The problem with thank you cards

The gifts are unwrapped, the leftovers are in the fridge covered in foil, and Christmas songs have lost their lustre. That means only one thing in our house: the race to complete thank you cards is on. On my husband’s side of the family, we draw names and everyone buys one “big” present for someone else. This is good, since there are 5 siblings along with their partners and children. That also in...

5 ideas for carving Halloween pumpkins

I love doing Halloween with my daughter here in the UK, especially since it’s still in its infancy. There’s a bit of trick or treating, there are a few parties but the celebrations aren’t over the top, like what can be a consumer-fest in the U.S.  I also find the whole super-gruesome costume thing that adult revelers have embraced creepy in the extreme. But one thing I am glad that has caught on...

Top time-saving apps and sites

On BritMums we’re running a #BGSaveTime Linky, with bloggers sharing their favourite time-saving apps and sites. The Linky is sponsored by British Gas, which has a new online account management system and smartphone app that — among other things — lets you track the engineer coming for a home visit (at last!). I’ve been meaning to blog about my favourite time-savers for ages. Ironically, trying to...

Are American men more handsome than Brits?

Now that science has solved the question of the Higgs Boson particle, it can move on to the really pressing questions, like “Who is more handsome – British or American men?” Usually my response to hard-hitting questions like this is, “Gentlemen, please, don’t fight – you’re all gorgeous.” But I happened on a scene this week that made me revisit this issue. A friend...

Listography: My top 5 albums by male solo artist

Obviously this is a departure from usual travel focus on Jenography, but this topic is just too good to resist. I’ll happily admit I have, er, eclectic taste in music, sometimes veering into terrible, but this list turned out to pretty good IMHO. Herewith, my entry for Kate Takes 5′s listography: my top 5 albums by a male solo artist. 1. Joe Jackson – Gold I can’t listen to Joe Jackson...

The latest great American import: the doggy bag

The list of things America has given the food world is substantial: Velveeta, the Hard Rock cafe, the list goes on. But now one of our most widespread contributions has finally gained purchase on English soil: the doggy bag. So simple a concept. After your restaurant meal that you’ve paid for, you take home what you haven’t eaten to enjoy later. That might mean having yummy leftovers after a late-night...

My review of Big Miracle, the family film

Pop over to the BritMums blog to read my review of the whale tale Big Miracle, now out, starring John Krasinski, Drew Barrymore and Ted...

My guest post in the NY Times Motherlode blog

I’ve got a blog post up on the New York Times’s Motherlode blog, written by the amazing Lisa Belkin, about the response in the UK to How I Don’t Know How She Does It, and the problems that vex working mothers even at the highest levels. Check out Jenography on Motherlode...

Downton Abbey episode guide: Where’s the snarky commentary?

After an awesome first season and two episodes that are inspiring cautious optimism, Downton Abbey is on again tonight. I’m loving being back on the estate and watching everyone trying to be proper while secretly telling each other with their eyes how desperately unhappy they are deep inside. I’m even developing a fondness for the scenes set in the trenches, which look suspiciously a lot less vast than actual...

Cool kids’ TV shows – then and now

When I was young, TV didn’t have the bad name it has now. Back then it was a social studies medium, Broadway training ground and musical outlet extraordinaire. Sesame Street and The Electric Company (featuring actors like Rita Moreno and Morgan Freeman and eventually a victim of its own success according to Wikipedia) were the gold stand – educational and very Free to Be…You and Me. One of my...