On Adding Slashes To Your Name

It might have been Beyonce I saw in the early noughties (it also might not have been), who I saw on a budget documentary, making her way into another facet of her career, talking excitedly about how she was now able to add 'slashes' to her name. She wasn't just a singer, she was singer SLASH actress SLASH producer. I might not be Beyonce (I actually don't get the love. Sorry blogosphere, I just don't) but I do have slashes to my name.

I am Fee. Mother slash student slash fiancée slash local editor.

It's fucking hard.

Any one of these things is inherently difficult, but the more you team them together the more you have to sacrifice bits of each. I have had to create a little hierarchy of roles in my head. Some of the placements are time dependent and might change because of deadlines, but that doesn't stop the guilt. I mean, how do I justify moving 'mother' down a peg because I've got something to sort out at work? Or some reading to do for University? And in all honesty, I have to move that role down a couple of times a day. Here, kids. Take these crayons. Let me go through my work emails.

The toughest combination is that of mother and student. Other students can finish class at 2pm, get home and crack the books open. I have to leave university, I have just over an hour journey home, pick up at least one child, do the dishes from breakfast time, put a load of washing on, play with at least one child (depending on who has control of Netflix at the time), make dinner, eat dinner, bath at least one child, do homework with one, read stories to the other, get one off to bed, clean the kitchen, make tomorrow's breakfast and lunch, do the third set of dishes, put away the dry clothes from the last lot of washing, hang up the new lot, get the other child off to bed, tidy away the toys from the day, tell big child it's time to turn her tab off, get bag ready for the next day - and that makes it 9pm. I leave at 6am 3 days a week so I try to be in bed as close to 9 as possible to avoid getting ill. Very often I find myself sacrificing personal hygiene in order to actually get my required reading done, let alone anything extra. Other students also have weekends: at the moment we take one day each (Jay is a first year student too) to lock ourselves in the bedroom and have the other watch the kids, unless there's an assignment coming up. Of course, being a student means the 'fiancée' slash suffers greatly too. Oh and add 'home-maker'(if that's still a thing) in there because what do I sacrifice to make time to clean the bathroom, change the cat litter, change the bedding, polish the shelving, etc etc etc? 

A massive problem of mine has been guilt. I felt guilty when I snapped at my children because I was trying to power through my work and they were getting too excitable with eachother. I felt guilty when I realised every grade so far has been a B: all this sacrifice and I'm not *quite* good enough for an A each time. I felt guilty when I looked at the spreadsheet at work and saw that 90% of people had finished something before me. I felt guilty when I looked back over the previous week and didn't remember any moments of quality time with my fiancé. But having slashes (not peeing) means learning to accept guilt and appreciate transience. These opportunities won't be there forever, and you have to think about which moments you'll be saddest to have missed. 

Okay, so I didn't get an A. I took my kids to the park instead. 

So the dishes wait until the morning. I'm going to have a cup of tea and a chat with my fiancé instead. 

Do you have slashes in your name? How do you cope?!

Jelly's Sharing Assembly

Yesterday I spoke about Jelly's past with childhood anxiety, and I just wanted to follow up on that a little bit.

After writing yesterday's post, I went to Jelly's school, and watched her take part in a sharing assembly, which was all about Egyptians. Not only take part, but confidently sing, dance and deliver lines with ease. After the assembly, we had the opportunity to chat to her, tell her how well she'd done and have a look at the Egyptian costume she'd made. She was grinning, mocking her friend (who was acting shy!), jumping up and down and then cuddled us all and said she'd better get back to class. And then she was gone.

Now, this sounds like nothing. But looking back a year, this is a huge deal. In her Christmas play at her old school, she requested a non-speaking part as the idea of speaking in front of anybody caused her to panic. Yesterday, she spoke loudly and clearly and lead others to their lines. Last year, she wasn't sure if she could handle us being there as the idea of saying goodbye to us all over again caused her extreme anxiety. Yesterday, she gave us a quick hug and off she went. These things are huge and should be celebrated. She should feel so proud of herself. I can't believe the difference one year and a good school makes.

Well done, little Egyptian! 

Childhood Anxiety: Our Experience.

As I look over my laptop I see a happy child. She is smiling and giggling. She's being loud and obnoxious and in your face. She is just like every other eight year old girl, and that is all we ever wanted.

