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Cathy Ranson

Cathy Ranson

Rants and raves: I'm pro breastfeeding

A LITTLE later than I'd originally planned, but Sunshine Magazine is finally back from the printers today and winging its way around the streets of Hillingdon.Read

Rants and raves: The world stops in Uxbridge while men sit glued to the box

MY WORLD Cup widowhood started this week. The beers are in the fridge, the wallchart is up and copious amounts of salty snacks are available to feed the troops. The world stops in Uxbridge for the foreseeable future, while the man and boy in my house sit glued to the box.Read

Rants and raves: Girlie weekend in Devon

A FEW bottles of wine, great food, girlie movies, plenty of chocolate, home-made cake, on-tap beauty treatments and not a husband or child in sight for three whole days. That's my idea of a blissful weekend. After major childcare negotiations with otherRead

Rants and raves: Whiplash from Wii

I HAVE had two 21st century injuries this week, ones that would never have happened when I was a child, or in our parents' generation.Read

Rants and raves: Brave moves in the salon

IT'S a brave woman who walks into a hairdresser's they haven't ever been to and says to the person who is about to take scissors to their hair: 'Do whatever you like.' But this is exactly what I did last week.Read

Rants and raves: make your vote count,

I DON'T know about election fever - I feel like I have election fatigue. Usually I don't give elections much thought and cast my vote as I usually do, but this time is different. This election has been dubbed 'the mums' election', and each party is courting us on websites such as www.netmums.com and www.mumsnet.com, as we are likely to swing the result - like the so-called 'soccer moms' who influenced the outcome of the US presidential races.Read

Rants and raves: Back to the grindstone

WELL, it's back to the grind of packed lunch making, uniform organising and school run dashing this week. Roll on the next school holidays I say. The highlight of the break was a birthday bowling party at All Star Lanes and our trip to Kew Gardens. Kew looked amazing, with daffodils everywhere, it was a lovely hot day and we spent the whole time outside enjoying the gardens.Read

Rants and raves: A diet that doesn't leave you wanting to chew your arm off

YIPPEE! I've managed to avoid Alex's sweetie tin and polishing off his leftovers for another week, and coupled with a week on the fabulous Bodychef diet, the scales are showing I've dropped another 2lbs.Read

Rants and raves: losing weight with Bodychef

NOTHING beats that feeling of being able to do up your belt on a tighter notch. It's such a simple, but very satisfying thing to be able to do. I've written before about my struggle to drop a dress size, and after losing two stone a while back I've been despairing at seeing the needle on the scales slowly creeping up.Read

Rants and raves: Treat your eyes to a makeover

LIKE a lot of my other mum-friends, my make-up routine is generally a slick of lipgloss - generally applied in the car on the school run - and the days of never leaving the house without a full face of make-up on are long gone for me.Read

Rants and raves: Managing a family skiing trip

AFAMILY skiing trip was something I didn't think I'd manage to afford this season, because of worries about money, jobs and the general economic climate.Read

Rants and raves: Cycling along the canal

AFTER writing about my plan to get off my behind and on my bike to go cycling with Alex, I had a lovely email from Andrew Simpson, who lives in Uxbridge.Read

Rants and raves: Keep fit and spend less

I LOVE Christmas, but I'm always pleased to take down the decorations for another year, and my start to the new year is always the same - I make a few resolutions. I'm sure I'm not alone with my main resolutions this year - to keep fit and spend less money. I've managed to combine them in one go as I've decided to relinquish my expensive gym membership and I've started to work out on the Wii Fit instead.Read

Rants and raves: Track Santa online to be sure the kids are tucked up in time

IN MY LAST column of the year I wanted to tell you about my favourite Christmas websites to share with your children.Read

Rants and raves: Has Christmas been cancelled?

CHRISTMAS appears to have been cancelled at my friend's little girl's school in Hillingdon. Read

Rants and raves: Santa's watching

ALEX'S advent calendar is up and giving him cause for outbursts of laughter most mornings.Read

Rants and raves: A valuable lesson

WE'VE had tears and upset at home this week as Alex was taught a valuable life lesson. Read

Rants and raves: Alex enjoys life in the fast lane

HERE we are only a few weeks into the new term and I need inspiration for packed lunches already. Read

Rants and raves: How to be a cowboy

SPENDING your birthday learning to be a cowboy is an experience never to be forgotten. Read

Rants and raves: Holiday in Canada

IN MY opinion, turning 40 is cause for a big celebration with family and friends. Read

Author Profile

Cathy's weekly column Ranson's Rants and Raves is a very popular feature of our leisure and entertainment section, The Guide. The mother of one shares her experiences as a working mum and provides handy tips on a wide number of topics. Cathy is editor of Sunshine, the community magazine for families living in Hillingdon.