The Diary On New Years Eve 2019 me and my husband sat in the Urology Clinic surrounded by what I can only say were people in their 70’s. The Doctor gave us the news we had been dreading. My husband had testicular Cancer. A few months before this he noticed that his right testicle was much bigger than his other one. This is normal to have one bigger than the other but this was by quite a significant amount. He made a Doctors appointment and the Doctor agreed this didn’t look n

We were so lucky to be invited to the family press event thanks to the amazing team at Zippos Circus. Zippos are there this year performing a different show to the one that is on tour (which we saw earlier in the year). It’s under an hour so perfect for the kids to sit through and of course it has the Christmas theme! I’ve been to Winter Wonderland before but not with children. I always associated it with beer and markets and people getting drunk in the festive spirit. This w

My eldest daughter has just started Primary school (yay!) and so far I’m not a huge fan of the school run, it is exactly what people imagine it to be. We walk to and from as it’s only a few blocks away so no need to jump in the car, even if we did the parking is a nightmare. Here are my views- 1. The Lollipop man is a legend! I’d never realised how brilliant and needed they really are. Being a driver I always found it an annoyance but being on the other side, it’s so handy to

I wanted to write this to hopefully give others some inspiration on what to buy a new mum and baby. Whether it’s a first child or fourth, a gift is always welcome. I’m going from my own experience of gifts I enjoyed or would’ve liked. 1. Something for her! She hasn’t been able to drink in 10 months so a nice bottle of wine or bubbles would no doubt be welcomed with open arms! She will be inundated in baby clothes so something for her would be nice too. 2. Clothes. Yes clothes

I have reached the age of 30 and I have never been to the Circus until now! So when we were offered the opportunity to go, I jumped at the chance! On Easter Monday we visited Zippos Circus in Blackheath. I went with a complete open mind unsure what to expect, I mean I secretly hoped Hugh Jackman might be there but I guess that’s high expectations! As soon as we arrived I could see it was extremely family friendly and we were greeted with a souvenir programme, popcorn, candy f

I’ve just finished reading this wonderful issue especially for mums! It’s a mini mummy magazine and is completely uplifting and full of positivity! As a mummy who has suffered from PND, anxiety and depression in the past, I found it extremely intriguing to read positive quotes and stories from other mums including business mums. Great recipes, gift ideas and tips on being a new mum and very importantly, Self Care! The Zine is aimed at new mums, old mums and even expectant mum

As a mummy of 3 (including the dog) I was delighted to read this new story book from Zara Dogdog We’ve not yet done the ‘school run’ ourselves but when September comes and we can hopefully walk to school, I plan to take our crazy Spaniel with us so this book seemed quite appropriate. The book series is aimed at children 3 plus so my 4 year old loved it and really listened to the moral of the story. The moral being, how to behave safely around a dog, read a dogs body language

I now have a 4 year old and an 18 month old and it has come to my attention there are many things I did with my first that I haven’t done with my second. Obviously we all parent differently. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel that guilty as both girls are very different and either way I’ve spent equal time with them. Can you relate to any of these? 1. Baby clinic weigh in. With my first born I went every month to have her weighed to make sure she was following the line (whateve

I take no pride in saying that at the moment my daughter is a Brat! First came the ‘terrible twos’ then there was the ‘threenager’ but now we have hit four I believe it’s ‘can’t take no more!’ We do not spoil her, we simply can’t afford to. She doesn’t always get what she wants and we don’t always give in. The meltdowns have become bigger and are driving me insane. I have tried calming her down, ignoring, shouting, nothing I do seems to work! The embarrassment just hits me! I

With the risk of obesity becoming higher & higher in Britain, the use of smart watches, fit bits etc is becoming more and more necessary. The problem is they cost so much money. FourFit is the answer. The FourFit bracelet comes in 3 different colours and we have the black one meaning both my husband and I could use it. I originally had for myself but my husband who is also a watch addict quickly became obsessed. Not only does it look rather smart but it’s very ‘smart’ too. Yo

