I don’t make new years resolutions, cannot see the point, but I do believe in reflecting on aspects of life from the previous year and considering ways to improve on them throughout the new year. Last year was an ‘okay’ one for us – the kids did well at school and everyone stayed safe and well and that’s the most important thing to me.

Personally for me this year is going to be quite an academic one; I’m almost through the second module of my university degree and am really enjoying the subject…history of medicine. Things are rolling along well too with my first language module – German – and I have picked the lingo up quite easily and am even able to say things to my German daughter-in-law. I intend to follow this through to advanced level as I love the German language and find it fun to speak. Not sure at the moment what to do with the German with regards to a degree – this is my first language module – but I am sure I will find something to slot it into. I don’t intend to study anything other than German…certainly not French as I never enjoyed speaking that language when we lived there. As it is I am working towards a history degree, this year I will be studying the Enlightenment and Romanticism eras and they will go towards that, but would also like to slot in a music module. Too much choice for sure.

I’ve other avenues of interest that have been closed off for a few years that I wish to open again, but they depend on time-permitting. With the job, the module work and study, plus the family to look after I am running out of time to set aside. Oh yes…I intend to get to the hairdressers this year – if I can remember where I last went. Yep – it’s been that long!

Xmas 2011 was not an easy one financially for many families, that’s a fact. I think people are feeling the pinch these days and from speaking to friends the attitude was a common one – fewer gifts for the kids and extra careful with the shopping. I saw all the usual ‘christmas gifts for her‘ signs in the shops but I’d say it was as hard for the single men as it was for us mums and dads.

I really am going to make a bigger effort to put some cash away each month so that I am not into new next Xmas there will be extra to play around with. I know I say that every year but we all really have to plan ahead more seriously nowadays – it’s not fun knowing what you want to buy the kids and knowing you cannot really stretch the budget to cover it. I hope you all had a great Xmas anyway, it was a quiet one for us, but the really special part of it was just as good as ever…seeing the kids faces on Xmas day. No matter how hard things are you have to take pleasure in the simple things.

I hope you all had – or are currently enjoying – a wonderful Christmas with all your friends and loved ones. Just thinking back to this time last year, it was -16 degrees and today we enjoyed a very mild 13.4C, that’s 30 degrees warmer on last year. Not complaining at all:)

This year has certainly flown by and soon we will be welcoming 2012 – I hope the remainder of 2011 is a safe and happy one for you all and that all the people you love and care for travel safely into, and through, the new year with you. That’s what really matters when all’s said and done.

Merry Christmas XXX

Our son spent some time in hospital recently after having an asthma episode during Halloween – nothing serious but the doctor at A&E decided his condition needed monitoring for a day or so and so kept him in for a little while. They did a range of allergy tests on our son and we discovered he is allergic to cat hair and dust mites – the cat hair can be sorted easily as we don’t own a cat, but tackling the dust mites is a more complicated area as every house has regardless of how clean and ‘dust free’ you assume you are.

I have stepped up the washing of the bed linen now to several times a week instead of weekly, which might seem over the top to many people who probably only think to wash their bed sheets once a month. I vacuum the mattresses and in his room, around the house, on a daily basis. The mites feed off the dead flakes of skin that we all shed in bed so that is what I have to keep on top of. We bought new mattresses for all the kids – a special one for James and something like a memory foam mattress for my two other sons who don’t suffer the asthma.

So far so good! with him now on a new course of treatment after a review on how we were doing things he is 100%, better than he has ever been, and the asthma has been totally arrested. Keeping him  warm in the winter now is a main concern – but to anyone with a similar problem…check those mattresses and sheets as the problem could be in the bed rather than in the air.

Our neighbours have just welcomed their first baby into the world, a little girl, and seem to be all prepared for anything that comes their way – well-meaning relatives have given them lots of new fangled stuff that just wasn’t really around when I had my first baby 25 years ago. Even seven years ago, when I had my last baby I never went in for nursery-technology.

The neighbours have bottle-warmers, bottle-sterilisers and a video baby monitor in the room which I am guessing will make them paranoid more than anything.  My cousin some years back bought one of those baby-walkie-talkie things that sit beside the cot as the baby slept and she found herself unable to relax downstairs as she sat and listened for every tiny squeak and sound. I am sure the new parents up the road will work out for themselves that if baby wants to make herself heard she will…monitor or no monitor!