It's nearly half-term! Just one more week then we can flop around the house in our pyjamas... No! No! No! If you're anything like me and looking forward to seven days of being a bit lazy let's just stop right there.

The season is on the cusp of turning so let's get out there and shake things up a bit. I'm starting to feel it's not just my house that needs a jolly old spring clean but my energy levels too.

I love half-term; it's just long enough for a break but not too long to induce panic and bankruptcy. Anyway, I'm on a mission to prove to my children that entertainment doesn't have to involve money or a screen so here's an activity I've got planned.

Spring is in the air! Can you feel it? Snowdrops have been spotted, it's darker later and yes, there is a certain feeling of awakening.

Certainly for me there is. I can't wait to get outside with both my children and the ones I help to garden at my daughter's school. But I have to admit to sometimes struggling, particularly with the gardening club children, to find things to do.

Now though I think I've discovered the answer to my prayers inside the brightly coloured pages of a book containing "quick and easy gardening projects".

Do you know I don't think I've ever sat my five-year-old down for the "who to ring in an emergency" talk, but after watching this video about one smart boy, I think I will.



Although no one had ever taught Tyler Swass what to do in an emergency, he had somehow picked up the information and knew the number to ring when his mum needed help.

When asked how he knew to dial 911, Tyler replied: "I didn't learn it from anyone. I just got it from myself." I bet his mum is thanking her lucky stars for that.

Ah, you've got to love celebrities haven't you? Give them some attention (or a lot), a few awards and rather more millions and they're experts on pretty much everything.

This time it's the turn of comedian Ricky Gervais, star of The Office, who apparently has called for irresponsible parents to be sterilised.

Gervais, who has chosen not to have children, gives an example of being an irresponsible parent as sending a child to a faith school where they can be "brainwashed".

In an interview with the Sunday Times he says that nowadays there are "too many unwanted children, too many people who were poor and struggling".

The 48-year-old star went on: "If there's a woman in leggings, eating chips with a fag in her mouth, sterilise her."

Of course, as long as she has what some would consider bad dress sense and an unhealthy lifestyle then she shouldn't have children – let's judge everyone on that flimsy criteria! The fact that she may be a brilliant, nurturing mother providing a healthy life for her children is ignored. I only hope he was joking.

If you have irregular periods and you're trying for a baby (and even if you're not) you might get a few clues that you're pregnant without having to take a pregnancy test.

Taking a test is helpful if your body runs with clock-like precision and you know when your period is due. For some women, their bodies are, let's say, more chaotic and their period decides to turn up as and when it likes.

If that's you, how do you know at the start that your period's on a no-show for the next nine months?

Oh how I love the Internet. It has, in turns, inspired, delighted, saddened and helped me. It has also enabled me to shop from the comfort of my sofa, which is probably not a good thing.

You can also use the web to find something that can be like gold dust - a babysitter or nanny. Now the children are, shall we say, more lively and Granny is, well, less lively, the time might have come to dip my toes in the water of Childcare. Frankly, this is a little scary.

But I've found a site that might be the one to help me. Not only does it offer sitters in my backwater but it has a section that promises to hold my hand through the murky waters of pay, duties and interviews.

Do you feel powerless watching the news coverage of the plight of Haiti's people following the earthquake? Imagine, as a mother, what it would feel like to actually make a difference to babies caught up in the disaster.

Some nursing mothers in America know exactly how that feels. Their breast milk is being donated to Haitian babies to give them the best chance of survival.

The donations are being flown out to a US floating hospital moored off the Haitian coast after a doctor treating babies on board appealed for donations.

Once you've had your baby you may think life will return to normal and you can tuck into your favourite foods and tipples with abandon.

But if you've opted to breastfeed you may still have to be cautious with some food and alcohol which will find their way into your breast milk.

Of course, this is one of the many positives of breastfeeding -- the milk can take on a hint of the food's flavour -- but it also means that you could find that some food does not agree with your baby.

So what should you eat or avoid when breastfeeding?

Once upon a time being pregnant used to be pretty simple, probably when our mothers were expecting us. There were very few dos and don'ts and they were even encouraged to drink stout.

Nowadays working out what you can and cannot eat while pregnant is a bit of a minefield. I mean, are peanuts allowed or will they bring out an allergy in your child? And what about alcohol ? Is a little OK or should you have none?

If you suffer from morning sickness, finding something healthy to whet your appetite can be tricky too.

You're desperate for a shower, or even to nip to the loo on your own, so how do you safely occupy your toddler? Most parents will turn to CBeebies or a favourite DVD for some babysitting help.

But could you be doing more harm than good? Is letting your little one watch television going to affect their behaviour or language?

Toddlers watching television seems to be one of those subjects that splits parents into two camps – the "a little bit doesn't hurt" and the "over my dead body" contingent. But what's the answer?