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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The biggest regret about my pregnancy

  I fell pregnant by accident just over two years ago. ‘Fell’ pregnant felt so apt – I spiralled, head spinning, and ended up going to counselling to help me deal with this unexpected, life-changing news. Luckily I was in a loving relationship, married (just), and kids were on the cards, but after our big wedding, […]


Recommended summer reading (in 140 characters)

    Long gone are the weeks of lounging by the pool, reading for hours. These days if I want to get through a book it’s a case of grabbing 20 mins while our daughter naps, or reading myself to sleep, the Kindle falling from my hands or onto my face.   This summer I’ve […]


Don’t believe the horror stories: you can have a ‘good’ birth

If you believe TV and films, birth happens like this: Waters break in embarrassing scenario eg on the floor of a restaurant Labour hurts, so you do some exaggerated breathing while partner oafs about Rush to hospital, hilarity ensues as you get lost/nearly have baby in a taxi Enter comedy doctor A few pushes and […]


  • travel essential
  • DAY DRESS DHS85
  • fedora Dhs45
  • Fringed cross body Dhs85
  • MAXI DRESS Dhs85
  • Striped dress Dhs65
  • top Dhs65
  • trousers Dhs65
  • v-neck Dhs39
  • Wide legged pants Dhs95

10 travel essentials under Dhs100

  When it comes to travel, I’m of the mindset that there are some things you invest in (luggage, sunglasses, sun cream) and others that you just… don’t. Whether it’s a hat that you just wear for a week, or a maxi that you buy last minute for a spontaneous getaway, F&F‘s new summer collection […]


  • camelbak dubai

11 signs you’re mum to a Dubai toddler

  If you’re mum to a toddler here in Dubai you’ll need this handy guide…   Long gone are the days of asking out-of-town guests to arrive laden down with wine (six bottles of Whispering Angel, please mum), now it’s all about Ella’s Kitchen pouches with meat, snacks from Organix and outfits from John Lewis. Extra […]


Five podcasts to get you into podcasts

  Feel a bit left out of all the online chatter about podcasts, but don’t know where to start? Dubai is the perfect city to listen to them (eg lots of time in the car…) and with literally thousands out there to try, with a bit of exploring you’ll find exactly what you need to […]


Five of the best Ramadan dresses

As the Holy Month draws to a close, there’s still time to enjoy Ramadan parties with family and friends. F&F‘s collection is full of gorgeous dresses to make sure you celebrate in style. And they’re all under Dhs200! Here are my favourites… Tropical dress, Dhs189 Scallop hem lace dress, Dhs189 Floral dress, Dhs189   Scallop […]


Sorted: 10 ways to organise your children’s artwork

Mel Carruthers, busy mum and founder of Dubai-based website More Organised, shares her expert advice for storing, saving and, gifting your little Pollack’s pieces   The end of term beckons, and all around Dubai, art folders are being brought proudly home. But add these to the paintings, crafts and drawings created at home, and you […]


  • only child

Please stop asking when I’m having another baby

  It started when Phoebe was around six months old, and if we were in ancient times when popping a baby out once a year made sense for practical purposes, I’d get it, but times have moved on… I know it’s the easy conversation piece ‘Thinking about another?’ ‘When are you having number two?’ ‘Getting broody […]


  • romper lifestyle

Summer looks for little ones (and everything is under Dhs50)

    Why is it that whenever I go shopping I always end up buying three times as much for my toddler than I do myself? I have a few theories… a) I know what size she is. b) Children’s clothes are adorable. F&F‘s new summer range for little ones is full of super sweet […]

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

 

TOP POSTS

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FREE – downloadable family wall planner for 2021

  It's the start of a brand new year. What does it hold? Nobody knows. Probably some Zoom meetings and home
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2020 WALLPLANNER MOTHERSHIP

FREE downloadable family wall planner for 2020

  I mock my husband A LOT for his planning. He’s the king of Excel, with our holidays, family meet-ups and
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Your guide to getting a Will

    So you have kids, and maybe some property or savings, and you feel like a grown-up. Is that enough? A
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Why we need to get real about parenthood

  I’ve just spent the last hour patting my daughter’s back so she’ll fall asleep. Her eyes will close, and I
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How should we parent in the digital age?

  A survey by Norton has revealed that children in the UAE are among the youngest in the world to receive
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Nanny or nursery? Finding childcare in Dubai

      With many Dubai households having two people that contribute financially, finding a childcare solution that works for the family is
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#InIt… For my family

  “The obligation for working mothers is a very precise one: the feeling that one ought to work as if one
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My little black book: 2018 edition

    I first wrote down my recommendations for everything from handymen to hairdressers more than two years ago. Times changes, people
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