We are a family of many combinations. Sometimes we are a family of three – me, Oliver and Harry. Often we are a four – adding Andrew, super step-dad of the year, into the mix. At times our family grows to six when we are lucky enough to be joined by Andrews children Benedicta and Harrison. Oh and don’t forget Sherlock the dog. He deserves a mention!
Life is always hectic and never dull.
In my family blog, I’ll be sharing the highs and lows of an Altered Life from everyones perspective. We are a team and I hope you enjoy reading about our journey.
19 tips when you visit Rome with a teenager! (or anyone else)
My Son Oliver has always loved History and after watching a programme about the Colosseum and later the film Gladiator (skipping the inappropriate parts) he told me that he would love to visit Rome one day. This passing statement went into my mental vault along with...
13 wishes for my boys as they become teenagers
In some ways it seems like yesterday that my baby boys came into this world and I can’t believe that they are 13 already. In other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago as that day changed me so much and I am such a different person now to the mother I became back then....
What to buy for the child who wants nothing? 4 ideas!
We are used to hearing the phrase ‘what do you buy for the man/woman who has everything?’ but I have a slightly different but equally challenging dilemma; ‘what to buy for the child who wants nothing?’ When my twin boys were young it was so easy to get carried away in...
Should we be banning Father’s Day?
I recently saw a debate on television about whether Father’s Day should be banned as the numbers of single parents are on the rise. Whaaaat? Even if that’s the case and a mother is raising her children alone as my mum did for years, they didn’t arrive as the product...
Pregnancy & Parenting – expectations vs reality
June is the month of my boy’s birth. As I write this blog, I was 28 weeks pregnant 13 years ago, looking like a weeble and peeing roughly every 45 seconds! (only a slight exaggeration) *Note, I have NO photgraphs of me when I was pregnant as they were all on my...
What face equality means when your twin has a facial disfigurement.
23rd May 2018 is Face Equality Day organised and championed by the fantastic Changing Faces charity. I wondered for a while what I could write that would do the day justice. Should I explain my sadness when others stare or grimace at Harry who looks so different to...
7 reasons why it’s okay not to be okay as a parent
I had a bad day as a mother recently. Well, technically it was a bad ten minutes but the aftermath of emotion and exhaustion stayed with me for most of the day. I took to my Facebook page to share the reality of parenting on a live broadcast in the hope that other...
Blood is thicker than water – true or false?
There’s a saying that ‘blood is thicker than water’ which means that family bonds are supposedly stronger than those of friends and I’ve been giving this some thought lately. A while a go I wrote a blog called ‘3 reasons why I can’t die’ which explains my emotional...
Am I a carer ?
I am mum to a son who currently needs a lot of support with many aspects of his day to day life including dressing, self-care and eating. As he gets older, the ways in which I help him may alter but there is little doubt that he will always need me in a way that his...
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