Does working from home equal free childcare?

Being a working mum is not easy – I’m sure you’ve heard it all before – and being a working mum in the media is just as hard.

The idea behind this blog is not to complain about working in the world of showbiz/entertainment journalism, while finding time to be the perfect mother to my two year old daughter, but to give myself an outlet to write about all the things I’m currently concerned with – namely celebrities, childcare costs and the joys of potty training. So expect to hear about everything from fashion, beauty and showbiz, to celebrity parents and child-friendly days out and products….

When I heard the latest news today that a pilot scheme is being planned in parts of Sheffield and Chesterfield to encourage more mothers to breastfeed their babies – I held my breath and listened out to hear what would be the latest way for new mums to feel even more pressure to live up to the often used adage ‘breast is best’.

So, wait for it…. – £200 in shopping vouchers if you breastfeed for the recommended six months. Oh great, brilliant. Or rather slightly condescending and/or patronising… thinking that the chance for a bit of retail therapy can form the basis of someone’s decision as to whether or not to breastfeed their child. And sometimes the choice to breastfeed is simply a decision that’s taken out of your hands. So what would happen then? Surely it would  be as if that parent was being penalised.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for breastfeeding, but what horrifies me is the pressure us mums are put under – by both our peers, elders and organisations – to consider it as the only option.

I was lucky – (when I say lucky, I still had initial problems getting my daughter to latch on and throughout breastfeeding, Lansinoh was a regular addition to my shopping list!) but sometimes it upsets me to think about, and witness, the stress and difficulty some mothers (and of course their partners looking on) go through getting their babies to latch on / breastfeed – made only worse by judging comments or the feeling that they’re simply giving up or not trying hard enough.

Only time will tell if this pilot scheme works – happy babies aren’t just the result of simply being breastfed. A happy home goes a long way too.

Above all, surely education and support is the best way forward, instead of what appears to be a case of pure bribery?

Rant over.
Normal service (ie celebrity chat etc) will resume shortly!

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

Believing my eyelashes to be one of my better features, I’ve always been a bit of a sucker for any product claiming to enhance their length or volume. But my desire for longer, fuller lashes has always been within a price range, so value for money would always be at the back of my mind when purchasing the latest volumising mascara.

And not wanting to go down the path of faffing around with false eyelashes, it was with some interest that I took up the opportunity to try out RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum. With celebrity endorsement in the form of presenter/model Lisa Snowdon, it promises ‘up to 50% longer natural lashes with up to 75% more volume’ and already boasts over 1.5m sales worldwide

.     

Easy to use – you just apply to the base of your (make-up free!) eyelashes each night and wait for the magic to work… I’ve been using it for about four weeks now and I can honestly say I’ve noticed a difference – although with a RRP of £39.99 I’d be seriously screwing if nothing was happening!

The other day I even ventured out of the house without a single lick of mascara on. Not a big deal for some, but for me and the lone grey hair in my otherwise perfectly dark set of lashes – it was pretty momentous…!

My verdict? Definitely worth a try, if you have some cash to treat yourself.

RapidLash, RRP £39.99, available from Boots, ww.boots.com  and www.rapidlash.co.uk