Looking at the title, I'm sure you can guess that things haven't always been this way. I entered Jelly's life at the age of 3, and I already commented then that things were a little bit off; I'd be on the phone to Jay and he'd say "sorry I took so long, I was trying to put [Jelly] to bed and she was in hysterics because [whatever item] wasn't in the right place". I've had experience with OCD and this was my first worry, and I remember telling him straight away to just be careful 'justifying' the anxiety she was feeling by having things exactly where she wants them.

Her life at nursery had been fine up until then, but not long after this she began being upset at having to go in. To this day she can't hear the Postman Pat theme tune because it fills her with dread; when she was that age, the beginning of Postman Pat meant it was time to go to nursery. She would repeatedly ask her parents where they'd be while she was in there. Would they promise not to leave? Would they wait outside for her until she was finished? Where exactly would they be, who would they talk to, what would they buy? Question, question, question. To lose control of the situation was to feel that her parents didn't care about her anymore. She couldn't bear to be forgotten.

She moved on through the year and ended it on a high: she loved school, had a blast going in. We all had high hopes. She enjoyed most of her year in Foundation with a few minor normal separation anxiety episodes, and was looking forward to Year 1. And then right at the end of the summer holidays, her Nan died. This was the first person to have died in Jelly's life and of course she took it incredibly hard. Jay and I had taken her to the park for the day while her Nan was in hospital, actually, and Jelly had asked us if her Nan was going to die: we said of course not, because we didn't think she would. And that meant she learned the secret no child should ever learn: parents do not know everything. You can't always rely on them to be right.

A month or so after her Nan's death, she had been back in school for a few weeks, and she began to cry. "What's wrong?" Miss Sick-of-it-all (as we called her at the time - a fun play on her name, but I won't name and shame the witch on here. I'll call her Miss Sick for now.) asked her. "I'm upset because I miss Nanny", she said. "Hasn't that been about a month now? It's time to start getting over it." replied Miss Sick. Jelly was distraught: she hadn't realised there was a time limit on her grief (which there isn't), she didn't trust us when we told her it was okay if she felt sad at school, and she began to obsess over not being able to control her emotions while she was there, and if she would get into trouble if she accidentally cried.

The school itself is an establishment which had excellent results with Ofsted (at the time, it lowered last year) and was very focussed on good grades. However, this comes at a price. The school is regimented, detached and unemotional. Some children excel at sports or academics: these children do well at regimented schools. Jelly excels at art. She does not excel in a regimented school. This sort of regimentation made her vomit some mornings or nights, checking her bag again and again, working herself into a panic, shouting at us from bed that she was sure she MUST have forgotten something that would get her a telling off the next day.

Once, she put her hand up and asked for help. She was told they were disappointed in her for not grasping what they'd said. She was then terrified to put her hand up again, so fell behind when she didn't understand. Once, she couldn't finish her lunch. She was forced to eat. This made her terrified of lunchtimes, because she felt humiliated and sick. She was scared of the time in class and scared of the breaks. She told us that all she wanted was for a teacher to cuddle her if she was upset - we knew this didn't need to be literal (although that would help), it's that she wanted to feel that the school had compassion and could tell her that it was okay to be upset. But it wasn't, in their eyes. They repeatedly told her to grow up, get a grip. Every time we complained the school apologised, told us this wasn't quite what was happening and that they'd make an effort to 'accommodate for [Jelly]'s oversensitivity'. Which they'd do for a week before telling her to grow up and get over it all over again, because they couldn't give her special treatment.

