It’s not quite Tattoo Tuesday today, but I have written a post about my tattoo on today’s subject.

That subject would be my mother. Today is her birthday. Happy Birthday Mum!!

She drives me batty, but she’s actually pretty amazing you know. She’s taught me a lot. How to tie my shoes for instance. But the biggest lesson I’ve learnt from her is independence and perseverance. She’s never had it easy my mum. She’s one of those people who it seems life has always been just a little bit unfair to. The whole ‘one thing after another’ deal.

Her childhood was no fairytale and there’s no doubt she did it tough. But she was never one to complain, always finding some way to be happy with her lot in life. Her early adulthood was definitely no bed of roses either and after some particularly difficult years it seemed her only outlook was to just keep on pushing through for something better.

Then she met my Dad and they fell in love and got married and had two beautiful daughters and they all lived happily ever after. For about 8 years. Until the fighting got too much and they decided they’d be better parents separately than they were together, always fighting.

And so it was that she found herself a single mother to two young girls. Money was always tight but we never went without. She worked two jobs to put food on the table and keep us in clean clothes and studied from home at nights to increase her skills and education so that she could get a better, higher paying job. It was always about us girls, keeping us happy and not missing out on things.


Meanwhile, with no man around the house Mum taught me that it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl – we can do it! She could change a tyre, play football, install lattice work, hang a door, put together a cabinet…well, there wasn’t much she couldn’t do and nothing that she wouldn’t at least give a try.

My mum has taught me so much. Like how to be a blabber mouth. But she has also taught me some of the most important lessons in life I think I will ever learn. Like how to be strong, resourceful, independent, to stand up for what I believe in, to work hard, to always be grateful, to be kind to others, to never give up.

She has sacrificed so much for my sister and I and for that I will be forever grateful.


Thank you Mum, for showing me how to be the best person I can be. I’ll never forget all you’ve done for me. I know you hate making a big deal out of your birthday but it’s a pretty special day and after everything, you TOTALLY deserve it.

So please, let us spoil you today and have the happiest of happy birthdays.