Before I became a parent, I had very idealistic ideas about how I would spend my days with my children. If you type into Google Images ‘Mother baking with children’, ‘mother at the park’ and ‘mother shopping with kids’, you will see all these ideas in their full, unapologetic naivety. In short, our … [Read more…]
The other evening, my three year old screamed and screamed at me. He refused to move from the pile of washing I was trying to put into the washing machine. I asked him nicely. Then I gave him a reminder. Then I gave him a warning. And finally I got out…….THE TIMER! Now, just to … [Read more…]
The other day, I had a visit from a friend who had a month old baby. As she left, I told her to take care of herself and sleep when she could. She replied “I’ll try. And I’ll try to stop feeling so guilty that the eldest is watching so much iPad”. I remember … [Read more…]
As I sit here on a weekend break with my husband, kissing like teenagers (not literally as I type!), enjoying each other’s company and remembering why we had our children in the first place, I’m reminded of an article I read just after having our first child. You see, I’m also missing our children. Reallymissing … [Read more…]
I want my children to know they can do anything. So I wrote this for them:
Sometimes, my darling children, things will happen in this worldThings which make us terrified and sadIt’s not my job to shield you from these horrifying truthsBut to show you good will ALWAYS conquer bad. For sometimes small minorities will choose to do great wrongAnd when they do brave innocents will fallBut watch the vast majority when … [Read more…]
The other day we went on a family day out to the zoo. On the way home, both children fell asleep in the back of the car and me and Mr H basked in the silence, held hands and just enjoyed the ‘two-ness’ of our journey. Then we broke the silence and started to reminisce … [Read more…]
This is not as glamorous as it sounds. My kitchen is not filled with homemade pasta and lattes frothing in a coffee machine whilst I spin pizza dough around my head. My kitchen has its own landmark. I like to call it The Leaning Tower of Coffee Pots. Also known as “Why Can’t You Just … [Read more…]
I have a love/hate relationship with soft play. I love it because, in my head, I get to sit and have a coffee whilst the baby sits on the floor banging a rattle contentedly for half an hour and the toddler amuses himself on the slides and in the ball pool. I hate it because … [Read more…]
Some days I feel like I’m doing really well at Motherhood. The days when I am calm and patient. The days when we bake and go to the park and make our own play dough. Some days I feel what’s probably best described as mediocre. We survive the day. We are fed, watered, clothed and … [Read more…]
