• We have some NEWS: we've nearly finished our second book and it’s called ‘Where's My Happy Ending?’ What's it about? Well, they say your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but if that’s true, it’s all downhill from the moment you’ve cut the cake. We wanted to know what to do once you think you’ve found 'the one' (or the two, or decided you don’t need anyone at all). So we went to ask people – a former sex worker and her gigolo husband, multiple divorcees and devoted singletons, free-love fundamentalists, neurologists, psychologists and romance novelists. Matt is currently with the monks in Mount Athos, to see if they have any answers. Basically, as we enter a period of our lives where we’re arguing about limescale remover, we want to know if there is such a thing as ‘happily ever after’, and whether we have any chance of getting there. And, as we reach the end, we'll have some questions for you, too @papa_pukka @panmacmillan @bluebirdbooksforlife @abigailbergstrom #wheresmyhappyending #happyendings #internationaldayofhappiness #february2020
    6K+ 265
    We have some NEWS: we've nearly finished our second book and it’s called ‘Where's My Happy Ending?’ What's it about? Well, they say your wedding day is the happiest day of your life, but if that’s true, it’s all downhill from the moment you’ve cut the cake. We wanted to know what to do once you think you’ve found 'the one' (or the two, or decided you don’t need anyone at all). So we went to ask people – a former sex worker and her gigolo husband, multiple divorcees and devoted singletons, free-love fundamentalists, neurologists, psychologists and romance novelists. Matt is currently with the monks in Mount Athos, to see if they have any answers. Basically, as we enter a period of our lives where we’re arguing about limescale remover, we want to know if there is such a thing as ‘happily ever after’, and whether we have any chance of getting there. And, as we reach the end, we'll have some questions for you, too @papa_pukka @panmacmillan @bluebirdbooksforlife @abigailbergstrom #wheresmyhappyending #happyendings #internationaldayofhappiness #february2020
  • AD | I bloody love @thebodycoach, I bloody love @zoehardman. Chuck in some @goustocooking 10-minute veggie curry and I am DONE @thisisheart #heartcookingwithgousto #thisisheart #thebodycoach #ad **to watch the full video go to heart.co.uk**
    1K+ 50
    AD | I bloody love @thebodycoach, I bloody love @zoehardman. Chuck in some @goustocooking 10-minute veggie curry and I am DONE @thisisheart #heartcookingwithgousto #thisisheart #thebodycoach #ad **to watch the full video go to heart.co.uk**
  • Yesterday I spoke to @itvnews regions and @skynews about crippling childcare costs. About the fact that the 18th March was the day that parents in the UK only just started to make money after childcare bills are paid for the year. About the fact that words like ‘children are a life choice’ are fairly binary, unhelpful and come from those who seem to have forgotten where they came from. About the fact 80%* of you feel your current income won’t/doesn’t cover childcare and living within your means. As the most expensive childcare system in the world (for those not on benefits) many are not living but surviving day-to-day, hour-to-hour in a bid to raise the next generation. And many of us - mainly women - are falling through the employment cracks as you end up essentially paying to go to work. Paying to have someone else look after your child. And those we are paying to look after our children are buckling (1 in 4 nursery workers wants to quit due to stress and low pay) under the weight of this clunking system that needs more than a good oiling. The government needs to invest in childcare as it does in men’s jobs. The government needs to listen to @pregnant_then_screwed who is on a mission to get free childcare for all from 9 months. Businesses need to be flexible to ensure top talent doesn’t disperse as soon as nursery pick-ups are on the table. While taxes are much higher, my friend has just moved to Sweden where her childcare is capped at £134 per month, per child. When I quit my job because it wasn’t financially viable, we were paying £1,300 per month, per child. You do do the maths #childcare #flexappeal *research from @linkedin and Centaur taken from 4,000 parents. **This Thursday I’ll be interviewing the journalist and author @annieridout at @phloxbooks where we will be talking about childcare, inflexibility in the workforce and the pressures of working around 👶🏻. Ticket link is in my bio** 📷 @emilygrayphoto
    6K+ 204
