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Thursday 29 November 2012

A poem: One for the Mums

I write lots of poems and hope this one makes you :)))

She comes in the night
To fold & hang clothes,
And pair up your discarded shoes.
Sleeves rolled back tight
On solid knees bent,
She scrubs off the skids when you've pooed.

And When you've been sick,
There's beads on your brow
And your tongue's the hue of old spinach,
It's she who will rub,
Hug, kiss and soothe - 
She don't mind that your breath smells of cabbage.

Even when you're grown
The fairy's still there,
You wonder who bothered to launder.
But you'll know she's been round
'cos your cups will be clean
And your books alphabetically ordered.






Water

The state of the weather also sums up a big theme of my week.

Can't imagine what it must be like to have your home and / or business flooded. Aside the obvious damage, I've heard it smells quite a bit, is this true? My elder sister lives in South Wales but she is in a valley so is saved by the big hills.

C - the middle one - has been getting bullied at school. He tends to hold onto things, I sensed something was up and then it all tidal waved out at bed time. He has asthma and certain boys omit him from football at playtimes. They've also been name- calling; fairly typical really. I immediately spoke to his teacher ( at least 15 years my junior) and the head master. Was shocked to hear that the latter has suggested C needs counselling, and he couldn't really specifically state why this was, other than just saying " he gets angry....he gets a look about him." he then spoke openly about another boy who has benefited from the school's counselling service. I know this boy and his family and was certain their mum would be over the moon that I had been given this information. Later that day, I received a text from the mum of this boy, saying we should meet up to talk about the 'potential counselling.' Do they not teach heads about confidentiality? He needs to quiet his mind; cease the running water. I have arranged another meeting to give him a lesson.

Business-wise things have been choppy. I have had to take ( another) serious look at my finances because some of my packaging needs redesigning. This also means re-designing and printing labels, always costly. I am also desperate to launch two new products which I have a lot of faith in. Let's hope I can improve the flow of my cash ( sorry!)




Thursday 15 November 2012

Haven't been able to write this week as I have been working in another role as nurse for 3 days.
Yes, I have donned my old navy sack which billows in the wind and could possibly propel from house to house for my nursey visits. (Who needs a car??) It has been eventful.

Yesterday I visited what could possibly be the most unhygienic flat ever. If I said balls of fag ash everywhere, coupled with the nostril-shattering smell of rotting flesh, you may get an idea of this man's abode. He is  wheelchair-bound with ulcers to the base of both feet which I was directed to re-dress by the nurses at the base. I used to work as a practice nurse a few years ago, so am quite au fait with wounds - in fact, I actually have quite a strong affection for a big old oozer. This guy has a penchant for online gambling, (his words, not mine), and has clearly not looked after himself for many years. I felt genuine compassion for him, until he tried to hit on me whilst I was still dressing his feet. The next (much older) gentleman I visited did the same, asking me if he should "remove the crown jewels from his pants," a completely unnecessary manoeuvre for an upper arm vaccine. In both cases, like Ross Kemp, I got the hell out of there!

The funniest incident happened today, when I visited a bed-ridden lady, who proceeded to reprimand me every time I said the words "OK." I obviously say this a lot, because my 15 minutes with her was spent ricocheting reprimands from her corner for daring to utter the phrase. At one point I even replied 'OK' when she asked me to stop, (unconsciously accidentally on purpose?), causing her to punch the eiderdown. I asked her what she hated so much about the word - she replied that although it does appear in the English dictionary, it is not Proper Vocab! Hmm. I assume she's never texted anyone.

This has all been in aid of christmas gifts, the time of year when I part with hundreds. My youngest was born 2 days before the 25th December, making it sightly more dear, (why did I not time this better? - oh yes, he wasn't timed at all), than it used to be. My family members keep on nicking my present ideas too, which is infuriating. My mum texted me the other day, explaining that she'd bought the younger two their scooters. These were planned to be our main presents to the boys which I made the mistake of mentioning. I replied with thanks, not wanting to seem ungrateful, but I'm on a tight budget this year - there's only so much available for £60. Maybe someone should invent a 'gritted teeth' icon for texting. (The bed-ridden one would just love that).

