Self-catering or hotel? That is the question. A holiday spent cooking – or watching waiters clear away all your euros on your children’s untouched plates? Both sides have their ups and downs – which will you choose this summer? “Does it have a dishwasher?” I asked my husband suspiciously, as he presented ‘The One’: the […]
Picture credit: www.argos.co.uk Mum’s banging on about giving up chocolate for Lent – like that’s a big deal! We could give up way better things than that. Like spraying her hand when we’re weeing al fresco! The list is endless! Things We Could Give Up For Lent Pretending not to hear a thing mummy says. Especially […]
Where is he? Has he gone in OK? Get out of the way, you other child! I’m trying to get my last glimpse before he goes into school! Is that him crying? That’s definitely him crying. Or…? Actually, I don’t think it was him. Oh no, it wasn’t. Oh no, I didn’t give him any tissues. […]
Mind-numbing, irritating, intermittent bursts of hope and ultimate joy – sometimes parenting is a bit like being on hold. The Seven Stages Of Being On Hold / Having Children Taking the plunge. You’ve been putting it off for a while. Make that call and commit yourself to it. Initial shock. No one is there. No […]
View image | gettyimages.com Where are you when I need you, Mary Poppins? I don’t need a hero. I don’t even need a full-time nanny (though sometimes I think that would be nice). I don’t need a three-day nanny, either. I just need a ten-minute nanny. Home time. I let the older two out and […]
Picture credit: alexilondon.com A subtle yet striking way to play the asymmetric earring trend, by ALEXI London. Entry form below! You don’t buy any jewellery for months and then two come along at once – as I found when I was gifted two beautiful pairs of earrings by ALEXI London, from their ‘Hug and Kiss’ […]
Kids do judge a book by its cover – so this lovely bookcase is the perfect choice. My children tend to find reading material by emptying all their books on the floor – or, worse, not bothering at all. So I was delighted when Tidy Books offered me the chance to review their forward-facing children’s bookcase. […]
Leggings – the unsung wardrobe hero. A pregnancy staple, saviour of the post-natal woman, and style sidekick before and beyond the baby years too. How do you wear yours? With the changeable British summer weather, I’m caught between jeans and my summer dresses: it feels like admitting defeat to the elements to wear jeans, but […]
With parenting, does one size fit all? “Put your shoes on! Clean your teeth! Hold my hand! Watch Numtums! Give me the square root of 169!” Such are the commands that spill from my mouth daily in swift succession, aimed collectively at my sons, ranging in age from 3 to 8. But none of them is capable […]
I was never a competitive mother – until I won. Ahem, I mean, my son won. The triumph came as a complete surprise – and so did my reaction. There I was, tootling along, perfectly sincere in my contention that, “I don’t care how he does at school, as long as he’s happy”. But then, […]
Kirsty’s Handmade Christmas meets Michel Roux. A recipe made in heaven – that even I couldn’t mess up. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who would give homebaked gifts at Christmas and entertain my kids and their friends with cute baking experiences – despite never having done any such thing ever in my life. So when […]
Every relationship has its ups and downs. I guess I should be happy ours has lasted so many years. But he has done something unforgivable. Is this the end for me and Freddo? I love Freddo. Everyone knows that. But something happened this week that I’m not sure I can get over. It wasn’t exactly […]
The world’s gone juice crazy! At first I scoffed, then I got curious, then I received a NutriBullet for my birthday. Now I post juice shots on Instagram with the best of them. Are you caught in the Nutri Cycle too? Are you a Nutri Virgin, Nutri Bore, Nutri Hacker or Nutri Over? The Nutri Virgin Hype […]
The gift of flowers – without having to bother the neighbours! Bloom & Wild deliver beautiful bouquets that – lovingly packaged – fit through your letterbox, making them the perfect choice for anyone, without having to worry whether they’ll be in to receive them. What with the school run, doctor’s appointments and forgetting the PE […]