boys Archives - The Only Girl in the House

Jess December, 2018

What Makes Our Christmas Magical {Sponsored}

We’ve tried no presents, presents and parred-back presents; we’ve gone away, stayed at home and invaded relatives houses en-masse. One thing I’ve learnt from our festive trials as a blended family – trying to ensure everyone feels like they belong and feels ‘at home’ – is that what we give, where we are or which parents’ house the kids are at on the actual day, has minimal impact on how festive we feel.

The magic, the sparkle and inner-belly warmth don’t come from the latest Xbox game or ‘must-have’ gizmo, they come from the Christmas traditions we’ve inherited and the ones we create as a family.

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Jess July, 2018

Class of 2018 – Year 6 Leavers – A Parents Guide to the Emotional Turmoil of Leaving Primary School

The tears started rolling last October when Hugo’s year group sung with 7k other school children at the O2; I defy any parent with tweens not to shed a tear when they break into Ed Sheeran’s ‘Castle on the Hill’ en masse! Since then, it’s fair to say I’ve been a bit of an emotional wreck – not just due to Hugo’s perseverance to stay in school (read: not get his troublesome arse suspended), but the year of proud moments and revelations that come, unexpectedly, with year 6.

I just wish someone had warned me last September that Year 6 would knock my mothering socks off – house captain nominations, singing at the O2, SATs revision, SATs exams, school residential trip, school productions, SATs results and leavers events. Not to mention the currently gentle lapping waves of hormones which will inevitably become a tsunami in the not too distant future!

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Jess July, 2018

482 Days of Hope

Yesterday I cried. I cried on my own, into a pillow; I cried into my mum’s arms; I sobbed into Mr OG’s chest and I wept in the headmaster’s office. I wasn’t crying as England crashed out of the world cup. I wasn’t breaking down ‘cos Cas had pissed all over my side of the bed during his nap and I wasn’t overcome with emotion finding out one of the kid’s passports had expired when they need it to visit their State-side gran in 2 weeks. I was crying, hurting and lost – after 482 days/68 weeks/15 months and 25 days it felt like we were back at square one with Hugo – a two day school suspension.

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Jess April, 2018

Living the Legacy | Our Day at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park & ArcelorMittal Orbit {Sponsored}

“Legacy” was a word we heard a lot following the 2012 London Olympic Games, but 6 years on, yes, that was 6 years ago – in our part of the world, the Games never really reached us, let alone the trailing “legacy”.

Little did I know that just over an hour away from us was the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – the 560-acre urban-park created as a part of the Games’ legacy. Brimming with iconic, familiar and nostalgic landmarks such as the London Stadium, the Copper Box Arena and the London Aquatics Centre – all sights we became familiar with during 2012 – but what’s happened to these architectural masterpieces, the winding pathways made to accommodate thousands of spectators and the state-of-art facilities, since the Olympics packed their bags? We were invited to spend the day exploring the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to find out.

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Jess April, 2018

Don’t Forget The Kids | Fatface Kids Range Now from 2-3 Years {Sponsored}

I originally started blogging as a way of, as cheesy as it sounds, connecting with other mums. I’d been so lonely in 2006/2007 as a mum of two under two – with no one saying, “you’re not alone” or “me too”. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine working with brands that I love, not just once, but building a relationship over years with not just the “brand” but the people behind it. It’s been amazing to work with Fatface since 2016 – sharing their finest grey knits, summer must-haves and ‘mumdrobe’ essentials with you, as I truly love them, and it turns out, you do too!!

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