My previous post explains why life is a little harder than normal at the moment, but this just makes it all the more important to celebrate the positives in everyday life. So in no particular order here is what has been making me smile this week:

• Christmas is over – don't get me wrong, I bloody love Christmas and all things festive but once new year rolls around, I'm over it. If I'm really honest, I'm quite happy to see the back of the Quality Street and as much as I love the lazy days of the Christmas holidays it's always secretly a relief to get dressed before 11am, resume a school/work routine (although I'm not pretending to be happy about our 6am alarm, that's always going to be tough!) and eat a meal that doesn't entirely consist of cheese! I love taking the tree down (as soon after Boxing Day as possible) and while others moan about how bare everywhere looks without it, I just love it! 

• The NHS – not their first mention in this series of posts, but still as important as ever. They have been unrelentingly brilliant caring for Grandad T and were also fantastic when our GP sent us to A&E last Thursday with Tinker who was running a ridiculous temperature, was disorientated and slurring her words, and despite the temperature had freezing cold feet. Once seen, she was immediately moved to resus with suspected sepsis. After a worrying time, sepsis was thankfully discounted and she was moved to children's ward, where she made the kind of speedy recovery that only kids seem to manage, and was eventually discharged late at night. Every single member of staff we came into contact with was just fantastic, they explained everything every step of the way and were absolutely brilliant with Tinker. The recent headlines of an NHS in crisis are depressing, but in my recent experience the NHS is as alive and kicking as ever. 

• Our new kitchen – I will get around to blogging about it properly very soon, but I have to say I just love it. Knocking the wall down has made our house so much more open plan and we are using the space totally differently, it is much more social! Having a breakfast bar is fantastic, it's a magnet for everyone and I love that now when I am cooking there is always someone sitting there to chat too. Every time I am in there I am always thinking how it is so much better than what we had before and I really don't want to get to the point where the novelty has worn off and it's just 'ordinary'.

• Jess's roast dinner – one thing about having adult children is that hopefully eventually the tables turn and they will cook for you! Jess (my eldest, who no longer lives with us so gets little mention on here) and her boyfriend are now settled into their new house after recently moving and invited us over for a roast dinner on Sunday. I can honestly say the food was delicious and it was so nice to have a family dinner as for the first time she wasn't with us for Christmas Day (sob!) 

• Totsy – she really is adorable (ok, I'm biased!) She is so easy going, always happy and smiling and sleeps absolutely brilliantly. I'm massively tempting fate here, but I can honestly say I have never had one single bad night with her in her whole 22 months (I know, it sounds like I'm making it up, but I swear it's true – and I definitely can't say the same about any of the others, believe me I know how rare it is!) Her speech is improving every day and although she mostly just says one or two words together, she is venturing into three word sentences now (although this week she has a new favourite word, 'why?' which I'm sure will soon wear thin!) Of course we are rapidly approaching the terrible twos so this could all change any moment, so I really am appreciating it while it lasts!

• Tinker and Totsy – they have such a special relationship, and seek each other out first whenever they have been apart, especially on Saturdays when Tinker returns from her dad's, they are inseparable then and only have eyes for each other. They play together all the time and it's so nice to just watch them – Totsy tolerates Tinker's bossiness pretty well and Tinker loves to show Totsy how to do things. They are always laughing together and I hope they grow up close to each other. 

• Milly, Matt and Nath – with Mr T out hospital visiting every evening these three have been keeping me company. Sometimes just one at a time, other times altogether, which although a bit crazy at times is my favourite. They bounce off each other, they are always joking around and there is always lots of laughter. Although I sometimes crave just a bit of peace I really do love our busy madhouse! 

Keep smiling x