A twist of fate, a wrong decision, a stroke of bad luck. All of a sudden, you find yourself face to face with an almighty struggle. One unpaid invoice leads to rent arrears and a mountain of debt. Then, a charity may be your only hope. A food bank, or an organisation that helps people to get…
Within the daily struggle of parenthood, being me has become my biggest battle. Last week, I was looking at my children playing at my feet when I had a sudden moment of realisation. I spend an inordinate amount of time with my head down. Watching the girls, looking at my laptop or phone, preparing food….
Waking in a panic in the early hours of the morning has become normal. The overdraft limit is looming yet again, as it does for freelancers everywhere. But this time, it’s different. It’s not about lack of work, because I’ve got plenty. A small company or an individual unable to pay hasn’t caused the problem….
The girls cuddled up on the sofa under a blanket clutching their bags of popcorn. My concerns about spending the evening cleaning it up off the floor slowly dissipated. Their trusty dog lay at their feet, ready to hoover up any stray scraps before they became part of the carpet. And I realised we should…
We walked into the communal room and the children made a beeline for a playroom and some craft tables. Volunteers from a local company were running a Halloween event for residents to make masks and decorations. One of many opportunities for children to retain some form of normality during their family’s darkest hour. What is…
One of the best things about working from home is being with the children in school holidays. But the problem is, work doesn’t stop. In fact, half term is looking fairly busy for me. And we’re not in a financial position to turn work down. Grandparents to the rescue I’ve already scheduled in a few…