Tag Archives: family

What memories are made of

24 Saturday Nov 2012

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On Thursday afternoon I drove home from work with a thrill of excitement. Holidays were coming.

This time last year, I took my daughter to the opening night of Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland. It was brilliant. Walking through the gates felt like stepping into Christmas. So I was very pleased to be invited back for the opening this year.

I ignored my tiredness and jumped on a train with my two year old. I also brought my friend and her four year old along for the ride. (A good choice as my friend Caroline Gue takes incredible photographs – all of these are hers.)

Continue reading »

You never stop being a parent

15 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood

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Photo credit: Caroline Gue at CP Photography

This is my mum and dad.

The photo was taken on my wedding day, last year. My mum was busy bustling around, making sure everyone else looked nice. She helped me into my dress (that she made) before pinning my dad’s buttonhole. She got dressed after everyone else had left the house. She looked lovely.

My parents are my example. When it comes to being a mum myself, I look to them for inspiration and guidance on how to do it. They were funny. That’s the main thing I remember growing up. We had lots of laughter, often at my dad’s expense. Being the only man in the house, he milked the “poor dad” role with his two daughters, much to our amusement. Continue reading »

Far, far away

06 Tuesday Nov 2012

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Family live too far away.

There should be a law that states all mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters should live within 45 minutes of each other. The law should only be waivered in extreme circumstances, like if the family involved can’t stand each other and would rather live on opposite sides of the universe than a relatively short car journey away.

I don’t belong in that camp. I love my family – like them even. I bicker with my sister, who is also my best friend in the whole wide world. I laugh at my mother and father, who are also (they’d hate me saying this) my inspiration and – as an adult – people who I love to spend time with. I also love my in-laws and have found two new brothers and two new sisters in my marriage to the (self-proclaimed) Northern Love Machine. Continue reading »

This is my wealth

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Play

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I spend much of my life at the moment striving. I strive to work, to earn money to save for one of those huge deposits for a mortgage that you need these days. I strive to put a hefty chunk of these earnings aside each month, because I’m self-employed and one day I’d like not to have to work 70 hour weeks. I strive to do all this while being a good mum and showing my daughter what’s important in life.

What’s important….

Funny how that first paragraph was mainly about earning and money and striving for a financial balance. Because, to us, what’s important is NOT money. Continue reading »

Gary Barlow and a French teapot

04 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Relationships

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When it comes to birthdays, I am very much of the Make A Fuss variety. I lap up the attention a birthday brings like a cat slurping at a bowl of cream.

I revel in the limelight of birthday greetings, cheerily sharing the secret of the special day with anyone who cares to listen. I have been known to stop complete strangers in the street, just to let them know it’s my birthday – although now I have a toddler who does that task for me.

In many respects I am still the child I once was. Feverishly anticipating the exciting tinge of the day – even if there was school – and looking forward to cake, cards and maybe even the odd present. Continue reading »

The perfect parent doesn’t exist (so stop trying to be one)

22 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by in Motherhood

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You know when you log onto Facebook, or chat to your parent friends, or write an email / blog post / card to a friend updating them on your life…. are you honest?

No, I mean REALLY honest.

Do you tell them about the time the other day when you lost your temper in a fit of exhaustion and shouted at your child, then instantly regretted it? Do you tell them that you gave your kids fishfingers and chips for tea the other day, because you were all out of organic veg? Do you admit that sometimes you let them watch too much TV, because you’re sick of the sight of playdough? Continue reading »

Decorating without the decorations

21 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by in Family, Relationships

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Review

Living in a rented cottage means painting the walls to “make the place our own” is out of the question. But that doesn’t mean we can’t adorn them will all sorts of pretty things.

We have paintings that my grandma and aunt painted, prints from Picasso and Andy Warhol, as well as a lovely painting given to us as a wedding present.

We also have lots of photographs. Lots and lots of photographs. Continue reading »

Keeping broodiness in check

12 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by in Family, Motherhood, Pregnancy

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I was writing a blog post for a company the other day about pregnancy. As I scrawled through some suitable bump images to include in the post, the (self-proclaimed) Nothern Love Machine looked over my shoulder and laughed.

“There’s nothing attractive about pregnant women is there?” he chuckled.

My scowl made him quickly back-track, as he was actually looking at a picture of my own bump, taken just over two years ago now. But, equally, I completely disagreed with him. Continue reading »