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# Who's the Mummy?

It's fun to have fun but you have to know how

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [5 things you don’t know about kittens until you get kittens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-you-dont-know-about-kittens-until-you-get-kittens/) - So after months of promising, we have recently adopted two small kittens. As you’d expect, they are small and fluffy and unspeakably cute. They are also undeniably EVIL. Seriously, I thought getting kittens was a low-maintenance, fuss-free pet option. Ha! So naïve. Even Flea has taken to calling Magic and Stripe “the forces of Darkness.”
- [How to Make a Game on Roblox: Guide for Beginners](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-a-game-on-roblox-guide-for-beginners/) - Want to learn how to make a game on Roblox? This guide covers Roblox Studio, scripting, and game design to help you launch your first successful game.
- [6 ways busy mums can make MOT London stress free](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/6-ways-busy-mums-can-make-mot-london-stress-free/) - I learned to drive in London, back in my 20s, and I've often told friends that while it's a baptism of fire, if you can drive in London - you can drive anywhere. But when you're navigating busy city streets, lots of traffic and other drivers who just want you to KEEP moving, having a
- [8 countries, 106 nights: 2025 in travel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/8-countries-106-nights-2025-in-travel/) - 2025 has been another GREAT year of travel adventures! Although since I've been back at Uni, I've definitely had to put the brakes on my travel habit. Credit as ever must go to Home Exchange, which allows us to travel without spending a fortune on hotels and Airbnb rentals. Friends, we simply could not afford
- [The Masters' Report: my first term as a mature student](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-masters-report-my-first-term-as-a-mature-student/) - Considering becoming a mature student? Here are my honest thoughts after a term of studying as a mature student at Lancaster University.
- [How to choose clothes for a road trip (without losing your mind): the single parent’s guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-choose-clothes-for-a-road-trip-without-losing-your-mind-the-single-parents-guide/) - As a single Mum with a passion for travel, I have the art of packing for you (and your teen) down to a fine art on a road trip. Here's what you need to know.
- [Why Car Servicing Kirkcaldy Should Be on Every Family’s To-Do List](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/car-servicing-kirkaldy-to-do-list/) - Family life in Kirkcaldy rarely slows down. Between school drop-offs, supermarket dashes and those mornings when everyone is already late, the car becomes the quiet hero of the household. It deals with early starts, soggy weather, snack-crumb explosions and the endless shuffle of daily routines. Everything rolls along nicely — until a surprise dashboard light
- [Revealed: the best fun stuff to do in Prague](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-fun-things-to-do-when-youre-in-prague/) - I recently returned from a 5 day trip to the city of Prague thanks to Home Exchange. We lucked out with a city centre apartment that had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, along with a huge lounge and a balcony with views over the skyline and Prague Castle. Thanks to my friend Judith, we had
- [Why people are misreading your posts (it's not your fault)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-people-misunderstand-you-online/) - Social media has brought many wonderful things into the world. But one of the worst is that it's never been easier for people to get the wrong end of the stick. Have you ever commented on something and had someone totally misunderstand you online? Or how about a Facebook post that you thought was hilarious,
- [Escape to Scotland's Best Kept Secret: Beautiful Dumfries and Galloway](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/escape-to-scotlands-best-kept-secret-dumfries-and-galloway/) - Reminder that you are an adult and nobody can stop you leaving the house for a mini weekend adventure on Scotland's beautiful South West coast.
- [Best Advent Calendars for Dogs who love Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/12-amazing-uk-advent-calendars-for-dogs-2022/) - Advent calendars for dogs are the perfect way to share the festive magic with your furry four legged friends. Here are 12 of the very best for 203
- [Tried and Tested: Best Plus Size Wetsuits, 2025](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-best-plus-size-wetsuits-for-women-2020/) - Looking for wetsuits in larger sizes? Our ultimate guide to plus size wetsuits size 20-32 to buy in the UK this year. We'll help you find the perfect suit!
- [20 Heartwarming Gift Ideas for Elderly Relatives that they'll love](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-gift-ideas-for-older-relatives/) - Need gift ideas for elderly relatives? Here are 20 lovely gift ideas for older relatives that they'll love. Make gifts for grandma and grandpa easier this year
- [Amazing Experience Gifts Teens will Love!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-best-experience-gifts-for-teens/) - Experience gifts for teens are a great way to get teenagers out of the house, doing something fun, and making memories to boot! Here are 10 of our favourites.
- [Presents for Students at University: 25 Amazing Ideas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/presents-for-students-at-university/) - What are the best presents for students at university? Here are 20 great gift ideas from £10 that are tried and tested by students themselves!
- [How to agree child maintenance at university without a war](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-agree-child-maintenance-at-university-without-a-war/) - You might think maintenance stops when your child goes to uni but it's a little more complicated than that. Here's what co-parents need to know.
- [You'll Love our Stocking Fillers for Teenage Girls: 50 Ideas under £25](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-stocking-fillers-for-teenage-girls-under-20/) - Finding the best stocking fillers for teen girls under £20 can be a challenge, but here are 50+ great ideas your teenager (and wallet) will love!
- [A magic solo trip across Norway and Sweden](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-magic-solo-trip-across-norway-and-sweden/) - I just came back from a month-long road trip around Norway and Sweden. It was spectacular! I've had so many questions about my route and itinerary and things I'd recommend along the way. So in this post I'll be sharing some details of where I went, where I stayed and some of the moments that
- [Love mountains but hate sore feet? Pack your own ski boots!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-you-need-your-own-ski-boots-insoles/) - If you're investing in a ski holiday, here's why custom boots and insoles could be the best money you spend.
- [Flea's Harry Potter Bedroom Makeover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-harry-potter-bedroom-makeover/) - As you may know, Flea's recently been away for a week on a school ski trip. While she was gone, I kept myself busy working on her bedroom. We moved into this house when Flea was two years old, and the yellow walls and Winnie the Pooh trim weren't really doing it for an almost-ten-year-old.
- [How to Plan a Perfect California Road Trip with Teens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ultimate-california-road-trip-itinerary-with-kids/) - Welcome to our best ever California Road Trip itinerary for families with teens and kids. If you're planning a trip to California with the family, then we are here for you! As of this summer, we'll be taking our fifth California road trip as a family. If you want to know the best places to
- [Uni accommodation scams & how to avoid them](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/uni-accommodation-scams-how-to-avoid-them/) - As competition for student rental properties increases, are you alert to the signs of uni accommodation scams? Here's what to look out for to avoid fraudsters
- [Positive Problem Solving for Teens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/positive-problem-solving-for-teens/) - Teens need resilience but how can we create it? Don't miss these tips from author and expert Becky Goddard Hill's latest book Be Resilient, Be You!
- [Should I delete my social media?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/should-i-delete-my-social-media/) - Yes, probably. But if you can't quite delete all your Meta apps, here are 10 things you can do to ensure Meta isn't benefiting from your time, data or attention.
- [Beat summer boredom and join The Code Zone!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/beat-summer-boredom-and-join-the-code-zone/) - Code Zone offers affordable online coding clubs with DBS-checked mentors. Kids can learn to code video games and Minecraft Mods included in all classes!
- [An amazing month in Martha's Vineyard (for under £500)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/an-amazing-month-in-marthas-vineyard-for-under-500/) - Recently, I got to spend a pretty fantastic four weeks on Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, spending less than £500 including flights and accommodation. How did I do it? The answer is - by home swapping. If you've ever seen The Holiday - the movie where Kate Winslet swaps her English cottage with Cameron Diaz'
- [Making over Flea's Bedroom as a Back-from-Uni Surprise](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/making-over-fleas-bedroom-as-a-back-from-uni-surprise/) - When Flea came home from uni halfway through her second year, she got a real shock. It turns out that if you take all of your favourite books, posters, clothes and other items to your uni flat, then your room at home starts to look a bit - well - bleak! Flea complained that coming
- [How to Get the Hallmark TV Channel in the UK](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-get-the-hallmark-tv-channel-in-the-uk/) - Want to know how to watch the Hallmark Channel in the UK? Here's a simple guide for how to watch Hallmark TV movies in 2024 for FREE.
- [Summer 2019 in Pictures](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/summer-2019-in-pictures/) - How was Summer 2019? Did anyone else sort of want to cry when it was Back to School time? Admittedly, 80% of this was because of all the early mornings in my near future. But part of it's also because I'm so very aware that summer 2019 is likely to be one of the last
- [Heartburn in Pregnancy (and and Other Fun Side Effects) | AD](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/heartburn-and-other-fun-side-effects-of-pregnancy-ad/) - Heartburn in Pregnancy post is in conjunction with Rennie, but all thoughts are my own. Rennie Liquid Heartburn Relief Oral Suspension is available nationwide. Always read the label. Medicines can affect the unborn baby. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking any medicine in pregnancy. Like many women in their 40s I occasionally
- [Can these Air Purifiers stop Hayfever so you can love summer?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/can-an-air-purifier-stop-hayfever-lets-find-out-ad/) - If you suffer with hay fever here are some tips to using an air purifier to reduce or stop your symptoms
- [The Greatest Hits](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-greatest-hits/) - Also known as: Sally's most popular blog posts. In 14 months of blogging at Who's the Mummy, I've written some intense, heartfelt posts about parenting and the life of a working woman in her 30s. This, to be fair, isn't reflected in my top 10 most popular list, which looks a bit like this: Just
- [Pay the Mummy blogger: because you're worth it?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pay-the-mummy-blogger-because-youre-worth-it/) - This weekend, a client asked me if I knew of any parenting blogs that took advertising. Weirdly, I could only think of three or four British Mummy bloggers that I know run ads. I say weirdly because I know that many of the parent bloggers I speak to are desperate to make some money from
- [Is Private School Worth it? 10 important things you need to know](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-private-school-worth-it-uk/) - If you're currently choosing a school and wondering is private school worth it, there are a few things schools won't put in the brochure that you NEED to know.
- [A Cautionary Tale about Blogging.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-cautionary-tale-about-blogging/) - Last year, there were some memes doing the rounds about favourite books and reading habits, and I wrote a post that was my riff on the theme – about 10 books that changed my life. One of the books was A Room with a View. It’s not necessarily one of my all-time great reads, but
- [20 Things I did in 2010 and definitely won’t do in 2011*](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-things-i-did-in-2010-and-definitely-wont-do-in-2011/) - Sometimes, friends, I fell a teeny bit short of the gold standard of parenting in 2010. There have been occasions in the past when, sadly, I failed to recognise my child in her school photo. Or posted video of her emotional trauma on the Internet. Or there was that time I sent her to school
- [15 of the Best Shows to Watch on Disney+ Star](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/15-of-the-best-shows-to-watch-on-disney-star/) - What are the coolest box sets and best shows to watch on Disney+ Star channel? If you haven't been in a coma for the past few weeks, you'll know that Disney+ expanded this week with the launch of Disney Star content as part of your subscription. But what are the best shows to watch? If
- [AD: How to hire a tradesperson safely during the pandemic](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ad-how-to-hire-a-tradesperson-safely-during-the-pandemic/) - This is a sponsored post in association with Local Heroes We Ross women are not entirely without domestic skills. My Dad was an electrician, so I’m fairly confident taking on small jobs in our new house. Over half-term, I set to cutting MDF to size and turning the wardrobes in the spare bedroom into cupboards
- [Raising amazing men: values our sons need to learn](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/educate-your-sons-values-to-teach-teen-boys/) - Educate our sons! Protect our daughters! What does it all mean? These are the important values our sons need to learn to keep everyone safe.
- [AD: Get FREE maths tuition with TuitionWorks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ad-helping-kids-master-maths-with-tuitionworks/) - We were paid for our time creating this review of TuitionWorks. Would you like to find out how to access free maths tuition for your child? Read on for a a promo code for a totally free lesson with TuitionWorks. My daughter is a bright child who excels academically in many areas, but has always
- [What you need to know: are Pre University Summer Schools worth it?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/are-pre-university-summer-schools-worth-it/) - There are loads of pre-university summer schools for teens, but how do you know if a course is going to be worthwhile? Check out our guide for Y11 and Y12.
- [UCAS Personal Statement Template and Tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-top-tips-for-ucas-personal-statements/) - Today I'm sharing my template and top tips for a UCAS personal statement. If you have kids coming into Year 12, you'll be amazed how quickly teachers encourage students to start thinking about their personal statements. At Flea's school, it was a regular topic of conversation from the January of Year 12 (or lower sixth).
- [The Ultimate Guide to the Best UK Plus Size Ski Clothing in sizes 16+](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-uk-plus-size-ski-clothing-for-women-size-16/) - It can be hard to feel comfortable and confident on the mountain if you're a bigger person, so we've found 20+ amazing UK Plus Size Ski Clothing options.
- [What you need to know before you share your child's life online](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-childhood-captured-in-13-years-of-blogging/) - Whether you're a blogger or creator, here's what you should know before share your child's life online for 18 years. The good, the bad and the mortifying.
- [FAQ: the index](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/faq-the-tots100-index-of-parent-blogs-and-bloggers/) - The Tots100 was created in 2009 to list the UK's top 100 parenting blogs. Here's how it works.
- [Apologies are tough but here's why they're also helpful](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-ive-learned-about-apologies-in-2020/) - We often apologise as a reflex in small issues but it's harder to offer apologies in difficult emotional situations. Here's why it's so important
- [Tana Camus : a hidden waterfront gem in spectacular Glenfinnan](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tana-camus-an-airbnb-in-glenfinnan/) - Looking for a short break on the banks of a beautiful loch? Tana Camus is a beautiful Airbnb in Glenfinnan for a short break in the highlands.
- [My Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts of 2022](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-top-10-most-popular-blog-posts-of-2022/) - It's crazy to think I've been blogging since 2009. That's 13 years! Being an old person in social media does mean I have a frankly terrifying amount of content on this blog. I've published more than 1,000 posts since I started Who's the Mummy. My Blog Stats Over time, it's interesting to see which content
- [A single parent's guide to planning a road trip you'll love!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/plan-single-parent-road-trip-with-kids/) - When you're a single parent, planning a road trip might seem daunting. But road trips are a great way to make holidays less stressful, and save cash.
- [It's sorted! Be confident for uni with our helpful checklist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/uni-checklist-getting-ready-for-university-ad/) - Do you need a TV license at university? How often should you change sheets? Answers to these and more questions in my starting uni checklist!
- [A helpful breakdown of what a US road trip actually costs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-much-does-us-road-trip-cost/) - How do you plan a budget for a US road trip? Use our guide to plan a budget for a road trip of 2-6 weeks, covering food, petrol, accommodation and days out.
- [20 Weird Things you aren't allowed in your Halls of Residence](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-things-that-arent-allowed-in-uni-halls-of-residents/) - A handy list for university students and parents of the most common items that aren't allowed in uni halls and accommodation
- [Weird and Wonderful things you'll love at Dollywood: Complete Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dollywood-review-including-dollywood-dreammore-resort/) - Heading to Dollywood? Here are our tips for the best activities, eateries, rides and hotels for your visit to Dolly's resort in Tennessee!
- [Dear daughter, here's what I'd love you to know at 18](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-want-my-daughter-to-know-at-18/) - What are the life lessons our daughters need to learn by the time they're 18? Here's what I want my teen to know as she leaves home and goes to university.
- [How to enjoy easter when it's exam season](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-easter-holiday-report/) - So apparently it's the Easter Holidays but it doesn't feel it. Here, we're preparing for exam season and trying to fit in some fun between work and revision
- [Starting Sixth Form in a new Town](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sixth-form-moving-on/) - Starting sixth form and we need to choose where the next stage of family life will take us.
- [Summer Road Trip Part 1: Los Angeles with a Teen](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-in-la-with-kids/) - We're here. We're finally in Los Angeles! Honestly, that was my over-riding thought as we watched the sun set over Venice Beach two weeks ago. We had originally planned to be in the US a month ago, but at the last moment Flea's ESTA was cancelled. For those who haven't been to the US recently,
- [Everything you wanted to know about me and Flea - by Flea](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/everything-you-wanted-to-know-and-me-and-flea-by-flea/) - Everything you wanted to know about Sally and Flea from Who's the Mummy?
- [Family Estrangement: Our Story](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/family-estrangement-our-story/) - Handling a family estrangement can involve shock, grief and anger. Here is our story and the important steps we took that helped us to heal
- [Go Henry Card Review: Do we love the Debit Card for kids?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-happened-when-we-got-a-gohenry-visa-card-for-kids/) - Our complete guide to the GoHenry debit card. What is the card, what does it cost, does it work and what are the pros and cons of giving Go Henry to your kids?
- [Turning a Bad Day Around](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/turning-a-bad-day-around/) - Today was just one of those days. My inbox seemed filled with messages from people determined to see the worst in everything. I don't deal well with that sort of thing, generally - I find it boring, frustrating and infuriating in equal measure. So, sulking, I finished work early and went to collect Flea and
- [Tots100 Update - A Sponsor](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tots100-update-a-sponsor/) - After running the Tots100 index of the UK’s top 100 parent blogs for six months now, I’m a broken husk of a woman. I twitch involuntarily at the sight of Excel spreadsheets and a misdirected URL feed can reduce me to heaving sobs. So when some nice people came along and offered to do clever
- [Camping Sanguli Resort: a Family Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-on-the-costa-dorada-when-youre-seven/) - Last week, Flea and I were invited to review Camping Sanguli Resort, a campsite just outside Cambrils on Spain's Costa Dorada. It's available to book direct or via Al Fresco Holidays in the UK. The Costa Dorada is a favourite with British families and it's easy to see why - there are miles and miles
- [What we loved about the new Playmobil Wildlife station](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-we-review-a-playmobil-wildlife-station/) - Regular readers of my blog will know that I love Playmobil. Last year, I was lucky enough to travel to the middle of Germany to visit the global headquarters of Playmobil, where I met the company’s founder, and also got to spend some time at the Playmobil Fun Park and the Playmobil Hotel. You can
- [What you need to know about being burgled](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-we-get-burgled/) - Monday mornings aren't my favourite or my best for all kinds of reasons - but this morning there was an extra sting in the tail - we were burgled last night. Yep. Last night, some time around 4am, some scumbag broke into the house where Flea and I were sleeping, and rifled through the kitchen,
- [The One Where I Make You Feel Better About Your Life...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-make-you-feel-better-about-your-life/) - Today I'm here to make you feel better about your life. You know how they say everyone is put on earth for a reason? I sometimes think I’m here to make all of you feel better about your lives. I’ll preface this story with news that I am unwell. This is fairly unusual – my
- [The moment you realise your kid is braver than you.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-moment-you-realise-your-kid-is-braver-than-you/) - One of the nice things about having children is that, basically, you're better than them at most stuff. Oh, sure, we all love our children and we'd lay down our lives etc etc, but admit it - it's pretty cool having someone around who thinks that you're basically a cross between the Delphic Oracle and
- [We're gonna need another supermarket.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/were-gonna-need-another-supermarket/) - I had to stop shopping at our local supermarket when Flea earnestly told one of the check-out staff that “My Mummy says if you don’t have any clean clothes you can just take something out of the laundry basket.” There was also a teeny, tiny, hardly-worth-mentioning incident involving a digital camera (NOT mine) that contained
- [The 12 Days of Christmas. Day two: Christmas shopping](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-two-christmas-shopping/) - I find Twitter the perfect place to find validation when your loved ones let you down. Particularly when you consider the really big, important questions in life – like “Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?” Seriously, every time I turn around someone is telling me how they just finished wrapping the kids’ presents, the
- [Why I Quit Christmas Baking with Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-three-christmas-baking/) - I quit Christmas Baking with Kids. Every year. Every single year a little voice in my head says, "It's December. We should start making cookies because that's what proper mothers do." Every year I wind up thinking, "Well, that was a terrible idea." It starts with a deceptively simple Christmas cookie recipe. I mean, look
- [Testing a new rollercoaster at Drayton Manor](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/testing-a-new-rollercoaster-at-drayton-manor/) - One of the things I love about Flea is that while she is terrified of completely random things (flies, mashed potato, wearing sandals), she’s a complete adrenaline junkie in others. So it turns out she was in her element this week when we were invited to get a sneak peek at the latest ride at
- [Pass it On - for Save the Children](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pass-it-on-for-save-the-children/) - Blogging is a weirdly narcissistic activity. When you blog, a good deal of your time is spent examining your own thoughts, putting them into words, and assuming they’re interesting enough to share with the world at large. So it’s nice sometimes to remind ourselves that blogging can also be about helping other people. Chris Mosler
- [Recipe: Vanilla Christmas Cookies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/simplify-your-christmas-vanilla-christmas-cookies/) - Before we start our recipe for vanilla Christmas cookies, I must start this post with a confession. I had planned to impress you with our amazing, foolproof 'make your own snow globe' tutorial but unfortunately when making our snow globe 10 minutes ago (What? Last minute is festive) Flea dropped it, and broke it. On
- [Sleepovers, best friends and difficult questions.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sleepovers-best-friends-and-difficult-questions/) - Flea had a sleepover this weekend, and one of the guests was her best friend, Zara. Flea and Zara are really close friends and are really cute together – Flea always makes sure Zara is served snacks on a pink plate, while Zara always lets Flea play with the boy figures when they’re playing with
- [Skylanders Giants: A Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/skylanders-giants-review/) - This year, Father Christmas* made a special delivery at our house - a copy of Skylanders Giants for the X-Box 360. I wasn't 100% sure how the game would go down. For starters, we're not a big TV watching household - Flea didn't watch TV at all as a pre-schooler and even now we can go
- [Oh, what a tangled web we weave](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/oh-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave/) - I suppose I should be grateful it's taken this long. But this last month or so, my daughter has discovered that - actually - you don't always have to tell the truth. So she's become a master of deceit, lies tumbling from her childish lips at an ever-increasing rate. The problem, of course, is that
- [The Puppies are Evil, apparently.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-705/) - The puppies are evil. Or at least that's what Flea tells me. I had a coffee this week with my friend Louise. She was showing me a note that her four-year-old had left on her dressing table. In childish script, he’d painstakingly written, “To Mummy, I love you, From Harrison xxxxxXXXxxx” Bless, so cute. I
- [High Points, I've had a few....](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/high-points-ive-had-a-few/) - Okay, start the violins playing. Liz at Living With Kids has tagged me with a meme asking what are my five high points of 2009. And I really struggled. This annoys me because a) I’m rarely short of something to say and b) I’m pretty optimistic, as a rule. Truth be told, though, 2009 has
- [Just another moment of parenting brilliance...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/just-another-moment-of-parenting-brilliance/) - So there we were in the car, heading to my parents' for a family dinner. We were playing a silly word game, the one where you have to come up with a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word. Hey, I'm nothing if not about providing my child with abundent educational
- [Life is the Dream.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/life-is-the-dream/) - Another tag today, this time from Sandy who has asked me to share my ‘dream’. I was all set to tell you about the place in the picture. Except if I told you, then you might go there and it wouldn't be my secret retreat any more. So, never one to give a simple answer
- [Magical Moments of Parenting #154](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-154/) - One of the weird lovely things about Flea is that she’s very sensitive to noise. She hates any sort of loud noise and still refuses to have anything to do with electric hand dryers, hair dryers, parties at soft play centres, parades or fairgrounds. She’s also massively affected by music – she loves rock and
- [Magical Moments of Parenting #245](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-245/) - So you know sometimes kids can just say things that make your heart melt? It's about their innocent perspective, and how their freedom from embarrassment means they just say whatever is in their little hearts. This post isn't about one of those moments. I picked up Flea from her summer nursery yesterday and - as
- [My child wants to live with her Dad. What now?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-life-totally-needs-a-doover-button/) - Today I found out that my child wants to live with her dad. What now? As much as it hurts, I think it's important to find out what's underneath the question.
- [New Year Resolutions, 1985 style.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/new-year-resolutions-1985-style/) - So, I was hunting through drawers this morning trying frantically to find a baby photo of Flea for some school project or other when I found this: my diary, from January 1985 to August 1985, the last entry being my 11th birthday. I remember, a family friend bought it for me as a Christmas present,
- [It's like driving off a conversational cliff when your brakes have failed...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-like-driving-off-a-conversational-cliff-when-your-brakes-have-failed/) - Another classic awkward conversation with my four year old. What is "rude" anyway?
- [How to be … a Mummy Blogger](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-be-a-mummy-blogger/) - 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
- [Gleeking Out and CyberMummy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gleeking-out-and-cybermummy/) - You can’t have failed to notice that this weekend saw the second ever CyberMummy conference for UK Mummy bloggers, taking place in London. I’ve heard the word ‘overwhelmed’ a lot from other bloggers talking about the event and I can see why – 450 bloggers, sponsors, PRs and speakers in one space is a lot
- [Meet Sally Whittle, author, blogger, new kayaker](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/grauniad-qa-with-sally/) - A Q&A with author of Who's the Mummy, Sally Whittle, journalist, blogger and single parent extraordinaire.
- [How to Help Girls Prepare for a First Period](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/helping-girls-prepare-for-first-period/) - A girls first period is a big milestone but doesn't need to be traumatic. Here are some tips and strategies to help girls feel confident and prepared
- [It's the way I tell 'em](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-the-way-i-tell-em/) - Some of my readers have been impressed by my skill in plumbing in washing machines and fitting mortise locks to kitchen doors this week. Indeed, someone said to me on Twitter last night that my DIY skills were making them feel bad. This post is for you. Because, as it happens, I told a, erm,
- [The one where Flea asks about God.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-flea-asks-about-god/) - When I was a kid, Sundays followed the same routine every week. We got up, got dressed in our smart clothes, had breakfast and then my older brothers and I would walk to the local church. My Dad would already be there, as he was the leader of the local cub’s group. My grandparents were
- [Flea and Sally's Simple Italian Feast](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/flea-and-sallys-simple-italian-feast/) - We attended a cookery school in the beautiful city of Florence and today we're sharing a simple recipe for pizza, pasta and tiramisu to make with children
- [My life plan has gone wrong. What now?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-year-plan/) - My life plan has gone wrong. What now? I’m a person who likes to plan. I like to know things are in their right place, and ideally segregated by colour. And alphabetised. Some people might refer to me as a control freak, but I couldn’t possibly comment on such outlandish rumours. In 2006, though, all
- [Communities, cliques and a new meme](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/communities-cliques-and-a-new-meme/) - I was chatting online recently with a friend, someone who I’d consider to be a really popular, successful parent blogger. But this woman doesn’t feel part of the blogging community. “Oh I’m not in with them,” she said. “They just don’t like new people.” I was a little taken aback. But then I thought about
- [Appropriate Chores for a 4 Year Old](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/child-labour/) - What chores should children do at four, and should we be doing more to help foster younger children's independence?
- [It's weirdly easy to bypass parental controls on this tablet](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/binatone-kidzstar-tablet-not-the-review-i-expected-to-write/) - Warning: this post explains how parental controls on a child's tablet computer can be easily bypassed, leaving full access to Internet browser and YouTube
- [What's the key to helping little girls feel confident?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/because-youre-gorgeous/) - It's not easy but here are the 10 tactics we use to help our four year old remain confident about her appearance as she gets older.
- [When your DIY loft conversion is a nightmare](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/another-tale-of-domestic-excellence/) - My house is a charming Victorian property in a quiet coastal town, part of a small row of houses on the banks of a little brook. Or that’s what the estate agent told me when she showed me this place because it was so “full of potential” (a phrase that just means you’re buying the
- [The delicate question - when should kids meet a new partner?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/all-the-single-ladies/) - A few weeks, a few months, or a year or more? When is the right time to introduce your children to a new romantic partner and how should it be done?
- [Already? Flea wants to know where babies come from.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/already/) - Flea’s growing up. It’s rather inconvenient, not least because we had to trawl into the school uniform shop today when I realised she couldn’t bend over in her school pinafore without showing the world her Buzz Lightyear underpants. On weekdays, the school uniform shop always has a queue of parents who seem to need to
- [A Year in Blogging...2010 Roundup](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-year-in-blogging/) - I love blogging. Actually, I’m always telling people they should blog. My ex-husband, my hairdresser, my lawyer – I even had an in-depth conversation about blogging with the woman at Caffe Nero last week about how she should write a blog because she makes the best coffee, and never scorches it, like they do at
- [What I've Learned About Blogging](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-ive-learned-about-blogging/) - It's been a long time as a parent blogger and what have we learned? Quite a lot it turns out. Here are 10 things I've learned from 10 years of Mummy blogging.
- [It's healthy for kids to pretend to be someone else](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-flea-changes-her-name/) - If I was a child development expert, I would say that Flea is exceptionally imaginative. She’s a bit weird, basically. In a good way. I’ve already written about the time Flea decided she was a boy called Aiden. FOR NINE MONTHS. Yes, I had almost a year of not being able to call my child
- [A family weekend at Legoland Windsor](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-family-weekend-at-legoland-windsor/) - It's been a busy few weeks (when is it ever not, I ask myself). This weekend was especially hectic - on Saturday we headed off to Manchester for BlogCamp which went really well. The day started well, with Flea and I arriving at the venue in plenty of time, then taking a left turn instead
- [Here's why you need to take a day off, ladies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-day-off/) - I know that, probably, I work too hard. I work most days. I work most nights. I don't get enough sleep. I don't have enough time for my friends or my family. That's the reality of being a single parent and self-employed. If I don't work, the bills don't get paid. And there isn't anybody
- [Quick Breakfast Idea #1: Cereal in a Cup](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/because-breakfast-is-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day/) - Breakfast in a cup as a quick breakfast idea. Totally normal, right? So, you know those things that you think *everyone* does ... until, one day, an entire room falls silent and you realise - no, actually it's just you? We had one of those moments today. Being a bad busy, working mother, I know
- [A Cynic at Disneyland Paris Enchanted Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-cynic-at-disneyland-paris-enchanted-christmas/) - Disneyland Paris is insanely busy and there are a LOT of things to spend money on. But there's no denying it's special to see the magic through a child's eyes.
- [A Complete Guide to Contextual Offers for Uni](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-complete-guide-to-contextual-offers-for-uni/) - Our guide explains what UK universities make contextual offers, which are most generous and how to secure a contextual offer
- [Falling in love with Lake Maggiore on a TUI holiday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-days-in-baveno-lake-maggiore/) - This summer kicked off with a 5-day trip to Baveno, a tiny town on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Italy. I've visited Lake Garda before, but Lake Maggiore is further West, and gives a really different view of the Italian Lakes region. For starters, you're just a short hop from the Swiss border, giving
- [The 20 Best Paddleboard Accessories for bigger SUP Adventures!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-best-paddleboard-accessories-to-make-sup-more-fun/) - Are you new to paddleboarding? Here are 20 of the best paddleboard accessories in the UK to take your adventures to the next level!
- [Simple and easy Christmas Eve traditions to make this season](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-do-you-do-on-christmas-eve/) - I love Christmas Eve traditions that are quick and simple, and won't cost a fortune. I don't want a Christmas Eve box, or Christmas PJs or anything else I buy at Tesco in a panic the week before Christmas. Obviously, being a ridiculously nosy sort of person, I love to watch other people's DITL videos
- [Top of the Tots 2010: Top 10 Most Engaging Parent Blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-of-the-tots-2010-top-10-most-engaging-parent-blogs/) - The Top 10 Most Engaging Mumy Blogs of 2010 by Tots100
- [When you need Cheerful Books for 12 Year Olds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/slightly-cheerful-books-tweens/) - Do you ever wonder why so many books aimed at young teens are so depressing? I do. Regularly. As Flea has got older, she's really outgrown the Diary of a Wimpy Kid type books she was reading at 10 years of age. I didn't realise until I was gone how great those books were! There
- [22 countries and counting:  love travel as a single parent](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-parents-tips-travel-kids/) - When you're single, you need to change your idea of what holidays are. It's an adventure, you're a team. Here are our favourite single parent travel tips.
- [What we love and hate about Mindful Chef recipe boxes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-mindful-chef-recipe-box/) - Mindful Chef offers healthy, sustainable meals and recipes, and here's our review of the service, plus an exclusive £20 discount code on your first order.
- [Recipe: how to Make Pizza Express Dough Balls](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pizza-express-menu-autumn-review/) - Here's a simple recipe to make delicious Pizza Express dough balls at home including the extra garlic butter to dip them in, of course.
- [You need these Lesser Known Life Lessons for Freelancers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/lesser-known-life-lessons-for-freelance-types/) - What are the most important lesser-known life lessons when you become freelance or self-employed? I've been self-employed since I was 27, and honestly, it's been a steep learning curve. Some stuff is OBVIOUSLY stuff you'll need to learn. Everyone who's self-employed needs to know about taxes and invoicing and these sorts of things. But today
- [Review: what we love and hate about the Roomba 980](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/irobot-roomba-980-robot-vacuum-review/) - We were recently sent the iRobot Roomba 980 vacuum cleaner to review. As labour-saving appliances go, a robot vacuum cleaner is pretty high on my wish list. We have a dog in the house, and I have numerous allergies. This means keeping our floors clean is an important, and endlessly boring, job. Setting up the
- [Your four year old will love these "old" albums](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/i-think-i-may-be-raising-a-bona-fide-musical-prodigy/) - What can you do to give your young child a love of great music? Here are 10 tips that worked for us, and our 18 year old now knows more about music than we do.
- [How to Set Up Parental Controls on an iPhone](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-set-up-parental-controls-iphone-ipad/) - How to Set Up Parental Controls on an iPhone Today I'm sharing a guide of how to set up parental controls on an iPhone or iPad, using the new Screen Time controls in iOS 12. They're a great way of keeping kids safe and monitoring their activity on a mobile phone. If you've ever looked
- [How to get around Parental Controls and Screen Time](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-get-around-parental-controls-a-parents-guide/) - Parents like to think that parental controls work. They don't. Here are the top ways your kids are getting around parental controls.
- [How I paid off £60k in debt and made my life so much better](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-i-cleared-my-credit-bank-debt/) - Today I wanted to share the story of how I cleared £60,000 in credit card debt after my divorce. I know from personal experience that paying off debt can be hard. And scary. Especially when you're a single parent - because it really does all come down to you. There's no buffer. People have all
- [How to join Home Exchange and get a Free Holiday!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/home-exchange-how-to-get-a-free-holiday/) - Home Exchange: How to Get a Free Holiday is a sponsored post Want to know how to get a free holiday this summer with home exchange? Read on! We were recently invited to work with HomeExchange.com, who are one of the world's largest home exchange websites. They offered us the chance to experience a week
- [Influencer marketing diversity is more important than you think](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/diversity-in-influencer-marketing-top-tips/) - Influencer marketing diversity is easier than you expect and more important than you think. We've pulled together an overview of how to build diverse campaigns
- [You asked, we answered: Are chicken sausages better for you?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/chicken-sausage-recipes-healthier-sausage-sandwich/) - We tested a range of chicken sausages to find out once and for all: are chicken sausages better for you? Here's how the numbers stack up.
- [Why worn tyres are so dangerous](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/are-worn-tyres-more-dangerous/) - Do you know why worn tyres are so dangerous? Picture the scene: you're driving to school on a typical gloomy morning. It's raining, so you're taking it easy, doing just under 30mph. Suddenly, there's a loud bang. The car starts to spin. Everything goes so much quicker than you think it will. The car is
- [It's weird what happens when your child comes to a smear test](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-things-not-to-do-at-a-smear-test/) - If you've ever wondered what happens if you need to take your child to your smear test, here's what happened to us.
- [10 exciting days out with teens in Dumfries & Galloway](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-things-to-do-with-teens-in-dumfries-galloway/) - Guide for families to 10 exciting activities, fun days out and memorable things to do with teens in Dumfries and Galloway this summer.
- [GoCube Review: a perfect game if you love maths and puzzles](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-the-gocube-smart-puzzle-cube-ad/) - We review the GoCube, a fun puzzle that's perfect for people who love Rubik's Cube and logic puzzles, with a tech twist that'll keep younger players entertained
- [It's mock exam results time - why it's not time to panic](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mock-exams-results/) - Over the past week, Flea has received most of her mock exams GCSE results and my over-riding emotion is... relief. My teenager is a bright girl. She has an amazing memory and she's smart, and the sort of person you'd think would be great at exams. But over five years of secondary school, Flea has had
- [What's it like to be adopted? An adult adoptee's perspective.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/adoption-sorting-through-the-jumble/) - Lately I've been thinking about adoption and the jumble of feelings that adult adoptees experience. I've come to the conclusion that adoption trauma is real.
- [What happened when I found my birth mother](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-didnt-know-a-week-ago/) - I wasn't sure how to feel about the woman who gave birth to me. But the best way to describe what happened when I met my birth mother? Not what I expected.
- [How to find your birth parents in the UK (for free)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-find-your-birth-parents-uk-free/) - Finding your birth parents can be a slow process but it isn't complicated and it needn't be expensive. Here's an easy guide to finding birth relatives for free
- [Complete gift guide: what to buy your ex for Father's Day](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-buy-your-dad-for-fathers-day-birthday/) - Stuck for what to buy your ex for fathers day? Here are 15 ideas that strike the balance between "I'm so glad we aren't together" and "But you're a great Dad".
- [Help! Why is my daughter pretending to be a boy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/daughter-pretending-to-be-a-boy/) - Is your daughter pretending to be a boy? In 90% of cases, it's imaginative play and nothing more. Here's our experience.
- [We're proud of their amazing results, but is it ok to share GCSE grades online?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-it-ok-to-share-gcse-results-online/) - Do you share GCSE grades online? Should you? Here are some good reasons why you should think before you do.
- [It's an emotional one - Flea's Last Day of School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-last-day-of-school/) - Do you remember your last day of school? This week marked Flea's last day of school, and leaving a school she started attending just after her third birthday.
- [Do you know how to improve your credit score as a single parent?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-improve-your-credit-score-as-a-single-parent/) - Knowing how to improve your credit score is especially important for single parents. Here are 5 solid, tried and tested ways to boost your credit score
- [5 ways a great therapist changes how you feel about life](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-is-therapy-like-5-things-i-learned-from-my-therapist/) - 5 ways a therapist changes how you feel about life: from understanding conflict to valuing your core values and what you bring to the world. It's a lot!
- [Love SUP : our guide to the Best Places to Paddleboard in the North West](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/got-sup-10-best-places-to-paddleboard-in-the-north-west/) - Are you looking for the best places to paddleboard in the North West? Whether you're new to SUP or a seasoned paddle boarder, check out our guide to the best coastal paddles, rivers, lakes and canals in the North West. This post contains affiliate links. I may make a small commission if you make a
- [How to Ace Preparing for Sixth Form (essential guide)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-prepare-for-sixth-form/) - Starting sixth form in a new place can be daunting. This post is for you if you want tips on how to prepare for sixth form and feel confident and prepared.
- [Essential Tips to Make the Most of University Visits](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-university-visits/) - 10 Tried and Tested Tips for University Visits to ensure you get a real feel for a student town or city, and campus before you put in that application!
- [Accutane friendly skincare in the UK you'll love](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/accutane-uk-skincare-guide-for-teens-taking-isotretinoin/) - Taking Accutane or Isotretinoin? Here's a guide to accutane friendly skincare options including SPF moisturisers, body and hair products.
- [Your Merry Little Guide to the Best Christmas Jumpers for Teens 2024](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-best-christmas-jumpers-for-teens/) - A guide to the best Christmas jumpers for teens this year, with each entry approved and selected as "not terrible" by a real life teenager.
- [Christmas in Switzerland: sensational, snow, ski and Santa](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/spending-christmas-in-switzerland/) - What can you do at Christmas in Switzerland? Here's a guide to spending the festive season in a ski resort with teens
- [Pre University Summer Schools: here's what you need to know](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/university-summer-schools-for-year-12-2022-guide/) - Our complete guide to this year's free and paid pre university summer schools, ideal for Year 12 students who want to apply for competitive courses.
- [20 Weird Oxbridge Application Tips from an Admissions Director](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/21-tips-from-a-cambridge-university-admissions-director/) - These 21 Oxbridge application tips from an admissions director at Cambridge will help you answer the most common questions about applying to Oxford or Cambridge
- [10 Safety Tips for Teens that you need to know now](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/safety-tips-for-teens-night-out/) - When teens starting heading out with friends, they are going to have to deal with new risks. Here are 10 important safety tips for teens to keep them safe.
- [Best Super Curriculars Guide: 50+ Great Ideas for Year 12](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/super-curriculars-50-ideas-for-students/) - What are the best super curriculars for teens to get into university? We're sharing 50+ ideas for maths, science, medicine, arts and other subjects.
- [How to change your name : a simple guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-would-you-change-your-name/) - For adults it's not that hard or unusual to change your name. Here's how to change your name for free in the UK, with tips and links.
- [Atlantica Nissaki Beach Review: a luxury waterfront resort in Corfu](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/atlantica-nissaki-beach-review-an-all-inclusive-week-in-corfu/) - Welcome to our TUI Blue Atlantica Nissaki Beach review: everything you need to know about this resort including food, activities, rooms and the views!
