MOVING AND MOTHERING

I Just wanted to jump on and say, “Hi! I am still here!”

I have been super busy with a house move and trying to do that whilst mothering a three year old, a one year old, running my own business, attending meetings, meeting beautiful newborn babies, looking after myself and all the other jazz that creates ones social life, has been somewhat…hectic. However, it’s been blooming brilliant too!

Onwards and upwards.

I am leaving Hollybush, Sevenoaks, and I feel so emotional about it. So emotional. I love the community here and I love this home! It’s gorgeous. It is filled to the brim with gorgeous memories of my little ones many firsts. We moved here when my daughter was 4 months old. That in itself was a very tricky time to navigate our way through. We moved into this tiny cottage that needed a lot of work doing to it. I distinctly remember getting the keys on day 1, it was November 21st, freezing cold, like, the coldest November on record. We opened the door to our very first home that we had ever bought together, went straight to the boiler to turn it on and…nope. Not a flame. Not a peep. Not even a little hum of a boiler trying to work.

Oh dear. But…

Over the last 3 years, we have created the most beautiful home with such love and attention and I am finding it really difficult to say goodbye. My son was born here only 14 months ago and that in itself means this home holds a very special place in my heart ♡ .

My daughter learnt to crawl here. So did my son. They both took their first steps in this very living room, my son doing this only last week! The first times they said the words ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ were in these four walls. The tantrums, the smiles, the tears, the laughter, the love, SO MUCH LOVE, has echoed throughout this house for 3 years. It is engrained in the walls along with their height charts scribbled in pencil.

I just, love.this.house. We bought it knowing full well that we were going to outgrow it very quickly. We wanted a sibling for our daughter, a friend for life, who was born 2 years after moving in, so having 4 of us living in a 2 bed is a little bit of a squish. Along with this comes the biggest (and only) downside to living here, which is the lack of parking. When I say lack of parking, I mean there is actually non. If any of you know Hollybush, you will know that it is a really special place, with skinny roads and rows and rows of tiny cottages. Brick cottages, white wooden cottages, pink cottages, stone cottages and pretty pot plants outside every home. Our road is one way, very skinny and has no parking…at all. So, we have to park on a completely different road, which is complete potluck as to how close to our road we can get! Imagine this in the pouring rain with a toddler and baby! Or after the supermarket shop. Or even having guests over. So, really, we need to move to accommodate our growing family and for the ease of parking outside our house with two children in tow.

We are not moving far. Just 6 miles away. To another cottage! So, all is not lost. It is actually a dream home, another renovation project (why do we do this to ourselves!?) but the opportunity is just too special to miss.

Hollybush, I will miss you with my whole heart. You are a truly special place. I will be back most days, however. My daughter’s preschool will allow me to creep back in on a daily basis. All of my group classes will still be running in the centre of town at Springbank Clinic too. So, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.

So, here’s to growing families, new homes and a hint of Spring on the horizon. How beautiful was today!?

See/speak to you all soon.

Natalie.

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