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About Me

Hi, I'm Amanda, a 30-something mum to one. Both myself and my husband are chronically ill, and our son has ASD and ADHD. I hope to help others with chronic illness to move from overwhelmed to empowered by encouraging them to prioritise self-care, lean on faith, and build daily practices that are both accessible and affordable. I do hope you'll join me along the way.

I was a BiBs2019 Finalist

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aspiraldance

Spoonie Warrior on a Sacred Healing Journey 🙏🏻Balancing Self Care with Family Life 👪
Christian ✝️ New Age Hippie🧘🏻‍♀️ Blogger 👩🏻‍💻

Just had to share because this gorgeous being came

Just had to share because this gorgeous being came into my room before school pick up and “phwoah” does he look sexy today 😉 Shame I don’t feel well enough to do anything about it (plus, he has the school run 😂). Seriously, though, I love him so much and can’t believe we’ll have been married 10 years next month. 10 very long years in which so much has happened. We’ve been to hell and back together. Several times. But I think I love him more today than I did back then, *because* of all we’ve been through together. And I still find him hot 😉 ID: a photo of Tim, Amanda’s husband, standing in the doorway to her room. He has pink, purple, and blue striped hair (which she helped him dye - that’s the kind of relationship we have!) He’s wearing a dark green shirt and jeans, with a leather jacket and a pin in the shape of a fist in the colours of the bisexual flag (which his hair almost matches - we’ll get it spot on one day!)

Had to laugh at the number of comments when this p

Had to laugh at the number of comments when this post showed up on my feed 😂

My Facebook memories today reminded me of the Summ

My Facebook memories today reminded me of the Summers in my late teens and early 20s when I used to volunteer on a Summer camp for disabled teenagers. And it really hit me hard. Back then I honestly thought my life would take me down the caring route. And it did for a while. I spent my 3 months in Germany volunteering in a senior care home. I worked in two nurseries after graduating. And I worked as a support worker for university students for a bit too. I always enjoyed caring for others... Which is why it hurts so much that I’m now too ill to even look after myself! To go from being the carer to the cared for is a massive shift. I feel bad for feeling so bad about this to be honest. Because all it is really doing is showing me what it was like for those I cared for in the past. I’m getting to see life from another perspective. Who am I to place more value on being the carer than the cared for? But then I remember that nobody wants to be this debilitated. Nobody really wants to have to rely on others. But some of us have to. And it sucks. Big time. And it’s okay to feel that way! I’m sad that my caring days are over. A part of me desperately hopes that one day I’ll recover enough to help others in that way again. Because I truly enjoyed the time I got to spend with those I helped. And this time being so ill can only increase my compassion for others, as I experience it for myself, right? I don’t know where I’m going with this post. I just needed to share that my Facebook memories today stirred up some very painful and complex emotions. I miss the old me so much. Caring for others was such an intrinsic part of my identity that I feel like a poor imitation of myself these days. ID: a photo of Amanda in her early 20s standing beside a teenage girl in a wheelchair. They are looking at each other and talking. There are trees in the background. #spoonielife #chronicillness #butyoudontlooksick

Autumn is my favourite season of the year (followe

Autumn is my favourite season of the year (followed closely by Spring - I love the seasons of change!) It’s a season filled with beauty and bounty, as well as cosy evenings and plenty of celebrations. Within our family we have multiple birthdays and our anniversary during this season. And as the wheel continues to turn we head towards Samhain (Halloween), Guy Fawkes, Advent, and then Christmas. So there is so much to look forward to 😊. I’m not well enough to do anything special to celebrate this year. I’ve got a migraine brewing (which I’m hoping to prevent turning into a monster one 🤞). But I have been thinking about our garden. The summer blooms are all dying away and I want to ensure there is some colour through the colder months. Both the front and back gardens are all pots, so many pots, and I don’t have the energy to plant them all up seasonally. So I’m thinking of evergreen shrubs for the larger pots and then just planting up the smaller pots with seasonal flowers. So, hit me up with any suggestions you have of evergreen shrubs that grow well in pots 😊 the lower maintenance the better really! ID: an orange square with the words “Happy Mabon, blessings on the autumn equinox” written in white. #mabon #autumnequinox #iloveautumn #seasonalgardening #containergardening #evergreenshrubs

Whoop whoop! I love hitting milestones on @duoling

Whoop whoop! I love hitting milestones on @duolingo! I’m also reaching a point with my Russian again where I finally feel like I know what I’m doing 😂 whereas before I wondered how I’d ever survived in Russia because it seemed so unfamiliar to me after so many years of not using it! O also used DuoLingo yesterday as part of his homeschooling whilst off school with a cough. He did some Italian, some French, and some Esperanto. Seems he has taken after his mum with the inability to stick to just one language at a time 😂

