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

Sign up to our newsletter for more updates
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


A family photoshoot with Natalie Robinson

When I had our first daughter we had a newborn photoshoot out of a sense of, well, duty, and while I was thrilled with the results (read about what was involved and see the photos here) it was quite a stressful experience e.g. getting a week-old baby into the car, driving to a studio and […]


  • 39 weeks pregnant mummy blogger mothership dubai

Book vs real life: 39 weeks pregnant

  Yes. Still pregnant. It’s a funny feeling, knowing that the baby could arrive at any moment, and indeed that if things were different, she could have been with us for weeks, thriving on the outside.   As it happens, she’s thriving on the inside eg getting bigger and bigger, which is a good thing, […]


  • 38 weeks pregnant dubai mothership asos

Book vs real life: 38 weeks pregnant

  I look back on the weeks when I felt huge and want to laugh – at 38 weeks now I am truly enormous. Then I was barely showing. I was a NYMPH.   Walking/waddling for more than 10 minutes hurts.   There are lots of involuntary noises when sitting, standing, rolling, breathing etc.   […]


  • personal shopping mamas papas dubai mothership

The mum-to-be must-do: personal shopping at Mamas & Papas

    I know, I know. 38 weeks pregnant is NOT the ideal time for a mall trawl, but as you might have gathered from previous posts, I’m in a small (major) bit of denial about the imminent arrival of my second child, which means I’m totally unprepared.   And she is due next week. […]


  • 37 weeks pregnant mummy blogger dubai mothership

Book vs real life: 37 weeks pregnant

    Now, I don’t want to jinx things, but I’m feeling pretty good… 37 weeks pregnant is officially the ‘fully cooked’ stage and if this one comes early, then her lungs should be mature enough to function without help.   At my last scan the doctor said her head was down, but she wasn’t […]


  • ocarro mamas papas stroller review mothership

Tried and tested: the new Ocarro stroller from Mama & Papas

    I consider myself something of a pushchair aficionado. Much like after the summer I spent selling sunglasses when I couldn’t help but check out what shades everyone was wearing (I can still identify a pair of polarised Oakleys at 20 paces), since becoming a mum, I can’t resist eyeing up what wheels fellow […]


  • 36 weeks pregnant mothership dubai

Book vs real life: 36 weeks pregnant

    I’m not quite at the ‘get this baby out of me NOW’ stage, but at 36 weeks pregnant I’m not far off. Soon I’ll be 37 weeks, and the baby will be fully cooked, which will put my mind at ease somewhat, even though that means I actually have to give birth and […]


  • Soul Photograhy@Phoebe's B'day-35

How to have a stress-free kid’s birthday party

  I hate to break it to you, but there’s no such thing a stress-free kid’s birthday party – but please keep reading, because there ARE things you do, and people you can contact, who can make it considerably less painful. Even if you’re on a budget.   At the weekend we celebrated Phoebe’s second […]


Book vs real life: 35 weeks pregnant

    This is going to be a quick update, because I really need a nap. And have a two-year-old’s party to organise. What was I thinking…?   Highlights of this week included:   Discovering the best hot chocolate in Dubai (photo here), which is covered in burnt marshmallows and salted caramel sauce. Can you […]


  • malaak dubai mothership pregnancy hypnobirthing

How I’m overcoming my fear of childbirth

    I wouldn’t say I’m a sceptic – I have a few too many Pollyanna moments for that – but I’m definitely prone to the odd eye-roll, side eye and eyebrow raise. There are just some things that just aren’t for me. Simple as that. I’m sure you’re the same.   Over two years […]

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

wallplanner image

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
Read More
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
Read More
expat wills dubai

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
Read More
waterwipes mothershipdxb real parenting

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
Read More
screen time norton dubai mothership

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
Read More
childcare dubai

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
Read More
linkedin mothership

#InIt… For my family

  “The obligation for working mothers is a very precise one: the feeling that one ought to work as if one
Read More
little black book mothership dubai

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
Read More

© Copyright 2016 - The Mothership - All Rights Reserved.