New Aspirations...

The past eight months has seen new challenges and brought with it new qualifications. As with all career changes there are ups and downs.  However, the positive affects that it has had on my personal life makes up for all the drama and I am applying the principle that yes the deadlines and hoops that need to be jumped through are very important but at the end of the day, a life isn't on the line and I will meet them, I just won't allow myself to get too stressed over it (I can't rule out stressing a bit - it's the perfectionist part of me!)  However in L's eyes I have changed - I am a 'happy Mummy' now, a Mummy who has time for adventures.  One who can be completely in the moment with him; one who has been there for his first week of school, can drop him off each day, pick him up from school at least once a week, can throw him Halloween parties, take him adventure playgrounds, attend birthday parties, help on his first school trip - we went to the panto!, at

If I announced to you at was going to see a Hypnotherapist, what would be your first reaction? Given that 'Back in the room' was recently on ITV, I hazard a guess that you instantly thought of chickens, clucking and all that Victorian stage show fun and nonsense? Right? Well, that's not quite the type of hypnotherapist who I am seeing. I have no aversion to poultry, but I don't fancy behaving as one. Instead, after out of the blue message from a old friend, I jumped at the chance to see this lady to help me gain some perspective, balance and hopefully make some positive changes in my life to help my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Feel free to leave now if you feel this is a bit too airy fairy and hippy like for you... However for me, even after only an initial session, it has felt like a reconnection to a past self. One who was happier, lighter (on all levels), almost complete. When I arrived I was greeted warmly, made to feel instantly welcome. We discus

On what is my last night shift as a Principle Health Care Support Worker, I am sat at 4am in the (finally) quiet stillness reflecting on the past (almost) seven years.  Over the years I have had the opportunity to watch and care for some amazing little people. I've been welcomed into some of the most loving and devoted families, that you could ever wish for.  I've had the opportunity to share first with many of them, all the things we take for granted - from first steps, to nursery/school. I still get a rush of emotions, when I remember the first child learning to say my name -  the pride on their little face as they said it as loud as they could, having practised so hard with their siblings to surprise me and the pure happiness on their siblings faces knowing they'd helped. I have had the opportunity to learn and work with the best  and I have had my eyes opened to the complexities of life with a sick child.  It is obsurd now to think how much I would worry when I was in r

Let me just clarify, this post isn't about my love of all things Marilyn (although I really should write one!) Instead, it is because after almost seven years, I have just accepted a new role with a different company and I am a bit giddy with excitement over the new challenges awaiting me. The first of which, sees me starting and completing an NVQ assessor qualification in six months, from there the opportunities are aplenty! It was a bittersweet day on Monday - it all came about so fast, I hadn't even warned my current line managers, and since they are good friends I felt guilty and a bit sick. I'd weighed up the pros and the cons, those who know me well, know that it isn't decision that I have taken lightly, as I have loved my work and the families. So much so, that the phone calls and email of resignation, go down as being two of the hardest/emotional things I have done. Yet, they don't get rid of me that easily as I am staying on the Bank! It's not to say th

Those who know me well know that since first discovering Lush at their Carnaby Street store back in 1998 (I think!) with Mum, I have been a convert! It is my Mecca... I was so excited when they finally got around to opening the doors of their Colchester store! I sniff them out where ever I go... It's hard not too with the gorgeous scents wafting down the street, luring you in! I've done my stint as a Lush girl - Temping for Christmas way back when I had finished college... And I suppose, it's not so secretly, known that I would give my current career up , to return to my Complementary Medicine training and work in their spa. However, I don't think commuting or relocating to Poole or London would be financially viable. However, if they ever opened one in this area, I'd apply to work there in a heartbeat! For now I just have to settle for occasionally wandering into Colchester for a sniff/test and treating myself to a goody (or two!) Pre-L, my bathroom was full t

It's been six weeks since I last posted anything really - as life has taken over! But today I wanted to share what I have been up to with Slimming World. It has been ups and downs - I had my lovely big loss following my SP week and then gained and then lost and then maintained... can you see a pattern! I can't lie, I am gutted with how the past few weeks have been, especially as I am still chasing my first stone award, with so many more to go! But I probably haven't been 100%, I haven't had my head in the right place but I haven't binged on high calorie food either, which has shown in the yo-yoing, I am sure it would have been a lot worse had I not been 80% on plan!  Then in the last week or so, my motivation returned. In recent weeks I discovered some lovely SW Instagrammers who have been really inspirational (links below) and then with Lent I decided that for 40 days, I would give up both bread and coffee. My decision was made by the fact that these were two