Following on from my crystal post (and how it remi

Following on from my crystal post (and how it reminds me of the sea that I long to be near), this is another thing I’ve done to fill that need whilst stuck at home. A tropical island wall hanging 😊 which is on the wall beside my bed. So even on the worst days when I’m stuck in bed I can still imagine I’m by the sea. Chronic illness may have robbed a lot from me, but it will never take my imagination! ID: a wall hanging that shows the view of a clear blue ocean from the point of view of a hut on the shore. In the distance you can see other wooden holiday homes on the water and mountains behind them. There are also palm trees and flowers in the foreground and a wooden walkway leading the eye towards the ocean. #chronicillnesswarrior #spoonielife #spooniewarrior #butyoudontlooksick #invisibleillness

Do you like my new crystal? It’s Caribbean Calci

Do you like my new crystal? It’s Caribbean Calcite from @girl_love_luna and I absolutely fell in love as soon as I saw it. It reminds me of the sea, which I have been craving to be near these past few months. It’s a newly found crystal from Pakistan and it is just stunningly beautiful. And who doesn’t love a heart shaped crystal? As it’s a new stone, there isn’t much information out there about it. But what I have read makes a lot of sense to me. It has calming properties, and is supposedly helpful for the throat and crown chakras. Personally I find it really elevated my mood just by looking at it. I feel that sense of vacation and calm that you’d feel on a quiet beach under the sun. And I’m so glad I added it to my collection. ID: A heart shaped crystal is being held in Amanda’s hand over a white background. The crystal has pale blue, white, and sandy coloured stripes running diagonally across it, reminding her of a tropical shoreline as the waves gently foam across the sand.

This book - oh my goodness! This is the second tim

This book - oh my goodness! This is the second time I’m listening to it in as many months because it is absolutely incredible. It’s set in a world where certain books are alive, and often dangerous. The Great Libraries have wardens to protect the books against damage, which can turn them into rampaging monsters. But the librarians also have to do things like massage their spines when they become brittle, acknowledge them so they don’t get uppity, and deal with book lice that can become the size of rats. I love it! But that’s just the basis of the world itself. The story is so much more incredible. Elizabeth is an orphan who grew up in a Great Library. She grew up thinking all sorcerers were evil because to get their magic they have to make a deal with a demon. But when she uncovers a plot to destroy books and cause havoc across all the Great Libraries the only people she can trust are Nathaniel (a sorcerer) and his demon Silas. All of the characters are incredibly written. Elizabeth is feisty (Nathaniel takes to calling her a menace). Nathaniel is powerful but damaged. And Silas, oh my goodness, Silas is the best character of them all. I honestly cannot tell you how much I love this book. The world, the characters, the storytelling, it’s all magnificent. If you’re looking for a new read then I highly recommend this. ID: a screenshot of Audible showing the book “Sorcery of Thorns” by Margaret Rogerson. The cover shows a girl with long brown hair, wearing a dark green dress, and holding a sword.

FEELING GRATEFUL Today is the third day in a row

FEELING GRATEFUL Today is the third day in a row that I have been able to sit outside in the garden. This is HUGE, and I can barely believe it. I’m sitting here, eating an apple I just picked off the tree, admiring the vegetables that are growing, and simply relishing in being outside rather than stuck in bed. I feel like I need to add a disclaimer, that I’m still wobbly and still on edge about symptoms. But compared to where I have been these past few weeks and months this feels like a miracle. And a part of me truly wants to believe that a) the old preventative I was taking for my migraines may actually have been increasing my dizziness and so it’s less severe now I’ve stopped and b) the new preventative might actually be having a positive effect, even though I’m only 2 weeks in and on the starting dose. Another part of me knows that it is early days and so I’m scared to get my hopes up. But I also know that our mind can have a huge impact on how we cope with our symptoms. And reducing my anxiety is certainly helping me to cope better with the symptoms I do have. I’m still wobbly, I’m still heady, I’m still dizzy. I’m still scared. But I’m also outside. And that is HUGE. Last time I shared an update that said, “I think I might be getting better” I had the biggest relapse imaginable 😢 so I’m really scared to share this. But I also know it’s important to share the little glimpses of hope along the way. If I relapse tomorrow that should not take away from the fact that today I’m outside. If I relapse this afternoon it should not take away from this morning. That’s a new way of thinking about all of this for me.

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