Change

Last year my lovely friend Claire (Cheshire Mum ) tagged me in the theme word meme, whereby instead of new years resolutions you choose a theme word to live your life by for that year. Last year I chose family.And boy did I live by that word.

In March  I gave birth to my beautiful little girl who I see as completing my little family, a trio was amazing, a gang of four? Immeasurable joy. I threw myself completely and utterly in to my little unit and have held my babies closer than I ever thought imaginable. I have made time for the close family that are important to me and likewise they have reciprocated.

So a part of me still holds on to that theme word. But this year my, or our theme word is CHANGE. I don't want to say too much because as a family we are in the initial stages of making the changes that we want to. Those of you who read this blog that are close to me will know what changes I mean. Big ones. Exciting ones. Drastic ones. Changes for the future of myself and my family. I can't wait. But am also a bit scared. the changes are somewhat sacrificial (not in a slaughtering a lamb way just to make that clear!) but for the greater good of the four of us. I will stop there as I don't want to let the cat out of the bag for fear of jinxing any plans.

We have reached a stage where life is for living, no regrets, it is not a rehearsal and all those cliches.But often times the cliches are true. They are in this case.

I'm not going to tag anyone as this is not one of those posts really where I need to, although having said that I am so glad that Claire tagged me last year. x

Not a great quality picture but a very Happy Christmas day image all the same. And these two kind of sum up my post as they have instigated changes in our family in so many ways. Some mental, some physical, some just circumstantial. But changes none the less. And I'm psyching myself up for one of the biggest ones of all.

10 best things in life (that also happen to cost zilch)

I was tagged over by the brilliant blog that is MELLOW MUMMY to think about ten of my most favourite things in life that are free.


1.
Walking, I walked loads when I was pregnant with Monty, and this pregnancy has scuppered those repeated plans as have had a terrible back and am now suffering with the widening of my pelvis, so walking hurts. I miss it. I have a Labrador that needs exercise, and a family that loves fresh air. I live by the sea, and the South Downs and so hope as soon as Pickle is born, things settle down, James completes his Sergeants exam and I finish my college course (phew! I know tall order) then we will get back to our long family walks in time to enjoy the spring weather.

2.
Smiling. In the words of Buddy in the film Elf ''I love smiling, it's my favourite.''
I love that feeling of passing on a smile, whether it's an old lady at the post office or another Mum with a buggy at the park. Try it, if someone smiles at you, smile back, and make damned sure you then smile at someone else, kind of like a smile chain letter? Nice! This world can be a miserable place, lets try to cheer it up a little eh?

3.
The seasons. My bedroom is south facing so the light is always really good, and we overlook a junction of another road, so our tree lined street meets another. It's lovely to look out the window at different times of year and see the changing weather, the blossoms on the trees in the sping, that bright glaring sun in the summer, the reddening leaves int he autumn and then of course the bare branches and even snow covered branches recently in the winter. Lovely.

4.
Baby farts! Ever since Monty was born his bodily pumps and now his full blown bum guffs crack me up! Fact!

which leads me onto

5.
Laughter, no one makes me laugh more than James and Monty. I love that satisfying belly laugh, or something that makes you laugh until you cry, tears rolling down your face.

6.
My Nan and Grandad, or BobBobs and DeeDee and Monty calls them. They are beautiful people with wonderful kind hearts. I adore them. And loving your family costs nothing!

7.
Watching my boy grow, he changes before my eyes and I daily take a moment to stop and stare as he says things, does things that are new and exciting.

8.
Day dreams and memory lane, James and I love to remember our last eight years together, it's gone so fast and our lives have changed so much. And we also love to day dream about our future, who knows what it will hold!

9.
Rainy afternoons stuck inside, I know mad aren't I? I used to hate these exact afternoons but as Monty gets older, he's more 'company' like a little buddy, and I love to snuggle up on the sofa and watch The Jungle Book (again) Or paint, or play with play dough or read or...you get the idea!


10. My family, my gang, my tribe, the three soon to become four of us. Technically not free....but the love is so I think this one still counts?


So have a go, ( sorry if you've already been tagged

SOPH4SOPH
THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY
LIFE WITH A LITTLE DUDE
CLAIRE LANCASTER
AND KELLYS HIDING PLACE

MY #Themeword

My twitter buddy, my twend, one of my tweople, oh sod it, SOMEONE I CHAT TO ON TWITTER, the lovely Claire of Dandelion Lounge blog has tagged me in a meme, in which the task is instead of coming up with new years resolutions, you choose a #themeword. You must choose this word to make a change in how you live your life.

Yeah.

Not easy eh?

So I thought..........

And I did more thinking...............

Hmmmmm. The only big thing I want to change about this year, and stop it from being like last year is basically family.

This year has been a tough one for me family wise, a lot of emotions have been felt. Nothing regarding James or Monty, those two are my rock. Or rather, my rocks.

I'm not going to go into details, as I do not have the words and I'm tired of the thoughts.

But basically this year my family, my unit goes from three (I'm not including the dog- sorry Lenny) and becomes four. We instantly become a tribe. And this makes me feel very emotional. Monty will have a sister, a sibling. Hopefully a playmate, a buddy, someone he'll want to protect. James and I are both only children and I'm ecstatic we are bringing someone else into Mo's life.

So I'm going to enjoy it. So very much.

By the time Pickle arrives, I'll have finished my college course. Finally, as I have been killing myself to get it done in twelve instead of eighteen months so that it's not hanging around while I'm welcoming my newborn litle girl in to the world.

A few weeks before my due date James is sitting his Sergeants exam. This means once these two big hurdles have been jumped we can go back to having 'proper' quality family time, instead of sharing childcare so that each of us gets study time crammed in when he has his days off.

Can't wait. I've missed it.

So my #themeword is family, and I will cherish and protect that little unit like my life depends on it. I'll hold them close and hold them dear because no matter what, they are everything there is, and without everything what is there?

Nothing?