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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  • ok middle east photoshoot mothership dubai pregnant

Book vs real life: 27 weeks pregnant

    At 27 weeks pregnant I’m nudging closer to the third trimester eg squeaky bum time, where I need to start getting my act together.   While I’m generally a fairly upbeat person, it would be remiss (and dishonest) of me to say that this week has been easy. Some of it has been […]


  • Premier Inn at Ibn Battuta Mall

Win! A hotel stay, spa time (and even babysitting) with Premier Inn

    Hands up who’s tired? Maybe your little one doesn’t sleep through the night, or is going through the dreaded sleep regression, or decides it’s playtime at 4.30am, or has a habit of wanting a cuddle/drink/chat when they should be sleeping happily in their bed? If you wake up sleepy, need a mid-afternoon chocolate […]


  • the tasting class dubai wine mothership

WIN! An at-home wine tasting experience for 10 people with The Tasting Class

  Clueless about cabernet? Baffled by burgundy? But still enjoy a tipple? You’re not alone. And if you’d like to learn more about wine in a (really) relaxed setting, then read on. Dubai-based The Tasting Class has a team of qualified, internationally experienced wine and beer professionals who facilitate fun and easy to understand home […]


Introducing toddler-friendly recipes from I Eat My Peas

    I don’t know about you, but for me one of the most unnerving stages of motherhood was moving from the familiarity of bottles and boob to solid foods. When is the right time? What do you start with? Can babies eat Maltesers?   Luckily for me (truly), during my pregnancy I met Lyndsay. […]


Book vs real life: 26 weeks pregnant

  The baby is currently having a disco in my tummy. Admittedly I have just eaten a packet of white chocolate buttons, but her reaction seems a little OTT. Maybe she’s going to be a dramatic child. Brilliant.   It’s so weird how we start attributing personalities to our babies before they’re even born. For […]


  • 25 weeks pregnant plus size dubai

Book vs real life: 25 weeks pregnant

  I could sleep right now if you asked me to. Pregnancy second time (or third, or fourth, I’d imagine) is tougher in a lot of ways because so much of your energy is already expended looking after a little person who is already here, demanding to be carried around, who can’t understand why you’re not […]


  • ikea hack storage kids dubai

8 ways to organise kids’ rooms – fast!

  What is it about kids’ stuff? I swear, when night falls, the plastic toys multiply, the drawers overflow, the shoes double in quantity and my previous efforts of organisation are in vain.   With another baby on the way I’ve started the nesting early, sorting out the teeny-tiny newborn clothes into piles, buying hangers, […]


Tried and tested: Toddler Senses classes

    I returned to work when Phoebe was three months old, so didn’t have the chance to attend many/any classes with her. In truth, I think that at such a young age a trip to the supermarket is adequate stimulation, but it’s great to dedicate some special time each week to be together without […]


Book vs real life: 24 weeks pregnant

  Welcome to the weekly update/whinge-fest, where I look at what the pregnancy experts are saying, then reflect on what a real woman, 6 months up the duff, is actually going through.   Energy-wise, I’ve hit a wall. I’m shattered most of the time. I’ve also ballooned, gaining 2.5kg in a week. HOW?!!!!   I’m […]


  • 23 weeks pregnant plus-size dubai

Book vs real life: 23 weeks pregnant

    Time is flying. 23 weeks pregnant. Soon it will be 30 weeks and then it’s the awful last few weeks of time draaaaaagging. For now, though, the second trimester is a happy time, most of the time…   I continue to love my pregnancy pillow more than I love my husband. Joking. Am […]

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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