life update – LYDIA ON LIFE

Life Update | What Happened In May?

“How you feel about home after holiday says a lot about home.”
― Joyce Rachelle

Having some me time is so important, especially as a mother. Single or not, being a mother requires so much of yourself that it’s easy to lose yourself in the midst of it all.

“How you feel about home after holiday says a lot about home.”
― Joyce Rachelle

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If you’re new to my blog, then welcome! And if not, then welcome back!

How’s life treating you?

Me, I’m doing fabulous! May is a very special month for me for many reasons. Not only is it my birthday month but it’s also the month I use to reflect on all that I have done since my last birthday. It’s a mindfulness exercise I started last year called a reverse bucket list thats helped me learn to change my perspective on how I look at myself and the things happening in my life.

Being away from my usual surroundings also helps hence why I’ve not posted anything on here this month. I decided to take a much needed 3 week holiday to Kenya with my family where I knew I’d be able to relax, gather my thoughts and hit a very busy second half of 2019.

Aside from enjoying the time away from the London life, being in Kenya gave me the boost and guidance I needed when it came to parenting and I hope to share all I’ve learned in the months to come.

But for now here is a short, sweet and hopefully interesting recap on what Matthew and I have been up to in May.

What’s been happening with me:

I successfully travelled with a 8 month old to Kenya (this was not easy at all!)
I turned 27 (another birthday spent in another country)
I revived my Instagram page (hadn’t posted in over a year)

What’s been happening with Matthew:

Travelled on a plane for the first time (he did well considering how long the journey was)
He visited the rural areas in Kenya to see our extended family for the first time (everyone loved him)
He started standing on his own (if he could stand all day he would)
His top two teeth came through (this was not a fun experience for either of us)
He finally settled into a routine that works for me (the joy I feel about this is indescribable)

And that’s it! These were the highlights of my May. I’ll go into some of those moments in another posts but I hope you’ve gotten an idea of how we are doing so far in our journey.

As much as I enjoy being a mother and sharing that experience on my blog, sometimes stepping away from all that even for a little while will do you more good than trying to soldier through it.

Having some me time is so important, especially as a mother. Single or not, being a mother requires so much of yourself that it’s easy to lose yourself in the midst of it all. Our mental health is important if we want to not only raise strong amazing children but enjoy all that comes with it.

So from one exhausted mother to another I encourage you to take as many breaks as you need till you feel ready to face the world again because the world and the world of parenting is a difficult place to live in. There is nothing wrong in taking some time to focus on you and your mental health. This time can really help you get through those difficult moments and enjoy the wonderful moments that come along with it.

Speaking of wonderful moments, head over to my Instagram to see what Matthew and I got up to in Kenya. I don’t think I’ll be making such a long distance trip with him anytime soon but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to do it so early on in his life. I guess Brighton will have to be good enough for now!

The rest of 2019 is looking to be pretty busy for both of us so bare with me as I adjust.

Your Turn…

What were the highlights of May for you? Is there anything in this months round-up you’d like me to talk more about?

Let me know in the comments below or on my other social platform @lydiaonlife.

Also, don’t forget to follow the blog too! And why not add yourself to the mailing list for updates whilst you’re at it?

I hope (emphasis on hope) to start posting once a week again so stay tuned!

Till next time!

Love always,
Lydia x

Life Update | What Happened In April?

“A mother continues to labor long after the baby is born.”
– Lisa Jo Baker.

April has come and gone and it brought a lot of exciting and not so exciting things. I learned a lot about myself and those around me and realised just how important a change of environment can be.

“A mother continues to labor long after the baby is born.”
– Lisa Jo Baker

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Hello and welcome to my blog!

How are you? How’s life treating you?

I’m back with another round-up on what’s been going on with me and Matthew this month. April started off really low for me and I kinda shut away from friends and family as that’s how I deal with things however as time went on things started to get better. I learned a lot about myself and those around me and realised just how much stepping out of my comfort zone and following these tips can help me get my groove back.

