a warped view

I consider myself an only child. I will tell people I am an only child. This of course leads to confusion when I then, at some later date, mention something about my sister. You see, when I was about 2 years old my parents separated and later divorced. I have no memories of my parents as a couple, no memories of the three of us as a family unit, none of my own anyway. My dad remarried and when I was 5 my sister was born. Technically she is my half-sister (as we share half the same parentage) but it is not a distinction I make in my mind (or my heart). So why then do I insist on telling people I am an only child? It's not because my sister doesn't count, as I love her more than words could ever say and would do anything for her. It's because it is my state of mind. I was raised by a single mother as her only child, I saw my dad on a regular irregular basis but I'm sure he would readily agree that it was my mother who raised me. For those of you who are an only child...

My middle child, master 10 (almost 11) is a beautiful boy. He is sensitive, polite, caring, intelligent, he cares about other people and how they feel, he notices things others wouldn't and he often compliments me that I look beautiful. He likes to read, he's good at maths, he enjoys cooking and he is a fantastic distance runner. He is, of course, not perfect and he and his sister (miss 13) are very good at stirring each other up! He knows just the buttons to push to send her into full princess bitch face mode. He has the regular issues that 10 year old boys have. Sometimes he gets a bit silly, sometimes he doesn't listen, he doesn't really like doing chores and he has issues at school. My master 10 however is different from most other 10 year old boys. My master 10 was expelled from school when he was in grade 2, at the age of 7. It is not something either of us is proud of. It is not a stigma I would choose to have attached to my child but it is the reality we mus...

As the mother of three children, with one about to start high school I know that next year I will need to be more organised than I ever have before! Miss 13 has been accepted into a specialist music program and there will be lots of after school commitments. When I saw the Masterplan Diary I knew it was exactly what I needed! The Diary has a week to a page and has a section where you can record individual activities for each family member. There is also a box at the start of each week where you can record the important to-dos for the week and a section where the dedicated meal planner can record the dinners for the week. This is the perfect diary for mums! The added bonus for me is that not only is it a highly functional diary it is so very pretty! You can buy your very own from NoteMaker. (one of my favourite websites)