Blog- Just Bring the Chocolate

The One Where I Confess

Published on 12th Dec 2011 by Renata

Elliot, Lilia and Dominic Blower sticking out their tongues

In the spirit of openness and honesty, for all the people who accidently landed here courtesy of Google, let me just state that at no point in this blog post am I going to be talking about anything that involves my boobs. This isn't that kind of confession. Nor have I found god. Sorry Catholics. I know it is never a good to start a post by simultaneously disappointing and ostracising two such large sections of society, but I am trying to honest here. So now that is out of the way, and I guess it's just me and the ...

When Life is just a Load of Crap…

Published on 29th Nov 2011 by Renata

A few days ago, feeling rather like a child bunking school, I did the rare thing of going into town - you know, where the shops are, and where lots of people who make time for wandering around shops go. I didn't even have a real purpose for heading in that direction, I was just going to have a look for no other reason than because I could. I made a point of going up and down as many stairs as I could find (it is a rare treat to not have to think about how I'm going to get ...

Every Bookshelf Needs…

Published on 16th Nov 2011 by Renata

Illustration from Rebecca Elliott's book 'Just Because' about her disabled daughter and son

At the risk of being pelted with chocolate Hobnobs, I'm going to break my own cardinal rule of militant Christmas denial until the calendar has been officially flipped over and I have to come face to face with the month of December. As Halloween approaches, the excitement of choosing the perfect costume and accessories, like spooky decorations and Halloween contact lenses, fills the air with anticipation for a night of frightful fun, normally, when out among the human race, intermittently freezing and sweltering as I zigzag between the pavement and the shops, even a hint of sleigh bells in the ...

The Return of the Mad Cat Lady

Published on 6th Nov 2011 by Renata

I've been away for a bit. Quite a bit actually. So excuse me if I tentatively dip my toe into chocolatey water for a while rather than just leaping in the air, grabbing my knees and crying "Geronimoooooo" as I dive back in. When you are out of the habit of nonchalantly displaying your life so publicly, returning to blogging does rather feel like unpacking your swimming bag at a public pool to find that the only costume that has been packed for you is a rather flimsy white one. You know that however confidently you attempt to strut out ...

The Unsung Heroes

Published on 19th Jul 2011 by Renata

I am the proud mother of a disabled child. But I am also the proud mother of two able-bodied children (or whatever generally accepted pc definition you wish to categorise them as). One is serious and smart and capable of an extraordinary ability to love and an even more extraordinary ability to survive on very little sleep. The other skips and pirouettes through life managing to juggle frivolity with a deep and sensitive understanding of other people’s emotional complexities, and just happens to have the fartiest bottom of anyone I have ever met. These two are the unsung heroes, the forgotten siblings in the special needs world.