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10 Tips on How to Be Happy
Here are 10 tips on how to be happy, from taking time for yourself to getting grounded in the garden. The path to happiness starts from within.
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10 Benefits of Becoming a Single Parent
This article celebrates some of the advantages of being a single parent, from increased spontaneity to getting to choose your own vacation spots.
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Depressed and Struggling as a Single Parent? Here's What to Do...
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11 Reasons Why You Still Feel Depressed After a Breakup
Thought you would feel a sense of levity after the end of a relationship? A number of things can contribute to the post-breakup malaise. Read on to learn how to deal with it.
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5 Motivational Quotes for People Who Have Recently Separated or Divorced
Five quotes to motivate and inspire people who have recently experienced separation or divorce.
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How to Be a Happy Parent On Your Own When You Have Separated or Divorced
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Single Parenting: Have You Lost Yourself?
Single parenting can be hard and all-consuming. Sometimes, we single parents lose ourselves and our sense of identity without even realising it. Have you lost the real you, somewhere beneath the relentless reality of parenting alone? Here, now, you can start focusing on your and find yourself again.
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Separated or Divorced With Teens or Grown-Up Children? Life Is For Living!
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How to Deal With Feeling Lonely After Divorce or Separation
Loneliness doesn't necessarily come from being alone.
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5 Ways to Make Being a Single Parent Easier
Being a single parent can be a tough experience for many reasons. Here are five parenting tips to make parenting alone seem easier.
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Poem About Growing Old
Look to my heart, past my face, shaking hands, Past the bones that defy me, these legs that can't stand, Then tell me the truth, what is it you see? Can you still see the person I used to be? Can you glimpse the soft sparkle behind my eyes,...
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Travelling to Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri With Children
During August 2013 we took our two children to Italy. It had been a toss up between that and the Greek Islands, but after a bit of deliberation we chose the Italian shores. We wanted a trip that combined sightseeing with the coast, and whilst Greek...
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Evita Critique: Does This Famous Musical Lack Emotion?
Recently, I attended a performance of the famous West End musical, Evita, which is currently touring around the UK. It was a show I had always wanted to see, my enthusiasm partly inspired by various renditions of "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina". After...
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Spirit Pets: Signs Your Deceased Pet Is Visiting You
Our pets are beloved family members—their deaths can be devastating. Have you ever been visited by the ghost of a pet you love? Many people have, and I'm convinced these visits are real.
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Poem about Being Yourself
This is a poem about being yourself. It is about loving and embracing your own self, rather than wishing you were more like someone else - about having the confidence to be the real 'you'.
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My Review of the London Dungeon, South Bank, London
We first visited the London Dungeon on 31 May, 2013. I was aware that the attraction had recently relocated from Tooley Street to the South Bank - however, since I had never encountered the original setting, I am unable to make a comparison. My...
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Poem about the School Run - Getting the Kids to School on Time
I wrote this poem in about ten minutes, following a very frazzled morning spent getting my son out of the door and to school on time. As many a parent will know, the morning school run can, at times, seem like momentous challenge, especially when...
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Poem about Coming Through Bad Times
A metaphorical poem exploring the journey of experiencing difficult times before coming out the other side...
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A Poem about a Talent Show
The TV talent show has become an ingrained feature of modern day viewing. Every year, hundreds of thousands of hopefuls around the world turn up with hopes and dreams of stardom. Many are talented, a few will go on to become the next 'big thing'. A...
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The Extent of Fake/Counterfeit Goods Available Online
Most of us like a bargain. Add that to the struggling economic climate that means a lot of us now have less disposable income than ten years ago, and searching for the best price becomes even more important. The popularity of the internet means...
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A Poem about Chasing Dreams
She looks through the window, So far, she can see. The horizon, it beckons, The sunset, it bleeds. A symbol of freedom, A wild scope of hope, Possibilities, endless - Destiny's smoke. She knows not how she'll get there But one...
