#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (May) The Florida Edition!

This past month we've had more photos taken as a family than we have done ever.

You see, this month we've been on holiday in Orlando, Florida (I'm still here as I write this post!).

I actually almost forgot about this post and whilst looking at photos on my camera yesterday I suddenly realised the date.

Anyone who follows my Instagram feed will know we've been having a totally amazing time!

I have to admit, I was a little nervous about such a big holiday with two small children. We holidayed here last January when I was pregnant and so I knew MC loved it but I was unsure how TC would cope with the travelling and the heat being so young.

I needn't have worried a bit.

At just 14 months old (3 days ago) he has loved every single second of it (separate post to follow on our return) even though the weather has been between 30-35c every day. He was a dream on the 9.5 hour flight too and he literally hasn't stopped smiling since.

We've had some pretty awesome magical moments out here. Both kids have loved the character meets. MC runs up to each character and wraps her arms around them like they are long lost family. TC can sometimes be a tiny bit shy with the 'people' characters like the Princesses etc. but with those like Mickey and Minnie he's loved them. He has a particular soft spot for Wreck It Ralph and even enjoyed meeting Darth Vadar!

One of the highlights of the holiday came Wednesday night when, after experiencing the ever amazing fireworks at Epcot, we drove over to The Magic Kingdom for some late night fun. We managed to catch the fireworks there then did some more rides and character meets. We were the last public in the new Fantasyland area of the character meet when Minnie, Daisy, Donald and Goofy were all knocking off for the night. They saw MC and started playing with her. We got a photo of her with all 4 of them. She was beside herself!

During this holiday I've watched the bond between our two children grow even stronger. They've laughed so hard together and TC has developed even more of a cheeky character than he had before. Matt and I have enjoyed spending our 6th Wedding Anniversary out here. We've also enjoyed our time together as a family of 4 so much and I'm going to treasure these memories as I know, when we get back to the UK, we have the house move happening in less than 3 weeks and everything will feel like a blur.

We've been out here 17 nights now and we still have 5 nights left. I know that the kids don't want to go home and neither do Matt and I...even though we have a new house to move into.

I kind of put my tears on the plane home last year down to pregnancy hormones but thinking about leaving here next week I'm welling up already.

We feel so at home out here.

I have so many family photos I want to share but, for the moment, they are in my Disney Photopass account which I won't be sorting until I'm back in the UK. So I can only share a few that have been taken on my camera or my phone by other people (and a couple of others for good measure). I hope they still manage to give you a small idea of just how incredible it's been so far.

Here's to another amazing holiday out here and being ever thankful for just how lucky we are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guest Post...The Little Gang In Paris - Se Souvenir Des Belles Choses

Françoise, actually started her blog in June 2012 after moving to Paris with an 18 month old and another on the way. However, she only blogged 3 posts before starting officially in March this year.

The Little Gang In Paris is her blog about all the stories of their life over the other side of the channel and she blogs in both French and English! There's commitment for you.

Having known and met Multiple Mummy, this heartfelt post by Françoise made me cry. I think everyone in the blogging community and beyond (Françoise is also a friend of Jennie) is feeling very sensitive at the the moment. 

The title of this post in English is 'Remember the beautiful things' but I think it sounds much better in French. Considering English is not her first language, this reads beautifully.

Se souvenir des belles choses

This week I have read a blog that I hadn't heard about before (I have started blogging very recently). It was Multiple Mummy's blog. As I didn't know it, I read the "About' page. A minute later I was reading the "tribute to my beautiful wife". I had already grown an empathy for this woman and a minute later I was reading that she has passed away recently. 

I was left in shock.

Life is frail, very fail. 

Most of the time, you don't know it.

Most of the time, you ignore it, you forget it, you just don't think about the fact that you can die unexpectedly.

If we are honest with ourselves, we can only picture ourselves alive for a long time surrounded by our family and children. 

We cannot imagine that we might not be there to witness our children's life.

We cannot imagine that they might not be there with us for the rest of our life.

