This parenting gig is tough. I mean, super tough. But do you know what makes it even tougher? Feeling like everyone else is doing it better than you. But don’t worry! Here are 5 ways to stop comparing yourself to what other mothers are doing – and start loving what you’re doing. I’m sure you know the feeling, mama. Everyone else’s kids seem to sleep better, eat better, behave better. Your sister’s two year old can fold napkins into paper swans, and the boy in your daughter’s class is almost in the Olympic team. Then there’s your kid, who didn’t eat anything off the floor today – clearly a major…
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Why It’s Possible To Have Too Much Help
“Do you ever feel smothered, like you get too much help?” This was a question one of the dads asked me at a recent talk I did. It was a really interesting question, and quite insightful. We’d been discussing how important it is to ask for help, how there is no shame in admitting that you need support; which is something I always tell others, but manage to often forget myself. But… Can you get too much help?? And to answer the question (again), yes and no. (Super helpful, right?) Ok, I probably need to clarify a bit there. Yes, it is possible to have too much help, but no, I…
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How To Meet Other People & Make Awesome New Friends
Hey, you sweet thing! Parenthood can be lonely, especially if your pre-children friends are still, well… pre-children. Whilst some of us are lucky that our social groups quite happily accommodate for our wild offspring, many parents are left spending more time with the parents on Peppa Pig than other real-life adults. This isn’t just the stay-at-homers either; even when working, your social interactions may be limited, so even though you’re surrounded by people you might still be lonely. I don’t think I need to tell you how sucky being lonely is. And how, the longer you’ve gone without meeting people, the more difficult and freaking terrifying the thought of trying…
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5 Questions to Ask Yourself to Figure Out Who You Are
It can be easy as a parent to lose a bit of yourself in parenthood. For a while your whole life, out of necessity, revolves around the beautiful tiny people who inhabit your home; which doesn’t leave much room for, well, anything else really. For many parents who have more than one child, this can mean years of holding this parent role first and foremost, so it’s not surprising that the person you were pre-children becomes a distant memory – almost like you’re thinking of a completely different person. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though! Parenthood is wonderfully fulfilling and enriching, and so it’s completely normal for it to…
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How To Find Your Inner Strength
I was lying awake in bed the other night with a phrase stuck in my head: “It’s no coincidence the words ‘struggle’ and ‘strength’ have the same beginning but completely different endings” – so I thought we should explore that further. It’s easy to look at “strong” people and think “wow, I wish I had it easy like them” or “I wish I had their confidence” or “they’re so brave, I could never be like that”. But actually, strong people have struggles, they have insecurities, they have anxiety. We only see other people’s outer selves. I remember once when I wasn’t in a good headspace someone said to me “I…
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Why I Blog
Hello from the other side! I’m sorry it’s been a while lovelies. I’m not actually why I stopped writing proper posts – I just sort of got caught up in life. I struggled a bit mentally towards the end of last year, so thought I’d take a break over the festive season to spend time with my family and just regroup but then never really picked the ball back up. Writing is like any art or exercise – it’s easier to do if it’s a habit, if it’s done regularly. You need to be in the right head space, and I started getting blank page syndrome – then started doubting…
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Why Doing Chores Is Actually Self Care
I’ve always hated chores. I’ll do them eventually (and verrry begrudgingly), but honestly, they have always been something that just makes me go… Ugh. With the exception of folding washing (because I can do that while watching Say Yes to the Dress!), chores are the bane of my life. Especially bloody dishes. I hate doing the dishes – which is really bad, considering I have a dish washer. But even though I have a strong dislike for housework and chores, I’ve realised recently how much more I dislike having a cluttered, messy house. I know everyone has different levels of liveable mess – and mine is quite relaxed – but…
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Remembering Hazel
This story is kindly and lovingly shared by Hazel’s wonderful mum, Laura Rowney. 6 years ago today I said hello and good bye to my precious daughter Hazel. I went into labour at 37 weeks thinking I would be bringing our baby home and that we would be starting a new chapter of our lives. I will never forget the moment we were told our baby had no heartbeat, I will never forget holding her lifeless body in my arms and having every ounce of my body aching for her to just open her eyes or to cry out to us. Every year I spend this day reflecting and remembering…
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25 ways to ask someone if they’re OK
As most of you will know, I struggle with PND and anxiety. Since roughly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men experience PND to some degree, I’m far from alone. While we often know something isn’t quite right, it’s very common to do what I did for a long time and try to ignore or deny the issue; and it’s also very normal when we’re in the middle of it to not realise it at all. The early signs can be quite broad: being overly tired or lethargic, losing appetite, insomnia, not finding joy in things you normally do, being overly emotional, being numb to emotion, crying lots,…
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How to survive when sleep is a vague and distant memory
You know those days where you’re so tired your eyelids feel like they’ve been lined with lead paint? The days where you’ve been up all night with your little darling and so functioning like a grown and valuable member of society seems to become a bit of a pipe dream? The days where you pour the milk straight into the sink instead of your coffee cup and try to open doors without turning the handles first? Those days? We all have them, even those mamas with amazing babies who sleep all night (I know you’re out there!!). Those days can be real struggles, and getting through the day can seem…