- [Best Winter Paddleboard Clothing and how to SUP Safely](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-wear-paddleboarding-in-winter/) - The right winter paddleboard clothing means you can enjoy SUP adventures right through the autumn and winter months. Here's what you need to be warm and safe
- [The Helpful Guide: When does child maintenance end or stop?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-does-child-maintenance-end-or-stop/) - When does child maintenance end in the UK? It could be when your children finish school, when they finish A-Levels or even later. Here's what you need to know.
- [Our Dope Snow Review, Affordable Ski Kit you'll Love](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dope-snow-review-affordable-ski-kit/) - How good is Dope Snow gear? We reviewed this season's best snowboarding fits for value, comfort and style on the slopes in Switzerland.
- [Complete Modibodi Review: do period pants actually work?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/modibodi-review-do-these-period-pants-really-work/) - Period pants for teens can be a game changer, but do they work? Are they really effective at preventing leaks? Read our honest Modibodi review to find out
- [First Term Uni Tips for Parents that you'll love](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/first-term-uni-tips-for-parents/) - The first few weeks of university can be tricky, so we're sharing 10 First Term Uni Tips for those early days for Freshers and Parents.
- [You'll love the 6 best things to do in Nashville, Music City](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-things-to-do-in-nashville/) - We visited Nashville on our American South Road Trip and in this post we're sharing the 6 best things to do in Nashville if you don't love country music!
- [Make their day magical with these 10 Harry Potter gifts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/harry-potter-gifts/) - 20 Magical Harry Potter gifts from inexpensive accessories to memorable replicas and one-of-a-kind gifts to delight any Potterhead.
- [Sharing our Beautiful American South Road Trip Itinerary](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/american-south-road-trip-itinerary/) - Planning a US trip? Our American South road trip itinerary covers 14 to 35 days with lots of recommendations along the way. Come get inspired!
- [How to help children feel happier, fun and simple ideas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-help-children-feel-happier/) - Want to know how to help children feel happier? This activity from new wellbeing book "How I Feel" encourages children to find joy in the everyday.
- [Exciting Home Exchange Plans : How to travel the world for free](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2024-home-exchange-travel-plans/) - We are in Year 5 of our Home Exchange membership and in 2024 we'll be visiting America, France, Germany, Spain, Wales, Denmark, Switzerland and England!
- [12 of the Best: Brilliant Age Appropriate Bikinis for teens and tweens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-bikinis-teen-girls-age-appropriate/) - Finding age appropriate bikinis for tweens and teens can be a nightmare. But don't panic, we've got 12 brilliant options from modest crop tops to cute prints.
- [How to Make an Easter Bonnet](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-an-easter-bonnet/) - How to make an Easter Bonnet: A step by step tutorial for non-crafty parents to make a brilliant Easter bonnet for your child (all you need is a Pritt Stick)
- [When's the right time to get a pet?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whens-the-right-time-to-get-a-pet/) - Having rehomed one dog, knowing when it's the right time to get a pet has been a tough one. Cats? Dogs? What age should kids be to get a new family pet?
- [Warning: How a Paypal Facebook Ads Scam Cost me £700](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/warning-how-a-paypal-facebook-ads-scam-cost-me-700/) - Here's how to protect yourself from the Paypal Facebook Ads scam and how took £700 from my bank through Paypal but everyone claimed it wasn't their fault.
- [Obviously. OBVIOUSLY.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/obviously-obviously/) - A story about the time my car got stuck in the multi storey car park and I was already late for school pick up. Obviously.
- [Board Games for Kids at Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/board-games-for-kids-at-christmas/) - Six of the best board games for families that you've probably never heard of, with games suitable for the whole family, even younger children.
- [Zoo Keeper Experience at Folly Farm, Wales](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/family-days-out-wales-folly-farm/) - Fancy being a zoo keeper for the day? If you're in Wales, the Folly Farm Zoo Keeper experience costs £30 per child and includes a host of animal experiences
- [Sensatori Rhodes Review: A Week in Greece](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sensatori-rhodes-review-a-week-in-greece/) - Our complete review of the TUI Sensatori Rhodes resort covers all you need to know: food, accommodation, activities, pools and exploring Rhodes.
- [Is it Easter without Cadbury](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/easter-egg-hunt-for-tweens/) - Cadbury's Easter Egg hunt makes a great activity for families - here's a rundown of everything you need.
- [Things to do in Brittany when you're Eight.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-brittany-benodet-review/) - Welcome to our review of the Al Fresco/Keycamp campsite at Benodet, Brittany. Check out our review of the accommodation, facilities and local area for families
- [New Build Garden Ideas: Before and After](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/new-build-garden-ideas-my-lockdown-project/) - Here's how our new build garden looked before and after and what we did: lots of planting, extending the patio, adding a pergola, raised beds and some trees.
- [Review: Ribby Hall Spa Hotel, Lancashire](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-ribby-hall-spa-lancashire/) - Our Ribby Hall Spa Hotel Review has a full rundown of Ribby Hall. Check out treatments, the aqua thermal journey, accommodation and dining options.
- [That was the summer that was...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/that-was-the-summer-that-was/) - It’s been a brilliant summer. Our best in years. We kicked off with a quick trip to Italy, a Glee Live concert, a long weekend in Cornwall, and then a week in North Devon. Then we headed down to Brighton, our old stomping ground for a couple of weeks, and then there was a trip
- [Things to do in Cornwall When You're Five...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-cornwall-when-youre-five/) - This weekend, Flea and I were invited to Cornwall, to spend a few days at the Bedruthan Steps hotel, situated high on the cliffs between Newquay and Padstow. After a vintage Whittle family journey that took two hours longer than anticipated by Google Maps, I comforted myself with the fact the journey had at least
- [Review: Retallack Resort, Cornwall](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/retallack-resort-cornwall-blog-review/) - Today we're sharing our review of Retallack Resort, a purpose built, family-friendly resort in Cornwall. There's something just a little bit magical about Cornwall. Every time we clamber out of the car to a Cornish beach, or harbour, I feel a little bit like we're in an entirely new country. The blue skies, sparkling seas,
- [How to Break In your Brasher Walking Boots](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-break-in-brasher-walking-boots/) - Welcome to our review of Brasher walking boots for teens and adults. The great and terrible thing about owning a dog is all the walking. No matter what the weather, Teddy the Westie is ready for action. We're lucky to live on the coast, and there are miles of beach and sand dunes to explore.
- [Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Mothers' Day](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/last-minute-gift-ideas-mothers-day/) - Looking for last minute Mothers' Day gift ideas? I am sometimes referred to as a last-minute person. Although, naturally, I prefer to think of myself as charmingly spontaneous. But yes, I am the sort of person often to be found panic buying last-minute Mother's Day gifts. Kids have it easy when it comes to Mother's
- [Advent Calendars for Teens: 20+ of the Best 2023](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/advent-calendars-for-teens-ten-of-the-best/) - The best advent calendars for teens can be hard to find, I think. There are thousands of chocolate advent calendars in 2023, or those containing toys themed to this or that cartoon character. At 18, my daughter is too old for those advent calendars, but still too young for the thousands of gin/wine/beer themed advents.
- [Spring Cleaning Sucks.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/spring-cleaning-sucks/) - I don't know what it is that makes me think I can be a domestic goddess if I just put my mind to it, but I'm blaming Martha Stewart, and her magazines. In my head, I live in one of those white houses with stylishly distressed Scandinavian looking furniture, wooden floorboards and casually - yet
- [Kayaking Ullswater and the Lake District](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kayaking-ullswater-lake-district/) - So you've decided to go kayaking in the Lake District or Ullswater? Great decision! Ullswater is a gorgeous setting for a kayak ride, SUP or canoe. You don't need a permit to paddle in the Lake District, there are easy launch sites galore, and great parking. And it doesn't matter if it rains! Last year,
- [Shoot My Travel Review: A Family Photo Walk in LA](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/shoot-my-travel-review-los-angeles-downtown-la/) - This Shoot my Travel review is for you, If you've ever thought about using a vacation photographer! A highlight of our time in LA this summer was our photo shoot with Shoot My Travel. I paid for this particular shoot with my own, hard-earned cash. Many of the Shoot my Travel review posts I've read are
- [The Best YA Books About Race and Social Justice](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-ya-books-about-race-and-social-justice/) - 12 of the best YA books about race to help foster positive conversations about race, inequality and social justice with teenagers.
- [21 Awesome Hacks and Best Apps for Bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/21-of-the-best-apps-for-bloggers-hints-websites-hacks/) - Looking for the best apps for bloggers? The most amazing hacks for Insta influencers? Read on... I've been blogging now for about a thousand years, but one of the things that keeps social media interesting is that it never stays still. There's always cool new stuff to learn, and find out about. Over the past
- [Why is School Life so Hectic?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/be-careful-what-you-wish-for/) - Why is school life so hectic already? It's three months into Flea's secondary school journey. Is it too soon to confess that I'm exhausted? Completely and utterly. It's hard to imagine before you're here, how much life changes when a child goes into secondary school. In some ways, it's a good thing - at Flea's
- [Health Anxiety: a bit of a wobble](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-bit-of-a-wobble/) - Experiencing an anxiety attack a single parent is not fun. Especially when you have health anxiety.
- [Essay Competitions for Year 12 Students: A Complete Guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/essay-competitions-for-year-12-english-students/) - If you have a teen hoping to study humanities or english at uni, don't miss our guide to essay competitions for students in Y11 and Y12.
- [And now we are nine...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/challenges-of-parenting-a-9-year-old/) - We're a month or so into Flea being nine. I've been a parent now for almost a decade. And I'm realising - it doesn't get any easier. Sure, children learn to dress themselves. They can tell you if they're tired, or hungry, or hurt. They can play independently for entire afternoons, providing there's a ready
- [Review: Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-jumeirah-beach-hotel-dubai/) - Don't miss our Jumeirah Beach Hotel review if you're looking for family-friendly luxury accommodation in Dubai, with great food, service and a water park!
- [The One Where We Review a Tassimo](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-we-review-a-tassimo/) - Our Tassimo Review may contain affiliate links Are you wondering which Tassimo machine to buy? Or whether a Tassimo is right for your home? Today I want to share our honest review of the Tassimo coffee machine, which we've been trialling for the last month. To start with let's be clear: I love coffee. I almost
- [How to Hire a Wetsuit when you're plus size](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-hire-a-wetsuit-in-sizes-16/) - Should you hire a wetsuit? We try out a new wetsuit hire service in the UK that lets you try swimming or paddling suits for size before you buy. Is it worth it?
- [Home Exchanging: Everything you need to Know](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/complete-guide-home-swap-exchange/) - Home Exchanging is a fantastic way to see the world, have more relaxed holidays and live like a local - here's everything you need to know to get started.
- [SUP Essentials: What you need to go paddleboarding](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-do-you-need-to-go-paddleboarding/) - Our guide to what you need to go paddleboarding covers the basics - board, safety gear, storage - but also some things to make your SUP adventures more fun!
- [Camping La Brasilia Review: Al Fresco with Teens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/camping-la-brasilia-review-an-al-fresco-holiday-with-teens/) - Our Camping La Brasilia review shares all you need to know about this campsite in the South of France, whether you're travelling with young children or teens.
- [A letter to a new Mum (from an old one)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/letter-to-a-new-mum/) - Letter to a new mum: what are 5 things that I wish a new Mum would realise about that first few months with a newborn?
- [Best Experience Gifts for Kids (Instead of More Stuff)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-experience-gifts-for-kids-uk/) - Experience Gifts for Kids are the Future! Whether it's for a Christmas or Birthday, I seem to always be on the hunt for gift ideas for my teen daughter. Increasingly, though, I'm trying to avoid buying yet more "stuff". We already have crammed shelves, and wardrobes and more shoes than any human can wear in
- [How to change your name for free in the UK](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-change-your-name-for-free-in-the-uk/) - If you want to know how to change your name legally (and for free) in the UK follow this step by step guide with all the information you need.
- [How to earn Avios fast: Five top tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-ways-to-earn-avios-points-fast-as-a-family/) - Avios points can make travel more affordable, and today we're sharing how to earn Avios fast without doing anything you wouldn't normally do!
- [Pulseroll Review: Mini Massage Gun Discount Code](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pulseroll-mini-massage-gun-review-discount-code/) - Save 10% on your next Pulseroll purchase with our discount code and Pulseroll review of the latest mini massage gun.
- [Gift Ideas for Teenage Girls (not a bath bomb in sight)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gift-ideas-for-teenage-girls-not-a-bath-bomb-in-sight/) - We've pulled together some of the best original, affordable gift ideas for teen girls - and not a bath bomb in sight!
- [Hallmark Christmas Movies in the UK: 2023 Guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-hallmark-christmas-movies-on-sky-tv-uk-this-year/) - Welcome to my ultimate guide to the best Hallmark Christmas movies in the UK for 2023 with 100+ titles to watch this holiday season
- [How to Get Teens Out of Bed in the Morning](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-get-teens-out-of-bed-in-the-morning/) - I think I'd sell a kidney for the secret of how to get teens out of bed in the morning. At 14, Flea loves to sleep. Specifically, she loves to sleep in. My daughter will happily stay in bed until late afternoon, if I let her. During the week, though, she needs to be awake,
- [How to Swim (if you haven't for a long time)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-swim-if-you-havent-for-a-long-time/) - Recently, a friend asked me how to swim if you haven't been for a while. I suspect there are a LOT of people wondering this. If you haven't been swimming since your school days, then heading off to your local pool can seem intimidating. So how DO you get back into swimming after a break?
- [Why Learning Through Play is Important](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/learning-through-play/) - When I collect my daughter from school at the end of the day, we have a little routine when we get into the car. “Do anything good today?” I'll ask. “Yes,” Flea replies. “What was the best thing?” “Playing with Zara.” Without fail, every day, Flea’s favourite thing to have done is playing with her
- [Smashing it at Go Ape Delamere Forest](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/smashing-go-ape-delamere-forest/) - This weekend, Flea and I headed out to Delamere Forest in Cheshire for a day's adventure at Go Ape, a bit of belated training for some work we're doing with Robinson's Fruit Shoot, who invited Flea to become part of their Adventure Squad. As an Adventure Squad member, Flea was also invited to take part in the
- [How to Serve a Healthy Breakfast in Under 90 Seconds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/healthy-breakfast-parfait-recipe/) - Sometimes, for laughs, I ask my friends what time they get up in the morning. One of my best friends, for example, gets up at 6.30am. She leaves the house at 8am. That's 90 minutes to shower, tend to the dog, make breakfast and get ready for the school run. Friends, this is nothing short
- [Health Anxiety: is it just me?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/health-anxiety-hypochondria-how-to-cope/) - Today I wanted to chat about health anxiety. It starts, usually, with a news story. I'll hear a snippet on the radio, or catch a newspaper headline. I turn the page, change the channel, but not quite fast enough. A Mum in her 30s found dead in her bed. Someone with DVT after a long-flight.
- [Is Tracy Beaker more dangerous than demons and swords?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-tracy-beaker-more-dangerous-than-demons-and-swords/) - I've mentioned it before on my blog, but Flea is a keen reader. She's the child of two writers, so perhaps I shouldn't be surprised. And I'm thrilled - I love reading, and it's good to know Flea has a hobby that can entertain her pretty much anywhere, for next to no money. If you
- [Best Box Sets on Sky TV 2021](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-new-box-sets-to-watch-on-sky-2018/) - What are the best box sets on Sky TV right now? It's official. The world is a hot mess. Politics is more interesting than it has any right to be. The weather is ... insane. There is a pandemic and we're all working from home and how do we even begin to relax? The answer,
- [Booking a Last Minute Holiday - Top Tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/booking-a-last-minute-holiday-minute-top-tips/) - Last Minute Summer Holiday Tips is a sponsored post, in association with Siblu Back in January, booking our summer holiday in August seemed like a fine idea. Fast forward to July, Flea is already out of school and it feels like AGES until our summer vacay. So this past week has been spent scouring the
- [The Switch: A Surprisingly Emotional Movie](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/such-a-girl/) - This is our review of The Switch. I have a confession: I cry at movies. I don’t cry at intellectual French new wave movies, or alternative, gritty indie movies. I cry at schmaltzy, popcorn, commercial, not very good movies. Last night, I was to be found snivelling on the sofa at the end of The
- [When a Child Doesn't Want to Sleep at Dad's](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-sleepover-dilemma/) - What do you do when a child doesn't want to sleep at their Dad's after a divorce? I’m a big believer that little girls need good Dads. I’ve no special knowledge to back this up – unless you count the fact that I’ve seen Father of the Bride three times. Does that count? Although we're
- [A Weekend Kayaking in Arisaig, Scotland](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-weekend-kayaking-in-arisaig-scotland/) - We just got back from a last minute trip to go kayaking in Arisaig, in the Scottish highlands. It was an impromptu trip. Originally we'd planned to visit Arisaig during half term next week, followed by a few days in Glasgow. It would be a chance to spend some outdoors time together, and show Flea
- [A Weekend at Puy du Fou, France](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/puy-du-fou-theme-park-vendee-france/) - Today we are sharing our review of the Puy du Fou theme park in France's Vendee region. It isn't every day you find yourself watching a woman get tied to a pole and surrounded by lions. And it's probably a teeny bit unusual to find yourself watching a Viking longboat rise out of a lake,
- [Is wine a part of your wind-down routine?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-wine-a-part-of-your-winddown-routine/) - Are women drinking too much? When is a glass of wine not just a glass of wine? Trust me, it’s not often (ever) I find myself defending the Daily Mail. But I read a story today, headlined : "Wind-down wine' alert: The relaxing glass that is turning working mothers into alcoholics." The Royal College of
- [Martinhal Cascais, Portugal: Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/martinhal-cascais-family-resort-portugal-review/) - Welcome to our Martinhal Cascais family resort review. Today we're sharing a review of the Martinhal Cascais resort, in Portugal. If you're looking for a luxury family break with great weather then Martinhal Cascais might just be perfect. It's just a short hop from Lisbon airport meaning you can get here easily, and there are
- [Diary of a New Build: 3 Months in our Story Homes Warwick](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/new-build-story-homes-warwick/) - It's crazy but it has been 3 months since we moved into our new build, a Story Homes Warwick property in the North West of England. I thought it was probably time to share a little update of how we're getting on, and what the house looks like now. (For those who are interested, our
- [Bahia Principe Dominican Republic: Our Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bahia-principe/) - Last week we spent a week at the Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa. It's an all-inclusive resort in Samana, Dominican Republic. Confession time : this was a holiday that involved zero planning or research. Needed: A Last Minute Holiday! We were actually due to fly to LA on Saturday morning. Then we realised at 6pm on
- [Eating Out on Christmas Day: Is it unfestive?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/eating-out-on-christmas-day-home-v-away/) - Is Christmas dinner still Christmas dinner if you're eating out on Christmas Day? I don't know about your family, but round these parts Christmas tends to be planned out by mid-October. That's been the case since 2007, when we moved back North to be nearer to family. But year, my little clan (me, Flea, and
- [Lunch Box Ideas for Vegetarian Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/lunch-box-ideas-for-vegetarian-kids/) - A little over a year ago, my 12-year-old told the family she was thinking of becoming a vegetarian. Oh, how we laughed. She hates at least 75% of vegetables. Well, she showed us. Flea's now been vegetarian for a whole year and it's been a steep learning curve. Honestly, it's a worry when you have
- [And this is why I won't be eating at your restaurant...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-this-is-why-i-wont-be-eating-at-your-restaurant/) - A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at a motorway service station near Oxford. Culinary options were limited, so I found myself waiting in line at Subway, behind a group of teenagers - seemingly nice kids of about 15 or 16. Because I'm chronically nosy, I was ear-wigging their conversation "I wonder if it's halal?"
- [Falling out with Female Friends: How to Cope](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/friday-nights-alright-for-fighting/) - How do you cope if you're falling out with female friends? There are stacks of advice books on how to deal with toddler fights and disputes. It gets more complicated when you're falling out with female friends. I moved to my small town about 18 months ago, and soon met two local mums. They've
- [When your vegetarian child is a fussy eater](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fussy-eater-turns-vegetarian/) - I can't tell you how my heart sank when my fussy eater turned vegetarian. When Flea announced that she was becoming a veggie we all laughed. That's because while Flea has a very healthy diet, the "vegetable" part of it consists primarily of carrots, peas and cucumber. When you look at one of those government-sponsored Eatwell
- [Simple Vegetable Chilli Recipe for Families](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/big-family-cooking-showdown-vegetable-chilli/) - Today I'm happy to be sharing a super simple vegetable chilli recipe that's perfect for colder days. For someone who can't cook, I spend a ridiculous amount of time watching people cooking on TV. I've recently been watching The Big Family Cooking Showdown, a new family cookery show on BBC that is hosted by Nadiya
- [You can't blame a girl for trying...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-cant-blame-a-girl-for-trying/) - On Saturday morning the postman brought me a lovely surprise. It was a letter from my darling daughter, which she'd sent to me on Friday when her class took a walk to the local postbox. It's a pretty cute letter and Flea was hopping up and down as I read it: I love how my
- [My 9 Year Blogging Anniversary](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/nine-years-memories/) - I noticed, almost in passing, that it's my 9 Year Blogging Anniversary this week. Nine years. Imagine! How it all Started... Flea wasn't quite three years old, when I started writing Who's the Mummy. I remember taking the photo at the top of this post, at about that time. Marriage was really the first thing I
- [Fingerprint Snowman and Reindeer Decorations](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fingerprint-snowman-and-reindeer-decorations/) - Behold, our festive fingerprint snowman decorations! Or a reindeer, if you prefer. Tis the season to attempt to make crafts. I mean, it's the season of goodwill, and presents and carols and that sort of thing - but in our household, there are two things that pretty much only happen in December - baking, and
- [My Twilight Memorabilia Story of Shame](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bought-bella-edwards-wedding-candles/) - One of my favourite stories that makes me look super normal *cough* is about Twilight memorabilia. It was a typical Friday afternoon. I was faffing around on the Internet working hard when I came across a website where you can buy old props and costumes from the movies. I was checking out signed scripts from
- [Modibodi Teen Period Pants Review & Discount Code](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/period-pants-for-teens-modibodi-review/) - We were gifted product for this Modibodi Red period pants review. Post contains affiliate links Are you thinking about trying teen period pants for your daughter? Fancy saving some money to boot? Read on! Having periods as a teenager can be a total pain. Talking about periods with your mother is potentially even worse. If
- [Puberty. Another parenting triumph.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/puberty-another-parenting-triumph/) - My baby is becoming less of a baby, by the day. When she goes back to school after the summer hols, it will be her last year of primary school. I remember being 10. My friend Cheryl suddenly grew boobs and all the girls seemed convinced they could grow them too, if ONLY they did the
- [The Magic of Motherhood.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-magic-of-motherhood/) - Another day, another of my funny stories about four year olds. One of our favourite things to do when Flea isn't at nursery is to head up to the Lake District. We really love spending the day at Brockhole. There is a big adventure playground, lots of tables for a picnic and we sometimes take
- [Review: Dreams Riviera Maya Cancun Resort and Spa](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-dreams-riviera-maya-cancun/) - Welcome to our Dreams Riviera Maya review. Our trip to the luxury all-inclusive Dreams Riviera Maya resort in Cancun, Mexico, did not start well. "What gate are we at, Flea?" I asked, as we wandered out of Boots at Gatwick's South Terminal. "I don't know, it says 'gate closed'," Flea replied. Oh, sh*t. I cannot tell
- [Luxury All-Inclusive Holiday in Mexico](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/not-sort-holiday/) - Today I'm sharing our luxury all-inclusive holiday in Mexico. Sometimes when we go on holiday, we go to museums, and walk the city streets, grabbing food from local stalls, and soaking in the atmosphere. Other times we throw ourselves into adventurous activities, riding tall swings, renting kayaks and bikes and exploring the countryside. Then there
- [Cooking with Kids (Epic Fail)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/epic-fail-cooking-with-kids/) - Welcome to a cooking with kids (fail). One of the lovely things about your children growing up is them looking after you, for a change. As Flea's got older, her naturally kind and thoughtful nature works in my favour pretty often. Like the time I had a cold, and she ran me a hot bubble
- [My Total Meal Planning FAIL](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/haier-fresher-diaries-food-waste/) - Last week, I shared news of a project I’m working on with Haier to look at how our family uses and stores food. The hope is that with expert tips from Haier, I can reduce the amount of food we waste. This is a sponsored partnership. Last week was fairly typical for me. We shopped
- [2016 in Photos](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-story-of-my-2016/) - I suspect most of us will be glad to see the back of 2016. Although, with a lunatic in charge of the White House, and no credible plan to implement our departure from the EU, I'm not sure how much calmer 2017 is going to be. Still, for us, 2016 has delivered a lot of
- [A Last Minute Break in Scotland](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/last-minute-break-scottish-borders/) - Today I'm sharing a last minute short break to Scotland. For the last week of the school holidays, I was home alone. Rather than staring at the walls, I took the chance to join the rest of the clan for a few days on their annual trip to Scotland. Way back in 1976, my grandparents
- [Just Another Parenting Triumph](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/just-another-parenting-triumph/) - Being a COOL Mum *cough* means that I like to get down with the kids and listen to the youth music once in a while. In other words, Flea and I take turns listening to our music in the car. This week, Flea's been listening to a lot of Troye Sivan. If you're not familiar,
- [2017: A Year in Photos](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2017-year-photos/) - Welcome to my annual roundup - it's time for 2017 in photos! It's December 30 and that means it's time to emerge from under this mountain of cheese and mince pie wrappers to pull together my annual highlight reel. I don't know about you, but it's easy to think that this was a TERRIBLE year.
- [Nine Years of Blogging: A Love/Hate Affair](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/9-years-of-blogging-a-love-hate-affair/) - It's been nine years since I started blogging here at Who's the Mummy. That's a LONG time. To commemorate the occasion I thought it would be interesting to reflect on how I feel about my blog after nine years. What are the things I enjoy, and what are the things that frustrate me? On balance,
- [What to do in Lancashire with Teens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/topping-up-the-cup-a-weekend-with-friends/) - Today I want to share some ideas of what to do in Lancashire with teens - in particular, in and around Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. Finding ourselves home alone in Blackpool Regular readers may know that I've found lockdown hard because, honestly, I've hardly stopped whinging about it. My excuse is that being locked
- [How Children Change Your Life: 2001 vs 2010](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2001-vs-2010/) - Someone asked me recently how children change your life. I know some people talk about this rush of love, or how your priorities change overnight, or being miraculously fulfilled; that sort of thing. For me, I never felt as though my whole identity shifted when I had a child, or that my existence suddenly became
- [3.8m children don't own a book, and other fairy stories...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/38m-children-dont-own-a-book-and-other-fairy-stories/) - How many books are kids reading these days? Is it as bad as it seems? Back in my staff reporter days, I used to have this really mean news editor. This isn’t surprising to anyone who’s ever worked in a newsroom. ALL news editors are mean – it’s in the job description. My news editor
- [3am: the perfect time to talk about death.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/3am-the-perfect-time-to-talk-about-death/) - The annoying thing about crucial parenting moments is the way they sneak up on you. I think you should get a letter 48 hours in advance that says, “On Tuesday you will be required to explain the concept of death to a four year old. You may not refer to your notes during the examination.”
- [7 Things About Me](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/7-things-i-hate-about-you/) - Here are seven things I hate about you. Not you. Not individually you, at least. Rather, here are seven people who grind my gears and raise my blood pressure. First, Emily at Brighton Mum has asked me to share seven of my character traits. Here they are: Inappropriate. I must confess to having frequent, inappropriate
- [Who could forget that face?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/who-could-forget-that-face/) - Next time you think you're a bad mother, I invite you to come back to read this post. No, really. Because I think I can guarantee you've never had THIS conversation in the car after collecting your precious, beloved offspring from school. Me: Hey, Flea, you didn’t tell me there was a class photo in
- [20 Signs That You Need a Blogging Intervention](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-signs-that-you-need-a-blogging-intervention/) - I was chatting on the phone to my bloggy friend Josie from Sleep is for the Weak a few days ago. We were giggling at those tragic people who take their blogging and Tweeting so seriously that they forget to actually have real lives to blog about. Ha ha. Yeah, I bet some of those
- [12 Tips for New YouTubers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/12-top-vlogging-tips-youtube-self-shooting/) - Looking for tips for new YouTubers? I've got you! Most of us sharing content on YouTube are acting as our own cameraman, sound guy, lighting guy and director. And it's HARD to get all that stuff right, especially when you're a beginner. So it's hardly surprising we end up with shots where we're ever so
- [12 quick and easy SEO tips for bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/12-quick-and-easy-seo-tips-for-mummy-bloggers/) - Welcome to my post with SEO tips for bloggers. Part of my day job is writing web copy for companies big and small – so over the years, I’ve picked up a bit about search engine optimisation (SEO). Now, SEO sounds very technical and complicated but at heart, it’s simple – it’s about creating
- [2011 MAD Blog Awards: what you missed](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-mad-blog-awards/) - I’ve already written an ‘official’ post about the 2011 MAD Blog Awards, which were sponsored by Parentdish.co.uk, over on the MADs website. But I thought I’d share some of my personal highlights of the awards ceremony with you, so here are 10 things you never knew about the MAD Blog Awards: Did you know that
- [Little Moments: 2012](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2012-little-moments/) - I was going to write a marvellous post all about 2012, the things I've learned and the changes we've made. But honestly, who has time? Besides, the big stuff gets remembered regardless - and this blog is about capturing little moments, small memories. That's the stuff I won't remember in five years' time. Like how
- [How to Host a Successful Sleepover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-tips-for-sleepover-success/) - Looking for tips on hosting a successful sleepover for tween girls? When you're the Mum to an only child, sleepovers are sometimes less work than looking after your child solo. With a built-in playmate, Flea's sleepovers usually mean her and her bestie spending the entire evening in the playroom. So over the years, we've had
- [10 Things that Say Summer in Britain](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-things-say-summer-britain/) - What are the signs that summer is here that you look forward to? August is pretty much my favourite time of the whole year. There's no school. Work gets quieter, meaning it's easy to take the odd day off here and there. It stops raining (quite so much). While we're spending this August in Canada
- [10 Ridiculous Things Dog Owners Do.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-stupid-things-dog-owners-do/) - Do you ever catch yourself thinking about the ridiculous things dog owners do? Because we all do them, I'm sure. Take this example: It's 7am. It's 7am, and I'm standing outside in my Batman jammies (don't judge) and a hoodie, with my arms stuck out to the sides, forming a human umbrella over the dog.
- [Ten Fabulous Things to do on Instagram](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-fabulous-things-to-do-on-instagram/) - I was a late convert to Instagram. "It's just badly shot photos of Other People's Children," I said, knowing that Other People's Children are never as cute as my own. How little I knew. Yes, there are badly shot photos of OPCs (including many taken by me) but since I joined up a year or
- [10 Awesome Ideas for a Captain America Themed Party](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-awesome-ideas-for-a-captain-america-themed-party/) - Welcome to our post sharing inspiration for a Captain America themed party! This week, we were due to be celebrating Back to School with a Captain America themed party for Flea and her best friends - collectively known as The Awesome Foursome. Sky Movies had sent us a bundle of things so we could truly
- [Flea and the great bobble mystery](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/flea-and-the-great-bobble-mystery/) - Now that Flea has started school, we find ourselves at the mercy of The System. There are rules and stuff, which we're not altogether used to. One of the rules at Flea's school is that if children's hair is longer than shoulder length, it has to be tied back with a plain blue slide or
- [Influencers' Guide to Libel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-do-you-know-about-libel/) - If you are a blogger, influencer or are sharing content online, you need our influencers' guide to libel. It's tempting to think, "I'm not a journalist, why does this matter to me?" Influencers can Commit Libel Let’s imagine for a moment there was a story in the papers about a celebrity recently, who apparently housed
- [Pushy Parent Syndrome](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pushy-parent-syndrome/) - I'm thinking about pushy parent syndrome just now. Last night, I attended a seminar (for want of a better word) at Flea's school, where the teachers explained how the children are being taught to read. I was expecting something quite full on. This is a private school and one that has a reputation for "bringing children
- [A Primer: Five Ways to Measure Your Blog Traffic](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-primer-five-ways-to-measure-your-blog-traffic/) - After yesterday’s post about traffic stats, I was inundated with questions about traffic stats, so I’ve put together this post showing the main ways you can see and analyse visitors to your blog. I hesitate to call it a 'masterclass' but it's the basics and I'll try and answer any questions you might have. My
- [The Tots100 Primer (Updated Version)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-tots100-primer-2/) - Every time I post the monthly Tots100 index, someone will ask me to explain how it works. So before we post the December index next week, I thought I’d explain in non-techie terms how this works. If there’s still anything you don’t understand, then do leave a question in the comments and I’ll try to
- [How do you teach children to wash their hands?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-205-2/) - How do you teach children to wash their hands? Flea’s school recently brought in a nurse to talk to the children about hygiene and teach them how to wash their hands. It’s easy to be cynical about that sort of thing, but I can see Flea now really washes her hands differently. She will make
- [Explaining Things at 3am isn't Easy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-205/) - Somewhere around 3am this morning, I was woken by Flea shouting "Muuuumeeeee" at the top of her voice. She rarely wakes in the night so I tend to go to her quite quickly, assuming there's a good reason for her calling me. Groggily, I pulled myself out of bed, muttering, "OhMyGod, it's so c-c-c-c-c-cold" and
- [2013: Summer in Pictures](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/our-summer-in-pictures/) - Honestly, I could write a long post all about what we did this summer, but it can be summed up so much better in pictures... Roll on half term, I say... (With thanks to Carol and Susan for the inspiration - they both did fabulous summer round-ups, that are well worth a visit)
- [Silent Sunday: Flea looks cute.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/silent-sunday-2/) - For Silent Sunday. One picture, no words.
- [Happy Birthday to Me and my Blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/happy-birthday-to-me-2/) - Happy Blog Birthday! My blog is two years old today. I know, the present’s in the post, right? There have been moments during the past two years that haven’t been amazing. Moments that made me sad, parts that made me worried, parts that made me guilty or angry or freaked out – and sometimes
- [Mothers' Day when you're Adopted](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/happy-mothers-day/) - Mothers Day when you're adopted is an interesting experience, in some ways. Like, I’ve always been fascinated by the nature/nurture debate. How much of who we are comes from our genetic make-up, and how much from how we are raised? Because I was adopted when I was ten, Flea’s the first person I’ve known that
- [Best Movies for Tweens to Watch at a Sleepover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-best-movies-tween-mum-daughter-night/) - Looking for the best movies for tween girls, and for sleepovers? It might sound weird, but when Flea and I have a night together, we love to watch some classic girl movies, the sort of movies that are good to watch at a sleepover. For us, our movie night is Friday and it's pretty sacred.
- [HelloFresh Reviews: how good are the recipe boxes?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-hellofresh-recipe-box/) - We've been eating up a storm this week, so here are our Hello Fresh reviews of four meals we tried! Recipe boxes like Hello Fresh are a great idea. As a customer, I subscribe to the recipe box via the website. Then, Hello Fresh sends me the ingredients to make gorgeous meals for the family.