Yet, we, or they, could die, tomorrow, in a month, in ten years. 

We forget that we are only human until ...  we lose someone we cherish. 

Over the last four years, I have lost my father. He died of a cancer. 

I have lost a very dear friend. He was murdered for who knows what reason last August. 

And recently, friends well known in the blogging community in the UK have lost their baby girl. 

This has left me in a very deep state of sadness that I find hard sharing with other people, This has left me wondering about the beauty and cruelty of life. 

Because there is definitely beauty in life : one of the truest experiences of it is giving birth.

But there is also cruelty : why would you die before you've even had the time to live ? Why would such people, with so much happiness in them, have to die so early ? 

Because this is the common point between my dad, Paul and Matilda : so much happiness, so much joie de vivre.  

It makes it so much harder to go on for their loved ones.

But as sad as I am - and I have never been so sad in my life - I want, I need, to learn something from these tragedies. And they really are tragedies to me. 

We are in charge of our children's childhood. 

Them having wonderful memories of it is all down to us making it happen.

I don't know if I will be able to look back in the future and say that I have become the mother I wanted to be.

But this is what I want to aim for. 

This is the portrayal of the mother I want to be. 

This is the mother I wish my children say I was if I was to die tomorrow : 

A mother who loved her children,

A mother who told them everyday she did,

A mother who they could talk to,

A mother they trusted enough to confide when things were not ok,

A mother who made them laugh,

A mother who gave them a sense of curiosity, 

A mother who gave them a taste for adventure,

A mother who built their selfconfidence,

A mother who made sure they understood life had to be enjoyed fully, 

A mother who made sure they understood that family matters,

A mother who built their relationship as brother and sister,

A mother who truly played with them,

A mother who danced and sung with them, 

A mother who took them to as many places as she could,

A mother who made things by herself for them to play with, for them to wear...

A mother who tried to communicate her passions with them, not necessarily for them to have these passions, but for them to have passions of their own, for them to be open-minded.

I don't mean to sound arrogant. 

I have a lot to do to become this person. 

I'm not sure I will succeed. 

But this will steer me in the right direction.

I have written this yesterday and I realize that the person I want to be for my children is the person my dad was for me. 

He really was an awesome father and I miss him dearly. 

You can find Françoise here
http://thelittleganginparis.blogspot.fr
https://twitter.com/Themafiainparis

Guest Post...Baked Potato Mummy - Inheritance Tracks

My next guest post is is the first from three special ladies who are friends of Jennie at Edspire. 

Lucy has recently started blogging over at the lovely blog Baked Potato Mummy and this is her her with her little boy 'Potato'.

She's given up her job in London to become a SAHM (and try and run an online retail business) and loves it. Like Jennie, she's a huge fan of messy play so head over to her blog for some inspiration. 

Here she takes on an idea from BBC Radio 4...


Inheritance Tracks

I’m pretty new to blogging, although I’ve been lurking in the background for some time. Over the last few months, I’ve met some wonderful people in this online community. I’ve learned that you don’t always have to be able to sit down face-to-face over a cup of tea or glass of wine, to share troubles and joys with like-minded people. I’ve learned that being on the end of a keyboard for somebody is as important as being able to give them a physical hug. Everybody has been so friendly and supportive and I already feel part of this wonderful community. One of these lovely welcoming ladies is Heather, from www.sahmlovingit.blogspot.com. So when she offered this opportunity to guest post on her blog, I was thrilled to be able to take her up. I've shamelessly 'borrowed' this idea from a BBC Radio 4 program (am I showing my age a bit here?) I’ve always had music in my life, both played and listened to. My dad is especially keen on keeping up with the latest musical technology and sound. He’s even gone so far as to install a 3.1 sound system in Potato's nursery at their house, arguing that he wanted his grandson to grow up appreciating a proper sound! Some of my strongest early memories are of family gathering and the music that went with them. Because of that, I can't stick to just the 2 tracks, so I've expanded the idea a little. 

