Mum's The Word! The Parenting Podcast - The Queen of Mum Hacks - with Emily Norris

Episode Date: February 26, 2024

On This Week's Mum's The Word:Georgia Jones is joined by Emily Norris to chat all about her brand new book 'Things I Wish I'd Known: My hacks for a tidy home, happy kids and a calmer you'They'll Discuss:Emily's best 'Mum Hacks'Is having a routine one of the most important things as a mum?Why everyone researches about being pregnant but no one prepares for the realities of parentingGet In Contact With Us:Do you have a question for us? Get in touch on our Whatsapp, that's 07599927537 or email us at [e-mail] for Listening---A Create Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome back to Mums of Word, the parenting podcast. I'm Georgia Jones and I'm your host for this week. Now this week, Cooper really, really surprised me. So he was in his room playing happily and I was downstairs and he came down and it was only not until the evening that I'd gone back into his room and realized that he had done a full-blown declutter tidy. He'd lined up all his teddies, he'd made his bed, he'd dressed up one of his teddies with a hat and a little outfit and honestly I don't know what it was that made him do it. There was no treat that was happening, he wasn't in trouble, I don't know what it was that made him do it. There was no treat that was happening. He wasn't in trouble. I don't know whether he just thought it would make me happy

or whether he sees me being quite into my cleaning and tidiness. And he is going that way too, which leads me into who our next guest is. Ties in very well. So on the podcast today is mum of three emily norris now emily became well known first on youtube and then instagram for her no nonsense hacks to make life easier and her down-to-earth approach on parenting she is so fabulous to watch her book things i wish i'd known my hacks a Tiny Home, Happy Kids and a Calmer You,

became a bestseller and has earned her the nickname Queen of Mothering Hacks. So hopefully, Emily's going to be sharing some of her best tips with us today. Emily, welcome to Mums the Word. So your book is available to pre-order now, isn't it? Yes, yes. And it's out on the 7th of March. Yes, just before Mother's Day. Oh, perfect timing.

Yeah, that was the plan. Yeah, so any dads that are listening or any other partners that are listening and you want to get the mum of the family a nice little present, now they know what to get them. Yeah, amazing. And I've got my own copy here. Yay. Yeah, I tried to make it like a very aesthetically pleasing looking book. Yes. present now they know what to get them yeah amazing and i've got my own copy here yay yeah

i tried to make it like a very aesthetically pleasing looking book yes because i really want it to like sit on everyone's shelf or coffee table i was just about to say that it's a good coffee table yes put a little plant on top yeah yeah was we were looking at like really colorful things and i was like i just really want it to go with my interiors. So, but obviously, I obviously want people to use it a lot as well. There's so many tips inside it. So I really hope it will be like a helpful book. So what does it consist of?

Because I actually just looked in it then and I saw a recipe, which I didn't realise there'd be recipes in there. Yeah, there's quite a lot in there. So we did like hacks, which sort of I'm best known for on YouTube. And then I did habits as well, because I feel like those like strategies and things you put in place like your routine is also so important as a mom sort of like running your day to day. But then I sort of was led a little bit by how well the videos do on YouTube,

like what people are really searching for. So included like 25 recipes I even included like elf on the shelf ideas you know like literally whatever people really like to see I thought I'll include it in the book I saw something on your Instagram actually and it was um I think it was a collaboration you've done with somebody but it was printouts that you created that and one of them was printouts of elf on the shelf ideas which next year I shall be finding yeah scrolling back unless you do it again so maybe do that yeah and finding them because I didn't really I didn't know you had that and I was like oh my god I wish I'd have seen Emily's elf on the shelf ideas because honestly that that little elf is the burn of my life I know it's such a killer and like I make YouTube videos of like ideas and the first time I put it out, I felt really silly.

And then there was like 3 million views. Like, you know, everyone just needs those ideas. It's quite difficult every day to think of something. Yeah. This is the thing. And this is why I think you've been so successful with your YouTube channel and Instagram and book. Is that it's things that you might think when you're doing them, when you're filming them. Who's going to even care how to, I don't know, load a dishwasher correctly or how to like make a fun snack for, you know, the kids on Valentine's Day, which I've seen on your Instagram.

