My mum only had a few months to live. So we rented a van and took a road trip
3 HRS AGO - We’d been incredibly close when I was a child. Then, in 1994 she went away and never came back. Expand
3 HRS AGO - We’d been incredibly close when I was a child. Then, in 1994 she went away and never came back. Now here we were, taking to the road with no real plan after her cancer diagnosis I had been sitting in the cafeteria of a hospital in Perth, Australia, for seven hours waiting for the phone to ring.Seven hours of drained coffee cups, watching families cry and cling to each other, wondering if they were tears of grief or relief, seven hours of slowly feeling the panic rise up through my body. Related: Adventuring while female: why the relationship women have with nature matters I felt bereft, abandoned, like I had lost her. The person I always turned to for guidance was gone Continue reading... Collapse
Breastfeeding mum's fake tan fail leaves baby boy 'looking like Homer Simpson
1 DAY AGO - A five-month-old baby was left looking like a cartoon character from The Simpsons after Expand
1 DAY AGO - A five-month-old baby was left looking like a cartoon character from The Simpsons after breastfeeding as his mum forgot she was covered in fake tan at the time Collapse
The government should be paying more for childcare. Instead families are struggling with costs | Jen Jackson for the Conversation
2 DAYS AGO - Many families are being forced to choose affordability over quality in crucial learning years An Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Many families are being forced to choose affordability over quality in crucial learning years An Australian family on the average wage typically spends close to A$6,000 out of pocket per year on child care, a new analysis from the Mitchell Institute shows. This is more than the average cost of sending a child to a private primary school.Unlike the school sector, families don’t have the option to choose a low cost publicly delivered childcare service.This article was originally published in The ConversationJen Jackson is the education policy lead at the Mitchell Institute at Victoria University Continue reading... Collapse
Martin Freeman says he smacks his children
2 DAYS AGO - Martin Freeman has said he smacks his children and sometimes swears at them, calling them “little Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Martin Freeman has said he smacks his children and sometimes swears at them, calling them “little f***ers”. The actor, who has two children aged 11 and 14 with his former partner Amanda Abbington, Collapse
‘I look at the clock… it’s 3am’: Why can’t women sleep
3 DAYS AGO - While her husband snores peacefully beside her, Mariella Frostrup, like women everywhere, is wide Expand
3 DAYS AGO - While her husband snores peacefully beside her, Mariella Frostrup, like women everywhere, is wide awake – mind spinning. But why? And what can she do about it?It is 3am. I know because I’ve checked the clock three times since I crept to the loo at 1.45am. Within minutes of my return to bed I feel the delicious fog of slumber evaporate, my heart rate rises and my brain begins its relentless scan for topics to keep me engaged. Occasionally, I get a laugh out of what I dream up as a priority worry; more often I’m shocked by the banality. A thank you note I failed to send a year ago; the small part for a kitchen appliance I keep forgetting to order; whether I booked Ocado for Friday; whether Stormzy will agree to talk to me about his favourite books; the shirt my son needs; guilt because I didn’t call my friend with breast cancer; where to go on summer holidays; how to get the car to its service in Yeovil; why the person I discussed documentary ideas with hasn’t replied; did I book a Collapse
Romesh Ranganathan: We’re having a romantic weekend away – just me, my wife… and the kids
4 DAYS AGO - Are we bringing them just so we’re not faced with the realisation that they’re the only thing Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Are we bringing them just so we’re not faced with the realisation that they’re the only thing keeping us together?It was our 10-year wedding anniversary last week, and my wife and I decided to head to a hotel with the kids. This alone was a source of controversy among friends (and by friends, I mean my wife’s, as I obviously don’t discuss weekends away with my mates for fear of being called a boring bastard). Apparently, if you want to enjoy a romantic weekend away, there is absolutely no way you should take your children.My wife and I always choose to go away with our children. When we got married, we couldn’t afford a long honeymoon, so we had a night away at a hotel. Our eldest son was just under one, and we didn’t want to be away from him, so we had him in a cot with us. I suspected that the appeal of this might wane as he got older and we had more kids. Obviously, when you have your first kid, it’s all one-to-one time and taking endless photos. By the time you have the third, Collapse
Mum in stitches after realising Valentine's card she got daughter, 5, is very rude
4 DAYS AGO - A mum bought a Valentine's Day card for her five-year-old daughter to give to her boyfriend, but Expand
