Blog List

I'm a realist. As an exhausted mother-of-four, I don't really have any say in the matter. Romantic notions of the perfect family life officially disappeared when I found myself pregnant in my earlies forties with my fourth child. Already the mother of a sullen teenage boy, a hyper pre-teen daughter and a seven-year-old son who I once found eating dog biscuits under the stairs, I knew my...

As a busy and incredibly forgetful mum-of-two, I am notorious for scrawling hurried reminders on my hand – something which never fails to irritate my mother. A firm believer in the importance of good stationary, she decided to invest in a stunning moleskin notebook which she presented to me on Mother's Day this year. Immediately enthused, I vowed to make clear and coherent notes while...

In the run-up to my son's birth almost sixteen years ago, I collected so many baby books and parenting manuals I could have opened my own store. A rote learner, I sat with a highlighter in my hand most nights and carefully marked anything I thought was of supreme importance , but which I feared I might forget once the baby actually arrived. Books, post-its, pamphlets, leaflets, pre-natal...

As a teen and young woman, my relationship with my mother was incredibly complex. We were unbelievably close which, while reassuring in many ways, also meant we often rubbed each other up the wrong way. I marvelled at the fact some of my friends never argued with their mothers – something they put down to the fact they simply weren't close enough to have blazing rows. For a long time, I...

To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. Or, until we have a newborn and I want to kill you... There are so many articles out there about how to survive the first three months of a new baby. You know, the tips on colic, lack of sleep and cluster feeding etc... But there is another challenge new parents face that can be overlooked - getting through those first few...

Between Mother's Day and International Women's Day, it's been a massive week for us and the fellow ladies in our lives. Unsurprisingly, like many others I'm sure, those two particular days got me thinking about the women who have helped me navigate the highs and lows of my story thus far. And while there are dozens who have helped to shape me into the woman and mother I am today...

I did it this morning. The Weetabix had it coming but still what kind of example am I to Littleboy3 and Littleboy6? You could say the carry on of Littleboy3 and 6 started it all, but still. In my defense there's the hormones raging through me from Bump14weeks. Not helped by horrific tonsillitis and disgusting flu. But really couldn't it have been anything but Weetabix? Any child will tell you...

Tarring all mothers with the same brush is a fool's game because just like fathers, brothers,sisters, aunts and uncles, we all have a dfferent approach to our role. Some mums are hands-on, some are helicopter mothers and some are much more reserved, but I think it's fair to say the vast majority of us in a relationship stand firm on the following and abhor being asked a certain question on...

When I was growing up, I remember constantly being sent to the neighbours to borrow a jug of milk or return a cup of sugar – errands I would never even consider asking my children to do these days. Things were different back then; neighbourhoods were more close-knit and residents were much more involved in each other's lives. It was nothing to spend half the day in a neighbour's house...

Parents are often much maligned for over-sharing their family life on social media. Some share the highlights - the foreign holiday with glowing tan lines, little darlings playing tea-parties with teddies, the autumn walk through the park. Some go for the warts and all - little Johnny coated in poster paint after an over-enthusiastic bout of finger-painting. I’m guilty of sharing both such type...