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The Advantages of the Internet: The Human and Social Side of the Web
When it comes to technology, the internet and world wide web is surely the biggest development of the last century. It has changed our lives almost beyond imagination, and in a relatively short space of time. For a great many of us, it has become...
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My Communications with Xbox Live Support - Son's Banned Account
My son, aged 12, is a big fan of Xbox. Or maybe I should say was a fan of Xbox. He especially liked chatting and playing games with his friends using Xbox Live - until last week, that is, when he went to log on only to find that his account had been...
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What Makes a Person Beautiful?
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" "Beauty comes from within" "Beauty is skin deep" (popular quotes regarding beauty) It is a debatable topic, and perhaps a very personal one. How does one define beauty? Many of us spend...
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4 Reasons It Is Important to Have Goals and Dreams in Life
Dreams are like anchors that keep us on our path in life. We might not have the same dream, but without a dream or a goal, where are we heading?
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A Poem about a Mysterious Woman
This is a poem about a mysterious woman. Who is she and what secrets does she hold? It is a thriller expressed through poetry; a story with blood and gunshot...that travels five thousand miles...
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What Makes a Successful Person? The Top Traits of Successful People
What are the secret character traits that help successful people rise to the top? Can anybody do it, or is great success just reserved for the lucky few?
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The Creative and Artistic Mind - How is it Different?
I have been intrigued by the concept of the 'artistic mind' for a long time. As someone who has loved writing from a very early age, I find that creating poems, song lyrics and stories comes quite naturally. I do, however, often have difficulty with...
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Inspirational Poetry: Poem about Being Optimistic and Looking to the Future
This is an inspiring poem about looking to the future with optimism and hope. It is about leaving behind what is no longer needed in life, instead stepping forwards with a new mindset and renewed courage.
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Song Lyrics For Collaboration: A Song about Falling for Someone New / Falling in Love Again
Below are the lyrics I have written for a song about falling in love again. It is an unexpected love - the character in the song has turned to a friend for company after the break-up of another relationship. The two friends have known one another...
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Song Lyrics: A Ballad - A Song about Love and Saying Sorry
This is a love song of soul and hope. The musician finds it easier to express love and feeling using music and song, rather than by speaking. It's a stripped-back song, just the singer and the acoustic guitar. It is about honesty, feeling and...
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Song Lyrics: A Sad Love Song
This is a song about grieving for a relationship that has ended - about not wanting to let go and hoping for a chance to try again. It is a heartfelt song, expressing deep emotion and deep feeling. The tempo is quite slow. I don't write melody, so...
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Song Lyrics: A Song About Lost Love
These are the lyrics I wrote to a ballad - like many songs, the words express the pain and heartache felt when relationship ends and one person is left grieving. In this example, it has probably ended due to death and the protagonist feels alone;...
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Song Lyrics: A Song about a Relationship Ending and Finding Strength
I wrote this song at a time when I felt inspired to try my hand at lyric writing. I produced a handful of songs; all of them I heard in my mind as acoustic performances. This song, like the others, is about love and relationships - in this case,...
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A Poem for the Innocent Victims of War
Stand in my shoes, Just for one moment, Just for one day. Stand in my shoes, Feel my heart beat, Hear what I say. Can you breathe the same air Through the thick, acrid smoke, Run through the street As the noise chokes your hope, ...
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Why Do We Like to Watch Soap Operas and Are They Realistic?
Watching soap operas has become one of life's little rituals for many of us. Women, in particular, often become hooked on these long-running television series.
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Television Advertising: Do People Still Watch TV Commercials?
Advertising on television can cost thousands (and thousands), just for that typical 30 seconds of air time during prime-time viewing. It is still thought of as the best way to reach millions of potential customers - after all, television is arguably...
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The Importance of Motivation and Ambition in Young People
A few days ago, I came across an article in the local newspaper. A man I had been at school with, more than twenty years ago, had been awarded an Emmy in America for his efforts in television arts. Whilst I was hugely impressed, I wasn't altogether...