4 DAYS AGO - A mum bought a Valentine's Day card for her five-year-old daughter to give to her boyfriend, but she forgot to check the message inside before purchasing it Collapse
CBeebies is what makes parenting possible – I'd pay triple the licence fee to save it
6 DAYS AGO - The BBC channel is a lifeline to parents of small children. Getting rid of it, as the Expand
6 DAYS AGO - The BBC channel is a lifeline to parents of small children. Getting rid of it, as the corporation’s chairman has suggested, is unthinkableIf some people have their way, the days of the licence fee are seemingly numbered. And in a bid to protect it, the BBC chairman, David Clementi, has gone nuclear. Take the license fee away, he says, and there won’t be any more CBeebies.Honestly, that’s enough. Take my licence fee. Double it. Triple it, even. David, I will give you my pin code and the keys to my car if you promise not to get rid of CBeebies. It is the crown jewel of the BBC. It makes parenting possible. Continue reading... Collapse
These three words could fix the gender pay gap: shared parental leave | Alexandra Topping
11/02/2020 - The UK should take a leaf out of Finland’s book and give men take non-transferable time off to Expand
11/02/2020 - The UK should take a leaf out of Finland’s book and give men take non-transferable time off to care for their childrenSo Finland has done it again. Not content with trialling universal basic income, solving homelessness and producing an all-female political coalition, the Nordic country has now introduced one of the most equitable parental leave policies in Europe.Under new rules, all Finnish mothers and fathers will both get nearly seven months’ paid leave, half of which will be non-transferable, while all references to maternity and paternity leave are being scrapped. That sends a very clear message: all parents, from all types of families, are equal in this endeavour.The gaping hole where fathers should be in the domestic sphere has consequences for women too Related: Why poverty has become the scourge of those in work | Larry Elliott Continue reading... Collapse
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Motherless mothers': the hidden grief of becoming a mom without one of your own | Sara Gaynes Levy and Jessica Zucker
21 HRS AGO - Adjusting to parenthood without a mother as a touchstone can be poignant, complex and emotionally Expand
21 HRS AGO - Adjusting to parenthood without a mother as a touchstone can be poignant, complex and emotionally challengingThere’s a profound psychological transformation that happens upon becoming a mother. Many women turn to their own mothers to glean insight, sometimes feeling a deepening of connection, or at the very least a more well-rounded understanding of their maternal lineage. But if your mother has passed away, or if the relationship is too damaging to hold on to, nascent motherhood can be laced with a new kind of grief.In the absence of that connection, the transition to motherhood might take on different meaning altogether. Some women find they have a new appreciation for the complexities of what their own mothers endured; they may begin to feel more strongly bonded to them even in their absence. Others may experience a sense of isolation, pangs of envy or fits of anger. Adjusting to motherhood without a mother as a touchstone can make for a complex and poignant period.I find it so Collapse
Mum creates huge 9ft bed for whole family to sleep in as kids keep hogging space
1 DAY AGO - A mum who was tired of fighting for space in her bed decided to take matters into her own hands Expand
1 DAY AGO - A mum who was tired of fighting for space in her bed decided to take matters into her own hands and create one that can sleep her entire family - and it cost under £500 to make Collapse
Review: Leisure Cuisinemaster (CS100F520) Dual Fuel Range Cooker - The DADventurer - UK Dad Blog
2 DAYS AGO - A review of the Leisure Cuisinemaster (CS100F520) Dual Fuel Range Cooker, which boasts three Expand
2 DAYS AGO - A review of the Leisure Cuisinemaster (CS100F520) Dual Fuel Range Cooker, which boasts three ovens, a grill, five gas burner hobs and a griddle plate. Collapse
Gluten free cherry and thyme clafoutis
2 DAYS AGO - Advertisement feature in association with Darégal. Do you remember a while back when I had that Expand
2 DAYS AGO - Advertisement feature in association with Darégal. Do you remember a while back when I had that revelation about frozen chopped onions? At the time I called it a ‘landmark in my culinary life’, which was a bold statement, but then judging by the tone of the rest of the post I was perhaps going through a bit of an intense time – there’s a slight manic quality to the way I try to get Belle involved in the risotto – perhaps frozen onions really did feel life changing? It had come on the back of me discovering all of those unusual frozen foods I never knew existed, so I was probably still a bit hyped from that. One of the foods that made that list was frozen herbs, which is…
The post Gluten free cherry and thyme clafoutis appeared first on Slummy single mummy.
