I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about motherhood recently, specifically around how to make sure my girl and I have a happy mother daughter relationship – one that serves both of us long into the future. Like many mums…
parenting
How to switch back to mother mode when you work from home
When you work from home, the transition from mother to worker and back again can be sticky. On those rare days I work in the office, the change in physical surroundings helps me separate the different parts of myself. It’s…
How to make friends when you’re new in town
I have to start all over again next week. We’re moving from North Cornwall to a village near Falmouth. I have one friend there and one potential friend. But I’m leaving most of my mates behind and, as we’re all…
How to stay calm this summer holiday
Tomorrow is the last day of term for my two. Then we’ll be together for six full weeks of holiday fun. Optimistic me is happy about this. I’m looking forward to spending more time with my kids and we’ve got…
While you are sleeping
It’s the tenderest part of our day – giving you both a goodnight kiss as you sleep peacefully in your beds. It’s the end to our evening rituals. First, we lock the house up, to keep us all safe as…
Sleep is (not) for the weak
I can’t function on less than 8 hours’ sleep. And I have to say that sleeping is now one of my favourite past times. In fact, I’d take sleep over most other night-time activities – hands down. I’m (thankfully) not…
How to survive the school run
Me and the school run have a love/hate relationship. This morning has been pretty awful. My girl went crazy with the surgical tape in bed last night (now safely back in the first aid kit). She stuck strip after strip…
May you always be this brave
‘I don’t want to have babies,’ Nell announces, pretty regularly. She’s only four, and it makes me smile that, although she’s quite happy to swaddle her stuffed baby elephant, she has no inclination for a human baby – plastic or…
How to survive the Furious Fours (kinda)
It’s been a truly horrible morning. Who knew that buttoning a cardigan could cause so much anger, frustration and distress? But it can when there’s a four-and-a-half-year-old involved. At least when it’s my four-and-a-half-year-old. My daughter is going through what…
A mother’s CV
Mummy Curriculum vitae PERSONAL STATEMENT Dedicated, hard-working and supremely adaptable individual seeks more credit for doing a bloody hard job seven days a week. RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Leadership: skilled in growing, educating, nurturing, managing and caring for two small human…
Boys don’t cry
Boys don’t cry. Any boy-mama knows this isn’t true. My 5-year-old son cries with the best of them. And I’m cool with that. But does it stop being OK for your boy to cry as he gets older? And if…
Why I posted #MeToo and what it taught me
I posted #MeToo on Facebook this Monday. Along with nearly 8 million other women who used the hashtag to remember suffering sexual assault and/or harassment. I didn’t give any details. I didn’t feel the need to then. And I wasn’t…