Year Three was the worst. On top of the strict teachers, a new girl moved to the school, who was a bully. In previous years she would leave school smiling, happy to have completed another day. In Y3 she would leave school crying because she knew she had to be back tomorrow. Towards the end she would even cry on Fridays because she was so scared about Mondays. Sunday nights were full of the worst fits of anxiety. I'm not ashamed to say that every Sunday night left the parents in tears too; towards the end she was having anxiety attacks and began to verbally lash out at us, which is so out of her character. She's the sweetest and most polite girl I know usually. We literally pushed her into school in the morning, as she screamed and grabbed at us, while the teacher grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the doors. She obsessed over 'wave at the window' - she'd run to the nearest window and watch us leave. God forbid we ever forgot (which we sometimes did if we were in a rush) to wave. She started to do this at home when she was dropped off at each parent's houses too, letting her school anxiety leak in to home life. She stopped eating evening meals; her anxiety made her lose her appetite. She would be up until around 11pm in hysterics. Eventually we just couldn't help her anymore: it didn't matter if we told her it'd be okay or not, she didn't believe us. We'd close the door and let her scream and throw herself around. We had to have Moo sleeping in a travel cot with us because her crying at night disturbed him and if he cried in the night and woke her it'd make her worse in the mornings. It was particularly whenever there was a special event, like a school play or an assembly: instead of being happy to spend extra time with us, she spent the time leading up to the event obsessing over the moment we'd leave and she'd have to say goodbye twice in a day. In her last week at the school, she took part in a Sport Relief event. She left school crying a week before it because she already couldn't take her mind off the moment we'd be leaving. We told her we wouldn't go and it made it all the worse for her. She was torn between saying goodbye twice and being the only child not to have her parents there. We knew that something was wrong, but didn't know if it was because of the school or because of who she was. Obviously she was overly sensitive but we didn't know how much of it was down to a terrible experience at a school that wasn't right for her. What we did know was that the school refused to address the bullying (we were repeatedly told Jelly was mistaken and that no bullying went on at their establishment and that the bully in question is actually a very shy and polite girl who everybody gets along with - perhaps she just FEELS bullied because of how incredibly sensitive she is. 'We know how she makes mountains out of molehills'.) and they were fed up of having to deal with the way she was. They also pulled her into the office and asked her why she THINKS she's being bullied, then interrogated her about her home life. "Do your parents fight a lot?" "Does your Dad get very angry?" "Is your Step Mum not very nice to you?" etc - anything to pin the blame. At parents evening her teacher suggested she was probably acting up for attention because we were paying more attention to Moo. We shot down that theory pretty quickly. We spent months talking to her doctor about it and we all agreed our action plan: we would look for a new school for her. It didn't work for our family schedule to homeschool as a long-term solution and we felt that the structure and sociability was impotrant for improving her anxiety, so we needed to find a school that would suit her needs. If the problems continued once we found the ideal school, the issue was with her and we would deal with that.

We met a bit of resistance when removing her from school, purely because the head teacher had to sign a form agreeing that it'd be in the best interests of the child to leave. We had cited our reasons as harsh teaching methods, inability to cope with emotional demands and refusal to resolve issues of bullying, as well as stating that she had anxiety issues, we felt there was damage that couldn't be undone and that she would always associate this school with anxiety. To sign the form, the head teacher had to agree to these things - which she obviously didn't want to do. But she did sign it. In her comments she basically said that our reasons were wrong but if we felt Jelly would do better somewhere else, that was our choice to make. I honestly think she was happy to be rid of the child who took a lot of work and the parents who were always complaining about the school! We took her out of school a month before the Easter holidays and home educated her for a while. She got more done in that month than she had in the last year, working one-on-one with us through textbooks we'd bought and we encouraged her to be independent in her research; for example we took her to a wooded area, had her list all the species she saw, then had her choose three, research them online and create a wildlife poster. She gained confidence when she realised she COULD do things, she'd just never had the chance. We took her to view schools with us because, ultimately, the choice of new school had to be with her. She chose the first school we saw. We made her see a second just to be sure but the second school only reinforced her decision.

Her new school is a local combined school, a 30 minute walk from her home with us, dedicated to supporting communities as well as positive learning. They have 'mentors' in place for children with emotional difficulties, which is what really lead her to choosing this school. Her last school had 800 pupils, this one has just over 200. The children are able to have the attention they need, and her learning and confidence have come in leaps and bounds. The teachers are wonderful, they all know all of the children's names (impossible in her huge old school) and make them feel special. Occasionally she will have a bout of anxiety - the first day of term, or if a teacher has scheduled absence and a substitute that she doesn't know comes in. But generally she is happy, is excited to get back to school, has a solid group of friends... Generally she is thriving.

The point in blogging this is two-fold. First, I am so so proud of her (and the three of us who, it has now become apparent, made the right parenting choices to get her out of this trap) for how she has come along and I want to brag about it on her behalf! She will always be a sensitive and anxious child, but we now know how to identify when something is becoming too much for her and she has learned techniques to deal with her anxiety. I'm willing to share these on the blog for anybody who needs them. And secondly, if you have read any of this and nodded along, this blog is for you. When she was going through this tough time, I scoured the blogosphere for inspiration and found nothing. I tweeted, I posted on forums - there is so much support out there for children with learning difficulties or gender confusion but almost nothing for children with mental health issues (and the help that IS there is only because it overlaps with the former). It was like a black hole in the internet, yet I know that so many parents are watching their children go through similar things.

