We’re all fussy eaters, one way or another. The only difference is, as adults, we learn to eat up without a fuss. Children are a different matter, as anyone who’s tried to coax one pea – “just ONE pea” – into a resistant mouth knows all too well. I have three children and luckily only […]

These cuties are from M&S Baby. This is not a sponsored post. Are children children or do boys and girls have discerning characteristics? Take this simple quiz to find out whether your child is a boy or a girl. Can your child pass a wall without walking on it? Does your child like drawing, painting, colouring and […]

I will always love you I’m about to turn 40. So why won’t I dress like it? I assumed there would come a day when I would always look effortlessly stylish, smart – mature. In well-cut clothes and tasteful jewellery with a ladylike bag to match. I assumed it would be when I was about […]

“Inbox zero” is the bane of the digital world, but in the domestic sphere it is “laundry basket zero”. Are you, too, chasing the impossible dream? I have a dream. A dream where the washing machine is silent. The tumble dryer is still. The airers are folded. The radiators are clear. The doorframe is hanger-free. […]

Wry Mummy is two! And still a complete mystery to most of my family and friends. “A blog?” “It’s my own website, grandma. You know, on the computer.” “Your own website?” “That’s right.” “Oh,” baffled nodding and unsure smiling from the dear nonagenarian. “Is that for your blog, mummy?” “Yes, darling.” “What IS a blog, […]

I thought my day couldn’t get any better on the Friday of BritMums Live after I ordered a bottle of prosecco in All Bar One and it was only £15. In London! But then a girl at the bar told me I looked 30! I’m 39. She was clearly drunk. My cup was floweth-ing over. But then […]

Deciding what you want to eat isn’t always easy when you’ve already cooked for your children several times that day and are starving and knackered after putting them to bed. And even if you know what you fancy, have you got what you need to make it? I’m not a bad cook. I’m just a […]

It’s that time again. The time I’ve been thinking about ever since I woke up. Baby bedtime. Tonight I will do it right. I will get them to bed by 7pm, have an evening that is both productive and relaxing, then retire to bed at a sensible hour and not wake up feeling like this.  […]

A child has been sick. My husband, the lighter sleeper of us, is first to the scene. By the time I react to the kerfuffle, the child is half stripped while daddy stands, whimpering, at the pile of chunks on the sheet. It is like those cairns that you see piled on top of arduous […]

“I know, why don’t we put all our money together? Like a team? And I’ll look after it.”  Do you have a Jedi Master in the family? If you have more than one child you will know – older siblings can trick their juniors out of anything. In our house, my oldest son (age 8): Always […]

Can you channel Maria in real life? It was the bit where Maria comes back from the convent and the children, who had till then been dolefully singing and one by one breaking off in silent tears, hearing her cheerful voice joining with theirs, run ecstatically to greet her. “Would you like a nice lady […]

There’s nothing I love more than when the kids are specks in the distance. I mean this in the nicest possible way – and of course, only in a safe environment, with no strangers, roads or roaming bulls around. Usually, I’m lumbering along in the rear with my baby, yelling at them not to go too far […]

Serving suggestion: vin chaud. Wall-to-wall catering, a roaring fire, comfy sofas – the perfect way to relax after hitting the slopes on a family ski holiday. When you go skiing with young children, the quality of your accommodation is just as important as the childcare (you can read my review of Esprit childcare here, but in summary, we were very […]

Turning 40 is no big deal. Unless you’re turning 40. I used to think it was no big deal too – when I was 35 it seemed inconceivable, 36, 37, 38, 39 1/2…39 7/8 – NOW it’s hit me. I know it’s just a number, a date on the calendar like any other, but something about it […]