'You've got your hands full'

Half a story

  © Copyright Keith Havercroft and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

I'VE been writing a lot about mental health lately on our Breaking the Silence blog as well as for the magazine One in Four.

This has largely involved helping people tell their stories of mental distress.

Posts by Suzie Grogan about her family history and Deerbaby who wrote about a fleeting moment etched on her memory inspired me to find out more about an institution I mentioned in our recent carnival of blog posts about mental illness.

And I've discovered half a story. It's the sort of story the me of 15-20 years ago would have jumped on. I may still do that. Perhaps I could pull a more in-depth report together.

Back on a 'healthy eating plan' - I just can't say "diet"

"I SHED six stone, just look at me now!” scream the headlines and we admire how a champion slimmer conquered a lifetime of overeating to reach their target weight.

But revisit even the most successful dieter’s story later and often some or all of the pounds have piled back on.

I'm one of those people. Shortly before I had my children I'd lost four stone at Weight Watchers. Since having them, it's all gone back on, plus some more. Two years ago I lost two stone quite quickly through "better" eating and going to the gym - which I love once I get there.

Once you have lost weight – whether it’s a little or a lot - it is all too easy to be lulled into a false sense of security. I got stuck in a diet/binge/feel bad cycle and wrote last year about binge eating as well as writing for One in Four magazine about a relationship between obesity and depression.

Why twins' parties needn't be double the trouble

FOR as long as my daughters have been school-age, I've considered it inevitable they'd be invited to different parties, one without the other.

 

This meant that when they were younger, we tended to try and make the time special for our other daughter in some way while their sister was out celebrating.

 

These days we basically just tell them ‘that’s life.’ They both have their own mates after all and we wouldn’t expect other mums to automatically invite their sister.

God help me, it's a conference call

GREAT excitement in our office this morning as we await the arrival of a colleague for a conference call with clients many miles away.

I've been practising pushing different buttons on my phone and have discovered that we can both speak at once if we want without lifting the receiver as well as hearing everyone else.

Who knew?

BBC News: The rise and rise of the 'mummy bloggers'

RECENTLY I was interviewed by journalist Dave Lee for a piece for the technology section of BBC Online all about the rise of mummy bloggers in the UK.

It's an interesting piece that reflects on Universal Studios paying bloggers for reviews and wondering how similar blogging is in the UK. The lovely Susanna who has worked so hard to connect parents and help bloggers find audiences is also featured, talking about a commitment to integrity.

Over at British Mummy Bloggers, Jennifer has reported on more US 'mom' blogging trends heading for these shores, trends which make some sigh with disappointment.

Breaking the silence carnival of blog posts about mental illness

WHY a carnival about mental health?

I feel very strongly about mental health issues. I have suffered from what everyone always just called "black moods" now and again all my adult life. I didn't know what this meant and would just go to bed to let these fleeting feelings pass. But you can't do that when you are a mum or well, busy at work can you?

And then I got worse. I contemplated throwing myself out of the window, of deliberately crashing my car, telling myself I wasn't worthy of my family's love and that they would be better off without me. I was terrified of how my children would be affected by my mental illness.

My upbringing was to ignore, shun, dismiss or ridicule people who are mentally ill. I was told by family, friends and the media through news reporting and entertainment that those who "succumbed" to a mental illness were either weak, dangerous or just a bit odd. These people either deserved our pity or we should be scared of them. They didn't amount to much and if they were people in positions of trust, authority or power, then well they couldn't have been very good in their job, if they ended up cracking up.

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire radio interview about twins

A FEW weeks back I was interviewed by Mark Powlett on BBC Coventry and Warwickshire about twins.

Our chat touched on the following among other things and I hope you enjoy it:

• A unique bond between twins
• Sibling rivalry
• Do you dress twins the same?
• Should they be in the same class at school?
• How does a twin pregnancy compare to a singleton one?
• My crap maths

I know I sound a bit "eccentric" which is of course a polite way of saying well, a bit strange, but then I always do on the radio. I don't care as I've got used to it!

Press on the button below to hear the interview.

Massive thanks to producer Kate for sending me the MP3.