Personal essays from a full and complicated life. Foster caring, a neurospicy household, community, and the things you notice when you stop performing and start writing.
From surviving pyjama-clad cinema chaos to using a laptop as a tactical shield against “what’s for tea?”—the Christmas OOO manifesto is live. I’m trading the kitchen-office for the winter pasture to focus on family, navigate the mince pie minefield, and watch my husband “discover” how a household actually runs. See you on January 6th!
When the Coos Come Home: My Christmas Out of Office Manifesto Read More »
Christmas with kids isn’t a lifestyle magazine editorial—it’s chaos with tinsel, and that’s completely okay. As a self-employed foster mum with a house full of teenage band geeks, I’ve learnt that the trick to surviving (and actually enjoying) the festive period is simple: lower your standards, raise your boundaries, and remember that rest isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. From my hard 12pm Friday deadline to my sacred Boxing Day kitchen boycott, here’s how to reclaim your sanity this Christmas without chasing perfection. Because the memories kids remember aren’t about perfect table settings—they’re about you being present, relatively sane, and occasionally horizontal.
The Holiday Hustle: Your 2025 Guide to Not Losing It Read More »
I’m now on my fourth coffee, utterly drained, and watching the clock tick to a reasonable hour that I can finally call bedtime. I love my kids, and this has taken every ounce of reserve I had. Normal service will be resumed soon.
🚨 A Quick Update: Apologies for the Missing Post Read More »
My body is currently staging a quiet, painful protest, demanding to know who signed it up for an unauthorised half-marathon around Cumbria.
To cap off the saga of exertion, my 19-year-old youngest and oldest foster kid joined the expedition in the city centre. The youngest, God bless him, arrived looking like he’d been caught mid-toilet-training emergency. Nope. It was just an entire bottle of bright orange Iron Brew that had staged a full-scale jailbreak inside his hoodie pocket… The stupidity of not knowing my own limits is palpable. But here’s the kicker, the true punchline: I bloody loved every single second of it.
🏰 The Carlisle Crawl: When Enjoyment Becomes Exercise Read More »
The biggest lessons weren’t about my skills, but about fear, support, and cash flow.
1. Fear of Failure is Natural, but It Can Be Overcome: By focusing on the bigger picture—the undeniable need to provide, and the support system my mother created—I was able to push past my fears.
3. The Importance of Cash Flow: My uncle’s practical warning proved true: the excitement shouldn’t be about invoices going out, but the money coming in. Managing cash flow is absolutely crucial for long-term success and survival.
Beyond the Boardroom: Three Key Lessons Learned from My Leap to Self-Employment Read More »
This is the first in a three-part series about taking the leap into self-employment and what it taught me about resilience, support systems, and leading through uncertainty. In this piece, I share the deeply personal story of how I made the toughest decision of my life.
The Toughest Decision I Ever Had to Make: Taking the Leap into Self-Employment Read More »
Ever tried to be too helpful and ended up looking like a complete prat? I certainly have. I detail my recent spectacular blunder involving a client, a wall of text, and my own clumsy attempts at accommodation. It’s a key lesson in professionalism: sometimes the best thing you can do is just wind ya neck in. Read the full, cringe-worthy story and share your own ‘helpful fail’!
🤦When Good Intentions Go Massively Tits-Up Read More »
There’s nothing quite like those first few moments of the day. It’s a fiery, beautiful reminder that every day begins with a moment of breathtaking, unparalleled peace. It’s the perfect way to anchor the day before the hustle begins.
The Fiery Gift: Watching Nature’s Drama Unfold Before the Hustle Read More »
This week’s domestic saga: a broken robot, two smug dogs, four teenage lads and one very dead ladybird.
Order was briefly restored. My sanity, less so.
Technology: 0, Ladybird: 1 Read More »
When the road of life suddenly splits, the wisest thing you can do is stop. We often treat detours as failure, but this October’s full moon reminded me: they are simply required stops to breathe, check your bearings, and choose your next direction with courage.
The Cartography of Courage Read More »
