Category Archives: Us & Fostering

sixtynine: mother’s day

Today is Mother’s Day here in the UK (why is it on a different day in the US for example?). A friend of mine is celebrating her first Mother’s Day and she’s super excited about it.

Mum and Me at Race For Life

I sorted presents and a card for my Mum early last week so I was all organised (Especially as I’ll have three mums to organise for this year). But before that I had lunch with my friend B, we were talking about whether anything would happen at church for Mother’s Day (aka Mothering Sunday), in the past there’s been a tub of Celebrations or something similar handed out by the kids to all the ladies in the church whether they are mums or not.

In this particular conversation it diverted to how it can be difficult and rally hard for those ladies who aren’t mothers for whatever reason when Mother’s Day comes around. It can also be difficult for sons and daughters who have lost their mothers (or in my case a Granddaughter who lost her Grandma).

Creating something fab. Hanging with my Mum.

Then I got to think about it yesterday afternoon while working on the blanket for Chris’s Auntie’s housemate with my Mum. What about foster mothers? Okay so in some cases (like mine) they didn’t do the biological mum bit first so does that make them/me any less of a mother?

Then I got thinking back to those ladies who aren’t mothers. Within my friendship group there are mothers with one child, mothered with two or more children but there are also ladies who aren’t mothers but these have all influences and inspired me and cared for me on some occasions like my mum would for me. There are some of these ladies that I’m closer to and refer to as my “second mothers”. So what can I do to celebrate the amazing inspiring women that they are on a day that is angled at mothers. Well that’s the big thought ticking round my brain…..

How do you celebrate Mother’s Day? How are you celebrating with your mother or your children?

eighteen: my friday

Today was one of those days that I was so grateful for those around me. I had a horrible day yesterday and was just emotionally shattered this morning. Going to work was one of those “do I have to?” moments but actually once I got to work and got settled at my desk I was on a mission.

I had started a massive to do list yesterday to keep track of the ongoing outstanding bits I needed to do. About 10am it started to snow although it was tiny flakes that didn’t seem to make a lot of difference. But it became a joke about looking over to the window to see what was going especially as it involved looking at my managers desk. I had a chat with my manager which was good because it needed to happen kind of urgently.

By 1pm the canteen had decided to close and the staff in reception had switched to a skeleton staff for the rest of the day. We were let out early – I came home and Our Sidekick and me started on Italian homework and his History project. The history project isn’t going to be a one night assignment and is going to take a bunch of work – it means that he’s got history homework pretty much every day until its done. We’ve been learning about the Whitechapel Murders – also known as the Jack The Ripper murders. I want to include a psychological profile but that might be a bit over kill for Our Sidekick’s working level.

This evening I had dinner with two friends and then a third friend joined us. It was lovely to catch up, we played a card game called Dobble and a second one called Name Dropping.

Crochet

Tomorrow we have another crochet session at The Fountain and I’m really excited. If you want to come bring a 4mm crochet hook and appear about 4pm ish.

164: Family Date Night

When Chris and I did marriage prep and got married – we were always encouraged to make sure we had one evening when it was just us and no-one else.

On Sunday we instigated a new “Family Date Night”. I’d been all snuggled up in bed or on the sofa as I wasn’t well and when Our Sidekick and Chris arrived home from Contact Time and the tension was so thick it nearly killed me. I made Our Sidekick sit on the stairs and tell me what was going on in his head and why he was upset. I stood the other side of the living room door and got Chris to tell me what was going on in his head and why he was upset. I went back the other side and explained what Chris had said and how that affected how Our Sidekick felt. I then got them both to right a list of the things that were frustrating them. Ryan’s list was just one thing and that was solved really quickly.

Chris’s list was a little longer but it was good to talk about it all. One of the things that came out of it was the lack of family time. We tried to go to the Kite Festival last weekend together but it didn’t go to plan and we ended up coming home.

Therefore we instigated a new family date night. Obviously some days out will have to be on a Saturday instead but while Chris’s working hours at The Fountain haven’t settled down Sunday evening is a slot in the week that we can make sure we’re all on the right track before heading into the next week head first.

Kite flying

On Tuesday after It’s A Knockout, we went to the kite stand and bought a kite. While Our Sidekick went to collect his toothbrush from a friend’s house (this had caused part of Our Sidekick’s one frustration on his list). We headed to the small grassy area near our house to get the kite ready. This area tends to be far too windy to be able to use our remote helicopter so we decided a kite was a better choice. Well we got outside and set up the kite and the wind dropped. Chris kept saying we should go back inside because there wasn’t enough wind but I was like “WE WILL TRY IT JUST ONE MORE TIME IN CASE!!! Okay so Chris won that one as it didn’t work. We ended up heading back inside but we managed to build the kite without falling out which was a good thing.

Not today

We headed back home and Our Sidekick returned home with his toothbrush in hand. Because of the lack of kite flying we got out some board games and played one called Hare and Tortoise (or something like that!). The last few times I’ve not really kept up with how to play it but I managed to this time and although I came in third I was pretty close behind Our Sidekick who came in second.

Board game time

Until last night when nerves were a little frayed I was feeling like we were all closer – clearly Family Date Nights are good and are here to stay. Bring on this weekend!!