Not stalked you, asshole. But people love it because the thing is, a lot of the time as a parent, you don't have the time or the energy or the mental capacity to actually think of these ideas yeah you're doing it for us yeah it's almost like the simpler the tip the better sometimes I think oh this is too easy to share or you always think your own life's super boring but then if you were to explain your routine to a friend they might think oh that's actually really interesting I'm going to try that for dinner I'm going to try doing bath time at that time so I think we all think we're boring but actually the very simple tips that I share are definitely the most loved yeah it's funny it's funny because you you do like there was something that got posted a while

ago on social media and it was someone making fun of you know how when we walk across the road and if a car lets us go across the road we walk really fast or do a little run just so we look like the best road crosser ever and like when you do it you actually think that to yourself like oh my god i must run across just so i'm a really good girl and i am quick yeah and you would never say it out loud to anyone and then when somebody says it on social media you're like oh my god yes oh my gosh I know I saw one the other day and it was like I don't know who needs to hear this but you can throw your iphone case away like your box and I was like I've got like three upstairs I swear to god I saw that yesterday actually I was like why is it why is our

generation just incapable of throwing the boxes away I know it's so true I think we think it adds value to the old such a nice box you're like oh I don't want to throw it yeah I said earlier on to you that I think you're the one of the YouTube OGs I love having the OGs on because I'm like yeah well done you guys for for creating like a such an incredible platform and also sticking to it and and continuing it on as a career so you've got three boys yes ages also I've got a teenager now oh my gosh officially 13 yeah and then I know I've got 10 year old and a seven year old right he's closer to Cooper's age yeah yeah six yeah so at what point in your parenting journey did you go I know what I'm going to do I'm going to help other parents out and share tips and hacks and yeah well it was actually

like looking back I think I was actually just really lonely and sad on maternity leave yeah because I'd had one child and he was nearly three And then I'd had another new baby and I was on maternity leave again. All my family live in Canada. That's where I'm originally from. So I didn't sort of have that support system. I was the first to have a baby out of all my friends, all my family. And all of a sudden, it's like really isolating in those early days. And then my three-year-old started watching like Peppa Pig and things on YouTube.

And then I'd get recommended like pregnancy videos or mother mums. And I was like, oh my gosh, I could, you know, do that. It's like a really fun, creative hobby idea. I didn't tell anyone I was going to do it. I just upload them and not say anything. And then it was literally just so basic in the beginning. I'd literally be like, this is why I'm feeding my baby today. That would be the whole video.

But they were the things like when I was going through the thick of it, and I agree with you, I felt really, really lonely. Not quite the same, but all our family are up north. Yeah, so it is. You can't meet for a coffee. No, exactly. I can't go, oh, because you just told the baby what I was to have a half an hour nap or a shower, wash my hair.

And yeah, the loneliness, and they are the things you google you a lot of youtube you go what can i feed my baby today yeah what purers can i make what you know and you do you do and that's why it's so so incredible what you do because it's like a little lifeline for mums that are just you know they're low ebbs and tired and need a bit of help. Yeah, definitely. And actually, some of the comments, people will say, oh, I feel like I've just caught up with a friend. So, you know, when you are stuck at home with your baby,

you could almost like watch a video and feel like we've had a chat or, you know. But for me, I think I was also making the content that I needed. And I think this book is very much like the book I wish I had been given 13 years ago because when I was pregnant I did all this research and reading about the birth alone and none about what I then had to do after that so I was like clueless. So true like I read so many books about being pregnant. Yes. The first six weeks of a newborn baby um and that was about it and there was nothing nothing on you might feel a bit shit after you've had a baby or you might not connect to this baby or if you need a bit of help with you know what to what to cook them what

they're allowed to eat all these things go here like there was none of that no I really felt like thrown into the deep end you know it's almost like you started this new job you know nothing about you've got to run this business and you you don't have a clue so yeah so I felt a little bit lost so I feel like actually I probably made the content I actually needed so if my baby was teething I'd research all the products I'd try them all out and then I'd like share my findings yeah and I'd say this really worked with him and and then people loved it and started following and engaging and then that community sort of became my support network I always say that about mine yeah and