My advice to you, if you are reading this and finally feeling like somebody knows what you're talking about, is to have open communication between parents, and then also with your child. Stability and dependability are what your child needs. If something is all consuming and CAN be changed, change it. I do not support running away from your problems, but moving Jelly to a different school has given her the chance to learn that school can be fun and that she deserves the chance to thrive. We realised that Jelly only had one childhood, and we had to decide between letting her torment herself for the sake of teaching her to face problems head on, or move her once, give her a chance at a 'normal' childhood and if that doesn't work we take her to therapy. And maybe one day we will still get her therapy: she still has control issues and she still lapses sometimes, but now it feels like she's on a level playing 
field and we can guide her like every other child.

We're proud of how far you've come, Jellybean xx

My £3 Hair Transformation

My life was a constant battle with dry, tangled hair until I had it cut back in October. Since then, things have been pretty good - I can brush my hair without my scalp swelling and I can almost run my fingers through it without it catching. Or at least, that was the case until I jumped on to the ombre bandwagon just after Christmas and dried out the ends of my hair all over again. I need to get it cut again, really, but until then all I can do is try various products and see how they work.

Fast forward to a couple of days ago, and I was where I'm normally found: in a bargain bin. I came across a range of Macadamia Oil Extract products for £1 each and thought I might as well give them a go - as they were that cheap I bought a shampoo, a conditioner and a matching hair mask. I wish I'd bought ten of each now.

Every Sunday evening I treat myself. Between the hours of 9 and 10pm I run a steaming-hot bath, I rest my tablet on the toilet so I can watch something awful on Netflix and I use all my best pamper products. Last night I even brought myself a cuppa, because I know how to live. These Macadamia Oil Extract products were tentatively added to my pamper collection for this Sunday night; the products totalled £3 so how good could they really be? 

It all felt normal at first. The smell was fine - nothing special, just that everyday soapy smell. I used the shampoo and conditioner as I always would (leaving the conditioner in for a couple of minutes, which is recommended on the packaging) and then applied the mask liberally to the ends of my hair and left that for a good five minutes. The mask was a bit less heavy-duty than I had imagined: quite runny and not dense at all, which hair masks usually are. I was worried this'd mean it wouldn't do much, but hey. Worth a try.

My hair was still wet when I fell asleep last night, which is usually a recipe for disaster. But this morning, when I brushed it, I was pleasantly surprised. The brush glided (glode? Glade?) through my locks smoothly, leaving them looking shiny and golden and bouncy. This NEVER happens to me. My fiance even commented on how soft it felt/that it looked shiny. I'm super impressed. I haven't used this enough to know if the hair mask did it or if the shampoo and conditioner would have been enough: I'll experiment next time. All I know is you need to get to ASDA and snap these beauties up before they put them back to full price or discontinue them all together. I haven't seen these for less than £3 each online (so almost a tenner for the set, which is a huge difference) so this is most definitely a deal to take advantage of.

Let me know what you think!

University.

Now that I'm happily back into my routine following Christmas, I thought I'd do a little post about my life at University. I've said I'm a student a handful of times, but haven't tended to talk much about what I'm actually studying.

I'm in the first year of a three year course, studying BA History. Within this course I take six modules. It's a lot more reading than many other courses, it sounds very factual and dry and while some of it is, there is actually a lot of room for light-hearted history! Many students take history as a joint-honours course, along with psychology or politics (or teaching, of course) and you can absolutely see why. Social history in particular is a great one for teaming up with psychology: how did people live? Why did that happen to that class, or sex, of person? I study everything from European conflicts and 18th century political groups, through to the definition and history of gender, witchcraft, and the psychology of ordinary Germans (or, more interestingly, Nazis) in Nazi Germany. All of this within the space of my first year.

This is a bit 'different' for the blogosphere, I get that. I get that most people will skip past this post because, hello, who is interested in simply hearing what somebody is studying at University? But I just thought I'd put it out there for anybody who is curious and, more importantly, anybody who is stuck thinking about what they want to do when they finish school.

In terms of job opportunities, they are endless with a history degree. It's one of those brilliant degrees that can get you jobs within many fields because of the basic skills you need to actually obtain a history degree. As for myself, I don't know what I want to do when I leave. Maybe something in an office. Maybe I'll work from home. Maybe head back into journalism. For now, I'm loving learning, loving the structure and believe it or not, even loving the 2000 word assignments that keep cropping up!

What are you studying, or what do you want to study? Did you use your degree? Let me know in the comments!

