I am the mean-mom who doesn't let my kids have new toys when it's not Christmas or birthdays, despite the fact that every single child in the school goes to Smyths EVERY SUNDAY to buy new toys - these are the same children who apparently all have their own YouTube channels, own iPhones, are allowed ...
An entire decade has passed since you rushed into the world, two and a half weeks before your due date. I hadn't finished work yet, and perhaps it was your way of setting the scene; letting me know that nothing would ever be properly planned again. And indeed, of all the things you've taught me, that's one ...
1. Women can fix the world I had dinner on Friday night with five amazing, fun, smart, witty women. Over much white wine, we covered pod-casts, sex education, cyber-bullying, running, decluttering, books, blogs, the glass ceiling, tennis, part-time work, and the scary future that is parenting teens. And we had ginger mojitos, looking out at the ...
"What? But you can't have her party on Saturday - that's your birthday!" said my incredulous coffee companion. She was referring to the upcoming party for my middle-child, who turns six on Monday, two days after I turn a far less significant age. And because you can't have birthday parties on Mondays, her party is on ...
"What age you is mummy?" asked my three-year-old recently. A topical question, when the internet is full of How Old Do I Look photos (clever Microsoft!), hitting on the mild obsession some (many) of us have with how old we look versus how old we are, and how publicly we're prepared to discuss the topic. I ...
I'm working hard to teach my daughters that they can be anything they want when they grow up - astronauts ("really?"), footballers ("no way mum, I thought only boys could be footballers") or business-owners (because they've both decided that's what they want to be - as opposed to my job in an office which they say ...
I wasn't going to write anything about this week, but I'm sitting here drinking champagne (the not-champagne type), and that seems like a reason to write it down (or maybe it's the bubbles talking) As work-life balance goes, this week has been rather one-sided. Work has been busy and difficult. The life side of life, on ...
You burst into our lives two years ago, a much anticipated early Christmas present, a much hoped for healthy baby. And a boy! It was as though we didn't know you could be a boy. Two big sisters - just two, but it could have been a dozen for how it left us feeling - ...
Last Saturday morning was always going to be stressful. My husband was leaving at 7.30am for his annual trip to a Liverpool game with "the lads" (at what age are they no longer "the lads"?) - this in itself was not a problem. I feel that six years into being a parent, I can no ...
If you are good at throwing birthday parties, this probably isn't the post for you. In fact, if you're even mildly average, feel free to click back out (really do - you will just find this patronising). If like me, your stomach churns with just a little bit of anxiety every time you think about hosting ...