Since the arrival of our new baby, our family has transformed and we’re all still trying to find our feet with our new roles.
Me as a mum of two boys, my husband as a new father and my teenager as the older brother to a tiny baby.
In many ways lockdown was a help rather than a hindrance in this process and I’ve been thankful for the time we have had together.
With a new family dynamic, it seemed the perfect time to look at how were operate and I was keen to read 60 Ways to Improve Your Family Life in 60 Seconds by Sid Madge.
The book offers various tips on how, families of all types, can come together and strengthen family bonds.
Some suggestions were common sense; put down the technology, play games and look closely at the actual time you spend together.
Others were delightfully different; a family bucket list, keeping a family journal or take on a family challenge out of your comfort zone.
I was relieved this book avoided saying the only way to be a ‘proper family’ was to eat a meal together every night.
This tiny nugget of advice which is trotted out far too often makes my eyes roll. In reality, if you live in a busy household it is nearly impossible to get around the table any more than once or twice a week.
What he does suggest is planning meals together and maybe sitting down when you can, a far more realistic proposition.
I love that his book talks so much about the challenges around family life: ‘Families are messy and glorious,’ says Sid.
I also liked the fact it discusses life as a blended family which is what we are but is often overlooked.
For me it took a realistic look at family life and made sensible, doable suggestions on how to value what we have and to make it better.
We have all been pulled together over the last few months with the unusual circumstances we have found ourselves in.
If there was ever a time for this book to be relevant it is now.

More information about Sid Madge here