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.

How to plan the perfect family holiday

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How to plan the perfect family holiday

If the idea of planning a family trip fills you with dread, never fear! Sun, sea and sand don’t have to mean snapping, shouting and sulking. There are plenty of ways to keep things simple while making sure everybody gets what they want. Here are a few tips for planning an enjoyable break…

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Include everyone

Planning a family holiday can get really complicated really fast, and it can be tempting to make all of the decisions yourself to avoid any conflict. However, it’s a good idea to include your kids in the planning process if you want to avoid sulks or squabbles later – leaving you free to enjoy an afternoon or two to yourself!

Have each member of the family choose one thing they’d like to do during the holiday and make it clear that everyone else will join in. You may have a few clashes, but this way everybody gets to do what they like.

Pick the right spot

If just the two of you were going away together to celebrate your personal success story, you’d pick somewhere wonderfully romantic – but for the family holiday you need to pick somewhere everyone can enjoy themselves.

A luxurious hotel that isn’t big on kids’ facilities will never work for a family break. Neither will a remote camping holiday if you have a gadget-loving partner! Try to pick somewhere that incorporates everybody’s interests – a seaside resort with a nearby town, or a city with the countryside within easy reach.

Even though it’s a family break, there’s no reason why you can’t pick something you and your partner will enjoy together. Why not return to the place where you first met? Or perhaps you found each other through online dating after finding a shared passion for Spain. Pick somewhere that means something to you both.

Of course, there will need to be plenty to do for the whole family. You might not be up for constant activity, but your kids will! An active holiday will keep them interested and give them lots of great memories. Look into what’s on offer in each place before you book.

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Keep it simple

While kids love to try new activities, they will be less thrilled about being moved around a lot on their break. Pick one destination and stick to it for the whole holiday if you can. Your kids may get worn out and irritable with lots of changing venues – they’ll like a place they can explore and get to know.

Practicalities

First things first: don’t share a room with your kids! Rain might keep you cooped up indoors or your son might decide to wake you up at five in the morning because he’s bored. If you share your room with more people than your partner and a baby or toddler, it’ll never be a proper break.

Most hotels offer rooms with interconnecting doors, which is the ideal way to keep an eye on your kids while getting some privacy for yourself. The key to enjoying a family break is not to over-organise once you’re there – make sure you have some relaxation time for yourself!

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Holidays are coming……

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Did you realise that half term will be upon us in just over a week? Yes, it starts here next Friday and me and Maxi are hopefully going to be going on a trip together, but this means that Mini and MadDad are looking for last minute deals so they can make the most of their time together too.
We also have plans to take a couple of holidays over this coming year, as our holidays have been few and far between over the last couple of years.

We are going to be going on a short break over the Easter period and we have promised that Maxi can go and see a football Match at his beloved Reading. Which reminds me I need to arrange staying with Northern Mum and her brood for a couple of days so that we can arrange this.

The in November we are going on our main family holiday with my brother and his family to Florida – Eek!

Before we had children we often would go away for the weekend on the spur of the moment and that is where companies like Latedeals come in. They make it so easy to make a decision on where you want to go and when.

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Eureka Children’s Museum: A Fun and Educational Experience for Kids

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This weekend we went to visit Eureka. It’s the National Children’s Museum in Halifax, West Yorkshire. We were given the tickets by Money Supermarket Vouchers in conjunction with the Tots100 before Christmas and had intended to visit over the festive period, but flu and colds put paid to that and then the snow cam and today was the first day we could venture further than our village school!

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Patient.co.uk

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I know that I am not the healthiest that I could be.  This is a mixture of ongoing medical issues, but also down to lack of exercise on my part too.  However, I hate being bombarded with new year new you fitness and diet plans, so was really skeptical when introduced to Patient.co.uk. I completed a short questionnaire about my health, including some

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Most Expensive Celebrity Homes

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Most Expensive Celebrity Homes

Celebrities have some of the most amazing (and most expensive) homes in the world. With stunning water features, landscape gardens and unique features from the best designers, celebrity homes are often considered showpieces rather than traditional homes.

While we all desire a celebrity style home packed with luxuries, our budgets rarely stretch that far – yet it is possible to achieve celebrity styling on a much tighter budget.

