Jenna Michelle Writes

"Mummy, my tummy hurts." The sound of my daughter's voice next to my ear wakes me from a deep sleep. I pull the duvet back as she crawls inside, curling her body into mine. A guttural sob escapes her mouth, and she crunches forward. 'Mummy, it hurts".  I lean in close, kissing her cheek and combing her hair with my fingers. "Do you want some Calpol?"  Dragging my body out of bed, I glance up at the clock. It's 3 am. Creeping downstairs, I try to not wake the dog. Barking would wake the house, and it's far too early for that. As I enter the kitchen, the stair gate creaks close behind me. I tiptoe to the cupboard door. The sticky syrup pulls into the syringe filling my nostrils with its nostalgic childhood smell. Comforted, I yawn and push the door closed. The medicine will make her feel better, and then we can all go back to sleep.  Her tears are falling down her cheeks when I arrive back to the bedroom. Her eyes are wide with fear. "It hurt...

I do not know my intention with this blog, but I have been blogging for eight years now, and I couldn't let it go.  With sadness, I closed my site Pens, Pencils, and Books last week. I started that blog in March last year. A pandemic lockdown project to keep my mind occupied in times of great stress. It began as a book blog, soon progressing to an attempted Etsy business with limited success. In April, I became too tired to continue with the project.  My first attempt at blogging was a mum blog, Transforming Into Butterflies. I loved that site. I filled it with stories and pictures from our daily lives, documenting my early years of motherhood.  Unfortunately, after two years, I became hesitant about the theme. Was I breaching my small children's privacy sharing their lives in this way? I didn't know, but I opted to shut Transforming Into Butterflies down. My love of writing remained. I have blogged in some form ever since.  Last week I was diagnosed with  Myalg...