This week my son’s school ruled that parents were not allowed into the children’s changing rooms. The thinking behind it is that parents should not be allowed into the area when children are changing, on the grounds of safeguarding the children. Read the rest of this entry »

Hang on a minute! It only seems a week has gone by since the Christmas holidays and yet here we are with half term looming over us. And by all accounts this one is going to be COLD! So what to do with the kids? Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been talking to a few people this week about their endeavours to have children and I’m very struck by how increasingly common it is for couples to experience difficulty conceiving. Read the rest of this entry »

2012 has meant a change personally for me in how I work. At the end of 2011, my fantastic and wonderful nanny had to go into hospital unexpectedly. To cut a long story short, she is doing really well, but it will be a long road to recovery before she can fully return to work. Read the rest of this entry »

In the news this week, the topic of nutrition for the under 5s has been brought to the fore. It’s being suggested that some parents may be feeding their young children a diet that is ‘inappropriate for under five year olds’ and more suited to older children and adults.  Read the rest of this entry »

I am completely tone deaf.  I am the one who you wish you weren’t sitting next to at a wedding, because I can’t sing a note, but it doesn’t stop me from belting out a tune.

I now think that I may have passed on this defunct gene to at least one of my sons, but like me it doesn’t curb their enthusiasm for singing as loud as possible.  Read the rest of this entry »

Well, here we are. Another Christmas over and done with. The cards have been put into the recycling bin (or if you’re really keen, cut up into present tags for next year), mountains of wrapping paper and evidence of your over indulgence have all  been carted away in bags and boxes, clinking and clunking as they went and the fading tinsel and baubles now drooping sadly from bald, needleless branches are packed away for another year.  Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, the school Nativity! Nerves jangling, emotions running high, and that’s just the parents! What is it that gets us parents so worked up? In my case it’s not even new territory. I’ve done it all before – in style. Read the rest of this entry »

I seem to have this conversation with many mums at this time of year. Do you let your children decorate the tree themselves or just “help out”? Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve all heard it said many times before: “The beauty of being a grandparent is that you get all the fun and none of the stress!” After all, they’ve already raised their family, now it’s their turn to relax and enjoy life with their extended family.

Increasingly however, grandparents are finding themselves becoming ad-hoc childcarers, regularly left in sole charge of their grandchildren whilst mum and dad are out at work. Read the rest of this entry »