Inspiration everywhere

Whether you want the kitchen of a famous film star or the bedroom of a singing sensation, celebrity style is achievable in every home. Before you can create your own luxury home you must first find your celebrity inspiration – and there are plenty of viable options.

Ryan Seacrest: Beverly Hills

The pending sales price of $37 million is more than sufficient reason to include Seacrest’s Beverly Hills home on this list, with plenty of style inspiration found once inside the door. Floor to ceiling windows ensure there is plenty of natural light, creating an airy feel which large windows and clever use of mirrors could achieve in your home.

Katy Perry: Hollywood Boulevard

Purchased for a cool $6.5 million, Katy Perry’s Hollywood mansion is full of style inspiration. The interior design takes on a regal and traditional vibe which can be recreated in your own homes, providing you have adequate space to do so.

Justin Bieber: Los Angeles

With a list price of $6 million, Justin Bieber proves youngsters are just as interested in property as adults. Hoping to get his hands on this fantastic LA property, strong attractions include a good use of natural features, such as ceiling beams, which prove how enhancing the original characteristics of your home can give it a more luxurious feel.

Leonardo Di Caprio: Los Angeles

With a purchase price of around $4 million, Di Caprio’s LA home is a great example of superior style. Whilst you may not be able to include the tennis courts affixed to this property in your own home, you may be able to compromise with your own home gym.

Jennifer Aniston: Bel Air

With her Bel Air estate costing in the region of $20 million, it is hardly surprising that Jennifer Aniston made it onto our list. Lighting is used to fantastic effect on this property with internal and external spotlights showing just how big an impact such a small design feature can have when used correctly.

High quality at low prices

It is often possible to find similar items to those in celebrity homes at a fraction of the cost; replicating the environment enjoyed by the rich and famous without breaking the bank.

When it comes to stylish bespoke kitchens and bedrooms, Betta Living has a wide range of options and talented designers to help make your perfect room a reality. Bringing a breadth of experience and stylish flair to every project, their designers will have some great ideas to bring a touch of celeb style to your home – whatever your budget.

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Blogging etiquette – Is there such a thing?

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Head in a book (I did ask if it was OK to use this here) posted on twitter that it felt a bit naff, so I asked her why, as I often leave a comment on a blog letting people know how much I enjoyed a lost or that they had a fab blog.

It got me thinking, is there such a thing as blogging etiquette?

For me the first rule of blogging is there are no rules to blogging. It is not often that I put on my blogging police uniform (I have been known to in the past), but I try not to let my favorite pastime have rules and regulations. So I tried to think back to all those years ago when I started blogging and realised that I wasn’t on twitter or had a network of people to ask if things were naff or not. There wasn’t such a defined community back then, it was pretty much in it’s infancy.

I commented on any blog that I enjoyed and I kept commenting. I still often do, even if it is just a loved that post or I have nothing to add, but love your blog. But…… there is so much less commenting going on than when I started blogging. People seem to engage in different ways.

So my top tip for anyone blogging today, would be not to worry about what others think. The brilliance of internet land is that no one is going to find you and laugh you in to a corner for doing the wrong thing because there is no wrong thing.

Other tips would be:

Always link to any post that has inspired you to write one – I often read something in the beginning and it spurred me on to a blog post.
Comment, comment and comment some more
Make it easy for people to contact you – have an email address on your blog
You tweet – have your twitter address in an easy to see location
Comment some more, find the persons twitter id, blog facebook page or even instagram account and comment on those. Having a blog for me is all about engagement.
Find your community – I adore reading the Fresh Five for new to me blogs to read on the Tots 100.
What would be your top tip or do you think there is such a thing as blogging etiquette in 2013.

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Things to do with children in York whilst shopping

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I love York. I want to live there. I take every and any opportunity to visit York and this find us choosing York as a shopping venue over lots of more local towns. The boys love York too, however, shoppping not so much! So we have developed ways to break up the day without spending all day shopping or all day playing! However if you want a city break in York, why not take a look at hotels in York . It is a great place to spend a long weekend. Our favorite places for a short visit whilst in York are:

The Jorvic Viking Centre

You get an annual pass for The Jorvic Viking Centre for just £27 for a family of four and the centre is really central so perfect to spend an hour inside. The boys adore it. It isn’t large, but it is packed full of viking life, including a ride and the smell!

We find something new every time we visit and it is a firm family favorite to break up the day.

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