LivingwithKids

We live next door to an elderly man who doesn't do anything about his garden. He goes on holiday several times a year, the pub nearly every night (and Saturdays), he uses the internet - this is not someone who is unable to do anything about the garden. He simply doesn't want to. Occasionally he takes the electric trimmer out to the brambles in the front (I'm not kidding, he has a hedge made of brambles) but that's about it.

Now of course you should live and let live, and really it has nothing to do with us how he keeps his garden. I should be grateful he's not noisy, or throwing wild parties, or offensive. Except... that the mass of brambles and ivy and weeds from his garden is beginning to infiltrate ours.

Recently one of his drains flooded into our garden and we told him about that. He fixed the problem pretty quickly. Is it petty to complain about the garden too?

Would love your advice on this!

Every time guests come over I find myself apologising for our bathroom because it's just awful. When we moved into this house the bathroom was on the list of Rooms To Be Done. Unfortunately, what with the credit crunch and everything, the bathroom went to the bottom of the list.

Hate is not a word I use very much, but I really, really hate our bathroom. It's not just that it's totally unmodernised, with a shower that doesn't work properly, no heating (so it's bitterly cold in winter), and cheap and nasty wall tiles everywhere. And lots of mould. (OK, I could probably do something about that).

But the worst thing is that the Sixties suite is beige. Beige. It never, ever looks clean.

It started with a little bit of wallpaper. Our house hadn't been decorated since the Sixties when we moved in and it was your basic No Original Features nightmare - cheap green carpet, Anaglypta wallpaper everywhere. 'I'll just lift this up and see what's underneath,' I said. 'Don't do it,' Man of the House warned. As usual I ignored him. To my surprise the little bit was attached to quite a lot of the rest of it and pretty soon I'd ripped off a whole chunk. The walls underneath appeared remarkably smooth. 'Look the walls are fine,' I said. 'Hmmm,' MotH hmmmed.

A few weeks later and I'd bought one of those brilliant wallpaper steamy things and the wallpaper was coming off nicely in sizeable pieces. And then I got to a bit that didn't want to come off quite so easily. In fact it was very stubborn. I yanked a bit harder and half the plaster came off, all over my head, nearly toppling me off the stepladder. 'I told you not to do it,' MotH said, a bit smugly I thought. 'We'll just have to live with it for a bit.'

So we've been living with these patchy, unplastered walls in the hall for the best part of two years. Yesterday, I decided I'd had enough of the cheap green stair carpet and decided to take that up. It looked a lot better until I took the carpet rods out. Now there's bits of chipped wood and holes everywhere. MotH said nothing. He just sighed.

Think I'll start on the bathroom next.

*By the way, if you're a DIY diva, you could win a £200 voucher when you shop at B&Q through KidStart. More info here.

The sun's shining, the birds are tweeting - and I'm happily perusing the Spring sales. And wooh-hooh! One of my absolutely favourite stores, Laura Ashley, has some brilliant bargains, including discounts on fabric, curtains, paint and furniture.

My Homes finds includes this Beau Laser Cut Butterflies Pendant (reduced from £45 to £22.50), Botanical Birds jug (reduced from £22 to £15.40) and lovely Laurel throw (down to £30 from £60).

There are some fabulous fashion offers too, including the Drape Neck pocket dress, Rose Print Shift Dress and Bloom Print Linen Mix Dress (all down to £68 from £85).

And right now, if you shop through KidStart, you get 5% back on most items. For more info click here.

Happy shopping!

Last summer was a washout in more ways than one – our poor garden ended up a bit of a quagmire. Add in a puppy with a penchant for digging up every plant in sight and it’s looking very neglected indeed.

Anyway, I’ve decided that while the weather is *fairly* warm it’s a good time to tackle the weeds and do some planting. Unfortunately, ‘someone’ left our tools out in the rain to rust, so I’ve been looking for some new ones.

Here’s my short list:

I love the OXO range of Gel-etools (available from Lakeland) – they’re sturdy and easy to use and start at a very reasonable £10. There’s also a fab watering can (£20).