it's really nice I think as long as the correct people follow you and you follow the correct people on social media I think it can be a really nice place yes and it upsets me sometimes when certain people will be talk about it quite negatively and I'm like well you clearly aren't you know surrounding yourself with the right network yeah absolutely I think it can just be that supportive community or I sometimes share something that I would feel like I'm sure I'm the only one that feels like this and then you know 50,000 people be like oh my gosh I'm exactly the same and then you feel so validated yeah in your feelings um but yeah obviously there are some topics you talk about like maybe sleep that you know can be very controversial yes yeah yeah well

the thing is everyone's got different opinions on sleep like co-sleep to co-sleep or not to co-sleep yeah and everyone's got different babies exactly so different yeah like and that's the thing like i know quite a few people that co-sleep but that puts the fear of god into me because number one i think i'd be far too anxious just to sleep full stop if i had a baby in the bed with me yeah number two cooper hated it yeah like i did try a few times i was like oh come for a little snuggle in the bed with me we can maybe both fall asleep and have a nap together yeah not a chance no it's like well whilst mummy was there cooper was purely playing yeah that was it exactly and like you just have to do what works for you exactly in your family and just go with your gut

so i like to think or hopefully some of the you know tips or information I'm giving like just take it how you you know it's at the end of the day it's down to you people can give you advice and you can nod and smile and then just walk away do what you think because that's what's gonna work do you ever because I was thinking this when I was looking at all your stuff I was like how is Emily coming up with all these like ideas do you ever have like um writer's blocks not quite the right word but writer's block for creating yes creative block definitely and it's definitely in line with my cycle is it interesting oh my gosh do you know what i need to start yeah paying attention to that because i wonder what because sometimes i am

literally just brain fog yeah I'm like I'm like I'm rubbish I know nothing who do I think I am like all of that the week former period imposter syndrome yeah but then in those middle two weeks that's when I should bulk film right that's when I should be on my creative like get it all out though it's funny I've sort of learned that over the years yeah sometimes I definitely struggle or I'll think do I do I really know anything but then again I think even if I just share my day people get tips from that or a little bit of inspiration sometimes the videos actually motivate me because people love these cleaning videos oh my gosh that is my kryptonite honestly

cleaning videos make my mouth water I watched one of yours and it was the simplest thing that you did it was basically you put your toilet brush after you clean the toilet to dry off in between the toilet and the toilet lid and i was like that's genius i love that like why why would we never have thought of this and that's the thing like i always feel like when you're tired and your brain's full of everything you've got to do for your children and whatever and work is that you don't think of the simplest solutions to things yeah definitely it's like yeah it makes so much sense that would be how you could dry off a toilet brush so there's not all exactly you don't get all that water yeah in the pot yeah I actually

just threw my toilet brush away and i don't yeah scrub now and then throw that away which is really really terrible for the environment um so i'm gonna be doing that from now on i'm gonna go purchase a toilet brush after this episode and then there was another one oh which was brilliant because when you've got a child, especially of a certain age, when they get like five plus, there's a lot of technology that needs charging. Yes. And you have just had your kitchen done, haven't you? Oh, yes. And you have a charging drawer.

Yeah, it's amazing. This is just the best thing in the world. So there's plugs in that drawer and then you can plug everything into charge and it's all just hidden away. Yes, because we've been renovating for three years and we had this like beautiful new kitchen and then every day would come down and there would be like an ipad charging a phone a watch as they get older it just gets more yeah and i was like this is driving me insane and we were having another uh cupboard built and so yeah we put two charging stations and it's amazing for my laptops for just anything and also you always like need charge don't you yeah it's been such a game changer oh it's such a great idea

yeah i mean i love it but going back to the cleaning video i was like oh my gosh they just make my mouth water i've just followed another girl i think she's like based in america i don't know where she gets how her house gets so dirty when she does all this cleaning because her house is filthy. Oh, really? Yeah. Unless she's going around to other people's house, I'm sure it's her own house. Yeah. But honestly, just seeing that transformation, there's something just so therapeutic about it for me.

Yeah. This is like a large percentage of the population that feel this way. Yeah, I think so. Because it's funny. One of my followers, this was 10 years ago, requested an evening routine, like cleaning evening routine. Just cleaning. I was like, how strange. Okay, I'll do it though. Because at that point, you just, you know, your followers have the best ideas.

Yeah. So I did that and it just blew up. Did it? Literally. So then the next time I did a morning cleaning routine, just the five things I do every morning. Yeah. And people just love it. I think it's like, it's so transformational because you see how bad it is and you see how, you know, quickly it's lovely again.

