So yeah. This is me: Mummy Barrow

Are the lyrics to This Is Me, from the Greatest Showman not some of the greatest ever penned?  When I thought about writing a post to introduce myself and say “so yeah, this is me: Mummy Barrow” the lyrics of this song instantly sprang to mind.

I mean, come on, aren’t they epic?  And they could probably ring true for us all, I know they really do for me.  In fact whenever I hear them I get a real lump in my throat (I did cry in the cinema the first time I heard them) and then I need to put my headphones in, turn it up loud and listen again.

My little family and I have dealt with so much over the years that it really feels like we are bruised at times, that we have been scared by what has been thrown at us, but do manage to dust ourselves off and keep on marching.   I won’t say it is easy, some of the challenges I have found very hard to move on from, and if I am honest, the scars are still there, but I try to push them to the back of my head (mostly by drowning them out with Bon Jovi or Guns N Roses).

It also means I need to share more about me, and pictures of me.   I have really tried to do that over on Instagram but I still don’t find it easy.  Does anybody?

Why am I telling you this now?

Well I am joining with Elizabeth and her Blog Every Day in November suggestion.  When I first started blogging there was something along the same lines and it really helped me to focus on my blog for a month, whilst also giving me some hints and blog ideas to share with you all.    In the intervening years I have really had a bit of a rollercoaster ride with my blog, equally loving it and being really enthusiastic, with hating it and wanting to just focus on Instagram.    Today I am trying to find a happy medium as my rationale is that to be a blogger I need a blog and also I am very fond of these piece of the Internet.    It has offered me the opportunity to do all sorts of wonderful things and the idea of it not being around terrifies me.   So I need to focus on it more.    I have a tendency to be really wordy on instagram which is great, but I am not sure entirely convinced people always read the whole thing and so I am going to set myself the challenge of being more succinct over there, and more wordy here.    And of joining the two things together every day.

Almost like I know what I am doing.

So hello if you are new around here.    My name is T but everyone calls me Mummy Barrow now (which is funny when it is the Amazon delivery man checking the name for the delivery; “Mummy?  Mummy Barrow?”).   This has been my fourth child (my other three are all grown up and in their twenties or about to be) for almost seven years now and I have discussed all manner of things, most of which I have forgotten until I read through the archives myself!

Next year I turn 50 and I am looking for 12 mini challenges for the year, starting in January I plan to do one every month.  So if you have one you think I could do I would love to hear from you.   Things like the fact I have never pulled a pint, want to learn sign language, you know, small things that I can look back on this time next year and know I have achieved something.   I have no interest in jumping out of planes or climbing Kilimanjaro.   It is the small things that make the biggest difference to me and that I remember most of all so that is what I want to focus on for those challenges.

Though the first of them starts now, and blogging for the next 29 days too!