Smashing Single Parenthood

Saturday 14 January 2023

“Happy new year!”

January! And this ‘month of resolutions‘ seems the perfect time for me to get back into good blogging practices, as I realise that I have not posted for 3 weeks. Life has been one busy whirl of late, but its no excuse and when I look back over our family diary I certainly would not want this time to be forgotten.

So, before I turn my mind hopes and plans for 2023, I need to look back at Christmas 2022, which all began with an exciting first date (brief update on that situation in my final sentence) and then just seemed to get better and better. Let’s look back…

My full squad were reunited a week before Christmas which my fellow ‘empty nesters‘ will know always feels fabulous. Proudly sporting our team hoodies, the house came alive with buzz and chatter, as we faced the festive preparations. And, because one joy of this holiday is that the whole world seems to be on vacation with you, my offspring also filled their days with meet-ups and catch-ups with lots of friends too.The mood was busy but felt incredibly happy.

Drum roll please for our dinner-for-7 on the Big Day! Out came the spreadsheet and out came the cocktail book as we decided to give our event a glamourous edge with espresso martinis and a pitcher of grapefruit, vodka and maraschino liqueur. Well; I am very glad that we trialled and tasted these delicious offerings in advance (and they were good) because on the 25th itself we quickly realised that we had not ‘read the room’ at all. One guest was driving, my mum was recovering from a gruelling Autumn of medical treatment and … well you get the picture. None of our guests touched a drop! They did however love the meal, (even if no-one had told the turkey about our spreadsheet timings!), polished off several bottles of prosecco and had huge amounts of laughter and fun with a series of board games, old and new.

We managed a family trip to the cinema on Boxing Day, which we haven’t done for years and my mum’s annual family gathering a few days later was huge! Mum has been battling cancer this Autumn and possibly as a result … everyone turned out and it was quite a party! From my amazing mother at 84 to my new great-nephew at 6 weeks old, we were shoulder to shoulder with relatives and friends and it was a pretty special evening.

But even more spectacular was to come. On New Year’s Eve, my beautiful, talented niece got married. What a magical day! The setting was stunning and the mood utterly joyful. After my post about black-tie dresses, (We all get Wider) someone was even kind enough to loan me a choice of gorgeous gowns, so I felt a million dollars for the evening. Uplifting, effervescent and, as every wedding should be full of alcohol and, of course, love!

So now to 2023 and I did promise to update on progress from my lovely first date. Now this blogger never ‘kisses and tells‘ about romance but I am going to reveal that one date quickly lead to 2,3 4 and … I am no longer counting. It has absolutely wrapped up a very busy three weeks in wonderfully warm glow and … long may it continue!