But it also gives people ideas of products and routines. Like every night before bed, I clean the kitchen sink. Oh, do you? Because like for me, I just feel like right the kitchen is closed it's official nobody touch anything and I can now sit on the couch and chill and especially with the boys now they're getting older I have to give them like a good 10 minute warning you know all snacks need to be eaten and um just little things like that so people think oh I'm gonna do that or you just get ideas from it. But yeah, people seem to love the cleaning content.

Yeah. So I struggle with when I've tidied the kitchen because I do a kitchen reset on an evening. I just feel like then when I come down on a morning, it's a lot more relaxing start to the day rather than like, oh, God, I've got to clean this entire kitchen. It gets messy so quickly as well, doesn't it? Like, especially with a kid and husband that can't load a dishwasher properly and likes to use every utensil in the kitchen and every surface when he cooks. I mean, hats off to him. He's a cracking cook and he is really the cook.

I mean, he did MasterChef, Celebrity MasterChef. Oh, wow. So now he is like head chef in the kitchen. I lost my confidence. I actually lost my cooking confidence. Cooking confidence because he's now so good. I'm like, I'll just make a good spag bol and that's about it. But yeah, so I'll reset.

But I really struggle if then somebody comes into the kitchen. Yeah. Normally Danny wants Coop to come to bed. It makes a mess. Yeah. And I find it really hard not to get annoyed. Yeah, I know. I'm like, this is officially closed for the day.

What are you doing? Don't touch it. Yeah. Why are you chopping a lemon on the work surface and just leaving it there? And now it's sticky. Yeah. It's not helpful. No.

Yeah. And now it's sticky. Yeah. It's not helpful. No. Yeah. The Motherkind podcast explores how to feel happier, more confident and empowered in your motherhood,

even in our world of pressure, judgment and comparison. I'm your host, Zoe Blaski. And every week I speak to an incredible expert to share actionable steps and powerful lessons to living your life as a mother with more joy and unapologetic confidence. Listen wherever you get your podcasts, just search Motherkind. so out of your um out of your videos that you post what would you say is the kind of topic that goes most like viral that goes is most popular yeah i think mum hacks has been a really big one for me i put my first mum hack video out in 2014 so it's 10 years ago and straight away like the views and the comments that people love just learning like a new nugget of information so they do really well newborn hacks was a big one summer

hacks travel hacks all of those like if i if i post a video about what i pack and my kids carry on you always have millions of views because people like i think you get anxious about travel as well yeah so you're like how can i make this experience a little bit easier? What should I pack? So they'll watch that video. So those kinds of things do very well. But then also in the early days, like breastfeeding tips and things of that nature, weaning was a big one.

I think all of those new stages that are difficult to navigate or they just want to hear someone else's experience people have a birth story all of that does yeah do you ever find you get any negativity with any of the stuff you post um sometimes like I said there's some you know controversial things like sleep uh with my first son I really struggled with his sleep and I think I was a first time mom he had a little bit of reflux with his sleep. And I think I was a first-time mom. He had a little bit of reflux. I found it very difficult.

So I think at nine months, I decided to go down the self-settling route. But obviously that, yeah. Oh, yeah. That can, you know. Yeah. Bring up a lot of people having opinions on that. Absolutely. Yeah.

But it worked for you, right? Oh, it worked really well. And for me, I was like, oh, I was at breaking point. You know when you're just like deliriously tired? Yeah. But it worked for you, right? Oh, it worked really well. And for me, I was like, oh, I was at breaking point. You know when you're just like deliriously tired? Yeah, I googled how long I had left to live. That's how deliriously tired I was. And apparently I had 11 hours, I think it was. Oh, stop.

Yeah, I was near death. Because you were literally just not sleeping. Because I hadn't had any sleep. I hadn't slept. Oh, God, Cooper was a bad sleeper. Yeah, well, so was my first. And part of me thinks, was it me or was it him? Because I didn't have a clue sleep. Oh, my God. Oh, God, Cooper was a bad sleeper. Yeah, well, so was my first. And part of me thinks, was it me or was it him? Because I didn't have a clue what I was doing.

Yeah. So I was just letting him fall asleep on me. And then he was waking up going, where is she? Yes. So it was me. And then obviously with my other two children, I just put them down sleepy but awake. Yeah. And it was, you know, life changing.