7 Things You Didn’t Know About Step-Parenting

I have been in Jellybean’s life since my 20th birthday (the first picture was taken on the first day we met - the second one was a year later and it's just an embarrassing coincidence that I'm wearing the same jacket), which was just under half a decade ago. Of course, I was in it for six months longer than that – she just didn’t know it. Her Dad and I got pretty serious pretty quickly and long before she fully understood what her relationship was with me, I was wrapping her Christmas presents, buying her medicine when she was ill and making long-term plans for her future. If she were an adult, such presumptive behaviour would have been grounds for a restraining order. Alas, she has no choice; I am in her life for the rest of it, and step-parenting is a tricky business. But what are they not telling you about taking on somebody else’s child?

September 2010

1. You will not love your step-child like you love your own. At least, I don’t. It’s a different relationship. I treat the children the same way (other than the required differences due to the age gap), I call them both my children – but the love for a step-child is something different. You see, you are biologically programmed to love your own child. To overlook his oversized head and stubborn streak (yes I am referring to my own son – sorry Moo!) and see him as a wonderful ball of perfection. But you can see your step-child’s flaws. You haven’t got that in-built tolerance for bullshit that parents get. And yet you love them of your own accord, simply because they’re fantastic and they fit perfectly into your heart. And in a way, I think that relationship is a bit more precious.

2. Being a step-mum doesn’t always mean being a step-monster, but it does mean you’re going to get pissed off sometimes. That afore-mentioned bullshit tolerator? I don’t have it. I can’t always smile and nod, sometimes I call her out when I know she’s talking rubbish. It’s from a good place: I want her to be the best Jelly she can be, and that means not making up stories or skewing a story to make somebody else look a little bit worse to make herself look better. Okay, I get it. Sometimes this makes me the moody bitch step-mother. Sometimes I ruin the fun. But I’d rather be honest with her. She now appreciates that sometimes I’ll tell her things her Mum and Dad won’t, and now knows whether I’m genuinely impressed with something or if I’m just saying it because it’s what parents do.

3. Biological parents are not natural enemies. Let’s be realistic about a couple of things here: your husband’s ex? She’s not with him because one or both of them decided that their relationship was not successful. It’s not going to suddenly get successful now. Also, she is not a terrible person simply because she happens to have been with (and possibly even loved) the same person you did – if anything, that shows she has some sense! Yes there are unique situations and sometimes exes are demons in disguise, but don’t dislike somebody simply because they’re your step-child’s parent. Take it from me: your step-child can only benefit from being surrounded by healthy relationships. We have actually gone on several family days out and invited Jelly’s Mum along. In fact, she’s come over for a cuppa sometimes when Jelly’s at school. She texts Jay and I regularly (and separately), and it isn’t always about Jelly. We all genuinely get along. 

July 2011

4. Sometimes you’ve just got to put up with something a bit rubbish. By this I mean, your step-child will want to do what they like to do. It isn’t about you anymore, grown-up! Honestly, if a child invites you into his or her world, grab that invitation and run with it; that is a very special invitation which they only offer to those they see as long-term. Whether it be colouring in, crimping hair or making playdough pasta, they’re giving you a place in their life.

5. Being a step-parent is a bit like being a silent partner. By this I mean, you are invested in his or her life, you have your own opinions on how to get him or her to where he or she needs to be, but ultimately it is not up to you how he or she gets there. Or if he or she even gets there at all. You can have opinions, but it is up to the two biological parents to make the ultimate decision. If you are part of a healthy parenting team, as I am, then all opinions are heard and your opinion is actually valued and taken into consideration; but ultimately, it is not a decider. You are most certainly a parent, but you are not the parent. That’s a tough pill to swallow sometimes, but one you can’t change. Think of it this way: if your current partner found somebody new, you would prefer that your opinions about your child were worth more than their new partner’s. You are the new partner, even 10 years into a relationship. 

6. Laughter is the best way to break any wall. Awkward silence when you meet? Don’t know what to say when you’re left alone together while Dad pops out to the loo? Feeling some resistance from your step-child? Do something stupid. Take a leaf from my book. When I met Jelly, I fell into a basket swing. She saw my knickers before she knew my face. She remembers it well, four years later.