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How to be a Good Publican
Having spent many years serving behind the bars of the 'good ole British pub', as well as experiencing the general running of public houses on a temporary basis, I have definitely learned quite a bit about the management of such establishments. Not...
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The Importance & Benefits of Grandparents in the Life of a Child
Though my grandmother is no longer with us, she lives forever in my thoughts and soul. Here's how having grandparents in your child's life can benefit the family.
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HMS Belfast, London - A Review of Our Visit
In August 2012, we visited London for the day with our two children, aged 12 and 4. I love London and could quite easily spend a day there without doing much at all, but the children like to be occupied. Since we had already visited a number of...
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Poem about Love, Life and Humanity
This is a poem about love and life. Within the words, I have tried to capture the all-powerful emotions that accompany love and the essence of humanity. It is not a poem restricted to romantic love, but rather something that explores all avenues of love, from friendship, to family, to children -...
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Is It Worth Delivering Phone Books for Extra Money?
I tried delivering phone books, but I wasn't able to make minimum wage, and I'm not sure anyone else can.
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A Poem About Celebrity
The following poem touches on the life of a celebrity. Today, our society seems fixated on the idea of being famous, and for seeking fame for fame's sake. Many people, especially the young, dream of a life in the public eye, which they see as...
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The Media's Obsession With Celebrities: Fame's Negative Side
This article will take a look at the hyper-scrutinized life of celebrities and how the media and people's often senseless musings about celebrities' lives and inner qualities are often based on inaccurate fractions of those famous people's whole beings.
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Social Change and Progression in the UK - Life in the 1950s
In the UK, the 1950s was a time of great social change. Free from the threat of World War II (apart from rationing, which still affected the early part of the decade) Britons could look forward with a new hope and optimism. The fifties saw the...
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A Poem of Hope for Children
Read a poem of hope, dedicated to all the children in this world who face major difficulties in their lives.
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Children and the Importance and Benefits of Hobbies
Nowadays, the vast majority of children (at least, the ones I know), have extra-curricular hobbies and activities. Some have multiple commitments and seem to have something going on nearly every day. However, overburdening a child can be detrimental...
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Children and the Importance of Spending Time Outside in Nature
If you close your eyes and imagine, for a moment, an idyllic childhood, what do you actually see? My guess is that you see happy, laughing children cavorting about without the need for electronic gadgets and video games. I'm willing to bet you can...
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The Disorganised Mother - A Comedic Look at Parenting in the Modern Age
Today, as I was helping my four year old child to get dressed, I realised that I had failed once again. Yesterday I triumphed, and felt a rare surge of success. The task at hand? Finding my small son a matching pair of socks. In our house, searching...
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Are Children Too Addicted To Screens? Just How Much Has Technology Changed Childhood?
I am a parent. I have two sons, one of which is almost 12 and the other who has yet to start school. Born in the 70s, I have seen society change quite a bit in the last forty years. I have lived a life filled with little technology, when compared to...
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Song Lyrics - A Song about Pain, Hope and Moving On
Oh, I wonder why Life can slip down a slide Hit my soul, tear my pride Oh, I wonder why , Just sitting here Enveloped by my fears Why do dreams disappear? Oh, I don't know why (chorus) But I can't walk away With only one...
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Song Lyrics - A Song About Relationships
Will You Still Remember Me? is one of my first attempts at songwriting. As the lyrics suggest, it is a song about a relationship that started off full of optimism and lust - but somehow missed the mark and didn't last. Still, emotions don't just...
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Turning Forty - What Does it Feel Like to Reach Your Fortieth Birthday?
This is an article for anyone about to turn 40, who is wondering with trepidation just where all the time has gone. I wrote it from my own experience, as I share my own feelings of what it means to me, a woman about to hit the big '40'. Not many of...
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A Poem For Hope
This is a poem about hope; about holding on when life throws obstacles in your path and difficulties arise. It is about seeing the sun through the rain and having the faith to go forwards.