Whereas with my first, I was getting up every two hours and I was just like on my knees so yeah I think some topics like that but on the whole people are pretty nice and supportive I think as well a lot of people kind of went with that with like the cleaning side of things because I found myself doing it of watching something and going how how is our house so clean like and then I and then I catch myself and I'm like, no, you're just jealous because our house is so clean. It's not, I'm not going, like, I don't like this person because our house is so clean. I'm just jealous that mine isn't the same.

Yes, definitely. And that I haven't thought to do that. And it's interesting, like, I think you've done it and I've seen it on a few other people as well. It's like, just something as simple as doing a drawer a day you know clearing out a drawer yes like on one day and then you've done that job and then all they eventually add up but I think it's so easy to get yourself into like a bit of a rut where you go well there's so much to do I'm not going to do any of it yeah because I don't know where to start yeah it's like really overwhelming and then you procrastinate yes i loved it this time of year

like we're spring cleanings coming up to do like a declutter challenge which is exactly what you just said so you know every day you're going to do one small thing each day and then at the end of the month you've accomplished so much yeah but you've only dedicated like 10 minutes a day to it and that's it and like literally one shelf in But you've only dedicated like 10 minutes a day to it. And that's it. And like literally one shelf in a cupboard would probably only take 10 minutes. Yes. I've not got Cooper here at the moment. And my thought is that I'm going to clear the attic out.

Oh, my gosh. That's like the worst job ever. Honestly, I have no idea what is up there. I mean, I cannot need anything that is in that attic because that has been up there for i would say seven years yeah and and but the problem is and i don't know whether people listening agree is that when you bring everything out and you're like oh right well i need to get rid of that i need to take that to the tip i need to take that to the charity shop i need to do all this then your house suddenly becomes such a mess. Yeah. It's like, oh, no, I don't want to do it because it is a lot worse

before it gets any better, isn't it? Yeah, it's like a huge thing then. Everything's going to be everywhere. Yeah, you might have to dedicate some time to that. Oh, I hate. The attic is horrible and our garage is awful. One year for Father's Day, I cleared out the whole garage. My husband went away on a stag do.

Oh, my gosh. And I was like, he's very much like, you know, have you heard about love languages? Yeah. It's love languages, acts of service. So if I was like, buy him a nice gift or cook him and I don't know, he just wouldn't care. Yeah. So I was like, I'm going to clear out the garage. And it was the best gift he'd ever been given.

But it took me like three days. That is absolutely incredible. I once did that. best gift he'd ever been given but it took me like three days that is absolutely incredible i once did that i once changed a room into like like an actual boy den for danny this was this was before we had cooper when i had energy and time and and um yeah i think it was one of his favorite things i've ever done um yeah yeah i think he's a bit of an active service person as well yeah yeah and do you have any uh tips for the old attic clear out is there anything you would do you would do have you heard

of like swedish death cleaning no well i heard about this concept and i was like it's actually such a good idea so in sweden they clean like they're gonna die and then their children are going to have to do this oh my gosh yeah it's a great idea it'd be slightly morbid but a great idea i know it's so morbid but then it is actually really kind because you're thinking i don't want my family and friends to have to do this so i literally just need to get rid of everything that they're gonna have to get rid of yeah they're gonna look at and go like literally why did mum keep this yeah don't need your like art gcse paintings like or whatever it's in the loft that's so funny one of my friends showed me all their art gcse paintings yesterday oh stop yeah so funny and he was showing them made them really proud he like, this is really good, isn't it? I was like, frame it.

Yeah, he went, I think I'm going to frame this one. I was like, are you? I was like, you're definitely not going to get a girlfriend if you do that, but okay. Oh my gosh. You could almost think of it that way. That's what came to mind when you said, you know, how am I going to clean this out? Yeah, yeah. Okay.

That's how I'm going to do it. Yeah. That's it. That's how I'm going to do it. Thanks, Emily. I really appreciate that. I just was wondering how you balance the online stuff of, you know, all the hacks and everything with parenting.

