He got his place at Uni!!!

So Ben's place at university has been confirmed - his first choice, a straight "yes" decision from the Uni. I have been jumping up and down and screeching with delight like a deranged toddler. I think Ben is pleased - the trouble is, his mind is still slightly numbed from the leftovers of the anorexia. It's something he's had a problem with over the past three years: the inability to feel positive emotion in the way most other people would, especially at such an important and excellent result.

An ED-free holiday, and now for the next stage...

We've just returned from two weeks holiday in the south west - a completely ED-free holiday, I am pleased to say - and, following today's weigh-in, Ben hasn't lost any weight. Great stuff. And now for the next stage, which is all about...

Officially on holiday, but had to show you this...

The Matty family is on holiday in the Forest of Dean, but I had to show you this. Apparently this blog is up in the top 18 eating disorder blogs of 2012, according to Healthline.com (click through to page 10 to read their review). It's great to know that people are finding this blog useful! More blog posts when we get back from holiday.

Not skimmed, not semi-skimmed but FULL CREAM milk!

Back in the days of 'high anorexia', and ever since really, a major sticking point was milk. One of the early signs that Ben's eating habits were changing for the worse was when he switched from normal coffee and tea to black coffee and tea - around three years ago. Before then, we'd always had either skimmed or semi-skimmed milk in our fridge. (Ben is on the left in the photo.)

I told you we'd do it!

One week on from the 1kg weight loss during the school trip to Poland and Ben has put it all back on - plus a little more too. And he is happy with this which is excellent news.

1kg lighter, but apart from that... NORMAL!!!

Sitting in bars eating ice cream and drinking beer, going back to the hotel with M, having a "deep conversation", falling asleep, being woken up by J, N and P crashing loudly into the room later on with some of the girls, everyone going down to the girls' room on the floor below, some of the boys smoking on the balcony (not Ben!), irate teacher striding down the corridor, knocking on the door and giving them a massive telling off while standing there in his underpants... And that was just one night. Ben might have returned 1kg lighter due to bad meal planning (not his fault), but apart from that... NORMAL!!!

Ben's gone on a school trip to Auschwitz and I'm home alone

There's something strange and bizarre about someone with (or recovered from) anorexia going to visit a Nazi concentration camp, isn't there? Someone whose starvation was self-imposed in a place where millions of people's starvation was regime-imposed... Yet both sets of people were immediately surrounded by a world where there was more than enough to eat, yet - for very different reasons - they were prevented from having it. Meanwhile I'm enjoying the welcome sense of freedom that comes from having three days to myself.