I've been tagged by Insomniac Mummy with this award and meme. Apparently I have to answer the following questions with one word. Presumably my answers will then be analysed by a SWOT team of psychologists who will determine that I am, in fact, a serial killer (for some reason, whenever I do those multiple choice quizzes in women's magazines, I always get the score that suggests I'm mental. This may be why I don't read women's magazines any more). Anyway, my one word answers … [Read more...]
And now for the headlines…
Posted on September 9, 2009 · 16 Comments
This whole ‘going to school’ thing is new for both of us. Since I split from The Father three years ago, it’s been me and Flea. I’ve worked part-time since she was born, and we’ve always spent loads of time together. So suddenly not knowing what she’s doing between 8.30am and 4pm five days of the week – really weird. Fortunately, like most kids, Flea is an excellent reporter of the salient facts of her day. Oh yes. Every day, she emerges from school with one, single headline that … [Read more...]
The ten books that changed my life
Posted on September 8, 2009 · 14 Comments
So there are a couple of blog posts doing the rounds at the moment about books – Josie at Sleep is for the Weak is looking for book recommendations, Noble Savage has done the Bibliotherapy meme, and various bloggers have been completing Linda Jones’ meme “Call Yourself a Writer”. I started doing the bibliotherapy meme and at the same time was posting a response to Josie, but I got distracted by the thought of all the books that have changed my life.Now, I don't mean this in a … [Read more...]
Things I could have bought instead of school uniform
Posted on September 1, 2009 · 17 Comments
This Thursday, Flea will join the reception class at her school. Being an organised, professional sort of Mummy, obviously I chose today (Tuesday) to go and buy her school uniform. Fortunately, Flea attended the pre-school already, so she can re-use some kit from last year, but she needed some new kit, namely: One blazer Two pinafores (she has two but I need five since I can't deal with the pressure of mid-week laundry) Five jumpers (see above) Two ties (how dirty does a tie get? … [Read more...]
I’m in my Happy Place.
Posted on August 28, 2009 · 5 Comments
By the time you read this, I will be gone. Oh yes, I’m writing this post in advance and by now I’m on hols. Maybe I’m on a beach somewhere making sandcastles. Or perhaps experiencing the special joy that is eating in a motorway service station. Who knows? I hope the weather's good, though.Anyway, many thanks to Nurmisur over at To Much Information (do you see what she did there?) who has passed on this Great Read award to Who’s the Mummy? Thanks for that. Now I'm supposed to tell … [Read more...]
Flea’s 5 Tips for Big School
Posted on August 26, 2009 · 8 Comments
So, the world and his dog are busy writing random lists of how to get your kids ready for big school. My favourite tip was this one: "A week before school starts, start getting into the routine of getting up early, getting dressed & having breakfast." Are you completely stark raving bonkers? My last week of not having to get up at 7.30am for, ooh about 12 years, and I should get up early? Voluntarily? Pah. Flea's starting school for the first time next term, and we're … [Read more...]
So, that underbelly I was talking about… (updated)
Posted on August 25, 2009 · 17 Comments
A few months back, I wrote a post on my PR and journalism blog, Getting Ink, mentioning the commercialisation of the UK Mummy blogging scene, and how I felt it was beginning to create some divisions and tensions.I got a lot of comments – universally saying I was wrong. The Mummy blogging community is so supportive and friendly, people said, nothing resembling a seedy underbelly here. So, erm, did you all see this in the Indie yesterday? Nice article on Mummy blogging, quite bland. But check … [Read more...]
Let’s Play Mummy Lingo Bingo
Posted on August 23, 2009 · 13 Comments
For those who don't know this about me: I'm a journalist. Like most journos, I've spent time working in newsrooms. Nowhere teaches you to swear better than a newsroom. I became a prolific pro-swearer in my 20s - if there's a better compound swear word user than me, I've never met them. But at the age of 30, something weird happened to me. I had a baby. That wasn't the weird thing (well, not the weirdest, at any rate). No - the weirdest thing was that overnight, I acquired … [Read more...]
I See Bad People…
Posted on August 21, 2009 · 14 Comments
Flea and I went to Chester Zoo last week for her birthday treat. Flea loves the zoo. Well, strictly speaking, Flea loves monkeys. So Chester Zoo is always a good day out. It was pretty busy, but I let Flea run pretty free at the zoo – after all, they keep most of the animals that eat children in cages these days. But I caught one mother giving me a pointed look as she chastised her own pre-schooler for not holding her hand. “Don’t you know how many bad people there are here who could hurt … [Read more...]
How to be … a Mummy Blogger
Posted on August 19, 2009 · 16 Comments
I’m not sure why I’m writing this given that my blog is, erm, about a month old. But I've just been given an award by the lovely Brits in Bosnia, and someone called me a "prominent blogger" today. Well, that might have been what he said, there was a bus going past at the time - it's entirely possible he was talking about my secret desire to work for the Forestry Commission (true story). Anyway, lots of people have been in touch asking how they can get a bigger audience, how … [Read more...]
