Jen Walshaw | Mum In The Madhouse

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Author name: Jen Walshaw

Mum-in-charge Jen Walshaw runs the UK’s top parenting blog Mum in the Madhouse, and she describes herself as a “fat, feisty and over 50” Northerner. Based in North Yorkshire, she’s mum to young adults and a big believer that family life is messy, creative and fun. In 2009 a double mastectomy gave her the nudge to start blogging; with two boys under three she needed an outlet and a digital scrapbook to capture their chaos.Jen’s posts are a mix of crafts, kid‑friendly recipes and honest parenting, peppered with northern humour. She’s happiest when up to her elbows in tea, fabric and pizza dough – sewing and making homemade gifts – before sneaking off to write about it. As a proud Northerner she warns PRs that a “quick pop down to London” isn’t quick at all. Her blog has earned her a stack of accolades, including the Cision #1 Mummy Blogger title in 2024  and consistently topping Vuelio and Tots100 parenting‑blog charts. Whether she’s advocating for diversity and body neutrality or sharing tales of parenting teens, Jen keeps things chatty, real and refreshingly down‑to‑earth.

20 Fun and Adorable Spring Crafts for Kids

Can you feel Spring in the air yet?  I think I can, and I have started thinking about Spring crafts for kids and spring crafts for preschoolers. We have a fabulous selection of crafts that kids will love here.  I love Spring, the garden is filled with vibrant colour after a long, cold winter, and

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DIY Applique Monstera Leaf Cushions with Cricut Maker – Easy Tutorial

Bring a touch of the tropics into your home with these DIY appliqué monstera leaf cushions. Using your Cricut Maker (or Cricut Maker 3) to cut out fabric leaves makes this sewing project quick and accurate, even for beginners. The finished cushion covers are stylish, modern, and make a great gift for birthdays, Christmas, or

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DIY Painted Terracotta Plant Pots – with Herb Puns

DIY Painted Terracotta Plant Pots – with Herb Puns is a paid collaboration with Bostik. If you are anything like me then you will have some of those supermarket herbs on your windowsill and these DIY painted plant pots are a great way to keep them, rather than in their sad black plastic pots with

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Easy Vanilla Cupcakes with Simple Icing Recipe – Perfect for Any Occasion

Easy Vanilla cupcakes and icing is a paid collaborative post with limited edition HARIBO Starmix “Hunt the Double Yolker” #HuntTheDoubleYolker. What I love about this recipe for easy vanilla cupcakes and icing is that you use one 250g block of butter to make both the cakes and the icing, so no need to open a

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