Life begins at 40, so they say. I reached that age last week. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I wasn’t looking forward to it. It’s one of those milestones that, for whatever reason, we build up in our heads. Some silly people even commit to pre-40 bucket lists they’ll never complete. Wallies. But, now …
Like many parents, I experience self-doubt all the time. I’m forever wondering whether I’m doing enough for my kids and if I’m giving them the same kind of happy childhood that I enjoyed. I often feel that I’m average at best and somehow letting my children down. Times are tough and modern life is becoming …
One of the things I’m still getting used to in my now not-so-new job is the walk from the station to the office I work in. Not because of the increased exercise, you understand, but due to the eternally thorny issue of self-important people with appalling pavement etiquette. I can’t stand bad manners or people …
I’ve come to the conclusion that kids are weird. It has taken me nine years and three children to reach this verdict, but I definitely believe it to be the case. Of course, I’ve long suspected young humans of being a bit odd and have witnessed plenty of compelling evidence since becoming a dad – …
I had an eye-opening experience recently. Quite literally. Being a dad of three, I’ve seen many things not for the faint of heart. I’ve also had my fair share of corneal abrasions thanks to my kids. So I may have been forgiven for thinking I’d seen it all – much like Lord of the Rings’ …
It’s funny how certain things can completely confound your expectations at times. Take last weekend, for example. It was my turn to take youngest to her new weekly swimming lesson early on Saturday morning. While I was, of course, looking forward to spending time with her it’s fair to say that the time and venue …
According to a recent survey, 31 is the average age of financial maturity for most Brits. In my experience, that sounds about right. But with a caveat that I’ll come to later. By the time I reached that age, we were in our second home – albeit our first true family home – had one …
Now I’m working full-time, there are lots of things I’m missing about working from home. Having more time with my family is obviously up there, as are parts of my old routine like the school run. But there are a few things I’m not missing at all. Particularly some of the kids’ TV characters youngest …
Disclosure: this is a paid collaboration with Gautier Semences. My kids love Piccolo tomatoes. We grow them in our back garden and they can’t get enough of them. So it was a good thing when the people at Thanet Earth sent us a large box of them! As the name suggests, the Piccolo tomatoes are …
There may be two months to go but I’ve decided to admit defeat in my 40 before 40 challenge. I set out with high hopes but have somehow only managed to achieve one item on my list. Yes, just one. The reasons for this monumental failure can be broadly summarised by a distinct lack of time …