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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Book vs real life: 20 weeks pregnant

    Halfway there! In some ways this is a ‘hurrah’ week, marking the mid-point of the pregnancy, but I think back to finding out I was pregnant, and it feels like years ago. Which means that the birth is a weird, abstract distance away, and it doesn’t feel real at all.   Happily, however, […]


10 to try: my maternity and mummy essentials

    I first met the lovely Loretta from Blush & Bloom when Phoebe was a few weeks old. I was (really) struggling with breastfeeding and went to Healthbay PolyClinic for a workshop where there were vendors selling everything from lactation cookies to baby carriers, and she was so kind and encouraging. She also had […]


Do other mums feel like a fake too?

  I think I have what’s known as Imposter Syndrome. On a rational level, I know I’m a mum (there’s a child sleeping in her cot to prove it, along with all sorts of plastic crap, a body changed forever and a very sickly bank balance), but sometimes – okay, frequently – I just don’t […]


TRIED AND TESTED: The carpet shopping home trial

      I’m not a fan of a mall trawl at the best of times, but add in a toddler who is determined to walk instead of going in her stroller (thus turning a ten-minute stroll into an hour-long ultra marathon) and frankly, I’d rather stay home. No matter how urgent the shopping trip. […]


Book vs real life: 19 weeks pregnant

    It has been a funny week, full of ups and downs – and nothing to do with pregnancy, though I’m sure the hormones haven’t helped. From winning the Time Out Dubai Kids award for Parent Blog of the Year (hurrah!) to losing our beloved dog Lizzie, emotionally I’m absolutely wiped out. Of course, […]


A mama-to-be must-have

    Did you know that from 18 weeks, an unborn baby can hear sounds? Incredible. Not only is their mother’s voice a source of comfort, but other noises such as music can provide reassurance, which is why Ilado’s maternity jewellery is so special. As you move throughout the day the charm necklaces chime softly, […]


Book vs real life: 18 weeks pregnant

    I want to start off by saying a massive thank you for all the wonderful message and comments of support I received after posting about pre natal depression and anxiety. It was really hard to write, and thankfully even since posting it I’m feeling a lot better. Almost back to ‘normal’. Whatever that […]


Tried and tested: healthy pouches for babies

    As a typical mum, eg stupidly busy, I have long relied on a combination of oh-so easy convenient pouches and home-cooking to get us through weaning, exploring tastes, and now nursery snacks. However, I’ve always felt a bit (okay, a lot) guilty about it, not 100% sure what’s going into them – and […]


Why we need to start talking about prenatal anxiety

    I can write about this now, I can think about this now, because I’m feeling better. Not amazing, but better. A few weeks ago, despite being pregnant with a much-wanted baby, I couldn’t stop crying. We’d just been given the all clear from the NIPT test for chromosome disorders, but I just wasn’t happy, […]


Books vs real life: 17 weeks pregnant

    Time. Is. Flying. I’m sure second pregnancies are half the length of the first time (though ask me again at 39 weeks).   This week we see what Baby Center is saying about my burgeoning bump…   The book says…   Your baby’s skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone. She weighs 5 […]

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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