Avocados & Other Grumbles

I am often surprised by how little people in a position of authority actually know. It’s quite scary when you hear bad advice being given out. Health Visitors, I have found, are particularly fond of distributing bad advice.

Recipe: Vegan Cherry Cake Cupcakes

This will make about 12 muffin-sized cupcakes, or 24 smaller cupcakes. This recipe is based on Delia Smith's cherry cake recipe which can be found here. I've simply veganised it and used it for cupcakes instead. 

An Overprotective Mother & Proud

I’m not ashamed to say that I am an overprotective Mum. In fact, no, you probably think I am an overprotective Mum. I think I’m just a Mum, and that being overprotective is listed under Essential in the job description.

I mean, isn’t that the whole point of being a Mum? To protect your offspring? So in that case, I’m just doing my job. She hasn’t been eaten by wolves yet, so I think I am doing ok by cavewoman standards. 

Baby Snot: Bang on Trend

When I was pregnant, I often tried to imagine life with a baby. Each time the same image would appear in my mind; I could see myself, lying on the sofa, with a baby sleeping peacefully on my chest. I have my hand on the baby’s back, and we are breathing in tune with each other. That was all I could ever imagine. I couldn’t imagine being out with the baby, or changing nappies, or playing with the baby. All I could imagine was a tiny baby asleep in my arms. Of course in this vision, my hair was sleek and shiny, I had make up on, and a calm knowing smile. I was back to my pre-pregnancy self, and life was good. 

A Wolf In The Wardrobe

For the past week or so, Ebony has been waking herself up by crying out. It lasts only a few seconds and then she falls straight back to sleep. It doesn’t happen every night, but when it does it can happen a few times, usually in the first couple of hours after going to bed. She sleeps in a moses basket (which she is very almost too long for now) right next to my bed, so all I have to do is peek over the side of the mattress and I can see whether she is ok.

Is My Marriage Pointless?

An altered relationship is one of the side effects of having a baby. TV Parents are not depicted as being forever entwined together with a physical lust and all-encompassing love. Parents are parents, pure and simple. And anything else is a side accompaniment to the main dish of parenthood. Whatever your interests, job or personality traits prior to being a parent these are no longer top of the bill. The first question everyone will ask is how the baby is, your own well being added as an afterthought, but there is no doubt that it is the baby who reigns in the relationship.

A Letter To Thank My Midwife

Today is International Day of the Midwife and there’s a very important petition I’d like you to sign at the bottom of this post. But first, I wanted to share this letter I sent to the Head of Midwifery at Stockport NHS shortly after the birth of my daughter.

Voting Day: BiNPoo

I’ve just been to vote. In all honestly, I really didn’t want to. The polling station is literally a two minute walk from my house, but even that seemed like too far to go for such a seemingly pointless task.

I’ve spent most of the day debating in my head whether I would make it to the polling station today. Would I forget? That would be good, then I wouldn’t have to get the sling on, get Ebony in it, find my bag, keys etc and go out into the elements. Plus it’s pointless anyway, right?