Gluten free cherry and thyme clafoutis was first posted on February 16, 2020 at 11:20 am. Collapse
JoJo Siwa has taken over our home, but I am staging a fightback | Emma Brockes
3 DAYS AGO - I have a cunning plan to overcome my five-year-olds’ obsesssion with the big-bowed YouTuberIn what Expand
3 DAYS AGO - I have a cunning plan to overcome my five-year-olds’ obsesssion with the big-bowed YouTuberIn what now looks like a state of prelapsarian innocence, I hadn’t heard of Joelle Joanie Siwa – or JoJo Siwa, as the five-year-olds know her – until my daughter asked for her on Alexa a few months ago. “Play JoJo Siwa,” she said, and has been saying ever since. At my kids’ birthday party in January, they received JoJo Siwa-branded diaries and accessories. In the local pharmacy, there is a whole rack of JoJo Siwa hair guff next to the milk. This week there was a book fair at their school, where you’d think you’d be safe, but no. In among the volumes of Pete the Cat and shark books, there she was – JoJo & Bow Bow: The Posh Puppy Pageant, one of a series of books “written” by Siwa.There are worse kids’ internet phenomena out there, but the breadth of the Siwa franchise, and the glittery hold she has on kindergarten-age girls, makes her one of the most annoying. Siwa, who is 16 and comes from Collapse
Dad thinks wife is being wimp with breastfeeding - soon finds out hard way she's not
4 DAYS AGO - Ronnie Dunston thought his wife was overreacting about the pain of breastfeeding, but soon Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Ronnie Dunston thought his wife was overreacting about the pain of breastfeeding, but soon discovered that he couldn't have been more wrong Collapse
Gender equality and the world of work | Letters
5 DAYS AGO - Working practices need to be overhauled to address the gender pay gap, says Patricia Murphy, and Expand
5 DAYS AGO - Working practices need to be overhauled to address the gender pay gap, says Patricia Murphy, and separation from a newborn baby is incredibly painful for many mothers, says Alison WatsonAlexandra Topping presents an admirable evidence-based analysis of the effect of government policy on parental leave for newborns (Journal, 11 February), and says that “until a progressive government does step up, companies and individuals will have to kickstart a cultural change” in working practices. I would like to expand on the cultural change she refers to. Working practices in the UK need much more of an overhaul to address the gender pay gap: the key is to make these genuinely family-friendly. The structures and patterns in the world of work are still manmade, stemming from the postwar era of man as the breadwinner and woman as the homemaker. Studies have shown that flexible working hours, job shares and even the reduction of the working week all increase productivity, but preferential Collapse
Mum creates Harry Potter nursery for little wizard and it's just like being at Hogwarts
6 DAYS AGO - A little boy's magical nursery has got muggles talking as it's so well designed, it looks just Expand
6 DAYS AGO - A little boy's magical nursery has got muggles talking as it's so well designed, it looks just like a room at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Collapse
In a stew over your Lancashire hotpot | Brief letters
10/02/2020 - Parenting classes | Rose theatre, Kingston | Retro success | Stews | Donald Trump“We need Expand
10/02/2020 - Parenting classes | Rose theatre, Kingston | Retro success | Stews | Donald Trump“We need parenting classes for girls and – crucially – boys,” writes Alice O’Keeffe (Journal, 6 February). Be careful what you wish for. Once you have parenting classes you encourage ideas of the “right way” to look after babies. There are many right ways, and it may be hard, but at the moment we have the freedom to learn them for ourselves. The best education would be for secondary-school children and expectant mothers to visit new mothers to become familiar with what it’s really like.Naomi StadlenAuthor of What Mothers Learn – Without Being Taught (out in April)• The “National Theatre” adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels (G2, 6 February) is actually a transfer from, and a co-production with, the Rose theatre in Kingston. The Rose, a theatre producing exciting and imaginative work, receives no Arts Council funding and needs all the publicity and recognition it can get.Simon HigmanKingston, Collapse
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Meghan is banished - so Kate has to represent all modern womanhood
1 DAY AGO - The Duchess of Cambridge has raised her voice in support of small children and early years Expand
1 DAY AGO - The Duchess of Cambridge has raised her voice in support of small children and early years development – what’s not to love? Until the tabloids judge she’s getting it wrongI love a royal expert. I don’t know how you get that job but it does require a mastery of the bleedin’ obvious. A high point of my peculiar career was when I was interviewed by Japanese TV as “the court correspondent of the Independent” when Diana died. At several points I did try to explain that this was not my entire role, but then graciously, as royal experts do, I just accepted it.Royal experts aren’t what they were, though. One appeared on This Morning to tell us that the Duchess of Cambridge has “raised her game”. Another told us on the Heirpod podcast (me neither) that her voice is getting “louder and louder as she gains more confidence”. Continue reading... Collapse
I was juggling work, kids and cancer and needed help. Then 20 new friends swooped to my rescue
2 DAYS AGO - My daughter fell down the stairs when my partner was in hospital and the pressure became Expand
