Some weeks feel like they last a month, and this has definitely been one of them.

One minute we were sweltering in temperatures pushing 30 degrees, desperately searching for shade, fans and cold drinks, and the next minute the heavens opened, the temperature dropped to 18 degrees and everyone was reaching for their jumpers again. Typical British weather – just when you think summer has arrived, it disappears overnight.

Amongst the unpredictable weather, work certainly hasn't slowed down.

I've been working hard on Looking4care, speaking to families, arranging carers, dealing with enquiries and trying to ensure vulnerable people receive the support they need. Care work is one of those industries that never stops. Whether it's arranging live-in care, waking night care or emergency cover, there is always someone who needs help, and it's incredibly rewarding knowing that our carers are making a real difference to people's lives.

At the same time, I've been busy working on an exciting collaboration with SB Alliance. There have been lots of conversations, planning and ideas being thrown around as we look at ways to bring even more value to local businesses and create more opportunities for people to promote themselves across our growing network.

Of course, while all of this is happening, life doesn't stop.

My daughter is still unable to walk, so much of my week has involved pushing her wheelchair around. Watching your child struggle is heartbreaking. As a parent, you would take their pain away in a heartbeat if you could.

But this week there has been a piece of genuinely good news.

For weeks, one of the biggest worries has been her hand being locked and unusable. Seeing it stuck in that position was a constant reminder of everything she has been going through. But finally, her hand has unlocked. It may seem like a small thing to some people, but for us it feels huge. It's one less thing to worry about and one positive step in the right direction.

When you're living through difficult times, you learn to celebrate every victory, no matter how big or small.

This morning's mission was simple.

Drive to Hampstead.

Buy vegan chocolate ice cream.

Drive home.

Easy, right?

Wrong.

The weather had other ideas.

It was absolutely hammering down with rain. Not the sort of rain where you think, "I'll wait five minutes and it'll pass." This was proper British rain. Windscreen wipers on full speed, visibility questionable, wondering why on earth you're leaving the house kind of rain.

But when your daughter has a favourite vegan chocolate ice cream, needs must.

So off I went to Venchi in Hampstead.

A round trip of about an hour and a half in torrential rain to collect what can only be described as a giant tub of vegan chocolate ice cream.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely!!!

Because now I don't have to schlep my daughter all the way down to Hampstead in her wheelchair every few days. Instead, I've stocked up with enough ice cream to last around a week, carefully packed it into my ice bag in the car and transported it home like it was some kind of precious cargo.

Mission accomplished.

Of course, no trip to Venchi would be complete without a little treat for the driver.

After battling the traffic and rain, I rewarded myself with two of their gorgeous chocolates – two dark chocolates oozing with salted toffee.

And honestly?

They were delicious.

The perfect little reward for surviving the journey.

Then there is the small matter of trying to look after myself.

Dieting when you have multiple food sensitivities is challenging at the best of times. It often feels as though the list of foods I can eat is getting smaller while the list of foods that cause reactions gets longer.

This week I ordered a chicken Caesar salad.

Sounds healthy enough, doesn't it?

Well, whoever made it clearly had shares in a garlic farm because there was more garlic in that salad than in the entire county of Essex. I could practically feel people backing away from me. If garlic keeps vampires away, I was probably protected from the entire undead population of Europe.

Then there was the coconut ice cream.

The result?

A new reminder on my phone that simply says:

"NO ICE CREAM."

It's there every day, staring at me.

Alongside my other daily reminders:

• No sugar gives me pain

• Less carbs

• No rice

• Protein and fibre

• Drink water

• Don't eat things that make you ill

Honestly, my phone looks less like a calendar and more like a nutritional intervention programme.

Sometimes I wonder how long the "No Ice Cream" reminder will last before I conveniently ignore it and convince myself that this time will be different.

The funny thing is that food seems so simple for some people.

They eat what they want, when they want, and carry on with their day.

Meanwhile, I'm conducting what feels like a scientific experiment every time I eat something.

Will it give me a headache?

Will my ears block?

Will I itch?

Will I bloat?

Will I feel dizzy?

Will I regret every life choice that led me to ordering that salad?

Who knows?

So I'm curious...

Am I the only person walking around with daily reminders on their phone telling them what they can't eat?

Or does anyone else have a phone full of messages from their past self desperately trying to stop their future self from making the same mistakes?

As I sat driving home through the rain, ice cream safely secured in the car and chocolates consumed, I realised that life is really just a collection of small victories.

A favourite ice cream.

A couple of chocolates.

A hand that finally unlocked.

A daughter who doesn't have to make an exhausting journey.

A business that's growing.

And a mother doing her best to keep all the plates spinning while remembering not to eat the things that make her ill.

Exhausting?

Absolutely.

Worth it?

Also absolutely.

Honestly though... sometimes just making it through the week is an achievement in itself.