So 2016 is to be the Year of Health and Fitness in our family and I have decided to chronicle our journey by re-awakening my blog. Yayy, I hear you say, what could be more exciting than reading about other people’s ailments? I know, right? Well be warned, this may turn out to be horrifically dull/messy/embarrassing and unlikely to be informative/interesting/helpful but I’m writing it more for myself, to keep a record of what’s happening with who and if any of our proposed changes (more exercise, home cooking, veg box delivery) will actually make a difference. So reader, be warned.

The reason that we are focussing on health this year is because we’ve all been a bit sick since we moved to Northern Ireland in the summer of 2014. I realise that Burma to Belfast is a bit of a climate change (not to mention culture shock) but we’re seasoned travellers and I’m not sure coming ‘home’ should have had such an impact on our wellbeing. Alfie’s asthma has worsened and seems out of control with little or no help from our local GP, plus his weight is a concern. Yes, he’s joining the national stats as an overweight/obese six year old and I couldn’t be more mortified. Oscar is his usual Tigger-ish self aside from a definite sugar addiction (thus affecting his digestion, sleep, mood etc) and a heart murmur, which was found last June (and for which we are still awaiting an appointment with a specialist). Both Osc and I seem to suffer endless colds and flu-like symptoms, synonymous with the changing seasons and the cold/rain. Meaning we are generally sick from September to June with a little summer cold thrown in for good measure. In addition to which I’ve had norovirus (Christmas 2014, yayy), chicken pox (summer hols, yayy) and have now been found to be Vitamin B12 deficient, which may or not be Pernicious Anaemia (as mentioned in Downton Abbey recently, woo). Again, our GP could not be less interested in all of this, hence a couple of private appointments for the kids and the idea of a year focussing on getting ourselves well for me.

Don’t worry though, if all that sounds a bit straightforward and, well, innocuous. Because I will be detailing each and every one of our symptoms and treatments in GREAT DETAIL as we go along. Honestly, could 2016 get any better for you? I hardly think so. So come along on the journey of the Wilson Blades Year of Health and Fitness, where we will be covering topics such as those mentioned above, but also menopause (graphic descriptions of old lady periods, hurrah), middle age (yes, really), poo (a daily topic in a house of little boys), spotty bottoms, worms, love handles, sugar-free living, sleep (yes please), mindfulness and meditation (because mental health is just as important as physical health), supplements, vomit (bound to come up at some point), acne, enforced sobriety and the tiresome need to be even thinking about this while life goes on; school, work, finding somewhere to live, building a house, husband abroad 8 weeks out of 10…. It’s gonna be great!