I’ve always felt quite strongly that I wouldn’t be a ‘pushy parent’ and my children can try anything they like. Just because I love Theatre, doesn’t mean my children will and I won’t force it upon them if they would prefer to play or watch football. If it makes them happy I think it’s a good thing. The thing that annoys me slightly is the following the crowd. I’m saying this as a theatre school owner so I’ve seen it first hand. Just because little billy wants to do Gymnastics

We read a brand new book tonight called “Finding their way home” by Nicky Copeland, a true story of Cleo & Baloo the cats! Cleo & Baloo we’re both rescue cats that were adopted by Nicky in Essex. We have always read a story to Alana every evening as part of her bedtime routine. Alana is very into animals and recently watched the Aristocats for the first time so I knew this was perfect! It’s written in poetry and the illustration by Little Wing Design is beautiful. When I aske

With the long hot summer ahead of us I thought it would be good to share some cheap ideas to do with the kids. My children are aged 3 and 1 so it’s slightly easier at the moment to do fun things without spending a fortune. 1. Polhill Garden Centre Sevenoaks We spent some time here and hardly any money. There’s a playground, boating lake, cars and mini golf along with a cafe, shop and a big aquatic centre. We missed seeing the fish as Alana was having tantrums but she had a go

A mum has hit the headlines this morning for Breast Feeding her 5 year old daughter still. My opinion on this (whilst it really doesn’t matter) is well done to her! There is absolutely no shame in it. I couldn’t breast feed either of mine. Alana was Breast fed for 3 weeks with lots of trouble latching on but became under weight and jaundice and went back into hospital so it really put me off. Mila latched on straight away and fed straight away but I was on a high dose of medi

I wanted to write this post for anyone contemplating getting a dog when you already have children. We actually got our dog (Dudley) just as I’d fallen pregnant with my first child. He’s a complete nutter Sprocker Spaniel which is a Springer crossed with a working cocker. He’s 100% mental. There was always the worry that he may become jealous once the baby came along. That never happened. Dudley quickly realised once Alana got bigger and began to move that it was another perso

Today has been one of those days! Usually you’ll get maybe one child that plays up but today it was both even though one was at pre school until 3pm! The youngest (10 months) is apparently going through a ‘leap’ even though I’ve never really agreed with all the wonder weeks stuff as all children are different. She’s certainly not happy but I don’t know if it’s a leap, teething, a slight cold, frustration, clingy ness it could be any or even all of them! I have to admit I let

As the first of my friends to have children I wanted to write about the whole ‘life plan’. So many of my friends are in long term relationships and have this idea that they’re going to buy a house, get married then have children. Now I am the youngest of all my friends (nearing 30) but some are older at 33. Whilst I do not own my house, that may or may not come later but what if you reach 40 and you’re body is unable to have children. Everyone knows it’s much harder and scien

1. Had you heard of Super Yummies before today? If so, where? (eg: Saw it in store, Friends/family recommended, TV, Facebook, Through bloggers, It is part of my repertoire, other (please state). I had never heard of these before. 2. What other dairy products does your little one enjoy? For example: yoghurt, smoothies, custard, etc. (please state) loves yogurts 3. Before trying the product – what are your initial thoughts about the Super Yummies Dairy Pots? Great idea as they

Every month we struggle for money and I don’t think we’ll ever afford to buy a house but that being said we love our little rented cottage. Here are some of my tips for saving money on random things recently: 1. A Tyre I had the struggle recently of a flat tyre. Luckily it was just outside my house. I called a mobile tyre company who wanted to charge me £100 to change it and Kwik Fit couldn’t come out for 3 days so I ended up doing it myself. My husband talked me through it a

Having a kid and keeping its room clean and organised is a real challenge. When it comes to your children, you need to be creative and to think like them. Most of the parents are fed up with the battle cry of “Make up your room”, but everything stems from the way the room is organised. You will be surprised to know that if the kids like their room, they are more inclined to take the initiative and maintain it. In the arranging of the kids’ room there is one universal rule – i