So as promised, here is a short, sweet and hopefully interesting round up of how my April has been

What’s been happening with me

Managed to catch the flu (not great when you have a baby to look after)
Postnatal depression got to me really badly (I hate that word)
Sorted out my date for returning back to work (is it bad that I’m excited?)
Found a mentor for the project I’m working on (another exciting milestone for me)
I attend my first tech event for black folk called AfroTechFest (Amazing experience!)
And finally I got my lashes done for the first time (check them out on Instagram)

What’s been happening with Matthew

Turned 7 months (7 whole moths guys!)
He managed to catch my flu (dealt with it like a champ though)
Started walking along the edges of his bed from one end to the other (falls half way but it’s progress)
I took him to the office to show him off to everyone (travelling in London with a baby ain’t easy)
He’s been accepted to my first choice nursery ( I only registered for one)
And finally we officially started the weaning phase (it’s messy and we’re both still adjusting!)

It’s been a busy and emotional month but it’s been a good one. I’m super excited for the next one though so stay tuned for May’s round up! *cough* It’s my birthday month *cough* *cough*

Your Turn…

What were the highlights of April for you? Is there anything in this months round-up you’d like me to talk more about?

Let me know in the comments below or on my social @lydiaonlife.

Also, don’t forget to follow the blog too! And why not add yourself to the mailing list for updates whilst you’re at it?

I try (emphasis on the try) to post once a week so stay tuned!

Till next time!

Love always,
Lydia x

Life Update | What Happened In March?

“Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs.” ― Russell Eric Dobda

Lots of big and small things are happening in my life right now and not enough time to write it all down. So I though why not end the month with a little round up of what’s been going on.

“Taking a break can lead to breakthroughs.”
― Russell Eric Dobda

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Hello and welcome to my blog!

How are you? How’s life treating you?

I think I’m doing okay… March has been a bit of an off month for me. Lot’s of things have happened, (some good some not so good ) so I kinda took a break to gather my thoughts. I tend to do that a lot to realign myself but this time I thought instead of going completely silent for the entire month maybe I should share some of the things I’ve been doing in a little monthly round-up. I think about this blog way too much to just let it collect dust whilst I deal with life. So here we are!

Lots of big and small things are happening in my life right now and with a very active baby and majority (if not all) of my brains cells are focused on him, I’m not able to write them all down and share them as much as I’d like to. I’m also not sure if my readers would care to read a whole blog post on what lunch I made whilst entertaining a 6 month old. Or maybe you would? I don’t know.

My hope is that these monthly road-ups will encourage you guys to let me know what areas about my life you’d like to know more (or less) about. It will also help me keep track of what’s actually been going on in my life as I pursue my 2019 goals. It will be short, it will be sweet and hopefully interesting enough.

So without further ado here is my March round-up…

What’s been happening with me:

Started a new project which I hope to share at the end of the year (fingers crossed)
Applied for nursery for Matthew (he should hopefully start in June)
Celebrated my first mothers day (it wasn’t what I thought it would be)
And finally I attend my first blogging event BlogConLND (where I finally met my blogging sista queen jennasworldview.com and other lovely people!)

What’s been happening with Matthew

Matthew turned 6 months (ahhhhhh already!)
He was baptised on 24th March (very emotional day for him and me)
He started standing on his own (with the help of anything sturdy around him)
And finally he started eating solids (making full use of his 2 teeth!)

And that’s it I believe. Told you it would be short sweet and interesting (kinda). I don’t know what’s in store for next month but be sure I’ll have another round up ready for you.

Your Turn…

What were the highlights of March for you? Is there anything in this months round-up you’d like me to talk more about?

Let me know in the comments below or on my social @lydiaonlife.

Also, don’t forget to follow the blog too! And why not add yourself to the mailing list for updates whilst you’re at it?

I try (emphasis on the try) to post once a week so stay tuned!

Till next time!

Love always,
Lydia x

Life Update | Babies, Break-ups and Blogging?

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realise that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
Eckhart Tolle

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve posted anything new on here but after a much needed break I’m back doing what I love. To mark my return I thought I’d share a little little life update on what’s been going on and what I have in store for my little corner of the internet.

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realise that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge.”
Eckhart Tolle

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But first, how are you? How is life treating you?

