My Penelope

15/02/2026

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just make you tired.

It changes everything — patience, decision-making, resilience, and even how you show up for your other children.

We built My Penelope because we were living that reality, and we needed something simple that helped us keep track of what was happening, especially when days and nights blurred into one.

If you’re in that world too, you’re not alone. And if you know a family who is, please share the app with them. It’s free and built from lived experience.

14/02/2026

Sleep affects everything.

Our Sleep Tracker helps record real night and spot patterns over time.

Download the free app.

13/02/2026

We’re live!!!

My Penelope is now available on both app stores.

Built by parents, for families with additional needs.

If you know someone who might benefit, please share it.

Download the free app .

Links in our bio.

03/02/2026

This app exists because real life doesn't fit neatly into appointments.

Sleep, seizures, meltdowns, mobility - they happen at home, not on forms.

We built My Penelope to help families track real life simply.

Built by parents. Designed for real life.

Launching Very Soon.

experience

12/01/2026

This week is the first week in forever without an appointment for Penny — and the relief is unreal. We’ve only just gone back after Christmas and already the break feels like a breath of fresh air.

Appointment fatigue is so real. It isn’t just the appointment itself — it’s the planning, the juggling, the mental load. The anxiety before we even leave the house. The stress of hospital parking, watching the clock while trying to keep her calm. And then the appointment throws off her whole routine, leaving her unsettled for the rest of the day (or longer).

On top of that is the emotional side — the constant worry about what new thing they might tell us this time. She’s growing so quickly that there always seems to be something unexpected, something new to learn or adapt to. Even small surprises can hit hard.

One thing that has helped is our tracking app — having everything logged means we’re walking in with the right information instead of trying to remember everything under pressure. It’s taken a bit of that weight off my shoulders and made appointments feel a tiny bit more manageable.

So this appointment-free week feels like a little gift. Maybe next week will be busy again. Maybe something new will come up. But right now, holding onto this little pocket of calm.

30/12/2025

Another year around the sun and for us our toughest year yet. But through all the tears and the hard days my brave amazing girl, you inspired us to create something to help others on the same journey. Something we desperately needed, and so we know is needed by others. Everything is set against you as an SEN parent, but we want to change the rhetoric and provide real help and support and the tools needed to help children like Penny get the support they absolutely need. You've already changed our world and we can't wait to see where this goes and the amazing places we can take next year. Watch this space for the free app release on google and apples stores and let us be part of your home team 💚

Here's to 2026, the year the revolution begins!

12/12/2025

✨ A Wheelchair for Christmas ✨

After nearly two years of campaigning, waiting, and hoping… Penny’s first wheelchair has finally arrived. 💚

It’s not the perfect chair — just a temporary fix we found on eBay — but it means she doesn’t have to keep waiting for her life to begin. An incredibly kind person is working on getting her a more suitable chair, but it will take more time.

I’ll be honest: it feels bittersweet. Part of me feels like we’ve thrown in the towel, even though Penny’s case is now with the Parliamentary Services Ombudsman and the fight continues. I haven’t quite got my head around the fact that she needs one.

But alongside those feelings, there’s relief. And excitement. Excitement I didn't expect. Excitement that this amazing little girl, who has fought so hard to keep up particularly since starting school, finally has a fighting chance. Excitement for days out that will be easier. Excitement for our Disney trip, where we won’t have to struggle with an unsuitable pram.

Most of all, excitement that Penny is no longer waiting for her life — she can start living it. 💪

08/12/2025

Christmas this year does not feel magical in the way we imagined when our children were small. With autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and sleep apnoea in the mix, our days are full of meltdowns, medication, CPAP battles, and trying to protect three little people who all need different things.

This new blog is a very personal look at Christmas with a child with additional needs and the guilt of not being able to keep up the magic for our other children as much as we want to. If your Christmas feels more like survival than sparkle, you might recognise parts of our story.

Read it here

https://www.mypenelope.co.uk/post/christmas-with-a-child-with-additional-needs-when-the-magic-gets-harder-to-hold-on-to

23/11/2025

I’ve written something extremely personal — something many SEND parents will understand all too well.

This weekend was one of the hardest we’ve had in a long time.
Meltdowns, exhaustion, broken plans, emotional strain, and the visible toll it takes on our whole family… especially Penny’s siblings.

It’s the side of additional needs parenting that most people never see.

I wrote this blog to show the real emotional impact of raising a child with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism — and why the MyPenelope app means so much to our family.

If you’re a SEND parent, I hope it helps you feel seen.
If you know a SEND family, I hope it helps you understand them better.

💜 Read the full story here:
https://www.mypenelope.co.uk/post/the-untold-stress-families-face-when-raising-a-child-with-additional-needs

A Father’s Raw and Honest Reflection on Loving a Child With Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Autism.When Family Life Begins to Break Under the WeightThere’s a kind of exhaustion that lives deep in your bones when you’re raising a child with additional needs — the kind few people ever truly see. ...

10/11/2025

This is a deeply personal one 💚

When Penny was born, life stood still in the best and hardest of ways. What followed was months of worry, instinct, and learning to fight for answers.

Our journey to her diagnosis has changed everything — but it’s also shown us the power of love, faith, and the strength you never know you have until you need it.

If you’ve ever felt that “mum instinct” that something isn’t right — trust it.

Read our story: When the World Stood Still: Our Journey to Penny’s Diagnosis

https://www.mypenelope.co.uk/post/when-the-world-stood-still-our-journey-to-penny-s-diagnosis

Life Between Lockdowns: The Calm Before the Storm.After Penny was born, everything felt calm — eerily calm. She arrived between lockdowns, in a world where joy was muted and connections were made through screens. Friends and family met her over Zoom, and though it was strange, I secretly loved it....