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.
I don’t believe those couples who say they never argue. I mean we all do from time to time. And when you become parents the rows change, not just the hushed tones and muttering under your breath, but the things we row over. A parental row. Sometimes over big stuff, sometimes over silly things. Sleep […] Read more…
The moment you announce you are expecting a child people start to give you little warnings about the things you can’t do when you are a parent. “Get some sleep now because you won’t have any for the next 18 years” Said with a hearty gafaw. But most of the warnings revolve around sleep and […] Read more…
Since becoming a parent I have spent a lot of time becoming acquainted with the floors of my house. Prior to kids, I very rarely found myself on the floor. Maybe one or two times, when over indulging in alcohol led me to believe that the wood floor was the most comfortable of places to […] Read more…
As we enter the third week of lock down and working from home, chances are you have taken part in some kind of video conference call. And chances are if you are a parent, a small person has interrupted that conference call with something of vital importance to say. Conference calls with kids around require […] Read more…
My eldest child is hardly ever ill. My youngest however gets everything going, and always gets it to the extreme. However at the end of last year we had a really bad run with the two of them. Tonsillitis, sickness bugs, ear infections and raging temperatures for no apparent reason. For a good two months […] Read more…
A Spa break is something I enjoyed before I became a parent. But now I am a parent I think I appreciate them on a whole new level. Why Mums Love a spa break… 1. We can recharge from the chaos Sometimes my life feels like a whirlwind of after school clubs, homework, birthday parties, […] Read more…
Tomorrow my first born turns 10. That’s a whole decade of being a parent, and a whole lot of sleep lost! There have been many many lessons learnt in the last 10 years. There were ridiculous intentions at the start, and a whole host of unexpected things along the way. But if I could go […] 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…
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…
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…
Big went on his first residential trip in March at the grand old age of nine. Two nights on the Isle of Wight with the school. I was fine. I was organised. Everything was labelled within an inch of it’s life. The trip started on his Little Brother’s birthday, so my mind was consumed with […] Read more…
When I was growing up we had a climbing frame with slide in our back garden. My best friend lived next door and had a climbing frame too. Most of my childhood was spent on either hers or my climbing frame! I believe I acquired many life skills hanging around on those bars. Now this […] Read more…
Yes, you heard me. I’m sure it’s some kind of parenting cardinal sin for which I am being punished for with two kids that get up at the crack of dawn every dam day. But it’s true, for my sins, I hate the park. And I know it’s good for them. Fresh air. Climbing. Running […] Read more…
I am becoming increasingly aware that the days of Big not having a mobile phone are limited. Primary school seems to be flying past, and in the not to distant future we will be looking at secondary schools and he will get his first phone. It’s uncharted territory for me. I managed fine walking to […] Read more…
As I was having the daily argument with Big about putting his coat on this morning, it dawned on me the different stages we go through of wearing a coat during our lifetime. Coats when you are a baby Let’s face it coats are way too big and puffy for babies. They just look like […] Read more…
I love that saying about cousins, “Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends” It perfectly sums up my relationship with my cousin Katie. She was bridesmaid at my wedding and now I get to be bridesmaid for her. Her wedding also happens to be in Australia, so I get to […] Read more…
If there is one thing that gives me a deep sinking feeling in my stomach more than trying to plan activities to keep the kids entertained for six weeks, it’s shopping for school shoes. It normally involves a lot of waiting, some tears, and parting with an extortionate amount of cash. Of course too late […] Read more…
No one warned me how noisy kids are. It’s like a daily assault on the ear drums that can leave me with a pounding headache. Of course the house feels weird and not right without all the noise now, so I guess I’m getting used to it! This is part two of the A-Z of […] Read more…
Next weekend marks a ‘big’ birthday for the husband. It also means a night out without the kids. Gone are the days when I used to stress about leaving them over night. Nowadays I break open the Prosecco and enjoy the silence! The kids have a great time with the Grandparents and jumping all over […] Read more…
In any doctors waiting room you are guaranteed to see three things; patients, patience, and one of those wooden toys with the blocks on twirly metal things. It’s boring waiting as a fully fledged grown up. But as a kid? Doctors waiting rooms are a place where parenting skills are put to the max […] Read more…