Why I'm using our best dinner set and drinking good wine!

 I'm using our best dinner set and drinking my good wine. It's not my birthday and I haven't won the lottery, so what's going on?

One of the consequences of spending 2 weeks in a small camper van with my daughter and dog is that we really got to notice how much we actually need on a day to day basis and  we were reminded that we have got far too much 'stuff' at home.  Being Dyspraxic 'stuff' equals clutter, which equals more opportunities to trip, lose things etc etc..

So this week I 've started using my favorite dinner set and tonight I opened a bottle of wine that I've had in my wine rack for years, just waiting for a good reason to open it... I decided that I'm a good reason! 

Being dyspraxic and having a dyspraxic child things don't last long in our house. I'm now  down to my final wine glass. 

We have a beautiful dinner service that I bought in Spain when I was pregnant. My daughter is 16 in a few weeks and it's hardly been used.
This week I decided now is a good time to celebrate just being us and how well we have done as single parent family.  

What actually was it that I was waiting for?  

There's a touching story that goes around Facebook about a woman who died and her children found her beautiful nightdresses, still in tissue paper, in her draw - unworn and now never to be worn.

I don't have any of that, but I was bought up with the notion that somethings were for best / special 
occasions. I'm pretty sure I remember growing out of most of them before I'd got any use out of them. 

Do we think these things are too good for us to use? 

Today is a day to celebrate. We are alive! I've decided that in itself is worth getting the best plates out for. 

Ok, the plates might get broken, they probably will, but they're so lovely that they brighten our day. And now my daughter knows that they are not too good for her.

Isn't that so much better than them just sitting and gathering dust?

And the upside is that if I do need to replace any, then that's a pretty good reason to pop back to Andalusia, don't you think?

PS. That wine was gooood. And do you know what, in the morning I'm going to drink my coffee from my uber expensive hand made coffee cups! :)

Does this resonate for you? What is it you're waiting for? Please do leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Easybelts - making getting dressed easier.

If, like me, you're dyspraxic you will know that getting dressed and undressed is always a bit of a challenge, and anything that makes life easier is very welcome. So I was very impressed to discover Easybelts. 

Velcro fastened shoes have been a god-send  for dyspraxic school children of course, when the options are fiddly buckles and laces. Then a little while ago I saw Easybelts on twitter and I talked
 to the owner, as fiddly belts are of course a problem for dyspraxics. For me they are a right pain  when I need an urgent wee! My daughter wouldn't wear one either despite fally-down trousers.


The belts have a strong D ring rather than a buckle and stay closed  with high quality velcro.

They reminded me of the  the belts of my childhood, so I really liked them and they come in different colours and designs to suit all ages. 

I was sent  2 versions of the belt, the standard and the large D ring. For me even though none of them involve fiddly buckles and holes, the large D ring was just so much easier to handle. 

I also like that they are not leather, not only because I'm a veggie, but they are just more comfortable for casual, day to day wear. 

But best of all  is they haven't gone down the route of specialist  = very expensive and the belts range from £5 to just  £7!  As they also have a long life, I think that's a pretty darn great price. 
You can see the Easybelts website here 

So now I'm looking for a supplier of  easy to put on, pretty, bra's. Any offers?  

Are you dyspraxic? What do you struggle with most? Leave me a comment below :) 

You're so clumsy Charley

Writing a children's book about Dyspraxia and not fitting in.

In December last year I had my first children's book published (do you like that note of optimism?) The book is a children's story book about Dyspraxia made beautiful by the brilliantly talented Colin Shelbourn.
People asked my why i wrote it and there is a short answer and some longer answers here ...

Dyspraxia and Housework

Most Dyspraxics will tell you that housework is a pretty serious challenge (honest guv!) but actually a tidy and organised house is really important.

I run a business and I'm a single mum, so  I made a very  rational decision to stop trying to be Super Woman and employ a cleaning company to give me a hand. It actually turned out to be a big emotional journey!
My latest guest blog for Work From Home Wisdom is all about the dilemmas involved in making that decision.