- [Review: Villas La Clairiere, Moliets](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review/) - Are you a hotel person or a self-catering person? I'm a bit of both. For a city break and short trips, I like the convenience of a hotel and the option to order room service when I've been racing around all day. But for longer holidays, especially with kids, self-catering gives you the freedom to
- [Things to do in Devon when you're 4](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-devon-when-youre-4/) - This weekend, Flea and I were in Devon, testing out the family-friendly credentials of The Elmfield, a restored Victorian guest-house in the seaside town of Ilfracombe. We’ve had a tremendous three days with glorious sunshine and have come home with sand in our shoes, a touch of sunburn and lots of clean clothes because the
- [40 (more) Box Sets to Watch Before you Die](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/40-more-box-sets-to-watch-before-you-die/) - Looking for a new favourite binge watch? Check out my list of 40 box sets to watch before you die! Featuring the best teen, drama, sci fi and comedy shows to stream and download
- [How to spend less with Amazon](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-month-without-amazon/) - This post is for you if, like me, you're trying to spend less at Amazon. £3,410.55. That's how much money I spent on Amazon.co.uk last year. Plus $66 on Amazon.com for a really cool popcorn bowl that lets you pop corn in the microwave in two minutes, and $100 for some Sephora cosmetics. It's scary
- [Pirate swords and burglars' hats: that's what little girls are made of](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pirate-swords-and-burglars-hats-thats-what-little-girls-are-made-of/) - I've been thinking about the issue of gender stereotyping lately. When I found out I was expecting a girl, I was dreading the idea of having one of those little girls who likes princesses and glitter and sparkles. I’m just not sure how I’d relate to that child, frankly. I’ve only worn a dress once
- [Tips: Explaining Disability to Children](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-do-you-explain-disability-to-your-children/) - How should we go about explaining disability to children? My view is that it should be honest, start early and be rooted in a basic position of empathy and respect. This snapshot below is one of my favourite photos. It’s my older brother Ross, and a chap called Michael. It’s a special picture because both
- [Preparing Kids for Sex Education Lessons](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/time-for-that-lesson/) - Do you have a plan for how you'll help your kids prepare for sex education classes? We've been counting down to this week for a while. Ever since that letter came home asking for parental consent for Flea to participate.... in THAT lesson. Also known as "Growing and Changing". There's been a lot of sniggering
- [Why do teenagers find parents so embarrassing?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/motherly-mortification/) - Ever wondered why teenagers find us parents so embarrassing? Me too, friends, me too. Flea is now 11. So it stands to reason that literally EVERYTHING I say and do is embarrassing these days. "You don't have to get out of the car at school, you know," she says to me. Except on the days
- [Things to do in Cartagena in 24 hours](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/thomson-pride-panama-cruise-colombia-cartagena/) - Read on for ideas of what to do in Cartegena if you're visiting the city for 24 hours or less. One of the highlights of my recent trip on the Thomson Dream Pride of Panama cruise was spending a day in the Colombian city of Cartagena. You may not have heard of Cartagena (pronounced Cart-a-hay-na)
- [Fathers Day for Single Parents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fathers-day-for-single-parents/) - How do you handle Fathers Day as a single parent? In case you missed the memo, I’m a single parent. I was (briefly) married. And now I’m not. Of course, there’s a story that goes in the middle of those two sentences, but it’s one of those tales that’s oh-so-familiar to many of us, and
- [Teenage House Parties: Survival Tips for Parents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/teenage-house-parties-survival-tips-for-parents/) - We had a teenage house party this weekend for my fifteen year old and her friends. As of Monday morning, two things are true: First, I have never been more tired in my entire life. Second, I feel 10 years older and quite a bit wiser. Honestly, hosting a house party for teenagers is exhausting
- [Flea's Famous Brownies Recipe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-famous-brownies/) - Looking for a great kids' brownies recipe? This is, I suspect, our first and last cookery post. Because these soft, rich brownies, studded with chocolate chips, are the one thing we make that I’m confident you’d sell one of your kids for. Recipe for Brownies for Kids The recipe to make 32 brownies is as
- [Low Sugar Chocolate Muffins](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/low-sugar-chocolate-muffins/) - These low sugar chocolate muffins are going to be the star of the family dinner I'll be hosting in a couple of weeks. This is a bit completely terrifying. Aunts, uncles, parents, cousins - all expecting me to feed them. Luckily, my low sugar chocolate muffins with orange are idiot proof. These muffins take less
- [Anthem of the Seas Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/an-anthem-of-the-seas-adventure/) - This weekend, Flea and I were invited to review the new Anthem of the Seas cruise ship, along with 2,000 other invited bloggers, journalists and travel industry types. We took the chance to enjoy a a 48-hour sneak peek at the brand new Anthem of the Seas cruise ship, which is sailing from Southampton. Anthem
- [Top Tips for Disneyland California & California Adventure](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-visits-to-disneyland-california-and-california-adventure/) - Welcome to our top tips for visits to Disneyland California (and California Adventure) Fresh from a week in Santa Monica on our California Road Trip, I felt ready and strong enough for a day at the Happiest Place on Earth, with the Most Excited Girl on Earth. It’s a great time to visit Disneyland California
- [Where to walk dogs in Lytham St Annes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/outdoor-adventures-are-better-with-dogs-ad/) - Today I'm sharing the places places to walk dogs in Lytham St Annes. Let's face it. Having a dog changes us. Once upon a time, I could walk 50 feet down a beach without stopping every three seconds. If I wanted to, I could lie on the sofa for eight hours and binge watch a new
- [A Family Friendly Villa in Mallorca: Villa Alba Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/family-friendly-mallorca-villa-alba-review/) - Are you looking for a family friendly villa in Mallorca? When Balearic Villas offered us the opportunity to visit one of their family-friendly villas in Mallorca, we thought about it for.... ooh... ten seconds. And so it was, we kicked off our May half-term this year with three days in Pollensa, a small village in the Northern part
- [California Road Trip: Things to do in Santa Cruz](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-santa-cruz/) - Today we'll be sharing our tips for the best things to do in Santa Cruz on your family California Road Trip! Santa Cruz is one of my favourite California towns – a colourful, vintage-tinged celebration of everything beach, surf and skate related. We headed down there after spending three days in San Francisco. Our Victorian
- [California Road Trip: Big Sur](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-big-sur/) - Today we're sharing what we did on our California road trip in Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur. After visiting San Francisco and Santa Cruz in California, we've spent the last few days in Central California - Big Sur, to be exact. Big Sur is a place that forces you to slow down - the winding roads
- [California Road Trip: Tips for visiting Santa Monica and LA](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-santa-monica-and-la/) - Read on for tips for visiting Santa Monica and LA on your California road trip with kids! There are moments on a California road trip that you file away for future reference, knowing that you’re experiencing a full on, properly Cali moment. Santa Monica Pier One of them is definitely watching the sun set over
- [Where to stop on Highway One between Big Sur and Santa Barbara?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-highway-one-and-santa-barbara/) - Wondering where to stop on Highway One between Big Sur and Santa Barbara? As we continue on our California Road trip, and after a fabulous time in Big Sur, we set off down the epic and unspeakably beautiful Highway One towards Santa Barbara. On paper this is a five hour drive, but I'd strongly recommend
- [Review: Bounce Off](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-bounce-off/) - I tend to think there are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who consider competitively bouncing ping pong balls into a plastic frame to try and create a random pattern is the height of entertainment. And then there are people with no souls. What is Bounce Off? Bounce Off is a new
- [Review: Canary Pro Indoor Home Security Camera](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/canary-wireless-home-security-review/) - Today I'm sharing our Canary Pro home security camera review. Long-time readers will know that a few years ago we were burgled. We were very lucky - the police apprehended our burglar within 24 hours and once the court stuff was over, we got most of our kit back. Still, it made me a lot more
- [Tips for the Perfect Picnic: Simple ideas for easy picnics](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/recipe-perfect-picnic/) - Welcome to our ultimate collection of tips for the best picnic. We've had three consecutive days of sunshine in the North West, and thus, I feel confident in proclaiming it to be officially SUMMER. You might think me hasty, but summer in the North might only last a week, so it's entirely possible that we're
- [Harry Potter Studio Tour Review & Top Tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-day-out-at-the-warner-bros-harry-potter-studios-tour/) - Harry Potter Studio Tour Review & Top Tips Planning to visit the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour in London? Our Harry Potter studios review has loads of top tips to help you make the very most of your visit. Scroll down to find out: What to expect on your visit When is the best
- [Days Out with Teens: 10 Amazing Ideas!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/days-out-with-teens-10-amazing-ideas/) - Planning days out with teens is not always easy. When Flea was younger we were spoiled for activities. Perhaps we'd go to soft play centres, adventure playgrounds, nature walks, bowling, swimming pool. Basically, there were endless opportunities to do fun things together. Now Flea is a teenager, much of her free time is spent asleep
- [Micro Scooter Review for Teens and Adults](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/micro-scooter-teen-adults-review/) - Are Micro Scooters Worth the Money? I am a real fan of the Micro Scooter brand of scooters. They are more expensive (sometimes) than high street scooters, but when people ask me if they're worth the money, I simply tell them this story: Flea got her first Micro Scooter (a Mini Micro) when she was
- [Simple Chicken Traybake Recipe, with Dolmio |AD](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/chicken-tray-bake-simple-dolmio-nodrama/) - Read on for a delicious chicken traybake that can on the table in under 30 minutes! A long, long time ago, I made a vow. I vowed that we would never have a row over the dinner table, about food. Rather than trying to force Flea to eat everything I serve, I accept she has
- [Review: 3 Door Combi Haier Fridge Freezer](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-haier-a3fe635cmj-fridge-freezer/) - Looking for a Haier fridge freezer review? Three years ago, I had my kitchen completely gutted, and rebuilt, keeping my existing fridge freezer. It seemed like a good idea, right up until my fridge started to make a weird noise whenever I opened it. And I realised that whatever new appliance I bought had to
- [Ten Embarrassing Parenting Stories from 10 Years of Blogging](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ten-embarrassing-parenting-stories-from-10-years-of-blogging/) - Want to read some embarrassing parenting stories? So it turns out that my blog is turning ten years old next week. You might imagine that in ten years of blogging, I would have shared some amazing insights into parenting. Maybe some useful recipes, or hacks to make home life easier. Nope. Mostly, I've shared ridiculous
- [Great Women to follow on Instagram Stories](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-women-to-follow-instagram-stories/) - My name is Sally and I have loads of friends. And only some of them are imaginary. Cough. When I was younger my imaginary friend was called Steve, and he lived in the woods near my primary school. Now I'm a bit less young my imaginary friends mostly live in my phone. Instagram Stories is
- [Holidays with Extended Family are the Best Sort of Holidays](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-week-in-scotland-with-family/) - Our holidays with extended family are some of the best holidays. Sometimes being a single Mum can be a bit lonely. Often, life is just me and Flea. I think it's natural to worry about that, sometimes. I worry that Flea misses out on the sort of holidays other families have. With big family meals,
- [Why is hockey so dangerous?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/august-goes-out-with-a-bang/) - Why is hockey so dangerous? I get that rugby is a risky sport. Motor racing. Boxing. All things where you know kids have a high chance of getting hurt. I never expected that hockey would be so risky! Do you ever have those days where you wish you could, like, hire a spare Mum? Or
- [TUI Dream Cruise Review: Pride of Panama](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/thomson-dream-pride-of-panama/) - We've just returned from our Pride of Panama cruise on board the TUI Dream, and I wanted to share our review. The sun was setting low, over the city walls of the Colombian City of Cartagena. A warm glow lit up my cocktail glass, and there was a hum of conversation over the Ibiza-style house
- [Florida Villa Holiday with TUI: Review & Top Tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/florida-villa-holiday-with-tui-review-top-tips/) - If you're wondering where to stay for your multi-generation family trip to Orlando, Florida, then our vote definitely goes for a villa. Last half-term I headed to Florida with Flea and my parents, and we booked a villa through TUI. The packages from TUI are great value and we ended up spending less on flights,
- [Quick Tips: How to Boost Your Energy Naturally](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tired-time-quick-tips-boost-energy/) - Want to know how to boost your energy, when you have an energy dip? For me, my energy all seems to disappear around 4.30pm. I've done a full day in the office and I get into the car to do the school run, and my entire body just goes... ugh. It would take very little
- [Five Questions to ask when Choosing a Primary School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-questions-to-ask-when-choosing-a-primary-school/) - Ever wondered what are the most important questions to ask when choosing a primary school? It occurred to me this morning that after this one, Flea only has one more year of primary school left. Before I start the panicked visits to secondary schools, I thought it might be a good moment to look back
- [Catching the Bus: 5 Tips to Make Kids Confident](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/catching-the-bus-tips-to-make-kids-confident/) - Flea is 12 now and I'm fully aware it's time to start helping her become more independent. But wow, it isn't easy. I feel slightly guilty when I tell people that Flea has never taken a bus by herself. But her primary school was 8 miles away, so a bus wasn't ever an option. When she
- [Get on your Bike this Autumn](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/get-bike-autumn/) - Anyone else feeling like they come back to earth with a bump in September? It feels like almost overnight, you have to switch gears. Gone are long days with time to waste, beaches and sunshine and hours to spend with the people you love. Now it's early mornings, hectic schedules, homework and commutes. It sucks.
- [The best free GCSE resources for maths & more online](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/free-gcse-resources-for-teens-maths-science/) - At the moment, lots of us are looking for the best free GCSE resources for teens. After a year of disrupted learning, our teens need all the support they can, when studying and revising for their GCSEs. My daughter recently completed her GCSE studies. The pandemic meant that she missed more than three months of
- [FREE online GCSE maths tuition](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/get-a-free-online-maths-tutor-class-with-toota/) - One of the fun side-effects of lockdown is that my 14-year-old daughter no longer has face to face contact with her maths teacher. And by fun I mean stressful and frustrating for both of us, obviously. Today, I'm sharing how to book a completely FREE 40-minute online maths class for your child. So whatever that
- [Is it Normal to Dread Christmas?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-it-normal-to-dread-christmas/) - Do you dread Christmas? First, the good news. You can relax. You're not a grinch if you're not excited about Christmas. Actually, if you dread Christmas, what you're feeling is totally normal. Especially this Christmas. A touch of the festive blues is quite common at this time of year. It can come for all sorts
- [A Victorian Kitchen Makeover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-happy-place/) - Welcome to the story of my Victorian kitchen makeover. I always smile when I see those quizzes about where and when you were happiest. I'm a big believer that happiness isn't a destination - it's not a place you go, or something that arrives in a rush as soon as you've got the right car,
- [Easy Christmas Chocolate Fudge Recipe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/christmas-chocolate-fudge-recipe/) - Looking for an easy Christmas chocolate fudge recipe? Some of my most cherished childhood memories are from my grandmother's kitchen. My grandmother was one of the best women I ever knew. Back in the 1930s, she attended Glasgow University, studying for a year before her parents pressured her to drop out and get a job to
- [How do kids change at Secondary School?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/secondary-school-changed-daughter/) - Ever wondered how do kids change at secondary school? Sometimes in parenting, there are moments that make you stop in your tracks. "Holy Hell, how did THAT happen?" you'll ask yourself. Take the two video stills below. The first image is from last July, just before Flea started secondary school. The second image is from a video a
- [Tips for Parenting Tweens (because you know nothing)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/parenting-tweens/) - Today we'll be sharing some top tips for parenting tweens because you know nothing. That's not my opinion, obviously. It's what every tween thinks about their parents. You're old and you're lame and you know NOTHING about being 11, or 12. So here goes: My name is Sally, and I'm a terrible parent. But it's
- [Top Tips for Starting School (for Disorganised Mums)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-starting-school-ms/) - Are you panicking at the idea of your little one starting school? If you're a disorganised Mum like me, then I promise that I relate. I can also promise that you're (both) going to be fine. I'm a disorganised Mum with a daughter who started secondary school last year. To be honest, the starting school panic
- [Why is moving home so stressful?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/im-moving-house-and-im-definitely-not-okay/) - Why oh why is moving home so stressful? I am moving house and I am definitely not okay right now. I don't know why. But I'm feeling so stressed and irritated, and filled with a sense of foreboding. But this weekend I might have sat on the stairs and cried for 10 minutes because my
- [Five Reasons to Love Shonda Rhimes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-reasons-to-love-shonda-rhimes/) - Every so often, in our society, we get a flurry of noisy social media outrage - shoutrage, if you will - because someone has expressed an opinion that is (pause for sharp intake of breath) different from our own opinion. Most recently it was TV craft/housing type Kirstie Allsopp, who apparently said something about how she
- [Budgeting Tips for Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/budgeting-tips-for-christmas/) - Wondering how to do Christmas on a budget? I don’t know about you, but this time of year always gives me The Panic. We had a fabulous long summer, but we blew the budget. Three weeks in California with a teenager makes for a very sorry looking bank balance come the autumn. Added to which,
- [How to help teens have a positive body image](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/senior-school-hard/) - How can we help teens have a positive body image? Senior school is hard. I thought I felt over-protective when baby Flea, a few weeks after her third birthday, toddled into school. Or when she rode her bike on two wheels for the first time. Now, though, the things I want to protect my daughter
- [20+ Best Documentaries to Stream in the UK](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-best-documentaries-to-stream-in-the-uk/) - What are the best documentaries to stream in the UK right now? I don't know about you, but during lockdown I've wanted to watch TV that I find really absorbing. I've been binging on movies but also on documentaries that distract me from the raging fire of garbage that is 2020. If you're like me,
- [80s Kids Movies to Watch with your Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-movies-from-the-80s-your-kids-will-love/) - Looking for the best 80s kids' movies? Today I'm sharing a round up of 1980s films that I think your children will love. You have a few important jobs as a parent. There's feeding, clothing and protecting your child from physical harm, of course. And (very) close behind these things is ensuring you don't allow
- [How to Avoid Help Kids Avoid Jet Lag](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-top-tips-to-avoid-jet-lag-every-time/) - Ever wondered how to help kids avoid jet lag? You're not alone! This summer, Flea and I are taking a road trip around the Canadian Rockies and Pacific North West. It's a 10 hour flight each way and has major jet lag potential. But the big time difference actually works out perfectly for self-employed types
- [How to do the School Run](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-do-the-school-run/) - I think I've forgotten how to do the school run! To say we've had a brilliant summer might be a teeny, tiny bit of an understatement. There were trips to France and Spain - and then back to France again. Flea spent her eighth birthday in New York making a custom Muppet, then we spent
- [Surviving Isolation with a Teen at Home](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/surviving-isolation-with-a-teen-at-home/) - Before you read this post, please be aware that these are about as far from expert tips about surviving isolation with a teen as it's possible to get. It's more like - here's what we've cobbled together, in the hope that we don't kill each other over the next couple of months. If we can
- [Magical Moments of Parenting #101: Bedtime](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-101-bedtime/) - I was just lowering the blind in Flea’s room last night after her bath and bedtime story, when Flea quietly says “Excuse me, Mummy...” I look down on her, all snuggled up in her duvet, hair smelling of Johnson’s shampoo, clean and pink. She's a little miracle, I think to myself. "Yes?" “Mummy, do you
- [Things to do in the Isle of Wight When You're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-the-isle-of-wight-when-youre-seven/) - AD: For this trip we were hosted by The West Bay Club What are the best things to do with kids on the Isle of Wight? It's been two years since our last visit to the Isle of Wight, when Flea was five. Last time, we went back to nature by staying in a yurt
- [Why do people feel sorry for single parents?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/have-you-thought-about-your-life-insurance-lately-mrs-whittle-the-bank-teller-asked-me-this-morningive-got-to-be-hon/) - Why do people feel sorry for single parents? Take this incident in the bank, this morning: “Have you thought about your life insurance lately Mrs Whittle?” the bank teller asked me. I've got to be honest: I don't do conversation on Monday mornings. Especially not before 10am. Just give me the cash. I’ve got a
- [AD: How to get repeat prescriptions sent to your home](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/repeat-prescriptions-made-easier-with-pharmacy2u/) - How to get repeat prescriptions sent to your home is a sponsored post in association with Pharmacy2U. Back in the crazy baby days, I used to wonder what life would be like when Flea was in her teens. I imagined a lot of leisurely coffees being consumed while I relaxed on my sofa, free of
- [Flea Retreat: a fantastic event for bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-you-should-come-to-a-flea-retreat/) - Today I wanted share a review of Flea Retreat, an influencer event that was largely inspired by my friend, Tom. About two years ago now, I bought a new camera. You know how it is when you get a new camera. Look at all these new buttons! Look at the size of the sensor! I
- [Snowboarding Lessons at Chill Factore, Manchester](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/snowboarding-lessons-at-chill-factore-manchester/) - Snowboarding Lessons at Chill Factore is a paid collaboration with Chill Factore. I don't know about you, but I've always secretly wished that I could snowboard. Partly, this is because I've watched the film Chalet Girl far too many times. Maybe because my Mum never let me have ice skating lessons. And partly because I
- [Autumn Hallmark Movies in the UK: Our Pick of the Crop](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/autumn-hallmark-movies-perfect-for-fall-days-in-the-uk/) - Looking for the very best fall-themed Hallmark Movies to watch in the UK this autumn? (Note: I am an Amazon Associates, and some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I get a small payment if you take out your trial using the links on this page) If you're anything like me,
- [Exemplar Education Review: GCSE Maths Revision](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/exemplar-education-review-gcse-maths-revision/) - Today we are sharing our Exemplar Education review, based on our first three months using the online tutoring platform. If you have a child in school in the UK, you may well have heard about Exemplar Education. It's widely promoted through schools and also very popular in home educating families. More than 400,000 children have
- [Why are we embarrassed about cleaners?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-are-we-embarrassed-about-having-cleaner/) - Why are we so embarrassed about cleaners? Want to know what my top, absolutely number one household hack is? Don't do housework. Hire a cleaner. Seriously. At the risk of being thought extravagant, lazy, spoiled or just ridiculously rich, I have a cleaner. Several, in fact. Once a month, a team of cleaners lands on my
- [Flea's 5 Tips for Big School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-5-tips-for-big-school/) - 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
- [Starting school tips for summer babies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-great-school-dilemma/) - Today I wanted to share some starting school tips for summer babies. Having an August baby myself, I know that Flea has always been the youngest in her year. And my daughter started school about two weeks after her fourth birthday. She seemed TINY. In some ways, having a summer baby at school is a
- [Best Picnic Spots in the North West](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/in-praise-of-picnics/) - From May onwards, most of our weekends feature at least one meal eaten outdoors. I'm not such a fan of barbecues at home (the beach is so much more scenic than my pitiful back garden), but I love proper picnics. So today I thought I'd share some of our favourite picnic spots in the North
- [What happens if you don't let kids watch TV?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/television/) - What happens if you don't let kids watch TV? I find the issue of whether young kids should watch TV a fascinating one because most people fall into one of two camps. So they either believe TV is evil and corrupts children, OR they think kids who don't watch TV might get left out of
- [Why you should take a first aid course for babies and children](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/paediatric-first-aid-workshops-uk/) - Have you ever taken a first aid course specifically to help you provide emergency help to babies and children? There's a saying that does the rounds whenever there's some sort of disaster - be it terrorism, natural disaster or accident. "Look for the helpers." I was thinking about this today when it occurred to me
- [Why am I always terrified about my child having an accident?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/confessions-of-a-neurotic-mother/) - My name is Sally and my hobbies include cinema, books and obsessively worrying about my child having an accident. There, I’ve said it. I torture myself on a daily basis imagining the many ways my child could die or maim herself. Not for fun – I just can’t help it. Why do I worry my
- [Can you watch 100 Movies in a Year?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-movie-project/) - Back in January, I made a New Year’s Resolution. Not to go to the gym or floss more regularly or anything even remotely self-improving. No. My resolution was that this year I would watch 100 movies I’ve never seen before. We’re now just past the halfway mark, and I’m on the hunt for more movie
- [Things to do in Moliets When You're 10](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/moliets-acquitaine-france-kids/) - "It tastes like garlicky calamari," said Flea, smacking her lips and devouring her fourth snail in as many minutes. 24 hours into our trip to Moliets with Madame Vacances, Flea was settling in to our French adventure rather well. Moliets is a small resort tucked away in Acquitaine, on the Atlantic coast of South West France. It's
- [Unusual Places to Stay in the UK for Families](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-unspeakably-brilliant-places-to-stay-in-the-uk-in-2016/) - Today we are sharing some of our favourite unusual places to stay in the UK. This summer we've planned some long-haul travel to Canada for a road trip, and we've just got back from Copenhagen. But before summer arrives, that I'd love to book in some shorter trips closer to home. However, we don't just
- [What to do in Ullswater on a Mini Break](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-in-ullswater-on-a-mini-break/) - Do you ever get to the point where your own life makes you feel claustrophobic? That's been me, lately. Between family and school, work and house issues it's just been ... a lot. So last week I made a spur of the moment decision to book a night away. My priority was somewhere that wasn't
- [The MAD Blog Awards (2015 edition)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-mad-blog-awards-2015-edition/) - It's sort of crazy to me that the MAD Blog Awards for UK parent blogs are now in their sixth year. I remember sitting in my back garden chatting through the bare bones of an idea with Josie, way back in late 2009. The idea was that while Tots100 ranked blogs and used numbers and metrics
- [Alcudia Park Review : Family Friendly Hotel, Mallorca](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-iberostar-alcudia-park-family-friendly-hotel-mallorca/) - The first of our summer adventures this year has been a trip to Mallorca to see the newly refurbished Iberostar Alcudia Park hotel for a review. The Iberostar Alcudia Park is a beachfront property offering family-friendly, all-inclusive accommodation, a short 30-minute drive from the airport. Alcudia Park Accommodation We arrived at the Iberostar Alcudia Park
- [First Impressions: Beaches Ocho Rios, Jamaica](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/first-impressions-beaches-ocho-rios-jamaica/) - Today we are sharing a review of Beaches Ocho Rios family resort in Jamaica. "Welcome home!" said a smiling man, as he motioned me to take a seat on a chunky leather sofa, where I was offered a choice of Champagne or Signature cocktail. Elmo (yes, THE Elmo) arrived just after my cocktail. Someone handed
- [How to make money with Amazon Associates](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-money-with-amazon-associates/) - Wondering how to make money with Amazon Associates? You aren't the only one. Technically, I've been earning money with Amazon Associates for ten years. But I have to confess that for the first 9 years and 5 months of that time, I made a grand total of £26. However, over the past six months, I've
- [How to be an Insta-Mum](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-be-an-insta-mum/) - There's been all sorts of talk lately about the Insta Mum. Get them with their shiny houses and perfect lives, constantly making "normal" Mums look bad. I take offence. Being an Insta Mum myself, I can tell you with 100% confidence and honesty that some of us just find life easier than others. It's hardly
- [20 of the Best Audio Books for Teens](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-audio-books-teen-girls-and-tweens/) - Read on to discover the best audio books for teens to listen to with their parents: [contains affiliate links: if you purchase any of the books we've recommended, we may earn a small commission] As a parent to a teen, I know first hand it can be a worrying time. There are so many things
- [25+ Hallmark Movies to Watch in the UK](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hallmark-movies-to-watch-in-the-uk/) - Want to know how to watch Hallmark Movies in the UK? Read on... To be perfectly frank, I'm obsessed (in an appropriate, healthy way) with Hallmark movies. There's something about those picture-perfect small American towns, the handsome men who are impossibly decent and the certain knowledge that everything is going to be okay in the
- [Newsflash: I'm not sleeping with your husband.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/newsflash-im-not-sleeping-with-your-husband/) - Is there an epidemic of single parents having affairs with married men? I was chatting with a friend recently, who was in the middle of trying to organise a social get-together with the parents from her son’s class at school. Turns out organising this kind of event is tricky – finding a day when people
- [What NOT to call your child...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-not-to-call-your-child/) - There are lots of posts about baby names but how about what NOT to call your child? Now, I’m not one to be judgmental, but… Actually that’s a complete lie. I’m massively judgmental. I’ve written about my feelings about X-Factor fans, and you don’t want to know what I said this week when I noticed
- [Best Things to do in Bruges with Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-things-to-do-in-bruges-when-youre-five/) - Looking for the best things to do in Bruges with kids? Last week, Flea and I were invited to join the Eurostar Explorers, a group of 300 Europeans who were challenged to explore a new city via Eurostar. This meant we were invited to travel by Eurostar to the fairy tale Belgian city of Bruges.
- [And Now We Are Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-now-we-are-seven/) - Flea is seven. But only for another day or two. It's true. My girl is turning eight. EIGHT. How the jimminy did that happen? It barely seems five minutes ago I woke up from the anaesthetic and asked my husband why he was holding that baby. Seven has been a great year. Seven is the
- [Are toddler classes good for babies?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/no-i-dont-want-to-give-my-child-a-head-start-thanks/) - Are toddler classes good for babies? When we moved to Lancashire, Flea and I signed up to a variety of toddler groups and activity groups, hoping to meet some other Mums and kids. On one level it was a resounding success – we met some great Mums at swimming, and I knew I’d get along
- [Bento Lunchbox Ideas for Fussy Eaters | AD](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bento-lunchbox-ideas-for-fussy-eaters-ad/) - I love bento box lunches for fussy eaters. If your child is a picky eater, a bento box lunch is great because: Kids can pick and choose between foods It's a chance to have small tastes of different things food looks fun in a bento, so kids may be more to taste unfamiliar food I've
- [What Not to Say to an Adopted Child](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-not-to-say-to-an-adopted-child/) - Earlier this week, I found a wonderful childhood memento. It's a bedtime story book that I was given at Christmas, by my birth mother. I was five years old, she'd have been 21, maybe 22. It's the only thing I have that she ever gave me, and it means the world to me. I went
- [Why I Don't Want to Contact my Birth Mother (yet)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/i-dont-want-to-contact-my-birth-mother-yet/) - I reckon every adopted person has wondered, at some point, about hunting down and meeting their birth mother, or biological family. It's a complicated decision, though. The experts say it's something you should think about carefully. You almost definitely shouldn't idly type your birth mother's name into Facebook one day, and land on a profile
- [California Road Trip with Kids: San Francisco](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-san-francisco/) - Are you planning a California Road Trip with kids? Here is where our second Cali road trip kicked off! Our Summer 2015 California road trip kicked off with three days in San Francisco. I love coming here - San Francisco was one of the first places I visited in the US. During my 20s when
- [Is it better to be right, or happy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-it-better-to-be-right-or-happy/) - Is it better to be right, or happy? The doctor recently diagnosed me with a serious case of Right-itis. He claims that I have a complete need to be right in any given situation. Nonsense. Anyone who’s met me will know I’m not even slightly competitive or argumentative. Cough. I jest, but lately I’ve been
- [Is Ghosting a Friend Ever Okay?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-ghosting-a-friend-ever-ok/) - Ghosting a friend is cowardly. Ghosting a friend is selfish. If a friend ghosts you, it's all about them being a Bad Person, and not because you've done anything wrong. But.... here's the thing. One survey suggests that as many as 50% of us have been ghosted at one time or another - and the
- [The One Where Flea Changes School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/changing-schools-in-the-middle-of-the-year/) - Changing schools in the middle of the year was never in the plan. But here we are. This morning, I dropped Flea off at a new school, having left her old school on Friday. I'm not someone who makes this kind of decision lightly. To say the least. For starters, I hate to admit defeat.
- [A Perfect Christmas Craft for Children](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-perfect-christmas-craft-for-children/) - Anyone who knows you will tell you that I'm the sort of Mum who loves to bake and craft with my child in the run-up to Christmas. Or at least... they will tell you that if I pay them enough money. The truth is I can't cook very well. I have precisely one Christmas craft
- [When is the Best Time to Start Revising for GCSEs?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-is-the-best-time-to-start-revising-for-gcses/) - When is the best time to start revising for GCSEs? And what should your revision timetable look like? As long-term readers will know, Flea is now 15 and would have been taking her GCSEs at the end of this academic year, had Covid not got in the way. You'd think given that GCSEs are cancelled,
- [Tales from a Single Parent Blogger: What's it like to be a single mum?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-it-like-to-be-a-single-parent/) - I'm a single parent blogger. So when I was reading this post over at Not Supermum yesterday about the differences between single parenting and married/partnered-up parenting, it got me thinking. I've always said on this blog that single parenting isn't a competition. I'm not getting into a stupid "my life is harder than your life"
- [Airbnb Damage Claim? Here's what to do!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/airbnb-damage-claim-what-to-do/) - Facing an Airbnb damage claim? Here's our story: We've been pretty regular Airbnb customers for a few years now. Lakefront cabins, forest lodges, beachfront apartments, even converted RVs and Airstream caravans. We've loved using Airbnb for our travels in California and beyond. It's fair to say our Airbnb hosts have mostly loved us, too. Reviews
- [It's email. Not a life support system.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-email-not-a-life-support-system/) - This week, for some people, the world ground to a halt. I was sitting in the car listening to the news yesterday and heard a vox pop interview with a man on the street who was describing what he termed a “catastrophe”. His BlackBerry had stopped working. Yes. For close to six hours, this man
- [My Single Parent Mortgage Story](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-single-parent-mortgage-story/) - Getting a mortgage when you're a single parent is challenging. If you're self-employed to boot, good luck! Honestly, finding a mortgage was the single most stressful part of our recent house move. It is enough to make you wonder if it's even worth it! If you're in the midst of single parent mortgage stress, you have
- [Week 1 in our Story Homes New Build House](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/diary-of-a-new-build-house-week-1/) - Ever wondered what happens when you move into a new build property? It's now a week since we bought our new build home from Story Homes. I wanted to capture some of the things that have happened and share tips if you're moving into a new build home soon. Friday: Completion Day! Because we sold
- [Why does my ex hate me so much?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-when-your-ex-hates-you/) - If there was such a thing as a hierarchy of skills, I suspect making fire and cooking edible food would rank top 10. 'Understanding why your ex hates you - and learning not to care' might not rank so high, but it's a skill I've been working on this past year. A lot. So, I have
- [40 Best Box Sets to Watch in 2021](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/40-box-sets-to-see-before-youre-40/) - What are the best TV box sets to watch in 2021? Like many a woman before me, I’m a big fan of a TV box-set. Once upon a time, I used to buy actual DVDs from HMV, or order them from the US to play on a specially purchased DVD player from a shop on
- [Counting the Cost of Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/counting-the-cost/) - Social media is always entertaining at this time of year. It's wall to wall elaborate bakes and crafts and spooky-faced elves and "toddler style" - all set against a perfectly-lit, stylishly decorated home. Of course. Because everyone knows Christmas can't be magical unless your presents are purchased from boutiques, wrapped in artisan, hand-printed paper and
- [How Good are Rowntrees Reduced Sugar Sweets?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/good-rowntrees-reduced-sugar-sweets/) - I have a complicated relationship with Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles. Here's the thing: whenever I buy a packet of Fruit Pastilles, I am cursed with the sort of luck that means I get a disproportionately high number of black fruit pastilles. Which means I feel short-changed on green and orange pastilles, which are clearly the very best sort
- [Leaving Primary School: And So It Ends](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-so-it-ends/) - In a little over 36 hours, Flea's time at primary school will be over. Judging by the tearful child I put to bed this evening, I'm not the only one surprised by the speed with which leaving primary school has come around. On the one hand, Flea's excited. She's going to a great school, she's
- [Wild Wadi Waterpark Review: Dubai Day 2:](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dubai-kids-wild-wadi-walking-tour/) - Today I'm sharing our Wild Wadi Waterpark review, which we visited as part of our visit to Dubai. Here's the thing you need to know about Dubai - you can fit more into a day here than you could fit into a WEEK at home. Seriously, it's crazy. On our recent trip, hosted by Dubai
- [Snagging Tips: How to Snag a New Build Home Yourself](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/snagging-a-new-build-home-yourself/) - Today I'm sharing top tips for snagging a new build home yourself. We moved into our new build just over a year ago. It was the first time I'd lived in anything other than a period house, so snagging was a new concept to me. Here's a post about moving in, and another after a
- [Warwick Castle Glamping Tents: Review of Knight's Village](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/warwick-castle-glamping-review-wooden-lodges/) - If you're heading to Warwick Castle this summer, why not extend your stay at the Knight's Village, in one of the Warwick Castle glamping tents? Glamping at The Knight's Village Back in the day, my Dad was a scout leader. My childhood featured a lot of camping. The sort of camping with bugs, sleeping bags
- [Keeping Kids Safe in School during Covid](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/keeping-kids-safe-in-school-during-covid/) - This post contains collaborative brand content It's been ten weeks since I wrote about keeping kids safe in school, and whether I thought it was safe for Flea to go back to school. That ten weeks has felt like the longest half-term in history. Right now, Flea is going into her second week of half-term,
- [Why We Need to Cancel GCSEs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-we-need-to-cancel-gcses/) - Today saw the news that the Welsh government has followed the lead of the Scottish parliament and cancelled GCSEs and A-Levels for students in 2021. In Scotland, the GCSEs are cancelled; exams are being replaced with coursework. In Wales the government said there will be teacher graded assessments in the Spring. Why, oh why, has
- [How to Manage What Kids Watch Online](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-manage-what-kids-watch-online/) - How to Manage What Kids Watch Online isn't a sponsored post, but I did get a cool gift at my meeting with BBFC. I remember the first time I saw Dirty Dancing. I was 13, and sneaking in to see the film, which was rated '15'. There was a cunning plan to make sure that
- [We Should Be Teaching Teens to use the Phone](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/we-should-be-teaching-teens-to-use-the-phone/) - If you're a parent, are you teaching teens to use the phone? By this, I don't mean teaching your kids to play games, text or watch TikTok on their mobile phone. Most kids I know don't have any issues in this regard. Many of us teach our children the mechanics of using a phone when
- [How Should you Deal with Rude Behaviour at the Pool?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/rude-behaviour-at-the-pool/) - How do you deal with rude behaviour at the pool? I should start by saying I don't mean rude as in, you know, saucy behaviour. Rather I mean people just ignoring the basic rules of good swimming etiquette, and acting as though nobody else in the world exists. I went for my first swim since
- [Christmas Dinner Tips for Lazy Cooks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-christmas-dinner-tips-lazy-cooks/) - Looking for Christmas dinner tips for lazy cooks? Stressed out at the prospect of preparing a Christmas Dinner for the family? Don't be. My firm belief about Christmas is that it's a time for stealing all the kids' toys. If you're up to your eyeballs in the kitchen, how you can you build that LEGO set
- [How long does it take to move house?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-waiting-game/) - These days the only thing I can think is, "How long does it take to move house?" Forever, seemingly. This isn't how I thought moving house would be. I thought moving house meant loading all my worldly goods into a van and driving to an exciting new destination. Popping on the kettle and admiring my
- [Why We Need to Stop. Think. Share (Maybe)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-we-need-to-stop-think-share-maybe/) - I'm not a big fan of the phrase "fake news" but there's certainly a growing problem with social media being overwhelmed by false claims, urban myths and conspiracy theories. Do Masks Cause Cancer? This week, I spotted a post on my Instagram feed that had been shared by another blogger. The image was a series
- [Funny Made Up Games for Five Year Olds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/funny-made-up-games-for-five-year-olds/) - Today I'm sharing some of my very favourite, tried and tested made up games for five year olds. My five year old Flea and I LOVE to invent our own made games. They're generally very silly, have very few rules and are just about the best fun ever. Some of our favourite made up games
- [Why are we so Bad at Self Care?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-are-we-so-bad-at-self-care/) - Why are we so bad at investing in our own self care, wellbeing and happiness when we're parents? I was chatting with a friend online this week and they were explaining to me why an upcoming night away from home for a social event is such a big deal for them. She said to me:
- [Is it Safe to Send Kids Back to School?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/back-to-school-coronavirus-is-it-safe/) - Is it safe to send our kids back to school this September, while the coronavirus pandemic still lingers? It's a question I've asked myself a lot in recent weeks. Flea is just heading into Year 11, which is a crucial year for her education. Her school made the decision to end summer term early, and
- [Is Trolling Illegal? An Inconvenient Truth.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-trolling-illegal-in-the-uk/) - Ever wondered if trolling is illegal in the UK? Join the club! Way back in the history of this blog, I wrote a post about how bloggers should expect to be trolled. I wrote: "If you express anything other than the most vanilla of opinions online, someone, somewhere will disagree with you". It's 2020, and
- [Things to do in Bassenthwaite with Teenagers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-bassenthwaite-with-teens/) - Are you looking for things to do in Bassenthwaite with teens and tweens? Like many families, we've decided to stay in the UK for holidays this year. No judgement if you chose differently, I just can't quite get my head around airports and planes, just now. Like many self-employed people I'm also a tiny bit
- [Hiring a Personal Trainer for Teenagers: Our Experience](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hire-personal-trainer-for-teenagers/) - If you're wondering whether you need to hire a personal trainer for teenagers, you are NOT the only one. Earlier this year as lockdown kicked in, I realised my 14-year-old had barely moved an inch in days. There seemed to be a hundred reasons to stay in her room, whether it was Snapchat, Netflix or
- [A Weekend in Pollensa, Mallorca](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-weekend-in-pollensa-mallorca/) - Looking for a family-friendly villa rental in Mallorca, Spain? Check out our weekend break to Pollensa, Mallorca's prettiest town.
- [Travelling without Luggage: A Moneysupermarket Adventure](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/travelling-without-luggage-a-moneysupermarket-adventure/) - Back in the days Before Child (BC), I was a light packer. I used to travel a lot with my job as a journalist, and I took pride in needing nothing more than hand luggage for a trip of 7 days or less. Travelling with kids, though? That usually takes a lot more space. On top
- [Earlier than Expected: Year 10 is Over.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/earlier-than-expected-year-10-is-over/) - A few weeks earlier than planned, we find ourselves at the end of Year 10. Or what is his is also known as Flea's fourth year of senior school, in old money. A Change in Schedule After weeks of uncertainty, the school announced that it was bringing forward the end of term by two weeks.
- [Adoption Trauma and Problems with Adoption](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/adoption-trauma-problems-adopted-children/) - Today I want to write about how we talk about adoption, and adoption trauma, in particular. We often talk about adoption like a fairy tale, with a tragic infant and kindly strangers. They rescue the child, and love her as if she was their own. It's not a helpful story, and it isn't true. Actually,
- [Where to Get Face Masks in the UK](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/where-to-get-face-masks-in-the-uk/) - With changing government guidelines, you might be wondering where to buy face masks. Today I'm sharing some of the best places to get medical and antiviral face masks in the UK for you, and your family. The government is recommending that we wear masks in public places that are enclosed. So this might include supermarkets
- [Should we Cancel our Summer Holiday?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/should-we-cancel-our-summer-holiday/) - Should we cancel our summer holiday? Have you cancelled your summer plans yet? The stupid coronavirus has put paid to many our travel plans for this year, as I'm sure it has for millions of families like ours. It goes without saying that OF COURSE the most important thing is to be safe and healthy.
- [Why are Some Children Overlooked? The Invisible Middle.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-invisible-middle/) - Why are some children overlooked? The good children. The introverted children. The easy children. Today was just... one of those days. One of those days where you're exhausted and frustrated from trying to advocate for your child. Why can't schools seem to understand that not all kids are the same? It seems to me that
- [We Need to Talk about Gilmore Girls](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/need-talk-gilmore-girls/) - So have you watched Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life yet? I watched it this weekend. I stretched it out over two afternoons, while Flea was out with her Dad. Then watched the whole thing again - with Flea. Confession: I've loved Gilmore Girls for a long time. I first picked up the Season
- [The Shipping News: Top 10 TV Couples](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-10-best-tv-couples-2017/) - Today I am going to share a secret with you. A dark and shameful secret. Ready? I am a shipper. Chances are that if you are a sensible, well-adjusted adult you're now imagining me in a boat. If only. Actually, in Internet lingo, a 'shipper' is someone who gets overly invested in fictional relationships on TV
- [The Mean Reds and other Imagined Problems](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-mean-reds-and-other-imagined-problems/) - Maybe it's the changing seasons. The lack of light; short days, which start and end in darkness. Maybe it's the fact we've not had a working bath or shower for four weeks, now. Maybe it's because I can't remember having had a proper, actual night out in months. Maybe it's because I'm bickering with one
- [When Your Child Doesn't Get Picked for the Team](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-your-child-doesnt-get-picked-for-the-team/) - It's never easy when your child doesn't get picked for the team. Whether it's football, hockey or swimming, it is natural for kids (and parents) to be disappointed. But this is not a post about how to complain when your child doesn't get picked for the team. Firstly, it doesn't work. Secondly (and a bit
- [Changing Secondary School: 18 Months Post-Switch](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/changing-secondary-school-18-month-update/) - It's been 18 months since we made the decision to take Flea out of her last secondary school, and move her to a new school. I thought it might be nice to share an update. Partly because I hate when people announce a big change and then never tell you how it actually went (so
- [Best Teen Movies to Watch this Weekend](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-teen-movies-for-kids-and-teenagers/) - Looking for the best teen movies to watch with your teen this weekend? Fear not, I have you covered. Honestly, I love a good teen movie. Despite being a couple of decades too old, I also read a lot of YA (young adult) fiction. There's something very absorbing and truthful about a story featuring characters
- [Do Tutors Really Help Children Learn?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/do-tutors-really-help/) - Do Tutors Really Help Children? [Do Tutors Really Help is a paid post in association with MyTutor] Often, parents have two questions about using a tutor. Do tutors really help kids to learn? And what does it say about us if we're using a tutor? Let's be real, there's a degree of stigma in some
- [Using YouTube Analytics to Grow your Channel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-using-youtube-analytics/) - If you've been on YouTube for more than 5 minutes, you'll know that building a channel is entirely different to building a blog. It's frustrating because as bloggers we know - sort of - how to build an audience and promote our content. But on YouTube the process of growing a channel is very different.
