Sandy Gillman
Bio
I’m a mum to a toddler, just trying to get through the day. I like to write about the ups and downs of parenting. I’m not afraid to tell it like it is. I hope you’ll find something here to laugh, relate to, and maybe even learn from.
Stories (109)
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Why Getting Out of the House with a Toddler Matters . Top Story - April 2025.
This morning, I woke up more exhausted than usual. My poor son, who has been sick (yep, still sick) for weeks now, decided to wake up every 45 minutes during the night. I’d gone to bed early because I wanted to try and catch up on some sleep, then ended up getting less than usual. I was angry at the situation, then I felt guilty. It wasn’t my son’s fault.
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Journal
Side Hustles for Mums: Trying to Make Money Like Everyone Else Online
I used to work for an escape room company which was so much fun. After having my son, I realised every day of my life is now its own escape room. I dodge toys and discarded toddler breakfasts to get across the room, jump over baby gates like an obstacle course, and try to do my business while a toddler wraps his arms around my neck asking to be picked up.
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Journal
The Movie-Length Gin
So, you might have already guessed by now — I love a good gin. I’ve also been talking about self-care a lot lately, so I thought I would share my favourite self-care routine with you. Let’s set the scene: it’s Friday night, you’ve just put your toddler to bed after a long afternoon of finger painting the walls and repeatedly pulling the cat’s tail. All you want to do is retreat to a dark room and say nothing for hours.
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Feast
Mum Guilt: Why Does It Creep in?
I’ve been thinking a lot about mum guilt lately… who am I kidding, I’m always thinking about mum guilt! Mum guilt: that persistent voice in your head telling you you’re not doing enough—even when, at times, you couldn’t possibly do any more.
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Families
Am I a Mother, or a Character in a Scream Movie?. Top Story - April 2025.
This is an entry for Angela Hepworth's April Unofficial Challenge. I’m so grateful I happened to stumble across this challenge. It’s pulled me out of my funk, given me something fun to focus on, and made me step out of my comfort zone and try something different!
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Geeks
Mental Roadblocks
When I first wrote my Breast Pump article, I felt unstoppable, full of hope and excitement. Now, I feel empty and deflated. We’ve had a rough few weeks at my house and I feel like I’m hitting roadblocks, mental and external, at every turn. Does this mean it’s time to quit?
By Sandy Gillman9 months ago in Families
Can I Sell My Breast Pump to Fund My Vocal+ Membership?
“Every day on my writing journey, I hit those moments where I lose hope and start questioning if it’s all worth it. But somehow, every time, I manage to find that spark again. As long as I keep getting it back, I know I’ll be okay."
By Sandy Gillman10 months ago in Families
Weekly Rhyme Time and Library Visits
When you’re reading a book, do you ever just stop, put your nose to the page, and take a deep sniff, hoping nobody saw you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone, I’m a book sniffer too! I’m a member of a monthly book club, and I’m always on Goodreads updating my progress and adding books to my reading lists. I love books! I have a friend who laughs at how excited I get about going to the library. You enter with no idea what stories or epic tales you’re going to go home with. You find a section and start exploring the shelves, reading blurbs, and maybe smelling a few. Then you leave with anything you want (excluding reference books, of course) free of charge! At my library, I can borrow up to 20 items! Every time I walk in, I have up to 20 different possibilities I can go home with!
By Sandy Gillman10 months ago in Families
Night-Time Feeds
Typically, my son only wakes up once per night now, usually around 4 or 5 am. He has a feed, and then goes back to sleep for a couple more hours. Sometimes I’ll hear a single cry out from the baby monitor. I’ll lie there with my eyes closed hoping there aren’t any more sounds and we can all go back to sleep for a bit longer. This morning, he wakes at 2:45, which is a little off for him. I lie in bed watching him on the monitor, willing him to go back to sleep, but also knowing that if he does, it will only be for another 45 minutes or so, and then he will wake up again. When I start to realise he’s not going back to sleep, I climb out of bed already dreading the early start we’ll have when he wakes to start his day in a few hours’ time.
By Sandy Gillman10 months ago in Families
Pumpkin-Pear Bake for Natural Constipation Relief
Ok, can we please talk about poo for a second? Why don’t doctors seem bothered by the fact that our son has been struggling with constipation for about 6 months now? He takes a stool softener two or three times a day, and if he stops for even one day, he becomes blocked up again.
By Sandy Gillman10 months ago in Feast
Realising When to Walk Away
So, I am sitting here writing this when I should be finishing an exam to see if I qualify for a job. My son is starting daycare next week. It’s only two days a week, but as we have been through everything together for the last 15 months, this is a huge thing for me! I had these great plans to take him out and do some fun things this week- a wildlife park and some activities at the library that he really enjoys. Instead, he woke up on Saturday morning with a cold and has been sick all week. It’s now Thursday and he seems to be worse than ever, and I’m sitting here wondering if this is all my fault? Did I make him worse by taking him to swimming lessons on Monday and to the Mother’s Walking Group I’d been wanting to try on Tuesday? He seemed like he was doing much better on Sunday night, but after two big days, he appears to be going downhill again. We’ve been up since 4:45 am this morning, so I’ve had plenty of time to think about where I went wrong.
By Sandy Gillman10 months ago in Families
Continued: We Survived the Four-Month Sleep Regression: Our Experience with a Sleep Consultant and Ferber
We had just survived our first night of sleep training and thought we had conquered it all! But the days, however, were a whole different story. On Saturday, things went a little better. He cried for an hour that morning before his first nap, but he slept for one hour and 20 minutes — which was unheard of for him. For his afternoon nap, he cried for 40 minutes, then slept for 30 minutes. He woke up, cried for another 15 minutes, but then went back to sleep for another 50 minutes. For us, this felt like a success, as it meant he was learning to self-soothe and resettle. That night, he fell asleep in just 10 minutes, and we thought we had solved all our issues — surely, things would get better going forward.
By Sandy Gillman11 months ago in Families
