Valuing being home

This is how I now feel. I can jump for joy at accepting I'm supposed to be at home right now

I love having some time to myself during the week when the kids are at school. I never realised before how little time I had to think, life was so busy that I dashed from one thing to the next and never allowed myself the freedom to ponder, to imagine and to create new possibilities. I just accepted the first thought that popped into my head and went with it, but not anymore. Now I question myself and explore all possibilities and often come to completely new conclusions. It really is a revelation to me.

Over the last year I have been having a guilt battle in my own head. On the one hand I know how busy I am and I know that I don't sit around and watch daytime telly, I'm not a lazy kind of woman. Then on the other hand I question the value there is in what I currently do. Surely when I worked outside the home I was creating more value? Adding more money to our household account? being a better example to our kids?  But no to all of those things.

Today I was able to go for an open morning at the secondary school that JJ wants to attend, this week I can do both school drops and collects for mine and a friends kids as she is recovering from an operation, today I sat for over an hour at the table with the girls and we did maths homework and we laughed and they learnt. Also today I cooked a really tasty meal from scratch and it was ready for 5.30pm when dh got home from work so he could eat quickly and head straight out to lead cubs.

There is value in what I'm doing and I need to believe it and embrace it. If I want to sit down and read my book or watch TV for an hour then I should do it without any guilt. When did I ever feel guilty taking a lunch break at work? Never, I felt like I earned it. But I earn a break here too, the washing is up to date, the ironing done, the shopping put away, the dinner cooked and the dishes washed, the floor swept and hoovered, the beds changed and all those little things like remembering birthdays and booking holidays, yes I do those and keep this household running smoothly.

I also earn money, nowhere near what I used to earn but nowadays I can read each day with Miss E and help her with her struggles. I can chat to Miss M when she tells me the woes from her day at school and I can have a cuppa with JJ and laugh at his crazy jokes. How important is it that I connect with these little people every day?  Beyond important, it is imperative.

I enjoy my new way of life, I've got into a good rhythm and what might seem mundane to some is enjoyable and relaxing for me. When dh says to me on an evening what are you doing tomorrow, I need to hold my head high and believe I'm doing something important that adds value to our lives.

I'm making our home.

I'm nurturing our kids.

I'm stretching my artistic talent.

I'm writing to change the world.

I'm spending time with God and

I'm learning who Michelle is and what really means something to her.


This journey of discovery is good, not without its scary bits and you have to be willing to face some fears but I'd definitely recommend it.

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I like being Mum

It is all too easy to get wound-up by the little things. Yesterday JJ sat at the kitchen table once he arrived home from school and he was delighted that his Beano comic had arrived in the post.  He ripped the cover off quickly and sat there having his snack and avidly devouring his weekly dose of old-skool humour.

After about 15 minutes he headed upstairs to get changed and I suspect turn his laptop on for a short play before swimming lessons. As I turned round I noticed on the table the wrappings from his Beano and I tutted to myself and wondered why it was beyond his grasp to just throw it in the bin a few steps behind him.

I then had a choice - I could call up the stairs and ask him to come back and do it or I could just be loving and throw it away. I choose to just bin it, as in that moment I remembered how much I like being the one who is relied upon and needed to do these things. This is just part of being Mum, tidying the little things after the kids.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a mug. My kids are generally very good at pulling their weight, especially if I ask them to help out, in fact I’m really quite pleased that at practically 11 years old I don’t get any lip from JJ when I ask him to set the table or do the recycling.

This small thing did set me thinking about how much I like being Mum and what being Mum means to me. I fully believe it is different for everyone and that there is no wrong or right, only your wrong or right. As Mum I cook the bulk of the meals, do the washing, keep the house clean and tidy, put the plasters on the grazed knees, sort out the school clubs, do the shopping and generally keep things running for our family on a day to day basis and I feel immensely happy to be able to do that.

This time last year I had just given up my well-respected job and I did not know what the future held for me. There have been a fewwobbles in the last year as I have realised the enormity and changes that come with moving from being a work out of the house mum to a stay at home mum who volunteers and does a bit of paid work on the side.

