Snapshot of a House Counting Down

"We'll fit loads in over the next few weeks," I'd said to the kids two weekends ago, not wanting to say what I really meant, which was, "There are only twelve more days left of summer holidays, let's make the most of it." Because I didn't want them on the countdown that I was already ...

Breathing In All The Spaces

I promised myself (not just an in-the-air promise – an actual written down promise) that the next time I had a lull, I’d take a morning for myself. And here I am – almost all current deadlines met, book edits on the way but not here yet – doing just that. I’m getting my hair ...

11 essential tools that help me to be a moderately mediocre parent

tea - office mum

These are just my own personal essential parenting tools - they're not by any means universal - but without them, I suspect I'd be in some kind of institution at this stage. In no particular order: 1. Kids' TV TV saves my life every evening. Take yesterday for example. There were fourteen children running around my kitchen ...

Diary of an Out-of-Office Mum

Lego time - Office Mum

Day 1 not in the office - Tuesday May 5th  The kids were off school today, and it was a very normal day. I've had dozens of days like this, when I've taken annual leave during school holidays, and this didn't feel too different. No big "shock" moment. That's good. We went to the playground - they ran ...

Test Run

Coffee - Office Mum

Not on purpose, one day two weeks ago, I had a test run of what's ahead as a work-at-home freelancer self-employed type person. And it left me pretty worried. By 10.30am, I was phoning my husband to tell him it wasn't going to work, and that I needed to start talking to recruitment agencies again IMMEDIATELY. He talked ...

That Boy in the Playground

Boy in playground - Office Mum

I saw a little boy in a restaurant today. He was in his mother's arms as she tried to order bagels at the till. He wanted cake, and tried squirming out of her arms to get it. When she said no, he shrieked and howled. She was embarrassed, but ploughed firmly on with her order, raising ...

Toddler-proof baking & a Flora baking set giveaway

Coffee cup Office Mum

We've waited for today for weeks now. A whole day off. I'm not at work, and they're not at school. It was going to be the best one-day mid-term EVER. We made no plans - we were going to take it easy - see where the day might take us. And that worked out just ...

Three campsites in France: comparison and review

Beach in Carnac

Recently, I asked my seven-year-old if she remembered Sequoia Parc, the campsite we stayed in, two years ago in France. "Of course I do - it had a dragon pirate ship thing beside the pool," she said. "No," I said, "That was Clarys Plage, last year." She was sure I was wrong. I was sure I was right. ...