'You've got your hands full'

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?

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.

Twins and secondary school

IN a few weeks' time, my daughters will start secondary school.

They are definitely in different classes and there's a chance they won't be in the same groups for subjects where pupils are streamed.

I like it that way.

At the introductory parents' evening, my girls' new teachers made encouraging noises about recognising that every child is an individual.

Did you know that according to experts, twins -- and triplets, quads and any "higher multiples" you care to mention for that matter -- are deserving of special consideration in the classroom?

Death knocks and me

RESPECTED journalist and trainer Chris Wheal recently found himself on the other side of media interest in the most heartbreaking of circumstances.

His nine-year-old nephew died in an accident while playing on a rope swing.

Chris has written that helping liaise with journalists amid the blaze of publicity which followed the tragedy has made him feel useful and that he could actually do something at this bleakest of times.

But he has also spoken up about how his family have been treated by the media and how he would like to see things changed.

Q&A with Littlemumpreneur.com: How I started a business

THE following is from Littlemumpreneur.com. I hope you may find it interesting. I meant to point people in Erica's direction a while back! Thanks Erica for the questions.

Q1. What is your business called and what does it do?

I’m the director of Passionate Media. This is an agency in Staffordshire, working on various types of editorial and social media projects and commissions for national and regional clients. We also train aspiring writers, journalists, non-profit organisations and companies in making the most of social media and/or journalism/commercial writing skills.

How have you got on with SATs?

THIS week, my daughters, who are in Year six, took their SATs.

 

Despite all the discussion about how stressful a time this can be, I somehow thought my girls -- who are laid back, hardy little souls -- would sail through. I don't mean in terms of their academic ability (which I won't discuss thank you very much) but how tough they would find it to actually get on and do. I naively thought it would be a breeze.

 

Off they went to school on Monday, as relaxed as they could be, with my words to "just do your best, you know we love you," ringing in their ears. They had the best packed lunch ever and were mildly excited by the prospect of a free bacon sandwich on offer when they arrived.

 

New job: Back to what I love doing best, thanks Twitter!

I'VE always loved being an editor. In recent years, with two little girls to work around, I thought my days of holding that position were over.

But a few weeks back, a tweet from Rosie alerted me of a vacancy I may be able to fill.

And so, this week I've started as managing editor of Ready for Ten.

Of course there was a bit in between. 

It's a busy role but it's just brilliant to be back doing something I really love. There's already a fantastic team of writers in place.

Parenting, relationships and health: Various features

I'M a former editor of Tamba's Twins, Triplets & More magazine and have written for various newspapers, magazines and websites. 

My blog You've got your hands full has received lovely feedback from parents, as well as being featured by publications including The Times Online and The Telegraph.

Business, careers and technology: Selected features

The Telegraph: Headhunted on Facebook

AS some companies ban social networks, others are using them to find recruits, says Linda Jones. Read more.

The Guardian: Carving virtual gravestones

MORE and more people are leaving tributes to loved ones on memorial websites, but are they opening themselves up to abuse? Read more.

The Guardian: Member of the twittering classes

MP Alan Johnson is using the microblogging tool in his campaign to be Labour deputy leader. But is it 'potentially the biggest waste of time in the world'? Linda Jones reports. Read more.

Essentials magazine: 'The secret we need to start talking about'

HERE'S a (rare) snap shot of me that wasn't a) taken 10 years ago or b) taken under extreme duress c) taken at a Disney theme park.

The reason I decided to brave the camera for a change was as part of a feature for Essentials magazine all about different mental health conditions and why you shouldn't feel ashamed.

My headline reads: "At last it made sense, I wasn't mad or weak - I was ill."

I'm featured discussing past episodes of depression alongside Sasha talking about post-natal depression, Barbara who details her OCD and Siobhan who explains how she has been affected by bipolar disorder.

The photo shoot was hilarious and full of fun. It's not a day I will forget in a hurry thanks to the warmth of the Essentials team and the laughs I shared with the inspirational women featured, not least Barbara who had me in stitches. I'm also delighted that the piece, the brainchild of journalist Alison Palmer, includes a plug for our mental health blog Breaking the Silence.