Chalk and Cheese

April 5, 2013 By in Guest Posts Tags: , , , , 16 Comments

I’m taking some time offline over the next week or so, but to keep things busy on here I’ve invited some of my favourite blogging friends to write guest posts for me. Today’s is from Anya, who blogs as Older Single Mum and also as The Healer. You can say hello to her on Twitter here.

Older Single Mum

This is Aiden, a few weeks short of his fourth Birthday.  He’s a consummate comedian and puts the manic into maniac.

It struck me recently that he’s the same age his brother was when he came along and I can’t believe how different they are. Continue reading →

Dear DorkySon…

April 3, 2013 By in Family Tags: , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Painting The Rainbow Old Jack's Boat

Dear DorkySon.

Now you are four!

Didn’t we have a grand old birthday weekend? A night in a lovely hotel on Friday, and a walk round central London on Saturday. We saw the duck boat on its way to the Thames but decided it was too cold to get on one ourselves. You gave a big cheery wave and a hello to every policeman that we saw, but didn’t like watching the guards changing over outside St James’ Palace because you thought their guns and big heavy boots were too scary.

Then home, for your proper birthday; far too many presents from all your generous family and friends – including this wonderful painting of Old Jack’s Boat by DorkyGranny – and so, so much food.

It amazes me, that tummy of yours. It seems you can always fit a little more in… especially if it’s roast potatoes or chocolate cake on offer. But then seeing you constantly running around – climbing under one thing and jumping over the next – it’s no surprise that you need a lot of energy to fuel the engine. Continue reading →

Review: The Cavendish Hotel

April 2, 2013 By in Reviews Tags: , , , , 11 Comments

The Cavendish Hotel Jermyn Street London

Occasionally a review opportunity comes up that is impossible to turn down, and a night in the 4* Cavendish Hotel in London was one of those. The Cavendish has been established as a hotel for well over a hundred years, and it is already known and loved as a high-end place, perfect for a couple or a business trip. However, our task was to test out how friendly it was for a family to stay in.

So on Good Friday, DorkyDad, DorkySon and I headed into the big city.

Continue reading →

Take Action: Nestle and Danone

April 1, 2013 By in Activism Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments

Save the Children

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the launch of Save the Children’s campaign on breastfeeding, and their report Superfood for Babies, which details some of the barriers to breastfeeding in the developed world.

The focus of the campaign has now shifted to concentrate on one of those barriers in more details; the marketing tactics of multinational breastmilk substitute companies.

Despite 30 years of guidelines, there are continued reports of some breast milk substitute companies marketing their products in an unethical manner.

You can read Save the Children’s full briefing on Nestlé and Danone here, along with this article in the Guardian from Zoe Williams which details the situation in Indonesia, but I also wanted to pick out a couple of things from the report that really shocked me and highlight them in a post. Continue reading →