Me, I’m doing good. A lot has happened since I last posted. Some good, some bad and some just plain old unexplainable but I’m in a much better place now than I was a few months ago. Life hit me and it hit me really REALLY hard. I was never fully ready to share the specifics both online and offline because it’s hard to do so when you’re in the midst of the chaos. Every time I wanted to say something, the words failed me. I didn’t know where to start or how to start or if I should even start. So I didn’t. Instead, I had many days of crying and feeling sorry for myself until eventually I found the strength to get my groove back. Things weren’t okay but I knew they’d be okay. Eventually. Then I took a little 4 month break to gather myself and my thoughts and just enjoy the good moments that were happening instead of dwelling on the bad.

I told myself that once I got it together I’d return and write a life update post and share my journey because I believe it’s part of the recovery process. It’s a slow and painful process but it’s worth sharing because someone else might be going through the same thing and need to know that they are not alone. That it’s normal to feel how you feel and it’s possible to get through it no matter how hard it might be. Sometimes that’s all the encouragement we need.

So without further ado here is little life update on what’s been going on. Are you sitting comfortably?

BABIES

I’ll start with the biggest and most amazing thing of all that’s happened to me in the last 5 months. On 17th September at 7 something in the morning I become a mum to the most handsome little boy named Matthew. I say little but he weighed a healthy 7.3 pounds which is quite big so I’ve been told. I too was a big baby so I wasn’t too surprised. I delivered him via an emergency caesarian section (c-section) which I was not prepared for at all! I’ll go into more detail about my pregnancy, delivery and recovery in another post but for now I’m so excited to share this wonderful news. I’m officially a mama! Whoooop! It still hasn’t really kicked in yet that I am someone’s mum and I have no idea what I’m doing but I’m doing it anyway and I’m falling in love with him every single day whilst at it. I’m anxious but excited to spend the rest of my life trying to keep his little behind alive, healthy and happy!

BREAK-UPS

The next update is that sadly the start of this amazing new chapter in my life was met with an unexpected end to my relationship with Matthew’s father. I’ve spoken about him a few times on here during our relationship and I never in a million years thought it would end like it did, but it did. We broke up in February and I went through the entire pregnancy without him. It’s crazy how things can change so quickly but that’s life. Things change, people change and you just have to deal with it as best as you can. I was fortunate to have support from my amazing family and friends which I thank God for every single day. I don’t know how I would have coped without them.

At some point I’ll share the experience with you as I feel it’s important to share both life’s ups and downs, however for now I want to continue focusing on the good that came out of our relationship – Matthew. He’s taken all my pain and disappointment away and I know that everything happens for a reason. I didn’t understand it at first but I get that now. I’m so much more happier and excited for the future ahead.

BLOGGING

Last but not least, is my blog. They say behind every dark cloud there’s always a silver lining. Or something like that. Well, I think I may have found my silver lining. My life has taken an amazing but unexpectedly turn and I’d like my blog to a reflection of that. After all this is Lydia on Life, right? I’ve spent a lot of time talking about self love and self development on my blog amongst other things and that has helped me get through everything that’s happened so far this year. Because of that, I know I want to continue sharing my journey. I’m now a single young woman and also a new mum and I want to share my thought’s and experiences as I try to navigate and balance this new life. I have so much to learn and even more to give and it’s all thanks to Matthew. He has given me a new perspective on myself and life and has made me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. I’m ready for whatever lies ahead and I want to share it all right right here.

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So yup, that’s my life update so far. As you can see I’ve been going through quit a bit of change and though it hasn’t been easy, I thank God everyday for it. I went through it, I got through it and I’ve come out the other side smiling because of it.

Life is very unpredictable and at times can be very uncomfortable. But I read a quote from Mokokoma Mokhonoana that said ‘comfort rarely produces great art’. Out of my uncomfortable I want to produce great art. I want my experience to bare fruits that will be used as encouragement for those (including myself) that may find themselves in that place of doubt again. I want to show whoever stumbles across my blog that you are more prepared to take on life’s struggles than you think you are. You may not feel like it but trust me you are. Just be patient with yourself. You cannot celebrate a victory if you’ve never been to war.

So I wrote this to not only give you a life update but to remind you that no matter how long or how dark the tunnel might be, keep going because there is light at the end of it. It might seem far, it might not even look like it’s there but trust me it’s there. Use that time to grow, develop and overcome the obstacles that will come along the way. It won’t be easy or painless but in the end you will be able to say you made it.

I don’t know what’s in store for the future but I’m excited for it anyway.

Till next time!

Love always,
Lydia x