Sainsbury's has a brilliant range, including this Bazaar Print Hand Tool Set  (£14.99). (They also have some lovely garden furniture, too, so you can sit back and enjoy your hard work.)

And I’m a great believer in getting kids involved in gardening – so this brightly coloured set (£6.99) from Bright Minds is ideal. (For tips from Charlie Dimmock to encourage your children to garden, click here).

Let's get digging...

I’ve always loved Habitat and I’m over the moon that they’ve now joined KidStart, which means you get money back for your kids every time you shop! And they also have up to 50% off in the sale right now! (Can you tell how excited I am?!)

Here are some of my favourites from their new outdoor collection (it IS going to be a fabulous summer, I tell you. If you think it, it will come):

This kids' outdoor playtent (£85) is utterly fab and will keep them entertained all summer long and they’ll also love the Automoblox sports car (£17.50).

I’ve got a thing for garden lights and this TOTO garland is just beautiful (£39).

The colour of this Maui deckchair sling – Gerbera – instantly conjures up summer for me (£49).

And I also love these Karin herb pots (£3.50 and £6).

Have a look and let me know what you’re planning to buy!

I LOVE looking at new things for the home and listening to expert advice, which is why I'm definitely planning to go to this year's Ideal Home Show.  It takes place at Earl's Court in London from 20th March to 5th April, and among the well known faces appearing at this year's show are Linda Barker and Monty Don - total TV legends!

The fantastic news is that we have 10 pairs of tickets to give away (travel not included). All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is send an email from your KidStart registered email address to competitions@kidstart.co.uk including your name, address and daytime telephone number by the closing date February 24th.

If you are not a KidStart member click here to join.

A young mum of four faces certain eviction shortly after Christmas for non payment of her mortgage, despite having had an allowance of £8k a month to live on. It would be easy to dismiss Kerry Katona's latest trauma as an inevitable disaster in her rollercoaster life. She's had more opportunities than most of us to turn things around, for the sake of her kids, yet she's blown it again.

And yet, and I never thought I'd say it, I can't help feeling a bit sorry for her. This is someone who doesn't seem to have any grip on the reality the rest of us have to cope with - mortgages, like rent, have to be paid, otherwise you lose your home. Her own mother, who has been less than perfect throughout Kerry's life, is thinking only of herself ('she's ruined her life, and now she's runing mine.')

I wouldn't wish eviction on anyone, particularly a mum with four young kids, and so close to Christmas. For her sake - and theirs - I hope someone finally intervenes and gives her the help she so desperately needs.

Are you planning to redecorate your house from top to bottom in time for Christmas? No? Me either. Terri Dwyer, the former presenter of 60 Minute Makeover, convinced me a while back that it's really easy to transform a room if you haven't the time/money/inclination to paint it. 

'Just use soft furnishings - cushions and throws, maybe a new rug - and a few simple accessories,' she told me.  Of course it's easy enough to make cushion covers (very little sewing required) but if you want to really treat your sofa then M&S have a fantastic selection of festive-looking cushions, including a stunning red sequin one (£15) and emerald leaf silk cushion (£35).

For finishing touches this berry red tealight holder (£3.50) is incredibly pretty, and if you want to add a welcoming touch to your front door then the light up amarylis wreath (£25) is just the thing.

And every purchase made via KidStart today (with any retailer) will automatically be entered into a prize draw to win an £100 M&S voucher! This is not just Christmas...

Last night my friend Kitty rang me for a chat. We've known each other since we were 11 (I know, long time) and our kids are close. She's also godmother to No1 son. But we hardly ever get to see each other because she works full-time in a hospital.

'It's your birthday in two weeks - why don't me and Fiona (another friend) take you out for dinner?' she suggested.

It was such a lovely gesture and I must admit it brought tears to my eyes, because I know these people will be part of my life forever. One of my mum friends has 'edited' her address book, taking out anyone she no longer sees/wants to see. I can understand not wanting to see toxic friends, but I think real friends should always be part of your life. I have some friends I hardly ever see, because they live so far away, but when we do get together it's like we've never been apart. And of course facebook and twitter makes it much easier to stay in touch.

What do you think? Would you ever edit your address book? I'd love to know.

Have a great weekend.