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Music - The Most Powerful Medium. How Music Can Affect Our Moods, Minds and Lives
Music is undoubtedly one of the most powerful mediums - perhaps even the most powerful of all. Enjoyed the world over, music engulfs us with subliminal messages and feelings, subtly playing with our emotions and affecting our moods. Music of varying...
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House or Location - Which Matters Most?
Today I was watching yet another UK property programme portraying the dilemma of house over location. One young woman had spent a whole year living with a family member because she couldn't find a house she both liked and could afford in the 'right'...
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How the Internet and Online World has Changed our Family Life
When I was young and still living at home with my parents, there was no internet and no world wide web. We did have a computer, that had arrived in our home during the mid-eighties, but its functions were extremely basic when compared to the...
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A Childhood in the 70s and 80s
I was born at the beginning of the New Year in 1973. Suddenly, it seems like a very, very long time ago. Age does have a certain habit of creeping up on you in a way you thought it never would, teasing you with long days of eternal youth before one...
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How To Be Happy and Appreciate the Simple Things in Life
Happiness...... It is, perhaps, the ultimate quest in life. After all, almost every goal we ever have - every ambition; every dream; every desire - is, in our minds, part of the journey to achieve this state of being. There have been many debates...
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Poem About the Journey Through Life
My life - A million pieces, A puzzle, incomplete. So many roads I've taken, With trusting, hopeful feet. Dreams have died, Yet others bloomed, No sense in looking back, At times, the light shone brightly Along my chosen track. ...
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Poem About Travelling: The Beautiful Experience of Travel and Lessons Learned
A journey. It doesn't really matter If you get there Or not. It's what you see Along the way, The feelings inspired When the landscape And your soul Entwine. It's someone else's smile Breaking the illusion Of your own life, ...
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Things To Do With Hexbugs - Make a Lego Habitat
Whilst Christmas shopping for the children last month, I came across the Hexbug Nano. Perhaps I have been a bit out of the loop, but I had never even heard of the Hexbug, although I have since learned of their popularity. I checked out the reviews...
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Living in Norwich: Norwich's Golden Triangle
For anyone who is considering moving to Norwich - the historical capital of Norfolk - then it can be difficult to know exactly where to begin searching for a home. Like all cities, Norwich has good areas and areas that are less desirable. However,...
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Why I Hate My Son's Xbox
A year ago, my son (ten at the time) received the ultimate Christmas gift - an Xbox 360. In his eyes, this was the to-die-for console - all of his friends had one (an only slightly over-exaggarated statement) and if he did not join the throngs of...
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Do People Who Love Real Books Still Like Kindles?
This Christmas an Amazon Kindle sat waiting for me underneath the tree. I wasn't expecting it; hadn't hinted at even the merest desire for this technological alternative to the traditional book. In fact, I was rather opposed to it. For even though...
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The Emotional Side of Moving House
I can still remember the day we moved into our little Victorian terrace house. It was a sweltering day in the middle of August, and the beach would have been a better place to be. Travelling backwards and forwards across the city took all day and...
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A Creative Article About Reaching Midlife...
This is a creative article exploring the journey one makes through midlife and the feelings that can be experienced. Midlife throws up many questions, as we evaluate where we stand; where we have been and where we want to go... All of a sudden, I...
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Best Board Games For Families With Older Children
Playing board games as a family is an excellent way to bond. I remember many enjoyable Saturday evenings as a child, sat around the table with my parents and my sister, immersed in a game. We always ended up laughing and having fun. Playing board...
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Life of a Modern Teenage Girl
I am fifteen. Sometimes I wish I was five, like my little sister. Her life is so uncomplicated - all she does is laugh, whinge and play. When she falls out with her friends, it's all sorted out ten minutes later. No grudge; no resentment; no...
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Just One Old Person.... What is it Like for Elderly People Living Alone at Home?
Not for one moment did you really think it would turn out this way. After all, you were always so well. You ate healthy food; vegetables freshly picked from the garden you loved. Perhaps you would love it still, if only the weeds were gone and...
