The Patchwork Family

How to hold it together ... even if it feels like everything is falling apart.

Welcome to the rollercoaster of family life - the parts nobody talks about, the 'wow' moments, the mistakes, tears, tantrums and triumphs. This book is about the stuff we don't teach our kids in school, how to have heartbreaking conversations and healing from being broken. It's the book I wish I had been able to read to know things will be OK.

I'm sharing my mad, patchwork family to help you - maybe to laugh at my fails, manage teenagers pushing boundaries (good luck with that!) or find a little strength to get you through the day. I was once a single mum alone in a flat with two tiny babies coming to terms with domestic abuse; now I'm a parent and step-parent in a chaotic family of eight with a whole bunch of new challenges, standing up for survivors and with hundreds of thousands of followers in the Part-Time Working Mummy community.

This is real, messy life, usually unseen and full of baggage. It'll never be perfect but it's magic and it's mine. Laugh, cry, scream and enjoy it all with me.