Secret of the successful working mum? Send kids to boarding school…!

MY daughter is going through a major slime phase at the moment, so when we were invited to the Poopsie Slime Surprise VIP event, she could hardly contain her excitement!

Arriving at the brightly decorated London venue, she made a beeline for the slime-making table and proceeded to lose herself in the different varieties of slime being created. Meanwhile, I occupied myself by taking a picture on a giant toilet, lol.                                             

The day was was a chance for fans to try out new additions to the range including Cutie Tooties Surprise and Sparkly Critters – which rather pleasantly spit or ‘poop’ slime.

The mix of toilet humour with sparkles is a winning combination for the brand – my daughter’s favourite is the Cutie Tooties Surprise which is a giant glittery poo complete with different types of slime, for example, water, crunchy, bouncy, marshmallow….! In addition, you also get a mini collectable character inside.

Meanwhile, my toddler is yet to show any interest in the wonderful world of slime and instead spent the day captivated by the balloons!

How long before he joins the tribe of kids fascinated by unboxing toys? The countdown begins….

One of the nicest ladies in showbiz, it’s always a pleasure to catch up with singer, Britain’s Got Talent judge – and most importantly, fellow working mum Alesha Dixon.

Bumping into her at the Little Black Dress cocktail party, in the glamorous surroundings of Piccadilly’s Hotel Café Royal, she broke the news that she’s joined the online retailer and fashion brand’s board of directors.

Fresh from releasing her latest album Do It For Love, Dixon spoke of her desire to see Little Black Dress develop into ‘more of a lifestyle brand’, for the company to forge links with charities such as domestic abuse charity Refuge and plans to create her own collection early next year. And so, yet another string to add to her bow.

Dixon, who’s mum to daughter Azura Sienna (who recently turned two), was all smiles as we discussed our little ones, using the words ‘it’s great, isn’t it?’ to describe parenthood.  Well, I couldn’t have said it better myself! Juggling motherhood and the world of work is never an easy one, but it always helps to do it with a smile!

www.aleshadixon.com     www.littleblackdress.co.uk

 

What’s that I hear you say? Another celebrity trying her hand at designing?

Well, yes – but in a good way. This time around the one doing the designing is Jools, the wife of celeb chef Jamie Oliver and as the mother of four kids, you’d hope she’d have a pretty idea of what makes for a good baby and toddler clothing range…

And thankfully she does, both myself and my two year old daughter instantly fell in love with the samples we were given to test out – a vivid yellow cardigan, some ribbed tights (one pink, one navy blue), a pink and purple striped top and a beautiful vintage style white shirt.

Jools follows in the footsteps of fellow celebrity mum Myleene Klass, who has also put her name to collections at the high street retailer, but if my memory serves me correctly the Little Bird range is slightly more affordable than Klass’ Baby K collection.

The pictured pink/purple top is about £8, the shirt £13. A cardigan from the range is about £15. There wasn’t a piece that I didn’t like, but my note with the tights would be that as my little one has been blessed with long legs, I’d probably go up a size from the age 2-3 I was given to try out.

The quality is that which you would expect from Mothercare, with words and phrases like ‘eclectic mix of traditional prints and vintage novelty’ and ‘a timeless look’ to describe the range for little ones aged up to five years, these elements have helped create a hit with customers, with pieces flying out of stores.

I’m sure Jools will be glad to hear that it’s also a thumbs up from The Media Mummy!

www.littlebirdbyjools.com 

It’s back to reality for me after a few weeks holidaying in the motherland, but despite having spent such a ‘concentrated’ amount of time with my parents, I’m here in London tapping my fingers and waiting in anticipation for the return of my mother.

Obviously in general I love my mum and all that, but I, like so many working parents out there, rely on the help of my own mother when it comes to extra childcare and all round support.

It got me thinking about some parenting advice I was given by none other than TV presenter Jeff Brazier – Jade Goody’s ex and father to their two sons, Bobby, nine, and Freddie, eight.

Chatting to Jeff at last month’s Gala Bingo launch party at London’s Delfina, where Peter Andre’s latest ad for the company was celebrated, I asked how he managed to combine his work schedule with looking about two young boys.

He was quick to respond, ‘My number one tip is not to take your mum for granted. My mum helps me out a lot, so I have a deal with her where I pay half her rent for which she gives me a certain amount of her time each week.

‘It sounds quite formal and regimented, but it’s not! It just means we each know where we stand and she doesn’t feel that I’m taking her for granted. But it doesn’t count if the boys just fancy spending Saturday night with their Nan – that’s separate from the deal! Each week I let her know my schedule and when I’ll need her, so she can also make her own plans’.

Sounds like good advice all round to me…

PS – Hurry home Mummy! x