Blog List

Every family has their little traditions, don't they? Whether they're daily, weekly or yearly rituals, these things tend to be unique to each family. The funny thing about family traditions is that while they may not seem weird to you, your partner or your children, you can be damn sure they seem utterly bizarre to anyone on the outside looking in. Whether they are traditions which have...

With just four simple words my seven-year-old daughter made me finally understand what being a mother is really all about. I’m not the type of mum who sits down on the ground and plays Lego or horses, I like to go to the park, walk up the mountains or even go for a bike ride. Things that I thought were fun and helped me bond with my little one. But everything was put into perspective recently...

This is probably not something I should say out loud too often, but if my doing so helps to assuage the fears or concerns of any fellow mums, then it will have been worth it. Sometimes I don't want to be a mum. There, I said it. As the mother of four healthy, happy children, I should be counting my blessings on a daily basis and believe me, I do, but sometimes I long for the my heady...

Right from the minute they are born, we (try to!) get our children into a bedtime routine that works for the whole family. However, over time this routine eventually start to change as your child becomes more independent or they start to stay up that bit later. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing; families grow, that’s what they do. However, there was one part of our routine that I...

So I've just learned that I'm a massive 'buzzkill' because I won't allow my daughter to dress up as Kylie Jenner for Halloween. I'm “majorly missing the point” apparently. While I'm against the idea of my 13-year-old dressing as the youngest Kardashian sister, she's lamenting the fact I'm refusng to think outside the box. Yes, she may want to wear a push-up...

A YouTube video which is currently doing the rounds has left me, and countless other parents, somewhat dumbfounded. If you haven't yet come across it, I advise you to steer clear. For the purpose of this blog piece, I'll explain it, but believe me, you can live without actually seeing it. What myself and millions of other YouTube users have been exposed to is one man's vain attempt to...

When it comes to parenting your child, there is always one good cop and one bad cop. There is no reason for it, apart from the fact that there has to be at least one responsible person in the house. Unfortunately I’m the bad cop. I’m the one who calls bedtime, breaks up fun because it’s getting too rough and takes on a no-nonsense approach to mess, noise and manners. Being the bad cop has...

We recently went on a short family trip abroad. As we have yet to cash in the prize bonds my mother gave us on our wedding day and spring for a private plane, we resigned ourselves to two hours on a budget airline - an activity every mother-of-four relishes, I'm sure. While the rest of my gang have had their airborne rite of passage, my youngest had yet to experience the 'joys' of air...

Seven years ago, I was walking around with a faint whiff of baby sick on my top and bags under my eyes, that gave the scariest of Halloween masks a run for their money, but now things are better. Now I feel like I can take on the world, simply because my daughter is seven and not a baby anymore... Yes, my days are still hectic, organising things for school each evening is simply two hours of...

My daughter is a daddy's girl, through and through. There's little her father can't fix and nothing he doesn't know. To Grace, her daddy is quite literally God's representative on earth. While I'm overjoyed my child has such a strong relationship with her father, I can't help but feel a little disgruntled from time to time. It's like a version of Good Cop Bad Cop is...