As we creep ever closer to the end of 2009, I thought it would be nice to note down for posterity some of my highpoints of the year. And to make it more fun, I thought I’d turn it into a game and get some of my blogging friends to share their best bits from the year too by starting The High-5 Meme. So here are some of my potted highlights from this year. #downingtweet Being invited to Downing Street scores pretty highly in the highlights of my life, never mind my year, so the Downing Tweet... (more...)

When I was young, as soon as the Christmas festivities were over, I was made to write thank you letters.  Whilst still around, thank you letters are becoming less common and are more likely to be replaced with an email, text or phone call. But despite the change in appearance the sentiment is still there – the importance of thanking people and showing your appreciation. So, in keeping with advances in technology this is our Thank You blog to all the many people who have helped Mum’s The Boss... (more...)

I find New Year a strange mix of emotions - a time of reflection on the year just ending and the promise and potential of the year to come.  7 years ago I started a little personal tradition of writing myself a letter on New Year’s Eve. I have usually started to think about this in the weeks leading up to New Year, as I open the one from the previous year just after Christmas. I tend to forget over the course of the year what I have written, and it is lovely to open the envelope and rediscover... (more...)

We are delighted to be hosting our very first Carnival on a subject very close to our hearts – baking! We asked you to send us links to recipes for some of your favourite festive cakes, biscuits and puddings and we have had some scrumptious entries which we will definitely be trying out ourselves. And so without further ado, we are pleased to introduce: The Mum’s The Boss 12 Bakes of Christmas! Cranberries are synonymous with Christmas and Mum’s The Boss member Sarah Barnes from... (more...)

Hillary Graves is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Little Dish, the first and only brand to launch a range fresh, natural food for toddlers and young children made with 100% natural ingredients and no added salt or sugar. Replicating what parents make at home in their own kitchen, Little Dish recipes are created with a paediatric dietician, and every dish is taste tested by kids. Little Dish has been recognised with numerous prestigious awards including the Marketing Society’s ‘Best New Brand’... (more...)

I’m meant to be working I’ve so much to do But the beds all need changing And I must clean the loo I want to be blogging I’ve so much to say But I’m constantly cooking Or clearing away I must make a phone call But the kids won’t stop squealing There are crumbs on the rug And cobwebs on the ceiling I need to start working I’ve emails to send But I’ve just had a text From a newly dumped friend  It’s toddlers nap time, I need to get cracking But the food’s been delivered And the... (more...)

Around this time of year I always start thinking about New Years Resolutions. In fact part of me likes the anticipation of a fresh start that the new year brings more than Christmas itself. All too often these resolutions include things like losing weight, eating more healthily and getting more sleep. But this year lots of these resolutions relate to the business, as well as my waistline! Having just finalised our business plan for 2010 we now have a very clear set of resolutions or goals for the... (more...)

‘Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen’ (Bobby – age 7).  In an ideal world this would indeed be the case. One of the best  parts of Christmas can be family get togethers, however it can also be the part many of us dread.. There is an over-riding expectation that people who may not often see each other (and may not get on) will come together, eat & drink too much away from the comfort of home, and will all be happy! By... (more...)

We wrote a couple of weeks ago about our honour at being invited by Sarah Brown to attend the Downing Tweet Christmas Party on 4th December. Honour quickly turned to excitement, trepidation and a full scale shopping and pampering spree the like of which neither of us had never seen before! And now the party is just a memory - but for posterity we wanted to record the event so we never forget how amazing the 10 days leading up to it, and the party itself, made us feel. Now, I don’t know about... (more...)

As the list of business books we receive, read and review grows, what I am always keen to find is something a little bit different or something written from an original angle. The main focus of this book – Secrets of Successful Women Entrepreneurs: How Ten Leading Business Women Turned a Good Idea into a Fortune - is, of course, the 10 successful female entrepreneurs in the title. However the book does not use a traditional ‘biographical’ approach to their stories. Sue has set out ‘Seven... (more...)