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.

The difference a week makes – #Syria #TippingPoint

So whilst my children are celebrating this wonderful country we live in, take two minutes out of your day to sign Save the Children’s petition to Stop the Killing, which call for world leaders to put in place an immediate and legally binding “Resolution to Protect Children” that carries the full force of international law on those attacking children and other civilians.

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Last minute Jubilee crafting thanks to Kodak’s free Jubilee printables

Thankfully Kodak came to the rescue with their fantastic free jubilee printables. So I have been printing like a demon on my new Office Hero 6.1 printer that they gave me. I have made the boys fantastically simple crowns for their jubilee day tomorrow, printed out cake toppers for mini bunting for my Jubilee layer cake and more impressive that that I have actually use their bunting and flag printables to make the boys t-shirts for tomorrows red, white and blue day using Dylons image maker, which transfers pictures on to fabric!

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sponsored video – Avivia want to see what you have done to make your home extraordinary ….

Aviva are currently running a competition to win £5000. They want to know what you have done to make your home extraordinary. Now I could never live up to the two old chaps in the video below (please do watch it as it melted my heart a little and will hopefully make you smile too

sponsored video – Avivia want to see what you have done to make your home extraordinary …. Read More »