A Modern Mother

A Modern Mother makes jam (and by some freak miracle it sets!)

Forget about being a yummy mummy, now it's all about being a jammy mummy. Yes, jam making is now officially cool; even Kate Moss is dipping her fingers into the pot.

I love eating jam, but am not so good at making it; it rarely sets properly and ends up a gooey (but tasty!) mess. The WI and Stoves put on Jam Making Master Class last week in London, in advance of the Real Jam Festival in November. Expert Kath Mepham and her hubby were on hand to help us novices perfect our jam making skills. Kath, who has been making jam for 40 years, was full of inside tips on how to make that award-winning pot. You could see my smile from Hawaii at the end of the session when she said my jam had a good set and real potential. Ace!

Ohferchristsake, give Holly Steele a break

My seven-year-old daughter really wanted Holly Steele to win Britain's Got Talent; possibly more than Holly herself. She immediately identified with the girl that is just a few years older. As she watched the entire final, analysing all the acts (the grandfather and granddaughter act was a close second) she kept chanting "I want Holly, I want Holly".

In case you live in a cave and missed Friday's semi-final, Holly broke into tears after she made a mistake and was told she couldn't have another go. I'm sure every mother's heart collectively broke when in the midst of tears, Holly said she wanted her mummy.

Mummy power!

I've always been good at my own PR. As the fourth child of five, I had to be. Otherwise I wouldn't get another piece of carrot cake or a new pair of shoess (instead of my sister's hand-me-downs).

Seems like mummy blogging is on the rise in the UK, you can read all about it in the FT and Times. And my little British mummy blogger network has caught the public eye as well.

I reckon we're a force to be dealt with. What do you think ladies?

Here's to mummy power!

PS -- if you're in PR and want to approach a mummy blogger, PLEASE read this first.

Photo credit: alef

Mother denied all access to children; this is really scary

I read in the Sunday Times yesterday about the ex-wife of a rich city financier that was banned from seeing her young children for three years. She was found to have been turning them against their father. The woman was so distraught that she has continually tried to keep contact with her boys (she was arrested for telling her son she loved him) and even posted a video on the internet about her plight. She is due in court because of that too.

I know that where there is smoke there is fire, and that woman probably needs to attend a few parenting classes to say the least.