I have to admit that I’m happier now, I can go for a long walk if I want to. I can read a book if I so desire, I can go to an exercise class in the day time and I can take a midday bath if that is what I fancy. I have boundaries and mostly they are school hours but within those I am my own boss and I have found that I have grown in humility, serenity and thankfulness since our life changing move last July.

Thank you Jesus, that you have given me this time to just be and to allow me to rest and restore ready for the great adventure that I feel you have next in store for our family.

I’m listening and I’m ready. Call me when the time is right, your time.

Mich x

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Living life outdoors

All parents know there is a problem nowadays, kids want to stay indoors and play with their computer games or watch TV or generally just chill-lax (such a funny word!) and whilst all those things are fine in moderation, it means a whole generation of kids are missing out on the fun and wonder of getting outdoors and exploring our natural world.

Naturalist, author and TV producer Stephen Moss pulls on years of academic research and surveys in his Natural Childhood report, he highlights how a generation of children are losing touch with the natural world and this is really sad. His report outlines a clear need to tackle the rise of ‘Nature Deficit Disorder’, a term coined by the US based writer Richard Louv, to describe a growing dislocation between children and nature.

I thank the Lord that my husband has been a scout leader for as long as the kids have been alive. This means that all three of our children are happy to get their wellies on and get muddy. In fact they would all cite camping as the ultimate in great family times and for a southern softie I'm pretty tough and all-weather too and we have had many a trip to the play park in the pouring rain or nature walks along a boggy path.

Out last week in the pouring rain

Of course since moving to the countryside three months ago it has become even easier for us to get out and enjoy nature and the great outdoors, but the weather is on the change and that is when the challenges will come. Yes we headed out in torrential rain last weekend and had some fun conker collecting but how often will we want to keep doing that? Very often I hope.

My best memories this summer have definitely been those created whilst we were outdoors -

• Lying in our private garden with Miss M and watching all the beautiful coloured dragon flies over our heads
• Taking my lakeside morning walk each day and watching the scenery change
• Blackberry picking with Miss E
• Basketball with JJ and some great friends
• Discovering the fungi and nooks and crannies of our estate as the girls and I go exploring the woods yet again
• Getting charged at by a stag in Richmond Park (yes really!)

Let me share with you some scary statistics from the National Trust -

• Fewer than ten per cent of kids play in wild places; down from 50 per cent a generation ago
• The roaming radius for kids has declined by 90 per cent in one generation (thirty years)
• Three times as many children are taken to hospital each year after falling out of bed, as from falling out of trees
• A 2008 study showed that half of all kids had been stopped from climbing trees, 20 per cent had been banned from playing conkers or games of tag

Go back 6 months ago and this little lady would never have dreamed of climbing a tree,
but now - just look at the joy on her face!

OK, I get why some parents are scared to let their kids climb trees but stop them from playing conquers and tag, that really does reek of wrapping their children up in cotton wool. We surely all know that we need to allow our children to grow and learn and just provide some boundaries and safety nets for them. Accidents will happen of course, Miss M has her arm in a cast right now, but I pray she will learn from it.

I do everything I can to encourage the children to keep going outside and to enjoy nature and our natural world. Not only is it educational, it is great for their fitness and it is fabulous fun too. Feel free to share with me any tips you have for getting outdoors in the not so great weather.

Disclosure: I am writing this post on behalf of Blacks.co.uk, suppliers of great outdoor wear products. JJ is the happy recipient of some new hiking boots to keep him snug over the winter months.

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Come walk with me...

A couple of weeks back I started a quiet morning walk every day and so far, so good. I am keeping it up each day and really enjoying it.  I'm out the house for about 45-60 minutes and that includes walking and praying.

My Fitbit Flex is on my wrist and monitors how active I am being. I have already seen an improvement in how quick I can walk the lake and also how my aches and pains in my calves are lessening. Each walk round the lake clocks about 3800 steps up and that gives me a great start to the day.

I can honestly say I never in a million years thought I could enjoy exercise but it must have just been that I needed the right place. I have not been enjoying the mossie bites it has to be said!

