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Things no one tells you about having kids
Soon as you announce to the world you’re having a baby, people can’t wait to tell you about sleepless nights. The fact you’ll never drink a hot drink again. But there are things no one tells you about having kids. Like the endless amount of times you’ll put the sofa cushions back on the sofa.…
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2026 reading list ideas
In 2024, I set myself a goal to read 24 books to make reading a habit. It’s fair to say, it’s stuck. I’ve read every day for almost two years now. While sometimes it’s felt hard, especially when the book is a 2/10 or challenging, mostly it’s an absolute joy. Here are the books I’ve…
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Audiobooks to listen to in 2026
This year I’ve listened to a fair few audiobooks. Here are my top ten audiobooks I invested in this year. I haven’t put it in order, but Greg James would very likely be at the top. All the Best for the Future (Greg James) — a memoir of growing up and finding joy in the…
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Kids budget birthday party (in a small house!!)
This year, my daughter keeps asking for party. She’s in year one now and last year she went to more parties in six months than I did in six years. Honestly, those kids have a better social life than us parents. Something seems to have happened between the 90s and now. Kids seem to expect…
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Cheap Christmas with kids — is it possible?
Cast your mind back. You’re eight, nine, ten years old. Think about your best moment from that year… Can you even remember what you got as a gift for Christmas? Do you remember the presents or do you remember how you felt? I remember feeling warm and cosy with the glow of a light up…
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What you need to pack for a caravan holiday with kids
Caravan holidays were a thing of my childhood. Some of my core memories have been centred around a caravan park somewhere probably not too far from home. I recently went on a caravan holiday to the Cotswolds. I was with my sister and her son, and my three kids. So two adults and four kids…
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Hacks for swimming with kids – less faff more fun
Taking the kids swimming seems like such a wholesome activity. The joy on their faces as they splash, swim and jump in. But then you enter the seventh circle of hell. Getting changed. Whether you’ve got one kid and multiples, dressing sticky children while you’re also freezing cold yourself and usually naked, with a precariously…
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How many days do you need at Disneyland Paris with young kids?
In 2024, I went to Disneyland Paris with a two and four year old. Since the trip, people have asked me my opinion on different things about visiting Disneyland Paris. The most recent being, “how many days do you need at Disneyland Paris with young kids?” My trip to Disneyland Paris 2024 We went to…
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Wonder
A short story 🙂 It’s not a stick. It’s a sword. It’s not a spider web. It’s a secret gateway to a new world. It’s not a chair. It’s a post office. It’s a library. It’s a house. It’s not a rainy afternoon, it’s the best afternoon. You didn’t need toys or things that flash…
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Audible Vs Spotify for Audiobooks
I’ve been an Audible subscriber for years and have built up quite a decent library of listens. Recently we upgraded Spotify to Spotify Duo. On this plan you get 15 hours of audiobook listening time from their catalogue of books. Currently I am running both Audible and Spotify, but I thought it was about time…
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Books to buy a new parent
With each of my babies, I’ve read during feeds. Doomscrolling quickly gets boring. Seeing people living life when yours feels so incredibly different from before, is tough, too. So this got me thinking, what book that I’ve read would I gift a new parent, or which one would I recommend you read as a new…
Fromthemotherside 