December 2014

7. Nothing stings more than “you’re not my real Mum” (or Dad). Because let’s face it, it’s true. But think of it this way: what does a real Mum do? She loves a child. She keeps their best interests at heart. She makes good choices on behalf of that child. She lovingly disciplines. She guides her child throughout their childhood, to ensure that when he or she grows up they are the best person they can be. So ask yourself again. You may not have gone through labour and you didn’t hold that child for their first breaths (or even first years), but yes you are a real Mum. If you consider your step-child a true member of your family and of your heart and you are moulding them into the adult they will be, then you are a Mum. They just know you well enough to know how to hurt you. 

And there you have it. Seven things you might not have known, but seven things which sum up the complicated relationship that occurs between a step-parent and their step-child. Step-parents – anything else to add? 

Is it tacky to...?

If you're planning a wedding and have to ask yourself "would that be tacky?", the answer is probably yes. But does that mean it's wrong?

Realistically, your family are probably going to be upset by some element of your wedding. You're going to forget to invite somebody that your great aunt loves. You're going to serve something that your cousin is allergic to. Christ, on the day you might not even have time to say hello to your own sister. But here's the thing: it is your wedding day and, all said and done, it doesn't matter if anybody is happy but you.

SO. Is it tacky to...

...Do a dance routine along with your first song? Hell yeah it is! It's going to be cheesey and everybody will laugh and it will be exactly everything you want it to be. Unless you're doing something sensual or taking yourself too seriously. I say it's better to create a dance routine than to awkwardly shuffle into eachother throughout your first dance.
Make it less tacky: make sure your dance routine is funny, that it's something other people will 'get' and that it's to a song everybody can clap along to. That way, people will laugh with you and not at you.

...Ask for money instead of gifts? Not as tacky as it probably once was. Traditionally, single people would live with their parents until they met their lobster and moved into a mutual lobster den. Now, we live alone until we live together and we already have duplicates of every appliance to bicker over. We don't need another toaster. But we do need money because hello, economic climate. HONEYMOON.
Make it less tacky: There are many poems available online which explain that if somebody feels they'd like to give you a wedding gift, money would be more practical to you. If you can, set up a wedding website and include the link on your invitations - that way, the tricky subject stays off your invitations and people can even donate online. It's all about making it easy and normal.

...Have your wedding party buy their own outfits? This one is tricky and totally depends on personal situations. If you can easily afford 6 bridesmaid dresses and your bridesmaids are on a shoestring, they could get pretty resentful. And if they're buying their own outfits you have no right to dictate what they buy - you only control it if you buy it. This becomes less about being tacky and more about creating inner-party discord. 
Make it less tacky: If you'd like your ladies to match and you can't afford the dresses, explain to them that you've found the perfect dresses but budget doesn't quite allow it - ask if they could perhaps chip in at least a little bit. Be prepared that they might say no. If they do, no biggie, look for new dresses. They're just dresses and it's just one day.
Personally, I want my bridesmaids wearing whatever outfits they feel comfortable wearing, simply sticking to my colour scheme. I'm giving them a set amount each. If they choose to spend over that amount then that's on them. I am contributing enough to control the colour, they are able to wear the style of their choice. Everyone's a winner.

...Tell my guests to be in fancy dress? And by this I don't mean dressing fancy, I mean clown make-up or fairy wings or whatever. No it's not tacky to ask your guests to respect your wishes for your own wedding day, whatever reasons you might have. This applies to pretty much everything really - it's your day and you have the right to plan it exactly as you've always dreamed.
Make it less tacky: Explain on the invitation that you'd really love it if people were able to relax and get into the spirit of the party and come in something kooky. You could even offer some non-threatening costume suggestions: Godfather, Little Bo Peep - something people could adapt from something they'd wear anyway. Be prepared that people might just want to wear suits and skirts. If they do, again, it is just one day. What your guests wear doesn't impact your marriage. And it shouldn't be taken as a personal slight unless you're told it is one.

Ultimately, the solution to every tacky problem is simply to communicate, explain that you're doing something because you like it and respect it if others don't agree. Don't be upset; your wedding day has not been ruined. You still have the people you invited, and they're there simply to celebrate your love. Roll with it. And show up wearing something tacky to their wedding next year.

Quick School Run Hairstyles

School mornings are the worst, at least in our house: everybody's in a daze, forcing them to move more slowly than humanly possible at the one time you need them to hurry the hell up. I know as a Mum I like my children to look smart and presentable but fancy hairstyles are not always possible when it's five to eight and you're already late and nobody seems to want to get out from under their duvets. 