- [In Need of a Project.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/in-need-of-a-project/) - I'm writing this with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Not just because it's Monday (although that never helps). But because Flea - my tiny, precious Flea - is currently in Switzerland on her first ever ski trip, with school. I'm trying not to hyperventilate just typing that sentence. I mean, do
- [Dear School, I hate you. Love, Me.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-school-i-hate-you-love-me/) - I've been full of good intentions this week. After a month of borderline neglect of my child due to Big Work Stuff happening, I have dedicated myself to the art of of better parenting. I've cooked dinner more often than I've ordered it in, and we're making an extra effort on things like getting to
- [Little Lego Makers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/little-lego-makers/) - A few weeks ago, I wrote about our frustration when we went out to buy some LEGO and couldn't find a single box of LEGO that wasn't themed. It's not that we don't love the licensed sets of LEGO - sometimes we do - but, inspired by the LEGO movie, Flea wanted to build her
- [Things to do at Universal Orlando when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-at-universal-orlando-when-youre-seven/) - One of the highlights of our recent trip to Orlando, Florida was the day we spent at Universal Orlando. Universal Orlando is actually two separate theme parks - Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. What to Expect Islands of Adventure is split into a number of areas including Seuss Landing, with lots of gorgeous rides
- [Top Tips for Family Visits to Orlando, Florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-family-visits-to-orlando-florida/) - Two weeks ago, Flea and I were boarding a plane at Manchester airport ready for the 10-hour trip to Orlando, Florida. We were invited to experience the highlights of Orlando as guests of Visit Orlando, which has recently launched a new holiday planning tool designed for UK families to plan their holiday in Orlando before
- [The Flea Files, Part III](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/flea-files/) - I woke up this Mother's Day without Flea - she was with her Dad this weekend. Obviously, I spent my weekend shuffling miserably from room to room thinking of how my life is meaningless without my baby, and definitely NOT taking the opportunity for a quiet swim, followed by skipping dinner in favour of snacks
- [Sally and Flea go to The Making of Harry Potter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sally-and-flea-go-to-the-making-of-harry-potter/) - We get invited to some fairly exciting places because of this blog, Flea and I. But being invited to go and tour the sets of Harry Potter at Warner Bros Studios, which opens to the public next weekend, might actually have made Flea's top three. And, because I'm such a sterling parent, I was prepared
- [Things to do in Manchester When You're 3](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-manchester-when-youre-3/) - Flea and I were invited to Manchester this weekend to try out the city's cultural attractions for a weekend in Manchester with kids. Since we are completely ALL ABOUT high culture and stuff we jumped at the chance to spend a few days exploring the various kid-friendly exhibits and events at Manchester's many museums, galleries
- [What are your Top Five Fireside Reads?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-are-your-top-five-fireside-reads/) - During the summer, I love to read outdoors. There’s not much that can top reading Thomas Hardy under the shade of an oak tree, or sipping cold water while drinking in My Family and Other Animals on a beach in Corfu. Summer is all about Wodehouse and Austen round these parts. But winter reading is
- [The one where I go to Germany and hug children inappropriately.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-hug-children-inappropriately/) - In 12 years as a journo, I've had some pretty cool press trips. There have been snowmobiles in Finland, a steamboat on the Mississippi, castles in Italy, taking a limo to have cocktails at the Four Seasons in New York. Friends, none of this compares to the trip I took last week to Dietenhoven, Germany. You
- [The Rule Keeper](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-rule-keeper/) - Every so often, I find myself browsing job ads, thinking how lovely it would be to have someone else take care of paying me each month, rather than the rollercoaster ride of running my own business. Then, at some point, I remember that I am fundamentally unemployable. I'm not kidding, either. My editor once
- [You know you're a Mummy Blogger when...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-know-youre-a-mummy-blogger-when/) - You have this conversation with your six-year-old on the way home from school: Me: I need to stop at the letterbox on the way home to post these letters. Flea: Can we write a letter to the PR, Mummy? Me: Which PR? Flea: You know, the one who sends us stuff. Me: Why do
- [Do you censor what your children see?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/do-you-censor-what-your-children-see/) - It’s no secret that I am a bit partial to a Dawson’s Creek DVD box-set on a winter’s weekend (and if it was, it’s not any more). As a grown-up woman of almost 26*, some people might think this is not an appropriate thing for an adult to be watching but I don’t care –
- [Why I used to love LEGO](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-i-used-to-love-lego/) - Image credit: Dunechaser Back when I was a kid, I had three older brothers. LEGO was a big fixture in our family and with 7 years between me and the eldest in the family, we accrued a massive LEGO collection, and the big box of bricks was passed down the family. I spent many happy
- [Dear PR (the ranty edition)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-pr-you-need-influencer-marketing/) - You can't have missed the controversy in recent weeks about the travel blogger who asked for a free stay at a hotel in exchange for coverage on her YouTube channel. Personally, I think the hotel behaved unprofessionally. Sharing a pitch from a small business without taking due care to protect their identity is careless and
- [The Quarantine Report: Lockdown with a Teenager](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/lockdown-with-a-teenager/) - Being in lockdown with a teenager is wreaking havoc on my mental health. I normally write a blog post in about 20 minutes but this one has been sitting in drafts for two weeks, now. Because what is there to say? I'm sad, and disappointed. I'm sad about the missed holidays and the cancelled hockey
- [A Guide to Family Travel to O'ahu, Hawaii](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-for-family-trips-to-oahu-hawaii/) - You might think this is an odd time to talk to you about Hawaii. But here are three important reasons that I'm now sharing a post about our a-ma-zing trip to Oahu, Hawaii this summer. First, it's cold as all heck out there and who doesn't want pictures of sunshine and beaches? Second, we just
- [Review: Flea tries the Penny Skateboard](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-flea-tries-the-penny-skateboard/) - Flea is a super-enthusiastic but newbie skateboarder. Actually, she's been having skateboard lessons for a few months now at the Projekts Centre in Manchester. It's a wonderful council-owned facility that gives kids access to a safe place to skate. There are regular girls' only nights, holiday clubs and there are coaches around to help kids.
- [40 (more) Box Sets to Watch Before you Die: Part 2](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/40-more-box-sets-to-watch-before-you-die-part-2/) - So it's time for Part 2 of my epic guide to the very best box sets to binge on, with selections from iTunes, Amazon, Netflix and On Demand TV services. Last time, I gave you a round-up of some of my favourite sci-fi, drama, crime and supernatural shows. This time, we're featuring some of the
- [The Half Term That Wasn't](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-half-term-that-wasnt/) - It's been a long week. Life took an unexpected turn, as it does, and I ended up flat out at work, and then two blogs (including this one) got hacked and I've been up to my ears in clients, and developers, and hosts and to be brutally honest, the last thing I needed was a
- [Five Foods to try in California](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-foods-to-try-in-california/) - We love California. So much, in fact, that Flea and I have spent the last two summers in the golden state. There's a lot to love about California, especially if you're travelling with kids. From the cloudy waterfront in San Francisco to the wide open surfing beaches in San Diego and the fairground fun of
- [The Summer Go See Do List.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-summer-go-see-do-list/) - Summer is - without question - my favourite time of year. In about 10 days' time Flea will be out of school for the summer and we're free for nine weeks or so, to do as we please. I'm lucky my job allows lots of flexibility to take time off during the holidays, and if the
- [12 Things to do on a California Road Trip](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california/) - We've spent the past couple of weeks in California, Flea and I. I had a birthday coming up, and depressed at the thought of my rapidly looming old age, I wanted to go and do something different this summer. To see somewhere new, to try some new things, and spend time with Flea. So we
- [40 Box Sets to See Before You're 40 (Part 2)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/40-box-sets-to-see-before-youre-40-part-2/) - So here it is: part two of my ultimate guide to box sets. There's years of research and intense lying about has gone into this post. Oh yes. Yesterday, I gave you my entirely personal, partisan selection of the best 20 box-sets for fans of comedy, guilty pleasures, family dramas and teen shows. Today, I'm all
- [Your Ultimate Holiday Checklist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/your-ultimate-holiday-checklist/) - What's on your holiday checklist? We're almost two weeks into the summer holidays in our house, and I'm in the final stages of planning for our annual summer holiday/road trip. Honestly, I use the word "planning" in its loosest sense. This is not a house with packing lists or spreadsheets. In truth, this is a
- [Ten Years: Time to Move On?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ten-years-time-to-move-on/) - Why am I thinking about moving house? I bought my current house ten years ago this month. Back then I was a newly single parent working as a freelance journalist. I'd had to sell our house in Brighton as part of the divorce settlement, so I was broke (to put it mildly). Moving house 300
- [What I've Learned About Exam Stress (from getting it all wrong)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-reducing-exam-stress-teens/) - Are you wondering how to reduce exam stress for your teen? Like so many things in parenting, my tips for dealing with exam stress come from getting this stuff all wrong to begin with. This Time Last Year: Exam Stress Overload Flea attended a primary school that didn't do SATS, so her Year 7 exams
- [What I'm Doing Now](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-im-doing-now/) - I've been tagged by Lindy to tell you what I'm doing. Ready to be amazed? Yes. Well, move along then, sister, because I'm doing mostly nothing. I am SO ready for the summer holidays. But because I'm nothing if not obedient, here goes: Currently I am: Reading: If I Stay. Because I'm a sucker for
- [Can you spend less on petrol?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/can-you-spend-less-on-petrol/) - There are some things I don't mind spending money on. Decorators and builders always seem like money well spent, for example. It would take me more time than them, to do a worse job, and the money I wouldn't earn outweighs what they cost. Netflix. Apple TV. Broadband. All no-brainers. For some reason, though,
- [How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love your Blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-stop-worrying-and-learn-to-love-your-blog/) - My blog is imperfect. I haven't won any blogging awards. Major supermarkets don't line up to put my blog on their list of 'favourites'. Some of my blog posts get lots of traffic and comments, some get much less. I use a paid-for theme, because I don't have the skills to customise my own design.
- [Do You Know Your Rights?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/do-you-know-your-rights/) - I’ve written a lot previously about the basics of copyright and protecting your work online for bloggers. One of the things I often tell people is that you don’t have to do anything for the words and images you create to be protected by copyright – the moment you use skill to put words into
- [It's not personal. I just hate you.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-not-personal-i-just-hate-you/) - Dear World, I'm sure you're all lovely people with many fine qualities. I'm sure you all donate to worthy charities, are kind to animals, and are polite to your Grandmothers. Sadly, though, I still hate you. Not all of you. Just those of you at the school gate, at the supermarket, on the phone, in
- [Could it be Magic? No, darling, it's just the cleaners.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/could-it-be-magic-no-darling-its-just-the-cleaners/) - I sometimes joke that after the divorce, I missed my cleaner more than my ex. Ah, who am I kidding? It’s not even a joke. My total lack of domestic credentials were firmly established when I visited my brother with a three-year-old Flea, to find him ironing. “Uncle Jim,” said Flea, in tones of awe
- [The Spring/Summer '11 Collection](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-springsummer-11-collection/) - The summer that I was seven years old my favourite outfit was a white polo shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. The shorts had deep pockets and were ever so slightly too big, meaning they had to be held up with a stripy belt. Every time I wore those shorts, I pretended I was
- [Welcome to the Jungle](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/welcome-to-the-jungle/) - Since starting blogging, I’ve shared many intimate details of my life with you, my readers. You’ve seen my mug shelves. You’ve seen my kitchen cupboard. You’ve seen my dining room shelves and toy storage. As a result, I may have gained a reputation for being a tidy, orderly sort of person. But I have a
- [Single Mums: Suck It Up.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-mums-its-not-about-you/) - At the risk of repeating myself (though I think it’s allowed once you get to my age) one of the things about getting older is realising life’s almost never black and white. For this reason, I try really hard not to be judgmental about other parenting decisions. What works for my family might not work
- [Is it Christmas? No. Simple.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-it-christmas-no-simple/) - I've a feeling this post is going to become an annual event. Earlier tonight, I was driving home with Flea when I saw that two houses already had Christmas trees decorated and twinkling in the windows. This is WRONG. I know that sounds judgemental doesn't it? I apologise. But I don't take it back. It
- [Things to do in Cologne when you're six.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-cologne-when-youre-six/) - A couple of days before Christmas, I set off with Flea and my Mum for a 2 night trip to Cologne’s Christmas markets, courtesy of budget airline Germanwings, with accommodation provided by a website called 9Flats.com. Now, I don’t have the best track record when it comes to travel, so the notion of us travelling
- [The Lightbulb Moment](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-lightbulb-moment/) - Did you know that in a dimly lit room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to allow in more light? You probably knew that, because you’re smart. You’re reading my blog, for starters, which speaks very highly of your mental capabilities. Conversely, when you look at a bright light, your pupils contract – this protects
- [When Are Your Teens Going Back to School?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/teens-going-back-to-school/) - When are your teens going back to school? Honestly, there's nothing to say about the current school situation for teens in the UK. Apart from it's a hot mess. When Flea's school first closed in mid-March, the expectation was that kids would be back in the classroom after the Easter holidays. That date came and
- [When You Can't Kiss it Better](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kiss-it-better/) - As Flea gets older, the lessons I want to teach her change. Long gone are the days of carrying her over puddles so her feet don't get soggy, or letting her stand on my knee so she can reach the counter top in the kitchen. Parenting a ten-year-old is more like being a mixture of a
- [Co-Parenting: It works. Until it doesn't.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/divorce-parenting-fail/) - I've got a confession to make - after eight years, I thought I had divorced parenting down. The basic rules were: Regular, agreed contact for Flea with her Dad. One night a week, every other weekend, three weeks over summer, long weekends at half-term. Christmas shared. Usually my ex stayed over Christmas Eve into Christmas morning. Because
- [Big Schools, Bigger Choices](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/big-schools-bigger-choices/) - I sometimes look at the current fashion for curated blogs, uber-professional, styled and themed to perfection, and thank my lucky stars that I started this blog when I did. This blog is an imperfect patchwork of memories, stories and moments. These days, Flea and I often read back old posts together. We snigger over the time
- [First Day Nerves](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/first-day-nerves/) - What if I get lost? What if nobody speaks to me? I hope I don’t do anything embarrassing. Did I remember to floss? I don’t want bad breath on the first day! It’s Flea’s first day of senior school today, and somewhere around 8pm last night, the nerves kicked in. My nerves. Yeah, sure, Flea’s starting senior
- [Our Summer in Pictures](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/our-summer-in-pictures-2/) - How was your summer? Monday morning is the return to full-on school and work, and I'm not ready! This summer has felt monumental in some ways. Flea finished primary school, and turned 11. It's such a fun age, almost as though she's straddling two stages of her life. On the one hand, I see the
- [Halloween Treats: Popping Chocolate Truffle Monsters](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/halloween-popping-chocolate-truffle-monsters/) - This weekend, Flea and I cooked up some Halloween treats, including these fab little chocolate truffle Halloween monsters. If I say so myself, they're ridiculously yummy, and dead simple to make, with just a handful of ingredients. Perfect to make with kids this Halloween. Halloween Chocolate Truffle Monsters 350g cooking chocolate (milk) 1/2 cup whipping/double cream 2 tbsp canned
- [What happens to Tween Girls on Instagram?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-tween-teen-girls-do-on-instagram/) - Tween girls on Instagram. Here's a sneak peek: Might delete. You mean don't delete! Ur a stunner! LOL! Ur lying. Sxc! #Figure Not lying. Yeah you are, it's not funny. It's no joke. Ur so pretty Stop talking about urself in my comments. God, it's EXHAUSTING being tween girls on Instagram. Judging by the feeds of
- [When Should you Reward your Kids?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-should-you-reward-your-kids/) - Do you reward your children for achievements, and if so, which ones? As with most parenting issues, I veer from being 100% certain that I've got it sussed, and realising I have precisely zero idea what's the right thing to do. I want to motivate and recognise when Flea has worked hard. I don't want
- [How to Make a Bottle Rocket with Terrific Scientific](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/make-bottle-rocket-terrific-scientific/) - Did you know you can make a simple bottle rocket out of a few everyday items you’ve got in your kitchen? So, fancy yourself a rocket scientist? Here’s how we made our bottle rocket launcher – check out the video at the end of this post to see if we got it to fly (and
- [Late for the School Performance](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/putting-thrill-parenting/) - Picture the scene: Parents were seated around the room, drinking tea and coffee, eating biscuits. The Dads were wearing jackets, the Mums were smartly dressed. There was a quiet murmur of chatter. The assembled group had been waiting for an hour for the drama performance to start. The children had spent that time carefully rehearsing their monologues
- [Tips for Taking Kids to their First Concert](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-for-taking-kids-to-their-first-concert/) - Today I'm sharing our top tips for taking kids to their first concert. Concerts are something we LOVE in our household. As you'll know if you follow me on Insta, we had a big weekend. Flea and I spent Friday night at the Taylor Swift concert in Manchester, and on Saturday we were at the
- [Gifts for PE Teachers: Do you buy them?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gifts-for-pe-teachers-do-you-buy-them/) - Sponsored post in collaboration with Sanctuary Spa What are the best gifts for PE teachers? About this time of year, there's always a lot of conversation on social media about the best gifts for teachers. Should you buy a mug? Should you make a home-made card? Should you ditch the whole teacher gift thing because
- [Twenty Movies to Cheer you Up](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/20-movies-to-cheer-you-up/) - Looking for movies to cheer you up? You're not the only one! This week, has been completely rubbish. Just rubbish. "Let's watch something to cheer ourselves up," I said to Flea, after a post-school scooter ride along the beach. And so we flicked through Netflix, iTunes and Sky until we came up with a shortlist
- [Things to do in London when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-london-when-youre-seven/) - Flea turned seven a week or so back – and unlike many seven year olds, she didn’t have a long wishlist of presents. So I offered to take her to London for a weekend, including a trip to see Horrible Histories Live, and a visit to Hamleys to choose a gift. We also managed a
- [Things to do at La Croix du Vieux Pont](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-at-la-croix-du-vieux-pont/) - Back in The Olden Times (as Flea charmingly referred to my youth this week) I did a lot of camping. My Dad was a cub scout leader and we would regularly tramp off to a field to sleep in a tent, climb trees and splash about in rivers. We slept in scratchy sleeping bags on
- [Things to do in Brittany when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-brittany-when-youre-seven/) - Flea and I have just got back from a glorious week in Brittany, where we were sent by Canvas Holidays to review Camping La Grande Metairie, in Southern Brittany. This was our first time in this part of France, and I thought it was lovely - you're hard pushed to go anywhere and be more
- [Things to do on the Fylde Coast when You're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/rainy-days-blackpool-lytham-stannes-kids/) - Being Northern means many things. First and foremost, we pronounce words like "last" PROPERLY, and we don't believe in sharing our feelings in public, or any of that nonsense. It also means we have some of the country's most lush green fields and sandy beaches on our doorstep. Granted, much of the lushness comes from
- [What we did this Half Term](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-we-did-this-half-term/) - This year, we're very excited to be working with First Choice as Out of Office bloggers, which means we'll be reviewing a bunch of holiday destinations during 2014, and sharing them with you all on our blog. I know. It's a tough life, some days, but we struggle on... (seriously, we fully appreciate how lucky
- [Go Ape Junior at Grizedale - Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/go-ape-junior-at-grizedale-review/) - If you're looking for somewhere fun to go with the kids during the summer hols, then you might want to consider Go Ape at Grizedale, in the Lake District. We've been aware of Go Ape for a fair few years - every time we're in one of those places with local attraction leaflets, Flea picks
- [Things to do at Legoland Windsor when you're Eight](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-with-kids-legoland-windsor/) - Legoland Windsor is our favourite theme park in the UK these days. Flea has outgrown the "little kid" areas in other theme parks but isn't yet quite tall enough for the rollercoasters at the major theme parks. Legoland sits nicely somewhere in the middle - at eight, she's big enough to go on everything, without
- [Things to do in Ibiza when you're Eight](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ibiza/) - If you're anything like me, Ibiza is not the first place you think of when it comes to family holidays. After all, isn't it full of teenagers dancing to rave music, and drinking too much booze? So when First Choice Holidays invited us to spend a week in Ibiza to experience the Seaview Holiday Village
- [Tanzania: Discovering Project Last Mile](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/perspective-coca-cola-project-last-mile/) - I think it's a source of pride for many English people (myself included) that our default setting is "cynical". It's so easy to be cynical about everything, isn't it? Reality TV? It's all fake. Politicians? They're all corrupt. Multinational corporations? They're all evil. This month, I was invited to spend a few days in Tanzania
- [Hogwarts in the Snow: the Warner Bros Studio Tour](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hogwarts-in-the-snow/) - Hogwarts in the Snow. Isn't it beautiful? I love the run-up to Christmas, when work starts to slow down and it's easier to find time for fun family activities. This year, I wanted to treat Flea to a day out with her friends to celebrate the end of term, and so we booked tickets to
- [Summer Days Out: Go Ape Grizedale Forest](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/summer-days-out-go-ape-grizedale-forest/) - One of our favourite places to head during the warmer weather is the Lake District, and so this weekend we took advantage of the sunny weather and headed up to Grizedale Forest. Grizedale sits between Hawkshead and Coniston, and about a 30 minute drive off Junction 36 of the M6. The forest park here is
- [California Road Trip: San Diego and La Jolla](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/california-road-trip-san-diego-and-la-jolla/) - What are the best things to do with kids in San Diego, California? Our California road trip (see our itinerary here) continued South with a two-hour drive from Santa Monica to San Diego. Specifically, we were headed for La Jolla (pronounced la hoy-a), a district of San Diego that’s renowned for its beaches and surfing.
- [A Day at Sky Studios at the O2, London](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/days-out-sky-studios-at-the-o2/) - If you're considering a day out at the Sky Studios at the O2, London, then check out our review: I've written already this month about my love of movies and blockbusters. So we were excited to be invited to Sky Studios at the O2 in London. It was a chance to step behind the scenes
- [Review: A Weekend at Falstone Barns, Kielder](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-falstone-english-country-cottages/) - This Easter, we were invited to spend a long weekend in the country with English Country Cottages, and chose a break in Northumberland at Falstone Barns. I'm a big fan of English Country Cottages - we've probably booked around 10 properties through them over the years, everywhere from Devon to the Lake District. But we've never
- [Things to do in Kielder with Kids (even when it rains!)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-kielder-kids-even-rains/) - A guide to activities for families and children of all ages in Kielder Water and Forest Park, Northumberland, whatever the weather!
- [10 Tips for Amazing Family Press Trips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-press-trips-bloggers-children/) - One of my favourite things about blogging is that it has allowed our little family to experience a whole bunch of travel adventures, from press trips that saw us sailing on Lake Garda to riding camels in Jordan and learning to make pizza in Florence. It's not just us - an increasing number of parent bloggers are
- [Dubai Day 1: Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dubai-kids-burj-khalifa-mall-dubai/) - As you may know, this Easter, I took Flea to Dubai on a mission to find out what this Middle Eastern destination has to offer families. After an epic flight (don't ask, I'm still at risk of PTSD just from thinking about it), we landed at the Jumeirah Beach hotel in time to grab dinner
- [A trip down Memory Lane](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/trip-memory-lane/) - They don't look like much. Simple wooden cabins tucked back from the road, barely visible through the trees as you drive though a tiny Scottish village. But something about them prompted my grandparents to look closer, way back in 1976. And that's how my family discovered our favourite Scottish holiday spot. Six cabins in a row, facing a
- [Suddenlife Gaming in Thuringia, Germany](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/suddenlife-gaming-in-thuringia-germany/) - "Ha ha, you fools! Now you will never know the secret of Martin Luther," cried the woman, a hundred feet below us in the courtyard. It was cold at the top of the South Tower of Castle Wartburg, a UN World Heritage Site in the ancient German city of Eisenach. The freezing wind blew around our ears.
- [What to do in New York at Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-in-new-york-christmas/) - This month, Flea and I felt in need of a New Adventure and so - on the spur of the moment - I booked a trip to New York City. New York is one of our favourite places to visit, and we've not been back since Flea was eight. Flights were booked and a week
- [What to Pack for a Family Road Trip](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/essentials-family-road-trip/) - With just eight weeks to go until the end of the school year, we're officially on countdown to our annual summer road trip. This year should be exciting. We're flying to Los Angeles and driving down the coast to San Diego. Then we'll turn inland to see Palm Springs and the Grand Canyon. After three weeks
- [Dubai with Kids: 5 Reasons to Go Back](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-reasons-go-back-dubai/) - Thinking about travelling to Dubai with kids this year? The more I travel, the more I feel like different destinations have their own personalities. Take France, for example. France wants you to have a nice time, but to learn something while you’re there. Spain, in contrast, just wants you to have fun, and not take
- [A Weekend in Perthshire with CLC Duchally](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/duchally-country-estate-review-perthshire-lodges/) - This weekend we headed North of the Border, to Duchally Country Estate in Perthshire. Duchally (pronounced 'duckerly' rather than 'doo-cally') is a hotel and self-catering holiday resort a few miles from Gleneagles. Just an hour's drive from Glasgow or Edinburgh, it's a fab location to explore the heart of Scotland. I'll start by saying I *love* Scotland. It's
- [Top Tips for your Trip to Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Orlando](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-wizarding-world-of-harry-potter-orlando/) - I don't know about you, but the thought of visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios? WAY more exciting than visiting Disneyland or any other theme park. Because - it's Harry Potter. Brought to life! With a giant castle and the Hogwarts Express and Diagon Alley. What's not to love? We've visited
- [Getting Fleeced by Thomson and BA on "Select Your Seat" Charges](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/thomson-ba-select-your-seat-charges/) - I'm so pleased that the CAA is launching an investigation into the seat selection fee charges levied by airlines to allow families to sit together. Honestly, I think the seat selection fee one of the biggest rackets going when it comes to family travel. We've had two recent flights where airlines have asked us to
- [Things to do in Amsterdam When You're 12](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-amsterdam-with-tweens-and-teens/) - This half-term, Flea and I spent a hectic three days in Amsterdam. Today I'm sharing my favourite things to do in the city with tweens. Although Amsterdam might have a reputation for, erm, "adult" attractions, the flat landscape and history make it a fabulous, family-friendly destination. Starting Out in Amsterdam With just a few days
- [A Self-Catering Holiday in Biscarrosse with Al Fresco](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/camping-lac-de-biscarrosse-holiday-review/) - This half-term we were invited to try a self-catering holiday in France with Al Fresco, at Yelloh! Village Lac de Biscarrosse. Lac de Biscarrosse is the location for you if (like me) you have school-aged children who love water sports, surfing, beaches and adventure. This time, Flea brought along her bestie, Zara, for company. Biscarrosse
- [Thing to do in Biscarrosse with Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-biscarrosse-with-kids/) - If you're visiting the South of France this summer, you need to know the best things to do in Biscarrosse with kids! Biscarrosse is on the South West coast of France, with long, sandy beaches and big waves. The region also has several very large lakes, and huge areas of national parkland, with forests to
- [The 5 Faces of Parents' Evening](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-faces-parents-evening/) - Yesterday was Flea's second parents' evening of senior school. I've got to be honest. I'd had a good day. The sun was shining and I took some time out, culminating in a 90-minute de-stress treatment at our local spa (HEAVEN). So I was ready to be entertained. And everyone knows nothing is more entertaining that
- [5 Parents You'll Meet at School Sports Matches](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-parents-youll-meet-at-school-sports-matches/) - Oh my goodness, it was a stressful weekend! Flea was in Leeds, playing in a hockey tournament. She's the goalkeeper for the county team, but actually played for three teams, because they were missing a couple of keepers. By the time the playoff games started, five hours later, Flea was pale and exhausted. The final
- [Single Parent Dreams v Reality: The Weekend](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-parenting-weekends/) - Like many kids with divorced parents, Flea spends alternate weekends with her Dad. Although she doesn't sleep over at his place, she's out of the house from 10am to around 7 or 8pm, giving me LOADS of free time. Single parenting can be tough sometimes, but all that free time? It's a dizzying possibility. In
- [When Summer is a Study Break](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/revising-summer-year-7-tips/) - Today, I am mostly hating Facebook Memories. Apparently, this time last year I was in Dubai. The year before, it was France and Majorca. 2014? Sunning myself in Mauritius. Before that, it was Jordan, before that Biarritz... This year I'm at home in Lytham St Annes, and it's raining. But it's all in a good cause.
- [Helping Kids Cope with Failure](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/helping-kids-cope-with-failure/) - Me and failure are pretty well acquainted. When I was nine, I forgot my lines on stage during a primary school production where my role was "bubonic plague". Not wanting to stop the show, I improvised my lines. For about ten minutes. It was a memorable show, for all the wrong reasons. I had to
- [Teacher Meetings and Transformations](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/teacher-meetings-and-transformations/) - This week I had to go into school to meet with one of Flea's teachers. In my head, I'd planned it all out. I had a couple of questions about how the school had handled something, and also wanted some reassurance about how the issue would be handled going forward. It was supposed to be
- [7 Things that will Definitely Happen in Year 7](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-for-parents-when-kids-start-year-7-senior-school/) - So your precious baby is about to start Year 7, and secondary school? Get ready. I say get ready because you have NO idea how much things are going to change over the next 12 months. Your little kid is going to transform into a borderline teenager right in front of your eyes. Or rather,
- [Kicking the Winter Blues](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kicking-the-winter-blues/) - It's no secret among my friends that I really struggle at this time of year. Some people love the cusp between autumn and winter, and I get it, I do. Fireworks, falling leaves, hot chocolate? Not to mention all the scented candles. There are plenty of lovely things to enjoy. But what I see is
- [Single Parents at Christmas: Do We Measure Up?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/do-we-measure-up/) - Right now I'm struggling with life for single parents at Christmas. This weekend, 10pm came around and I found myself on the BA website looking at flights. My feet are itchy and I'm feeling the need to take a trip before Christmas. Maybe a European Christmas market. Perhaps Dublin. Oslo? Just somewhere. Else. This time last
- [The One with the Lost iPhone](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/child-loses-their-iphone/) - Flea lost her iPhone yesterday. At 12 years of age, this is basically the same as being disconnected from life support. What to do? It was the worst of luck. Flea had missed her bus and decided (as you do) to nip into Caffe Nero for a hot chocolate before the next bus. Somewhere between
- [12 Questions for Parents of 12 Year Olds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/12-questions-parents-12-year-olds/) - Parenting a 12 year old is weird. Seriously. It has become painfully apparent over the past six months that the Flea I once knew has disappeared. I used to have a child who thought I was awesome, and had answers to all the problems in the world. Now I have a 12-year-old who knows, with
- [How was your Mother's Day?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mothers-day-with-tweens/) - How was your Mothers Day? Mine was... very us. Hockey at some ungodly hour of the morning, then home to squeeze an entire week's worth of domestic chores into three hours, then a family Mothers Day get-together to celebrate all the mamas in the family. I'm not going to lie. By lunchtime I was tired,
- [The One Where We Hire a Maths Tutor](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kip-mccgrath-kumon-maths-tutor-review/) - We've recently hired a Kip McGrath maths tutor for our daughter. Year 8 has been a tough one for Flea - not least because she's started to struggle in maths lessons. Flea has always been pretty good at maths. But she's AMAZING at English. Human nature being what it is, Flea tends to think that
- [Awesome Things about Raising 12 Year Olds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/raising-tween-daughter-advice/) - I had coffee with a friend yesterday who is also a Mum to a 12-year-old tween daughter. At one point, we both sighed and agreed that, oh my goodness, raising a tween girl is hard. And honestly, there's not that much advice out there about parenting a tween girl. Babies? There's advice everywhere. But I
- [Friendship and the Teenage Girl](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/friendship-and-the-teenage-girl/) - Friendships - and particularly teen girl friendships - are complicated and hard and oh so easy to get wrong. And some of those issues are things we're still dealing with as grown adults. Flea is now in her third year of senior school. Generally, she's a girl who gets along with everyone, and is pretty
- [Tips for Fussy Eaters from a Mum Who's Been There!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-for-fussy-eaters/) - There are lots of tips for fussy eaters if you search online. "Add a small amount of food to the edge of their plate," says one expert. "Try new foods 16 times," says another. And it's all VERY well meaning, but sometimes family life is busy and you just don't have the time or energy
- [Choosing GCSE Options: Tips for Parents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/choosing-gcse-options-tips-for-parents/) - Now that Flea is in her third year of senior school, she's been asked to think about choosing her GCSE options. As a parent, the first tip I can offer you is give yourself time. Because you need to fully experience that, "Oh my God, how is my baby choosing GCSEs already?" It's a lot.
- [Single Mum Survival Tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-mum-survival-tips/) - Today I'm sharing my survival tips for single Mums. Over the years, I've developed a sixth sense for spotting the newly single Mum in a crowd. It's a curious mixture of panic and defiance. One half is all, "Oh God, what am I going to do?" and the other, "I'm doing just FINE, actually." As
- [The DofE Costs How Much??](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-dofe-costs-how-much/) - This week's minor heart attack was given to me by the extortionate cost of DofE exhibitions. Whether you're paying school fees or not, education definitely isn't for free these days. Next term Flea will start Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and I got excited because the army gives us a uniform for free. But of course,
- [Top Tips for School Play Etiquette.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-school-play-etiquette/) - So this weekend, it was Flea's termly 'showcase' at her theatre school - all the kids do a few performances to show the skills they've learned over the past 10 weeks. I'm a HUGE fan of the theatre school Flea attends. I say theatre school because "stage school" calls to mind horrific images of precocious
- [The one with the School Trip](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-with-the-school-trip/) - So Flea's school has a school trip next month, for two days. It's for the whole school year and will include an overnight visit to an outward bound type centre. There will be some outdoorsy-type games and activities, cooking over a fire and a camp. There will be lots of fun - the sort of climbing,
- [Should Schools be on Twitter?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/should-schools-be-on-twitter/) - It's prize giving at Flea's school this week. I know, because one of the school's Twitter accounts Tweeted about it. I also know that one of the junior classes had a really fun looking field trip last week, and the kids got covered in mud. I know that because another class Twitter account Tweeted a photo of
- [Memories: First Days at School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/memories-first-days-at-school/) - This term was an emotional back to school in the Whittle household - it's Flea's last year of primary school. I'm not one of those parents that mourns their children growing up - I think Flea at 10 is about the most fun she's ever been, and I love spending time with her, and seeing her
- [Questions to ask at Secondary School Open Days](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/questions-to-ask-at-secondary-school-open-days/) - Over the past few weeks, we've been doing the rounds of the local secondary school open days. Aside from spending about 90% of my time thinking, "Wasn't this all so much bloody simpler when you just went to the school up the road?" I've also been agonising over which school to choose. Which isn't surprising,
- [Why Schools Need to Offer More Sport, Not Less](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sugar-tax-misses-point/) - So the big headline from the budget was the introduction of a tax on sweet treats - an extra few pence added to the cost of a can of full-sugar drinks like Coke. The government apparently thinks this is the key to solving the the nation's health issues. I'm not so sure. Surely decades of
- [Secondary School: Excitement and Jitters](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/girls-school-sport/) - Another milestone day for our household this week, as Flea went to her secondary school induction day. I don't think I was the only one who was overwhelmed. Faced with a big hall, unfamiliar teachers and lots of parents I didn't recognise, I'll confess to a gulp. Or three. That's not to say I'm not
- [Senior School: Week One](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/senior-school-week-one/) - We survived. Despite the nerves, despite the full-body-shell-shock of a 7.15am wake-up alarm, we survived. Flea is now a fully-fledged secondary school girl. It's been a really big change, for both of us. And some things took us by surprise. Namely: Kids Make Friends Faster Than You Flea came home the first day complaining I'd not
- [What to Expect in Year 8 at School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-we-learned-about-school-in-year-8/) - Wondering what to expect at school in year 8? We are here to help! My daughter Flea is now at the end of Year 8. I've got to say, Flea's not the only one who's learned a lot this year. I've completely changed the way that I parent my daughter this past year. I've definitely
- [What to get a 13 Year Old Girl for her Birthday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-get-a-13-year-old-girl-for-her-birthday/) - What to get a 13 year old girl for her birthday is - honestly - a difficult question. At the grand old age of 13, nobody wants to be treated like a child. This means you can't buy anything that might be considered to be a toy. Definitely you can't get anything specifically designed "for
- [Things I Want my Daughter to Know at 13](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-want-my-daughter-to-know-at-13/) - There are so many things I want my daughter to know as she becomes a teenager. Flea had her 13th birthday this week and please don't think I'm unaware of the irony of this post. Because parents of teens know nothing. Or so our children would like to think. Thirteen is weird. Flea can sleep
- [When Should Teenagers Drink Alcohol?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-should-teenagers-drink-alcohol/) - . When should teens drink alcohol for the first time? At thirteen, my daughter is beginning to encounter alcohol in her peer group. There are parties and sleepovers and girls with older boyfriends, and at some point, I'm sure, Flea will be tempted to try alcohol. To my mind, this is going to end one
- [Five Questions to ask when Choosing a Senior School](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-questions-to-ask-when-choosing-a-senior-school/) - This post is about important questions to ask when choosing a senior school. Hop over to this page to see the questions you must ask when choosing a primary school! Questions to Ask When Choosing a Secondary School After this year, my daughter Flea will only have one year of compulsory secondary education left. How
- [Thank a Teacher this Christmas [AD]](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/thank-a-teacher-this-christmas-ad/) - This is a sponsored post in association with the Thank a Teacher campaign. Are you starting to think about sending thank you cards to teachers this Christmas? If so, I have a wonderful idea to share with you. Thank a Teacher is a nationwide campaign set up to celebrate the life-changing impact that great teachers
- [Dear Pull & Bear: Why Don't your Clothes Fit Teen Girls?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-pull-bear-why-dont-your-clothes-fit-teen-girls/) - Today I wanted to have a little (okay, massive) rant about Pull & Bear sizing. One of the super-fun things about children is their pesky insistence on growing every year. So, like millions of other Mums and Dads, I'm busy doing the rounds of clothes stores getting Flea her fresh summer wardrobe. Flea is now
- [10 Things Divorced Dads of Daughters Should Know](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-things-divorced-dads-of-daughters-should-know/) - How can you be a great Dad to your teen daughter, when you're divorced? I divorced Flea's Dad over ten years ago now. One of the things that I really thought about back then was how my choice not to be married shouldn't affect Flea's right to have two loving, involved parents. Co-parenting isn't always
- [A Teenager's Guide to Laundry](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-teenagers-guide-to-laundry/) - Dear Beloved Teenager of Mine, You're growing up fast, but I understand that you're still, at heart, a child. With so much to learn. Like how laundry works. Laundry is very confusing and complicated and nobody blames you for not quite understanding it. I mean, just because you can programme your new mobile phone and
- [Feeling Lonely as a Single Parent](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/feeling-lonely-as-a-single-parent/) - With a decade of single parenting under my belt, I can hand on heart say that the toughest thing is feeling lonely as a single parent. I've written before about the lack of social opportunities for single parents. We single parents are WAY less likely to be invited to social events by other (married) adults.
- [Why I don't Regularly Monitor my Teen's Internet Use](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-i-dont-regularly-monitor-my-teens-internet-use/) - As someone who works in and around social media, people are surprised that I don't monitor my teen's Internet use more carefully. After all, technology exists to pretty much track everything our children can do online: We can monitor their location in real-time using apps like Life360, or the "Find my Friends" feature on iPhone.
