Families

Dolly's blog: Back to The Start

As a teenager in the 1980s, I was addicted to Capital Radio, desperate for enough money to buy a pair of Converse, and had a crush on the boy over the road. I dreamt of working with dolphins and ador... Read More

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Ruth's blog: My Turn to Choose

School starts next week: into Year 2 for our eldest and our youngest starts in Reception. Everyone is very excited. The older one to see all of her friends, go back to the school routine an... Read More

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Julia's blog: New Parents All Over Again

This summer, we have been exposed to the beginnings of what it feels like to be the parents of a teenager, and it’s left both of us feeling exactly that: utterly exposed, totally lost and rathe... Read More

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Caroline M's blog: Thank You for the Days

My mom was an avid reader. She had a stunning command of language, and many of my memories in my twenties revolve around book swaps, and book club like conversation between us. For six weeks I h... Read More

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Barbara's blog: The Accidental Regulator

This year we went on holiday separately as Son and Daughter, who are 15 and 16 years old respectively, have such polar opposite preferences that compromising would have meant ‘half-way happy&rs... Read More

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Linda's blog: Please Can We Stop This Madness?

When the new term starts my daughter will enter her final year at primary school. The years have flown by and I can hardly believe the small, shy and still cute 4-year-old has become the tall, opinio... Read More

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Angel's blog: Family Staycation

I must admit, before my youngest was born (4 years ago) hubby and I were pretty spoiled when it came to holidays. We went everywhere, Cuba, Thailand, you name it. When the eldest was born we took him... Read More

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Laura's blog: Another Milestone

I hit a milestone birthday last week. I’d been worried about this for months. I know age is only a number, and “it’s all about how you feel” (says almost everyone), but there&... Read More

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Livia's Mum's blog: The Double C Words

Life was wonderful and I say this without arrogance.  In January 2018, we welcomed our first child, and first grandchild on both sides of the family, to the world.  So, it was not particula... Read More

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• Wellbeing

Anushka's blog: My Holiday Alone – The Best Thing for My Fa...

The inspiration for my solo holiday was admittedly revenge for my husband’s 12 days away on a desert marathon and 1.5 years of training for said event. What both my family and I gained fro... Read More

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Jon's blog: 3 Months On

In my last blog I shared about my recent and unexpected diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer, which was treatable but not medically curable.  I’d been on gruelling chemotherapy for around thr... Read More

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Uchenna's blog: All Eyes on Me

I have to hand it to Generation Alpha - their confidence and sassy natures that interrupt adult conversation midway and point out emphatically: "You're not clapping for me!" This w... Read More

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Dolly's blog: When the Chips are Down: A Survival Guide

It’s a year since life as I knew it pretty much fell apart. At first I thought a week would fix it, then perhaps a month, maybe three months tops. Each continuation seemed quite liter... Read More

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Jo's blog: On Being A Returner

I’ve been on a career break. I am not sure if there is ever a right time to do it or a time not to do it, but as it turned out for us, circumstances conspired to make the decision a little easi... Read More

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Ruth's blog: 15 Fridays

I have got 15 Fridays left with my son before he starts school in September.  That doesn’t feel very many.  It doesn’t feel enough. Since returning to work when he was arou... Read More

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Ruban's blog: Time out: London

It’s been 5 weeks since I have been sat at a desk and logged onto my work laptop. I am impressed I can even remember the password and avoid the ignominy of explaining why I forgot it without bl... Read More

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Caroline M's blog: Upping Sticks

There is a song my Father-in-Law likes to sing and the opening lines are as follows; “This is my homeland, the place I was born in, no matter where I go it’s in my soul…… ... Read More

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Barbara's blog: Be More Dog

A few weeks ago, a friend bought me a book to help me navigate the challenge that having a three-legged dog has brought to our family. And rather than just provide practical advice to support the dog... Read More

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Julia's blog: The Days Are Long, But The Years Are Short

Our middle child, a daughter aged 10, went away this week on the longest school residential trip any of our children have undertaken (Covid got in the way of our eldest’s anticipated Year 5 and... Read More

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Linda's blog: Small Pleasures

Over recent weeks our 9 year old daughter’s excitement has grown as she prepared for her first sleepover at a friend's house.  There was much talk about what they were going to do... Read More

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Angel's blog: Take Your Lunchbreak

I had a health scare recently, and when I say scare, lets imagine absolutely petrified.  It started with a squeezing pain in the right of my chest, it would last for one second and go away. Ever... Read More

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Laura's blog: The Big Return to the Office - The Hardest Tr...

“But Mummy, I don’t want you to go into London, I want you to stay here with me!” My eldest is aged 4. I have been on maternity leave, and then working from home full-time, sin... Read More

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Jasmina's blog: My 4 Year Old Daughter Has A Pension – Here’...

There has been recent discussion in the press about the increasing pension gap between men and women at traditional retirement age and at the younger end of the career ladder. Some of these articles ... Read More

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Anushka's blog: Daring to Dream, Equality and Balance

So, I’m writing this after my husband has just completed the Marathon des Sables, dubbed the toughest foot race on Earth - 250km over 6 days, self-sufficient (carrying own food and gear) throug... Read More

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Jon's blog: Not Quite What I Had In Mind

In my last blog, I mentioned that I was wrapping up at my current law firm for pastures new.  However, and before I could start the new job I ended up in hospital and – long story short &n... Read More

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Uchenna's blog: Manifesting Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Commander-in-chief Senior won the prize for best dressed in her year group as the magnificent Mary Poppins for World Book Day. Yes, I admit it: I projected my desire unto her to solve one of the grea... Read More

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Dolly's blog: Epic Fails

I’m wondering if the biggest challenge of working parenting is feeling like everyone one else is better at it than you are. We could all do with cheering up right now, so I have assembled some ... Read More

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Linda’s blog: For This I Am Grateful

For the last couple of weeks I have been lingering as I’ve leant over my sleeping children and given them a kiss goodnight before I go to bed myself.  I press my cheek against theirs ... Read More

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Ruth's blog: Whose Turn For The Office Today?

Since last autumn, my husband and I have been travelling to the office on a semi-regular basis after almost 2 years of working from home.  In order to make this fit our current childcare situati... Read More

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Ruban's blog: Sticky Labels

Hands up who has bought a shiny new thing, only for the whole unwrapping experience to be tainted by the unnecessarily sticky label that reaffirms to you that you got a great deal, but simultaneously... Read More

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