And so I have shared a few of my "go-to" styles for when Jelly wants to look a bit 'fancy' as she calls it and time is most definitely ticking on. I'm awful at doing hair at the best of times, and Jelly's hair is the exact opposite of mine (much thicker) so everything I thought I knew about hair has had to go out of the window since I started getting her ready for school. But I think these styles are pretty versatile, they'll work medium hair and longer (I have nothing for a pixie cut I'm afraid) and, on this first week back at school for most of the country, they're a bit of inspiration - because lets face it, you're definitely not going to feel inspired this week.

I created this 'school run' collection for children because they're simple, quick styles that don't require heat or hairspray/gel. Feel free to do these on your own hair for the school run too - just try not to match your child. Embarrassing, Mum!

Let's Twist Again...

1. I start this hair by separating off the front sections - I clip the one I'm not working with so that it doesn't get mixed in with the hair. Jelly's hair naturally parts to the side but this will actually probably look better with a central parting so just go with whatever's natural!

2. Twist the hair in towards the head, pulling it back so it isn't too loose. Hopefully your child won't hate having their hair done as much as mine does, hence the face!

3. Clip it down securely and do the same with the other side. Easy! Olaf optional.

4. Your finished product should look like this. It literally takes no more than two minutes, but it shows you made an effort.

Is it a plait or something Elsa?

1. This style requires a side parting. Again, start by separating off that front section - this time, though, just do one side.

2. Start french-braiding backwards. Take extra hair from the other side of the head. This can be a bit fiddly if you're not used to french-braiding. There are some tutorials to get you started here and here, but basically plait like normal - each time a middle piece becomes an outside piece, grab a chunk of loose hair so that it becomes part of that piece. Does that make any sense?

3. Carry on until the hair above and below the plait has ran out. Try and keep it tight as you go along - mine ended up a bit loose and messy. Like I said, rubbish at hair!

4. Once the hair has ran out, finish with a regular plait for the remaining length of hair and secure it with a normal bobble (or whatever you fancy!) I think this is quite a good style because it took less than four minutes and screams 'Elsa'. Every Elsa fan is going to be in love with this quick and easy style.

Twist that pony!

1. Create a ponytail as high as it will go. I find tipping the head upside-down helps if the hair is freshly washed and a bit less co-operative. You want it so high that the top of the pony stands right up.

2. And now on to the weirdest and worst quality photo I have ever taken. Twist that pony!

3. Start to wrap your twisted pony around the hair band - this is why it's important that it's high, as there's more structure for you to work with.

4. Once it's all wrapped around nicely, fluff it out a bit to fill any gaps and cover the hair bobble, then use another bobble to secure the whole thing. We often use a hair doughnut for this style but we couldn't find it today!

Schooltime Sassy

1. We use the ponytail from the ballerina bun to begin this style. Make your pony nice and high.

2. Choose a chunk of hair from anywhere in the ponytail. 

3. Wrap it evenly around the hair bobble, covering all of it.

4. When you reach the end of the chunk, simply use a kirby grip to pin it in place. This is Jelly's favourite style because it's the most 'fancy' apparently. And probably one of the easiest, so win-win!

I hope that helped you, Mum in a School Morning Crisis. Do you have any go-to hairstyles for fancy kiddies on school mornings? Let me know! 

So You've Just Got Engaged...

He asks. You say yes. You might even cry. You tell your family. You tell your friends. You clink a glass of champagne and seal it with a kiss.

And then what? When the news has sunk in (actually, it's been a little over a week for me and it's still not quite real), you want to get down to business and actually plan the big day. So what happens next?

Buy a pretty notebook and talk to your fiancé about the things you expect from your wedding. Talk about how much money you want to spend and how long you'd like to be engaged. Talk about colour schemes and wedding themes. Scribble furiously throughout this conversation (he might not want to regurgitate it all 4 hours later - trust me, I understand that you want nothing but to talk about it again and again, but he might not) and use it as the beginnings of your wedding plans. I have a page for 'budget', 'wedding party', 'clothes', 'food and drink', 'decor', 'venues' etc etc and I add information, prices and ideas as they come to me. I always keep my wedding notebook handy.

Look up the legal-eagle bits and bobs. Find out what you're going to need to do in order to actually legally get married (in the UK the minimum notice you need to give for your nuptials is changing from 16 days to 29 days from the 2nd of March), where it is legal to get married, and factor the cost of declaring your intention to marry (£35 each) and of being married by an officiant (£45 if you're married in a registry office) into your budget.

