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.

Banishing family recipes to the bin

1 Comment / Featured and Guest / By

Banishing family recipes to the bin

How many times have you been eating something delicious and asked for the recipe, only to be told it’s a family secret passed down through generations? Well, it’s not exactly a regular occurrence but it must have happened a few times.

Every single time I can’t help but wonder why it has to be a secret. Can this delicious food not be shared between friends as well? I understand that these treasured recipes might evoke memories of a late family member or a particular special occasion but let us in on the secret too.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any family recipes that were created by my great-great-great-grandmother. I’m lucky if I can remember what my own mother used to cook for me. It’s a shame, but my family just isn’t that talented in the kitchen.

I’m not going to pretend that I am a spectacular cook but I can whip up some simple dishes if I have a recipe to follow. It doesn’t make it any easier when people refuse to share their recipes. Of course, I could turn to a cookbook but I find that most of these dishes end up bland or just not very nice.

So, to show my circle of friends that I can also pull something together that resembles a tasty meal and I don’t need an ancient recipe to help, I threw a dinner party. Now, I’ll let you in on my little secret… Schwartz recipe inspiration kits.

These kits are amazing. They include pre-measured pots of herbs, spices and seasoning and also come with a free recipe card. I decided to throw together a beef stew for my friends and it was so easy to make.

All you needed, aside from the beef stew mix, was a few ingredients that I already had at home, including the meat and vegetables. To make this delicious meal and surprise your friends and family all you have to do is brown the beef,fry off the vegetables, add the herbs and seasoning before transferring to the oven for a couple of hours.

Even the dumplings were simple enough to make; you just put them on the top of the stew and return to the oven.

As me and my friends were tucking into a hearty home-cooked meal, you’ll never guess what…they asked me for the recipe! Who needs old-fashioned hand-me-down recipes from hundreds of years ago when you can whip up delicious meals with no effort at all?

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I am going to moan about schools and term time holidays

13 Comments / school, travelling with kids / By

This holiday has been booked since just after my Mum died and we have been looking forward to the trip for a long time. My Brother and family are self employed and that is why we are travelling at this particular time of the year and I am aware that it could have an impact on my seven and eight year olds school work, but…………

For the last two weeks they have not really done any significant learning at school, in fact for this week they have watched more DVD’s at school that they have at home in about a year. I am not going to justify me taking them out of school by saying they will learn as much with me as at school, however, I will say that it should be my choice as a parent to make this decision.

We are sensible enough to make our own decision and I am disappointed that this is being taken away from me. There has been a lot of noise made about the Lunch box issues this week, but no one has shouted about the fact that the law has changed and that from September Headteacher will not be able to grant time off for holidays.

Currently headteachers are allowed to grant leave of absence for the purpose of a family holiday during term time in “special circumstances” of up to ten school days leave per year. Headteachers can also grant extended leave for more than ten school days in exceptional circumstances. However, Amendments to the 2006 regulations remove references to family holiday and extended leave as well as the statutory threshold of ten school days come into force in September.
Not only are the government taking this out of our hands, but also out of the hands of the school. Yet another example of the government invading my home and my choices.

I wonder if this applies to private schools too? or maybe that would be a bit like a bear pooing in its own backyard.

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Top tips for organising your living room

Featured and Guest / By

If there’s one thing that people tend to complain about when it comes to their home, it’s storage. No matter how much stuff we throw out or donate to charity it just seems to continue accumulating.

The worst room is usually the main living room as this is where the whole family gather and leave their stuff behind but that can make it really difficult to kick back and relax.

Whether your home is littered with shoes, DVDs, books, magazines, newspapers, school work, remote controls, photo frames or even fireplace accessories here are some top tips to help you get organised.

Newspaper and magazine rack

If there are more magazines in your living room than in the local doctor’s surgery, it’s about time you had a clear out. You don’t have to bin all of your favourites but throw away anything more than a month old. Store the ones you’re keeping in a tidy magazine rack next to the sofa instead of letting them clutter the coffee table.

Invest in adjustable shelving

How annoying it is that shelves tend to be the same height? Our stuff is all different sizes with books tall and pocket-sized, folders can be A4 or A5, photo frames are landscape or portrait and so on. If you’ve got adjustable shelves, you’ll find that you can finally fit all your belongings without difficulty.

Tidy up that hearth

An old traditional fireplace can add a bit of character to your home but you’ll need all sorts of stuff to maintain it, such as the logs and coal but also the poker and other accessories. If you’ve got inset gas fires in the house, you might still have bits and bobs lying around the hearth. Use some wicker baskets or boxes to keep your belongings tidy and use your fireplace as a feature of your living room rather than seeing it as a nuisance.

Make the most of your walls

If you’ve got a smaller floorspace to work with, you’ll need to really utilise your walls. Rather than spreading your furniture around the living, work your way up towards the ceiling to create a feeling of openness.

Think carefully about your furniture

It’s easy for the living room to become full of furniture, so the fewer pieces you have, the more space that is available. Obviously, you will need most of it, such as sofas, bookcases and television units but some will be solely for displaying other items that are also cluttering the room. Think twice about your furniture choices, literally. If a TV stand or ottoman can also be used for storage then that’s all the better!

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Super Sticky Post-It Notes

1 Comment / crafts / By

If you are in London and fancy getting a look at the taxi, then the itinerary is below:

8.15AM-Harrods (SW1X 7XL)
8.15-8.25AM- Harrods (SW1X 7XL) to Marble Arch (W1H 7DL)
8.25-8.40AM Marble Arch (W1H 7DL) to Oxford Circus
8.40-8.50AM Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus
8.50-9.00AM Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square
9.00-9.20AM Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace
9.20-9.30AM Buckingham Palace to Houses of Parliament
9.30-9.40AM Houses of Parliament to Big Ben
9.40-9.45AM Big Ben to Embankment
9.45-9.55AM Embankment to Covent Garden

12.00-2.00PM- Canary Wharf including stopping off at Unit 1330, Cabot Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 4QT.

3.00-3.05PM- London Bridge to Tower to Tower of London
3.05-3.15PM- Tower of London to The Gherkin
3.15-3.25PM- The Gherkin to Cannon Street
3.25-3.40PM- Cannon Street to Tate Modern
3.40-4.00PM- Tate Modern to St.Paul’s Cathedral.
4.00-4.30PM St.Paul’s Cathedral to Cromwell Road
4.30-4.45PM Cromwell Road to W12 7SL

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Win a deluxe picnic hamper for four worth £115

339 Comments / competition / By

Chocolaterie Diane White Chocolates Pralines 150g
Edinburgh Preserves Wholegrain Mustard 100g
New English Teas English Afternoon Tea x 10 Envelopes
Triple Chocolate Gourmet Cookies 100g
Cherry & Coconut Flapjack 120g
Honey Baked Flapjack 120g
Hand Made Sundried Tomato & Sesame Biscuits 100g
Lewis & Cooper Savoury Mustard & Coriander Biscuits Tin 200g
The Wooden Spoon Plum, Pear & Apple Jam 113g AWARD WINNER Silver Award from The Guild of Fine Foods
Presented in a fully fitted 4-person wicker hamper with stripey lining
CUTLERY CONTENTS: 4 x Forks, Knives, Spoons, Plates & Cups

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