LivingwithKids

I love the school holidays but it sends my multi-tasking buttons into overdrive. I feel like Mr Benn’s lesser known sister, I’m wearing so many different hats.

Today, for example, I’m playing the following roles:
Chef
Children’s entertainer (with lots of juggling, obviously)
Banker
Dog walker
Cleaner
Gardener
Writer

I'm not complaining, but it would be nice to have a day where I could be a Cowgirl and an Astronaut too.

*How many hats are you wearing today? I'd love to know.

With the exception of my first ever Saturday job interview (the interviewer asked me why I wanted the job, I told her I needed the money - I was 16! What did I know? Didn't get it), most of my job interviews have been positive experiences.

But one sticks out as The. Worst. Ever. Job Interview.

To begin with, I was late. Really late. I didn't realise that it would take an hour and a half to get there by tube and only allowed an hour. Then I couldn't find the place. So by the time I arrived at the office, I was 45 minutes late. I almost didn't go in. I wish I hadn't.

'Wasn't your interview supposed to be an hour ago?' the interviewer glared at me. 'Yes - I'm really sorry,' I said, mumbling something about the tube when I know you should never tell interviewers why you're late - you should just be on time. She sniffed and led me into the interview room. 'I can only give you 10 minutes,' she said. 'OK,' I said, thinking, phew.

We sat down, and she started firing questions at me, like I was an army recruit. Not name rank and number, but pretty close. After about five minutes I knew it was a terrible fit, and all I could think, as she continued to quiz me and I gave wrong answer after wrong answer, was that I couldn't wait for it to be over.

And then it was over. Or at least, I thought it was. 'I'm just going to get the test,' she said. 'The... test?' I asked. 'Yes, the writing test,' she said. 'I did tell you there would be a writing test.' 'No, you didn't,' I replied. 'Well, it only takes 15 minutes,' she said airily. 'I'll be back in a minute.'

I sat there for a few seconds. And then I thought, do you know what, I'm not going to get this job, I don't want this job. I got up, poked my head out the door, saw her disappearing down the corridor, checked the coast was clear, and then bolted for the exit. I ran down eight flights of stairs and out into the sunshine, where I exhaled with relief.

My friends still laugh about it, wondering how long she spent saying 'Hello? Hello?' as she wondered where I was, checking the loo to see if I'd had an attack of the nerves, but I really didn't care. Needless to say, I never heard from her again.

*Have you had a bad job interview? I'd love to know.

I went back to work a few months after giving birth to No 1 Son - I work in an industry where it's not always easy to step away because you could find someone else sitting in your chair on a permanent basis and we just weren't in a financial position for me to give up work.

Saying goodbye to my baby every morning was incredibly hard, but I knew he was happy at nursery, and then primary school. He was with his friends and they were much more entertaining than Boring Old Mummy. He liked most of his teachers. I always made sure I was there to give him his bath and read him his bedtime stories. But yes, I couldn't go to every performance of the school plays, or be there for every sports day. And I still feel horribly guilty about that.

What I didn't expect, and what no one tells you, is that Working Mother Guilt gets WORSE as your child gets older. The most awful part is when one of your children changes from primary to secondary school and suddenly they're a very small fish in a very big pond. Suddenly you're not in control of their environment AT ALL, and being brutally honest, that's really tough.

Although I've been working mostly from home for the past few years, sometimes I do go into an office and I still get those familiar pangs of guilt. My solution has been to ensure that I know the journey to school and school security is as safe as possible. To make sure there is always someone here for them when they get home and that I get back as quickly as possible.

I just hope it's enough.

*Do you suffer from Working Mother Guilt? How do you cope with it? I'd love to know.

If you've watched the videos of little Archie from mydaddycooks you'll have seen that the way his dad keeps him safe is in a Little Helper FunPod®. The multi-award winning FunPod® provides a safe environment to get your toddlers up to the kitchen worktop on their own safely constructed platform to help, interact, learn and play.

Heralded as socially responsible, the FunPod® encourages children to learn all about the whole food experience and can encourage parent and child bonding with quality time spent while preparing lunch or dinner. With five awards to its name in just over 12 months, the FunPod® is available in five different colours. The FunPod® is available from retailers including Childalert's Baby Catalogue. Read our review of the FunPod® here.

