Tag: baby

Our kids are trying to break us with sleep torture

What more blissful experience does life offer than snuggling in bed with your warm and slumberous children? Heaven. Unless you intend to sleep, that is. They are programmed never to let that happen. They will spin. They will kick. And they will fail to give a shit where the head-end is. Our baby’s teething the…… Continue reading Our kids are trying to break us with sleep torture

The twelve essential things you didn’t know but I did about life with a newborn

Babies are so Me Me Me. Our tiny human is only three weeks old and she’s already lording it like an East African dictator over the once-democratic Republic of Home. I accidentally told the health visitor on Thursday that I’d forgotten how much a newborn can ruin your life. I was hoping to say ‘rule…… Continue reading The twelve essential things you didn’t know but I did about life with a newborn

Mummy’s not sharing – the secret bitterness of secondary infertility

My brother and me

I’m lucky. I feel lucky. I’ve got the most beautiful daughter in the whole world (apart from yours, of course, if you’ve got one). She brings me joy every day. I would love her to have a sibling, though. A hundred per cent of my childhood memories involve my brother. We argued, we wrestled (literally…… Continue reading Mummy’s not sharing – the secret bitterness of secondary infertility

Hello. I’m a coin-tethered trolley and I will ruin your day.

Hi. I’m a trolley and I’m here to destroy you. Check your pockets and find me a pound. Yes, yes. I know no-one carries cash anymore. Tell it to someone who cares. Haven’t you got one of those little keyring coins that proper grown-ups have? No? Ha ha ha ha ha! You TOTAL loser. A-A-Aaaaa.…… Continue reading Hello. I’m a coin-tethered trolley and I will ruin your day.

Waiting while a toddler re-does stuff is like watching someone type with one finger

Shoes with buckles: do not intervene

That’s it! Your foot’s nearly in. Well done. Now if you just push down a bit and I grab the top of your welly. No, I know you don’t need any help. You’re a big girl now, aren’t you? But your heel’s a bit stuck. If I just pull it from th…No! What are you…… Continue reading Waiting while a toddler re-does stuff is like watching someone type with one finger

She makes me look like a murderer

I just asked Thesaurus for a word to describe the sound my daughter makes when she’s tantruming hard. Turns out they haven’t invented one. Screech is too mechanical, wail is too doleful and shriek is far too short-lived. This is the most blood-curdling scream I’ve ever heard. Shrill, grating and completely unrelenting. You would think she was having her toenails pulled out one…… Continue reading She makes me look like a murderer

Five messy foods to send you over the edge

Burned-out parents like nothing more than to spend 40 minutes cleaning up after an ill-advised food choice. Here are five foods guaranteed to do the job: 1. Weetabix (…and Bixies and other own-brand products) These crunchy, bone-dry lozenges are so thirsty they soak up a litre of milk per square cm. No danger of them…… Continue reading Five messy foods to send you over the edge

Five annoying noises guaranteed to wake your baby

What is it with the world these days? It does not know when to zip it. Ever since my daughter came along, it’s been blasting out the most grating, jarring, ear-splitting noises in its long and noisy history. It’s determined to sabotage her nap times so I’m exposing it for the selfish lowlife it is.…… Continue reading Five annoying noises guaranteed to wake your baby