Helen

Colourful midlife mum to two teens. Determined not to do as she's told and slide off into invisible old age. Much cooler at 50 than she was at 15. Host of the Teenage Kicks podcast, about mental health for teenagers.

What is Forest School?

As I take leave of my Year 2 teacher, and finish the Key Stage 1 section of my educational journey, we have reflected on the diverse learning curves I have experienced with my class over the last 11 months. From a writing crisis, to the creation of an electrical circuit, my 7 year old brain has been stretched, and Mummy has been impressed. Photo courtesy of The Mummy Whisperer But thinking back to last September, there was only one question on Mummy’s mind as I made the transition into Year 2: What is forest school? With this in mind, we …

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Wot so Funee? Good things about Mums

In last week’s funee I talked about my tomboy friend with all the guns in her den. She will always play Prince to my Princess, Troy to my Gabriella, and Shrek to my Fiona. But when the playdate was at our house this week, she showed her soft spot when she decided to write about Mums: Meanwhile, on the  other side, I was completing my own version of the bad things about Mums. Mummy won’t let me post it here… Now, if you have your own post to link this week, grab the badge code from the bottom of the …

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The food in Brittany – not just your usual crêpe!

Devouring a plate of “Citron Chantilly” (that’s lemon and sweet whipped cream to the likes of you and me) didn’t take me long, and the Bug wolfed down his Apple and Caramel version with equal gusto. But whilst M&D enjoyed their savoury versions (galettes, if you need to know) they marvelled at the 199 possible compositions of this mealtime staple and dessert treat of Brittany on offer at the Crêperie Mariniere in Trévignon. But the food in Brittany is not just about these gorgeous pancake confections. Oh no no no no noooo…… There is more! And here is just a …

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Wot so Funee? No boys allowed

A very good friend of mine invites me and my brother over to play every couple of weeks. There is always a huge argument about whether the boys are allowed in the girls rooms. This friend is a tomboy, and so the best guns reside in her den. Naturally the boys want in. On arrival last week at hers for our usual playdate I approached her room to discover this pinned to the door. I think it’s genius! Don’t you?? Now, if you have your own post to link this week, grab the badge code from the bottom of the …

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What to pack for a camping holiday

Camping was never Mummy’s style. She likes her super-kingsize bed with Hypnos mattress far too much to leave it without due care and consideration. But we have friends who twisted her arm tempted her into giving it a try. We are just back from our 5th trip with them, and Mummy reckons she has finally got her Camping Packing List maximised for comfort. So for anyone wondering whether they can cope with a camping trip, here are our best tips for what to take. Click the link above for a tick list you can use for your own packing. If you want …

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Wot so Funee? in the People Newspaper

Thanks to the beady-eyed Chez Mummy we were recently interviewed by the People Newspaper for a feature in their Take it Easy Magazine. Who knew that children everywhere were impressing their parents with funees worthy of publication in a Sunday mag? Here’s our contribution: Children always know just the right thing to say, don’t you think? Now, if you have your own funny post (any post – it doesn’t need to be themed) to link this week, grab the badge code from the bottom of the page, and click the link below to enter your post – I can’t wait …

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Why we’re definitely booking another Siblu holiday

We came home just as the weather turned bad again! Our ridiculous timing took us out of the country just as the sunshine arrived for its week long holiday in the UK. That in itself would be sufficient to see M&D booking another Siblu holiday, but that isn’t the driving factor. Is it the splash park my brother and I spent long hours in, only being dragged away when our teeth were chattering with cold, and then only for as long as it took to eat yet another French ice-cream? The gorgeous beaches, wide enough to find our own space – no …

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Wot So Funee? A riddle

As you know, I have the best intentions to write intelligent, informative prose. All too often my efforts result in laughs from the adults around me. However, Mummy did a double take at one of my recent school efforts which, although funny, she thought was rather clever. Read on for a riddle by me… Do not scroll down yet! I want you to give this your best effort before you skip to the bottom, where you will find the entire masterpiece, complete with answer. In the meantime, as you wrestle with your grey cells, you can grab my badge from …

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Water Park: how to take awesome photos

It’s really easy. Point. Click. The subject matter does all the rest. Kids and water. Here is a bunch of random shots we took, at the truly awesome water park at Siblu’s Domaine de Kerlann holiday park in northern France.   We spent 5 of our 6 days in Brittany at the water park. On the day we left the park to go sightseeing, all they could talk about was getting back to the Siblu water park. We were given our Siblu holiday free of charge so we could write some reviews, but the fun was generated purely from within. …

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Wot so Funee? More Mums with Nappy Brain!

Last week I may have mentioned how one post-natal Mum embarrassed herself mightily due to the factor I like to call “nappy brain.” Blame it on hormones, tiredness, or the aging process, it seems there are a large amount of Mums with nappy brain. Take a look at these ladies if you don’t believe me! Missing Sleep, on a trip to the swimming pool, discovered she couldn’t get her locker open. She got the staff to break into to get her clothes out, and then panicked because it was empty. After raising the roof about her stolen clothes, it began …

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What I absolutely neeeeeeeeed for Christmas!

All the above items will be available in the Autumn/Winter collection at John Lewis. Let’s just say, I think I have found my party dress! Yes, I know! It is way too early to be thinking about what I need for Christmas 2012, and yet…. I just cannot help myself! I go all pink, just thinking about the lush things I’ve seen, and I’ve already submitted my birthday requirements to Mummy so the Christmas list it is! I mean, who doesn’t get a sparkly tingle at the site of a twinkly light reflected in a shiny bauble? No? Just me …

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Wot So Funee? Mums with nappy brain!

Mummy uses this feature each week to highlight some of the  things the Bug and I say and write that make her laugh. That’s fine; I’m a big girl, I can take a bit of nonsense if it makes her happy. What she neglects to include though, are the random gaffs that come out of the mouths of Mums with nappy brain. This week I am redressing the balance! Never let Mums with nappy brain out unsupervised: About 3 months after I was born, Mummy set off with two other new Mummies for a girls weekend. There were three adults …

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Parent Failure

Pssst! It’s GG and the Bug’s Mummy here. *Warning – this post may contain square-words… The last week of school. It’s a nightmare, isn’t it? For the children it has been a week of excitement, drama (on and off the stage) celebrations, and gifts. For me it has been one parent failure after another. Lets start with the costumes: Old-fashioned bar owner in the Lemonade kid. She had to have curly hair apparently. As I struggled to get my pre-Romantics heated curling tongs (not seen action for 30 years) out of the matted burning mess of hair, I entertained the …

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Trains? Planes? Automobiles? His first Demolition Derby…

He really didn’t want to go. Under pressure he picked a favourite caravan. He cried when it was the first to get smashed up by the other cars on the track. It was raining. He didn’t see the point. But his Daddy loves stock cars. Here’s how he coped with his first Demolition Derby… This post was inspired by the Gallery at Sticky Fingers

Wot So Funee? The Weird Forest (a short story)

by GG I like to read. I like to write. I read fast. I write fast. I am easily bored, so what may begin it’s foray onto paper as genius styling and witty prose, could well tail off into an ugly scrawl as I lose patience and start to crave a skipping rope. At school I have frequently been praised for a good start, then reprimanded for metaphorically wandering off the page and into my neighbour’s pencil case. Wot so funee about that?? C’mon, let me know!!! Now, if you have your own post to link this week, grab the …

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