Yesterday YoungestGirl was supposed to be getting her second and final chickenpox vaccination. We chose to vaccinate both girls privately; the immunisation isn’t offered as standard on the NHS. We chose to do this for a couple of reasons: firstly chickenpox can be a really, really unpleasant (and in rare cases, fatal) illness, and secondly … [Read more…]
Last week, my friend Mel and I decided we would take our children “somewhere nice”, and hopefully try and fit a conversation in somewhere along the way too. We decided on Willows Farm, who categorically have not paid me for this review. I wish they had. I’m happy to take cash retrospectively. Just let me … [Read more…]
I have a fairly high embarrassment threshold. As a former stand-up comedian, there is quite a lot I am willing to put myself through before beginning to feel embarrassed or awkward in any way. I wasn’t always like this. As a teenager, I had overactive blushing syndrome, where if any adult, especially but not limited … [Read more…]
This weekend, YoungestGirl has us to herself. EldestGirl is visiting Grandma and Grandad, as she felt she hadn’t been spoiled enough recently. It is astonishing how much easier it is with one child rather than two. Where we are normally wrangling porridge out of the children’s hair, this morning we managed a bacon sandwich and … [Read more…]
Pinterest loves to tell me all of the beautiful things I should be doing with my children. From homemade silly putty, to baking soda volcanoes and gorgeous, photogenic activities that you too can do with your lovely offspring. None of this has worked for us. Not ever. Here are some of the highlights. 1. Baking … [Read more…]
Every few months I do something stupid. I think it’s over-confidence. Nobody has had a tantrum for a couple of days. Nobody has thrown their dinner on the floor. I decide I’m obviously the best parent who ever lived, and it’s time to branch out a bit. Today we decided we would have a No … [Read more…]
Forget day-spas. Forget personal shopping experiences. Forget makeover counters. If you want to feel like a supermodel – more attractive, thinner and more glamorous than anyone else in the area, I highly, highly recommend a visit to Butlins Skegness. Originally we’d planned a cottage in Cornwall. This will be our last family holiday where we aren’t tied … [Read more…]
Today I am excited to bring you my first ever guest post on the blog. Take it away, sir. *** I never wanted to have children. I just never saw them as part of my life. I saw them as something that would interfere with the things I loved most in my life (great food, … [Read more…]
We live on a new-build estate, which currently doesn’t have much in the way of facilities. Excitingly, a new Miller and Carter restaurant opened up last week actually on the estate (number of facilities in our area since the restaurant has arrived: 1) and, even better, they were offering 50% off to go to one … [Read more…]
The underground wind whisked around me as it always had, as it always would. The scent of London’s tube network is unique; part soot and grime, part ambition and possibility. It still smells of home. Navigating the tube remains second nature to me; I don’t need to refer to a map to know that the … [Read more…]