Do you ever get that crossover where your kids are like, mum, I can't be bothered to be in a video. I don't want to do this. Because I get it. I get it now. Yeah. Well, it's funny because obviously i started when they were very little so in a way they actually don't really know that difference it's kind of like been since birth for my second and third yeah so

me having a camera in my hand is very natural for them but i always have been quite mindful that i want the channel to be more me than them because about five years ago all these family channels were blowing up on YouTube and I probably you know could have gone the family route and it'd been you know a big success but I just knew that one day you know I'm gonna have teenagers I do have one now they might turn around and be like I don't want to be in your silly video you know it's embarrassing then so I've tried to always keep it very much about me in front of the camera and then if it's a holiday vlog or a day in the life they might act it's actually at the point where I need to stop them so much being on the camera they just love it I love that when they go to that stage

of just wanting to be on the camera you're like you're not you're not in this bit I don't want you in this bit yeah like my youngest he tells everyone he's a youtuber oh my gosh that's adorable i suppose he is but they love it at the moment but i've always had the idea that you know they won't love it forever so yeah i think like go for it whilst they're still enjoying it just just like like do it yeah and we've not really touched on kind of your parenting journey. Obviously, having three boys is full on. You're a boy and mum. Yes. They are boisterous, to say the least, especially when there's three of them.

Yes. How's your journey been? Have you found it tricky or easy? I've always been quite a maternal person. Even when I was young, you know, would always knew that I wanted to be a mum like I would have found out on our first date if Matt was interested in having kids I'm sure yeah you know it was like my top priority yeah so I was always like so excited to be a parent but then obviously being a parent is completely different and like you say three boys it's

really full-on like they've just got so much energy so many people say to me that if they have girls go oh you're so lucky boys are so much easier and i i look around and i think are you kidding me like one's on the kitchen island one's like hanging off the chandelier yeah you're like really but um but then in a way i think they they can be quite simple creatures in that like you know if if my kids are fed and they've been outside for like a really long run around, they're pretty happy. But I think early on, I found routines because it was a way for me, like, clawing back a little bit of control. So I found the early days of motherhood, like, quite difficult. But as soon as I started a routine, I just felt better that I knew what was going on my baby was happier so

yeah routines for me really did help I know that's not for everyone but for me I was like I just need you know I went from being like a bit of an organized person to life just being so chaotic and yeah you know you have to really lower your expectations I think we were very similar in that in that sense because I'm the same like everything had a place in my home prior to having a child and I always knew where everything was everything was always like spotless and I remember all my friends and family saying George you know it's like this is going to be tricky when you have a baby you're going to be doing like seven rounds of washing a day there's going to be stuff everywhere and I was like no it won't I will everything will have its place everything will have its order and then I had Cooper and I was

like okay yeah and actually it was quite I found it quite difficult to be out of control in that way yes so did I yeah and I did everything to try and prep for that like I had meals in the freezer and things like that. But you just, you can't imagine how much is going to completely change everything. Yeah. And yeah, I think for me at the beginning, it was quite difficult. And I was sort of like seeking that perfection. Like if friends would come over to see the new baby, I would be like up making the tea

and getting the biscuits and like trying to, you know, everything great. And then when I had my second and third, I was like, you you know what if there's a massive pile of clean laundry in the laundry room that I'm choosing my clothes from every day yeah that's absolutely fine yeah like I'd rather I think that's it as well it's like the um you know the way you look to everybody else because if you've been a certain way and I felt the same as you is that if you've been a certain way and everyone you almost feel like everyone expects that to be the way you're going to be so I felt so much pressure and also like I hated it when someone would come around to my house and it wasn't how they've always seen it totally wasn't

how they always expect it and how Georgia has her house and that's how it's always been yes and I really struggled with that and I almost didn't want people to come around I was like they're gonna see yes the imperfect me but actually I've done a lot of work on this in therapy because I've got this like child mentality of wanting to keep things like it perfect you know like a perfect little house and everything's neat and everything's tidy when actually when you become a parent or even if you're not a parent, just life sometimes when you're busy. Yeah. You can't.

You can't be that perfect person all the time. Totally. But you can do things that might help, which is what you look. Yes, yes. So these are like the strategies and things that I've put in place that have actually made a difference or helped. So like, you know, meal planning, meal prepping, batch cooking, all those. There's just ideas in there that you can try. But definitely when I became a mom, I quickly, well, I actually didn't feel better until I lowered my standards.

