I am at my friend’s house for a few days. It’s the most beautiful place – relaxed, fun, everything I feel I need. Sometimes we all need a break. It’s a really hard thing to give yourself, a break. Don’t we all assume we can’t have one or don’t deserve one? Mothers spend their life [...]

My third son is now obsessed with being an ‘indigo child’. He does things deliberately I think, just to get some kudos. The other day, my husband went to have a shower and found DS3 in there.
‘I didn’t know you were having a shower?’ my husband said.
‘I’m not,’ said DS3. ‘I’m just counting to six [...]

Is this ever going to stop? This is what I ask myself every day. Is the endless round of doing everything - from walking the dog at 6.30am (now I have to do it with a bleedin’ torch), to getting the kids off to school, to getting my baby daughter out of nappies, to feeding [...]

I don’t with to blow my own trumpet (ta-ran-ta-ra) but the Henley Literary Festival is almost upon me. This is its third year and it really has a cast of the great, the good, the naughty and the well-loved appearing this year. This makes me get terribly over-excited for, not only am I giving a [...]

I am fascinated to read that in Rachel Cusk’s new novel there is a description of how different generations of people blackberried. I want to buy the book purely for this reason - if not solely (I understand it is a very good book). I have become obsessed with blackberrying at the moment. It is [...]

We went camping at the weekend (reluctantly, I have to say). It was freezing cold but….the company was good, the food amazing and the outdoor fire raging. We met people we’d never met before, which was good, and, of course, their children. This is always the tricky area in any social occasion. Adults can decide [...]

So we are nearly back to the usual kerfuffle of the school morning. These are how ours usually go: we all run around like headless chickens in the morning barking and bad tempered with each other. If I am working, I rush out of the door and then rush back in at least three times. [...]

I learned so many things about my children when we were on holiday. I know these things about them anyway but…since when did my baby get so grown up? I know she is two. I know she can speak. I know she potty-trained herself, but when did she turn in to a girl?  She spent [...]

We have just got back from Ibiza. We stayed in a wonderful place called Buddha House - very magical. It was hot and sweaty but we spent forever in the pool and then went down to the seaside. But what was really good about going on holiday is that I relaxed, which is no easy [...]

It is the school holidays finally. Hoorah! This is good. No more rushing around like a lunatic in the morning. No more packed lunches. No more homework. I really could not be happier but…oh no. BEDTIME. During the holidays, my children tend to go to bed late. Their theory is that, as they do no [...]