Hello 2023!

Happy New Year!

Firstly, I wanted to thank all those still reading my blog. The last few months, posts have been few and far between as I have adjusted to working life again! I am going to be making an effort to post at least one or maybe two posts a week from now on – I have missed writing and have a lot to say still!

What a year 2022 was! It started with a kiss from the man I had gone on a dinner date with that evening – we enjoyed ourselves and decided to stay out and see in the New Year together. I am pleased to say, it also ended with a New year’s Eve kiss from him too – celebrating a whole year of smiles, fun and good memories that have been made.

Both the boys are doing well – Riley will be starting senior school this year which is absolutely crazy, and Leo will be starting his GCSE’s too! They are both doing amazingly well and make me so proud. Still football mad, along with Stranger Things for Leo and Young Sheldon for Riley.

Personally, 2022 was pretty successful for me! No hospital stays ALL YEAR! That definitely has not been the case for a while! My health has been pretty good in general to be fair, and a steroid injection from my rheumatologist in early December seems to have finally got the almost year long iritis flare under control! I am set to move onto a different biologic in February and am crossing everything that it will work well for my Crohn’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis and iritis.

All the hard work for my degree paid off in the Summer when I was awarded a First Class Honours BA – to say I was over the moon is an understatement! While not easy, especially with all the other things I have had going on during the time I have been studying, The Open University really was the right way to go for me. To anyone looking to make a change or study while parenting or chronically ill – I would highly recommend this route. Feel free to send me any questions if you want to know more bout this and I might do a post about it.

And then I got my dream job – as an apprentice teacher in a SEND school which has been the most incredible experience so far. I have NEVER been so busy but I can’t complain too much as I am so happy there. I feel so very lucky that I get to do the job I do every day – everyone is so lovely, my team are amazing and the kids – well they are just the best and make me so proud and smile every day without fail.

And so – to 2023. More of the same please! I am hoping my health and chronic illnesses remain well controlled. I feel like things are slowly starting to settle down work and study wise as I get into a routine so hopefully a bit more time for my friends and family will now be able to happen. Rather than making a resolution for the new year I have decided to have a word of the year – an idea I have pinched from the Mamamia Out Loud podcast ladies who have been doing this for a few years. My word this year is going to be SELF-CONFIDENCE. It is something I know I have lacked for a while but it has been something in particular my school mentor has talked about in our meetings. He has been great and told me that I have been doing some amazing things (which is so good to hear!) but that I just need to believe it now! So this year that will be my word, I will be writing it on my mirror, in my diary and all the places I look regularly (maybe the fridge should be one ha ha) so I am reminded of it often. I would love to hear if you have made a resolution or if, like me, you choose a word instead for the year. Let me know in the comments below and I will be sure to do some check-ins through the year!

So just to reiterate – thank you – to all who read my blog and take the time to like, comment and message, both here and on my social media pages. It is always appreciated and I hope this year we get to reconnect a lot more – blog suggestions and topics are always welcome! Hope you all have the best 2023,