- [How to Keep Kids Safe on TikTok](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-keep-kids-safe-on-tiktok/) - The issue of how to keep kids safe on TikTok is top of many parents' concerns. Today I'll be sharing my guide to getting started and how to keep kids safe on TikTok. I'm also sharing some guidelines on what parents need to know about setting up parental controls and safety features on TikTok. My
- [What Happens on Snapchat Doesn't Stay on Snapchat](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/share-someones-snapchat-video/) - Today I'm sharing the story of how my teen learned that what happens on Snapchat doesn't always stay on Snapchat... After ten years of blogging, I think it's understood that I am an - ahem - excellent parent. I've done all the things that experts tell us are important for parents. I love my child
- [How to Help Your Teen be Happy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-help-your-teen-be-happy/) - Today I'm sharing some hard-earned tips on how to help your teen be happy. Any parent knows that parenting a teen can feel like riding a unicycle blindfold. On the one hand we need to help them become independent and learn about taking risks and living with consequences. On the other hand, we want to
- [Lockdown Activities for Teens: 20+  Teen Friendly Ideas for Quarantine](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/activities-for-teens-during-coronavirus-lockdown/) - Looking for lockdown friendly activities for teens during coronavirus? If you are trying to parent a teenager in the Age of Coronavirus, then you have my sympathies. It's different for primary school children and pre-schoolers. They are thrilled by educational games and chalk drawings and craft projects. Meanwhile, your average teen knows that these things
- [If Adults Don't Social Distance, Why Should Teens?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-teens-social-distance/) - I don't think I'm the only parent worrying right now about teens and social distancing. Take the current lockdown rules. It's as if someone sat down and tried to come up with a set of rules that would be impossible for teens to stick to. Only meet up with one person at a time. Stay
- [Off-Road Driving Lessons for Kids: Scary but Fun!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/off-road-driving-lessons-for-kids-with-land-rover/) - Off-Road driving lessons for kids with Land Rover. That sounds interesting, right? I've a theory about teenagers. They retain just enough of their toddler features that you can remember when they were UTTERLY adorable and innocent. This is what prevents you from sitting on them when they say things like, "I can't post on Instagram,
- [Pressure Cooker Chicken Soup Recipe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pressure-cooker-thai-chicken/) - I suspect if you're a child of the 70/80s like me, I bet you remember pressure cookers. My Mum used a pressure cooker religiously on a Sunday to cook up a Sunday dinner. A joint of gammon could be cooked in the bottom of the pan, with potatoes and green beans over the top. How
- [How to Feel More Festive at Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-feel-more-festive/) - Do you ever wonder how to feel more festive at Christmas? What happens if Christmas doesn't feel the same as it used to? Or maybe it doesn't feel like Christmas at all. What happens when the "most wonderful time of the year" rolls around and you're just not feeling it? We're constantly told that Christmas
- [How to be a Better Friend](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/friendship-resolutions-for-2019/) - I'm wondering these days about how to be a better friend. Modern life makes friendship hard. It's often hard to find time for friendship. I'm a single parent, running my own business. This year has involved a summer of travel chaos, Flea moving schools, potentially selling our house... it's a lot. I think most women
- [Citroen C3 Aircross: Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/citroen-c3-aircross-review/) - This Citroen C3 Aircross Review is a sponsored post, in association with Citroen. I've always had a soft spot for the Citroen C3. My very first car was a Citroen C3 Desire and I loved it with a passion. It had a curvy roof that reminded me of a dolphin. It also made for a
- [Duck Off: Chinese Crispy Duck Recipe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/simple-chinese-crispy-duck-recipe/) - Today I'm sharing a crispy duck recipe that is simple and takes almost zero prep. As regular readers of my blog will know, I am not one of nature's cooks. That said, I do have a wildly over-developed competitive instinct and no real sense of my own limitations, so when the nice people at Gressingham
- [Top Tips for Winter Trips to Disneyland Paris](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-winter-trips-to-disneyland-paris/) - Last week, the Whittle clan headed off to Disneyland Paris to enjoy the theme park's Halloween celebrations - me and Flea, my brother and his family, and my parents. It was lovely to have some family time, as my Dad has had a tough time of it, health-wise, recently. And like most families, we're all
- [My Week Eating like Gwyneth Paltrow](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/eating-like-gwyneth/) - It's fair to say then when I told colleagues that I would be eating like Gwyneth for a week, the response was less than supportive. The phrase "open derision" springs to mind. Gwyneth has a reputation for being a bit kooky when it comes to food. But what the heck? I found her latest book on sale in Waterstone's,
- [Review: What to Expect on a PGL Holiday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/life-moves-pretty-fast/) - As a parent, I have mixed feelings sharing a review of our PGL holiday experience. Because this week my 9 year old has headed off on her second ever PGL holiday. It might not be the first, but it's still sentimental for me. Sending our children on a camp without us is of the first
- [Tefal Cuisine Companion Review and Recipes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-tefal-cuisine-companion/) - There are two things you'll notice when reading our Tefal Cuisine Companion review. First, it's a big ole space-ship of a kitchen appliance. And second, the Cuisine Companion has a hefty price tag - it's available exclusively at John Lewis in the UK costing a shade short of £700. When Tefal got in touch and
- [Family Bereavement: After they're gone.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/after-theyre-gone/) - It’s always a funny week for our family, this one. It should be my brother’s birthday. Well, I say should be – it is. But he isn’t here. My brother Ross passed away more than 20 years ago, when he was 27, following complications during surgery on a brain tumour. There’s no getting away from
- [Champneys Springs Spa Break Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/champneys-springs-health-spa-review/) - Today I wanted to share a review of my recent visit to Champneys Springs. I wrote a week or two back about how desperate I've been for a bit of a break from ... well, from other people, basically. I'm nothing if not misanthropic. So I bought a voucher to stay at this Midlands spa
- [Smol Review: Could Smol Products Save you Money? | AD](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/smol-review-could-this-save-you-money-ad/) - Smol Review Today I'm sharing a review of the smol range of dishwasher and laundry tablets. If you've not heard of the brand, then smol is a subscription-based service that sends you regular deliveries of detergents via the post. The main advantages seem to be: smol products arrive in small packaging, reducing waste and allowing
- [Diary of a New Build House: Week 3](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/diary-of-a-new-build-house-week-3/) - Three weeks after completing on our new build house, it's starting to feel like home. Sometimes, it does still feel a bit like a holiday home. I'm definitely still getting used to all the light and space. Then every so often I look around and think, "This is actually, properly mine," and I sort of
- [Should you Share Photos of your Kids Online?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-share-photos-of-your-kids-on-social-media-without-being-a-douche/) - Should you share photos of your kids online? Flea and I used to have a running joke when I asked her to do something she wasn't keen on. "I gave you life!" I would say. It became a lot less effective the time she turned round, aged about nine, and said, "But I gave you
- [10 Things to do in New York When You're Six](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-things-to-do-in-new-york-when-youre-six/) - Read on for top tips for things to do in New York with a six year old! This half-term Flea and I took a trip to visit friends in New York. New York is one of my favourite cities in the world, and it's always exciting to be there - but last time we visited
- [10 Reasons I am a Terrible Mother...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-reasons-i-am-a-terrible-mother/) - One of the lovely things about being a Mummy blogger is picking up hints and tips about parenting. However, that's not the best thing. No, the best thing is knowing I cannot possibly be the only mother who could write a list like this. Right? Right??? Let's face it, perfection in parenting is over-rated.
- [10 Quick and Simple Design Tips for Bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-quick-and-simple-design-tips-for-bloggers/) - Looking for simple design tips for bloggers? In an ideal world, your words and images would be enough to attract readers to your blog, and persuade them to stick around. However, the reality is that the Internet is a visual medium – you need to make content easy to make sense of, and easy to
- [How to make a Snow Globe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-a-snow-globe/) - Today I'm sharing a really simple festive craft for kids, and showing how to make a snow globe that's easy and cute. I can't stress how easy this snow globe tutorial is. It's basically our ONLY successful Christmas craft project. They're dead simple to make and we like to make personalised backdrops so the globes
- [What to do if your child finds their Christmas presents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-if-your-child-finds-their-christmas-presents/) - It's a festive nightmare when your child finds their Christmas presents. It's been a hectic old week at the Whittle household. Flea's been off school, we'd had plumbers in fitting a new boiler, new radiators and fixing the bathroom leaks and what-not. And I've been working, madly trying to finish off everything that needs to
- [Ring 2 Doorbell Review for Normal People](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ring-2-doorbell-review-for-normal-people/) - Today we're sharing a review of the Ring 2 video doorbell. I've fancied a wireless video doorbell for ages. I like the idea of reducing the risk of burglary, and being able to see who's at the door. We've had a few break-ins locally this winter, and I'm cautious by nature. That said, a couple
- [Chanthaburi, Thailand: A Visitor's Guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-food-tour-of-chanthaburi-thailand/) - After exploring Rayong, our foodie tour of Thailand rolled along the coast to the region of Chanthaburi. A week into my trip, thank goodness, the jet lag seemed to have lessened. This Eastern part of Thailand is a good four-hour drive from Bangkok, and Chanthaburi is a true hidden gem - you'll see virtually no
- [Beaches Ocho Rios Review for Families](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-at-beaches-ocho-rios/) - Read on for our Beaches Ocho Rios review based on our visit earlier this month. I've already written about our first impressions of the Beaches Resort at Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and it's "luxury included" service. (As an aside, we have also reviewed the Beaches Negril resort, which is a great alternative) We visited Ocho Rios
- [Copenhagen with Kids: Tips for Winter Trips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-copenhagen-with-kids-winter/) - Today we're sharing our favourite things to do in Copenhagen with kids. After a hectic few months, Flea and I wanted a short break at half-term. We wanted something that was a short flight away, affordable, and with plenty to keep us entertained over three or four winter days. A bit of Googling later and
- [Top Tips for Winter Trips to Chicago with Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-kids-chicago-winter/) - Today we are sharing our top tips for winter trips to Chicago with kids. We recently returned from a Christmas trip to Chicago. It was definitely something we planned at the last minute! When we told friends we were going to Chicago at Christmas, they thought we were mad. But honestly, this has been one
- [Five Reasons why Love, Actually is the WORST Christmas Movie Ever](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-reasons-love-actually-worst-christmas-movie-ever/) - I love a good Christmas movie - which is precisely why I don't love Love, Actually. *pause for shocked intake of breath* I know, I know. Everyone loves Love, Actually. Because it's got all our favourite British actors in, and there's that cute kid, and Liam Neeson and Mr Darcy Colin Firth... it's lovely, innit?
- [Brompton Lakes Luxury Lodges Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/brompton-lakes-luxury-lodges-review/) - This weekend, I spent a few fab days in the Yorkshire Dales at Brompton Lakes, a small development of luxury eco-lodges. We were invited to review the site by Holiday at Home, and I took the opportunity to enjoy a much-needed getaway with some of my very favourite blogging friends. Brompton Lakes At this time of
- [Review: Darwin Forest Country Park, Derbyshire](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-darwin-forest-country-park-derbyshire/) - It's been a hectic few weeks in our household, so our trip to Darwin Forest Country Park this weekend came at the perfect time. Darwin Forest Country Park is a small holiday park near to the picture-postcard villages of Matlock and Bakewell, on the edge of the Derbyshire Peak District. The park has around 120 lodges, sleeping
- [Summer Road Trip Part 3: Santa Barbara](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-santa-barbara-with-kids/) - Today we're sharing our favourite things to do with kids in Santa Barbara. We hit the town on our California road trip - check out this post for our recommended itinerary for a California road trip with kids. Two weeks into our California road trip, we hit Santa Barbara, and a definite change of pace.
- [Things to do at The Grand Canyon when you're 12](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-grand-canyon-with-kids/) - We visited Grand Canyon this summer, and I've shared some highlights over on my YouTube channel, if you fancy watching the video. Or read on for our top tips for families visiting Grand Canyon with kids. VIDEO DIARY OF OUR TRIP TO GRAND CANYON Like many people, "The Grand Canyon" was always on my travel
- [Top Tips for Planning a California Road Trip](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-top-tips-for-planning-a-california-road-trip/) - We've just completed our third California road trip in five years, and friends often ask us for tips on their own California adventure. And why not? California is the perfect place to do a road trip. Where else can you spend a day in the mountains, visit a theme park, swim in a lake, drive
- [Is the Child Maintenance Service the Worst Idea EVER?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/child-maintenance-service-worst-idea-ever/) - What is the child maintenance service, anyway? Replacing the CSA Like thousands of other single parents, I've recently been received a letter from the CSA, announcing that my existing child maintenance agreement, as run by the CSA, will end in a few months, and I need to make new arrangements. Now I know it has
- [How to Make a Will in 15 Minutes [AD]](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-a-will-in-15-minutes-ad/) - This post is for you if you're wondering how to make a will. How many things do you have on your “get around to it” list? You know – the things you promise yourself that you will absolutely, definitely do … just as soon as you get around to it. Typically, my ‘get around to
- [A short intermission](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-short-intermission/) - The lovely people at creativetourist.com have invited me and Flea to go and stay in a plush hotel for the weekend while exploring Manchester's family-friendly film festival, so we're off! Of course, when I say "we're off", what I mean is we're off just as soon as I: Manage to persuade Flea that she doesn't
- [The Other Mothers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-other-mothers/) - It’s bad news, I’m afraid. I’m raising a freak. An Other Mother told me this recently, and I’m sure she’s right. She has manicured nails, highlighted hair, a cleaner and a husband, and is therefore almost certainly better than me in every way. I’m sure you have your own Other Mother. Maybe even more than
- [Oh, so *that's* why I don't read the Sunday Times any more...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/oh-so-thats-why-i-dont-read-the-sunday-times-any-more/) - The Father was here this weekend. ‘The Father’ is Flea’s Dad. I like to call him ‘the father’ because he likes to call Flea ‘the child’. When he’s in town, I get all giddy because I can go to the cinema and read whole newspapers and eat Pringles on the sofa. And have a shower
- [Monday, bloody Monday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/monday-bloody-monday/) - Five things I've learned today: The universe has a twisted sense of humour. So, I posted last week about my paranoia that Flea would choke to death on a piece of apple skin. And this morning, Flea choked on a piece of apple skin. Fortunately, I was sitting next to her at the time and
- [Flea's bedtime story video](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-bedtime-story-video/) - I'd completely forgotten about this video - it's from last year, Flea reading her favourite bedtime story, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". See? With the right coaching, your children can read their own bedtime stories, thereby saving you a job. I particularly enjoy how 'five plums' sounds like 'dry bums' (well, to my depraved ear at
- [Welcome to Who's the Mummy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/welcome-to-whos-the-mummy/) - Welcome to my new blog, all about me and my fantastic, feisty (nearly) four-year-old, Flea. I could do a long introduction to our life, but some of you might know me from my previous blogging at Getting Ink or Totsy's Place. Besides, you'll pick up the important stuff as we go along. I thought it
- [Natural Adventures with James Wellbeloved](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/natural-adventures-with-james-wellbeloved/) - Sponsored Post Breaking your toe is frustrating in a hundred different ways. But for me one of the toughest parts has been finding myself stuck at home, unable to walk too far, and banned from driving. And I’m certainly not the only one who has noticed the house arrest. Westies sometimes have a reputation for
- [Furbo: Review and £50 Discount!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/furbo-review-and-50-discount/) - This Furbo review is based on a free sample - but opinions are all our own! Stop everything, because I've found the best dog accessory. EVER. I was recently given a complimentary Furbo to review, and what can I say? I love it. What is Furbo? The Basic Idea Having had a home wireless camera
- [Too wet to go out, too cold to play ball....](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/too-wet-to-go-out-too-cold-to-play-ball/) - It’s been a busy old week. I had a book deadline, plus a former client snark up (technical term) my websites. So I've been typing like mad, trying to rescue my website and attempting to disentangle myself from the client relationship with dignity intact and no bodies in the basement. As of last night though,
- [Flea's first school report: the highlights](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fleas-first-school-report-the-highlights/) - Flea has now finished her first year at pre-school, and her teacher dropped off her file today. This includes a regular school report. Apparently, Flea is a “lovely little girl who is polite and sensible at all times”. But the file also includes dozens of Flea’s drawings together with lots of photographs the staff have
- [Punching children and other things you probably shouldn't do.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/punching-children-and-other-things-you-probably-shouldnt-do/) - So, my ongoing campaign to become Lifetime President of the Bad Mummy Club continues apace, as I accidentally punched my child in the face yesterday while fighting with the f****ing car seat straps. I admit, I was distracted by the fact that Flea was singing her new favourite song, which basically involves singing a commentary
- [Tips for Keeping Dogs Healthy in Summer](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-for-caring-for-pets-in-summer/) - Tips for Keeping Dogs Healthy in Summer is a collaborative post in association with Drontal. Friends, I have a confession to make. Until about 10 years ago I was... (wait for it) ... a Cat Person. I know! I can only say that I was younger then. Ignorant of the joy that is rubbing a
- [How Much Can You Save with a Family & Friends Railcard?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-much-can-you-save-with-a-family-friends-railcard/) - Parenting is all about balance, isn't it? Like on the one hand, we want to give our little ones special half-term days out and magical memories. And on the other hand, we like having money left at the end of the month. Let's face it, days out in the UK can quickly become really expensive.
- [This Old House.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/this-old-house/) - It's just a house. It's just four (wonky) walls and a roof. Just a house. Except it's not just a house. It never is. It's a home, and it's packed with memories and the story of our lives together. And now it's sold. In just over seven days, we'll be leaving this house. The house
- [Why are Massages so Awkward?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-massages-awkward/) - One of my very favourite things in life is a massage. But why are massages so - well - awkward? My local day spa offers a 90-minute destress treatment using NEOM products. It is bliss. There's a guided meditation and oils and music and it's guaranteed to make me feel like a new person. Except
- [Simplify Your Christmas Blogging Carnival](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/simplify-your-christmas-blogging-carnival/) - I’m looking forward to Christmas for many reasons – a break from work, the chance to spend time with family, catching up with old friends. And I’m hoping someone will buy me an extra cosy quilt I’ve had my eye on for a few months. But often the most special moments at Christmas come from
- [How Not To Be a Toyologist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-not-to-be-a-toyologist/) - A few months ago, Flea and I were recruited to become Toyologists for the toy store ToysRUs. The mission was simple: every couple of weeks we’d receive a big box of toys. We had to test them out, and write about them, ideally in a super-creative, fun way. Readers, I regret to inform you that
- [And so this is Christmas (Eve)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-so-this-is-christmas-eve/) - We've frolicked in the snow all day. The tree has been trimmed. The advent calendar has been emptied. Stockings have been hung. The reindeer pyjamas are on. All that remains is for us to say thanks to everyone who has read, commented and generally been lovely this year and we hope you have a fab
- [Five Reasons to Love Winter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-reasons-to-love-winter/) - Winter is coming. As a Northerner, this season is marked with seven days a week of rain, instead of six, and a reduction in average daylight hours from three to two. Or that's how it feels, at any rate. But truth be told I love winter. It's the season of big family meals, catching up
- [Bleeding in Pregnancy: When 9 months is a lifetime](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-nine-months-feels-like-a-lifetime/) - Before you read: this post is about my experience of bleeding in pregnancy. The truth is that for some women pregnancy is the longest nine months of their life. I thought long and hard before deciding to post something about my experience of bleeding in pregnancy. Or about my pregnancy in general. It was one
- [25 Reasons you don't deserve Mother's Day Gifts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/25-reasons-you-dont-deserve-mothers-day-gifts/) - Ah, Mother’s Day. That special day of the year when family and friends congratulate us on being selfless, loving creatures who would do anything for our precious offspring. Except when we’re lying through our teeth, obviously. Being a Mum is – I’m increasingly convinced – one long con-trick. If I’m not trying to convince Flea that I
- [Are Westies Good Family Dogs?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/are-westies-good-family-dogs/) - Are Westies Good Family dogs was produced in partnership with Legal & General. We did a lot of research when choosing the breed of our family dog. Not everyone does. According to research from Legal & General, 31% of dog owners don't do any research before taking on a dog. No wonder that one in
- [Best TV shows for Self-Care: Stress-Free Viewing Guaranteed!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-tv-shows-for-self-care-2019/) - Looking for the very best TV shows for self-care? You're not alone! It's definitely true that self-care can be had by sinking into a good TV show. And today I wanted to share some of the best TV shows for self-care that are streaming in the UK right now. To count as self-care, a TV
- [Review: Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-madinat-jumeirah-dubai/) - Welcome to our Madinat Jumeirah Dubai Review! As we pulled into the driveway of the Madinat Jumeirah Resort in Dubai, our driver whistled. "You are going to have a NICE time, Insha' Alla," he said, as we drove past a series of statues of gold horses, rearing up in the sunlight. Yep. This might officially be
- [Visiting Walt Disney World Florida with Grandparents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/visiting-disney-with-grandparents/) - Thinking about visiting Disney with grandparents? There are dozens of reasons NOT to take your parents on a family holiday to Walt Disney World Florida. The kids mostly want to ride rollercoasters, they can walk for miles, while the grandparents might have different ideas about where to eat, and what shows to see. Whatever your
- [Tell Yelloh! about your perfect family holiday and #win a Short Break](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tell-yelloh-about-your-perfect-family-holiday-and-win-a-short-break/) - We recently returned from a gorgeous family holiday at the Yelloh! Village Lac de Biscarrosse campsite. The site was fabulous, with plenty of slides, a large swimming pool, and fast WiFi. Also known as the Holy Trinity of Travelling with Tweens. But what makes your perfect family holiday? This week, I'm excited to be working
- [Is it Time to Give Hauls the Heave-Ho?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fast-fashion-haul-videos-need-to-stop-right-now/) - Is it time for fast fashion clothing hauls to stop? Spend more than five minutes on YouTube these days and you'll see an enormous number of haul videos. YouTubers showing off bagfuls of items they've bought, often from stores like Primark or Shein. It's a similar story on Instagram. I can see the appeal of
- [California Road Trip Part 2: Carmel and Big Sur](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-monterey-and-carmel-with-kids/) - After spending a week in LA at the start of the summer, we headed North to explore the best things to do in Carmel with kids. This part of the coast looks very different to our last visit in 2015. In case you missed the news, this part of California has been hit hard by
- [20 Amazing Things to do on a California Road Trip with Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-on-a-california-road-trip-with-kids/) - Today we're sharing our favourite things to do with kids in California We've completed three California road trips over the past five years, exploring the coast from Mendocino in the North down to San Diego in the South. Check out this post for tips on our recommended California road trip itinerary, and here are some top
- [Things to do in Portugal when you're 10](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/portugal-guincho-eurocamp-lisbon-kids/) - Today we're sharing some of our top recommendations for things to do in Cascais with kids. Before I launch into our review of our stay with Eurocamp at the Orbitur campsite in Guincho, here are some things that I can only imagine happening on a Whittle family holiday: Confidently navigate to your campsite at midnight. Don't begin
- [Review: Martinhal Quinta, Portugal](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-martinhal-quinta-portugal/) - Today we are sharing a review of the latest Martinhal resort in Portugal, the Martinhal Quinta. Quinta do Lago is one of the most exclusive corners of the Algarve. It is also home to the latest resort from the Martinhal brand. Martinhal Quinta is a complex of 2 to 5-bedroom villas, each with private garden and
- [Review: Philips Air Purifier](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-philips-air-purifier/) - Can an air purifier help your hay fever and seasonal allergies? When you're a family affected by allergies, the prospect of an air purifier becomes about a thousand times more appealing. I've long suffered from allergy-related asthma, triggered by dust, fabrics, fur and perfume, while Flea has hay fever that sees her spend huge chunks
- [13 Reasons Why Season 2 : Your Kids Shouldn't Watch This](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/13-reasons-why-season-2-your-kids-shouldnt-watch-this/) - If you have kids in high school, chances are you've heard about 13 Reasons Why. Netflix's teen drama is a HOT topic of conversation among Flea and her friends. But it's a show that's controversial. With themes of suicide, self-harm and sexual assault, it is something our kids should be watching? How old is old
- [What Body Shaming Looks Like (10 Things People Said to Me Because I'm Fat)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-body-shaming-looks-like/) - I'm officially fat. Actually, I'm a lot of things. I'm a sister, daughter, mother. I own a company. I have one and a half Masters degrees. I do voluntary work in my local community. I try to be a good person and role model to my daughter. I'm also fat. My jeans are a UK
- [Review: TV Presenter Training for Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tv-presenter-training-for-kids-review/) - Would your child like the chance to attend a TV presenter training course? Like most kids of her age, Flea is fascinated by TV presenting, whether it's making videos for her YouTube channel or watching Max and Nev do their thing on Catfish. Learn How to be TV Presenter So when we spotted a workshop where
- [I Want to Christmas like a Kardashian](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-christmas-like-a-kardashian/) - Everyone has pipe dreams, and mine are usually travel-based. Right now, I'm sitting in a coffee shop on a rainy Friday morning, but I'm daydreaming of sunsets on California beaches, plane rides to exciting new destinations and all the places on my bucket list I'm yet to see. You know those places you always dreamed
- [Weird Things That Scare Adults](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/weird-things-that-scare-adults/) - I'm writing this post in the hope that other grown-ups out there are also crippled by weird fears. Now, I'm not talking spiders here. I can deal with spiders. I'm not scared of the dark. I'm definitely not freaked out by clowns, big dogs, open spaces, small spaces, snakes or heights. I am, however, crippled
- [The One with the Random Blogger Q&A](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/who-is-whos-the-mummy-2/) - Who's the Mummy is going to turn ten years old later this year. It's scary to think this blog has seen Flea through nursery, primary school and into senior school. It's outlasted two boyfriends, three offices, two pets, and several redecoration projects. On the basis that not everyone reading this blog NOW was reading it
- [Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? Kinda, it's a Padfone 2](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/is-it-a-phone-is-it-a-tablet-kinda-its-a-padfone-2/) - Here are some things that happen to me regularly: I spend the day in London, at meetings, using my phone for email, Tweeting, map-reading, texting and checking to see how many people liked me on Facebook. I get on the train at 5pm, try to check my email - the phone battery is flat. I
- [Bloggers didn't Come Down in the Last Shower...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bloggers-didnt-come-down-in-the-last-shower/) - Since Google’s latest update, most bloggers have realised (if they didn’t know before) that Google likes paid links on blogs to be no-follow. It’s not a complicated rule, and I don’t think it needs THAT much debate. If you have a paid link on your blog and you don’t fancy being penalized by Google, you
- [Instagram Stories: 13 Cool Things to Try](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/instagram-stories-13-secret-hacks-and-features/) - I'm a little bit addicted to Instagram Stories, both making and watching them. It's weird because when Instagram first launched the Stories feature, I was all, "How boring is THAT? Who wants to watch other people do boring stuff all day?" Well, me as it turns out. (Side Note: Follow my Instagram here) But I
- [Are you Playing Hard to Get?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/playing-hard-get-by-text/) - At the grand old age of *cough* 25, I don't expect to be told that I'm playing hard to get. But there you have it. Last week, one of my old friends said that's exactly what I do. The reason for this is that I am atrocious at responding to calls and text or email
- [The One with a New Office](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-with-a-new-office/) - Having an office has been a real life saver for me. When you work from home, it's ridiculously easy to just - keep working. Particularly if Flea is away, I can find that I sit at my desk at 9am, and I'm still there 12 hours later. And the dog is looking at me with
- [What's the right age to join Facebook?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-the-right-age-to-join-facebook/) - I did a double take yesterday when I was tracking a conversation on Twitter to find the original Tweet (about a TV show) had come from one of my niece’s friends – a 9 year old. Seriously? Why would a 9-year-old need a Twitter account? Twitter is fun and great and useful, and my Tweets in particular
- [Everybody Likes a Compliment](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/everybody-likes-compliment/) - I finished a big project at work this week, and I got a couple of compliments about it. Which was lovely. I also got one semi-snarky comment that wasn't made directly to me, but on social media, somewhere the person concerned probably thought I'd never see it or hear about it. Guess which one is
- [Can We Talk About Ed Westwick?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/can-we-talk-about-ed-westwick/) - OMG did you see the news about Ed Westwick? What a piece of crap. I hope he dies. His career is over. If you're defending him you're part of the problem. She's so brave. He should delete his account. If you spent more than about 20 seconds on Twitter today you'll have seen that the
- [A Desert Safari Adventure in Dubai](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/desert-safari-adventure-dubai/) - This is the last of my posts rounding up our hectic week in Dubai - check out my first two posts for loads of inspiration for kid-friendly adventures in Dubai, like the Dubai Mall, Sega Republic and Wild Wadi Water Park. I've saved one of our most exciting excursions for last - the Desert Safari
- [Old Enough to Know Better in Bangkok](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/old-enough-to-know-better-in-bangkok/) - As you may know if you follow me on Instagram, I spent last week in Thailand, as a guest of the Tourism Authority of Thailand. I was there to attend the first TBEX Asia travel blogging conference, and also for a post-conference tour to check out some food and cultural sights in less well-known parts of
- [Ultimate Christmas Movies. And sprouts.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-christmas-chick-rom-com-movies/) - There are a lot of things to love about Christmas. Presents. Christmas movies. Mince pies. Christmas movies. Carols. Christmas movies. Long country walks. Christmas movies. Oh, and there are Christmas movies. Seriously, there's not much better than snuggling on the sofa, freshly popped popcorn by your side, and a Christmas movie on the box. I
- [Mission: Dubai](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-things-kids-mission-dubai/) - So, I know three things about Dubai. First, it's where people who appear on TOWIE go on holiday. I've never watched TOWIE, and I've never been to Dubai (unless you count the airport). Second, it has a big, fancy hotel that looks like a sail. I saw a documentary about it once; you can buy a
- [The First 1,000 Days: What they don't tell you.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5171/) - Flea's going to be turning ten years old in a few weeks. Ten! I've completely and utterly loved nine. I had a blast with eight and seven, and six and five. I adored four and three. One and two? I loved her. But I wasn't a natural parent. From the moment I woke from the general anaesthetic
- [Review: The ASUS TP550LA (and tips on laptop safety for kids)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-ways-to-make-windows-laptops-safer-for-kids/) - As you would probably expect, we're quite a tech-focused household. Having said that, even I'm surprised by the number of Internet-enabled devices we have in the house these days - four tablets, two PC laptops, one Mac laptop, three smartphones, an iPod, X-Box and a desktop machine. I bet we're not alone, either. We were
- [Mr Tickle Arrives on the iPad](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mr-tickle-arrives-on-the-ipad/) - One of the things that’s lovely about parenting a child who is mad about books is sharing your own childhood favourites with your lovely child. When Flea showed early signs that she was going to follow in her parents’ footsteps and be a book lover, I was SO excited. I couldn’t wait to read her
- [Things to do in Mauritius when you're Eight](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/all-inclusive-holidays-mauritius-with-kids/) - What springs to mind when you imagine an all-inclusive holiday? Endless, international buffet food? Packed resorts full of holiday makers taking part in enforced jollity? Bland hotels? Let's face it, many of us have the same preconceptions about this type of holiday - but having just spent a week on an all-inclusive holiday in Mauritius with First Choice,
- [Amazing Lies Parents Tell Their Kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/amazing-lies-parents-tell-their-kids/) - Truth has its place in parenting. It's just not always a very big place. Let's face it - there are times when telling the truth to your child might traumatise them. Or you. Like that time Flea asked me what necrophilia was. Or the time when Flea found a stash of presents in the spare bedroom, and
- [Christmas Bauble Cookies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/christmas-bauble-cookies/) - Today saw the annual Whittle baking project, and so here is my one and only recipe post of 2011. This year, I think you’ll agree, we have surpassed our (admittedly dodgy) previous efforts. Behold, the miracle of Christmas Bauble Cookies. Step 1: Assemble the ingredients for the cookies: flour (150g), dark sugar (50g), caster
- [Six Working from Home Essentials](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/working-from-home-essentials/) - Regular readers of this blog will be completely unsurprised astounded to hear that I don't function well in full-time, office-based employment. According to my last appraisal, I have "issues with authority figures", or something. Pfft. As if. Anyway I've worked freelance, from home, very happily, for around 10 years now, and I've learned a thing
- [Israel: It's a kind of magic](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/israel-its-a-kind-of-magic/) - Ten days ago I flew to Israel, as a guest of the non-political charity Kinetis, which is involved in a project to raise awareness of Israel beyond military issues. I didn’t know what to expect, but had a sneaking suspicion it would involve lots of machine guns and me trying desperately not to mention the
- [Mum of the Year. Or, you know, maybe not.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mum-of-the-year-or-you-know-maybe-not/) - I’m thrilled to have been asked to attend the Tesco Mum of the Year awards this year – did you know you can go and nominate someone inspiring for this award over at the Tesco Magazine website up until 21 September? Sadly, being invited as a guest means you can’t really nominate me for Mum
- [The one where I have an epic cosmetics fail.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-have-an-epic-cosmetics-fail/) - So, a week or two back, Chrissy at Mediocre Mum tagged me in one of those blogging memes. The challenge was to let your child loose on the contents of your make-up bag - and then post the results. Chrissie tagged me and commented that "there's no chance she'll do it". Actually, she was right.
- [Things to do in Cape Cod when you're Eight.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-cape-cod-when-youre-eight/) - Back in the mists of time, I took a six week road trip through New England, starting in New York and working my way through Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Boston, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. It's a spectacular part of the world, but I was most most captivated by Cape Cod. What I remember most
- [The Best Fifty Quid I Ever Spent](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-best-fifty-quid-i-ever-spent/) - When Flea was about six weeks old, I spent an evening in a draughty church hall in Brighton, with 11 other new parents and a registered nurse. Over a period of three hours, we were taught the basics of paediatric emergency first aid – what to do if your baby stops breathing, what if they
- [An Ode to Playmobil](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/an-ode-to-playmobil/) - As a parent, you enter - or rather re-enter - the World of Toys. One of my favourite rediscoveries has been Playmobil. For those who aren't familiar, this is a range of plastic figures and playsets that allow kids to play at all sorts of things, from construction to hospitals. They're a bit smaller than your
- [Things to do at Legoland Florida when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-at-legoland-florida-when-youre-seven/) - If you're taking younger children to Florida this summer, then I definitely recommend taking a trip to Legoland Florida, which is a dream theme park for kids aged 2-12, because children 1m or taller will be able to go on most of the attractions. Legoland Florida is a new attraction in Florida, built on what
- [Things to do at Disneyworld Florida when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-at-disneyland-florida-when-youre-seven/) - Walt Disney World Florida is right at the top of many family's "must-see" holiday destinations, and we were lucky enough to be invited to the park as guests, as part of our trip to Florida with Visit Orlando last half-term. With only one day to spend at Disney, we only saw a tiny fraction of
- [Save £25 on Your Next Holiday with Booking.com](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-ways-save-money-travels/) - Ah, January. The month that you spend looking forward to, basically, ANY other month. For us, January is the time we spend planning our travels for the year. This summer, we're leaning towards spending our summer doing a road trip around Cape Cod, or a tour of the Greek Islands. Then we're dreaming of spending
- [Top Tips for Visits to Kennedy Space Center, Florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-visits-kennedy-space-center-florida/) - Last half-term, the Whittle clan headed off in search of sunshine and adventure in Florida, and our first stop was Kennedy Space Center. Now, I'm the first to confess that I am *not* a space geek or even much of a science geek. So when we were invited to visit Kennedy, I was a bit
- [Six Reasons to go see Wonder this Week](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/6-reasons-go-see-wonder-week/) - If there's one movie to see this month, then it should be Wonder. The new adaption of the beloved book is smart, moving and who doesn't love a movie about being kind? We were invited to get a sneak peek of the movie at a special screening held in London last week. Not only did
- [Review: LeapPad Ultra](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-leappad-ultra/) - During 2013, we’ve been able to put a number of tablet computers through their paces. Some we’ve loved and continued to use regularly, while others have fallen by the wayside and entered the “kept in a drawer” stage. What are we looking for from a tablet? Well, I need something light, fast, and able to
- [Tesco Mum of the Year Shortlist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tesco-mum-of-the-year-shortlist/) - Sometimes, being a Mum can feel like hard work. It can feel as though we're doing as much wrong as we're doing right; that the challenges we solve today are just replaced with new challenges tomorrow. But in reality, my life as a Mum is pretty straightforward. The challenges we meet are run-of-the-mill everyday challenges.
- [Tesco Mum of the Year 2014](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tesco-mum-of-the-year-2014/) - Today I came to a startling realisation. Since becoming a parent, I have developed real-life, actual magic powers. It's true. You could put me in a robe and call me Dumbledore, I'm so magical. For example, the pair of flip flops above might LOOK like a regular, ordinary pair of flip flops. But I have
- [Things to do in Biarritz when you're Six.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-biarritz-when-youre-six/) - Last week Flea and I flew off to Biarritz in the Aquitaine region of France - to save you looking at an atlas (like I did), it’s the South West coast, just above the border to Spain. It’s not a part of France I’ve been to before, but we were invited there by Al Fresco
- [Officially the best LEGO set ever: the VW Camper Van](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/officially-the-best-lego-set-ever-the-vw-camper-van/) - So, remember when I was ranting about the new LEGO Friends range for girls, and demanding to know when LEGO would get with the programme and make some cool LEGO? The universe heard my plea. The lovely people at Idealo know a thing or two about LEGO models and sent me what has to
- [Who's the Mummy: The Bedroom Secrets Edition](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whos-the-mummy-the-bedroom-secrets-edition/) - This week, in support of TK Maxx and Cancer Research UK's Give up Clothes for Good campaign, and as part of the Tots100 Blogging Carnival, I'm offering an insight into my bedroom secrets - and specifically my wardrobe. Why? What did you think this post was about? Tsk. So, in summary, take your unwanted, quality
- [Skipping the Jubilee Jubilation.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/skipping-the-jubilee-jubilation/) - Everywhere I look online this week, it’s Jubilee baking, Jubilee bunting, Jubilee parties and picnics. And don't forget the bunting. Everywhere I turn things are festooned with the stuff. Oh yes, string a bit of fabric between two lamp-posts and it’s as though the recession never happened. Yes, I’m a bona-fide jubilee cynic. The only
- [On the Wrong Page](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/on-the-wrong-page/) - When you’re a proper grown-up, there are certain conversations you find yourself having, at dinner parties and coffee mornings, and in the quiet moments waiting for meetings to start. You chat about property prices and school catchment areas and whether it’s morally allowable to drive a 4x4 if you don’t live in the country. You
- [Things to do in Lake Garda when you're Five](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-lake-garda-when-youre-five/) - Last week, Flea and I were invited to stay at the Altomincio Family Park in Lake Garda, courtesy of Thomson Al Fresco holidays.
- [Things to do in the Isle of Wight when you're five](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-the-isle-of-wight-when-youre-five/) - A few weeks back, Flea and I were invited by Island Breaks to the Isle of Wight for a complimentary trip to explore the island’s attractions by Island Breaks. We were offered the chance to stay in a B&B, a hotel, or a yurt. Well, it had to be done, didn’t it? A yurt, for
- [Why I might love PRs more than my Family](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-i-might-love-prs-more-than-my-family/) - Over the years I’ve gained a reputation for being a bit mean to PR execs. In my defence, I don’t think I’ve ever made a PR cry, which my ex achieved on an almost weekly basis when he was a news editor. Well, I've only done it once, to my knowledge. And I felt really
- [This is now an award-nominated blog.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/this-is-now-an-award-nominated-blog/) - In the past, you may have got away with leaving comments on my blog that were less than excellent. I regret to inform you, such sub-par engagement will no longer be tolerated, for Who's the Mummy is now an AWARD nominated blog. Oh, yes, I've been shortlisted for an award in the 'Best Blogger' category.
- [The One about the MADs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-about-the-mads/) - There’s so much to say about the MADs Awards Ceremony, which took place last night at Butlins Bognor Regis.I want to tell you about how surprised Tim was to win one award – and how he almost forgot to stand up to accept his second. I loved how Deb cried when she accepted her award,
- [A Losing Battle](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-losing-battle/) - I’m not often a shouting sort of parent. But yesterday, I raised my voice. I’d spent a couple of hours tidying and cleaning; went upstairs for a quick shower and came downstairs to utter chaos. “WHY ON EARTH HAVE YOU GOT ALL THIS OUT?” I yelled. “BECAUSE I’M PLAYING,” Flea yelled back.“WHY ARE YOU YELLING?”
- [The World According to Flea](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-world-according-to-flea/) - Some time around her fourth birthday, I think someone invisible broke into our house and gave Flea her very own, special copy of “The Reader’s Digest Book of Facts”. I know it must be a very special copy because it's given Flea knowledge of a range of facts that seem to be - without wishing
- [Links](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/links/) - It isn’t easy to know which blogs you should read. There are millions of them, and – let’s face it – most of them aren’t very good. There are 100 great parent blogs on this site every month, but here are some other blogs that come with the Who’s the Mummy seal of approval, and
- [Vital statistics: why so shy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/vital-statistics-why-so-shy/) - One of my day jobs is working with PR agencies, training PRs in how to pitch their clients to the media. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of work with agencies on how to identify, evaluate and work with bloggers across various sectors.A constant challenge for PR execs is how do they know which blogs
- [Paying the Mummy Bloggers - Part II](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/paying-the-mummy-bloggers-part-ii/) - I was really interested to read Dan’s response to my post yesterday, Pay the Mummy Blogger, and the comments on the post. Rather than adding a long comment here and there, I thought I'd pop it up as a new post. This has the added bonus of making me look EXTRA prolific- yay me! Being
- [Single Parenting. Not better or worse. Just different.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-parenting-not-better-or-worse-just-different/) - There’s a lot of chat about single parents in the blogosphere at the moment. Notsupermum and Rosie Scribble have written eloquently on the upsides of solo parenting, while MyShitty20s is talking openly about the downsides. I’ll admit – I've been trying to write a post for days but struggled to say anything sensible about single
- [Things I could have bought instead of school uniform](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-could-have-bought-instead-of-school-uniform/) - 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
- [Ferris said it best.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ferris-said-it-best/) - I’m off to that there London tomorrow for some meetings then I’ve got a few days holiday before Flea starts school. Perfect timing. Certain minority factions in the Mummy blogging community have got their collective knickers in a twist and it’s all threats of legal action, people leaving communities, and people getting their feelings trampled
- [Top of the Tots 2010: Top 10 Mummy and Daddy Bloggers on Twitter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-of-the-tots-2010-top-10-mummy-and-daddy-bloggers-on-twitter/) - UPDATE: If you want to connect with 1,000 British Mummy blogs (and some Dads, too) then please visit the new Tots100 website with up-to-date listings and a brand new PR subscription option, so you can search, filter and contact the UK's most popular Mummy bloggers direct. As you may have noticed, this month’s Tots100
- [I'm Not a People Person.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/im-not-people-person/) - "I'm not a good people person." I don't know why I say that, or when I picked it up. But it's something I've always accepted about myself as true. I have brown hair, I have blue eyes, I'm terrible with people. Lately, I've been thinking about the things we tell ourselves about ourselves. Those little
- [Why John Lewis is My Retail Hero](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/john-lewis-removes-gender-labels-from-childrens-clothes/) - Did you see the news that John Lewis is removing the gender-specific labels from its kids' clothing ranges? Hurrah. About time. Back in 2010, Flea was five years old. Like lots of five year olds, she loved monkeys, monsters and dinosaurs. Her favourite colours were red, blue and green. And stripes. Lots of stripes. As
- [Best New TV Shows to Binge On](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/12-best-new-tv-shows-autumn-2017/) - What are the best new and returning TV shows to stream and watch this autumn? Let's face it - September in the UK is depressing. Summer's over, say goodbye to your long days of freedom and hello to the school run and soggy dog walks. To my mind, this is the time of year when
- [Summer Road Trip Part 1: LA, Baby.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/summer-road-trip-part-1-la-baby/) - "Did you change your tickets?" asked the check-in agent. "Er, no," I replied. "Only I can't find you on the system." I'm not going to lie. Our summer trip began with me trying to do calm breathing (in for five, out for seven) and not have a heart attack. It took 90 minutes for BA
- [Single Parent: Social Pariah](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-parent-social-pariah/) - Whoop! It's the summer holidays. Well, in our house at least. We're off on hols soon, but first Flea's spending a week with her Dad. I'm sure she'll have a blast, but it's always a bit odd finding myself in the house without my small companion. Today, though, I've been pondering single parenting. I've been
- [How to Deal with Passive Aggressive People](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-deal-with-passive-aggressive-people/) - Passive aggressive people are some of the most annoying people I know. And I'm including people over 30 who wear dungarees in that statement, so you can see how strongly I feel. I'm quite a direct person. I certainly don't enjoy confrontation, and I'll usually walk away to avoid it. But if that's not an option
- [Toyota Yaris Hybrid 2017 Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/toyota-yaris-hybrid-2017-review/) - Like most families, we try and do our bit for the environment when we can, but I'd never really considered driving a hybrid car. I suppose I thought they might lack power, or that they're slower, or complicated. I'm sure that sounds daft to a hybrid driver, but it's just an impression I had. So
- [Top Tips on Reducing Food Waste](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-reducing-food-waste/) - Over the past few weeks, I've been working with top domestic appliance maker Haier to understand more about food waste, and how to reduce it in our family. As a small family, we do struggle with food waste. It's all too easy to buy something and only use half the pack, and the remainder then
- [#Mumlife: I Can't Get no Sleep](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tips-to-improve-sleep/) - There's a song that bounces round my head sometimes. "I can't get no sleep." I'd tell you which song exactly, but I'm too tired to think straight. Recently, I've struggled to get enough sleep. Not to fall asleep, you understand. I can fall asleep standing up in a rainstorm. My challenge is waking up too
- [Exploring the Best of Booths](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/exploring-the-best-of-booths/) - Stop what you're doing because I'm about to change your whole life. If you're after the most perfect summer side-dish or snack, then here's what you need to do: get some really good, fresh vine tomatoes out of the fridge, and leave them for 15 minutes. Next, slice them in half. Wait another 15 minutes.
