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Jessica standing in front of a tree looking out over a big branch - "Country Kids"

Country Kids 16/02/19

Welcome to Country Kids. Country Kids, originally hosted by Fiona at Coombe Mill, is all about sharing outdoor family fun. It was one of the first linkies I joined in…

Unwell - this week's word of the week

Friday Focus 15/02/19 – Coughs and sneezes

We’ve all been unwell this week with what seems to be a nasty cold bug. Sophie was off school at the beginning of the week. There’s chicken pox doing the…

Sophie (holding a picture of Jessica) in the snow with Thomas in the Bumbo and a snowman with pipe-cleaner glasses and a blue and white hat and scarf

Siblings – February 2019

I love how Thomas interacts more and more with Sophie now. His little eyes light up when she arrives home from school in the afternoons and his biggest smiles and…

Jessica wearing a princess dress, fairy wings and a teddy bear ears headband looking at a fairy house in the woods

Living with the fear of losing a child: thoughts from the other side

One of my favourite quotes as a heart parent was this one: “Having a child with a life-threatening condition changes you. It brings out strength in you that you never…

Sophie walking down the lane next to Hardy's Cottage towards the memorial

A walk in the woods around Hardy’s Cottage

One of the things I love about having National Trust membership is being able to use it to break up long car journeys. A stop-off at a National Trust property…

A paper heart with "Jessica" on it hanging from a tree and #365daysofgratitude

#365daysofgratitude 2019 – Week 6

For three years, I have taken part in a daily gratitude challenge, sharing a photo of one thing I am thankful for each day on Instagram. There have been days…

Jessica standing in front of a tree looking out over a big branch - "Country Kids"

Country Kids 09/02/19

Welcome to Country Kids. Country Kids, originally hosted by Fiona at Coombe Mill, is all about sharing outdoor family fun. It was one of the first linkies I joined in…

Time - this week's word of the week

The Friday Focus 08/02/19 – Enjoying quality time together

We’ve been enjoying quality time as a family and with friends over the last week. Last Friday’s snow day meant I got to enjoy an extra day with Sophie at…

Sophie behind the wall of coloured snow bricks

Fun in the snow: making a colourful igloo

Waking up to find it has snowed overnight is always a fun moment for a child. Waking up to snow and being told school is closed for the day is…

The word survival in front of a word cloud of encouraging phrases and words

Grief and life after Jessica: reflecting on my word for the year

Nearly every week on my blog, I share a post called “The Friday Focus”. It’s a post where I sum up the past week in one word and reflect on…