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 was about ten when I read in a Judy Blume book, Superfudge, that Father Christmas wasn’t real. I had some suspicions. Mainly caused by grown ups asking me “Do you still believe in Father Christmas?” leading me to question was there something not to believe in. Grown ups ask dumb questions. I never asked […] Read more…
I love the poem If by Rudyard Kipling. I think the first two lines sum up life right now… If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you This is my version of If written for the Covid times… If If you can keep your head […] Read more…
I love shopping, and I love a bargain. I have a cupboard in my home full of little gifts that I pick up throughout the year, ready for Christmas. At Christmas I create hamper gifts for people with all of the bits that I have collected. What I love about creating hamper gifts is that […] Read more…
We have lived in our home for 14 years now. It’s fair to say it’s changed a bit in that time. 14 years ago there were just two of us. We moved from a tiny flat to a four bedroom house and rattled around a bit. There were a fair few parties in those first […] Read more…
I’ve always quite enjoyed doing jigsaw puzzles with the kids, and the husband and I often joked that we would do puzzles when we were retired. Then 2020 arrived and took away our social lives and left our mental health in tatters. With little else to do we decided not to wait until retirement, I […] Read more…
So many businesses have struggled due to the impact of Covid this year. Which is why I think it’s more important than ever to support small businesses where we can. This is my selection of Christmas gift ideas from small businesses. I hope you find the perfect gift for someone you love. Gifts for the […] Read more…
The whole world and his dog has advice for you when you become a parent. When you should be feeding them, how much you should be holding them, dummy or no dummy. It’s relentless. But what about the practical advice for new parents that is actually going to be useful? Here are 9 things to […] Read more…
I am a firm believer that stocking fillers should be under £5 each. But it can be a challenge to find gifts that aren’t just plastic tat in that price category. I would rather buy the kids things they can use, rather than something that clutters up the house or ends up in landfill. My […] Read more…
So they take a bit of getting used to. It can take a while to find a shape that you find comfortable and that doesn’t try and jump down your throat every time you breathe in. And us Brits like to moan don’t we. There has been a lot of moaning about face masks. But […] Read more…
I have been blogging for six years now. It started as a hobby, but pretty soon I started to earn a bit of money. My youngest has just started year 2, when he first started school I gave myself a year to see if I could earn enough to effectively be a second salary. By […] Read more…
I love my walls filled with artwork and photographs of the kids. I love the idea of creating a picture from a photo as a piece of artwork for your home. But it’s easier said than done. Professional photo shoots with kids are not for the feint hearted. I know from experience. There’s a lot […] Read more…
Saving money can be difficult. Life chucks us curve balls like the boiler breaking, or a global pandemic! Sometimes we give in to temptations, and as a result our savings pot never really grows. Financial experts advise having three months worth of living expenses as savings. For the majority of people this isn’t possible. Savings […] Read more…
We all do things differently as parents, and I am a firm believer that a one size fits all approach doesn’t work. We are all different, and we have different views. It’s what makes the world interesting. But I think there is sometimes a degree of parenting peer pressure involved in our decisions. We need […] Read more…
I think it’s fair to say the Corona virus pandemic has taken us all on an emotional roller coaster. But what I find utterly exhausting is the conflict. It’s everywhere. In the government, in the news, on social media, and in my head. And it’s the Corona conflict that is causing the overwhelm. The knot […] Read more…
As the nights draw in and the days get cooler, you will most likely be considering the best time to turn on your heating. After a relatively warm summer, the chances are you will not have touched your heating system for a few months. That is all about to change and very shortly you will […] Read more…
My two boys are chalk and cheese. Big has always been a book worm. He loves reading, it came very easily to him, and he has never really needed any encouragement to pick up a book. Little however, is not so keen. He loves a bedtime story, but when it comes to reading himself he […] Read more…
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…
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. There are days when you feel more weighed down than a weighted blanket. But that’s […] Read more…
I’m an organised person. But there’s something about the kids going back to school after the Summer holidays that always puts me in a spin. Even when I start preparing by buying the t-shirts in July, at the end of August I start having the same panicked thoughts… Back to school thoughts… Where did I […] Read more…
Now that the heatwave is over and the kids are no longer living in the paddling pool, I’ve been digging into the rainy day activities to keep them amused. I’m a huge fan of Baker Ross for craft stuff. Mainly because when it comes to crafts I have no idea what I am doing. I’ve […] Read more…