I thought you might like to come walk with me and see the beautiful views I get to take in each day. I am so looking forward to seeing the landscape change over the year and watching summer turn to autumn and for all the leaves to change and start to fall. I don't think I'll ever get bored....

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Thinking about using my time effectively

It has been a long time since I have posted a diet or exercise post here on the blog and it is about time I made some changes. My life has been too sedentary the last nine months or so and my waistline shows it. Thankfully I'm not any larger than I was in September 2012 when I last attempted to kick start my healthy eating and exercise but I'm already far too big and I know that being this overweight can have really severe health consequences, so I need to take this seriously.

Exercise is not something I love and that makes it even harder, I do have to force myself to do exercise for the sake of exercising and the thought of spending loads of money in the process is really off-putting, not to mention impractical given that I have just finished work. So whatever I choose to do has to be economical.

You might have seen that my family are moving to the countryside and this seems the perfect opportunity for me to get fitter. The estate I'll be living on is 220 acres of fields, woods, streams, lakes and open areas and how amazing will it be to go exploring all that land and in the process getting fitter? Then I know what I'm like once I start to lose a little weight and feel a bit more awake as I'm exercising, it then becomes a bit addictive and I want to continue with it.  I just need to make those first purposeful steps and get in the zone.

Last weekend when we went to our new home to drop dh off I was chatting to one of the staff there and she commented that she had only once in the time she has lived there walked all three lakes in one go.  I asked her how long it takes and she said only about an hour and from that an idea was born. The lady I was chatting to seems lovely and I need to make some new friends so I immediately suggested to her we might like to go walking together a few times a week.  She seemed up for that idea and said it would be a good way for us to get to know each other.

Miss M in front of one of the lakes

So this weekend I'm going down there again and I want to check out the route around the three lakes and see what I am letting myself in for.  I'm going to buy an activity tracker, like a sophisticated pedometer that will track my steps and motivate me and I need to invest in a new sports bra as I think I must finally give in and say my one is just too small and too old and we know how important good support is for us ageing ladies!

When I went to Ethiopia last October I got some nice soft trainer type shoes and they will be perfect for my walks and I already have casual bottoms and tops so I think I am all set. I'll tie my hair back, grab a bottle of water and head out into the unknown this weekend. Leaving the kids to daddy daycare, I'm sure he will have missed them immensely this week.

Then over this weekend I am also going to make a menu plan for the coming week and plan out my eating. I know that when I am planned and purposeful in my eating it is much better and I don't impulsively reach out for things I do not need.

I think it would also be a good idea to read over some of my old diet and #Mumentum posts on here, to remind myself of all the things I need to do and be aware of.  It is so easy to forget I am on a heath kick and to give in, so I must remember to drink lots of water each day, get to bed at a decent hour, make sure I have turned the laptop off by 10pm at the latest and to have snacks like carrot sticks ready prepared in the fridge.

Wish me luck, I'll keep you in the loop and let you know how I am doing. Any great tips for me?

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A life changing reason to be cheerful

I'm a day late and I wasn't supposed to be joining in this week as #R2BC is being hosted over at Seasider in the City but I am very excited and can't hold it in, so here is a quickie from me -

1. My hubbie has got a new job and with that job comes a house, a very beautiful stone built house that is being refurbished as I type (well maybe not at this moment but in general). So we are all moving and this is pretty massive and quite scary but also amazingly exciting and very much faith led. We believe that God is leading us to this new life and hopefully more time together as a family with a slower pace of life. As for me and work who knows but we have a few months to sort that, this won't all happen until early summer.

Not all of it (of course) but one of these cottages is our new house!  Yes that is a real Church in our back garden!

And this is where dh will be working -

And there are 3 lakes on the 220 acres and apparently we can swim in one of the lakes all summer -

Do you think our lives may just be changing beyond recognition?  I do.

Now starts all the hard work - new schools, changing jobs, moving house, sorting our finances.........  and on and on.

Wishing you all a blessed Easter.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.

Mich x

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