Reasons To Be Cheerful...it's a double!

I didn't get chance to join in with Michelle at Mummy From The Heart and her lovely 'Reasons To Be Cheerful' link up.  So, I'm being extra cheerful this week to make up for it but as it happens Michelle has encouraged everyone to be more cheerful = result!  I'm also being extra cheerful as I'm going to do my first link up with Maxabella Loves on the other side of the world.  I love finding new blogs to read so it's a chance to hop around about 'down under'.

1. I love my new 'job'
I say job but it's not really as it's volunteer work. I'm now volunteering at a local Save The Children shop. If you haven't already read it, you should have a little read of my post from earlier this week called 'Born To Volunteer'. It's something I've always wanted to do but always used the 'I don't have the time' line. Well, I find my days are filled to the brim but I've managed to squeeze in some time and do you know what? I love it!

2. It's my daughters 2nd birthday next Friday
I can't believe that 2 years ago on the 11th March she entered this world.  She is growing up so fast it's untrue!  I am loving my time with her right now - she's really starting to talk properly and it's amazing to watch and my husband and I love having little conversations with her about her day.  She was diagnosed with childhood asthma on Thursday, poor little love, so has to have an inhaler before she goes to bed but she's been great with it.  In 6 months time she'll be starting play school.  Where is the time going?

3. My husband has some time off work coming up
He's off the day of my daughters birthday and he's also off the following week.  We have lots of treats and days out planned and I can't wait.  Just hoping he's fit enough to manage it with his ankle injury.

4. I went to the cinema
I can't actually remember the last time before that I went to the cinema it was that long ago.  I went last night with my best friend and we had a really nice time - especially as we went for a meal first too. My friend picked the film called 'No Strings Attached' which was about 'f*ck buddies'. All I knew before we went was it had Ashton Kutcher in it - nothing like a bit of naked eye candy on a Friday night if you ask me!

5. Spring is definitely in the air
It's finally March.  We are through the dull and cold months of January and February.  We are through the lull after Christmas where we all feel like we've eaten too much and are on the come-down after the festivities.  The snowdrops and daffs are blooming, the sun is shining and everything feels so much better!

6. Bloggy reasons
I was approached by a small company to host an advert or run a giveaway on Tuesday.  It's not what I started this blog for but it's nice to get recognition that my blog is being read and enjoyed.  Also, I updated my blog banner.  I know it's not exactly a reason to be cheerful but it made me a little happy on Wednesday night when I did it.  The one I had up before was thrown together in 5 minutes when I first started blogging at the beginning of the year.  This one is much better - and it took me 20 minutes, so worth the extra effort haha!  The photo of my daughter and I on the right was taken by one of my closest friends who runs Claire Penn Photography.  Oh and Lady Estrogen also wrote a funny guest post for me which I posted up yesterday...if you haven't read it then have a little look here and go check her out, she's fab!


What are your reasons to be cheerful/thankful this week?  Join in the hops and make new friends...

Back To Work

Today is the day that most people return to work after the festive period.  I say ‘most’ people but I don’t fall under that category.  I’m a ‘stay at home mum’ (SAHM).  I never in a million years thought that when I had children I would give up work but I absolutely love it.

I think sometimes more career-minded people, in a rather pitying way that makes me mad, can look down on SAHM’s.  This usually happens when they don’t have children themselves.  Maybe they think we sit around all day drinking coffee and watching daytime television.  Fact of the matter is I don’t.  Yes I go on twitter (and now this blog aha!) but it’s done quickly on my phone and usually when I’m waiting for something like the toaster or the microwave or I'm fed up playing with Mega Bloks ;-)

My working friends quite regularly ask me if I ‘miss’ work.  I never quite know how to answer that.  I wouldn’t say I miss work.  I certainly don’t miss the 124 miles of driving every day.  I don’t miss getting mad in the car at the idiots who don’t use the lanes on the motorway in the correct way.  I don’t miss the Bank Holiday traffic and me getting angry at all the caravan owners sat in the middle lanes or trying to over-take trucks and clogging up my journey home.  I don’t miss having disagreements with ‘creative’ bods who haven’t listened to me or read my brief correctly and me running around like an idiot trying to get something else done to present at a meeting.  I do however miss my income.  At the end of the day that’s what the vast majority of people work for no matter how much they say they ‘love’ their jobs.  

I don’t have any desire to return to work in the near future.  I left school at 16 and had plans to go to college but I landed myself a job.  I was on £35 a week and I loved it.  I worked my way up through the company, moving divisions and eventually achieved a manager role within marketing.  As the first signs of the recession started to hit about 4 years ago I was made redundant.  It hit me hard as the company was like my family; I’d grown up with it.  I was lucky enough to be offered a job elsewhere straight away and lucky for me I loved it.  Problem was it was 62 miles away from home and I also had to spend time driving up to Cumbria and down to Oxford.  Fortunately the pay was good and they paid business AND personal on my company car.  Happy days!  Fast-forward 2 years and I’m leaving to have a baby…eek!

At that point I was hit with a decision.  As it was I started my maternity leave early.  I left Christmas Eve when my baby wasn’t due until 16^th March!  It was mainly my husbands decision as he didn’t want me doing all the driving in the final trimester.  I was happy as it gave me time to prepare for having a baby.  I think Matt and I both just knew I wouldn’t be going back to work.  We’ve had to make some sacrifices but that’s what having children is all about.   We’ve never led overly extravagant lifestyles but we have been known to splurge from time-to-time – well now we certainly live a more frugal lifestyle.  We’ve had to adapt to this change in our life.  I have to say though that sometimes I do struggle not having my own income.  I’ve always had a wage.  For almost 20 years I worked and bought things for myself - I even bought my first car myself at the age of 18 when most of my friends were getting them as presents. 

Anyway, I digress.  Sorry.  I can see me amending this blog post a few times after publishing it!  I’m really happy being a SAHM.  I love spending time with my daughter and thankfully I still have contact with adults.  I meet regularly with my groups of friends, most without children or children who are 17+ so I get to have conversations other than potty training and tantrums.  I also have a few great friends with children of the same age as my daughter.   I honestly don’t think I’d have the time to work and do all the things I want to do. 

I’m not saying I’ll be a SAHM forever, but for now I think I deserve some time off for good behaviour.  Until then I’m savouring each day with my daughter and secretly dreading the day I have to go back to work.




Photographer: luigi diamanti