Daughter | Family Affairs and other matters

JEMMA KIDD SCHOOL OF MAKE-UP – MOTHER AND DAUGHTER SESSION

Monday, December 12, 2011

Following on from our wonderful Mother and Daughter trip to New York City we were invited to indulge in the most lovely treat on Saturday. A mother & daughter makeup session at Jemma Kidd’s make-up school. Such a luxury and it would make a brilliant Christmas present because the sessions can be catered accordingly to [...]

MOTHER & DAUGHTER LONG WEEKEND TO NEW YORK

Thursday, September 15, 2011

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We are back from our mother/daughter long weekend in New York. What a great idea for a travel piece. Even the US Vogue office thought so (regarding assistance for covering Fashion Night Out):- “the postings you are proposing sound unique particularly in providing a mother/daughter perspective” I would be happy to help and will contact [...]

GIRLY WEEKEND IN NEW YORK

Friday, September 9, 2011

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So. We're here. In NYC. Which is very exciting. We've just spent the first night in a teeny room sharing a teeny double bed. Brings back memories of the previous mother/daughter road trip I was on a few weeks ago - I've now swapped roles. Initially I was the daughter sleeping with strange Romanian refugee style mother and now I have inadvertently become that mother. Flight was easy enough. A yellow taxi from the airport into the city is about $50 and very easy to get. The price is already set which was good because our driver got a bit lost. Our hotel is odd. I've gone for a budget option, but although it's a pretty good location, it seems to be mostly a building site. Barely any lobby and loads of drilling. Consequently grumpy staff and a dodgy lift. Not sure what to do about it - they should really tell you stuff like that when you book in don't you think? Anyway, woken up this am to a scary text from friend "trust you to walk into NYC now on high alert. Looking for 3 men.. bla bla". OH NO. I guess there was always going to be concerns and increased security but I hope no more than that! Last night was great. Having gained 5 hours we were on the streets of NYC by 3pm on our way to our first big appointment. Love it. So vibrant. Every other woman appeared to be wearing Hunter wellies with a skirt. Which I thought was a little odd because a)it wasn't raining and b)it was too hot for wellies. We walked about 35 blocks down Fifth Avenue and got there just in time to get involved with some of the Fashion Night Out stuff. Michael Kors was standing chatting in a shop window:- There were bands in the street and lots of unusual attractions:- Beauties in the street:- This one was weird - a rather gorgeous man just sticking lots of twinkly stickers all over twinkly girl - interesting addition to their CV:- We did meet Grace Coddington in the Prada shop which was brilliant - she didn't have time for a full interview, but gave us some time:- Lots of unusual characters out and about:-

MOTHER/DAUGHTER ROAD TRIP

Thursday, August 25, 2011

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My mother and I are now on a road trip. Well, not exactly, but I've just taken her to a lovely hotel for a few nights to give her a change of scenery. We look like characters right out of an Anita Brookner novel. I texted a friend to say: "Taking my mother 2 a hotel 4 Wed & Thurs" But actually managed to write: "Taking my mother 2 a hotel 4 sex & thirds" Which was a little unfortunate. We are sharing a double bed, something I don't think I have ever done with her before. It's odd. My brother texted to say "r u having a nice time? Hope there wasn't any spooning going on last night". Well I made sure that didn't happen by rolling her side of the duvet into the middle because she always brings her own blanket - look at her - it's like sleeping with a small child. She's barely there - even my Grandmother said "she's turning into a delicate little skeleton of a butterfly" (she's under the checked blanket by the way I haven't rolled her into that corpse like shape in the middle):- Then this morning I decided it was indeed like being with a small child. We had a delicious cooked breakfast and look what she did to her plate:-

EASTER HOLIDAY FUN (NOT)

Monday, April 18, 2011

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As ever, with children of massively differing ages, the holidays feel disjointed. In addition, as the kids get older and start making their own arrangements - there is no structured plan from one day to the next - they all just want to do their own thing. I am still teaching here and there and my oldest child is already back at school, so it's all proving to be messy. I wish we'd gone away - at least then I would have had their full attention for up to three minutes a day and vice versa. After an extremely quiet weekend owing to the fact that most of my friends seem to have gone away - the kids came back from a weekend with their father all sun-kissed and wet haired having spent the entire weekend in their newly opened swimming pool. Not only is that proving to be a major attraction, but the new puppy caused hours of amusement as it jumped in and out of the pool - even if they are all covered in scratches and slightly annoyed that after having washed and dried the dog, it kept jumping straight back in again. It's difficult to compete. I did try and dig a swimming pool in my back garden once - but it didn't really work:- So, instead, I took them to Westfield's this morning to buy pants and socks, which strangely didn't seem to appeal to my 10 year old son in the least. "It's MY holiday too" he kept saying as we bought yet another pair of pants for my daughter. He was also not happy because I tried to spend my insurance voucher in Debenhams on some foundation (owing to bag getting stolen). I had no idea buying foundation was such a nightmare. WAY too much choice. In the end I decided to choose the same brand my daughter is currently favouring because her skin looks SO good but realised (after half an hour of some poor woman attempting to fill in the cracks in my face with a fine tooth comb) that my daughter would look good with foundation made of flour and water. The beauty person asked me what light reflecting-fine-line-filling-SPF factor illuminescent cream I wanted - and when I wasn't sure she asked me whether it was for day? Evening? Day to evening with a bit of nude? (I think that was the colour rather than a inquiry into the state of my undress) Full coverage? (ditto) Matt coverage? Shiny coverage? Shimmery? Hypoallergenic? and when I didn't know that either, she asked me what products I normally use? "Oh" she said. Silence. Like going to a new hairdresser the products you are currently using are always completely wrong - drying, contain animal sweat glands, too much this and that and do you think you should try something a little less dehydrating? Maybe some skin-boosting-serum- age-defying cream to create an amplified correction of all visible signs of ageing? Well. It didn't work. It took hours to apply (much to my son's horror and daughter's delight) and in the end I still looked like someone old and wrinkly but who was trying too hard to cover it all up. After that I had to make my daughter walk two paces in front of me. Then my daughter asked me why I was wearing my Converse shoes and suggested that it was because she had recently bought some and then laughed when I was all indignant and pointed out that I had been wearing them since they had been invented in 1875 and then she said that I did the same with the denim jacket and then I just felt rubbish. Old. Old. Old. I don't want my daughter to think I'm copying her. How embarrassing. Must find things to wear that do not look like I am trying to compete with a gorgeous 15 year old but aren't yet elasticated at the waist. AND THEN, this evening my son came back from school and said, literally a minute after I'd asked him how his day was, "you're going grey". SOMETIMES, having children is the worst thing for your self esteem.

COFFEE AT THE WOLSELEY AND SHOPPING WITH DAUGHTER

Friday, April 8, 2011

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I find it SO frustrating trying to juggle this work/home life thing – mostly because I don’t have a full time job that pays enough to ensure full time child care support. I am always flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to childcare – particularly now the children have broken up [...]

YOGA CLASSES

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

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I am attempting to try out new things in an effort to keep myself busy and my mind calm. Somebody suggested that I go along with them to Salsa dancing lessons but it’s just not my thing – it’s meant to be a sure fire way to meet a man – but I don’t want [...]