    Yesterday I spoke to @itvnews regions and @skynews about crippling childcare costs. About the fact that the 18th March was the day that parents in the UK only just started to make money after childcare bills are paid for the year. About the fact that words like ‘children are a life choice’ are fairly binary, unhelpful and come from those who seem to have forgotten where they came from. About the fact 80%* of you feel your current income won’t/doesn’t cover childcare and living within your means. As the most expensive childcare system in the world (for those not on benefits) many are not living but surviving day-to-day, hour-to-hour in a bid to raise the next generation. And many of us - mainly women - are falling through the employment cracks as you end up essentially paying to go to work. Paying to have someone else look after your child. And those we are paying to look after our children are buckling (1 in 4 nursery workers wants to quit due to stress and low pay) under the weight of this clunking system that needs more than a good oiling. The government needs to invest in childcare as it does in men’s jobs. The government needs to listen to @pregnant_then_screwed who is on a mission to get free childcare for all from 9 months. Businesses need to be flexible to ensure top talent doesn’t disperse as soon as nursery pick-ups are on the table. While taxes are much higher, my friend has just moved to Sweden where her childcare is capped at £134 per month, per child. When I quit my job because it wasn’t financially viable, we were paying £1,300 per month, per child. You do do the maths #childcare #flexappeal *research from @linkedin and Centaur taken from 4,000 parents. **This Thursday I’ll be interviewing the journalist and author @annieridout at @phloxbooks where we will be talking about childcare, inflexibility in the workforce and the pressures of working around 👶🏻. Ticket link is in my bio** 📷 @emilygrayphoto
  • Today I’ll be on @itvnews talking about childcare costs in the UK. About a system that prices people out of procreation 👶🏻👀, a system that has people paying to go to work after childcare. (I earned £26.50 a week after paying for one child in 2015). A system that drives those caring for our 👶🏻 into the ground (1 in 4 nursery workers is considering quitting based on stress levels and low income*). I am not a childcare expert, I am not an Early Years spokesperson, I am a hacked off mother who feels the current system is pushing/ shoving women out of work (my husband was earning more than me - The Gender Pay Gap often ensures that is so - and I ended up quitting my job not him when we worked out it made no financial sense for us both to stay in employment when we had 👶🏻). I’m speaking as a mother who wants to know why a system meant to support basic life functions (birth) isn’t even close to offering up a helping hand. A system that isn’t working - or, at the very least, allowing us to work #childcare #flexappeal #itvnews *Early Years Alliance 📷 @emilygrayphoto **the news will now be focused on the devastating Utrecht terror attacks with this segment being rescheduled to later today.**
    8K+ 708
    Today I’ll be on @itvnews talking about childcare costs in the UK. About a system that prices people out of procreation 👶🏻👀, a system that has people paying to go to work after childcare. (I earned £26.50 a week after paying for one child in 2015). A system that drives those caring for our 👶🏻 into the ground (1 in 4 nursery workers is considering quitting based on stress levels and low income*). I am not a childcare expert, I am not an Early Years spokesperson, I am a hacked off mother who feels the current system is pushing/ shoving women out of work (my husband was earning more than me - The Gender Pay Gap often ensures that is so - and I ended up quitting my job not him when we worked out it made no financial sense for us both to stay in employment when we had 👶🏻). I’m speaking as a mother who wants to know why a system meant to support basic life functions (birth) isn’t even close to offering up a helping hand. A system that isn’t working - or, at the very least, allowing us to work #childcare #flexappeal #itvnews *Early Years Alliance 📷 @emilygrayphoto **the news will now be focused on the devastating Utrecht terror attacks with this segment being rescheduled to later today.**
  • #theyareus #christchurch #newzealandterrorattacks please follow @standforhumanity (watch her insta stories ‘respecting this space’ before doing so; she does not want DMs from here) and @whattheschujj (she has a private account so you need to read her blog before following). **The comments have been closed because this is not a post for debate or discussion but to focus on the horrific events that have happened in New Zealand and sending love to those affected. Thank you for respecting that**
    2K+ 36
    #theyareus #christchurch #newzealandterrorattacks please follow @standforhumanity (watch her insta stories ‘respecting this space’ before doing so; she does not want DMs from here) and @whattheschujj (she has a private account so you need to read her blog before following). **The comments have been closed because this is not a post for debate or discussion but to focus on the horrific events that have happened in New Zealand and sending love to those affected. Thank you for respecting that**