On Friday my partner left for work as usual, and my stepdaughters and I had breakfast, as usual. My eldest step daughter was stating how she had a Big Write to finish at school; a treatise on how she should be the leader of the Anglo-Saxon tribe and not Ethelred The Ready, her opposition for the position. I suspect it was to encourage persuasive argument, tied up with a bit of history. All good stuff. She’s 10. I’ll always be supportive and advise with schoolwork. So I decided to support, and advise. “Back in the day,” I began, “the question…
Browsing CategoryFamily
What it Means to be Shortlisted for a #BiBs2016 Award
Last June, with a new website and domain name under my belt; a big blogging plan, and a hunger for information and inspiration, I headed off to London to one of the biggest blogging conferences I had heard of – BritMums. I didn’t know many people at all, and with a blog aged only a few months old, I was (and still am, actually) a total novice within the industry of pro blogging (yesterday I had to double check with someone what PW stood for. Its F***ing Password, Anna, you idiot!!) See. I rest my case. But anyway, not knowing…
The fear factor – a guest post about social anxiety by Katy
We have been invited to a wedding do. Just the evening, but it’s a lovely thought from a cousin I don’t see very often. My mum is one of 5 and her mum was one of 6. She spent about 5 years of her childhood in the same city as this batch of cousins and stayed close to some of them. So when I was a child I grew up with them and their offspring in my life. These are the people who will be at the wedding do. They are lovely, loving, warm and funny people and it will…
Feeding by Means of Breast.
I can’t help it, I have to write a post about breastfeeding after the utter outcry exhibited by disgruntled women up and down the land … Not that I am right about everything. But after breastfeeding 4 babies, twice successfully, and twice unsuccessfully, I definitely feel I have earned an opinion on the matter, for what its worth. First of all, Breast is best. Suck it up sisters! … must we pretend this isn’t the case? really? are we all that sensitive? This is classic UK attitude at play. Again. (We don’t want a nanny state, but we need and expect to be nannied…
The words for this week’s spelling test are…
What do the words mendacious, jocular, desultory, insouciant and furtive mean to you? For some it might mean their ex-husbands, but not for us at Chez Us. The words for this week’s spelling test are… Yep. Seriously. I put this to Twitter the other night, in the following way: I received a number of responses, from parents, from those in the teaching profession and from some who’re both, and all seemed rather surprised that these words were in a spelling test for 9 – 10 year olds. Should we be? Should this be so surprising? Do you think this is…
Who the f*** do you think you are?
I don’t know if it’s something one does when one gets to a certain age but I signed up to a website which allows you to search public records to find your family history. For a free, two-week trial period I can search millions of records, including census records, birth, marriage and death certificates, immigration documentation and much much more. I can piece together my family’s history and, through research and investigation, watch my family tree grow before my very eyes. Or something like that. As I was growing up I didn’t pay a great deal of attention to the whos…
Put it away for Mothers Day
Imagine someone who’d go out with their nearest and dearest, loved ones, friends and family, and then get their phone out and spend that precious time checking Facebook? Difficult isn’t it? WHO WOULD BE SO INCONSIDERATE? I mean, what’s so effing important that you’d not be able to keep your effing phone in your effing pocket for the duration of a meal? This week I found out that Beefeater are bringing in a ‘No Phone Zone’ in their restaurants for Mother’s Day, in response to research that states ‘constantly checking phones at the table’ is the number one behaviour that can…
The Best Piece of Advice I’ve Ever Read.
(Okay. Amongst other profound and useful things. For example, the instructions to my new rice cooker proved pretty invaluable when I cooked rice last night.) Something occurred to me recently – I spend an awful lot of time feeling melancholy about things. Usually family related. Always time related. And let me tell you, Time is a robbing bastard and feeling at the mercy of it can get pretty exhausting. Let me delve into this for you. Almost everyday, my happy moments have the power to actually flip-reverse, and make me feel the total opposite. And I wouldn’t mind betting…
What do you think of Valentine’s Day?
It’s time to crank the Barry White up to 11 and talk about LOVE. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we at ZmG HQ have asked some of our friends what Valentine’s Day means to them. It ain’t all crotchless panties, a romantic meal à deux at Taco Bell and anal beads you know? Kate Tunstall tells us; Historically, Valentine’s has always meant a weekend away. I’m not a fan of the clichéd romantic getaway, just because it’s mawkish and that’s not really me. But, it so happens February 14th falls bang between mine and my hubby’s birthdays. So we’ve…
The Secrets of a Long Lasting and Happy Marriage. By Mr Anonymous.
I was recently in conversation with Anna and I happened to mention that my wife and I would be celebrating our silver wedding anniversary soon. We talked on about the subject of marriage and she asked if I would put to paper my thoughts on being married for so long. I agreed, but I must say that it has been a hard process because it is something I have never actually considered. I have always thought that marriage was just that. It was something that you did. You went out together, became engaged, got married, had children and grew…