But if you'd like the chance to WIN one, plus a FunPack worth £7.99 including an apron, child’s wooden whisk, spoon, rolling pin and mixing fork, just enter our fab competition!

How to enter: click here, watch the video on the home page and then send us your answer to the following question from your KidStart registered email address to competitions@kidstart.co.uk by the closing date Tuesday 9 February.

Please note: entries from non KidStart members will be disqualified. If you'd like to register with KidStart, click here - registration is free. Usual KidStart competition rules apply.

Question: What colour top is the little girl with pigtails in the video wearing?

I quite like Kirsty Young but my goodness she's talking a lot of tosh in today's Telegraph. She claims that mothers see children as an 'extension of their success', attempting to turn them into 'baby Einsteins', and that those who 'give up work' to 'do children' have to justify their decision. 'We've become much more child-centric as a society, it's a kind of badge of honour to say your life revolves around your children,' she says.

I'm not sure who Kirsty has been mixing with - the kind of parents who buy their children 'seven pairs of shoes', apparently - but most of the mothers I know who gave up work to raise their kids did so because they felt it was a) better for their children to be at home, at least until they went to school and b) it wasn't financially viable, once they'd fathomed in the cost of childcare, for them to return to work.

And ALL the mums I know - including the SAHMs and the WAHMs - have their own identities, separate from their roles as mothers. Yes of course they're devoted to their kids (isn't that kind of what being a mother is all about?!) but they also enjoy doing their own thing, too.

To add insult to injury, Kirsty claims that 'most women don't have careers. They have jobs that they have to do to pay the electricity bill or buy school shoes.' But I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive, actually.

*What do you think - is Kirsty right?

You may have seen that the shortlist is in for the Bounty Celebrity Mum of the Year award 2009. (Previous winners include Kerry Katona.)

I'm not sure why some of the names are on there - Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton and Mel B are obviously devoted mums, ditto Myleene Klass. But does that make them special? And I'm a bit surprised Victoria Beckham isn't on there.

I also struggle with the inclusion of Katie Price on the shortlist. Yes of course she's a loving mum, but I'm not sure she's always put her children's interests first in the past year.

Samantha Cameron is on there, and obviously she has had a lot to cope with this year. On balance, I think she's probably the most deserving winner.

But my personal vote, for someone who isn't on this list, would go to the late Jade Goody. She did everything she could to make sure her children were well provided for before she died, and that makes her a heroine in my book.

I'd love to know what you think.

I do get so fed up with all this knocking of working mums. Now a new survey has revealed that they have the unhealthiest children because their kids are more likely to be driven to school watch a lot of TV and are fed junk food

But as with all things, it depends on the mum, doesn't it? I can think of quite a few non-working mums whose children have too many sugary snacks and not enough exercise. And I can think of plenty of working mums who always ensure their children have a healthy balanced diet and get plenty of fresh air.

In fact, I think that what happens when you're a working mum is that you often go out of your way to ensure your child is eating healthily and getting enough exercise - because it helps compensate for the tremendous guilt you feel at leaving them to go to work in the first place.

So enough, please, of these ridiculous surveys which simply add to the guilt. Working mums have enough on their plate, without being made to feel as though they're not doing the best for their children as well.

I was very lucky with my childcare when I first went back to work because my sister offered to help out. (She subsequently became a registered childminder so she could look after children she wasn't related to as well.)

And of course it's right that childminders should be registered if they're looking after children whose mothers aren't friends or related to them.

But close friends have shared childcare, either by minding each other's kids for a few hours after school, or in the holidays, for years. Many families would struggle to survive without these more 'casual' arrangements, particularly in the current climate. They should be allowed to continue, regardless of whether there's a financial arrangement in place.

So it seems totally daft to me that two policewomen who are close friends have been told they must be registered childminders to look after each's other's children.

Let me know what you think.

There's no getting away from it, taking care of a baby's needs can be expensive. So I was very interested to hear about the new Direct Gov website Payments for Parents, which tells you all about the money you can claim when you're expecting, or if you have a new baby, how to start your Child Trust Fund, and so on.

For example, did you know that you can claim a £190 Health in Pregnancy grant when you reach your 25th week of pregnancy, regardless of your income? Me either. Have a look at the site and make sure you're getting everything you should - and do let me know how you get on.