New beginnings.......................

Life is full of endings and new beginnings.

My blogs have been on hold for a while as I have been going through a period of reflection.

I am decluttering.

Out with the old, making space for the new.

So for old time's sake here are 3 reasons to be cheerful today:

• I love my husband and my children with all my heart. I am so blessed to have them in my life.
• I am rediscovering the joy in simple things and realising that life doesn't have to be a struggle.
• The sun is shining and summer is on it's way.

I may continue blogging on One Step at a Time, but then again, maybe I won't............................

Running Away - part 2

Well despite my flippant comment, we didn't really want to risk the boys escaping, never to be seen again, so we made sure all the doors and windows were locked, and the keys hidden before we went to bed.

Matthew was awake at 6.15. He then woke James and reminded him of the big plan. James wasn't so keen on the idea by then.

Matthew: "We decided home was better than running away"

James: "Yes it's funny how you don't feel like running away so much in the mornings"

I know how they feel. There's a lot to be said for a new day!

Running Away

James and Matthew have a plan to run away from home.

Matthew: "Mum and Dad are soooo mean aren't they James"

James: "Yes"

Matthew: "Let's run away when we get home"

James: "OK"

Me: "I'm looking forward to having pizza for tea"

Huddled whispering in the back of the car.

Matthew: "Shall we go tomorrow instead? I've got some money in my room, we can go to the corner shop and buy sweets".

James: "Yes, I've got 50 pence"

Matthew: "We'll take some drinks, but not your roboquad, it's too big"

James: "Yes and too expensive, but what about Milkshakes (the cat)"

Matthew: "I know, we'll take her with us. We'll tie some string around her neck, as a lead"

James "Maybe somebody will adopt us"

Matthew "Yes, somebody nice who has a Wii and an Xbox and cleans out the cat's litter box themselves and doesn't get us to do laundry or drying up"

Good luck boys! Missing you already!

Happy New Year

I spent the new year in Disneyland Paris. It was the first time I had been there, so it was very exciting. Exhausting though. I went with my mum and James and Matthew. The rides were brilliant. We're all real roller coaster fans and I have to say Eurodisney didn't disappoint us.

It was a long trip. We left Gloucester at 7 am on Sunday 30th December and travelled by coach and Eurotunnel to our hotel on the outskirts of Paris. We arrived at about 5 pm the same day. The boys were pretty well behaved on the long journey. It was the first time we had tackled such a long trip so I wasn't sure how they would do. They were the only children on the coach who didn't have some kind of computer game to keep them entertained. We had to be content with top trumps and old fashioned hangman!

At about twenty to twelve on New Years Eve, we lost James. He wandered on ahead and we couldn't find him for about 15 minutes. I was just beginning to panic. It was dark, 5 minutes to midnight on New Year's Eve and there were huge crowds of revellers. We had spoken to the Disney staff who said there was nothing they could do to help. Finally my mum had got hold of a policeman who was very reassuring and said they would find him. Then suddenly I spotted him pacing up and down crying his heart out. I was so relieved to find him. We missed the fireworks, but somehow that was of little consequence once we had James back. What an adventure, it will certainly be one New Year that we remember.

Christmas pressies, dancing the night away and a trip tomorrow

• We've had a few days of technological overload, with all our new pressies. I am overjoyed with my new laptop which now means that I can lie in bed and post on my blog, thereby combining 2 of my favourite things. Steve and I have been able to chat for free to his brothers in Canada using skype, but it's been another new toy to get used to. James has been enjoying his 'Roboquad' a robotic pet that the cat doesn't know what to make of. Matthew, has been content to play with his lego morning, noon and night.
• Last night we took our annual trip to the 'Grand Festive Barn Dance' at Cheltenham Town Hall. It's great fun, a band with a caller explains the steps and then we all try to do them. Note the word 'try'. I may have mentioned this last year, we had a barn dance for our wedding reception instead of a disco, so we have made it a kind of tradition to go to this one dance every year, which is in between Christmas and New Year. The last 3 years we have taken the children. I haven't been feeling well over Christmas, and so last night would have been happy to give it a miss, but the boys were having none of it. It's become part of their Christmas. I was glad we went in the end.
• Tomorrow we are off to Eurodisney for the new year. I'm going with my mum and the boys. Steve has to work unfortunately. The boys are very excited, and if the truth be told, I am too!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I love Christmas. Actually t'hink I like it more each year. Gone are the days when I feel the need to completely overindulge, or expect perfection. Perfect behaviour from the children, perfect presents or a perfect meal. Now I just accept what comes my way and enjoy it for whatever it is and in doing so I've come to enjoy it more and more.

This year I am very happy that I got a laptop for Christmas. I hope this will mean that I can get back to blogging a bit more. With only one computer in the house and 4 people who use it for various things it was getting increasingly difficult to find a 'slot'. I'm now also working full time, so have less free time available to blog. Still hopefully that will change as I can now utilise the time when other people are on the home computer to catch up on my blogging.

We have spent a lovely day with friends today. The kids and grown ups all played happily together and even though the boys were a bit hyped up when they came home they have now settled down and gone to bed.

Steve is chatting to his brothers in Canada on Skype, that's our other bit of new technology. I can't believe how much our lives are ruled by technology now, it's amazing really.

Anyway that's enough of my meandering ramblings.

Good as new, inspirational colleague and a foggy morning.

• We are due to move back into our office next week after all the flood restoration has been completed. The practice manager showed me what had been done today. It looks brilliant. The doctors even made some changes to give us more work space. I am extremely lucky to work with such a great team.
• Despite the staffing problems we are facing I have been blessed with a great deal of support from a health visitor from another surgery who has voluntarily come to my aid. She has given much more support than she might have been expected to and in doing so has inspired me. I had been feeling so deflated by the problems we had been experiencing but now find myself feeling positive and upbeat, even though the situation itself hasn't changed. I have changed. I love it when that happens.
• I went for an early morning run in the freezing fog. It was very atmospheric. Although the pavement was so slippy I had to run on the road. I didn't get run over though.