It’s All About Me!

I’m Claire Kirby. I’m 47, which still kinda stings to say, and I live in the South of England.  Sunny (sometimes) Southampton, pretty much as South as you can get!  My claim to fame is that I once spoke to Phillip Schofield on a Going Live phone in. That claim to fame has not aged well!

The Family

I’ve been married to Lee for 20 years, and we have been together for over 30 years.  We are the definition of the term ‘opposites attract’.  It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Together we have two gorgeous and very noisy boys. Harry, who is 16 (Big), he loves football and music, and seems to be growing by the day right now, in size and teen attitude! Then there is Oliver, (Little) he is 12, and he never stops moving or talking.  He is in training to become a stuntman and turning me grey in the process!

And last but not least is our bundle of fluff; a cavapoo puppy called Harper. She’s very cute, and still called a puppy, despite the fact that she is 4 now. As the baby of the family she will always be my puppy!

My Story

I started this website in 2014 when Little was just three months old.  It began as a creative outlet for me.  Somewhere to write which has always been a passion of mine.

It also became a space for me to learn who I was again after becoming a mother for the second time and having lost my self to motherhood.  

I always knew I didn’t really want to write how to guides and advice, because I never really felt qualified.  My experience of parenting is that firstly we are all pretty much making it up as we go along, and secondly what works for one child won’t work for another.

Instead I wanted to make people laugh, or make them feel better after a tough day.  Parenting is a roller-coaster with the biggest highs and the most awful lows and I truly believe it’s important to share all of that.

So yes, beam with pride when your kid is Mary in the nativity, or a little old lady stops you in the street to tell you how beautiful your baby is.  You have every right to share that feeling so strong it feels like your heart could burst.

Equally, it’s ok to say you are finding things tough.  That not all of parenting is #blessed.  There are nits and chickenpox and tantrums and not much sleep.  And it is completely normal to have days when you want to escape and you should be able to say that without fear of judgement and adding the caveat “But I love them to bits and wouldn’t change a thing.”

I share it all.  The highs, the lows.  There is laughter here and a few tears.  But above all it is honest.

As the kids have gotten older I’ve been finding more of myself again, so I also write about things I am passionate about, mindfulness, organisation, feminism, mental health, body confidence, and shopping!

What started as an outlet, became a passion, which then became my job.  

Below are a few more deeply fascinating facts about me.  Keep reading to find a selection of my most popular posts that I hope you enjoy, including my version of the bedtime classic “The Gruffalo”.

The Blog

I created this space for the mums who are winging it, and the ones who are knee deep in it.

Whether you have a babbling baby or a temperamental teen, we are here for you with tales from the parenting front line. 

Life, Love and Dirty Dishes is an award winning parenting and lifestyle website, telling it how it is with humour, heart, and honesty.  

You will also find organisation and mindfulness content, because a label maker brings me joy!

My Pleasures

I love chocolate.  It is the answer to any of life’s problems. I also love rose wine, getting my eyelashes tinted, TED Talks, and Gerard Butler. One of my guilty pleasures is James Corden.  I have lots more, but you’ll have to get to know me a bit better before I tell you them! Oh and I love handbags. Lots.  I also have a bit of an obsession with plates and trays.  And I LOVE a bargain.

My Pet Peeves

I hate mushrooms.  They make me feel all weird and cringey if I touch them.  I have two major bug bears in life; number one, people who don’t say thank-you when you hold doors open for them, and number two, really sticky labels on things that don’t come off without you scrapping them with your nails and ruining your nail varnish.  Low tac people.  Low tac.

Popular Posts

My response to the post I saw on facebook from the new mum who was nailing parenting and branded the rest of us lazy.  (This one nearly broke my website, and I have to say I am really proud of this post after receiving so many messages from new mums, thanking me.)

To the new mum who has it nailed after three weeks and thinks the rest of us a are lazy.

An alternative version of the Julia Donaldson book The Gruffalo.  Only mine is about a terrifying creature called The Toddler-o

The Toddler-o.

A post that was featured on Huffpost that became one of their most popular posts for that year, and even gave me 5 minutes of fame in The Sun!

We are not rivals.

Exploring the realities of life before and life after kids, this is a post that I was asked to read as a keynote at the BritMums conference.  (That wasn’t nerve wracking at all!)

DIY before kids vs DIY after kids.

So that’s me, Claire Kirby!  I always appreciate any comments and shares on posts, and if you want you can subscribe and never miss a post.

If you are interested in working with me you can check out my work with me section here, and contact me by email.