Sunday 31 December 2017

Highs and Lows of 2017 Tag...


I'm starting the year off with a tag. A little recap of 2017! I saw this over on Kate's blog. Kate on thin Ice...I thought this would be an easy tag to join in with but it gave me all the emotions writing it.....There are a couple of rants, things I've never shared on my blog before and happy moments....

1. What was your happiest event?
Seeing my family in the run up to Christmas.....I don't have a big family, I literally only have my dad, my great aunt, and nephew & his mother who I am close too....My dad and great aunt have both had their health issues over the year. My dad had a stroke at the beginning of the summer. It was a small one but it was a stroke all the same and my great Aunt is nearly 90 and has been hit with one thing after another this year but over the last month or so she's finally feeling better.....My dad is just about back to his normal self now....I say normal but he never will be. lol It was so good to see them. This year there was a few minutes this year where I never thought I would see either again!

2. What was the saddest thing to happen?

My mother died. It was a strange situation. I hadn't seen her for about 13 years or spoken to her for at least 8. She met a man online and took her's and my dad's life savings and ran off to be with him, not giving a damn about my brother, dad, her grandaughter Becky or me.....I had heard she had cancer late 2016 but she didn't contact myself or my brother, her husband did behind her back....I found out she had died via an online obituary.....

I am still not sad she is dead...I did my crying and grieving many years ago when she told me I was dead to her but finding out was still a shock....I was sad she died with none of her family, sad she lost her children and didn't know her 4 grandchildren (my brothers kids and my girls).


3. What was the most unlikely thing to happen that actually went ahead and did?

I went and won a cinema room for the hospital where my girls had their heart surgery!!! I was contacted by a PR to share the competition and never thought I would win. In fact I nominated ward 23 of the Freeman hospital where my girls had their heart surgery and forgot about asking for votes.....It didn't matter. People obviously thought it was a good choice!



There was an article written in our local newspaper, The Chronicle and I couldn't have been prouder....It felt like I had done my little bit to help and thank the amazing staff at the Freeman hospital...

4. Who let you down?

Becky's (my teen's) school and her GCSE options. She choose French and they gave her cooking....That was never going to work so she went with Computer Science which was great for a couple of weeks until the teacher went on the sick. Then they got a substitute in and let run for a few weeks. Then decided Computer Science was no more and now it was going to be a BTEC in iMedia because the one teacher who could teach it was sick...We are still none the wiser what iMedia is?....It's not a very productive class....I really can't wait for parents evening. My teen has made me promise not to shout. I won't but I will use my angry voice! hahaha

5. Who supported you?

Ellie's teacher....Let's call her Mrs N has been amazing. We have always known there is something a little different about Ellie. Over the years we have asked for help but nobody has been really forthcoming in helping until Mrs N. She has gave us the backing to go to the powers that be and demand help! We now know Ellie may have some sort of Autism....Mrs N has got Ellie support in school. She is sharing a teaching assistant with another girl, an emotional support worker comes in once a week to work with Ellie and has cracked down on the bullying Ellie has received....I cannot thank Mrs N enough....Every time I see her and speak to her she says something useful which makes me want to just hug her!

6. Tell us what you learned?

I still feel like I learn something new everyday....I have learned that no matter what happens we can get through it as a family....

7. Tell us what made you laugh?

My girls. Especially my youngest and her unicorn obsession....In her head she is a unicorn. We are not which she keeps telling us....She is the only unicorn and the rest of us are piglets. She means it in the nicest of ways really!....Pretty piglets in tutu's...



Ellie says we can be unicorns one day...If we eat a marshmallow every day, dye our hair pink, dream about candyland and have lots of glitter on us....I think I'll stay as a piglet thank you. hehehe


8. Tell us the things that made you cry?

Lots of things on TV...Bradley Lowery....God bless him and his family....The devastation that the Manchester arena bombings brought and the Ariana Grande concert....

9. Tell us three things your child or children did to make you feel proud. Please miss this question out if you are not a parent.
My girls make me so proud every day....It is so hard to think of and choose just 3 things....

Ellie has got so involved in her school choir and I was so proud to see her sing in the choir at the school performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Her and the rest of the choir did so well......

I am proud of both of my girls for dealing with issues at school....I won't go into them now but bullying, hard GCSE options and more bullying has been dealt with this year....

My teen has made me proud. I am not going to say why as it's personal to her but there is things this year which she has handled brilliantly.....Way better than I thought she would. 

10. Tell us the things that made you proud of yourself.
I am a shy person and I lack self-confidence but this year I have stood up for myself and my family. I would usually let Stu, my fella do the talking but a few times this year I have grabbed the bull by the horns and spoke up! 

11. Tell us the challenges you overcame?
My shyness. See above....I also let go a little with my girls. Giving them the freedom to walk home alone from school and go out on a weekend without me....Cutting the apron strings and all that.

12. Tell us the things you would like to change about your life in 2018.

I need to exercise more....Since Ellie started walking home from school herself I have lost that 45 minutes of walking I would previously do picking her up......I'm thinking of buying myself a treadmill. I want to run but don't feel confident enough to run outside....

All in all it hasn't been a bad year....We have had plenty of laughs, smiles and happy moments that we will remember forever! 

I'm going to break Kate's rules and not tag anyone specific to join in....I want you all to. Sorry Kate!

Happy new year! Wishing you all the best for 2018....

2 comments :

  1. Good to learn a bit more about you. It does sound as if 2017 has some real ups & downs for you. All the best for 2018. Mich X

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    Replies
    1. It has been a bit of a roller coaster. I am hoping for a calmer 2018 x

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