Thames Valley Mums Blog

Help a mummy go round the world

So as some of you may know, I decided to take on a barking challenge this year by sailing in the Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. As a mum to two young boys and a person who runs a business, I can't possibly do the whole thing, but I will be setting sail on 13 September for six weeks at sea as I sail to Brazil on the first leg of the race. You can find out all about it at my blog, More to Life than Laundry.

Part of the challenge is that it costs a fortune to do this - but I thought why let a little thing like money come between me and the chance to do something completely out of the ordinary.

Thanks to lovely clients I have a range of really gorgeous things up for sale on my blog including a FAMILY HOLIDAY FROM TOTS TO TRAVEL WORTH £500!! Please go take a look!

Blogher 09 Q&A with Jen Howze, Sian To and ExpatMum

A few BMB members made it over to Chicago last week to attend Blogher 09, the world's largest gathering of female bloggers. Jen Howze from Alpha Mummy, Sian To, who blogs at Yummy Mummy Tips, and Toni Hargis of Expatmum agreed to impart some of their knowledge.

The most interesting takeway from this was the validation that blogging is still a huge phenom. And to think someone said blogging is dead!

You can replay the event below. Thanks to everyone who participated.

This post was written by Susanna, a Thames Valley Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A ModernMother.

I never agreed to this

I seem to have an unspoken agreement with hubby that I watch the kids at all times. I say unspoken because I don't remember agreeing to be on a heightened sense of alert at all hours, in all places.  I tell the girls that I have eyes on the back of my head, so maybe that's where he got the idea.

On Sunday we decided last minute to drive down to Regatta. It was about 11 am, and the crowds were just starting to arrive.

I should have known when hubby stopped at the Telegraph stand and picked up a paper and an umbrella as a free gift.

Another big bump!

Poor J, he took today off as his knee hurts (not sure how, he thinks a combination of driving over the w/e and being 41!).

Being a plumber, er, sorry...Heating Engineer he spends a lot of time on his knees. Just thought I'd qualify that in case you were thinking a sore knee is a flimsy excuse for a day off work.

He's very industrious is my J.

Anyway, this morning I was getting ready for my day as 'corporate chick' working on-site at a big software client's HQ in London. Before I left, I made my beloved a cup of tea as a parting Florence Nightingale gesture.

You got it right Sainsburys -- your new uniforms are incredible value!

Sainsbury's just launched their "Back Tu School" range of school uniforms and I am gobsmacked at the quality and prices. With everyone focused today on the economy, Sainsbury's got it absolutely right.

The girls pinnies are cute and well designed (box pleats AND a zip up front perfect for little ones so they don't have to dread dressing themselves after PE). They are teflon coated, 100% washable and tumble dryable, etc. Guess how much? £4.50!

The skirts are £6 for a two pack -- one plain, with no zip, but the other has an adjustable waistband/buttons and pleats. They are a bit thin, but look like a strong polyester material that won't ball up (I hate those knit skirts that ball up after a few washings).

A Saturday without a husband and two evil children

Saturday morning, I wake up in a grump... in a terrible grump! The kind of grump that makes me swear and curse. You see which grump I am talking about, don’t you?! Ok, maybe it is PMS grump I am talking about, I give you this.

Anyway, I make my way downstairs and find the 3 boys spread across the rug. Of course as a rule when I am the last one up I am always greeted with toys everywhere, bread crumbs all across the floor, because when we are with Papa, it is allowed to have toasts in the lounge. Papa is fun, unlike Maman who is boring and won’t let us smear blueberry jam all over the lovely wall paper, SHE LOVES SO MUCH!!

Childcare cheating

 

Having a nanny is like having a wife. I have always felt it somewhat unfair that wives (generally speaking) don't get to have their own wives, and I am immensely enjoying the experience. My house is permanently tidy, the dishwasher and the laundry baskets are always empty, the children well fed and tidily dressed, and a batch of fresh-baked cookies always waiting on the counter to cool. Well, actually that last one's not true, but I'm thinking of adding it to her job description. (If you missed it, here's the bit about the arrival of the nanny).

Are you a coffee shop mummy?

I used to be a Starbucks chick, but I am now a Cafe Nero Mum. The reason for that was convenience to begin with. My local Starbucks is probably the only one in the whole of the UK so baby UNfriendly. It has very limited space on the ground floor and no lift, no wonder it alienates half of their most loyal customers: us, mummies and buggies! So I had to shift to Cafe Nero and its large comfortable sofas, wide space and chocolate panetones, I soon became addicted to this place.

My love for coffee goes way back to when I was a child. In my family like in most French households, coffee is the way to start the day, end lunch and dinner, share when friends come to visit and have any other time in between. In France when people turn up at your house, you switch on the cafetiere, not the kettle. I love nothing more than being greeted by the smell of fresh coffee in the morning.