFinder – UK Competitions

2013 – come on down!

January 4, 2013

It’s 2013 and I have spent the past few days thinking about what I want out of this new year. I’ve made my brain hurt with that and so many other things running through it, but I think I’ve started to see light at the other side.

It is going to sound selfish to some of you, but 2013 is going to be about me. There. Said it.

I am so glad to see the back of 2012 – yes I know lots of great things happened, the Olympics etc, but on a personal level, despite the good things about it, 2012 ranks as the worst year of my life, alongside 1983 (which is when I lost my mam).

I have spent so long thinking about what I want to say in this post, that I’m four days late getting it down – and after having worked it all out in my head lying in bed last night, I can’t remember exactly what I was going to say. So in no particular order, here goes:

2013

I am going to be more decisive – decisions have to be made, huge decisions that will affect everybody I care about, but I have spent too long dithering and looking at the what ifs, being too scared to take that big step in case it’s the wrong one. I have to accept that if it’s the wrong one then so be it, then will be the time to worry about it, not now before I’ve even done anything about it.

I am going to stop being afraid of relying on me – I feel real optimism about this new year and I can feel, rather than see, great beginnings ahead.

Linked to that, I now feel ready to move forwards without the crutch of medication to fall back on. It will have to be baby steps here I know, and it will take time, but I am certainly up for giving it a go. (What, you didn’t know about the happy pills? See, I’m moving forwards already, putting myself out there along with the other brave women who are much braver than me and who have talked about or chronicled their depression in their blogs. It’s because of them and their writing that I have found the courage to mention my illness now, though I know if you blink you’ll have missed it.)

I am going to explore my intuition, my gut feelings about life – work, relationships… I have never believed in fate, I have never wanted to. If there’s no free will then what’s the point of trying to do anything with our lives? If it’s all laid out in advance, well, that is just so depressing, I don’t want to think about it. But what if there are ‘things’ guiding us? I don’t know what kind of things and can’t think of a better word to describe what I mean, but what if we listened to our inner voices – intuition, gut feeling, sixth sense, call it what you will, where could that lead us? I still refuse to believe in pre-determination, but I am becoming more and more open to the idea that there are certain paths you can take that are better for you than others. And after years of making decisions with my head it just feels right to do this now…

So that’s it, 2013.

Oh and all the other usual things like lose weight, drink less wine, exercise more…

Next New Year’s Eve at midnight I want to be sitting on my sofa, glass of wine in my hand, watching Big Ben chime on TV and think “I did that…”