Birthdays

I have been very last recently as real life has taken over virtual life with work getting busier by the day as we take some exciting new steps. My wonderful husband has also taken some new steps as he has changed his workplace. For many of us this is quite a mundane thing but for an artist changing your studio is huge. He found making the decision hard but when he met his new boss and colleagues he felt instantly at ease and knew he would feel nourished in the artistic sense although since he changed job I have been making a packed lunch so he is nourished in the physical sense too! The littlest in my brood has moved into a big girl bed. To many of you this may seem a non event but to little children this is monumental she is now in her bedroom trying it for size. My eldest has passed his driving test and got a new job, the first steps in adult life being well and truly taken, the boy will be mobile in the next few weeks I think I may need some more hair dye as I know this is a huge worry but he has to take risks and I have to let him, parenthood is much easier when you can still control all their choices. But the main reason I'm blogging today isto reflect on the steps my lovely twins are taking on today their fifteenth birthday. I can just about remember being 15 and it was a real up and down year, not a child but not yet the grown up sixteen when you start getting new rights. For them it's a year of study and exams, choices about their future careers, the choices about relationships and social groups, identity and fashion. So my beloved twins enjoy these steps, but support each other for unlike many teenagers you have the gift of knowing you have unconditional love and support from each other, so use it. As for me I have to accept as they get older so do I, maybe I need to shop at Bon marche? Pah! I'm detirmined to go backwards in the age front so bring on the dye and the leopard print........

diary of a multitasking woman: Today is the National Day of Dignity. It was a cha...

diary of a multitasking woman: Today is the National Day of Dignity. It was a cha...: Today is the National Day of Dignity. It was a chance to reflect and share good practice. At the place I manage we had a fun day with a cake...

Today is the National Day of Dignity. It was a chance to reflect and share good practice. At the place I manage we had a fun day with a cake bake off in two teams within the service. We asked another manager to be the judge so it was fair. I filmed this and asked people questions about what dignity and good support means. The answers were simple but compelling, being listened too, being respected, being yourself, treated as an equal. The manager who judged summed it up when she said it was about being included and that in the activity she had seen everyone in the service being included and taking part in a way which met their needs. For me as a service manager that made me feel very proud of what the team built today, how they feel and believe everyone is important and has a voice. Its very easy to assume you are a voice for people without listening to what they want and this is something I will ensure I will focus over this year. I will not assume or presume to think I know what those people I manage or support feel or want and I will be curious and inquisitive to learn as much as I can about people's needs, desires and wants. So I would urge everyone who works with people to set themselves a bew years dignity resolution so we can all strive to give people the support they really want.

Well it's been a while, nearly two months since I blogged, shockingly poor form camilla!
My eldest daughter has spurred me on as she has recently started her own blog, Blog of the blond which is touching, funny and a bit ditzy, just like her. so why have I not blogged, well life has taken over, I have been furiously working on my college course as well as taking temporary management of a new service and becoming a board member for a exciting new venture. So this has taken over, not just my virtual life but real life too. With Christmas fast approaching I am feeling like a very neglectful daughter, I have not seen my mum nearly enough in the last few months, and she is very understanding but that does not stop the nagging guilt in my heart I keep feeling. When dad was alive I would rarely go more than three weeks between visits, but over the last six months I may go six weeks between visits, and surely if loosing dad teaches me anything it's that things can change so quickly. So as we approach that fateful time of the year when we try to make promises of changes I think that will be my big change, I will make sure my children and myself spend more time with my mum and sister. I would love to also say I will lose weight, get fit, take up a new hobby but hey I'm just fooling myself there, so the only resolution I will have is too make the most of my family, you only get the one and they are the most precious gift of all.

