Blog List

Sometime it feels like I could gently lower the needle on a broken record, raise the volume so that the sound pervades the entire house and slip furtively from my home without any of my family members even noticing. Until they need clean underwear, that is. Being a mum can be a repetitive process and you often find yourself repeating the same phrases, orders and rebukes until the words lose all...

There are few things that cause me more distress as a parent than knowing there is something bothering my child which they won't explain to me. I once came across something which resonated with me long before I ever had children, but since welcoming my four I realise how true it actually is. “You're only ever as happy as your unhappiest child,” read the open page of a magazine in a...

Every night my husband says without fail:"We are so lucky", referring to our two healthy, happy and half-the-time-crazy children. I mumble, "I know..." But sometimes, I really do need that gentle reminder. The life of an honest mum is not always fun. I feel like ometimes all I do is give out to my kids, give out about them and wish for bedtime to arrive willingly. I know I write a lot about the...

My nine-year-old daughter Ella gets incredibly homesick meaning that she misses out on everything which makes childhood so much fun; slumber parties and camping trips to name but two. We have tried everything to make a night away from home without mum and dad easier on her, but she always returns home with a “sick tummy” or “headache” before too long. From filling in her friends'...

Years ago when Rebecca was about seven-years-old, she asked for a toy kitchen for her birthday. Normally more than happy to treat my children on their birthdays, I found myself utterly conflicted on this one. You see, her older brother, Christopher, had asked for a Barbie kitchen two years previously and against my better judgement I didn't end up getting it for him. Regretfully, I listened to...

No matter how much of a tough day you are having, there are always things that make it that little bit better, something blogger Franziska Foerster McLoughlin from Queen of My Castle knows about. The mum-of-four used to work for a multinational corporate and ventured into blogging to share her experiences, joys and frustrations of being a mum. Here she tells us exactly what happiness means to her...

My three-year-son is possibly the most inquisitive little creature I have ever encountered. As a mum-of-four, I have fielded my fair share of questions over the years, but since the arrival of Nathaniel my world has revolved around responding to queries and replying to enquiries. Eager to know how the world works and why, Nathaniel will question everything from the colour of the sky to the...

Since becoming a mother, I have found myself moved to tears over anything and everything. While I was by no means made of stone before the arrival of my two children, I was generally able to keep it together during TV commericals intended to pulled on your heartstrings, movies described as tearjerkers and love songs made for a good sniffle. But now? Now, I'm a wreck. And it's bizarre...

For almost as long as my second oldest child can remember, there had been issues with her older brother. Issues which required professional intervention, issues which caused untold upset and tension within our home, and issues which affected my daughter so greatly she became - what can only be described as - a bag of nerves. Her brother battled desperately with low self-esteem from an early age...

Listen, I have never subscribed to the school of thought that material objects act as any measurement of your spouse's love or affection for you. Believe me, the fact that my partner will remember to defrost the chicken breasts when I forget, slip a hotwater bottle under the duvet while I'm brushing my teeth or return home with my favourite magazine, chocolate and bubble bath when I have...