Life, Love and Dirty Dishes delivers award winning funny tales from the parenting front line delivered with humour and heart. We're all in this together.
Back when I was a teen we were easy to buy for. CD’s – mainly Brit-pop, books, videos (Yes I am that old). Strawberry lip balm from The Body Shop. And of course, were you even a teenage girl in the nineties if you didn’t ask for explanation perfume? My point is there were lots […] Read more…
Being in control of our finances is impossible without having an idea of your outgoings. Household budgets are really easy to set up, but they need to work for you If it’s not accurate you are far less likely to stick it. Why have a household Budget? Having a household budget and managing your finances […] Read more…
Flowers are something that we generally associate with emotions, intimacy, and close relationship. Yet, the fact is, flowers make excellent formal gifts too. When it comes to business gifting, flowers occupy a special place. Besides, using flowers and plants to decorate your corporate office is an excellent way to spruce up the environment. Online flower […] Read more…
My boys are chalk and cheese in pretty much everything, and maths is no exception. Big has always struggled with maths. There have been many meltdowns over it. At one stage he was determined to go back in time and un-invent maths! He never did get the irony of how much maths would be required […] Read more…
I have one slightly ferrel child, who loves being outdoors. The other has more hermit like tendencies and would happily stay indoors all day. So much so that on beautiful sunny days I find myself turning into my mother and saying things like “It’s a beautiful day out there and you are wasting it indoors”. […] Read more…
The other day my seven-year-old finished his dinner. He slid off his chair and ran down the hallway to resume play. His eleven year old brother followed him shuffling and flicking his hair to the side, nonchalant and cool in his demeanour. When he was seven he ran everywhere like his little brother does now. […] Read more…
I dreaded the big four-oh. I’d never really worried about age before, but I was uncomfortable with turning 40. My twenties were all about partying and promotions. My thirties were about having babies. But having ticked all the boxes of career, marriage, mortgage and kids, I didn’t really know what was expected of me in […] Read more…
The last time I lived with an 11 year old boy, I was 15 and the boy was my little brother. He was mildly annoying. Now the 11 year old is my son. There’s nothing mild about living with him! It’s fair to say I am finding the tween years very similar to the toddler […] Read more…
I’ve been a regular SimplyCook customer for a few years now and I happily rave about them to anyone who will listen. So as I have your ears, or eyes so to speak, I wanted to tell you why I rate them so highly, and tell you about their creamy honey mustard chicken. Simplycook is […] Read more…
If you are a similar age to me, chances are when you grew up, the photos displayed in your home were from a family photo shoot at Olan Mills in the eighties, that come the nineties make you cringe whenever you brought friends over. With photography becoming much more accessible, the options for displaying photographs […] Read more…
I love making hamper gifts for people. Collecting little bits that I see throughout the year. I think they can be a really personal and thoughtful gift, whether for an occasion or simply because. But what do we do when we can’t give that person a gift in person? We make a letterbox hamper! There […] Read more…
We all know the negative impact of lockdown. And it has been hard for so many reasons. But there are positives to be found. Without having to rush here there and everywhere I have been able to tap into my creative side, which has definitely helped me when my mind has been whirring and I […] Read more…
The Flower Shop are giving you the chance to win a luxurious Mothers Day bouquet for your Mum, or special maternal figure, this Mothers Day. Who Are The Flower Shop? The Flower Shop is a family run business with a network of over 200 florists across the UK. The Flower Shop trains florists in each […] Read more…
I’ve spent most of my adult life hating exercise. But I changed my relationship with exercise and now exercise and I are in a much better place! When I say I hated exercise, I mean I had to force myself, really force myself to do it. And it didn’t matter what I tried; Step aerobics […] Read more…
Love it or hate it valentine’s day is just around the corner. What immediately springs to mind when you think of valentine’s day gifts? Flowers, of course. The Flower Shop is a business local to me in the Southampton area and they kindly sent me the biggest bouquet of flowers I have ever received in […] Read more…
In the next few years we have a few 70th birthdays coming up in our family, including my Dad and my Mother-in-law. What do you buy someone for a 70th birthday gift? Especially someone who is hard to buy for, and you want it to be a significant and thoughtful gift. Fortunately Historic Newspapers asked […] Read more…
At Christmas we caved and got my eleven year old his first phone. I say caved because 90% of me thinks kids having mobile phones is utterly ridiculous. But I’m learning during these tween years that quite often I have to give in. I don’t want him to miss out because he is the only […] Read more…
It’s really important to have a good sense of your finances. Keeping on top of your monthly household budget by knowing your outgoings, and reviewing them regularly will help you to spend within your means. It can also reduce your chances of getting into debt, and increase your chances of saving money. It helps to […] Read more…
A few days after Christmas I was lamenting that we had far too many devices in our home. Little got his first tablet for Christmas, and Big got his first phone. And what with Alexa’s and various other devices it’s fair to say we are getting our moneys worth from our broadband. Yet fast forward […] Read more…
Lockdown is hard for everyone, no matter your circumstances. But lockdown can offer a chance for employers to show that they are human, that they care about their employees. To offer long overdue flexibility. Sadly, too often they don’t. Too many employers assume that home schooling is plonking your kids in front of a computer […] Read more…
