Auntie Knows Best

This has been a busy week but one full of good things.

The Little Miss took part in the Eisteddfod and she recited a poem – she did brilliantly and had lovely, kind comments from the adjudicator

The weather was good enough to have lunch in the garden at the weekend and we had a handsome, but stupid, male pheasant visiting the garden.

On Saturday I managed a fab cycle, swim at Horseshoe Pool with my friend Emma and then a trip to church for a green event which was lovely. So many people to catch up with.

The weekend ended with Mothering Sunday. Always a day of mixed emotions but one in which my sister and I talked a little about Mum whilst going out for dinner and visiting her grave with the children.

We have so many blessings and so much to be grateful for.

Mothering Sunday and this picture pretty much sums up the two sides of the coin which reflect the day for me.

On one side of the coin I am so blessed to be Mummy to these fabulous small people. They bring me great joy and pleasure and I am enormously proud of them for their kindness and compassion for people as well as their achievements and successes, Oh, they are also enormously stubborn and frustrating at times but I think we call this character building.

On the other side of the coin is the constant reminder that my Mum isn’t here and it is now 8 and a bit years since she died. So much time has passed but her absence is still obvious at special occasions. I am hugely grateful that I had such a wonderful Mum and she taught me so much about mothering, things that I never knew I needed to know. I wish she was here to ask about the bits I forgot to learn though.

Two sides of the same coin but both remind me that I am hugely blessed; for what I have and what I had. I am a lucky mother and daughter,

Mothering Sunday – a day of mixed feelings every single year.

For a long time Mother’s Day was so tough – I was desperate to have children and it just was not happening. Then finally The Little Mister came along and I had one glorious Mother’s Day where I was just so happy with life. I had a lovely baby, we had just moved into our house and we were just up the road from Mum.

Then Mum died and Mothering Sunday became a horrible reminder of what we had lost and the very profound absence of her in our lives. I only really had one Mother’s Day which was a real celebration.

Time has moved on now though and I have made my peace – now Mothering Sunday is a lovely day to celebrate. I have two beautiful children and I was so lucky to have such a wonderful Mum for so many years. Whilst I had a moment of feeling a little weepy, mainly it was a day of happiness.

At lunchtime we went out with Dad, my sister and brother-in-law and the kids. We had a lovely meal and I think my sister is a brilliant Mum and it was great to be able to share the day with her. Without a doubt we know that Mum would be massively proud of us – she might not agree with all our parenting decisions but I am sure that she would support us and be there for us. She would have adored the grandchildren and they would have adored her. I wish they’d had the opportunity to know her and experience the unconditional love and fun with her that Louise and I did.

I hope that everyone who finds today tough as managed to find some peace and rest somewhere in the day. I know it is a hard day. Much love xxxx

Mothering Sunday – a day of such mixed up emotions.

I obviously think a lot about my own Mum. I wonder how different my life would be if she were here. I think I might feel less stressed, better supported and more confident in my parenting. I would love to ask her what I was like as a small child and whether I was as difficult to parent as The Little Miss can be at times. I suspect I was just like her!

I like to think that Mum would be really proud of me; that she would be happy with the way the children are turning out. In fact, I think she would be proud of the way me and my sister have turned out. I fully believe that she considered that we were her greatest achievements and I remain abundantly grateful for all the time and energy and love she invested in us.

Instead of having my Mum for support I have a few wonderful women who are around. I totally believe that I am a better mother for having them in my lives, helping me make decisions and sharing the load of Mothering. I am grateful for my sister – her unending support both emotional and physical makes a huge difference to me. My lovely friend Emma is another person who makes mothering manageable and bearable. I appreciate her support and care for me and children and husband.

I believe that as we need to work hard to care for the mothers in our communities; to nurture, love and support each other. We need to build each other up and share the load of parenting, for when we parent together we are more effective and our children benefit from the extended ‘mothering’ they experience.

So today, I went to church. I cried a little and smiled more. I cooked a lovely roast dinner for my family and my Dad and then we went to the beach with Emma and her children. The kids went body-boarding (in March!!) and Emma and I drank pink fizz.

Thankyou to everyone who helps me be a better Mum. Your support, love and care has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated.

Mothering Sunday and today I was treated to a lie in followed by breakfast in bed of coffee and hot-cross buns with butter. Perfect!

We have had a lovely day with church followed by a lovely roast lunch at Dad’s house.

The kids bought me some lovely handcream and bits and pieces but these gorgeous handmade cards were what really made my day.

Mothering Sunday is always tough. A day of mixed emotions. On one hand I miss my Mum so much. On the other hand I am super grateful for the two lovely children that I have. I know so many people who still long to have children and I remember well what the pain of waiting feels like. I am grateful that I now, at least in part, get to experience Mother’s Day as a joyful day rather than a sad day.

Today has been a good day. I had church this morning and sang in worship group which I really enjoyed and then we went out for lunch with my sister and her family, Dad and my cousin Stef and her lovely fiance.

This photo was taken a few weeks ago but I love it. The children gave me a lovely gift of bulbs and a new mug and thermos flask and both had made cards at pre-school and Daddy had also got one. The Little Miss made me laugh a lot though by continually wishing me Happy Birthday. It was very sweet.

Whilst yesterday I concentrated on my Mum and how much I miss her there was also another part of Mothering Sunday.

My wonderful little boy appears to have fabulous taste and bought me some chocolates and stuff to go in my bath and some lovely tulips.

He also bought me this lovely card featuring a pink piglet wearing red wellies. It really made me smile and The Little Mister thinks it is marvellous and keeps giggling when he sees it.

We are very fortunate. We have so much and I am truly grateful for my wonderful husband and son. They have kept me going and I love them very much. Thank you boys xxx