So what tracks have I inherited from my parents? 
The first is easy. 
Rod Stewart, ‘From Here to Eternity’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIpUQdKH_8A 
If I close my eyes, I can go straight back to the sittingroom in our Suffolk cottage. The fire roaring in the inglenook, kippering us all slightly; the dog sprawled on the rug in front of it, twitching in her sleep; and my parents, sister and me lounging on sofas and floor cushions. Blasting from the stereo, Rod Stewart's Every Beat of My Heart album. I’ve always been taken by songs that tell a story, and this one always struck a chord with me.

Next, is Deacon Blue, 'Dignity'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNwvIEQsg0

Whereas Rod Stewart comes from Mum, Deacon Blue is very much from Dad. High quality audio sound didn't stop in the house. The car sound system has always been top notch too.As kids, we'd often go for long family drives and inevitablythis song was in the stereo, playing at full volume whenever Mum would allow it. I have a vivid memory of singing it at the top of my lungs with Dad and my sister.

Finally comes the embarrassing admission. The song that shows how untrendy I really was when it came to musical taste for an 11 year old. 
Ralph McTell, ‘Streets of London’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiWomXklfv8
There, I’ve said it. Don’t shoot me, or judge me too harshly (my husband has already threatened divorce over this one!). This one goes back even further than Rod Stewart. I can picture toddler me sat on the sofa in our first house, listening to this tune. It was one of the first things I remember picking to play on the piano. It was also the cause of much mocking in my early teens. When my peers where into New Kids on the Block (is that really any better?), I was still humming“Let me take you by the hand and lead you through the streets of London. I'll show you something to make you change your mind.”Rest assured, in the way that only teenage girls can, I had my mind changed soon enough!


So there you have it. My Inheritance Tracks.


So how about the tracks that I would like Potato to inherit from me?


Again, the first one is easy. It’s Eva Cassidy, ‘True Colours’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hhu1l36eTE
This was the first dance at our wedding. As soon as we heard it, we knew it was going to be our song. We had an amazing 6 piece band playing, with a stunning female vocalist. They’d actually forgotten to learn the song and proposed downloading it and playing Eva Cassidy’s version. I tried not to have a Bridezilla moment, but obviously something showed in my face and in 4 hours, the band learned it and performed it perfectly. When we hired them the following year for my Dad’s 60^th birthday party, they performed it again, dedicating it to us. Even now, whenever we hear it, we stop and listen and think back to our special day.


For my second one, I think I have to go back to my teenage years again with Metallica ‘Sad But True’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8MO7fkZc5o
I’ve always enjoyed rock and metal music and although my taste has perhaps mellowed with age, Metallica is definitely a band that defined my youth - from 6^th form through to university and beyond. So they deserve a place in here. I used to sit in boring history lessons at school, scrawling the lyrics on my notes, with hands painted in black nail varnish and sporting my Metallica patched denim jacket. Later, at university, I’d head down the local rock bar on a Sunday night with my mates, for DJ Tim. Sad But True was guaranteed to get us all up and moshing! Wow! Those were the days! Listening to it now in the background, I can even feel the urge to indulge in a little headbanging! I’ll refrain though, as my aging body probably isn’t up to it!


Finally, something a little different. 
Prokoffief’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’ (this link is only the first part of the piece).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpoizq-jjxs
It’s the Disney animated version that I remember watching as a young girl, but I’ve recently found this version narrated by David Bowie, which I adore. The way in which each instrument is associated with a character in the story, really brings the instruments alive. I will forever associate a duck with the oboe. If you haven’t watched or listened to this, or have children that haven’t, I urge you to. Though the wolf in the Disney version can be a little frightening!

Well there we are. A little insight into the important music in my life. There are so many other tracks I could mention, but that’s perhaps another post for another time. For now, I hope you enjoy the music.

What would your inheritance tracks be? 

Lucy can be found here:
http://www.bakedpotatomummy.co.uk
https://twitter.com/loobylu77