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Poem About Child Poverty in the UK
A world of peeling paint and mildew, Where things stop working like clapped out minds. Looking across desolate concrete, I wonder why hope is so hard to find, I wonder where dreams go, When the dreamer gives up and looks the other way ...
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Song Lyrics - A Song About the End of a Relationship
Below are the first song lyrics I have ever written. I have been wanting to attempt to write lyrics for a while, because I love music, especially music with good lyrics. After all, music is a universal medium; perhaps the most powerful of all. I...
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A Poem about Lost Love
This is a poem about lost love; about those empty, lonely feelings from which one finds it difficult to escape when a relationship breaks down. It is about the grieving you feel when something you thought was special is suddenly marred and taken...
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Poem about the Homeless
I can still remember the day I wrote this poem, even though it was several years ago now. I had walked into the city centre, as I had done so many times before. A pedestrian bridge rises above a busy road - for most of the time I have been living...
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Facts About Darren Shan - Meeting Darren Shan
There is no doubt about it, the Master of Horror, Darren Shan, is a prolific writer with a huge teenage (and even pre-teen) following. My son is only ten, and yet he has been hooked on Shan's books for the past eighteen months - so far he has read...
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A Poem About Bullying - Written by a Child
This is a poem written by my son. He wrote it at school, just a few months ago when he was 10. The children had been involved in a classroom discussion about bullying, after which their task was to write a poem on the subject. It must be said that...
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Tribute to Amy Winehouse - One of the Most Successful British Female Artists in the 21st Century
Just recently, I have been listening to Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album (deluxe version) on my trusty Ipod. Of course, it is now more than a month since Winehouse passed away in her Camden Square home. Her death was perhaps shocking, although...
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Medieval Days Out in England - Pensthorpe, Norfolk
A day spent exploring the medieval history of England can be both an enjoyable and educational experience, as we found out earlier this week. The late-August bank holiday saw us heading up to the Pensthorpe Nature Reserve near Fakenham in Norfolk,...
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Are TV Talent Shows Good or Bad?
Here's my analysis of TV talent shows and their popularity and effects on contestants and viewers. I look at 'The X Factor UK', 'Britain's Got Talent', and more!
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Day Trip to London, With Children
Last week we decided to take the children on a day trip to London. After having acquired a free, two-month family railcard, I searched for a good rail offer, bought the tickets and we were all set to go. Taking the children on a day trip to London...
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Camping at Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, Norfolk - Our Review
Last August I took my family to Searles Leisure Resort in Hunstanton for the first time. Actually, Searles was not our intended destination at all. We had hoped to spend a few days at Kelling Heath, Weybourne, but had left the booking too late. ...
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Castles to Visit in Eastern England: Castle Rising, Norfolk
Although I live in Norwich, which is within easy reach of the splendours of North Norfolk, the first time I made the drive to Castle Rising was in August of last year. In fact, we were staying at the nearby Searles Holiday Resort in Hunstanton for...
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Family Days Out in Norfolk - My Review of Bewilderwood
If you're looking for somewhere in North Norfolk to take the family, then Bewilderwood near Wroxham, around 20 minutes by car from the city of Norwich, is a fantastic choice. Set in a 50 acre woodland estate, Bewilderwood is the creation of author...
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Creative Writing - Seeing the Stories in Life Part II - Meeting Your Characters
This hub is a continuation of my previous hub, Creative Writing: Seeing the Stories in Life, which was intended to portray the concept of 'show, don't tell' in writing, and to explore the depths of characters which may initially be seen as a blank...
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The City of Norwich, Norfolk, UK - A Great Place to Visit or Live
It has been suggested by some people I know, especially Londoners, that Norwich is situated somewhere in the Back of Beyond. Perhaps there is some truth in that - after all, it is only 1 hour 50 minutes by train from Liverpool Street, but can take...
