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The Budget Supermarket lies on the outskirts of the nearest town, where slack-mouthed youths swim around a gene pool so small there are no room for outsiders.  We haven’t been before, but the decision to become a better parent by switching careers has not come without sacrifices.  We’ve abandoned the luxuries (raincoats, days out, school […]

Should going away without the children feel this good?   Today I have gone to the loo without someone sitting on my lap.  I have had conversations without breaking off to respond to an infant interrogator.  I have reached the bottom of a cup of coffee and found it still hot.  In short, I have […]

There’s nothing quite like spontaneous trips away from home.  The excitement, the anticipation, the lack of time to actually pack the things you need…  I did quite well really; I remembered drinks, I packed wellies and waterproofs, sun cream and sandwiches.  I even brought the camera. We had an incredible day.  The sort of day […]

Last year we acquired chickens.  After a traumatic first week, during which I staple-gunned myself inside the hen house, the chooks settled in well and became part of the homestead.  The children gave them names; Mrs Greedy, Queenie and Princess Layer, which cemented their roles as family members and made it difficult for us to […]

Thank you to everyone who tuned in to listen to BBC Radio 4’s discussion programme, Between Ourselves, which today focused on what it’s like to be a mother of twins or triplets.  If you’ve made your way here after listening to the show, please have a look around the site.  I hope you enjoy it. […]

I have been teaching my four year old son to read.  He starts school this autumn and for a while has been trying to sound out words from the letters he knows.  So we sit each evening for a short time and make up stories from three letter words. Not wanting to cause confusion with […]