Until I was like, you know what, you know, for the next 10 years, I am not going to have a very clean house. And actually now we're kind of on the other side of it. We sold our big, ugly, gray couch recently. And we've got a cream couch. And I actually cried so much where we lost that horrible there's probably things growing on it but that horrible yeah that horrible couch because I was like this is literally the end of you know yeah you know the very young years like it's done I have a beautiful cream sofa and I'm just sad about it now so I totally understand that you know we're similar we've got like this awful leather sofa and I'm just sad about it now. I totally understand that.

You know, we're similar. We've got like this awful leather sofa. And you know when something, as you've had something for so long, the bit you sit on is a completely different colour to the bit that isn't ever seen to the world. Like the underneath of the cushion. I'm like, wow, is that the colour my sofa used to be? And like there's water stains and everything.

But I'm quite attached to it. Because like all these little stains have everything but i'm quite attached to it because like all these little stains have been made hopefully all of them yeah some some of them maybe not made by cooper yeah like they were from you know i'm sitting on there with his water and it's leaked or like having a snack and he smudged it into the sofa and yeah um which god before i had him if somebody said to me i'm going to put a child on your sofa and it's good he's going to leak water on it and he's also going to potentially eat some food on there there'll be crumbs I would have been like absolutely not I will not allow that in my

house and now I'm like yeah it's fine exactly the same anything for an easy life sometimes and then like you know when they're poorly yeah you just want to cuddle yeah you're like do you know what you sit on that sofa yeah have some toast yeah and if all you can manage today is toast on a sofa I'll let you have that yeah so just to go back to your book a little bit more is there like chapters on different things then yes yes so like I said I sort of looked through my youtube channel I was like what do people really love and what do they search so there's a chapter on? So there's a chapter on home hacks. There's a chapter on food, meal planning, recipes, that kind of thing. There's things for school-age children, for babies, a lot on travel. There's like checklists so you could just easily, you know,

pick it up off the shelf and be like, what should I actually pack for our holiday? That's all in there. Christmas hacks, there's literally so much but at first it was going to be very much just a mum hacks book but then i was like actually the habits side of things is as important because they're the things that you can use every day that can actually just make your life a little bit easier um like we were saying about takes you five minutes to clear out a drawer like i've put in like the five minute rule or you know the one touch method things like that that just might stick in your head and when you're

going about your day-to-day you might think oh I'm gonna you know do that thing that Emily said yeah but totally like I actually cannot wait to read it I'm so excited because I'm going to start reading it on my tube journey home because what I normally do is just scroll on my phone. I always think to myself, I must bring a book in my bag with me. Yeah. And now I've got one. Yay. So, yeah, I'm going to start reading this.

I can't wait. And I'll let everybody know what I think. Oh, thank you so much. Which I'm sure will be this wonderful. So, for anybody that would like to purchase this, where can... I know it's pre-order. So, where do we go? Yeah.

So, it's on Amazon, Waterstones, and the bookshop, I think. So, yeah, it's pre-order. So where do we go? Yeah. So it's on Amazon, Waterstones and the bookshop, I think. So yeah, it's available in all those places. I'm actually doing a signing as well. Oh, are you? In Lakeside. Yeah, I'm so excited. That's amazing. And there's a few tickets left.

And when's that? That is the 9th of March. Oh, 9th of March. Right before Mother's Day. Perfect. Yeah. Oh, I'm sure there'll be queues coming out of the shop. I don't know.

Yeah, no, I reckon there will be. We're selling tickets because I was like, I just need to know someone's coming. Yeah, yeah, I just need to be aware that someone's going to come. Oh my God, the most devastating thing if nobody turned up. I know. It would just be so bad. I know. But well done you. Well done for putting all your amazing knowledge

on all of this and all these hacks into a book for people. Thank you so much. And it's lovely that you have used your knowledge to help other mums. And I wish I'd have had things out. I wish I'd have known that this book was coming out. Yeah, exactly. I wish it had come out when I was in my early days of parenting.

But I'm sure there's stuff that I can use now in six-year-old age of parenting. Yes, there's so much like homework, meals. Oh, great. Yeah, homework. That's another story. Yeah. Anyway, Emily, thank you so much for coming on. It has been wonderful talking to you.

Oh, thanks so much for having me. Thanks for listening to Mum's the word the parenting podcast make sure to hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode we'll be back with another episode same time same place next week