- [Why you NEED to see Wonder Woman](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mums-take-daughters-wonder-woman/) - I took Flea to see Wonder Woman this weekend. Have you seen it yet? In this house, we were so excited to watch that we got tickets for the midnight showing. And the late night was very definitely worth it. Wonder Woman isn't a perfect movie, by any means. But it's a lot of fun,
- [10 Foods from the 1980s (that I never want to eat again)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-foods-1980s-never-want-eat/) - Once, when Flea was about five, she came home from school with eyes like saucers. "Mummy, we had something new for lunch today and it was delicious!" she declared. "It was called pastry." I think that was the moment I realised that our childhood diet really is something that's tied to a specific era. As
- [Fresher Living Food Wastage Challenge](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fresher-living-food-waste-challenge/) - So, here’s a scary fact: in the UK each week, we waste more than 100,000 tons of food each week. That’s even more horrifying when you think about the fact that 7 million families in the UK today are struggling to put food on the table. Research suggests that most of think we waste very little
- [10 Top Tips for Entrepreneurs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-top-tips-for-entrepreneurs/) - Occasionally, despite being a Northerner, I think things happen in life at just the right moment. I feel like the Martinhal Family Brands Event, might be one of those things. Martinhal is a small chain of luxury family resorts in Portugal, and company founder Chitra Stern brought together the founders behind creative, family-friendly businesses from all
- [A Mum in a Million](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-mum-in-a-million/) - On Mother's Day, there's a story I love to tell our family about my Mum. I was nine years old, and I had a stomach bug. In the middle of the night, I went to wake my Mum up to tell her I'd been sick. "Well, go and clear it up before it marks
- [When is it too late to say thank you?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/late-say-thank/) - You might find this hard to believe, but I wasn't a model student in my schooldays. I know, right? But you know how it is. You grow up, you move away, you have a child of your own - and it's easy to forget about school, really, isn't it? Because who cares? Ancient history. Except for
- [5 Productivity Tips for Overwhelmed Bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/feeling-overwhelmed-heres-what-to-do/) - I'm not going to lie - I'm feeling overwhelmed right now. The start of the year is always busy with tax and VAT returns, and new annual contracts. Then there's chasing up all the things that didn't get done in the pre-Christmas craziness. On top of that, I've got two major new projects at work, and
- [Can Blogging be a Long Term Career?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/blogging-long-term-career/) - Like lots of people, I ended up working in social media by accident. I used to be a journalist. I decided I was going to be a journalist when I was seven. I started writing diaries, and then the guy at the local fish and chip shop started giving me blank newspapers,
- [How I Got Ed Sheeran Tickets (thank you, Jesus)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ed-sheeran-ticket-touts-top-tips-tickets/) - Ed Sheeran tickets went on sale this morning at 10am and sold out in minutes - did you manage to snag any? I was online at 10am and waiting for tickets on two websites at the same time. On one site, I was held in a queue indefinitely. On the second site, I could see
- [When does it feel like Christmas?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/feel-like-christmas/) - The festive season arrives gradually in our house. It's a series of moments, over days and weeks, that makes me feel like, "Oh, now it's Christmas." Certainly, it's not a case of popping up a tree on December 1st, and that's it - we're feeling festive. Our Christmas build-up starts the first week of December
- [Is 2017 the year you should hire a VA?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hire-va-blogging-virtual-assistant/) - I'm convinced that I'm not just getting older, I'm getting busier. Life felt hectic when I had a toddler, but these days I hardly have time to blink. I've written before about how I am not embarrassed to admit that I have a cleaner. Today, though, I'm talking about another person on my team - my virtual assistant,
- [Looking after a Sick Child](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/does-my-child-have-meningitis/) - We were just arriving home from a day out, and a quick visit to my brother's house yesterday when Flea announced she had a headache. "I feel a bit sick," she said, before unleashing The Exorcist on our bathroom. I don't deal well with sick children. As I may have mentioned before I am completely a teeny bit
- [My Ten Best Posts of 2016](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ten-best-posts-2016/) - So before we go swinging into 2017 I thought it might be nice to look back at my ten most popular posts of the past year - including some olden but golden posts from years past that are still proving pretty popular. What's really interesting about this (if you're a bit of a nerd, like
- [The 73 Questions Tag](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/73-questions-tag/) - A few weeks ago, I was tagged by one of my favourite bloggers, Becky from A Beautiful Space, to complete a 73 Questions Tag. This is a meme based on the Vogue magazine format, which involves being asked 73 questions and giving quick answers. Ever wondered what is my favourite food? What's the best gift
- [40+ YouTube Tips I learned at the Manchester Creator Day](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/40-youtube-tips-manchester-creator-day/) - Last weekend, I snagged a place at the 2016 YouTube Creator Day in Manchester, a packed day of workshops and presentations for people finding their feet on YouTube. That'll be me, then. I'm not going to lie - it's a special sort of terrifying walking into a room of people you don't know AT ALL,
- [Gift Ideas for 11 year olds that Give Back](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gift-ideas-for-11-year-olds-that-give-back/) - This is it, friends. 2016 is the year I’m going to get organised and shop early for gifts, so I can properly maximise time spent watching Christmas movies, eating mince pies and singing carols. With that in mind, I’ve been scoping out gifts that might suit Flea, my 11-year-old skateboarding, iPhone-loving, and basically completely weird
- [What Not to say to Single Parents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-not-to-say-single-parents/) - Every once in a while, one of my married friends will tell me that they are "single parenting" for the week. Their partner is away, working, and they're in charge. Friends, that is not single parenting. I love that you're trying to relate, or find common ground. But please stop. So, I get it, I do.
- [Review: The Crown, new on Netflix](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-crown-new-netflix/) - This year we've been enjoying some stellar TV shows on Netflix. To be fair, a lot of my telly watching falls under the "guilty pleasure" category. My tastes in TV haven't matured very much in the past 20 years or so. This means that 2016 has seen us bingeing on box sets like Pretty Little
- [When did children's food get so... posh?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-did-childrens-food-get-so-posh/) - Here's a real conversation about food that happened in our house this week: Me: Did you get a snack at school today? Flea: Yeah, I had a bacon roll. Me: OK. But if you've had breakfast, try and get something else, ok? Not always bacon. Flea: Oh, I don't always have a roll. Some days
- [The One Where I'm not Unpatriotic](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/not-unpatriotic-losers-brexit/) - I'm a Brexit "loser". It's true. Like many others, I voted to remain in the EU. That's because I strongly believed - and continue to believe - that leaving the EU would be A Bad Thing. I worried a "leave" vote would lead to a rise in racism and tension. I worried it seemed to
- [7 Things I Know About... Writing](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-tips-for-writing-blog-posts/) - Recently, I attended a blogging event and conversation turned to writing. I was chatting with a woman who had possibly enjoyed a glass or two of champagne. "Thing about you Sally, is you're a writer, you're a journalist," she said. "You know how to WRITE." Before you think this is a post about "HOW AND
- [How to Change your YouTube Channel Art](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/change-youtube-channel-art/) - It's a fact of life that changing your YouTube channel art is more complicated than you'd think. That's because YouTube asks you to upload a single, large image that will be cropped in different ways depending on how someone is looking at your channel - on TV, computer, tablet or mobile phone. I've been asked
- [Why we need to bury the word "MumBoss"](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-we-need-to-bury-the-word-mumboss/) - Can we please, for the love of ALL that is holy, stop referring to ourselves as a #MumBoss? I say #Mumboss, because #Mumboss (like GirlBoss and LadyBoss) is one of those words that was surely spawned on social media. It's very big on Instagram, along with #Instamom and #MyLifeIsBetterThanYours. Saying you're a #MumBoss sounds empowering, doesn't it?
- [Possibly the Best Baby Keepsake EVER!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/possibly-the-best-baby-clothes-quilt-ever/) - Baby clothes are special, aren't they? Because they're not just clothes, they're memories. As a Mum (or Dad), you can look at old baby clothes and remember where you were when your baby wore that outfit; what they did; who you were with. I suppose because the things you did were all First Times -
- [Road Trip Part 5: Vancouver Island](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/vancouver-island-tofino-with-kids/) - Oh, but Vancouver Island is beautiful. The sort of beautiful that stops you in your tracks, and makes you sigh, and think Louis was right, it really is A Wonderful World. We took the ferry from Departure Bay in Vancouver to Nanaimo in Vancouver Island. You can make a reservation online ahead of time (important
- [Road Trip Part 3: Port Angeles & Seattle](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/road-trip-part-3-port-angeles-seattle/) - Our road trip this week took us out of Canada, south to Seattle and Port Washington. We were a bit sad. "It's going to take something pretty special to not seem lame after this!" I told Flea. We completely loved our time in Whistler, and had fallen in love with the place. Driving to Washington
- [Canadian Road Trip Part 4: Kelowna and Shuswap](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kelowna-shuswap-salmon-arm-kids/) - Kelowna and Shuswap fell just after the midpoint of our Canadian road trip. A little over two weeks in, we drove out of Seattle, heading North to Canada. Crossing back into Canada was a lot less hassle than driving into the US had been. It's worth noting if you're a single parent, though, you will be
- [Canadian Road Trip Part 2: Whistler](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/canadian-road-trip-part-2-whistler/) - Whistler? In the summer? To be honest, people were a bit surprised that we were planning to visit Whistler in the summer. It’s best known as a winter resort for skiing and snowboarding, right? Actually, Whistler is something of a year-round playground. During the summer months, it’s just as busy as in the winter. But
- [Canadian Road Trip Part 1: Vancouver](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/canadian-road-trip-part-1-vancouver/) - This summer, Flea and I are exploring Canada and the Pacific North West, kicking off our 3 week trip in Vancouver. I’ve always wanted to visit Vancouver, and Flea said she wanted to do “lakes and woods” during her summer break this year. We flew from Heathrow to Vancouver with British Airways, which was about
- [Birthday Road Trip Detours](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/birthday-road-trip-detours/) - When you take a road trip, planning is essential. *nods wisely* Before we leave, I book all of our accommodation, plan our route out on Google Maps (taking an overview print out for reference), and create a spreadsheet with contact numbers of all the places we're going to stay. So far, it's a system that
- [Weekend at Featherdown Farms, Shropshire](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-upper-shadymoor-featherdown-farm-shropshire/) - When I was invited to try out Featherdown Farms' version of camping at Upper Shadymoor in Shropshire, my first reaction was *not* to clap my little hands with glee and start exploring the website. Camping and me? We have history. My Dad was a scout leader and we spent many weekends huddled together over a
- [10 New Shows you Should be Watching on Sky Right Now](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/10-best-box-sets-sky-tv-2016/) - Regular readers will know I'm a big fan of Sky, and a big fan of box sets. So I might have done a bit of a happy dance when I was contacted by the rather lovely people at Sky TV and invited to upgrade my Sky package. I've been a Sky customer for more than 10
- [Remain](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/remain/) - I suspect like all of us, I'm pre-occupied with this week's EU referendum. I wasn't going to write about it, honest I wasn't. I wasn't going to write because I tend to think once people make up their minds on this stuff, you can't change it. You think the EU is undemocratic and has taken
- [Valentines Day: Sharing the (blog) Love.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/valentines-day-sharing-the-blog-love/) - Happy Valentine's Day! So, here's the thing: I'm not a big believer in Valentine's Day. Over the years, frankly, I've had some shocking Valentine's dates. I count my blessings that only two ended up in hospitalisation. But that's a story for another time. Preferably after several stiff drinks. Anyway, this year, we're stopping home. It's safer
- [The Girlguiding Big Gig 2015](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-girlguiding-big-gig-2015/) - Regular readers will know that I'm a big supporter of scouting and guiding for young people. It's a sad reality of life for many kids today that life is pretty limited in lots of ways - while our children have access to information and technology my generation couldn't even dream of, many children today don't
- [How can your child humiliate you? Let me count the ways...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-can-your-child-humiliate-you-let-me-count-the-ways/) - The nice thing about blogging - as my friend Jen likes to tell me - is that no humiliation is wasted. It's all blog fodder. This of course explains why I have shared stories such as The Worst Smear Test Ever, and (an old favourite) The Time Flea Told Everyone How Many Condoms I Use.
- [Desert Island Discs: the lowbrow edition.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/desert-island-discs-the-lowbrow-edition/) - Music's a funny thing. A piece of music can transport me back to a moment better than any number of photographs or videos. I can listen to music and remember where I was, who I was with, and how I felt in an exact moment in time. Knowing this, you'd think I'd be - well
- [Going Back to Tel Aviv](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/going-back-to-tel-aviv/) - It’s almost a year since I was invited to visit Israel with a non-profit organization called Kinetis, to discover the Israel behind the headlines. That trip was a real game-changer for me. At the time, my working life was complicated, and I loved meeting so many inspiring women, who were just Getting Things Done, regardless
- [The Alternative MAD Awards](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-alternative-mad-awards/) - So, it’s been a week since the inaugural MAD Awards at Butlins, where the UK’s top Mummy and Daddy bloggers claimed their awards for being, well, just brilliant, really. A massive thanks to Butlins and to all our sponsors, with special mentions to Philips for kicking off a blender-related scandal, and Kinder for providing me
- [Tracks of my Years: 1989](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tracks-of-my-years-1989/) - My good friend Jen at the Mad House has challenged me (along with Emma, Vic and Pippa) to come up with a music track that means something to me, and to share it with all of you. I find this sort of thing a fairly horrible challenge because: So many important events in my life
- [Taking on the Mini Mudder Challenge](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/taking-mini-mudder-challenge/) - Like most 10-year-olds, Flea has a thirst for adventure that makes me proud while equally making me want to cry a bit - as a single Mum, I'm often dragged along for the ride against my better judgment. However, good news - this summer your kids can get filthy on an adventure all of their
- [Travel Bucket List: Idaho](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/travel-bucket-list-idaho/) - Like thousands of British families, we love to travel to the USA - but does Idaho make your US travel bucket list? If you're anything like me, you'll be a bit, "Ida-who, now?" but after spending the day with Visit Idaho recently, I'm more than a bit sold. Basically, Idaho has more wilderness than pretty much
- [Things I Have Forgotten](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-have-forgotten/) - I love reading those posts about "40 Things I have Learned Since Turning 40" and "10 Lessons I've Learned about Parenting" type posts, but friends, that post is never going to be written by me. Simply put, I am at an age now where I have forgotten so many more things than I have
- [Review: Philips FC6232 Dust Mite Cleaner](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-philips-fc6232-dust-mite-cleaner/) - From around May to August each year, poor Flea suffers horribly with allergies - she has hay fever and also reacts to various detergents, plants and chemicals with a range of rashes, runny eyes and sneezes. She's not alone. From childhood I've had a range of allergies to dust, animals, blankets and a lot of
- [Fifty Guaranteed Happy Makers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fifty-guaranteed-happy-makers/) - Last week, I went to an event that made me very happy - the nice folks at Getpaidto invited a bunch of bloggers to the London Eye to find out about the launch of their new site. It was a gloriously sunny, clear day and the views from the London Eye were spectacular - and the champagne
- [The Egg Roulette Challenge](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-egg-roulette-challenge/) - It's no secret that Flea and I love stupid games. The more stupid the better. And that's why we've decided to take on the egg roulette challenge. If you've not spent time exploring the many, many stupid games on YouTube recently, the rules of egg roulette are pretty simple - take a dozen eggs, four
- [What do I do when you tell me you want to die?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-do-i-do-when-you-tell-me-you-want-to-die/) - Social media types (and I’m probably one of them) tend to use the word ‘connect’ more often than is healthy. So I have thousands of connections on social media – people I’ve interviewed, writers, bloggers, editors. I chat with these people online, sometimes on a daily basis. They read and comment on my blog. We
- [Should you be taking blog photos in RAW?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bloggers-shooting-raw-photography/) - RAW: a guide for bloggers
- [The Year of Lasts.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-year-of-lasts/) - We were driving to school this morning when it occurred to me. This is the last school run we'll ever do with Flea wearing this school uniform. The last day she'll wear her school tie. The tie I remember painstakingly showing her how to tie for herself, smiling every time she went to school so
- [My Child Laughs in the Face of Plans](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/child-laughs-face-plans/) - I shouldn't be here right now. By which I mean, I shouldn't be on the sofa, with my 10-year-old, watching TV. I should be in London, having dinner with a friend, after spending the day at YouTube, learning how to make better vlogs. The hotel was booked, the train seats reserved, the workshop place confirmed.
- [Save the Children Blogging Conference](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/save-the-children-blogging-conference/) - "We're just sitting here, letting them die." Sometimes, it just takes a few words for someone to REALLY make you think. If a child, my child, was in front of you, moments from death, you'd do everything you could for her, right? Wouldn't you do the same for a child in Somalia? Especially if the
- [Announcing the MADs, 2010.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/announcing-the-mads-2010/) - Did you ever wish there was a way to show your favourite blogger how great you thought they were?Have you ever wanted to tell a blogger that they made you laugh until you snorted coffee over the keyboard, or that their story moved you to tears? Well, from tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to do
- [So my blog got hacked...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-do-when-your-blog-hacked/) - I guess I'm lucky. I've been blogging since around 2002, and I've never experienced a site being hacked until last month, when this site was badly hacked. Honestly, it's a horrible feeling, knowing that you put your time and heart and energy into creating something, and then it gets hijacked for the amusement of some teenager,
- [Why Shouldn't Women be Competitive?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-shouldnt-women-be-competitive/) - I read a great post yesterday over at Rosalilium, and followed some of the conversation it sparked on Facebook. The general thrust of the conversation was: competition bad; collaboration good. Wouldn't it be lovely if bloggers could support one another without question, celebrate others' successes as we would our own, and view each other as
- [Happy Mother's Day](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/happy-mothers-day-2/) - I haven’t seen my mother since I was maybe three years old.I don’t know exactly when that last meeting was. What I remember is she had long brown hair and I must have been waiting for her, because I was at the window, watching her get out of a yellow car. We went to the
- [5 Reasons we all want to go to Hogwarts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-reasons-we-want-to-go-to-hogwarts/) - All things being equal, I'd rather be at Hogwarts. Who wouldn't? I've recently been mainlining the Harry Potter movies with Flea (for the third time) and we both regularly sigh, and say, "If only..." No matter how old you are, though, I think a little part of all of us wants to go to
- [A New Low.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-new-low/) - So, possibly this is TMI but somewhere around day 24 of my monthly cycle, I become a total carbs junkie. My body rejects any suggestion of avocado for breakfast with a desultory snort, opting instead for mounds of toast topped with Marmite. This sad fact is hopelessly at odds with my current attempt to revive my
- [So you want to be a freelance writer?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/5-tips-for-freelance-writers/) - So, before I did this blogging thing for a job, I was a freelance writer. I know that freelance writing is a dream career for lots of bloggers. And why not? You get paid to go to new places, talk to new people and then write about it. It's mostly home-based so you can choose your own hours, and
- [Are you Smarter than a 10 year old?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/are-you-smarter-than-a-10-year-old/) - January is, in my book, a month when you shouldn't be doing anything more taxing than curling up on the sofa, under a blanket, and watching copious amounts of telly. But for poor Flea, it's exam season. This September, Flea is going to be going up to secondary school. Don't ask me how that happened,
- [How Many Likes is Enough?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-many-likes-is-enough/) - I wrote recently about Flea's sleepovers with friends and how they've changed in the last few years. Where the kids used to show up with soft toys and Haribo, now they're showing up with laptops and iPads. And a big part of their tech life revolves around social media - especially Instagram and Twitter. I'm
- [What's on your Christmas wish list?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-on-your-christmas-wish-list/) - So, Flea sent off her letter to Father Christmas this morning. This year, the requests are (fortunately) more simple than the year she asked for a monkey, and to become a dog. I think Santa should be able to magic up a top hat and a scooter without too many worries. But what about my
- [Working Parents: not a tragedy, in fact.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/working-parents-not-a-tragedy-in-fact/) - I should know better, shouldn't I? But there I was this morning perusing the Mail Online when I came across this gem: ADHD and why we working mums need to look in the mirror This headline, like so many others in the media (and especially the Fail) makes the classic assumption that parenting is (of
- [I ain't missing you at all.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/i-aint-missing-you-at-all/) - I don't often write about REALLY personal things on my blog but lately, I've been struggling. You know, emotionally. But... You know when you miss someone so much that you stop in your tracks and forget to take a breath? Or when they're the first thing you think about in the morning before you even
- [Blog Birthdays and Unintended Consequences.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/blog-birthdays-and-unintended-consequences/) - I wasn’t going to blog today, on account of being on holiday and so on, but it just occurred to me that today is my blog birthday. I started this blog three years ago. I know, you’d have thought I’d have got a bit better as this blogging lark after that much practice, but there
- [What happens when single parents die?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-happens-when-single-parents-die/) - "Are you doing to die, Mum?" "Yes, but I've no immediate plans in that direction." "OK. If you do, though, will I get all your money?" Sometimes it's the small moments that make all the hard work of motherhood worth it, aren't they? This week has been all about wills and financial planning. I know,
- [Five Things I Won't Do in 2016](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-things-i-wont-do-in-2016/) - Tis the season to make well-intentioned promises about all the things you probably won't do after January 7th, and will therefore feel guilt and shame about for the next three months or so. Stuff that. I'm making a list of things I did in 2015 that I most definitely probably won't do again in 2016:
- [So long, 2013.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/so-long-2013/) - So, I think this is where I'm supposed to say that 2013 was a wonderful year, I feel complete, and I'm all full of good intentions for 2014. Well, kinda. Truth be told, I find writing those posts a bit narcissistic. Every year is the best ever, and everyone feels blessed and they're all surrounded by
- [Write Blog. Get Trolled.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/write-blog-get-trolled/) - This weekend was the first ever blogging conference from Mumsnet - BlogFest. I did have a ticket but life got in the way, and I ended up passing it on to a friend, and following the news on Twitter. The thing about Twitter is you can see the comments that really strike a chord with
- [The One Where the World of PR Makes me Cook](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-the-world-of-pr-makes-me-cook/) - It’s fair to say that I’m not a domestic goddess. I burn dinner as often as I serve it successfully, and my lunchtime repertoire tends to extend as far as toast and, erm, more toast. The world of PR has, to be fair, made some sterling efforts to get me cooking over recent months. First up,
- [Does blogging make you a bad parent?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/does-blogging-make-you-a-bad-parent/) - There were ruffled feathers all over the place this morning over this piece in the Telegraph from JoJo Moyes about how she wouldn’t have time to write a blog, and particularly not as the Mum of young children. JoJo then goes on to question how helpful parent blogging is – isn’t it just another version
- [The Kitchen Video Blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-kitchen-video-blog/) - "I'm totally not going to do that." That's what I said to Jen at the Madhouse when she tagged me and asked me to make a video blog of my kitchen. Seriously? A blog about a kitchen? But then I thought about it. The truth is, I am a domestic GODDESS. My kitchen is like a shrine
- [Who is Who's the Mummy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/who-is-whos-the-mummy/) - Who's the Mummy is the true story of me (Sally) and my fantastic daughter, Flea. We live in Lancashire, although I often venture further afield in my work as a freelance blogger, writer and speaker. Flea hopes to be a pirate or a diver when she grows up. At the age of six, Flea has
- [Taking it with a pinch of salt - whether you know it or not](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/for-the-last-month-weve-been-testing-a-new-iphone-application-from-the-food-standards-agency-to-help-us-see-how-much-salt/) - For the last month, we’ve been testing a new iPhone application from the Food Standards Agency to help us see how much salt we’re eating. To be honest, I was a bit blasé when I agreed to test it out – I’ve always been pretty conscious of our salt consumption and I haven’t added any
- [If brevity is  the soul of wit, I'm sorted.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/if-brevity-is-the-soul-of-wit-im-sorted/) - 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
- [Top of the Tots 2010: Top 10 Most Popular British Parent Blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-of-the-tots-2010-top-10-most-popular-british-parent-blogs/) - UPDATE: If you want to connect with 1,000 British Mummy blogs (and some Dads, too) then please visit the new Tots100 website with up-to-date listings and a brand new PR subscription option, so you can search, filter and contact the UK's most popular Mummy bloggers direct. Today we're continuing our look at the top parent
- [September Tots100 Index of The Top 100 British Mummy and Daddy Blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/september-tots100-index-of-the-top-100-british-mummy-and-daddy-blogs/) - Welcome to the September 2010 Tots100 index of the top 100 British Parent bloggers. August was a pretty quiet month for our top UK Mummy and Daddy blogs - the volume of posts has reduced sharply, although there has been plenty of activity relating to the trip three Mummy bloggers recently made to Bangladesh with
- [2015 in Review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2015-in-review/) - Coming towards the end of the year, it's easy to focus on the things I haven't done, the goals I haven't hit, the problems I wasn't able to fix. Those things aren't on this blog, of course. Call it blogger's creative license. We all do it (or at least I hope we do, or my
- [Dear PR... The Christmas Edition](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-pr-the-christmas-edition/) - It's all too easy to give PR execs a hard time. Whether you're a journalist or a blogger, I'd bet my bottom dollar that you've got a stock of stories about badly targeted press releases, irritating emails and random parcels landing on your doorstep. But it's Christmas. And I thought it might be the perfect
- [#Winning at the Supermarket ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/winning-at-the-supermarket/) - This time of year, the school run is always a joy. It's dark. It's cold. It's tipping it down with rain. And all I really want is to be at home, snuggled on the sofa in front of a roaring fire. Today was no exception. Apart from the fact that I knew there was no
- [Blogfest, Virtual Friends and Park Lives ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/blogfest-virtual-friends-and-park-lives/) - Last month saw me attend the Blogfest blogging conference for the first time, as a guest of Coca-Cola. The conference was a lot of fun, and for me the highlight was catching up with some of my favourite bloggers. It was particularly brilliant to see Laura - we've worked together since 2012, and she's hands down
- [What can you say? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-can-you-say/) - One of the things that regularly induces toe-curling rage in my house is seeing yet another one of those, "10 Things NEVER to say to..." type articles. I have a reflexive impulse to shout, "Shut up!" at the computer whenever I see one. And they're everywhere. Eleven things never to say to a working mum. The 20 WORST
- [The terrible, no good weekend.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-terrible-no-good-weekend/) - It was a bad weekend. Sometimes divorced parenting is just a case of accepting you've failed before you open your eyes in the morning. It doesn't get easier, it just gets more complicated. Flea was upset, I was upset, I'm fairly sure the postman would have been upset, if I'd had a chance to talk
- [Eating around Thailand - Rayong](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/eating-around-thailand-rayong/) - Hot on the heels of attending TBEX Asia this year, I was invited on a post-TBEX tour by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The goal? To find out more about some of Thailand's "undiscovered gems" and to learn more about Thai food. Seriously, what's not to love? So, the morning after the conference, I joined
- [Adoption shouldn't be the Last Port of Call](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/adoption-last-resort-policy/) - I remember the day I was adopted. My Mum had bought me a skirt for this Big Occasion and I was - frankly - disgusted at the idea that I was wasting a perfectly good bonus day off school wearing such a hideous ensemble. We went to court, and a judge asked me if I wanted
- [Should Social Media be Reciprocal?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/should-social-media-be-reciprocal/) - I've got to start this post with a confession: I unfollowed you on Twitter. Honestly? It's not you, it's me. You were chatting on about reality TV every single week and MAN, I hate reality TV. Hate it. And then you started sharing those pretty things you pin on Pinterest. I can't craft. I can't cook. I
- [Are you ready for boys?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/are-you-ready-for-boys/) - While we were in California this summer, we popped into American Girl in Los Angeles. If you've never heard of this place it's basically the Global Headquarters of Weird, disguised as a doll shop. After marvelling at the doll spa where your doll can get a facial (no, really) and the cafe where you can enjoy
- [An Ode to Nine.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/an-ode-to-nine/) - Nine's such an unassuming number isn't it. When it comes to kids, we expect huge leaps in development at one, two and three. Four and five are starting school. Learning to swim. Riding a bike. And everyone knows 11 is a big one - starting secondary school, embarking on puberty. Nine? Nine's sort of in
- [Top Kids Party Hacks ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-party-hacks-kids/) - It's my theory that are two sorts of people in the world. There are Pinterest people. And then there's the rest of us. When tasked with the idea of planning a party by Sky Movies this summer, I could have launched myself face first into Pinterest, and worked out how to best position the fairy
- [Sally and Flea go to London.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sally-and-flea-go-to-london/) - One of my first posts on this blog was my confession that, when she was in pre-school, Flea’s usual breakfast was cereal in a cup. We’ve moved on from those days. We’re older, wiser, more sophisticated. Yes, now that Flea is four, she’s big enough to get her own breakfast, thereby allowing me an extra
- [Sally and Flea go to the Farm](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sally-and-flea-go-to-the-farm/) - Like most kids of her age, Flea can perform a wide range of animal noises. I blame all those hours spent at Musical Minis classes, singing along to Old MacDonald and Five Little Ducks Went Swimming One Day. But as an urban child, she’s never seen most of those animals, outside of books and
- [Nutella, and a great family day out in Cheshire](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/nutella-and-a-great-family-day-out-in-cheshire/) - When I was a kid, my Dad was a cub scout leader. On weekends we regularly piled into the car with a picnic and a thermos and headed into the Lancashire countryside. We climbed hills, we paddled in rivers, we explored woods. By the time I was Flea’s age, I had a great collection of
- [A Week in Israel: It's Complicated.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-complicated/) - A couple of days ago, we visited the ancient city of Jerusalem. To kick the day off we went to Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. On the way there (because I’m cynical like that) I remember thinking, “Well, I’m not sure what’s so special about a zoo…” Except as the zoo director told us, “Jerusalem is complicated.”
- [Single Parents on Holiday.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/single-parents-on-holiday/) - We’ve been on holiday this week, staying in Devon. It’s been brilliant. We’ve been incredibly lucky to have a week of long, sunny days with clear, blue skies and Devon’s beaches are still pretty un-crowded at this time of year. Flea has taken some early surfing lessons, we've ridden horses, and sandcastles were built –
- [Things to do in London when you're five](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/junior-chef-workshop/) - Cooking with Flea is on my list of things that I should do but never quite manage, along with ‘crafting’ and learning how to do those fancy ponytail things with her hair. So we were delighted to be invited to a Junior Chef weekend at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, where Flea would be
- [What we did this summer: The Keycamp Holiday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-we-did-this-summer-the-keycamp-holiday/) - I have a confession to make: despite having a child, in the main, I don’t love children. In my experience, most children are noisy and a bit annoying. Genetics means that I find these traits adorable in my own child, of course. But other children? Hmm. Not so much. So taking a ‘family friendly’ holiday
- [A Day at the Circus](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-day-at-the-circus/) - It’s no secret that Brighton is one of my favourite cities in the whole world. I lived in Brighton for almost eight years, and Flea was born there. So it’s not entirely a coincidence that Brighton was the venue for the Tots100 Summer Party – which saw 100 kids and bloggers for an afternoon by
- [Video Review: Park Plaza County Hall](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/video-review-park-plaza-county-hall/) - As I mentioned, earlier this month, Panasonic invited us to a workshop where we learned how to use their new HC-v500 video cameras. The company generously gave us a camcorder to play with, and challenged us to make an excellent home movie. We didn't do that. Instead, Flea channelled a very, very camp Judith Chalmers
- [Magical Christmas at Drayton Manor Thomas Land](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-christmas-at-drayton-manor-thomasland/) - So this weekend, it rained. We could have snuggled in front of the fire with our shiny new copy of Arthur Christmas for company but instead Flea and I (accompanied by Flea's best friend) headed off to the Midlands to spend the day at Drayton Manor theme park. Over the next few weeks, Drayton Manor's
- [What are the best things to do in Orlando?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/best-tips-hints-florida-orlando/) - This weekend, Flea and I will be flying out to Florida for half-term, as guests of Visit Orlando. We'll be visiting the major theme parks while we're in the US - including Sea World Parks, Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World, as well as having some time to explore other attractions in the area.
- [Indoor Skydiving with iFly in Florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/indoor-skydiving-with-ifly-in-florida/) - Last week, we had a fabulous trip to Orlando, Florida, as guests of Visit Orlando. Chances are when you think of Orlando, you'll think of theme parks, water parks and other such attractions but one of the most popular activities in the city is also indoor skydiving. On our final day in Florida, we were
- [Things to do in Florence when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-florence-with-kids-children/) - This Easter, Flea and I were set the challenge of spending 100,000 Starpoints on a trip somewhere fun. That was it. No rules, no guidelines, just - go somewhere and have fun. And so it was we ended up booking two flights to Florence for a three-night stay at the Westin Excelsior Hotel. After I
- [Things to do in Jordan when you're Seven](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-to-do-in-jordan-with-kids-families/) - "Is it safe?" That's the first question I asked when I was invited on a press trip to Jordan to explore the country as a destination for family holidays. This middle Eastern country borders Iraq, Syria AND Israel so you can see why I wondered - but a quick check of the FCO website reassured
- [Making a Difference in Tanzania](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/making-a-difference-in-tanzania/) - Earlier this month, I travelled to Tanzania with Coca Cola. Undoubtedly it's a beautiful country - the beach at the top of the post is in Zanzibar, and I'm not sure I've ever stood in a more picture perfect spot. But the picture postcard only tells a fraction of the story. Life in Tanzania is
- [Summer Days Out: Drayton Manor Park](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/summer-days-out-drayton-manor-park/) - Over the years, we must have been to Drayton Manor Park in Staffordshire almost a dozen times. And it is a powerful testament to the park's facilities that we had just as much fun when Flea was three or four as we do now she's 9. It's quite rare to find a family attraction that will
- [Dear Birthday Girl](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-birthday-girl/) - Dear Flea, So you're ten! Bloody hell. I've never had a ten year old before, but I have to say if they're all like you, they're pretty great. Thanks for being the world's BEST travel buddy this summer. I can't think of anyone else who can read a map, work my phone when I'm driving, and still
- [The Best Laid Plans](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-best-laid-plans/) - I had it all perfectly scheduled. Which is how I should have known, of course. The summer? Has already come undone. The plan was simple. Flea would finish school and spend 2 weeks with her Dad. Then she'd head off on a PGL adventure for four days with her friend, during which time I would book
- [How to write a Great Travel Review ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-write-a-great-travel-review/) - As part of my day job, I am sometimes asked to work with travel brands – selecting bloggers to attend events, review holidays and travel to overseas destinations. As a blogger myself, I’m also regularly invited to review holidays and destinations, to write about here on Who’s the Mummy? Over the past six years, Flea and
- [You Know you're a Modern Parent When... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-know-youre-a-modern-parent-when/) - It's the first official day of the summer holidays. To celebrate, Flea and seven of her friends had a sleepover last night - not at my house, thank God. Apparently, there was riding down staircases in sleeping bags, racing down slides on scooters ("They had three wheels, it's not like it was dangerous.") and much
- [Why are we so scared of men? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-are-we-so-scared-of-men/) - So, I'm going to let you into a bit of a secret: I like men. I point this out because some people think you can't be divorced and a feminist and like men. Some people are stupid, what can I say? Anyway, I do like men. I date men. A lot of my most long-standing friends,
- [Exciting Summer Plans](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/exciting-summer-plans/) - The sunshine is making the summer hols feel tantalisingly close, isn't it? In our house, we're on total summer countdown - Flea's got just a few days of school left and then we're FREE - eight and a bit weeks to do what we please, no enforced early mornings or racing between rounders practice and lifeguards
- [The World According to Taylor Swift](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-world-according-to-taylor-swift/) - It's been a challenging few weeks for our little family. Flea's been having some struggles in her relationship with her Dad - just the usual growing up stuff, but it's a little more complicated, I think, when you're not living in the same house as one of your parents. Those struggles have had knock-on effects
- [What you should know about Meningitis](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-you-should-know-about-meningitis/) - During Flea’s early life, I asked our local GP, “Do you think it’s meningitis?” approximately 5,000 times. He told me, “No, it’s a non-specific virus,” approximately 5,000 times. Like many parents, meningitis scares me stupid. In fact, 8 out of 10 UK parents say it’s the infectious disease that scares them most. Someone asked me
- [Dear P&G: I don't need a sponsor, thanks.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-pg-i-dont-need-a-sponsor-thanks/) - Sometimes, I think feminists shouldn't watch telly. There's just too much that makes us shout and grumble and despair of the world. Lately, the shouting and grumbling and despairing has been flung in the direction of a new ad campaign being run by P&G, which has announced that it is sponsoring Moms/Mums (depending which side
- [Like a tragic, older Ferris Bueller. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/like-a-tragic-older-ferris-bueller/) - It's basically undisputed fact that Ferris Bueller's Day Off is The Greatest Movie ever made. Don't agree? You might as well stop reading now. You and I? We have nothing to talk about. If you're still here, though, you'll remember the final 10 minutes or so of Ferris Bueller - where Ferris is racing to
- [What's the right age to wear make-up? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-the-right-age-to-wear-make-up/) - I spent this weekend with three amazing 9 and 10 year old girls, at the Capital FM Summertime Ball. It was really good fun - I danced and screamed a lot to Olly Murs and One Direction, and the girls danced in a cooler, more restrained fashion to Meghan Trainor and Lunchbox Lewis. Going to Wembley
- [Getting Fit when you're Fat](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/getting-fit-when-fat/) - Pretty much exactly a year ago, I was given one of those lovely medicals the NHS has started giving people as they turn 40. Nothing BAD was found, thank goodness, but my GP did sternly tell me that my weight was likely to affect my health more as I got older, and a combination of poor
- [Fresh Air Fixes Everything](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/fresh-air-fixes-everything/) - Yesterday was one of those days. You know the ones. Where you can't do right for doing wrong. My ex-husband was annoyed with me. My ex-boyfriend was upset with me. Work plans and school plans and travel plans all collided, and I was left frantically trying to arrange puppy-sitters and rearrange meetings. Colleagues will tell you
- [Why are clothing sizes so stupid? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-are-clothing-sizes-so-stupid/) - I bought a new top from Next recently - it was an impulse purchase, one of those, "It's a blogging event tomorrow, I have nothing clean, this looks okay." It was a nice top - green, plain, detailing on the sleeves. So nice, in fact, I decided to buy the same top in blue. I
- [Things I know about Co-Parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-know-about-co-parenting/) - When I split from my husband, I remember a good friend telling me that divorce isn't an event - it's a process. She meant that it's not something where you can draw a line in the sand and say you're "done" with it. Because it's something you do, over and over, separating two lives. And that's
- [Oh, the Places You'll Go!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dr-seuss-places-go/) - "So, what do you want to be when you grow up?" When you're a kid you get asked that all the time, don't you? For the record, currently Flea wants to be a marine biologist or an actor. When I was her age, I wanted to be a journalist. I loved to read, and I loved
- [The League of Toaster Crimes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-league-of-toaster-crimes/) - It goes (almost) without saying that there are some big problems facing the world in 2015. But one of the biggest is surely how to make the perfect toast for breakfast. A quick survey of my family reveals our top three toaster catastrophes: Some toasters don't deliver the perfect level of toastiness. Toast needs to be
- [Things you Think when your 9 year old is on a Ski Trip](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-you-think-when-your-9-year-old-is-on-a-ski-trip/) - I wonder what time it is? I wonder what time it is in Switzerland? They had a late night last night with that movie night the headmistress Tweeted a photo of. It's so cute they were all on the floor with their duvets and pillows. Didn't look very comfortable, mind. My feet would have been
- [The One Where we Buy a Shed.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-we-buy-a-shed/) - As regular readers may know, we recently added a new member to the family - Teddy the puppy. Mostly, Teddy enjoys biting stuff. Toys, sure, but also skirting boards, passing feet, coats, her own lead... and bicycles. Flea and I noticed that Teddy had started chewing the tyres of our bikes, which were locked up
- [What does it mean to be "like a girl"? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-does-it-mean-to-be-like-a-girl/) - A week or so back, Flea and I were returning from a bike ride, when suddenly, the gears on Flea's bike started slipping. She'd managed to turn the gears while her bike wasn't moving, and they were protesting. I probably rolled my eyes, but it was no big deal, or so I thought. But Flea's reaction
- [Review: the Nissan Note ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-the-nissan-note/) - For a small family, we're surprisingly demanding of our cars. For Flea, there has to be small space for the car to effectively become a secondary wardrobe and secondary toy storage - for all the items that make it into the car on the way to school but never seem to be taken into school
- [How Flea Learned to Swim](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-flea-learned-to-swim/) - Swimming was one of the very first activities I took Flea to – she went to her first Little Dippers class at six weeks old, with her Nanny and later with me. We swam regularly until she was about 18 months old, at which time she was beginning to swim independently, with the help of
- [Cooking for Simpletons](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/cooking-for-simpletons/) - If you’ve landed on this blog looking for cooking tips, then there are three things you need to know about me: I burn pasta at least once every week My child eats cereal in a cup for breakfast, in the car, on the way to school Every single time I boil an egg, without fail,
- [How to make Dairylea.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-dairylea/) - I've said some stupid things in my time on this planet. Like the time I confidently wrote an article in a technology magazine deriding Twitter as a passing fad for losers. Or the time I said, "Sure it'll fit" right before gouging a deep hole in the wall with the edge of a new sofa.
