the whole truth

As a parent there is no greater compliment

that a compliment on your children.

People telling me that they think my children are polite,

or good natured,

or cute or happy,

absolutely makes my heart sing.

Because I helped make them

and I'm helping raise them,

and so that compliment is half mine, right?

I don't struggle to see the good in my children,

what parent does?

And by nature I'm a really positive person,

I should have been a spin doctor really,

because I really could put a good spin on most things,

but I don't need spin when it comes to my children.

They light up my world.

End of.

Our life isn't easy,
but it is beautiful.
It's beautiful because we keep out pleasures simple
and because we take the time to really look for the beauty in our everyday lives.

We would love to have more money
and we just about live within our means most months,
but some months we don't.
We don't live a fancy lifestyle.
We have a nice home in a lovely area,
but it's small.
It was perfect for the pair of young professionals that we once were,
it's far from perfect with two young children,
but it's home and it's ours.
I spend a lot of the week doing all the parenting alone,
my husband often leaves home early, returns home late and works when he is home,
and I do the children's meals, the baths, the changes, the playing, the entertaining,
the teaching and the disciplining in between times on my own.
And that is really tough some days.

But we planned the life we have.
We planned our children.
And we felt it was valuable for me to be at home to look after them,
and I thank my lucky stars that we somehow manage for to afford it.
When the toss up is between fancy holidays abroad
and expensive shopping sprees
and the perfect big house,
or tightening our belts a little,
making do with what we have,
and getting the opportunity to be there everyday for our children,
the sacrifices are completely worthwhile.

I have always been a "look on the bright side of life" kind of person.
It's my nature.
I like to see the best in people,
to see the good in every situation,
and to see the beauty in every day life.
And having children has given that an even stronger sense of perspective.

Every single thing that I have is a blessing.
I have rubbish days, because everyone does.
But I know for a fact that lots of people have it far worse than me,
and I like to live my life remembering that fact every single day.

I choose to see the light and not the dark.
I choose to see the beautiful and not the ugly.
I choose to see the love and not the hate.
That doesn't make me naive,
I know those negative things are there,
those darker things touch my life too
and they just make me more determined to look at the positives,
because life is short
and when we choose to look at what we have instead of what we haven't,
we realise that we are already so rich.

My children haven't ruined anything about my life,
far from it,

they have made my life.

They have made it amazing

and I am grateful every. single. day that they are mine.

So my life seems happy and perfect?

That's because that is how it seems to me,
it is perfect to me.
It is everything I ever wanted and more,
it makes me stupidly, unbelievably and incredibly happy

and I make absolutely no apologies for that.

I am proud of what I have,
simple as it may be.
I adore my family,
even on the hardest of days.
I love my life
and everything in it.

And that is why I blog,
to remind myself of the luck that landed in my lap,
and in hopes that maybe I help other people see the luck in theirs.



This blog has made the shortlist for the BritMums Brilliance in Blogging awards.
I'm so thrilled to have been recognised in the Photo category.
So if you love my photography and have a vote to spare
then I'd love you vote.