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.
Rental homes can often come with restrictions when it comes to making a home your own. There can be restrictions over hanging things on walls, painting and decorating, and making alterations. A lot of rental homes can be very neutral in tone. And whilst you may not be able to paint the walls your favourite […] Read more…
Becoming a parent is the best thing. But it’s also the most terrifying thing. Nothing will make you love more, or worry more. It’s amazing and it’s infuriating. It comes with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But that’s what makes it so beautiful. And being so many of us have been […] Read more…
Over the last six months Little is getting more and more into Lego, so along with his Big brother we now have an insane amount of Lego in our house. And if you have Lego, you need storage! So here are a few Lego storage ideas I have put together to help with playing and […] Read more…
Although we are all facing the same restrictions in this lock-down situation. The reality is that actually lock-down looks quite different for all of us. Some of us may be key workers under enormous amounts of strain doing their daily jobs. Some of us are working from home. Some of us are juggling working from […] Read more…
Isolation is being talked about a lot at the moment due to the current pandemic we are facing and the lock-down rules. Feeling isolated is a very real problem, leading to loneliness and low self esteem. It is important to recognise that anyone can feel isolated. Whether you are living alone, or have a house […] Read more…
I’ve been working from home for nearly 6 years now. In the early days I found it really hard to leave work behind, switch off, and have some down time. There are still days like that now, if I have lots of deadlines, or I am waiting on an important email. But on the whole […] Read more…
When I was a kid we used to pretend the shed in the garden was our clubhouse. Inspired by our love of the Secret Seven books, my friend and I declared the shed as the base for the Red Indian Club. You could only come in if you knew the password. Only the shed was […] Read more…
I love organising a party. Everything from the invite to the party bags. The first big ‘party’ I arranged was probably my wedding. That was way before sweet tables were a thing, and printing invitations was incredibly expensive. That’s why I hand made my invitations. It took me hours and hours to write them all. […] Read more…
Businesses big and small are struggling due to Covid-19. I think it’s so important to support small businesses where you can. This is a small selection of great products for lock down that make great gifts, things to do, or treats, for either yourself or a loved one. Cotton Clara Embroidery made easy with some […] Read more…
Schools are closed to try and contain the Coronavirus. Parents are suddenyl juggling keeping the kids entertained, doing home school work and trying to work from home. And these small people need feeding at regular intervals. It’s a lot. My enthusiasm at the beginning of the week was high. Now I find myself purging the […] Read more…
Over the last few years politics, the huge divide in our country, growing racism, and the general state of the world, have meant that somewhere along the line I have lost my faith in humanity. If anything good comes from the Coronavirus outbreak I hope it is that my faith is restored. Rather than an […] Read more…
I am not a crafty parent. When the kids come home from school with a letter telling me they require a costume I am far more likely to turn to Amazon than I am the sewing machine. Who am kidding, I don’t even own a sewing machine. But sometimes I begrudge forking out for a […] Read more…
Parenting is a full on job. There are days when I bake with my kids, I play car races all day long and have in-depth discussions about Ninjago. But there are also days where I am stretched thin and I’m tired and there’s not so much of me to give. I used to beat myself […] Read more…
Having a child can be a brilliant and life-changing event, but it can also act as a reminder that you have a whole new set of responsibilities that stretch beyond you and your partner. When your family starts to grow, you might find that you have some important decisions to make. From sending your child […] Read more…
Everyone has a preference when it comes to the type of holiday they prefer. For me, I will always choose sight seeing over a beach holiday. And when it comes to accommodation my preference is a villa holiday as opposed to an all inclusive hotel option. Here’s why I love a villa holiday: You can […] Read more…
There are many expressions that go hand in hand with having children. Perhaps none more true than the phrase I have often muttered under my breath “You are the reason we don’t have nice things”. Casing point, our sofa is on its last legs. It groans when you sit on it. It no longer offers […] Read more…
New York is so far my most favourite place I have visited. I love the things to do, places to see, the people and the vibe. If you are planning your first trip to New York, it really is worth putting in the time before you go to plan your itinerary to make the most […] Read more…
Have you been on or are planning a Winter family holiday? Abroad holidays have always been a luxury for us as a family. A luxury that has been out of our reach. But after a lot of saving, we fly to Australia next month for a family wedding. It will be the kids first flight […] 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…
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…