What's life without love and a few dirty dishes?
“Cherish every moment.” That phrase sets unrealistic expectations and can isolate anyone who is having a tough parenting day. Which we all do. There are many beautiful moments to cherish. First steps, giggles, hand written notes telling you you are the best Mummy. Sunny days with the paddling pool, Christmas magic. Cuddles and conversations. But […] Read more…
I rarely believe in a one size fits all approach to parenting. Whether you breast fed, co-slept, control cried, or did baby led weaning. We all have a right to bring up our children how we choose and to respect one another’s choices. Except when it comes to vaccinating our children. I have no time […] Read more…
You’ve stocked up on the kids uniforms. You’ve got them new lunchboxes, and you’ve near on fainted at the price of school shoes. But what about you? Have you got the back to school essentials that all parents need? Organisational Essentials I’ve just done my first year with two in school and the stuff you […] Read more…
We need a new sofa. Ours is thirteen years old and has seen better days. When you choose a sofa you look at the style, the colour, the comfort. How it is going to fit in your living room. It’s only when you come to get rid of that sofa that you lovingly chose all […] Read more…
You wouldn’t think it would you? With their chubby cheeks, big soulful eyes, and smiles that can melt the coldest of all hearts. And if the smile doesn’t do it, the bear hug will. But toddlers are petty criminals. Mastermind law breakers. Evil geniuses in the making. At some point your toddler would have committed […] Read more…
One of my regrets in life is that when I was 19 I saw the Northern Lights in Canada. What I regret is that I had no idea what I was seeing. I was young and not very well travelled. Social media wasn’t around bringing the world to our doorstep. And therefore I had no […] Read more…
If the movies are to be believed you know when you are in labour when: a) You wake up with a start because you are having a contraction and rush to the hospital immediately. b) Your waters break somewhere public and you start having agonising contractions. In reality it’s normally nothing like that. Knowing when […] Read more…
Life is busy. Between the kids, work, keeping on top of the housework, and general life admin, most days I can feel like I don’t stop. And even when my body stops moving my mind is still whirring. It’s easy to feel like there is no time for you and no time for any kind […] Read more…
The year was 1996. And after what felt like a million lessons and the hardest test in the world, I passed my driving test on the second attempt. My first car was technically my Mum’s. But I used to drive it every where. It was a light blue/green Austin Metro. It had a manual choke, […] Read more…
One of my talents is being able to recite several Julia Donaldson books with my eyes closed. A Squash & A Squeeze, Stick Man and The Gruffalo should be a skill on my CV! Both the boys have been through an obsession with her stories. When it was Big’s phase I wrote a parody of […] Read more…
We survived the first year at school! Summer Holidays are around the corner and it’s been 9 months since I said my first goodbye to my son with a lump in my throat at the classroom door. The little boy who could barely write his own name now writes me notes and knows what a dodecahedron is. (I […] Read more…
To the mum who is struggling on the school run with a toddler, I see you trying to get a reluctant kid to school, with a toddler in tow who wants to stop and pick up every leaf they see. I see you struggling with the bags and the lunchboxes and the toddler who wants […] Read more…
For all of my adult life I have struggled with zero body positivity. Even when I lost a lot of weight and was a size 12/14, I still struggled. And it’s a struggle that impacts my life on a daily basis. Having low self esteem holds me back, stops me from putting myself out there, […] Read more…
I caught a bit of a debate on TV the other day about parenting classes. A viewer had tweeted the comment, “If you need to go to parenting classes, you shouldn’t be a parent.” It’s that exact attitude and stigma, why I haven’t told very many people that recently I did a parenting class. Like […] Read more…
We’ve all heard of the bedtime witching hour. When kids turn slightly ferrel and parents are counting down until the moment they can collapse on the sofa and ignore one another in marital bliss. But did you know parenting involves a lot more witching hours than just the bedtime one… The Early Morning Witching Hour […] Read more…
When I was a little girl my Dad would give some money in August and I would go to ‘Rules OK’ our local stationery shop and kit myself out with a new pencil case and supplies for the new school year. And thus began my stationery addiction. Big loves Smiggle, and I can see the […] Read more…
Is there anything more lovely to shop for than a baby shower? Kiddies Kingdom have gifts for every budget, from prams to pacifiers! And they have all the leading brands too. So you can find the perfect gift for the littlest bundle. Here are just a few baby shower gift ideas. Blankets I had so […] Read more…
Nothing in my life has made me feel more of a grown up than when we had a new kitchen fitted. The process itself was painful. There was a lot of dust. A broken boiler (in the middle of winter). Oh, and a severe case of D&V at the exact time when we had no […] Read more…
Whether it’s a sickness bug or chicken pox, childhood illness can cause stress, worry, and a lot of googling. Not to mention a severe decline in the number of hours parents sleep, and a sharp incline in the amount of chocolate they eat. Maybe that’s just my house. Batten down the hatches, the kids are […] Read more…
11 sustainable steps to reduce, reuse and recycle at home. As I’ve gotten older I seem to be afraid of more. Before kids, horror was my movie genre of choice. Now I can’t watch them. Before kids, roller coasters were my drug of choice. I loved them. The more thrilling the better. Now I stand […] Read more…