I thought I’d start this blog as a way of keeping a record, if you like, of my busy life as ‘Mummy’ to our two remaining children. A record of their journey through this crazy life, of our happiness together as a surviving family. Survivors of devastation, grief and sorrow.

A memory perhaps, for my children to look back on in years to come and find a deeper understanding of the ‘bigger picture’ of our life together… A happy memory for all of us here, of our simple though sometimes crazy, busy lives…

So who are we then? Well, there’s Me. Mummy. A badge I wear with great pride. A badge I feel honoured and privileged to own. Being a Mother is something which I have never taken for granted and will always consider to be something of a miracle. Parenthood is not a given and neither should it be taken lightly.

Then there’s Him. My rock. My shoulder. My other half. He completes me. Without him I would not be quite Me! Together we have taken, and are still taking, a journey I would not wish to have taken with any other, neither would any other wish to have ever taken with me, I am certain! We have experienced complete and utter devastation together. We have been to a place of pure Hell, I’m not sure you ever quite ‘come back’ from there? Together we have picked up the fragile pieces of what is left of ‘Us’ and continued along our rocky, un-eaven path together. We would not be with any other, there is no other we could ever take those times to who would ever truly understand where we have been… We are ‘Meant’.

And then of course, there’s ‘Them’. Without whom we would not be a ‘whole’.

Our Daughter, she has a light which shines from within. She has a quiet, gentle soul and a caring, thoughtful nature. She is always clean and everything has a place. She never colours outside of the lines and her hands are never dirty. She has an imagination which is developing with each and every day, with each and every experience. She takes life on board and has a sensible outlook. She has an elegance and grace about her. She will never be a great sportswoman, but she may be a beautiful and successful dancer. She will never be a world leader, but she may be one of our times great ‘thinkers’. She will see that things ‘get done’! She is here for great things. We watch with great intent…

And completing ‘us’ is our Son. He also has a light which shines from within. You can’t be in his company and not be happy. Life is funny and fun! Life is for living and he is already living it with both feet! He is living it for two. He has an energy which is contagious. He exudes life, love and happiness. He is our Rainbow and he shines with all the colours! He is meant for greatness. He is, as his name suggests, Most Wonderful.

So there we are, that is ‘Us’. A happy little family. ‘Perfect’ someone once described us as. “One of each, perfect” I will agree. Though when you know us better you will see that this is perhaps not quite the case, but for now I will agree. Perfect.

So what of our ‘lives’? Well, we’re pretty easy going. A simple, easy-living bunch. We have our work. He has his Garden, I have my ‘babies’. My own and those of others – I am a Baby Consultant by trade. I offer parenting advice thanks to years of experience through a very successful Nannying career (and of course, my own, first hand experience as Mummy). You can find that ‘other’ Me at thebabymanual.co.uk. We enjoy good old fashioned family time together. We’re still finding our feet here in the depths of Herefordshire (well, I’ve been pregnant for so long, ever since we moved here until 6 months ago when our Son finally joined us – and I don’t do pregnancy well! Life was pretty much on ‘hold’ for quite some time!) so our lives as it were are really only just getting started!

It’s funny that, life has really only just begun for us here, yet changed so dramatically already!

And for our most recent change – the starting of School – the ‘Dawning of a New Era’ as it were! Already this evening I have been doing something I thought was still some time away for me, though it has crept up on me when I wasn’t quite looking My back was turned and there it was. Uniform. Ironing. Hmm. Our Daughter has indeed started School! A huge milestone in anyones life. A time I was not altogether ready for. I have embraced it. I am accepting it. I will thrive from it no doubt. Just give me a couple more weeks to get my head around it and then I’ll be with you! I’ll be on that ‘Friends’ committee. I’ll be heading some fundraising event or other. I’ll be there at the ‘Mouse Racing evening’. I’ll be handing out the oranges at half time! Yes, give me a moment and I’ll be there! For this is where it all begins I’m sure…