'A' has been obsessing (and I mean obsessing) about a new car for us. He sold his old M3 and pride and joy last week, and has had to take the bus several times since, which he hates. He wants to get us a white Kia, which is fine except for the colour. White no. I've never liked it, especially now that it seems to have become a status / fashion symbol. Don't get it. He will probably get his way though, because I simply can't be bothered to have another row about it.

I'v actually enjoyed the nursing though; nice to give something and use my skills again. Lots of these people live alone and have no relatives nearby, if at all. Often the district nurses are their only daily contact with another human being and we are always rushing out. It doesn't take much to give them a little lift with a few kind words though - even if they are trying to flash their willy at you!

Wednesday 7 November 2012



Feeling a bit better this week.

Not only are the leaves in my back garden turning different colours (and falling) at an alarming rate, but Inner-Soul Organics has also seen some changes this last month. (See what I did there?!)

We are now official supporters of the Katie Piper Foundation, helping people to live with burns and scars. £1 from each product sold will be donated to the foundation,  and I also volunteered as a masseuse for the charity's workshop for beneficiaries on November 3rd, which was inspiring. Truly. 

Inner-Soul Organics has been named in the top three 'Best New Organic Brands' by the Sunday Telegraph's Stella Magazine - lots of excitement! I took my boys to see the Cutty Sark In Greenwich to celebrate, (they were ecstatic as you can probably imagine!)

Finally I have been doing some active research on a new product. Anyone who knows me will know that I've inherited dark circles (thanks mum and nan!), which seem to get worse as winter approaches. Can't say too much, but I have been using some natural oil on my under eyes and lids each night for a month now and there is a definite improvement. Watch this space!! 

Thank you for reading, 

Emma x

Friday 2 November 2012

In spite of it being half term so I get to not have to do the school run twice daily and spend extra time with my gorgeous boys, it has been a difficult week and mood-wise I've felt quite dreary.

A has no work and the date when we will become officially skint is approaching at speed. This is the 31st December. A has worked tirelessly - he is at his desk in our old spare room by 7.30am each day - and has created several opportunities and meetings with companies who have shown some interest in forming a partnership with his marketing company. Only to then decide that they actually are not that interested after all for various reasons. Many of these company MD's are several years younger than A, whose morale has drifted to a point lower than I've ever witnessed, and it's been my job to push it back up to some level which at least permits some form of positive thinking. Without patronizing / assuming / sounding pathetic. I'm afraid that this week, I have allowed his mood to rub off on me.

Truthfully, I find being on a tight budget exhausting. Every pound spent feels like ten and the weekly food shop takes a lot longer than it should. The boys' jumper sleeves are creeping up their arms and I can't be bothered to have to shop around for rubbish which won't last longer than a season.  And any  thoughts of Christmas present-buying are immediately swept away to somewhere dark and out of reach. Several helpful family members have already told me they've bought pj's for the boys for Christmas, and I smile and thank although we need the warm winter sleeping attire right now, this minute. I have found that the money I earn is immediately swallowed by general living costs and feel frustrated that I have no funds to inject into my business.

Each school holiday, with the strict routine of school thrown out of the window, can also act as a shocking reminder of how dependent my eldest is. He is on the Autistic Spectrum and has an unofficial learning difficulty alongside this - ie it has never been given an official label. E is now twelve, yet I found myself hunched over amongst the crowds in the Science Museum today untying his baseball boots then swapping them to the correct feet. My seven year old helped me to re-tie the laces. This is not an isolated shoe occurrence - he has been known to put odd shoes on, one a trainer, the other a school shoe. It's not that we haven't taught E these skills - I spent an entire week over the summer on lace-tying - he simply has trouble withholding the information, and applying it. The simplest things can lead to hard work and confusion. And E also doesn't feel things like other children, so wouldn't necessarily find his oddly placed shoes uncomfortable. Today's event forced the return of the question to the front of my brain, the one I hate to ask: how will E cope when he is nineteen, twenty-five, forty? When we're gone???

On a brighter note, tomorrow I am going back to my therapist roots to volunteer at a Katie Piper Foundation workshop. I will be offering massages to people dealing with deformity of various kinds, which I am sure will help me to put everything neatly back into perspective.