If you follow me on Instagram (or happen to know me in real life), then you will know that my beloved grandmother died in August at the grand old age of 104. Mere had two hobbies – drinking whiskey and crocheting. Since I don’t like the taste of whiskey, I thought I would commemorate her by learning how to crochet.

So a few weeks ago I went on a beginner’s crochet class run by Grace & Cable. I am not one of those people who can just learn something by watching youtube or reading a book. So I wanted to find a class that was held during the day, while the children are at school. And maybe crochet is beginning to be cool, because I found a few classes to choose from.

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Every year I drag my family visit Mayfield Lavender in Banstead. We first visited in 2013 and it has become a summer family tradition. But I won’t lie – some years I have had to force my family. Last year we had an unexpected power cut so I bribed them with the promise of brunch at a restaurant if we went to see the lavender beforehand.

There have been some visits where the children constantly complained about the bees. Or they were too hot, or too cold, or too hungry. And then there were the times where Husband grumbled about the embarrassment of taking so many photos (okay, this has actually happened EVERY time).

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I can’t believe that this is my 10th Father’s Day without my papa. Growing up, he was my hero and my best friend. We would watch telly together (our favourite was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) or go to the cinema. We traveled around the world and he took me to my first West End musical. He was the official chauffeur of the household, and spent half of my high school years driving me and my friends around.

While I try to make Father’s Day special for my husband, there is a part of me that cannot shake the sadness. I wish I could see my dad, or call him to wish him a happy day. His love and support helped shape me into the person I am today. More than anyone, he was my guiding force.

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Moozles is at a funny tween stage. She considers herself too old for dolls, but I think she’s too young for a lot of things. She’s barely 11, and I want her to keep hold of her childhood for as long as possible. So when we were offered the chance to review the new styling head from I’M A STYLIST, I jumped at the chance. And we were thrilled when ‘Lucy’ arrived.

First of all, these are not the usual styling heads your child may already have. Moozles actually had one when she was five, and it was abandoned after a week. The hair was gross and it was so small that she struggled to use it. The I’M A STYLIST head is bigger (almost has big as my childrens’ own heads). It comes with face gems which are super easy to apply and remove, even my seven-year old son, Dubz, managed it. There are suction cups at the bottom of the head which keeps it secure and doesn’t slide around when the children are fixing her hair. Dubz was over-excitedly brushing Lucy’s hair, and it’s a miracle that she didn’t end up bald.

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Mother’s Day is one of those strange days. When you’re about to have a baby, you imagine idyllic pampering sessions and breakfast in bed like you see in movies and on television. And that may even happen on your first Mother’s Day. But often you will find yourself busy with a sick child or battling siblings. And sometimes you may have a partner who doesn’t organise anything. So, for those of you new to motherhood, I wanted to offer some guidance on what not to expect on Mother’s Day.

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Bears have the right idea. Winter just makes you want to hibernate. Sadly, there’s no hibernation for humans. We have to keep going, even when we want to snuggle on the sofa with Netflix and cake. But I’ve decided not to let the cold weather get the best of me this year. So I’m making sure I go on weekly walks this winter.

You know that I didn’t grow up with this kind of weather. In fact, I didn’t even see snow until I was 20. And while London doesn’t get really cold weather, like some places, it gets colder than what I like. But for my mental and physical health, I need to walk. And out I go. Whether it is walking to and from school, or going for walks in Richmond Park, I’m trying to walk everyday.

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