- [Cycling with Kids: A Parenting Masterclass.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/cycling-with-kids-a-parenting-masterclass/) - Cycling is pretty much the most virtuous thing you can teach kids to do, I reckon, short of treating leprosy. It's environmentally friendly, inexpensive, good exercise, and it's fun. So a couple of months back, I made the decision that I'd buy myself a bike, so that Flea and I could go riding together. My
- [Now TV Review for Simpletons (like us) ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/now-tv-review-for-simpletons-like-us/) - Here at the Whittle household we are big fans of TV. Big. Huge. Seriously, I think I might give up food before I gave up TV box sets. I've written before about 40 Box Sets to See Before You're 40, and I also have a deep, abiding love for 80s movies. So when the lovely
- [Summer Life Savers for Working Mums](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-sort-of-hate-summer/) - Flea has 9 weeks summer holiday. Yep. Nine weeks. I'll just let that sink in for you. Nine weeks of holiday is great if you’re six, but if you’re a self-employed, single parent, well – to be frank – it sucks. Big Time. So, we’re six weeks in to the summer hols and I’m so
- [Back to Earth with a Bump ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/back-to-earth-with-a-bump/) - It's the little things, that let you know you're not on holiday, isn't it? You were enjoying late nights and lazy mornings... and now you're lying on the sofa, being told it's "okay if you're too jet-lagged to take me to school tomorrow" You were getting gently sun-burned in 37 degree weather... and now you're scraping
- [What Boyhood reminded me about Parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-boyhood-reminded-me-about-parenting/) - This weekend, we re-watched one of my favourite movies of the past year, Boyhood. In case you haven’t heard of it, Boyhood is a coming-of-age story with a difference – filmed over 12 years, it follows the same cast through the boyhood of the film’s central character, Mason. We follow Mason from being a six-year-old
- [A new member of the family ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-new-member-of-the-family/) - Flea has been asking for a dog since she was three. One of my fondest memories is this letter that she made me when she was in reception class. It was a letter all about how I am the BEST Mummy in the whole wide world, and how much she loves me. When I asked
- [Smudged lines and grey areas.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/smudged-lines-and-grey-areas/) - One of my all-time favourite song lyrics is by Bob Dylan, a track called My Back Pages. It goes: Good and bad, I define these termsQuite clear, no doubt, somehowAh, but I was so much older thenI’m younger than that nowIt’s a song about how when we’re young we’re so smart that we see the
- [Worst day ever? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/worst-day-ever/) - Long-time readers will know that I have, let's call them, "issues" with teeth. While some people have anxiety dreams about being naked and missing exams, I wake up in a cold sweat after dreaming all my teeth have fallen out. This, combined with a less than ideal dental experience in my early 20s (I had
- [Sartorial Panic Attack. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sartorial-panic-attack/) - So rather wonderfully, someone has nominated me for the Debrett's 500 - a list of the UK's 500 most influential and inspiring people across a range of industries. Thanks, Mum. As with all these things, it's nice to be nominated, and although the final list won't be published for a few weeks yet, I've been
- [The One with That Call ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/4561/) - So the call comes around 2pm. You know the call. The one you hope you never get. "Hi, it's the school here. Flea has had a bit of an accident." The teacher explains that somehow, during PE, Flea was hit in the head with a hockey ball, it's quite a nasty bump, and the nurse has
- [Review: Peugeot 5008 ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-peugeot-5008/) - Just before Christmas, the rather nice people at Peugeot got in touch and asked if we'd like to try out the Peugeot 5008 compact MPV. As it happened, I was planning a day trip to the Warner Bros Studio Tour with Flea and two of her friends, and I figured this was the perfect opportunity
- [Well, this sucks. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/well-this-sucks/) - It's a little after 10am, and I'm sitting at my desk, sipping coffee and trying to pry toast crumbs from between the keys on my keyboard. I am not eating a mince pie, lounging on the sofa watching an 80s movie, or heading out for an adventure. And I'm not with Flea. Here's the thing:
- [Retweeting compliments. Just no. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/retweeting-compliments-just-no/) - So, I got into a bit of a debate with the awesome Cathy Bussey on Twitter on Friday about the tendency of some Twitter users to Retweet compliments about themselves. You know the sort of thing. @swhittle RT @randomuser Sally is just so SPECIAL, I love her xxx
- [Gwyneth Paltrow and Me: Peas in a Pod.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gwyneth-paltrow-and-me-peas-in-a-pod/) - My friend Britt likes to sometimes send me the GOOP newsletter to demonstrate to me why GOOP author Gwyneth Paltrow is an enemy of the human race. I’ve never really seen the problem. I mean, sure, Shakespeare in Love sucks, but there’s nothing wrong in eating macrobiotic is there? It leaves more real food for
- [The Girl Jeans Problem](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-girl-jeans-problem/) - Regular readers (Hi, Mum) may remember a month or so back, there was a small incident in the Whittle household involving some girl jeans. Basically, Flea had chosen some denim shorts from John Lewis and only realised when we got home that the label said 'John Lewis Girl'. This is a major problem. Because Flea
- [Safer Surfing: do you want to try my widget?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/safer-surfing-do-you-want-to-try-my-widget/) - As some of you may already know, I’ve taken on a new role with software company BitDefender, helping to run a new online community for parent bloggers. Safer Surfing is an online resource dedicated to helping families stay safe online. The site will provide non-biased technical advice for parents and bloggers, with a range of
- [The 12 Days of Christmas: Day five - saying Hi to Jesus.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-five-saying-hi-to-jesus/) - I read a really interesting post over at Living With Kids this week, where Liz asked for people’s traditions for Christmas Day. What was interesting – apart from how many people voluntarily watch soap operas - is that nobody mentioned church. Seriously, if I was Jesus, I’d be a bit pissed off, frankly. It’s his
- [2014: Little Moments ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/2014-little-moments/) - For me, life is all about little moments. I'm not one of those people who thinks happiness is a destination - it's a moment, a day, a feeling. One of my favourite things about blogging is the ability to capture those moments and turn back to them during times when life isn't quite so much fun.
- [The Evil Apprentice ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-evil-apprentice/) - Look at that face. Butter wouldn't melt, right? You'd think this is the face of a sweet, innocent child. Friends, you could not be more wrong. This weekend, Flea and I headed off to London for some fun - we were invited to a Muppets screening and taste-along at The Electric Cinema with Now TV,
- [Why not shop local for Cyber Monday? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/why-not-shop-local-for-cyber-monday/) - So apparently today is Cyber Monday - the day when we're all going to be very enthusiastically shopping online. According to the BBC website, we'll be spending cash at a rate of £450,000 a minute today - 26% more than last year. For me, though, I'll be taking a slightly different tack to my shopping this
- [What's Blogging Ever Done for Us? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-blogging-ever-done-for-us/) - A lovely blogger I know has recently become disheartened with blogging. One of her posts was used on a mainstream website and idiotic trolls took the opportunity to say some fairly terrible things. She wants to give up blogging. I read her most recent post, about the kerfuffle, and felt very sad. Lots of bloggers
- [My 10 Top Tips from BlogCamp ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-10-top-tips-from-blogcamp/) - As you may know, part of my day job is running the Tots100, Foodies100 and HIBS100 blogging communities - and every so often, we like to invite our members along to one of our free conferences for a day of chatting about all things blog-related. Last weekend saw our BlogCamp conference hit Birmingham, where around
- [What Really Happened at the MAD Blog Awards ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-really-happened-at-the-mad-blog-awards/) - Last weekend was the fifth annual MAD Blog Awards, the UK's largest and (almost certainly) most exciting awards for Mum and Dad bloggers. You'd think after five years, we'd have this thing down pat. That the evening would run like a finely oiled machine, with no surprises whatsoever. But you would be wrong. Thanks to
- [Review: The Asus VivoTab Smart ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-the-asus-vivotab-smart/) - We are no strangers to the world of tablets in the Whittle household. Not of the pharmaceutical variety (I'm not THAT bad a parent) but of the technical bent. This month, the nice people at Currys sent us an Asus VivoTab Smart tablet to review, and see what we could do with. The VivoTab is a
- [The One Where Flea was Neglected. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/children-and-iphones/) - It's been a fab weekend. My first real weekend off in a month, what with the demands of organising the MAD Blog Awards and BlogSummit Manchester during September. Flea and I took off to the beach on Saturday morning, then there was time for a quick trip to the park before heading off to Manchester
- [A Day out at Warwick Castle with LEGO ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-day-out-at-warwick-castle-with-lego/) - Once upon a time, in a Kingdom far, far not that far away, there was a LEGO range of bricks called 'Kingdoms'. It was discontinued in 2012 - now LEGO is replacing Kingdoms with a new Castle theme that will feature knights battling historical and fantasy creatures. At the heart of the new collection is
- [MAD Blog Awards Outstanding Blogger of the Year](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mad-blog-awards-uk-parent-blogs/) - As some of you may know, my company organises the MAD Blog Awards for UK parent blogs. It's an increasingly big and complicated business - this year we received more than 60,000 nominations in three weeks for thousands of UK parent blogs, writing about everything from food to technology, politics and parenting. But my favourite
- [What should be on your child's to-do list?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-should-be-on-your-childs-to-do-list/) - One of the things I've found most difficult about becoming a parent is how DIFFERENT Flea's experience of childhood is to my own. I grew up in a family of four children. My Dad was a scout leader and our childhood involved lots of camping, building dens in woods, long days on the sand dunes
- [The One Where We Review a Volvo V60. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-we-review-a-volvo-v60/) - There are some upsides to being a blogger. One of them - to be honest - is that people send you a lot of really cool stuff to try out. The downside? Sometimes trying them out does not go exactly to plan. For example: Last month was the MAD Blog Awards, which involved me taking
- [The more they change, the more they stay the same... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-more-they-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same/) - Potty Diaries asked me to tell you all what I think has changed about blogging in the last five years. Seems like the perfect moment, in the aftermath of the third MAD Blog Awards on Friday night. So, here's my ramble.... Once you’ve blogged for longer than, ooh, about five minutes, it’s tempting to start
- [The One Where I Say Thanks a Lot.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-say-thanks-a-lot/) - Last night was the third annual MAD Blog Awards in London, which saw 120 or so bloggers dress up in their finest to celebrate the very best in British parent blogging. We’ll be posting official pictures, video and updates in the days to come, but I wanted to say thanks to some of the people
- [Tree trekking and the topsy turvy turtle... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-have-a-perfect-day-out/) - It's a busy few weeks for me at the moment. Really busy. Back to school, new website, BlogCamp, MAD Blog Awards... there's a lot going on. So this weekend we headed up to the Lakes for some fresh air. A day out at Windermere - perfect! Brockhole at Windermere is only an hour from
- [My top Five Amazing PR Offers.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-5-amazing-pr-offers/) - In my spare time (insert hollow laugh here) when I'm not working with Mum bloggers or running blogging awards, I attempt to run a forum for bloggers, where we share tips and ideas, and argue about who gets to marry Bear Grylls when we go to that PR event next month. It's true, Bear,
- [The Longest Day](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-longest-day/) - My Mum is brilliant and we get on very well, but we do have one or two fundamental differences. Like our approach to shopping. My Mum loves spending days browsing through shops, stopping for coffee breaks, trying things on, and coming home with dozens of bags. I buy jeans in multiples of three, mostly from
- [Your Mummy Bloggers Need You....](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/your-mummy-bloggers-need-you/) - Excuse the quick reminder, but in case you've missed it so far, or forgot, or meant to get around to it but have been really busy, voting in the UK's biggest awards for Mummy and Daddy bloggers closes tomorrow. That's right. You've got until 9pm on Friday to vote for your favourite parent blogs in
- [Advertising and PR Information](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/advertising-and-pr-information/) - Want to work with me? I welcome contact from PRs and brands representing products and services relevant to the content of this blog. If you'd like to get in touch, please email mail@sallywhittle.co.uk in the first instance with brief details. I don't publish press releases but am always open to interesting opportunities to meet with people,
- [Probably the only list of British Parent Bloggers you'll ever need](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/probably-the-only-list-of-british-parent-bloggers-youll-ever-need/) - I've been meaning to do this for a while - it's a complete list of all the British Mummy and Daddy blogs nominated for the MAD Awards 2010 - more than 400 parenting blogs in all. If you're looking for new parent blogs to explore, this is probably a pretty good place to start! If
- [Would you like to come to the MAD Awards Ceremony?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/would-you-like-to-come-to-the-mad-awards-ceremony/) - Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last few months, you’ll have heard of the MADs – the first ever awards for UK Mum and Dad blogs. The winners of the awards will be announced at an awards ceremony being held at the flagship Butlins Resort in Bognor Regis on September 13th, 2010
- [The MADs - Wow.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-mads-wow/) - Well, it's been four weeks since we launched the first ever awards for UK Mummy and Daddy bloggers.We have been absolutely blown away by the response. We've had 10,000 visitors to the MADs website, and more than 2,300 people took the time to nominate their favourite MAD Bloggers for the awards. When we set up the
- [My name is Sally, and I'm emotionally autistic.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-name-is-sally-and-im-emotionally-autistic/) - One of my friends likes to describe me as ‘emotionally autistic’*. He’s joking (I think) but it would be fair to say that I’m a reasonably private person. I’m opinionated, and I’ve never knowingly passed up an opportunity for heated debate, but when it comes to the warm, squishy complicated business of fears, feelings and
- [MADS Nominations (updated 23 April)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mads-nominations-updated-1-april/) - Below is a list of blogs nominated so far in the MADs 2010. We're updating the nominations list as often as we can but it is a time-consuming process, so please bear with us. Please note this list has NOT been edited, and we're aware some enthusiastic fans are nominating their favourite blogs in EVERY
- [You don't have to be MAD to blog, but... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-dont-have-to-be-mad-to-blog-but/) - I bumped into a friend at the supermarket earlier this week, who I hadn't seen for a year or two. We did the usual small talk about how his accountancy work is going, how the kids are, local gossip - you know the sort of thing. Then he said something that surprised me, a bit.
- [Review: Subaru XV Family 4x4 ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-subaru-xv-family-4x4/) - It's fair to say I spend a lot of time in my car - the school run is an 18 mile round trip twice a day, and I regularly drive down to London and the surrounding areas for work meetings, not to mention visiting friends in our old home of Brighton. On that basis, I
- [Toys today are crap. Fact. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/toys-today-are-crap-fact/) - Flea's been under the weather a bit this week, and took a day off school. Of course, like a million distracted awesome working parents before me, this meant I parked her in front of the TV for the day, while I got on with earning a crust. I took the odd break where I could
- [It's so funny how we don't talk any more... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-so-funny-how-we-dont-talk-any-more/) - Monday to Friday, my day follows a familiar routine. The alarm goes off optimistically at 7.45am. I hit snooze repeatedly until it's 8.20am, at which point I call to Flea and tell her she has to get up. At 8.40am, I roll out of bed, pull on some clothes, and take Flea to school. On
- [The Q&A Meme ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-qa-meme/) - The problem with being inherently ridiculous is that if someone asks on Facebook who wants to take part in a meme, you can't help the reflex that makes you say ME-ME-ME-ME as a joke that nobody except you finds remotely amusing. And so it is that I've been tagged by the quite wonderful Jayne at
- [Magical Autumn Moments. Or not. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-autumn-moments-or-not/) - I love autumn, don't you? Crisp mornings, golden leaves, sunshine filtered through the trees...well, unless you live on my street. Then autumn is - frankly - a total pain. Let me explain. One side of my street has Victorian town houses. The other side is lined with trees and a small stream. Every autumn, the trees
- [Breaking News: Cure for common cold discovered. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/breaking-news-cure-for-common-cold-discovered/) - Half term was basically a two week endurance test. After spending a couple of weeks attempting to fight off a cold with nasal sprays and vitamins and good thoughts, I succumbed. It wasn't pretty. My temperature raged, and I struggled through sleepless nights as I hacked attractively and tried to concentrate on STRONG pelvic floor
- [Tips for PRs Working with Bloggers ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/blogger-outreach-top-tips-2013/) - Blogger outreach and social media is my job. I'd like to pretend it's all very clever and complicated, but 90% of what I do is just common sense - it's introducing companies with something to say to people who might like to talk about that thing on social media. There's (hopefully) a bit of creativity
- [Questions without Answers ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/questions-without-answers/) - Recently, Flea went on a sleepover with her four best friends. As 9 year olds are inclined to do, they stayed up way too late, chatting, giggling and watching music videos. Back home, Flea was full of tales of everything they'd got up to, and at bedtime she wanted to show me some of the videos
- [Party? I *am* the party. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/party-i-am-the-party/) - In certain lights, I can almost pass for someone with cool musical taste. I know my way around the back catalogues of Pearl Jam and Green Day, and I can name more than a dozen Bob Dylan tracks. I can even bluff for almost ten minutes about the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin. See? I have
- [What's your Beauty Legacy?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-your-beauty-legacy/) - When Flea was four, she told me that, yes, of course she was gorgeous. And I worried, like a million Mums before me, how long that would last. When would the doubts, the nagging inner critical voice, creep in? Because at the age of 40, I've yet to meet a single woman who considers themselves to
- [Make Friends, Break Friends. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/make-friends-break-friends/) - I've always found it pretty easy to make friends. Obviously, this is surprising given my fundamental misanthropy and lack of ability to make anything resembling small talk. Still, the job I do means I meet new people regularly, and it turns out that I quite like some of them, and they seem to like me.
- [Summer in Pictures ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/summer-in-pictures/) - I've got a sneaky confession. I'm not one of those parents that secretly breathes a sigh of relief when September comes around. I love summer. I love long days that we can fill with our own adventures, finding new places, trying new things. This summer has been just what a summer should be - long,
- [The Games we Play ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-games-we-play/) - One of the very best things about being a parent is being given permission to act stupid. Obviously, I'm stupid on a daily basis in a thousand ways, but being a parent means you can be stupid in the most fun ways possible - making up games, inventing challenges, and generally being an idiot for
- [And now we are Nine... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/flea-ninth-birthday/) - My girl is turning nine. This means it's almost exactly nine years since I looked over at her Dad and murmured, through a post-anaesthetic haze, "Why are you holding that baby?" These have been the best nine years. They really have. For all the bits that were hard work, or scary, or stressful, there have been a million more moments
- [Dear Sky, it's not me, it's you. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-sky-its-not-me-its-you/) - Dear Sky, We've been in a relationship now for 10 years. I give you money, you give me TV. But lately, I've just not felt as satisfied as I once did. Maybe we got too comfortable with one another? I used to feel like we spent such a lot of time together. But now there are
- [The Changing Room Conundrum](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-changing-room-conundrum/) - Flea loves to swim. Loves it. So every week, she has swimming lessons at our local YMCA pool, and has done for quite some years. It's fun, but chaotic. The YMCA in our town is one of the best places to get lessons - so it's always busy. There are two teachers, each teaching half a
- [Hard Time. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hard-time/) - It's funny how fast things come around. I guess it's a function of ageing. It feels like hardly any time since I wrote this post about how weirdly isolating it is, as a single parent, when your only child goes on holiday with her Dad for two weeks. And how people who haven't stood in
- [The End of Term Report ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/end-of-term-bad-report/) - Term has already ended for Flea and we're already a week into the supreme work/life balancing act that is the summer holidays in a single parent household. Truth be told, I don't mind - I love summer. I love the freedom, I love that I can mostly work in the evenings and spend the days on
- [Reasons why I hate the world sometimes #573](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/reasons-why-i-hate-the-world-sometimes-573/) - Let's face it. The world of advertising, marketing and PR is pretty messed up sometimes - and never more than when it comes to its attitudes towards women. But change is starting to happen - we've got Pantene's Labels Against Women campaign and Everyday Sexism. There are female CEOs at Yahoo and HP, and a
- [BlogCamp. Lots of blogging. Not much camping. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/blogcamp-lots-of-blogging-not-much-camping/) - Like most of my ideas, BlogCamp came about from some idle whinging on Facebook. In this case, I was moaning about why all the good blogging events seem to be a) expensive and b) in London. And wouldn’t it be a good idea if someone made one that was cheap and not in London? So
- [Israel: Words to Live By: Strong is the New Beautiful](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/words-to-live-by-strong-is-the-new-beautiful/) - The woman in this photo is called Moran Samuel. She was doing laundry in her apartment one morning five years ago when she felt an excruciating pain in her spine. She managed to make it to her bed, and telephone for an ambulance. Two hours later in the hospital, Moran was explaining to her mother
- [Leaving on a Jet Plane...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/leaving-on-a-jet-plane/) - Over the past decade, I’ve travelled fairly extensively – I’ve eaten goat in a souk in Marrakech, I’ve ridden snowmobiles in Finland and stream boats on the Mississippi. I’ve been to most European countries and most major US cities, attending conferences and launches. But tomorrow I’m heading to somewhere I’ve never been before: Israel. I’m
- [Positive Parenting in Action](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/positive-parenting-in-action/) - This week our home has become the House of Lurgy. I've been felled by a nasty throat infection that has meant, for large portions of the last 10 days, I haven't been able to speak. This has been quite a blow for me, as people who know me well will understand. We're a fairly chatty
- [Review: Anki Drive ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-anki-drive/) - I bet, like many parents, I remember playing with remote control cars and race tracks as a kid. Perhaps that's why I was so excited when a big box arrived at our house this week containing the brand new Anki Drive toy, which launches in the UK today. I should start by saying that Anki
- [The Brand New Tots100 Index of British Mummy and Daddy Bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-brand-new-tots100-index-of-british-mummy-and-daddy-bloggers/) - The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed that the January Tots100 index of British Mummy and Daddy blogs hasn’t put in an appearance yet. I’d love to say it’s because I’ve been sunning myself in Barbados, but in truth we’ve been busy working on a brand new Tots100 website that allows brands and PR
- [Review: Skoda Yeti ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-skoda-yeti/) - Like many people, I guess I've always had preconceptions about Skoda, while also reading enough to know that today's Skoda's are a world away from the vehicles I remember from my younger years. So I was really excited to finally get my hands on a Skoda of my own - albeit temporarily - when we were
- [The Karate Kid](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-karate-kid/) - Flea and I have started a new family tradition of eating out on a Friday evening. I think eating out is really important for kids, and we've always gone to proper restaurants rather than family-friendly chain places. I want Flea to know how to behave in a restaurant – to sit at a table, eat
- [Romance isn't about places, but people.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/romance-isnt-about-places-but-people/) - The lovely Liz at Living with Kids has been writing about romance all week, for some reason or other, and asked me on Twitter to post a comment about the most romantic place I know. I didn’t post a comment. I thought about it, I really did. But after a lot of thought, I decided
- [Here's one I prepared earlier](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/heres-one-i-prepared-earlier/) - So, it's five to midnight. With any luck, right about now, my best friend has arrived, we're both still conscious and we haven't done anything silly. We've been known to give each other hair cuts under the influence of alcohol before now. I note lots of my favourite bloggers are doing round-ups of their year
- [Go places. Do things.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/go-places-do-things/) - I have a great job, I really do. But one of the things about a job like mine is that there's never peace. Or space. Pretty much 24/7, there's someone with a question, a problem, or something that I could be doing. So this Easter has been a chance to step away. To be with
- [Wearable Cameras: GoPro or Panasonic HX-A100? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/gopro-panasonic-hx-a100-comparison-review/) - So, one of the nice things about being a blogger and a former tech journalist is that people periodically sent you new bits of kit to try out. In recent weeks, we've tried a fair few new devices and I thought I'd select two cameras to review this week - the GoPro Hero3 camera, and
- [It's not just me, right? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-not-just-me-right/) - There are some things you never, EVER say as a parent. "What do you want for dinner?" (you almost certainly won't have it in) "I just need to make a phone call" (are you MAD? That's the signal for kids everywhere to need to speak to you immediately) "Why do you need a new skin
- [The Worrier. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-worrier/) - Once a month, two cleaners arrive at my house and clean it, top to bottom. It's my favourite day of the month. My cleaners like my house, too. They say things like, "Sometimes you can't tell children live in a house. But we never feel like that in your house, Sally." I choose to take
- [Back to School... or not.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/back-to-school-or-not/) - Flea should have been back at school tomorrow. This was a big moment for her because it's her first year in junior school. Flea's been excited for weeks to try out her new uniform - this year she has a skirt rather than a pinafore, and her PE kit has switched to singlet and tracksuit
- [Turbo: A Review (with added pizazz) ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/turbo-a-review-with-added-pizazz/) - We are huge movie fans in this house. HUGE. So when the people at 20th Century Fox asked us if we'd like a new Apple TV pre-loaded with the animated adventure Turbo, it didn't take us long to say yes. In case you missed it, Turbo is the tale of a snail called Theo who
- [Review: British Gas Hive ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-british-gas-hive/) - You know what it's like. You're all comfy on the sofa, absorbed in a great TV programme, and then you realise that you're a bit cold. You could scramble out from under your cosy blanket, move your drink aside and wander ALL THE WAY into the freezing cold kitchen to turn the heating on. Or
- [Dear Lego...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-lego/) - Dear LEGO. It's been a while since we last corresponded. Since then, we've got closer, I think. These days, Flea is a huge LEGO fan. We've got boxes full of LEGO Chima sets, and over Christmas we built an amazing LEGO winter village together. And pleasingly, Flea is getting confident enough to build her own
- [How do you talk to kids about alcohol?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-do-you-talk-to-kids-about-alcohol/) - Back when I was a whippersnapper, there were certain rites of passage we all went through. Like the time my social worker parents dropped me off at a friend’s 15th birthday party with a four-pack of alcohol beer and a ‘talk’ about how alcohol wasn’t cool, and I could still be uber-cool while drinking Kaliber.
- [Kids, Alcohol, and Parental Hypocrisy.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/kids-alcohol-and-parental-hypocrisy/) - The first time I can remember drinking alcohol, I was about 14. I was at a house party for a friend's birthday and I vividly remember my Mum (being a right-on social worker) had sent me with a 6-pack of alcohol free beer so that I could join in with the cool kids, without compomising
- [Meeting People: why is it so hard? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/people-advice-needed-sort-of/) - So here's the thing. Deep breath. I've met someone. It happened a few months back - I was at a meeting, they were at the meeting, our eyes met. We laughed at each other's jokes. I didn't really think any more of it. Fast forward to the New Year and I was at an event
- [I wrote a blog post. What happened next will AMAZE you. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/i-wrote-a-blog-post-what-happened-next-will-amaze-you/) - I do apologise. That headline up there is a bit of a lie. Because what happened next won't amaze you. I wrote a blog post. What happened next is that I published it. Some people read it. Maybe some people commented (hey, I can hope). Some people Tweeted it. And, um, that's it. What can
- [The one about the new bracket.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-about-getting-old/) - True story: when I was younger, I was convinced, properly, one thousand percent confident, that I'd die before I was 21. It made sense at the time. I'm quite an imaginative person, and I literally couldn't imagine myself being THAT old. It's fair to say I don't deal with ageing gracefully. It started around 28.
- [What to buy your parents for Christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-to-buy-your-parents-for-christmas/) - Every year, I have the same conversation with my Mum. "What sort of thing would you like for Christmas this year?" "Oh...I don't need anything." "Yes, I know that, but I'd like to buy you something." "Honestly, I don't need anything. How about some of that nice bath stuff from M&S?" This conversation is the
- [The Fridge of a Bad Parent](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-fridge-of-a-bad-parent/) - Wednesday was Flea’s last day at school before the holidays, and like most kids I’m sure, she came home with a selection of items related to Mother’s Day including a laminated picture of me (looking alarmingly like the Angel of Death) with a list of reasons “Why I love my Mummy” on the back. Reason
- [Can't Cook, Can't Cook.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/cant-cook-cant-cook/) - When Flea was younger, she had a nanny who would religiously prepare a week’s worth a delicious, home-made meals for her, and put them in the freezer for me to defrost and re-heat as needed. If you’re reading this Natalie, I really think you should ditch your girlfriend and move to Lancashire. It’s not far,
- [The Parent Blogger Time Capsule](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-parent-blogger-time-capsule/) - Because I’m a positive parenting role model (cough) and I love craft activities (even bigger cough) and gardening (verging on emphysema at this point) this half-term Flea and I made … a time capsule. Apparently, Flea read about time capsules in one of her Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, so now we’re decorating a
- [Dear M&S... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-m-and-s-muslim-staff-refuse-alcohol-sales/) - So according to that great bastion of reason and truth, The Daily Mail, M&S gives Muslim staff the right to refuse to sell alcohol or pork if they choose. I glanced at the headline yesterday and my first thought was, "That's nice." And I didn't really think any more of it until I ventured
- [Little Moments: 2013 ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/little-moments-2013/) - The passing of another year always makes us reflect, I think. It's natural to think about where we've been this year, what we've achieved, and where we want to go next. For me, it's great because reflecting reminds me that, while bits of 2013 involved a lot of hard work and late nights, and the
- [Review: Peter Pan Never Ending Story ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/review-peter-pan-never-ending-story/) - I think there's something magical about someone who never grows up. Add pirates, swords and flying to the mix and you've pretty much got Flea's perfect story. This Christmas, I wanted something a little different to the local panto, so this weekend Flea and I went to the NIA in Birmingham to see Peter Pan - The Never Ending Story. It's a Peter Pan with a difference.
- [Sometimes, it's just hard.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sometimes-its-just-hard/) - This week was hard. On Monday, Flea's school was closed for an annual holiday. Talking to Flea on Sunday evening, I promised Flea I'd do an hour of work in the morning, and then we'd do something fun for the rest of the day. I worked into the small hours to get everything done before
- [Of course that happened. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/of-course-that-happened/) - Sometimes, dear readers, just sometimes, I feel as though if there's a disaster within a 50 mile radius, it'll find me. For example, I don't know anyone else who's injured their own breast with a vacuum cleaner. Or discovered a dying smoke alarm - right after it's been plastered behind a new wall. Truth be
- [And the award for Most Awkward Moment 2013 goes to... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-the-award-for-most-awkward-moment-2013-goes-to/) - There are certain rules with exes, no matter how good terms you're on, aren't there? My ex also knows never to question the fact that I prefer watching Nashville to Japanese art house cinema and I've stopped asking why he keeps doing Master's degrees as a hobby. If you want to stay on good terms
- [It's Official. I'm Weird. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-official-im-weird/) - I must admit, I've never been one of those women who buys Cosmo or Psychologies magazine and the like. You know the ones where you find out your personality type by answering questions about how much you agree or disagree with such and such? I decided, somewhere in my 20s, that those surveys are rigged.
- [Walking down Memory Lane ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/walking-down-memory-lane/) - Loss is a funny thing. I’m always a little sad when I think about Ross, one of two of my brothers who didn’t live nearly long enough. Ross died at 27, from a brain tumour. We were very close, and I know my life would have been better in oh, so many ways if he
- [Five Great Beach Games for Winter ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/five-great-beach-games-for-winter/) - Regular readers of our blogs will know that Flea and I love the beach. Living in a Victorian town house has many charms - chronic damp, wonky walls and rotting floorboards for starters - but a large garden is most definitely not one of them. Perhaps that's why the beach is our year-round playground. We
- [An open letter to Parents... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-parents/) - Flea and I went to the cinema this week. I love the cinema. I love having a space to be completely absorbed in a story, and forget about the outside world. One of my favourite things in the world is an empty cinema on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, and having the screen to myself. But
- [The one where I quote Gandhi.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-quote-ghandi/) - So I don’t know if I mentioned it already *cough* but I went on a trip to Israel last week. One of the places we visited was the Essence of Life Centre in Tel Aviv. This is a non-profit organisation owned by the Arison Foundation that is based on the idea that to achieve world
- [When Reviewing Goes Wrong](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-reviewing-goes-wrong/) - Being a parent blogger's ace, isn't it? People just queue up to give you free things to try out with your kids. Brilliant! Except when it goes wrong. This week, we've been testing a new CD and storybook combo for kids called The Bush Tales. The basic idea is that it's a series of stories
- [Win a FREE ticket to CyberMummy!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/win-a-free-ticket-to-cybermummy/) - As you may remember from a few months back, the Tots100 will have a shiny new sponsor from April – the travel website Familyholidays.co.uk. Part of the sponsorship involves prizes for Tots100 bloggers and next month we’ll be giving away a FREE ticket to the Cybermummy 2010 conference, taking place in London on July 3rd.The
- [I'm in my Happy Place.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/im-in-my-happy-place/) - 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
- [Dear Amazon, don't remove a book on my account. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/dear-amazon-dont-remove-a-book-on-my-account/) - So today my Twitter timeline was filled with lots of Tweets that said something like Dear Amazon, stop selling this offensive book that advocates hitting children to 'train' them [link] Please RT. I didn't RT. Not because I think physically punishing children is a good idea. I personally don't smack my child, never have done.
- [You Raise Me Up...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-raise-me-up/) - Thing about having kids is, there's always someone around who's totally got your back. It's all about having someone who loves you, no matter what, and thinks you're brilliant - even when you're not. Take this conversation, between me and Flea, last night on the way home from school. Flea: Mummy, can I ask a
- [Because the best solution is always talking. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/because-the-best-solution-is-talking/) - Here's the one thing about life that I've learned over the past ten years: for every person you meet, you'll encounter a different opinion. Each opinion is born of that individual's unique history and experiences, the knowledge they have, and the prejudices they harbour. Just as no two people are exactly alike, neither are any
- [What does Christmas mean to you? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-does-christmas-mean-to-you/) - I've been tagged by my friend Becky over at Baby Budgeting, who asks, "What does Christmas mean to you?" Hmm. The idea is to sum up what Christmas is all about, in your family. But only in one paragraph, which is a challenge. I'm naturally chatty, let's face it. But here's what I came
- [The Best Relationship Advice Ever. Probably. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/relationship-advice/) - I was chatting with a fellow blogger this week when she happened to comment that I have never been known to blog about personal relationships. I thought about this for a little while and realised she might have a point. And also that you, my lovely readers, are missing out BIG time because I am an
- [The Mean Airline and the Awesome Scooter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-mean-airline-and-the-awesome-scooter/) - When Flea was almost three, we were sent a Mini Micro Scooter to review. Of all the outdoor toys we’ve ever tried, this is the one was used most consistently – the three-wheel design means even young children get the hang of scooting very quickly, while the ‘lean to steer’ feature means no jackknifing accidents.
