Finding a bit of joy every day

Today has been a long but productive day at work. Nothing to complain about.

Tonight has been one of those evenings that could have been a bit of a "none evening"...jobs to do - ironing, tidying up, making James lunch for tomorrow etc etc.

But tonight has been a good evening, for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, a moment of spontaneity when all three of us were watching James May's Top Ten girls toys program and we wer reminded of Spirograph - and I commented that you could get them in Toys R us. I said "I'll go out in a bit - its open till ten"....Corin went out about 2 minutes later and came back with a cheaper version of Spirograph, but it works effectively and he's been happily entertained for the last hour!

More importantly, tonight I had a little moment of realisation - that even though life is busy, and hectic, I am so much happier now, because James is back home with us - we are a little family now, but more importantly, I think for all of the last twelve months, prior to him coming back home to us, I felt like I wasn't complete, and that I wasn't a "real mother" because my boy wasn't here with me. (For those of you who weren't here for this - you need to read this

Now I am complete - the hole that was in my heart has gone - I get the joy of cajoling Mr Grumpy out of bed in the morning, and chasing to get homework done, and teeth cleaned and all that routine, mundane stuff. I missed it. But what I missed most was a hug and a snuggle on the sofa every evening, and climbing into bed for 20 minutes at night to read a story or have James read to me.

I'm mum again now. All of the time. And every time I am feeling a little wound up, I will try hard to remember how I felt during term time last year.

Am off to have a brew and do some spirograph with my super spontaneous husband to be!