Would you employ a cleaner?

Is it OK to employ a cleaner when you work from home?

Jane Binnion has written for us before about working from home as a disabled or chronically ill entrepreneur. In today’s guest post she describes a dilemma you might share.

In my last blog Work in progress I wrote about my plans to employ a cleaner.
 Working from home was meant to make the house keeping easier, but who wants to use every coffee and lunch break doing house work?



Being dyspraxic I am a bit of a disaster around the house – don’t get me started on how often I can trip over the vacuum cleaner cable. It takes me an hour to clean one room, or I just wander off and do something more interesting half way through!

But it’s one of my biggest stress points because it’s really important that the house is tidy so that I can find things and don’t trip too often.

To employ a cleaner makes total sense. I regularly outsource various aspects of my work that other people can do better and quicker than me. I have no emotional issues about hiring an accountant, a bookkeeper and someone to do my newsletters. I have a milk man and a window cleaner.

All of those are perfectly rational decisions and I like supporting local traders. Continued

Actually, it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made, I love it. :) 

If this post raises issues for you, please do leave a comment below, I would love to hear your story.

Jane x

Beyond First Impressions - Disability and Employment

Beyond First Impressions.

Last night I was watching one of my favourite tv programmes on iplayer, Death in Paradise. I was delighted to see that the new DI is clearly dyspraxic; clumsy, disorganised, sensitive with, of course, a brilliant mind.

I woke up this morning thinking about  how hard it is for people with dyspraxia to make a good first impression. I remember attending an interview  for a  youth worker post  in Coventry many years ago, on my way in I fell up the stairs and spilt coffee all down me. It can be hard to recover from a start like that as inevitably people pass judgement, and this was well portrayed in Death in Paradise. Interestingly the Telegraph describe Kris Marshall's  character as Shambolic.

I'm a member of some Dyspraxia forums and the question is frequently asked  "Should I declare my dyspraxia on the application / at interview?"  That is such a hard issue as still most people have no idea what dyspraxia is, or what it means to provide reasonable adjustments, and I don't know the answer. 

Obviously this does not only apply to Dyspraxia. During World Autism Awareness Week last year  I was shocked to read that only 15% of adults with autism were in full time paid employment .  Clearly the autistic spectrum is broad, but still that tells me that many of our finest brains are sitting at home, living on benefits, probably bored with poor self esteem, when their skills could be put to good use.  I know that the same applies to Dyspraxia with many graduates unable to get, or hold down a job. 

It seems to me that we need a little rethink here. I went self-employed to deal with this issue for myself - and I have a series of posts  from others that did the same here .  Whilst I would totally recommend that option, it isn't right for everyone, so what would need to happen for employers to shift their thinking regarding what a good balanced workforce looks like?

I had the pleasure of seeing  Phil Jones, MD of Brother UK, talk  at Lancaster University last year. He is the first entrepreneur that I've heard talk about his shift from lack of awareness and frustration to embracing the skills of those that are wired differently to himself. He was so inspiring that last  weekend I asked him to put those thoughts in writing and being a good bloke he did just that. It's a good read and you can see it  here. 

I would really like to see us open up a debate on disability, diversity and employment.  The world has changed, remote working is totally viable and the digital world has completely changed the landscape of possibility. What would need to happen to enable employers to see beyond that first impression? 

I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please do leave your comments below, or email me jane@janebinnion.com

Jane x

Jane Binnion is a trainer and writes and talks on the issues of diversity, social media and ethical trading. 

Dyspraxia and School

Time after time I hear of children with Dyspraxia falling out of love with school and not wanting to go because they are not understood.

Because we look normal teaching staff often forget that we have additional needs and children with Dyspraxia get told off for things that they can't do - obviously this applies to other conditions too.

So I was delighted when I was pointed in the direction of Oscar Marshall's prize winning story about a day in his life at school.