The hardest hit
Yesterday a friend of mine alongside 400 other people marched through Norwich to voice their concerns around how welfare reform will hit those with disabilities. This group gave voice to many people who because of their profound and multiple disabilities may have found it very difficult to protest. One of the things that worries me about the proposals is the fact that people who live in residential homes could stand to loose their mobility allowance. The argument for this being they live in homes where they should be funded with a vehicle. This is so worrying as in the field I work in those with learning disabilities, the people still in residential homes are often people with huge needs, for whom a car is a total lifeline. Homes are being squeezed all the time as local authorities cannot afford to increase funding and costs are rising. So the outcome will be invisible people. Those with the highest needs could end up trapped in their homes, their lives getting smaller. Is this what we wanted when we all stood up to say people being shut away in hospital was unacceptable? To me we are in danger due to cuts of creating mini institutions all over the country. People with disabilities do not think easy life, let's take everything we can from the system. If you want to find hard working people go spend time with people with disabilities, no one said mmmm yes give me a life long condition so I can get a free car. As a society we should help everyone make their contribution to the fabric of our communities and people with disabilities have a huge amount they can bring to the table, but only if they can get there. DLA is an enabling benefit, non means tested and designed to help people have full lives. If you like me want everyone in Britain to have a voice and have a choice you need to write to your mp to voice your concerns or search The HArdest HIt on the Internet. Let's all support those without a voice to shout.

I have had my five a day!
Everyone knows that we all need to have five a day to function healthily in body. But I think we also need five a day to stimulate our brains, and that's five a day of ideas, thoughts or deeds. Well today I had some serious nourishment for the old grey matter when I attended the impact2enterprise conference at duxford war museum. The day started with a truly inspirational speech by Arthur the front man from the people's supermarket. A very entertaining talk where he explained his journey from chef to business working with Jamie Oliver and then setting up acorn house and water head house restaurants in London. The first eating establishments serving a social cause, funded by charity but using a business model. He then went on to talk through the journey of the people's supermarket, a fantastic story which left me buzzing with ideas. After this I then attended a workshop run by the guild looking at social impact. This is one of this areas where I sit in meetings and try to look knowledgeable but are always very lacking in understanding. Well I had some lightbulb moments in this session and feel totally ready to try and focus on this in my unit. After a lunch I had a frenetic session on social marketing and felt a little smug as I am already doing some of the things he advised, gold star for me! And then we had an interactive discussion on leadership which was facilitated by andy from third sector futures which was time to get back to basics and think about have we followers? The day ended with a wonderful talk by a woman after my own heart a chocoholic! Jo is the co founder of green and blacks and took us through her journey. She gave me the quote of the day "passion not pensions" as someone wrestling with supporting a local authority spin out this struck a chord and reminded me how i need to help staff connect with their internal reasons for being in the work to enable us to move forward.
So there were my five a day feeding my brain and making me full of more enthusiasm and excitement for the future. I am now ready to tackle the world, that is after I have checked out my social impact!

I'm sitting here reading hard for my Charities and Social Enterprise Management cert ed and the current piece of work I'm doing is around marketing and trying to define my brand. I really am the marketing mans dream, I believe so much of the hype around products I always try and buy Sony or apple, I shop at m and s for my food yet paradoxically I buy all my clothes on eBay and charity shops but there again that's another brand of social responsibility I'm sucked into.I'm trying to define our prospective new social enterprise as a brand, where would it shop, what car would it drive and so on. This has got me thinking what brand do you most associate yourself with and why? In a society bombarded with media marketing on our social networks, Internet browsers, spam to our phones, adverts on tv and newspapers we are all segmented and analysed. What age are we, sex, home owner, pets, car, professional the let is endless everyday we are sold things because someone has found the unique selling point of their product and then targeted us to buy it. Has this always been the case? Three hundred years ago was there some group of marketing men huddled together to sell local women the latest turnip. Mmm probably not but there were still aspirational aspects, people would see nobles out and about smoking, eating potatoes, wearing ruffs and the common people (you and me) would dream of having these things. Is that so different to people clamouring to buy a copy of Kate's shoes or dresses when she is photographed at royal functions? The main difference is three hundred years ago people just did not get exposed to things in the same way, there were papers of sorts but you had to be able to read or have the money to buy. Most things were either experienced with your own eyes or through a third party by a song or story. Singing was twitter and Facebook for the olden days!
So I digress what would you be if you were a brand, me I think I would be fairy washing up liquid, known by many, trusted, sometimes a little to mild, but soft and gentle. Ironic really as I have a dishwasher.
Wish me luck with my assignment this diversion must now come to an end while I get back to the books!