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.

Advent Calendar Activities with Free Printable: Fun Ideas for the Holiday Season

Celebrate the build-up to Christmas with these fabulous advent calendar activities for Kids and Printable Activity Advent Calendar. This really is the cutest way to pass the days during advent and to reinforce family values at this special time of year and is full of Christmas activities and Christmas crafts.

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Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar Printable: Spread Joy This Holiday Seasone

This Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar is a brilliant way to spread some cheer in the build-up to Christmas whilst also remembering what Christmas is all about. Download the free printable and fold into envelopes and embrace the spirit of Christmas.

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Fingerprint Christmas Tree Ornament: Easy DIY with Air Drying Clay

What is not to like about this fingerprint Christmas tree ornament made from air drying clay? Anyone that knows me will tell you I am a big lover of creating Christmas ornaments from air drying clay and that I am also a fan of using both kids and adult fingerprints to create keepsake decorations such as these

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Gifts for People Working from Home: Practical and Thoughtful Ideas They’ll Love

Gifts people working from Home will really love has been updated for 2023. I have been working from home now for 16 years and my husband has also worked from home during lockdown and now I have my eldest Hybrid working so he works from home a couple of days each week. So we put

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How to give your child a global perspective with a summer school

In our vastly interconnected world, it’s more important than ever for our children to develop a rich global perspective. Summer schools are fantastic ways to increase your child’s creativity, empathy and ability to understand diverse issues around the world, as well as giving them an advantage in an international workforce.

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