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Good Campsites in Norfolk for Families - Kelling Heath
For me, the term 'holiday' usually conjures up an image of taking my passport and heading abroad to experience another country; another culture. I love to see the way other people live their lives. I love historical architecture; imposing mountains;...
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Creative Writing - A Lesson on Seeing the Stories in Life (the Concept of 'Show, Don't Tell' in Writing).
This is an article based upon the art of creative writing. It attempts to show some of the subtle but important tools used in story-telling. Here, I have skimmed the stories of character's lives by looking at the little clues which allow us to look behind the surface. Buildings, expressions and...
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Family Days Out in Norfolk - Pettitts Animal Adventure Park
It must have been around twenty five years or more since I first visited Pettitts Animal Adventure Park. It was brand new, then, and I was just a child. Pettitts was nothing but a few animals grazing in grassy enclosures - at least, that is how I...
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Wells-Next-The-Sea: One of Norfolk's Best Beaches
In the East of England, on the tip of the North Norfolk Coast, sits the village of Wells-Next-the-Sea. It is, perhaps, our favourite place in Norfolk - many a time we have made the hours drive at the drop of a hat, with a picnic in a cooler bag and...
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Zlatni Rat Beach, Bol and Inland: Brac Island, Croatia
Did you know that Zlatni Rat Beach in Croatia is rated one of the best beaches in the world? While it is a great place to spend a few hours, the surrounding towns are no less charming. Learn more on this virtual tour of Bol, Skrip, and Pucisca.
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Useful Tips for First-Time Mothers
If you're a first-time mother, here are some tips to help you navigate this new chapter in your life.
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Sport Relief and a Child With Malaria
Tonight I am watching Sport Relief on BBC1. It is a lot like Comic Relief, with the emphasis on sport instead of comedy. Celebrities and ordinary citizens are raising money to help disadvantaged children, both at home in the UK and in developing...
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A Review of the Wheely Bug
As parent to an energetic two-year-old, our house is bursting to the brim with toys. A few are loved; most are rotting in a toy box, taken out only for the occasional play. Out of all my two-year-old's toys, my favourite is definitely his Ladybird...
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Sugar: Does it Make Children Hyperactive?
A few days ago I was at a birthday party for two-year-old twins when one of the other parents brought up the topic of 'sugar'. There were cakes in abundance and she had decided that her children had 'had enough'. A fair decision, since they are only...
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Can You Live Your Dream? (An Article About Chasing Those Dreams We All Have)
How many of us have a dream? How many of us have an idealistic view of life, tucked away in the backs of our minds, that occasionally resurfaces to remind us of who we really wanted to be? How many of us are working in a job we find unfulfilling,...
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Visiting Morocco: My Trip to Marrakech
I will never forget the 10 days I spent in Marrakech. From the wonderfully chaotic Djemaa El-Fna to the jaw-dropping scenery of the Atlas Mountains, it was truly a trip to remember.
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A Review of Legoland Windsor: How To Plan Your Trip
Last August we visited Legoland, Windsor, for the first time. My oldest child was nine and had always wanted to go. In fact, most of his friends had already been there but, sadly, he had not. Well, as my son is an avid fan of all things Lego, we...
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No Time - A Poem About the Strains of Modern Life
'No Time' is a poem about the modern era; about how our lives and daily demands leave many of us with little time to truly enjoy life; to sit back and appreciate the the things we really love. No Time I push through the chaos, My mind...
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Train to the East (A Poem about Travelling)
I wrote this poem a while back, before I had children. Seeing differents parts of the world was something that was really important to me. I loved (and still do, though the opportunites have become less) the excitement and anticipation of...
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Too Many Toys
Whether we know it or not, almost as soon as our delightful bundle of joy arrives red-faced and screaming into the world, we have unwittingly become members of the Cluttered House Club. Gone are the days when our home is our pride and joy; where...
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Happiness in an Age of Commercialism
These days, everyone seems to want something. Women want the latest fashions; men want the newest gadgets; children are desperate for the toys and computer games they are exposed to through advertising. Driving through the city on a Saturday or...