In the last week Phoebe has started two new things; waving, and pointing her finger. She often does them at the same time, looking like a sassy woman admonishing her wayward baby daddy on the Jerry Springer stage (“Aww hell no!”). In truth, I don’t think she really knows what waving means, and probably just […]
I’ve been very fortunate to have known three loving grandparents in my life, with Grandma Jean (age 94) still going fairly strong. Well, her legs bother her, the doctors can’t get her heart medication right and she’s finally stopped fighting against the inevitable stair-lift to help her continue to live in her own house, but […]
A puppy’s smushed up face and cartoon eyes might make your ovaries explode, but an older dog can truly make a house a home. As we found out. November is Senior Dogs Month, but that’s every month at our house, where 10-year-old cocker spaniel Lizzie reigns supreme. And rightly so. She joined our family almost […]
I don’t use the C word often, but there are some real clowns on Dubai roads at the moment. Maybe I’m noticing it more because my baby is often on board, and with seriously precious cargo I feel a bit more vulnerable, it’s possible that the quality of driving is getting worse, or perhaps after […]
Phoebe wasn’t interested in solid food until she was about six and a half months old. Before that we lovingly steamed and pureed various veg only for her to clamp her little month shut as the spoon approached. Then, during lunch one weekend, she wrestled a piece of baguette out of my hand (a carb […]
As the anniversary of our ‘big’ wedding is tomorrow, I wanted to share this article from Bride Club ME, which appeared online a few weeks after. We were legally married the previous Christmas Eve, and I got pregnant (a very happy accident) in between, so was seven months gone as I walked/waddled down the aisle […]
I’m a few kilos off pre-pregnancy weight and WAY off where I want to be, but is that going to stop me having photos taken in swimwear the first time Phoebe goes in the sea? Umm… NO.
When my mum gave birth to me (after nine reportedly awful months of pregnancy then 24 hours of hell) my dad gave her a Phil Collins cassette. I don’t think this went down terribly well. The concept of a push present 30-odd years ago was unheard of, however, so I think he did okay. Fast forward […]
I’ve been doing Flywheel on and off for the last three years (eg I stopped when I was pregnant – any excuse – and when I’m skint it’s a bit of a luxury) and love to hate it. For the uninitiated, it’s basically spinning, but in a pitch black room, with amazing music and a […]
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.
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.
