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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My little black book of Dubai

After nearly nine years in Dubai (HOW?) I’ve tried and tested a lot of services from the good and bad to the very ugly – never forget my Alistair Darling eyebrows after a heavy-handed tint – and am often asked for recommendations. To save repetition, I thought it would be useful to share my little […]


10 things to take to hospital when you give birth in Dubai

Here in the UAE we’re pretty lucky when it comes to the maternity ward – mums get to enjoy private rooms, en-suite bathrooms, movies on demand and more. But what essentials can you take to make the birth a little easier? Apart from drugs, of course. 1. For the baby Most hospitals will provide nappies […]


In praise of The Pajero Blowdry AKA how to save time in the morning

On the scale from Slummy to Yummy, I definitely flounder at the more slovenly end of the scale. And that’s ok. I’m not one of those women who gets their hair done every week. I wish I was. But a) I can’t justify the cost (haircuts are weirdly something I really resent spending money on […]


Baby products you don’t need (and a few you might)

In the run up to our daughter being born I turned into a shopaholic, my hormone-laden logic being that if we had enough stuff, everything would be fine. I inexplicably became obsessed with Dr Brown bottles, buying them by the armload, and scoured online forums for lists of ‘must-haves for newborns’ convinced that there must […]


Fear of flying (with a baby)

I used to enjoy travelling. Seven hours direct to Newcastle (thankyouverymuch for that route Emirates) would involve a few films, a few drinks and zero chat – apart from one hideous journey when a man started chatting to me at the gate, only to sit next to me on the plane, and talked endlessly about […]


Five reasons why you should watch Dr Foster

Image courtesy of BBC. As autumn approaches, the TV offerings from the UK get better and better (well, they need to keep the public happy as days get shorter, wetter and colder, right?). While the majority is family-friendly enjoyable fluff – or sequins, if Strictly is your cup of tea – sometimes you need a […]


Hey husband, what’s the hurry?

As a rule, I think it’s fair to say that men are more competitive than women. Let’s say it’s the testosterone – or maybe the ego? Either way, my husband is on something of a mission when it comes to our daughter’s development, whereas I don’t really give a hoot at this young age. At […]


Playing The Baby Card

I get a lot of emails. This isn’t bragging, as most of them are garbage – press releases sent to every magazine under the sun regardless of relevance, messages from mailing lists long forgotten (or desired) and invites. Loads of those. Invitations to the opening of a new clinic in Al Ain, the re-launch of […]


11 breast-feeding must-haves

When I gave birth earlier this year I was keen to breastfeed, but was prepared that it might not happen. I’d had a reduction in 2011 and feared it might have compromised the milk ducts, and there was really nothing I could do about it. As it happened, my supply was a little low, and […]


Has having a baby made me better at my job?

A few months ago, before the summer, which feels like last decade, I received an email. It was from a lovely woman called Claire who I met via twitter, and she was asking me to speak at a ‘power breakfast’ for women in September, on a topic of my choice, for around half an hour. […]

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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