Mama's Choices

This summer, we spent a glorious couple of weeks in Devon and Cornwall, exploring the moorlands and valleys of Dartmoor National Park and...

It was my birthday this month and Ruby and Lyla were due to be home for their university spring break. However, Ruby had to leave early...

It's taken me a very long time to write about Ivy's 11th birthday party in November 2019; the end of her birthday always signals the...

I was scrolling through my phone today when I found this video of Lyla and Mia singing I'm Yours by Jason Mraz for their Daddy's birthday...

In my last blog post, which can be read here, I wrote about the amazing painting of Goddess Haumea which my eldest daughter, Ruby,...

One of my areas of deep interest is positive psychology, a branch of psychology dedicated to the scientific study of what makes life most...

I want to say a little bit about my absolute favourite spot in Qatar: Purple Island. It's about a 50 minute drive from where we live in...

It was my birthday on Sunday; my second birthday spent in a covid lockdown. However, it was absolutely perfect from beginning to end and...

Here in Qatar, we’re still doing part-time homeschooling due to COVID regulations. Although it means I’ve had to put a lot of my work on...

We love making Halloween movies! Our recent creation, Da House of Peng, is the result of a combined family effort over half term last...

I was absolutely delighted to find this reading of my children's book, Perfectly Different, on YouTube! I love Madam Deleena's...

I was just going through some videos and realised I never posted this one on my blog! My husband made it on his phone after our epic...

Last year, we enjoyed a dreamy summer in the UK and Spain. We landed in Heathrow and spent a few nights in Chiswick, our favourite...

I do love organising a good birthday party! Our lovely Mia Cinnamon turned 14 on November 4th, and at first we struggled to come up with...

Our beloved MJ died on October 15th and I was absolutely heartbroken :( In 2009, when we were living in Fiji, we rescued a pregnant dog...

Question: What do all the dresses I'm wearing in the pictures above have in common? Answer: They all came from Charity shops in the UK...

I really enjoyed studying this course in Plant-Based Nutrition. It's offered by Cornell University, in conjunction with the T. Colin...

I'm delighted to say that my children's book, Perfectly Different, has been published by Penguin Random House and is now available in all...

I was really touched by a stranger’s random act of kindness on Monday. My thirteen-year-old daughter, Mia, went to Mooyah restaurant...

When I reminisce about our summer in London, it’s not the vibrancy, the architecture, the events, the museums, the art galleries, the...

At the end of 1998, I left London to spend Christmas with my Mum in Fiji, with the intention of returning a month later. I never did...

It’s been on my mind to write this for a while because I’ve been reflecting on it a lot recently. When you have children, and especially...

It’s Mother’s Day today in the UK. Here in Qatar, it’s quite unlike the UK, where TV ads and shop window displays offer constant...

I love this time of year. Getting into the Back to School routine after the long summer break is always a bit of shock to the system. Our...

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I might share our family Halloween movies, for your viewing pleasure! In this Halloween movie,...

If there are three things that I really love doing, it’s spending time with my family, being outdoors in nature and organising my...

I love playing with words and marvelling at how a simple, carefully considered composition can evoke so much feeling. There's a real...

I do love a bit of DIY. There's something so fulfilling about creating your own unique, original furniture. So, when I needed some more...

In case you didn't know, tomorrow is Winnie the Pooh Day! I was approached by the Gulf Times to do an interview about our family's...

Last month, my 11 year old daughter, Mia, joined my 14 year old daughter, Ruby, and became a black belt in taekwondo. It was a momentous...

I love Christmas, I really do. I know I should have written this post before the much anticipated big day came and went, but I was so...

For me, a weekend when we don’t visit the beach is a weekend wasted. Here in Qatar, the summers can be prohibitively hot and the winters...

It was a beautiful moment. Performance artists Marina Abramovic and Frank Uwe Laysiepen, better known as Ulay, sat either side of a...

I love travelling. I relish every moment spent soaking up new countries and cultures, taking in all the exciting sights, sounds and...

It’s often presumed that people fall into one of two categories: You’re either a cat person or a dog person. I’m both. In fact, I’m an...

I’ve had dogs in my life for as long as I can remember. They’ve always been there, firmly cementing themselves as part of the family and...

One day, when I was a little girl in primary school, my classmates and I were reading individual story books when home time came and we...

I’ve always loved sun burst mirrors. They date back to France’s King Louis XIV, who was known as the 'Sun King' due to his love of its...

I think creating a space that reflects your style and truly makes you happy to be at home, in a place where you belong, surrounded by...

When I was five months pregnant with my first child, Ruby, I was pottering around the house one day in Fiji when I stopped to appreciate...

When I visited my mother in Fiji at the end of 1998, it was only meant to be a holiday, but when I went out one evening to see a blues...

I love painting. It’s the perfect way to channel my creativity, lift my mood and raise my spiritual vibration. Playing a few of my...

One characteristic that defines us as a family is our love of being outdoors, immersed in nature. There’s nothing quite so invigorating...

After turning 4 in July, my twin boys, Oscar and Arlo, started school in September. I always knew this landmark moment was around the...