2 DAYS AGO - My daughter fell down the stairs when my partner was in hospital and the pressure became overwhelming. I discovered the kindness of relative strangers can make all the differenceSome years ago, my husband and I visited old friends who were preparing to move house. When we were leaving, we told them to let us know if they needed any help. A few weeks later, we were surprised when they called us and asked if we could help on the day of the move. We didn’t mind, but just had not expected our vague offer of help to be taken up. “Shout if you need anything,” is just something you say, isn’t it?A few years later, in 2016, I went from being a pregnant mother of a toddler to a cancer patient overnight. I did things that seem, looking back, unthinkable, such as undergoing surgery while pregnant and starting chemotherapy when my daughter was one week old and still in intensive care in a hospital 60 miles from home. My husband, son and I had moved from London to Leicestershire a few months Collapse
Mum slams nursery's 'ridiculous' daily schedule for her four-year-old daughter
2 DAYS AGO - A mum-of-two was left baffled by a nursery's gruelling schedule for her four-year-old daughter - Expand
2 DAYS AGO - A mum-of-two was left baffled by a nursery's gruelling schedule for her four-year-old daughter - including lessons in maths and engineering Collapse
The boy is not well so there’s plenty of snot and lots of cuddles
2 DAYS AGO - There’s no childcare – but my usually recalcitrant son has rediscovered his affectionate sideThe Expand
2 DAYS AGO - There’s no childcare – but my usually recalcitrant son has rediscovered his affectionate sideThe boy has been off sick, which is trying for us all. I mean, him primarily of course, but us, too. Tensions were already high since his cautionary dismissal from nursery meant we had no childcare for an entire week, and forced us to shift working hours, arrange time off and pull a few late nights. Not for the first time, we marvelled that the universe doesn’t free you of all other obligations just because your child is unwell.The stress of arranging all that was a blessing in its own way, since it distracted us from the instinctive horror you get when your perfect little dumpling falls ill. We’re not as bad as we once were. The first time it happens, you react as if they’ve been hit by bubonic plague. You’d be a monster if you didn’t. Thankfully for people bored by the plaintive angst of new parents, you do become a little bit more like that monster over time, gradually realising that minor Collapse
‘Get a lock on the bedroom door’: how to have a sex life when you've got children
4 DAYS AGO - Being a parent is exhausting. Sex is the place where I can find myself againFor quite a lot of my Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Being a parent is exhausting. Sex is the place where I can find myself againFor quite a lot of my late-adolescent and early-adult life, I thought that a positive pregnancy test when you want a baby might be tender and even romantic. “You’ve got to be kidding, Clover.” Pete’s face slides downwards when I stand in front of him in our room, holding out the test box.A rare moment: the house is still and we’re alone. I am as apprehensive as he is. Having another baby will be like letting a wild animal into our life. Although I want the mess, the reality is terrifying. I really want this baby. I must have it. But it will also take up so much of my brain and my life, that however much I want it, I know another child will stop me having the thoughts I want to have, and, to a great extent, living the life I want to lead.When we have sex, I don’t have to worry whether everyone has coats for school or homework’s been done Continue reading... Collapse
Exhausted mum hits back after restaurant boss 'humiliates' her for breastfeeding
4 DAYS AGO - Exhausted mum left "embarrassed and humiliated" after a restaurant manager shamed her Expand
4 DAYS AGO - Exhausted mum left "embarrassed and humiliated" after a restaurant manager shamed her for breastfeeding during her meal Collapse
RECIPE: Cauliflower cheese mini frittatas
5 DAYS AGO - One of my favourite times of the week is a weekend morning, when Belle is still asleep and Expand
5 DAYS AGO - One of my favourite times of the week is a weekend morning, when Belle is still asleep and I’m alone with the cats, pottering. Pottering is great isn’t it? I get the Archers omnibus on and I potter about doing all the crappy jobs I’ve been putting off for weeks like recharging the hoover battery and finally dealing with the Christmas tree on the back patio. (This one is currently aspirational.) This weekend I potted up the avocado stone I’ve FINALLY managed to get to sprout after about eight failed attempts over the course of several years, which was very satisfying, and then to balance it out I threw away two other dead plants. That’s the circle of life for you, right there. I also like to do a bit…
The post RECIPE: Cauliflower cheese mini frittatas appeared first on Slummy single mummy.
RECIPE: Cauliflower cheese mini frittatas was first posted on February 13, 2020 at 5:34 pm. Collapse
It felt like being kidnapped': the trauma of short stays in foster care
7 DAYS AGO - Every year, about 17,000 children are taken from their families only to be returned within days. Expand
7 DAYS AGO - Every year, about 17,000 children are taken from their families only to be returned within days. The impact can be lifelongThis story is a collaborative project between The Marshall Project and Searchlight New MexicoThe children usually arrived in the dead of night, silent and terrified.For two years, Daniel Derkacs and Ashley Keiler-Green, foster parents in Albuquerque, New Mexico, regularly took in kids whose parents were suspected of abusing or neglecting them. Sometimes, as the couple scrambled to find pajamas for their latest house guest, they wondered if they’d just met a child who would be with them for years to come. Related: The mother imprisoned for child abuse she didn't commit This article was originally published by the Marshall Project and Searchlight New Mexico. The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization covering the US criminal justice system; sign up for their newsletter, or follow the Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter. Searchlight is a nonprofit Collapse
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