Headline Spews and our story has been featured in a special interview on a parenting website! One of the great things about becoming a dad blogger has been connecting with others doing the same – and one of them is Jamesy Mulhern, based in Ireland, who featured us in his ‘Fantastic Fathers’ section. Read the…
Month: August 2018
Nothing says ‘you’re old’ like a family trip to B&Q
The hair is receding, we’re buying a house and attending grown-up stuff like weddings – but nothing signals full-blown adulthood like a family outing to B&Q. We’re back in my hometown of Swindon for a few days, a trip which in previous years generally consisted of midday lie-ins, cinema date and a cheeky Nando’s without…
Covering GCSE results day made me wonder what madness Albie would face in 16 years’ time…
GCSE and A-level results days are a hugely stressful time for students, teachers and lecturers alike – but they’re no fun for journalists, either. This year was my first set of results days in an editor role, providing a peek at the logistical nightmare which comes with the territory. How do we cover a dozen…
Ten things which change when you become a parent
We’ve heard of a few people recently who have just celebrated new arrivals, or are soon to enter the world of parenting. It got me thinking – what’s changed since we became parents? What pearls of wisdom can I impart? Here’s my take on what you can expect when you’re expecting…and ‘birth day’ arrives: Space…
Albie’s on the move – and everything is 100 times harder!
When your baby starts crawling, you might think of buying a stairgate, locking your bleach away and installing eyes in the back of your head. If you’re like me, you won’t have thought about the fact that every fiddly job gets 100 times trickier. When your baby begins to move, it’s not just confined to…
Behind the scenes on newspaper deadline day – as the baby threatens the dreaded pox
I was just a day into riding solo without my boss at work on Monday when Hanna announced Albie had suspected chicken pox. “He’s running a fever over 38 degrees Celsius’, she helpfully exclaimed, asking what was wrong with him, as if running the office practically single-handed wasn’t challenging enough and I had also mastered…
How changing jobs has improved family life – and going it alone at work
It’s a Tuesday at 9pm and the local Liberal Democrat councillor has arisen from his seat for the 13th time of the night, to groans from the Tory benches. All but one or two members of the public have dragged themselves away from Corrie to watch democracy in action – and until recently one of…
Reflux returns with a vengeance
It’s been weeks – but it’s back. No, not the new fantasy football season, though office banter has reached epidemic proportions. Reflux. Albie has been doing so well recently. Lots of food is slowly turning his body type into ‘football’ shape, while less reliance on liquids had limited the number of times we arrived…
Beating the ‘dadxiety’ with a solo day trip at a beautiful wedding
Caring for babies is by its nature a two-human job. When you’re dripping in freshly-produced spew, with the muslin just out of reach, it helps to have someone else on hand to chuck it to you. When your baby’s produced a stinky package and has just found his bits and pieces – naturally covered in…
My first holiday as a dad – and what I missed leaving the family behind
I always thought co-sleeping was the most effective way of minimising your bed space but it turns out I was wrong. Three nights’ camping in Wales shared similarities with home life. Instead of a baby, I was sandwiched between increasingly damp fabric, a postman and his 20-odd-year-old son. Instead of a bed, we each had…
