Giving yourself a manicure in the company of a toddler? Are you crazy? Giving the toddler a manicure too? Okay, lady, you’ve really lost it. Painting your toes different colours? Is that an Olympic sport?

No, it’s Rainbow Toes for Annie which I read about on Sara’s blog at The Mama Club.

I was only saying to my sister this morning that I have been laying awake in the middle of the night this week worrying about if something were to happen to her. Or to me.

Being a single mumma, if something happens to me, Love Bug will live with my Little Sister and her husband (aka Little Brother). But being a mumma is a tough gig. And being a mumma when you didn’t actively choose to? In circumstances where your sister is probably the person you want most in the world to talk to, get advice from, keep you sane, or just make you giggle when all else seems hopeless?

Except that your sister isn’t there.

That has got to rate as one of the hardest situations in the world – and I hope against all hope that nothing ever happens in our family that one sister is navigating this world without the other.

But it happens. Every single day. Women lose their mothers, sisters, best friends, aunties, cousins and daughters (I shudder). Every single day.

So when I read about Rainbow Toes for Annie, I picked myself up out of my gloom, grabbed a few bottles of polish, and sat down with my precious daughter to paint our toenails different colours.

We may have more polish on our hands and feet than on our actual toenails, but it was fun. And Bubba got a good giggle out of me blowing on her toes to dry the polish.

I wish Annie – and all of the women in the world with similar stories – strength, good health and a speedy recovery.