It is a wonderful story and here it is... 

The Articulator
by Oscar Marshall

The morning takes a little longer than usual to fall into place. Memories, tasks and sequences hover and float like leaves spiralling to a forest floor and I need to wait for them to lie still so that I can fit them together to make sense. And like some leaves that flit and dance, some of my thoughts are hard to grasp especially when they are disturbed.

This morning's disturbance comes in the form of new instructions from my mum; "Come on get dressed and take your inhaler and don't forget that it is your review today and your dad and I will be at the school at 11am. I have signed your report card so don't forget to take it or you will be in trouble again." She says all this whilst passing my bedroom door and I have forgotten the first two things she has said by the time she reaches the bathroom. I untangle myself from the quilt and sheet that have twisted and tightened around me during the night and then wait for the room to settle before standing up.

My toe stubs on my school bag and that fires an exciting memory in my brain.

‘Mum! Mum! There is a new boy starting today, I wonder what he will be like? He might be a bit like me because I heard he has been to three other schools before this one!" I am determined to help the new boy to settle in, if I can get to him before the others, then perhaps he will like me and be my friend and then we could hang around together. I lie back down and begin to think about the new boy. I yawn and close my eyes.

"Now class this is Morgan." My teacher, Mr. Johnson, is standing at the front introducing the new boy. He looks scared; in fact he is as white as a sheet. His eyes are darting about the class studying everyone's faces.  I smile, his anxiety is familiar and he reminds me of myself when I start a new school. Mr. Johnson tells Morgan to sit in the work station next to me, which is just what I was hoping he would do.

"Hi," I said with a grin going from ear to ear. "I'm Oscar, don't look so worried." "Why did people snigger when I walked in?"  Morgan asked in a nervous soft voice as he sat down. "Well it's probably because you... well... we are not used to people walking in without bumping into the door frame. What do you think all the bubble wrap is for?  You didn't go anywhere near it, you just looked a bit odd that's all." I spoke gently and tried to sound light hearted, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. Continued 

If this post  raises issues for you, please do leave your comments below, I would love to read your story. 

Jane x

Dyspraxic in the kitchen

The joy of soup

Being Dyspraxic I am a bit of  a nightmare in the kitchen and inviting someone round for dinner is not a treat for them!

Because I don't enjoy cooking I get bored and walk away, which often results in burnt dinner - my poor girl learnt to cook as soon as she was able - I currently have 2 burnt pans sitting awaiting attention.

Presentation is the other thing that I lack and presentation is pretty important in cooking I think and  I do actually love good food.

It's really important to me to eat well to keep up my strength and convenience food is such a nightmare. It's so tempting to use but it's expensive and lacks nutrition.

Luckily some time ago I discovered that I love home made soup, so I got a wizzer  (and you can pick one up for a tenner) and have never looked back.

Soup can be easy, quick, highly nutritious and  because you liquidize it it doesn't matter how it looks! so I am mostly rewarded with approval. I still sometimes burn it but hey ho.

I wanted to share this Armenian soup recipe  from my ancient  Cranks cookbook because it is soooooo  easy, delicious and best of all, as we are all broke in January,  it costs about 50p for 4 people.

Here it is..
*2oz red lentils
*2oz washed dried apricots
*1 large potato
*2 pints of veg stock
*Juice of 1/2 a lemon
*1 tsp of ground cumin (I grind the seeds because  it smells amazing)
*Lots of chopped parsley about 3 tablespoons (I have parsley growing all year round)
*Salt and pepper to taste.

Here's the amazing bit... Chop the potato and throw everything in a pan. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 mins. If the potato breaks up easily it's ready. When it's cool wizz it with a blender, or mash it and eat it .

What really works for me is to make too much and freeze portions for those days when I really can't get my act together but need good food.

If you make this please let me know what you think.

Also I'd love it if you would share your easy but healthy meals and I will try them (but I am a veggie)  

Jane x