A (VERY) HONEST TAKE ON
LIVING, WORKING AND PARENTING IN DUBAI
FREE – downloadable family wall planner for 2021

FREE – downloadable family wall planner for 2021

FREE downloadable family wall planner for 2020

FREE downloadable family wall planner for 2020

Your guide to getting a Will

Your guide to getting a Will

Why we need to get real about parenthood

Why we need to get real about parenthood

How should we parent in the digital age?

How should we parent in the digital age?

Nanny or nursery? Finding childcare in Dubai

Nanny or nursery? Finding childcare in Dubai

#InIt… For my family

#InIt… For my family

My little black book: 2018 edition

My little black book: 2018 edition

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Post-natal depression: speak out, reach out

  Adele has been in my head today. No, not her music, but her words. The recent interview in Vanity Fair, where she spoke out about post-natal depression and her experiences following the birth of her son, is so important for so many reasons.   “One day I said to a friend, ‘I f*ckin’ hate […]


  • karen windbag nursery decor cool

How to decorate your nursery like a pro

  For many of us, one of the most exciting parts of pregnancy is getting our homes ready for the new arrival, with Pinterest boards ablaze with inspiration shots, and endless mall trawls to find exactly the right accessory.  If you don’t know where to start, read on, as artist, designer, photographer and founder of Design […]


  • 22 weeks pregnant, plus size pregnancy., the mothership

Book vs real life: 22 weeks pregnant

    Oh the hormones, the unrelenting hormones! This week I have been absolutely foul, raging at the world (I nearly lost it at the waiter in Pantry Café when he said they didn’t have baby changing facilities and I had to change Phoebe on the toilet floor) then full of smiles the next day. My poor […]


WIN! Cleaning vouchers from Helpling

    Sometimes you just come to a point where you need an extra helping hand around the house. Maybe the ironing has been piling up for days, or you’ve run out of clean dishes, and the last thing you want to do is scrub your home from top to bottom. Quite rightly, you’d rather […]


What it’s like to be plus-size and pregnant

    First of all, let’s determine what I mean by plus-size. While Karl Lagerfeld et al might think anyone over a UK size 12 needs to have their jaw wired shut, my definition is size 16 and upwards, and as a size 18, I’m firmly in this camp.   There are a number of […]


A (pregnant) doctor’s guide to the three trimesters

        Ever wondered what a pregnant doctor thinks of pregnancy? And how it has changed their perceptions? Here Dr Yasmin Ohlsson shares her insights, from day one to the third trimester…   I’ve seen scores of pregnant women over the years with everything from horrendous heartburn to super-sized swelling. Not to mention […]


Book vs real life: 21 weeks pregnant

    What a week… I’ve been feeling like a neglectful mother due to a few big work projects and a photoshoot (I have really missed Phoebe, only making it home for her bedtime on a couple of occasions and hardly seeing her on Friday), but hey ho – gotta bring home the facon. That’s […]


Team blue or team pink? The gender reveal!

    As much as I’d love to bake a cake and video us cutting it open, revealing blue or pink sponge, or release a box full of coloured balloons a la Giuliana Rancic, or any of the many (MANY) gender reveal ideas I’ve seen on Pinterest, well, I’m a tired pregnant working woman and […]


Introducing the charming, whimsical world of Maluco

      Sometimes a store comes along and you just want to get lost in it – whether it’s bricks and mortar or a little slice of online shopping heaven. I first saw Maluco on Instagram (you can start swooning here) and was instantly enchanted, from the doll houses of my childhood dreams to quirky, […]


WIN! ‘now! Minimo’ nursery furniture from Kaiser

  Want to add some fun to your little one’s nursery? Children have fabulous ideas about what to do with furniture: jumping over the bed like a tiger, climbing up the wardrobe like a mountaineer or building a cuddly toy hut using a chest. There are no limits to their imagination. And now’s your chance […]

ABOUT ME

 

I’m Helen Farmer, an editor and journalist, mum to 4-year-old Phoebe and 2-year-old Tabitha, wife to Nick and a mummy blogger in Dubai (even though I don’t really identify as one, but I blog, and I’m a mum, so there you go). I’ve been living in the Middle East for the last 10 years, working in books, magazines and broadcasting, shedding some light on the good and bad of life, work and motherhood in the UAE.

ABOUT THE BLOG

The Mothership is for you if you’re a busy, active mum who can’t stand small talk, bad info and twee blogs that make out that mothering is all unicorns and rose petals, instead of admitting that you can love your child so much it terrifies you – while still wanting a night in alone watching The Great British Bake Off with a double G&T or a night out pretending you don’t have children.

 

Time Out Dubai Kids Awards 2016 - Winner - Parent Blog of 2016

 

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