Buy pretty things for your wedding party and do what you can to make sure everybody feels special. Asking somebody to be your bridesmaid or maid of honour can feel a bit like proposing in itself, so have a look around online for a cute and unique way of doing it. Once I've asked my lovely ladies the next big question, I'll let you know how I did it!

Start a pinterest board and subscribe to blogs/newsletters/magazines that fit in with the theme and tone of your wedding. If you're a white-gown and up-do kind of bride, look for glossy mags. If you want to get married in the woods, you won't find anything in your local supermarket. Change your search terms on Google and Pinterest loads until you find the exact inspiration you're looking for. There is loads of brilliant information out there, and I've definitely got some ideas. Have a look at my wedding board on Pinterest here - bang! There goes the surprise of my theme! 

Sit tight, lady and try not to get too impatient as you realise that you can't plan it all in a day and have it go ahead tomorrow - as much as I know how you'd love that. My current status is: we have picked a date we'd love, we've got a meeting loosely scheduled with a venue and it's perfect, we're just hoping the date and price are both right. I've got my budget nailed down (more on that later), I need to wait for my bridesmaid gifts to arrive so I can talk to my girls about it, we've sort of loosely decided everything without having set anything in stone. And I'd love to have the money to just compile it all into one big list, click 'yes' and have it all go ahead tomorrow. Is waiting not just the worst thing?

Real life still from the moment I looked at my ring for the first time. Yes, unfortunately, I was dressed like that. I was even chewing gum. Video is EMBARRASSING!

Stop ignoring the rest of your life. I am so so guilty of this. The washing basket has piled up. I am finding it really hard to concentrate on my studies. Everything seems a little bit pointless when you've got a wedding going around your mind at a million miles a minute. Even Christmas day was a bit like "Yeah, great, presents, but I'M ENGAGED!" and it's so hard not to let that consume you. But you do still have to do well at work. You do still have to look after your home. Your priorities before your engagement are still your priorities now and ignoring them now only makes things difficult in the long run. So when you're meant to be reading about 19th century revolutions and you open a new tab on your browser and start looking at pink sapphire earrings (REALLY, FEE?) think about how important it is that you look at them right now. Maybe try to use it as an incentive - if you write 500 words, you get 15 minutes of wedding porn. 

At least you tried.

Are you planning a wedding? Did you have a quirky wedding that I need to see? Get in touch!

Five Ways to Kick January's Butt

"Morning. How is your head?"

There. Did you see it? That was January. January peering over it's glasses with a patronising look. January knows what you did last night, probably better than you do. And January knows what you've told yourself you're going to achieve this year. January is laughing.

Because let's face it, with all the best intentions at heart and all the powers of positive thinking in mind, yesterday was a day of promising things to ourselves and eachother and now we've woken up and we realise what we actually have to do. 

Shit.

Fear not, Fee is here. I am a master of organisation, the Queen of grand visions and, in total and complete honesty, a black belt at kidding myself. So let's get real together. Let's kick January's arse.

1. Just because you resolved to stop smoking/lose weight/boost your blog or whatever else in 2015, doesn't mean it needs to happen today. If you eat a cheeseburger or don't write a post today, you have not failed. January just wants you to think you've failed, so that you don't keep trying. Realistic goals are continuous processes, not one-shot deals. Don't pressure yourself to go full-throttle on day one. Ease into it, mama! You only need to answer to you!

2. On a practical note, go eat an orange. Fill one of the empty bottles I'm sure you've got laying around your bed on this January First with water and down the whole thing. Drink something effervescent. It can only help you right now. Trust me. And for the love of God, eat.

3. Take a walk. Take a breather. Get away from everybody around you. Think about your hopes and ambitions. Make realistic plans to take small steps towards them. You're feeling groggy and overwhelmed and all you really need is that crisp January air. Use January to fight January.

4. Read blogs. Immerse yourself in positivity. A few of my favourite positive blogs from December 31st are Faye Olivia, Confetti Letters and OhHay!, because they all talk about what they've achieved and what more they can do. I'm sure you'll find something in common with most if not all of these gals.

5. Don't ignore the things you need to do. Just because it's January 1st doesn't mean that assignment doesn't need to get written (here's looking at you, Fee), it doesn't mean you can't make up orders or clean your oven or whatever it is you need to do. Don't put things off because you're consumed with the now. Oh man, this is a lesson I need to be taking right now. Screw you, January.

And there it is. A guide to January that I hope you can all make use of, and will boost a few spirits. Have a fabulous year, I can't wait to read all about it!