A bad habit I picked up while pregnant was a love of leather – or let’s face it, PLEATHER – leggings. I felt so down, so gloomy, so down-trodden and put upon during those months that I went slightly barmy and wore them all the time under vast baggy shirts to go out at night. I felt like they said:… View Post
Teeny weeny earrings
When I am not wearing my Dinny Hall wave hoop earrings – like the good clean-cut mummy I am – I am wearing teeny weeny earrings. My friend Becky B, who has moved to LA and deserted me, the fucking bitch – comes back every now and again wearing the teeniest weeniest earrings you’ve ever seen. She also got an extra… View Post
Childcare fascist
I caught myself the other day being a real jerk. It was about the kids. We no longer have a nanny – I used to have a girl who would take Sam out in the morning from 9-1pm, but when Sam started nursery, she left and now my only childcare is school and nursery. And BOY OH BOY am I… View Post
Air drying
No, not a blow dry bar in East London: “Air drying” or “Air styling” is the thing that we’re all doing now, which is to say – we are not using our hairdryers anymore. Confused? Scared? Don’t be. I have been trying to blow dry my hair into submission since 1997 and I have been confused and dismayed as to… View Post
The five best… toys for the under-5s
Kinetic sand This is just normal sand mixed with some kind of polymer that turns it into the most absorbingly tactile and moreish, perfectly mouldable sand without the drawbacks of actual sand (i.e. gritty, gets fucking everywhere and useless when dry). This never dries out and both my children and I sit with it for a minimum of 30 minutes a time… View Post
Best winter sweater
It’s not getting that cold yet but it is time to start thinking about your winter woolies, because a bizarre thing about shopping in this country is that by the time it gets really, bone-chillingly cold – around January/February next year, there will be no winter clothes available. It’s annoying to have to shop for non-current weather but unfortunately that’s… View Post
School run WTF
I always thought a school run sounded like a laugh, especially if you’re dropping off more than one kid. When I would hear mothers vaguely lamenting different drop-offs I would think “But it sounds FUN! Zooming about in your car, being busy, chatting with your other mum mates.” I thought the complaints were a bit bogus, like complaining that you’ve… View Post
Wall stickers for kids’ rooms
I absolutely love these Quentin Blake illustrations, turned into wall stickers for kids rooms and playrooms. Favourites:
White trainers are still OK
If you’ve been dithering over whether to invest in another pair of white trainers: STOP. They are still going to be going strong through Autumn and Winter and probably through to next Spring. In the same way that Birkenstocks, Tevas and other hideous shoes will still be alright next year, too. I had a pair of white Supergas this Spring/Summer… View Post