- [Bite me, Johnny Depp.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/bite-me-johnny-depp/) - So, let's start by stating for the record that Tim Burton is a genius. I love the whole dark and twisty, yet quirky thing. And Johnny Depp? Mostly, I don't have a bad word to say about him. Loved Gilbert Grape and Edward Scissorhands, not too keen on the whole pirate thing but everyone has
- [Tots100 Book Club: The Hunger Games](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tots100-book-club-the-hunger-games/) - This month, the Tots100 Book Club invited ten bloggers to share their favourite books with the world, and I thought I’d take the opportunity to share one of my new favourite novels with my blog readers. You know you’ve found a new favourite book when you feel sad when you’re getting towards the end
- [Should children watch sad movies? ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/should-children-watch-sad-movies/) - Do you let your children watch sad films? It occurred to me, as I was enjoying a moment of high culture last night, and watching Terminator 3, that films where nobody dies are significantly less fun, somehow. Honestly, who wants to see Arnie blow up a car filled with people and then see the text:
- [The Memorable Firsts...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-memorable-firsts/) - So I was tagged by Pippa and asked to tell you 10 things about me. This meme comes around every so often and on my first ever post on this blog, I shared the news that I once dated someone with four nipples. I don’t think I left myself anywhere to go after that high point
- [It's my bloggy birthday](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/its-my-bloggy-birthday/) - Yes, it’s official.Who’s the Mummy is a year old. And, I don’t like to boast, but my blog is already fully toilet trained and talking in full sentences. Mostly.Right now, I’m staring down the barrel of a nine-week summer holiday and an ex-husband who lives too far away to be of any much use when
- [MADs Nominations](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mads-nominations/) - Update. The MADs nominations are now on a separate page. Thanks to everyone who has nominated in the Awards; we've been completely overwhelmed by the response and we can't wait to see who makes the shortlists! Click the nominations link on the sidebar or just click here for more details of latest nominations for the
- [My Favourite Photo (and it's got pigtails).](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-favourite-photo-and-its-got-pigtails/) - I’ve been tagged by a few people with the favourite photo meme – thanks to both Emily at Maternal Tales and Sandy at Baby Baby. So the idea is to share with you a favourite photo and tell you why I love it.I have millions of photographs. With my job, I’ve travelled a lot and
- [Statistics, smacking and bad science.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/statistics-smacking-and-bad-science/) - I spent a good deal of yesterday ranting under my breath about correlative and causative data. Why? Because of this story in the Daily Mail about how children who are smacked grow up to be more successful. Of course, being the Daily Mail, the story was followed by hundreds of comments from people saying that
- [A letter to Sally, aged 16](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-letter-to-sally-aged-16/) - Dear 16 Year Old Me, So, bad luck on getting sent home from school. It probably wasn’t that smart to get drunk before double biology, even if Miss Stocks did make you stand up in class while she announced: “Class, this is what failure looks like.” And if you don't mind me saying, it was
- [Competitions on blogs: who's the real winner?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/competitions-on-blogs-whos-the-real-winner/) - At 6.40pm last night, I logged on to Twitter, to see if anything interesting had happened while I was doing the bedtime routine. What struck me was how many of the recent Tweets related to competitions. Scrolling down to see just two hours worth of Tweets, I saw posts to win cupcakes, tickets to a
- [So, that underbelly I was talking about... (updated)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/so-that-underbelly-i-was-talking-about/) - 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
- [October Tots100 Index of the Top 100 British Parenting Blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/top-100-british-mummy-bloggers/) - Welcome to the Tots100 index of the top 100 British Mummy and Daddy bloggers. It's been another busy month for British Mummy and Daddy bloggers, with more new blogs joining the Tots100 index every month - this month sees 10 new entries in the top 100. The Tots100 is a great way for bloggers to
- [August Tots100 Index of British Mummy and Daddy Blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/august-tots100-index-of-british-mummy-and-daddy-blogs/) - Welcome to the August 2010 Tots100 index of the top 100 British Parent bloggers. It might be the school holidays but the UK's Mummy and Daddy bloggers have been keeping busy - we've got 12 new entries to the index this month and a new number 1 British Parenting blog - congrats to the utterly
- [Stuff That's More Important Than Homework](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/stuff-thats-more-important-than-homework/) - It's no secret to long-time readers of this blog that I'm not a fan of homework. But... Flea goes to a school that gives children homework. Since she was four, Flea has brought home a steadily increasing amount of work, and this term that includes spellings, sentences to write, a book to read, and a
- [Flea: a scam artist in the making](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/flea-a-scam-artist-in-the-making/) - "Don't make me go to nursery, Mummy. I will just play on my own quietly while you work." This is what Flea said to me at 8.52am this morning as we prepared to get into the car with the cereal in a cup (today: Weetabix and raisins). We arrived at nursery and Flea trudged in
- [Things I have learned this Summer.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-have-learned-this-summer/) - Apparently, some twonk in government thinks summer holidays should be shorter, so kids don't slip back in their 'learning'. Nonsense. Summer is always educational in our house. And not just for Flea. I've learned some very useful life lessons this summer. For example: When staying in a mobile home, you may be tempted to quickly
- [Hey, Mummy Blogger, You're Doing it all Wrong!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hey-mummy-blogger-youre-doing-it-all-wrong/) - There was a bit of a kerfuffle on Twitter the other night, when one blogger took umbrage to another blogger referring to her as a Mummy blogger. I know. A kerfuffle on Twitter. Involving bloggers. Unprecedented. One of the women involved was slighted at the very idea of being a Mummy blogger. Another said, “Well,
- [Room 101. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/room-101/) - In the same way that cars run on petrol and my computer runs on mains electricity, I sometimes think social media is fuelled almost entirely by moral indignation. I've come to realise after a decade of working in this industry that I'm fairly laid-back in Internet terms. For example, I don't much care that one
- [The Long Weeks ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-long-weeks/) - Single parenting isn't bad, most of the time. You know what is bad, though? Single parenting websites. Idiotic, patronising, faux-cheerful places. Flea is with her Dad this week, on holiday. She's spending two weeks with him - this is the longest time she's had with him since she was 12 months old. Obviously that's great,
- [Stop trying to sell boredom as a virtue. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/stop-trying-to-sell-boredom-as-a-virtue/) - Parenting styles come into fashion. At the moment I keep reading about FREE RANGE PARENTING and letting your children be natural kids, and above all - letting them be bored. Apparently, being bored is what makes kids creative and learn to entertain themselves. Presumably, only bourgeois, small-minded losers like me actually plan things or even -
- [Reasons I am a Terrible Mother #566](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/reasons-i-am-a-terrible-mother-566/) - Today we took a trip to the toy store, and bought a pair of Nerf N-Strike Elite Jolt guns. About a quarter the size of regular Nerfs, they're easy to hide in your pocket, and bring out during quiet moments of the day. Cough. I mean, the KIDS can bring them out. Obviously. After all,
- [I'm a Survivor...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/im-a-survivor/) - CLIC Sargent has been doing something pretty cool this month, and raising the awareness of its work by asking bloggers to write about their survival stories. Hmm. While I’m all about a good cause or two, I have a bit of a secret to share: I’ve never really been ill. I’ve never broken a bone,
- [You Know You're Old When... ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-know-youre-old-when/) - Your child hears the YMCA skit in the new Despicable Me movie and shouts out "Mummy! It's confused.com" because she has NO IDEA it's actually a song. You watch your child stare at a can of Coke with a removable ring-pull for several minutes before giving up and handing it to you, saying, "I don't
- [Conversations with Flea](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/conversations-with-flea/) - I'm starting to get the feeling it won't be long before I'm outsmarted at every step by my seven-year-old. Yesterday evening, we went out for our Friday night dinner, and we were chatting about a questionnaire that Flea had done at school that day. Apparently, there were some questions about what sort of reading the
- [The One Where I End up on Newsnight ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-end-up-on-newsnight/) - You might have caught a report in the news yesterday about a "tsunami of family breakdown" heading our way - because apparently 1m children are living in a man desert thanks to their single Mothers, who fail to provide them with decent male role models. The Centre for Social Justice, a right-wing think tank that is
- [You're Beautiful. ](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/youre-beautiful/) - In my eyes, Flea is beautiful. She has eyes that sparkle when she finds something funny, which is roughly every ten seconds. She has hair that's a thousand different shades of blonde, with a fringe bleached by days in the sun. She's getting taller and stronger every day, but still retains some of that squishy
- [My One and Only Parenting Tip: The Law of Mummy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/my-one-and-only-parenting-tip-the-law-of-mummy/) - Flea and I were at soft play this week when I saw a woman ask her toddler to come out of the football nets to go home. Half an hour later, when I called Flea to come and put her shoes on, the woman was still there."Oh, please, Henry, come on, we have to go.
- [...So we sat in the house and massacred innocent civilians.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/so-we-sat-in-the-house-and-massacred-innocent-civilians/) - It was a quiet day in Playmobil-land. Children raced go-karts, while mothers kept a loving eye on little ones, cosied up in their prams. A friendly policeman chatted with a child, while in the background, small dogs and cats playfully chased one another. Who'd have thought, on an ordinary day, in an ordinary town, unimaginable
- [Liar, liar, pants on fire.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/liar-liar-pants-on-fire/) - Yesterday, Flea knocked over a picture and tried to tell me it wasn't her - it was the dog. Nice try. Except we don’t have a dog. Obviously I told Flea that it’s very important to tell the truth and that if she tells the truth, I won’t be angry, I will be proud that
- [How much time is enough?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-much-time-is-enough/) - Did you read that report a couple of weeks ago about how modern parents (you know it’s going to be bad when a report starts with THAT phrase) “only” spend 49 minutes a day with their children?Apparently, modern parents are too busy worrying about money to spend quality time with their offspring, and the NSPCC
- [A week in the life of a Bad Mother](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-week-in-the-life-of-a-bad-mother/) - My Mum, in that way Mums do, recently asked me how it is that I have an (allegedly) high IQ, a degree, a post-graduate diploma and a successful career but I frequently manage to leave my front door keys in the door overnight. My theory is that there are only so many available slots in
- [Guest Post - It's hard to hear the truth.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/guest-post-its-hard-to-hear-the-truth/) - I don't usually write guest posts on this blog. Well, never, in fact. But a fellow blogger has written this post and asked me to publish it here for reasons that will become clear. Thanks to them for taking the time to write this and share it with us, and sorry for taking so long
- [The One Where I Impress the Dentist.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-i-impress-the-dentist/) - I have a bit of a ‘thing’ about teeth. You know how some people have that anxiety dream about being naked in a crowd, or missing an exam? Mine is about my teeth falling out.So, I was a bit anxious about the idea of voluntarily allowing someone to take out one of my wisdom
- [The 12 Days of Christmas. Day one: the advent calendar.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-one-the-advent-calendar/) - Thanks to the lovely people at Lakeland Limited, Flea and I have the most gorgeous advent train this Christmas. It’s a proper Santa’s workshop style train with 24 little cargo drawers, which can hold a small treat or sweets. Being a TOP-NOTCH Mummy, I spent the last weekend of November scouring ELC for tiny dinosaur
- [Happy Birthday, Flea!](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/happy-birthday-flea/) - Dear Flea,Happy 4th Birthday. Sorry I didn’t manage to buy the exact presents you asked for – a live monkey and a black cat called Thomas. Also, I couldn’t find a birthday cake with a dinosaur being ridden by a monkey. Sucks to be you, I know. Still, I hope the guitar is fun. You
- [Where's Flea?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/wheres-flea/) - We had some decorating done last week, which involved packing away books and toys in boxes. Look, here's my lounge! Isn't it lovely? But where's Flea? What is it with kids and boxes? But I have to say, this isn't my all-time favourite Flea hiding picture. That's the one below. You'll never guess where she
- [The Littlest Surrealist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-littlest-surrealist/) - As I walked out of school on Friday with Flea, we played our traditional game of 'you’re a weirdo'. It's a mature, sophisticated game that involves us saying, "You're a weirdo" and "No, YOU'RE a weirdo," at one another, in increasingly stupid voices. One of Flea's teachers overheard us, and started to disagree. She got as
- [Pacifism. We've heard of it.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/pacifism-weve-heard-of-it/) - I’m a peace-loving sort of person. There are 80s-era photos of me wearing CND badges and Doc Martens to prove it. So I've tried to raise Flea in a non-violent environment. Our mantra is: "We don't hit. We use our words." That applies to her and to me. Well, apart from that time Flea was
- [A mother's place is...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/a-mothers-place-is/) - I’m a feminist. I don’t consider this to be a controversial statement – in my view the world can be divided into two tribes: feminists and people I’d like to beat around the head. I’m a feminist parent, too. I’ve always tried to teach Flea that only idiots believe girls and boys ‘should’ act differently.
- [The 12 Days of Christmas: Day four -  buying presents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-12-days-of-christmas-day-four-buying-presents/) - So Christmas is all about giving, not receiving. And the real meaning of Christmas is about spending time with loved ones, sharing meals together and reminding ourselves why families no longer live in big, shared houses and instead buy lots of small houses a long way from each other. It’s a special time and the
- [Magical Moments of Parenting #394: the family dinner](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-of-parenting-394-the-family-dinner/) - Me and Flea, we have this amazing bond. Maybe because it’s just the two of us, but we just click. Honestly. Maybe it's just my natural gift with children, but we have the most brilliant, amazing chats.Like yesterday, I picked up Flea from school, took her to Karate and then home for dinner. We sat
- [Hide and Seek: the Flea version.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/hide-and-seek-the-flea-version/) - Today, because my life isn't surreal enough already, Flea decided we should play Hide and Seek. I realised this was what we were doing when I heard muffled giggles and then a voice shouting: “Guess where I am, Mummy?”I played along, looking under the dining table, in the kitchen, behind the curtains before eventually finding
- [This is what comes of Glee before breakfast.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/this-is-what-comes-of-glee-before-breakfast/) - We've got Volume 2 of the Glee soudtrack in the car at the moment. One of the songs is a cover of Lily Allen's Smile. It's quite catchy, but I suppose the lyric ("At first, when I see you cy, it makes me smile") is potentially confusing to really, really literal people.People like Flea. Hence
- [Problem Solving Behaviour](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/problem-solving-behaviour/) - I remember reading somewhere that problems are the universe’s way of encouraging you to get creative.Flea has got this down pat.My adorable offspring went to bed at 7pm tonight, as usual. Ten minutes later, I can hear her crying, so I go upstairs to find her sitting on her bedroom floor, sobbing her heart out.
- [The Bad Jeans.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-bad-jeans/) - Like most parents, Flea and I hit the shops each Spring to update the wardrobe – replacing things she’s grown out of, ready for summer. This year was no different. A couple of weeks ago, we headed to the Trafford Centre in Manchester and did the rounds of Gap and John Lewis, buying everything Flea
- [Magical Moments in Parenting #701](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-in-parenting-701/) - GP: I’m going to write a letter to your teacher to explain that you mustn't use the hand gel in the dining room any more. Flea: Why? GP: Because we think that’s what’s making your hands all red and swollen. Flea: Is it an allergy? GP: Yes, it’s an allergy and that just means something
- [Her Father's Daughter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/her-fathers-daughter/) - It’s easy to think of Flea as all mine. But she’s a product of two people, a combination of genetics and parenting provided by two parents. Sometimes I get a glimpse of myself in my daughter when I see a photograph of myself at school, or when I watch Flea get frustrated that she can’t
- [Sick.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sick/) - Flea is sick. She has a raging temperature and hasn’t been able to keep down any food or water since about 9am yesterday morning. She spent the entire day yesterday curled up in an armchair under a blanket, dozing fitfully and watching movies. Today, with a temperature of 39.5, she didn’t even want to get
- [Cats and Dogs and Swankypants](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/cats-and-dogs-and-swankypants/) - As regular readers of my blog will know, Flea is living that whole ‘My Life as a Dog’ thing at the moment. And to be honest, it’s all my own fault. One day, when Flea was almost four years of age, she asked for a dog. I was distracted, and not really thinking when I
- [Not a great day.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/not-a-great-day/) - Flea's had some ongoing minor health concerns these past few months. Yesterday was a long-awaited appointment with the paediatric consultant, and I was (to be honest) a bag of nerves. I always imagine in such situations that the consultant is clearly going to note that my child is malnourished, mentally scarred or otherwise damaged by
- [Wish upon a Star](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/wish-upon-a-star/) - This was Flea at 6pm last night. I'd sent her upstairs to get ready for her bath, and when I popped up five minutes later she was extremely distressed. Worried she might be hurt, I asked her to tell me what was wrong. "I can't tell you Mummy," she sobbed, tears pouring down her face.
- [How did I not guess?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-did-i-not-guess/) - I arrived home from a trip to London this evening to find my daughter playing a fun game with my Mum, who was babysitting. "Do you want to play, Mummy?" "Erm. Sure. What are we playing?" Flea did her best patient face, the one she saves for when she's explaining VERY obvious things to her
- [Worrying.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/worrying/) - We had the following conversation at bedtime last night: Flea: Mummy, please may I have a fish? Me: I thought you wanted a cat. Flea: Well, I do. Me: Well, what if the cat ate the fish? You can't have both. Flea: Okay. Pause. Flea: Mummy, when the cat accidentally dies, can I have
- [The Littlest Know-it-All](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-littlest-know-it-all/) - Of course, being a modern, positive parenting role model, my main goal in life apart from glossy hair and a pair of grey Converse boots is to ensure that my child has healthy self-esteem. I consider it something of a triumph that Flea tells me that, yes, she considers herself to be “very beautiful" (fair observation) and
- [Ask a Stupid Question](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/ask-a-stupid-question/) - Kids. They’ve got an answer for everything, haven’t they? Except it’s rarely the answer you’d expect. For example, there are the questions that obviously I should have known the answer to without even asking the question: Me: Flea, why are your toy cars lined up on the stairs for me to fall over? Flea:
- [Magical Moments in Parenting #991](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/magical-moments-in-parenting-991/) - I was sorting laundry in my bedroom this afternoon when Flea called to me from her bedroom. “Mummy! Guess what I just did. It’s really funny.” “Go on, what?” “Oh, hang on…am I allowed to write on doors?” “No, definitely not.” “Okay. Never mind.” There’s a pause. “Mummy?” “Yes?” “Do you know
- [The one where Flea makes an interesting career choice.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-one-where-flea-makes-an-interesting-career-choice/) - Flea has recently discovered cards. She started collecting the Disney Top Trumps style cards that my folks were given at the supermarket a few months back, and has quite a collection. Earlier this week, Flea took four of her cards into school with her and discovered something AMAZING – you can swap them, with other
- [It's not the Winning...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-sports-champion/) - I collected Flea from school yesterday evening to find my daughter was wearing a medal round her neck. She looked - unsurprisingly - pretty pleased with herself. "Wow, what's that?" I asked. "It's a medal," Flea told me. "Because I won cross country and did two laps." "Flea, that's amazing, well done you," I told her,
- [The Mystery of Six](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-mystery-of-six/) - Kids are basically creatures of mystery. Like why is it Flea can’t hear me when I’m at the top of the stairs and calling her because her bath is ready… but she can hear the opening of a packet of Munchies from 500 feet? Or why is it that Flea can be exhausted and unable
- [What's in store for Mummy bloggers in 2010?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/whats-in-store-for-mummy-bloggers-in-2010/) - Susanna from A Modern Mother has posted her seven predictions for the parent blogging community next year. Never one to miss an opportunity to copy a great idea* here are my own seven predictions: Susanna thinks video blogging will be big in 2010. I disagree. I think the vast majority of Mummy bloggers (and perhaps
- [Are some things really better left unsaid?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/better-left-unsaid/) - This weekend, I had a row with a member of my family.Actually, I don't do rows. So when I say "I had a row" what I really mean is that I said "Oh no, that's absolutely fine, really, don't give it another thought," then put the phone down and pulled faces at the handset for
- [Seven Secrets to Being Happy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/seven-secrets-to-being-happy/) - If you don’t like it don’t join. If you join and then don’t like it, leave. If you think it’s about you, it’s probably not. If you read it and you don’t like it, stop reading. If you follow it and you don’t like it, stop following. If you say something mean about someone else,
- [Sticks and Stones and Blog Posts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/sticks-and-stones-and-blog-posts/) - Remember that saying about sticks and stones? The one about names never hurting you? It’s rubbish, I've decided. Thoughtless remarks are often more wounding – and the injury longer-lasting – than any slap or punch.I can still remember the time when I was about 14, and my mother said that of course she loved me,
- [Copyright Part II: Protecting your work online.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/copyright-part-ii-protecting-your-work-online/) - So, last week I wrote a post about how to ensure you’re not stomping all over someone else’s copyright when you’re blogging. What if someone’s treading on your toes?Having spent hours crafting an amazing set of photos, or blog posts, or a website theme, or whatever it might be – there’s nothing more infuriating than
- [What do you know about copyright? (Part I)](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/what-do-you-know-about-copyright-part-i/) - This blog post is copyrighted. I didn’t fill in a form. I didn’t register anywhere. But the moment I started typing and putting these words into a new order, thought up by me, my words became copyrighted.Because this blog post is copyrighted, I own it. If you want to use it, you have to ask
- [Disagreement: not a dirty word, is it?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/disagreement-not-a-dirty-word-is-it/) - I’ve been blogging for a while now. I’ve seen spats and snarking aplenty but I have also found that parent bloggers are usually incredibly supportive of one another and tend to go out of their way to help each other out. That’s a lovely thing to be a part of, but I am wondering whether
- [9 Handy HTML tips for bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/9-handy-html-tips-for-bloggers/) - I sort of despise technology. Which is ironic, given that I've spent the best part of my adult life writing about technology in one form or another. My problem is an innate lack of technical ability combined with a constitutional inability to give up on anything until I've worked out how to do it. It's
- [Let's Play Mummy Lingo Bingo](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/lets-play-mummy-lingo-bingo/) - 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
- [I See Bad People...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/i-see-bad-people/) - 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
- [Oh, you have a life? Cancel it.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/oh-you-have-a-life-cancel-it/) - As a school Mummy, I am an abject failure. This Monday was Harvest Festival. I remembered this just as I was holding open the school's front door for another School Mummy and her three kids. Each child was holding a cardboard box filled with Arborio rice and jars of organic pasta sauces. As I mentally
- [How to help your four year old with her homework](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-help-your-four-year-old-with-her-homework/) - Regular readers will know Flea started big school this month. I definitely had mixed feelings about her starting full-time in a mainstream school only a couple of weeks after turning four, but she is thriving. It's a lovely school, she loves the children in her class, and having a small group means she's settled in
- [And it’s not even 9am](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-its-not-even-9am/) - My ongoing campaign to win “Worst Mother Alive” continues to gather pace. This morning, I was rushing around trying to find the permanent marker to write the name in Flea’s new school coat, purchased on Friday at enormous expense to replace the school coat she’s already lost. In case you’re wondering, I’m using a permanent marker
- [And the prize for "Top Mummy 2009" goes to...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/and-the-prize-for-top-mummy-2009-goes-to/) - Sometimes I think my greatest achievement in life might be making all the Other Mothers feel better about themselves. My excuse is that life’s manic. I have a proper job (journalism) and I’m a single parent. Somewhere in the gap between those two roles I write this blog, I do the top 100 index, I
- [The 4am post.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-4am-post/) - It’s almost 4am, but I can’t sleep. My heart is pounding, I can’t seem to breathe in, and I feel like I'm on the verge of passing out. Somewhere in my brain, I think: panic attack. I get panic attacks if I think about how I’m never going to be rid of The Father. As
- [You never forget their first profanity, do you?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-never-forget-their-first-profanity-do-you/) - One day, Flea is going to ask me when she first sat up, when she first crawled, when she cut her first tooth. And, friends? I am going to lie. Because the truth is, I can't really remember and I definitely never really got around to filling in that red book. I do remember that
- [Updating the bedtime routine](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/updating-the-bedtime-routine/) - When I was pregnant I bought myself a copy of Gina Ford’s Stepford Baby book. I binned it when I read in Chapter 1: “7am: baby is awake and dressed”. Not in my world, mate. We’ve always been big fans of sleep in our house. Until she started school Flea would sleep for a minimum
- [The Commando Kid](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-commando-kid/) - Like most infant schools, Flea’s school is ramping up for the annual nativity production. Each morning the kids get changed into their costumes and head off for rehearsals in the main hall. To make life easier, the school has asked that infant children wear their PE jogging suits and t-shirts rather than regular uniform. Of
- [How to make a child cry in under 30 seconds](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-a-child-cry-in-under-30-seconds/) - "Flea, have you chosen a bedtime story?" I asked my darling daughter this evening. "Yes, but I don't know quite which one to have, let me see..." I start flicking through the bookshelf. "Okay, there's Stick Man, Mr Brown Can Moo, Harry and his Bucketful of dinosaurs..." I look up. Nothing's grabbed her yet. "Er,
- [Well, that was fun: the CSA](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/well-that-was-fun-the-csa/) - Two weeks ago, I was watching TV when the chap's mobile rang. He was in the shower so I picked up, to hear a woman to bark at me: "Is that Sally Whittle?"Obviously, being a complete drama queen, I assumed the chap has a secret psycho patient who wants to stab me. But it seems
- [God, I hate when kids play up in public, don't you?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/god-i-hate-when-kids-play-up-in-public-dont-you/) - Flea and I tend to get a lot of funny looks in the local supermarket. Before you jump to conclusions, I think it’s because we play games. One of our favourite games is where I get a bit of a head-start on Flea and then I try to run away from her shouting, “Stop following
- [Obviously, I missed the 'perfect parent' pamphlet](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/obviously-i-missed-the-perfect-parent-pamphlet/) - According to some women, I'm talking 'a load of old tripe'. Also my views are 'sanctimonious old bollocks' and 'nonsense'. Why? Because Flea doesn't watch television.I should point out these comments aren't directed RIGHT at me - they're about Davina McCall. Who's probably too busy shouting on late night live TV to care much about
- [What kind of mother would laugh at this?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/wordless-wednesday-my-favourite-pictures-of-the-year-so-far/) - I'd like to say I don't laugh every time I look at these photos from today. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. Pic 1: Look Mummy, it's snow! It's so exciting! Let's go and play! Pic 2: Come on Mummy, keep up! Pic 3: Oh dear... Pic 4: Ouch.
- [Starting as we mean to go on...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/starting-as-we-mean-to-go-on/) - Flea and I were in the car this afternoon, driving home after a trip to stock up on Diet Coke and carpet shampoo (if my Mother asks, it was Flea who spilled an entire bottle of Baileys on my bedroom floor).I was in a world of my own, wondering whether I’ll ever be able to
- [Confession. I'm leading my child astray.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/confession-im-leading-my-child-astray/) - Last week, Flea was ill. The school rang and asked me to collect her because she wasn’t her usual cheery self. They were right – she turned into a full-on Linda Blair as soon as we got into the school car park. She came home, collapsed on the sofa, and stayed there all day, sipping
- [Some people just take it that bit too far, don't they?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/some-people-just-take-it-that-bit-too-far-dont-they/) - I want to be in a reception class. Last term, Flea enjoyed a Spanish day where she went to school and ate Spanish food. How cool is that?She also learned about Spanish culture and can now count to 10 in Spanish. At least, I assume she’s counting – I don’t speak Spanish. She could be
- [Shiny, happy things.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/shiny-happy-things/) - The lovely Sian at Mummytips has fixed her blog (thank God!) and tagged me with the Shiny Happy meme. The rules of the meme are that I have to choose a picture and a song that encapsulate happiness for me – something I listen to or look at when I need an immediate injection of
- [Mother, or career criminal?](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/mother-or-career-criminal/) - I hear footsteps on the landing, and my heart starts pounding. I throw myself on the floor, hurriedly shoving things underneath the duvet, away from prying eyes. I smooth down my hair and put on my very best innocent face.“What are you doing Mummy?” Keeping my voice breezy and casual, I say: “Oh, just making
- [You are a failure and an embarrassment, frankly.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-are-a-failure-an-embarrassment-frankly/) - So, I was chatting with a new Mum this week and she was telling me about her baby’s birth. After a long labour, she had an epidural, but the labour failed to progress quickly enough and my friend ended up having a c-section to deliver her little boy. Of course, I immediately told my friend
- [Just too good not to share](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/just-too-good-not-to-share/) - I got this email through my website today, from a reader of this blog. It made me laugh quite a lot. But that's probably just because I am evil:Dear Sally, I just want to know why you have obviously committed your daughter to a miserable childhood/adolesence by giving her such a ridiculously vindictive name, Flea?
- [You Know You're a Bad Mummy When....](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/you-know-youre-a-bad-mummy-when/) - ...you have this conversation with your four-year-old on the way home from school: Me: “Was it meatballs for lunch today, Flea?” Flea: “No.” Me: “Lasagne?” Flea: “No.” Me: “Spaghetti Bolognese?” Flea: “No. It was chicken pie and carrots.”Me: “Well, what’s this big red splodge on your jumper then?” Flea: “Oh, that. That’s from Monday.” Oops.
- [If only real life was more like the Brownies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/if-only-real-life-was-more-like-the-brownies/) - Yesterday, I went to Comet to buy a new washing machine. Saw a decent model on special offer, and decide to buy it – but delivery was £20. Pah. I am a financially responsible adult and I laugh in the face of delivery charges. “Well, we’ve got it in stock so we can put it
- [The Freebie Five](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-freebie-five/) - As a grown-up responsible woman of 35 I certainly don’t buy into childish notions like a “Freebie 5”. A “Freebie 5”, for those of who are just as sensible, responsible and mature as I am, is a list of five unattainable individuals you have permission to tap*, should the opportunity arise. (* I believe this
- [Die Toy Maker, Die.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/die-toy-maker-die/) - I’m not a violent person, truly I’m not. I don’t often fantasise about gouging out someone’s eyes with a rusty teaspoon and feeding them to a hoarde of hungry crocodiles.I don’t often want to dunk someone repeatedly into a vat of honey, and then throw them into a bee farm.But, let me tell you, if
- [Philosophy, Lego and why Flea is a lot sad.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/philosophy-lego-and-why-flea-is-a-lot-sad/) - I studied philosophy for two years as part of my degree. Once, I was in an exam where the compulsory essay question was: “I say the curtains are red. What do I mean?” Even as a slightly pretentious 19-year-old, I remember thinking someone, somewhere was having a laugh at our expense. I thought philosophy had
- [When Mummy Bloggers Go Bad.](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/when-mummy-bloggers-go-bad/) - Sometimes, the blogosphere is a lovely, warm community. Sharing our parenting experiences online, strangers slowly become friends, always there to support each other and give each other a boost just when we need it. Other times, the blogosphere is evil. To be more specific, Mummy bloggers are evil. Take Sandy at Baby Baby. Oh, I
- [Letting Go](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/letting-go/) - When I was six, I walked to and from school with my 9-year-old brother. When I was eight, we moved and he was at a new school, so I caught the bus instead. Sometimes I spent my bus fare on sweets and walked home, meandering through the local industrial estate, kicking stones and peering through
- [Confessions of a Slacker Mummy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/confessions-of-a-slacker-mummy/) - I’ve written on this blog before that Flea doesn’t do homework. She still doesn’t. I firmly believe there are far more important things for a four-year-old to do between the hours of 3.45pm and 7pm than spellings, or sums. Like scattering small pieces of Lego around the house for your mother to stand on. Or
- [Things I have done today...](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/things-i-have-done-today/) - Things I have done today: Got up Helped Flea put on her shin pads with her football kit Helped Flea take off her shin pads Repeated previous two actions approximately 5,000 times Read stories. Realised Topsy and Tim lead seriously empty lives Made burritos Made boiled eggs when Flea decided she no longer likes burritos
- [The Yellow Book](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/the-yellow-book/) - I have decided that Flea’s teacher is a ninja of passive aggression. Her weapon of choice isn’t the Chinese throwing star or a semi-automatic. It’s this: The Reading Record. I cannot fully express how much I hate the Reading Record. For the uninitiated, this little book is intended to be a daily record of what
- [How to Make a Good Impression on the School Secretary](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/how-to-make-a-good-impression-on-the-school-secretary/) - Flea's been back at school now for two weeks.Not long. But long enough for me to demonstrate exactly what sort of parent I am to the school's administrative staff. Sigh. Selected conversations I've had so far: ---“Hello?”“Hello Miss Whittle, it’s Mrs W here, at the grammar school.”“Ah, okay. Hi.” “Just to let you know Flea

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- [self-catering holidays in Italy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/self-catering-holidays-in-italy/)
- [giveaway](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/giveaway/)
- [mummy blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mummy-blog/)
- [british mummy blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/british-mummy-blogs/)
- [parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parent-blogs/)
- [drayton manor](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/drayton-manor/)
- [ben10](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ben10/)
- [Isle of Wight](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/isle-of-wight/)
- [Isle of Wight with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/isle-of-wight-with-kids/)
- [Isle of Wight breaks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/isle-of-wight-breaks/)
- [things to do in the Isle of Wight with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/things-to-do-in-the-isle-of-wight-with-kids/)
- [IOW Zoo](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/iow-zoo/)
- [Seaview Wildlife Encounter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/seaview-wildlife-encounter/)
- [Island Breaks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/island-breaks/)
- [playologist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/playologist/)
- [mummy blogger review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mummy-blogger-review/)
- [stockley farm park](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/stockley-farm-park/)
- [nutella](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/nutella/)
- [days out](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/days-out/)
- [days out in cheshire](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/days-out-in-cheshire/)
- [british mummy bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/british-mummy-bloggers/)
- [daddy blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/daddy-blogs/)
- [uk parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/uk-parent-blogs/)
- [uk parent bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/uk-parent-bloggers/)
- [british mummy blogger](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/british-mummy-blogger/)
- [parent blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parent-blog/)
- [visiting the doctor with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/visiting-the-doctor-with-kids/)
- [Santa in my house](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-in-my-house/)
- [my child doesn't believe in Santa](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/my-child-doesnt-believe-in-santa/)
- [father christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/father-christmas/)
- [british parent bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/british-parent-bloggers/)
- [top mummy blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-mummy-blogs/)
- [top 10 mummy blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-mummy-blogs/)
- [top 10 uk parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-uk-parent-blogs/)
- [top 10 mummy bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-mummy-bloggers/)
- [top 10 daddy bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-daddy-bloggers/)
- [top 10 blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-blogs/)
- [top ten uk parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-ten-uk-parent-blogs/)
- [top ten uk mummy bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-ten-uk-mummy-bloggers/)
- [top 10 parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-10-parent-blogs/)
- [top 100 blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-100-blogs/)
- [ferrero](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ferrero/)
- [claudia winkleman](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/claudia-winkleman/)
- [galaxy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/galaxy/)
- [winter books](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/winter-books/)
- [christmas books](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/christmas-books/)
- [sleepover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sleepover/)
- [sally whittle](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sally-whittle/)
- [oxfam unwrapped](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/oxfam-unwrapped/)
- [ethical gifts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ethical-gifts/)
- [charity gifts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/charity-gifts/)
- [archie the goat](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/archie-the-goat/)
- [simplify your christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/simplify-your-christmas/)
- [christmas cookies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/christmas-cookies/)
- [christmas biscuits](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/christmas-biscuits/)
- [oxfam](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/oxfam/)
- [christmas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/christmas/)
- [goat](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/goat/)
- [carnival](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/carnival/)
- [toyologist](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/toyologist/)
- [toysrus](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/toysrus/)
- [great toy guide](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/great-toy-guide/)
- [advent calendar](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/advent-calendar/)
- [toy reviews](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/toy-reviews/)
- [parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parenting/)
- [where do babies come from? who's the mummy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/where-do-babies-come-from-whos-the-mummy/)
- [flea](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/flea/)
- [bruges](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bruges/)
- [brugges](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/brugges/)
- [brugges with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/brugges-with-kids/)
- [things to do in brugges with children](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/things-to-do-in-brugges-with-children/)
- [kid-friendly brugges](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/kid-friendly-brugges/)
- [city breaks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/city-breaks/)
- [european city breaks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/european-city-breaks/)
- [eurostar](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/eurostar/)
- [blogging](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blogging/)
- [keycamp](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/keycamp/)
- [holidays](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/holidays/)
- [family holidays](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/family-holidays/)
- [reviews](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/reviews/)
- [MAD Awards](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mad-awards/)
- [The MAD awards](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/the-mad-awards/)
- [blog awards](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blog-awards/)
- [Annabel Karmel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/annabel-karmel/)
- [cooking](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/cooking/)
- [nestle](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/nestle/)
- [wholegrain](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/wholegrain/)
- [Playmobil reviews](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/playmobil-reviews/)
- [school schedules](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/school-schedules/)
- [parenting blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parenting-blogs/)
- [reading](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/reading/)
- [schools](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/schools/)
- [early reading](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/early-reading/)
- [single parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/single-parenting/)
- [single parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/single-parent-blogs/)
- [single mums](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/single-mums/)
- [bad parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bad-parenting/)
- [positive parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/positive-parenting/)
- [bad mothers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bad-mothers/)
- [school run](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/school-run/)
- [greattoyguide. mummy blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/greattoyguide-mummy-blogs/)
- [play and stay](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/play-and-stay/)
- [supersavvyme](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/supersavvyme/)
- [working mums](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/working-mums/)
- [tara cain](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tara-cain/)
- [sticky fingers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sticky-fingers/)
- [starting school](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/starting-school/)
- [parenting bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parenting-bloggers/)
- [SEO for blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/seo-for-blogs/)
- [tips for bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tips-for-bloggers/)
- [using SEO](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/using-seo/)
- [SEO tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/seo-tips/)
- [raising kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/raising-kids/)
- [raising girls](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/raising-girls/)
- [feminism](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/feminism/)
- [blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blogs/)
- [blog competitions](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blog-competitions/)
- [running contests on blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/running-contests-on-blogs/)
- [blog giveaways](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blog-giveaways/)
- [The Elmfield](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/the-elmfield/)
- [Ilfracombe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ilfracombe/)
- [Saunton](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/saunton/)
- [Woolacombe](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/woolacombe/)
- [Devon](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/devon/)
- [family friendly holidays](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/family-friendly-holidays/)
- [things to do with kids in Devon](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/things-to-do-with-kids-in-devon/)
- [hotel reviews](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/hotel-reviews/)
- [family-friendly hotels](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/family-friendly-hotels/)
- [books](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/books-2/)
- [first day of school](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/first-day-of-school/)
- [school uniform](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/school-uniform/)
- [memes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/memes/)
- [parenting blog](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parenting-blog/)
- [mummy blogging](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mummy-blogging/)
- [parent blogging](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/parent-blogging/)
- [top 100 parent blogs](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-100-parent-blogs/)
- [kids are weird](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/kids-are-weird-2/)
- [Thomas Land](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/thomas-land/)
- [Manchester](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/manchester/)
- [things to do with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/things-to-do-with-kids/)
- [Urbis](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/urbis/)
- [Manchester Museum](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/manchester-museum/)
- [Lowry](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/lowry/)
- [creativetourist.com](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/creativetourist-com/)
- [the other mother](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/the-other-mother/)
- [divorce](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/divorce/)
- [indoor play](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/indoor-play/)
- [school reports](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/school-reports/)
- [preschool classes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/preschool-classes/)
- [activity classes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/activity-classes/)
- [Seven Things meme](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/seven-things-meme/)
- [Maternal Tales](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/maternal-tales/)
- [mealtimes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mealtimes/)
- [bad mother moments](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bad-mother-moments-2/)
- [arguments](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/arguments/)
- [jealousy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/jealousy/)
- [orlando](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/orlando/)
- [florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/florida/)
- [disneyland florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland-florida/)
- [walt disney world florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/walt-disney-world-florida/)
- [disneyland tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland-tips/)
- [disneyland review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland-review/)
- [visit orlando](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/visit-orlando/)
- [legoland florida](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/legoland-florida/)
- [florida theme parks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/florida-theme-parks/)
- [universal orlando](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/universal-orlando/)
- [wizarding world of harry potter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/wizarding-world-of-harry-potter/)
- [islands of adventure](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/islands-of-adventure/)
- [theme parks](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/theme-parks/)
- [disneyland](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland/)
- [ifly](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ifly/)
- [nickolodeon hotel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/nickolodeon-hotel/)
- [volvo xc90 review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/volvo-xc90-review/)
- [jordan](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/jordan/)
- [travel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/travel-2/)
- [jordan with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/jordan-with-kids/)
- [where to go in jordan](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/where-to-go-in-jordan/)
- [newsnight](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/newsnight/)
- [centra for social justice](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/centra-for-social-justice/)
- [cape cod](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/cape-cod/)
- [family travel](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/family-travel/)
- [chatham](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/chatham/)
- [homeaway](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/homeaway/)
- [anki drive](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/anki-drive/)
- [anki](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/anki/)
- [mauritius](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mauritius/)
- [all-inclusive](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/all-inclusive/)
- [first choice](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/first-choice/)
- [tanzania](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tanzania/)
- [coca-cola](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/coca-cola/)
- [ekocenter](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ekocenter/)
- [5x20](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/5x20/)
- [peugeot 5008](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/peugeot-5008/)
- [MPV review](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mpv-review/)
- [cruise](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/cruise/)
- [colombia](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/colombia/)
- [panama](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/panama/)
- [costa rica](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/costa-rica/)
- [jamaica](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/jamaica/)
- [thomson dream](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/thomson-dream/)
- [summer activities](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/summer-activities/)
- [asus](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/asus/)
- [laptop](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/laptop/)
- [tech](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tech/)
- [anthem of the seas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/anthem-of-the-seas/)
- [royal caribbean](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/royal-caribbean/)
- [breville](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/breville/)
- [warburtons](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/warburtons/)
- [toaster](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/toaster/)
- [co-parenting](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/co-parenting/)
- [bloggers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bloggers/)
- [happy](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/happy/)
- [happy makers](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/happy-makers/)
- [mallorca](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/mallorca/)
- [villas](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/villas/)
- [family-friendly villas in mallorca](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/family-friendly-villas-in-mallorca/)
- [puy du fou](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/puy-du-fou/)
- [france](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/france/)
- [taylor swift](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/taylor-swift/)
- [1989 World Tour](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/1989-world-tour/)
- [travel reviews](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/travel-reviews/)
- [blogging tips](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/blogging-tips/)
- [travel insurance](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/travel-insurance/)
- [moneysupermarket](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/moneysupermarket/)
- [tenerife](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tenerife/)
- [california](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/california/)
- [san francisco](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/san-francisco/)
- [santa cruz](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-cruz/)
- [santa cruz with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-cruz-with-kids/)
- [big sur](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/big-sur/)
- [pfeiffer state park](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/pfeiffer-state-park/)
- [pfeiffer beach](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/pfeiffer-beach/)
- [santa barbara](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-barbara/)
- [santa barbara with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-barbara-with-kids/)
- [sky movies](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sky-movies/)
- [los angeles](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/los-angeles/)
- [santa monica](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-monica/)
- [little venice](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/little-venice/)
- [LA with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/la-with-kids/)
- [Santa Monica with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/santa-monica-with-kids/)
- [disneyland resort](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland-resort/)
- [disneyland california adventure](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/disneyland-california-adventure/)
- [tips for disneyland](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tips-for-disneyland/)
- [san diego](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/san-diego/)
- [la jolla](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/la-jolla/)
- [san diego with kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/san-diego-with-kids/)
- [captain america](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/captain-america/)
- [kids parties](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/kids-parties/)
- [superhero party](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/superhero-party/)
- [movie party](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/movie-party/)
- [thailand](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/thailand/)
- [tbex](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/tbex/)
- [rayong](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/rayong/)
- [beaches](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/beaches/)
- [ocho rios](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/ocho-rios/)
- [kids](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/kids/)
- [chanthaburi](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/chanthaburi/)
- [coke](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/coke/)
- [park lives](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/park-lives/)
- [crafts](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/crafts/)
- [bostik](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bostik/)
- [clover](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/clover/)
- [canary](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/canary/)
- [CHRISTMAS MOVIES](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/christmas-movies/)
- [sky studios](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sky-studios/)
- [bounce off](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/bounce-off/)
- [chicago](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/chicago/)
- [box sets](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/box-sets/)
- [top tv box sets](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/top-tv-box-sets/)
- [best shows to stream](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/best-shows-to-stream/)
- [best box sets](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/best-box-sets/)
- [itunes](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/itunes/)
- [amazon prime](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/amazon-prime/)
- [netflix](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/netflix/)
- [sausages](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/sausages/)
- [rankin](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/rankin/)
- [wills](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/wills/)
- [single parents](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/single-parents/)
- [11+](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/11/)
- [entrance exam](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/entrance-exam/)
- [quiz](https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/tag/quiz/)
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