So, who am I? How do I describe myself in a few snappy soundbites?

Well, I am a 28-year-old mother of two girls. That’s a lie, I’m not actually 28 but it is my ‘official’ age and I have now been 28 for 17 years and I think it suits me. It suits me not to have to admit my real age anyway.  I have a long-suffering husband who does admit his real age and together we are advancing towards our midlife years and navigating the things that life throws at us along the way.

I work part-time in a job that nobody really understands that well. Depending on my audience, and my energy levels, I tend to give different job titles and descriptions.   I am actually a Clinical Psychologist but people don’t really know what that is. It’s usually met with “oh, are you reading my mind *snigger*” and I don’t always have the energy to explain that no, I am not a psychic and I do not possess any skills of clairvoyancy. Likewise, I am not a psychiatrist. Lots of similarities in terms of ‘p’s and ‘s’s and ‘y’s but otherwise no, this is not my profession.  Most of the time when asked what I do I say that I work in mental health and that seems to be the easiest line to take. Once I just said that I was self-employed as that was an even easier answer so I guess depending on who you ask I am either a psychic, a psychiatrist, a mental health nurse, or a self-employed escort.

I love my family and I love my work. Both involve nurturing others, helping them to learn the skills to enable them to navigate their lives effectively. Both are roles that fill me with pride, both can be emotional, and both can be challenging.  However, being a mum is the best thing that I have ever done in my life and it gives me purpose and meaning. It is also the basis for much fun, hilarity and anguish.

I love and enjoy food; eating it, cooking it. Thinking about eating it, thinking about cooking it. Being in my kitchen is my happy place, I feel relaxed and cosy there and it feels like the heart of our home, the heart of our family.

In addition to being a mum and working, I love fitness. I enjoy the buzz that exercising and dancing give me and it never fails to boost my mood. I like engaging in different types of exercise, some that I can do well, some that I really can’t. I took up running again last year and it’s safe to say that this is not my forte. I find myself huffing and puffing away in an ungainly and plodding fashion, but I feel good afterwards. I enjoy dance-based exercise a lot and subscribe to the mantra of ‘dance like no-one’s watching’. However the reality is that sometimes people are watching and they are probably horrified.  But overall it is fun.

So that’s what this blog is all about really – finding the fun in the mundane, exploring the extraordinary of the ordinary. Those little moments in an otherwise uneventful life that are relatable or comedic or embarrassing. There’s nothing like accidentally tucking your skirt into your knickers and walking across a crowded room to lift other people’s spirits and make them feel better about themselves. At least they’re not the girl with her bum on show (and I have done that). Life is comprised of many Bridget Jones moments –  we can all relate to these and be secretly pleased that, this time at least, they didn’t happen to us.

So, here’s to my many moments – Cheers!