When Is The Right Time To Teach Appropriate Topics For Public Conversation?

The toilet has always been a popular subject in our house. We talk about it constantly, and I have lost count of the number of songs I have made up about it, usually to the lyrics of classic tunes such as I Need A Hero by Bonnie Tyler (“I Need a WEE WEE!  I’m holding…

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Why It’s OK To Be Single, And It Doesn’t Mean You Need Fixing

I have a friend, let’s call her A, who has a fabulous life.  Fabulous in that anything-could-happen sense that only the life of someone with no ties-no partner, no children-can be.  Filled with friendship, travel and opportunity.  A glance at her Instagram feed shows seemingly random jaunts abroad, wonderful food and friends from all corners…

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“I’m Sure Your Husband Will Do It.”

“It’s not going to fit.  It won’t go up those stairs.” The delivery man places the brand new pink velvet chair that was perfect for the loft room, but turns out to be somewhat larger than it appeared in store, down underneath the loft stairs and examines the underside, where four slim gold legs poke…

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Topshop: Is The Love Affair Over?

The answer to that question, of course, is no. I can do this, I thought, scrolling the jumpsuits of George at Asda online on an average evening at home.  I could get a whole new outfit for Piglet’s birthday and it will cost all of £12.  Hey, I might even go to Asda, the real…

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Why Am I So Rubbish At Stuff?

I recently read a cheerful article in the Guardian which said that there was no such thing as a gifted child. That’s a good thing, by the way. It’s a good thing because it means that anyone can be gifted.  Our brains are plastic.  It just takes practice. Ten thousand hours of it, to be…

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Journalists BLASTED by Angry Mummy Blogger

As some of you may know, I was recently the subject of several articles on parenting websites, which were published and shared without my knowledge or consent, in which photographs of my son and I appeared, and which quoted considerable sections of this blog post, which I wrote on the topic of extended breastfeeding.  The…

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Three Reasons You Should NEVER Take a Toddler to Choose Their Own Birthday Present

Let’s get this out of the way first.  I know I’m a monster.  If I was any sort of mother, I would have arranged for someone else (in an ideal world, my doting husband and babyfather, for example, if such a person existed, we are talking about a hypothetical IDEAL world here, not the one…

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#DaysoutwithPiglet: Speedway GP

Long, long ago, when Piglet was little more than a twinkle in my eye, or more accurately a sample in a jar, I imagined that my future progeny would be very much like me, the Blue Ivy to my Beyoncé, looking fierce next to me in a co-ordinated outfit.  The truth was somewhat different.  Naive…

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Why I Am Still Breastfeeding My Three Year Old

It is now almost three years since I first latched Piglet to my breast that surreal morning in the hospital.  Technically, he is not yet three, but unless he suddenly weans in the next few weeks, it looks as though I will have a nursing three year old.  I am fully prepared for the onslaught…

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What I Have Learned About Home Improvements #1, Wood Oil is Terrifying

When it comes to home improvements, DIY, homemaking, decorating, even gardening, I am the first to admit that I am a novice.  I have zero experience in the field, but I am learning.  Very gradually, I am learning. I have now been in my new house for seven months.  I set myself a target of…

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