LivingwithKids

Have you ever voted for someone because you liked their partner? No? Me either.

Which is why it’s beyond me why Samantha Cameron, Sarah Brown and Miriam Gonzalez Durantez (Mrs Clegg) are being touted as the ‘secret weapons’ of the main political party leaders.

Personally I’m getting fed up with the way they’ve decided that we can be manipulated into voting for the men if we identify with their wives and see more of the 'real men' they're married to. It's beyond patronising. Their husbands and their colleagues know mums are important in this election – but for the life of them they can’t work out how to make us vote for them.

I don’t care how messy the party leaders are at home, or how devoted they are to their families. Because it’s still policies that matter, not taste in music or their lack of domesticity. The idea we would vote for any of the three main political party leaders because we identify with their partners is laughably quaint and woefully misguided. It’s like saying President Obama was elected because his wife wore some rather stylish wrap dresses.

Unless they’re putting something through on expenses we should know about, personally I’d prefer it if MPs’ partners stayed in the background. They’re trying to distract us from the real issues with smoke and mirrors at the moment. They forget we’re smarter than that.

One of my friends is currently going through fertility treatment. She has been trying for three years, and everything is against her - her age, her medical history. Every month she has the awful moment when she realises that no, she isn't pregnant and the realisation that her dreams of becoming a month are slipping further and further away. It is becoming too late for her to adopt.

My heart goes out to her, not least because the odds were stacked against me becoming a mum, too. I had endometriosis,  PCOS, a pituitary tumour and suffered a miscarriage. When I was pregnant with No 1 Son I developed hyperemesis, and to be honest it was touch and go for a while.

And that's why I never, ever take motherhood for granted. I never forget that children are the most precious gift, even when they're being naughty or driving you to distraction and you're having to count to 10 not to lose your temper with them big time. (My grandmother used to say 'never go to bed on an argument' and that's always been the rule in this house.)

So today, Mother's Day, I'm thinking about those women who can't have children but so desperately want to be mums. The women who die in pregnancy and childbirth. Those whose children are sick or who have suffered bereavement. And the mums who weren't able to see their kids grow up.

Lucky doesn't even come close.

Happy Mother's Day xxx

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!

Yesterday I was looking at the calendar on the kitchen wall, and realised it was almost full for this month (and the next). With the offspring's social life.

So far this year (and bear in mind we're only in March) there have been parties nearly every weekend, six sleepovers and 10 cinema outings. That's not counting the school disco.

How did this happen? BC (Before Children) we went out all the time. MotH goes out quite a lot for work. Me? Coffee with friends and the occasional dinner. Most nights I like to be in bed by 11pm. Rock and roll.

What about you? Do you still go out a lot, or has having children hampered your social life?

Let me start off by saying I've never met the man, although he lives quite close to me. I always thought he was the cutest one out of Take That, I voted for him to win Celebrity Big Brother. But it's not like I KNOW him, or anything. (I did once speak to Jason Orange on the phone, but that's a different story).

So I'm surprised at how much it bothers me that Mark has admitted to cheating on Emma, his partner of five years (who he recently married) with not one, not two, but 10 different women.

Why does it bother me so much? Well, apart from the fact I always thought he seemed like such a nice, honest guy, it's because he and Emma have two children, aged three and one. The celeb least likely to cheat, in fact. What a disappointment.

Even more of a let down for his partner, of course.  For their sakes, I hope he gets himself sorted.

I love Tesco Direct - there's always amazing bargains on computer games, clothing and electricals. And right now they're having a brilliant clearance sale with lots of bargains on toys, TVs and more.

Plus, if you’re stocking up on baby and toddler products,  there's up to half price off in the Baby and Toddler event. And don't forget, if you shop at Tesco Direct through KidStart, you get 3% back for your kids. So it’s a Win Win! Click here for more info.

Yesterday one of my friends said something which really surprised me. ‘It’s much more difficult raising girls,’ she said. ‘With boys, you don’t have to worry about things like pregnancy.’

Well, apart from the fact boys probably do worry about things like pregnancy when they’re old enough to understand that actions have consequences, I think this is nonsense.

Raising boys comes with its own set of problems – as they grow up, they’re probably more vulnerable to dangers outside the home, for example, like fights and random attacks.

And I would say both boys and girls are equally at risk of bullying and stranger danger.

But maybe I’m wrong. What do you think?

Half an hour into my first driving lesson and I knew it was going badly. I’d crashed into two bollards and I could see my instructor’s teeth starting to clench.

Like Maureen from Driving School, I was not a natural behind the wheel.

20 lessons and three instructors later (not my fault – I don’t think) and I was no nearer to being able to drive anything other than one of the Autopia cars at Disneyland Paris.

And now, 15 years later – well I think maybe I’m too old to learn. It’s too expensive. I’m scared. I know it would make life a lot easier, particularly for ferrying the offspring to and from various activities, but I think it may be too late.

So there you have it. I can scuba dive and snorkel. I can count to 10 in Japanese, cook a perfect risotto, throw birthday parties for 30 kids without blinking an eye, and change a fuse and a plug.

But I cannot drive.

*Is there anything you can't do, but would like to? What's stopping you? I'd love to know...

When I was a kid a family who lived near us had a beautiful black labrador. He was gorgeous, that dog. They bought him from a pet shop, and he was soft and bouncy and friendly, always licking your face and happily letting everyone pet him.

But one day while everyone was playing at their house a little girl we all knew went into the kitchen while he was having his food. He turned round and bit a chunk out of her face, scarring her for life.

The problem with dogs is that they are unpredictable and so far the law has been largely ineffective. Now plans have been made to microchip all dogs.

I'm not sure even this will help.

I frequently see a man exercising his dog in our local park. The dog is a banned breed, the Japanese Tosa. He is enormous, this dog, the size of a pony. The man exercises him without a muzzle, or lead, and yells at parents and children to get out of the park - he knows exactly how dangerous that dog is. Of course the parks police always arrive just that bit too late to catch him. And I don't know how many 'pit-bull types' I've seen in our area. The same 'types' that are known to savage babies and children.

I'm not sure what the answer is. Personally I'd like to see the reintroduction of the dog licence. But putting babies and children before pets, educating people about owning dogs and a clampdown on pet shops, puppy farms and possession of dangerous breeds would be a start.