Q&A with Joanna Gosling, author of 'Simply Wonderwoman, a survival guide for women with too much to do' - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

This week we're inviting you to send in questions to Joanna Gosling, author, mother of three and broadcast journalist for 20 years. Joanna currently presents news programmes for the BBC.

Her new book, Simply Wonderwoman has the strap line ' a survival guide for women with too much to do'. It's about 'helping you have the life you want, not the crazy muddled one that's foisted on you once you have children' (sounds familiar ). The book passes on strategies, tips and ideas to help save time, money and effort and includes tips on everything from how to minimise effort spent on cleaning and laundry, how to be empowered through DIY and even how to use jump leads.

For those of you looking for a ponce-tastic Christmas, there's a fab section on Christmas which incorporates making salt dough tree decorations into a stress-free Christmas and there's a really useful christmas countdown (have you booked your panto tickets yet?)

Post your questions to Joanna before the end of Wednesday 19th October and we'll be linking to her answers at the beginning of November. Sending in a question will automatically enter your name into a draw to win one of five copies of Simply Wonderwoman.

[Woooster94]

Late arriving, but this thread is what made me join Mumsnet! Love it.

[PrettyCandles]

Renaldo I take offence at that. You haven't a clue what our family dynamic is, nor what our circumstances are.

Do you expect a just-turned-5yo with a bladder disturbance to steam clean the floor every time? I'm delighted that he makes it to the loo! The fact that he generally tries to clean up after himself, unasked, is an added bonus, and I won't criticise or judge him for the ineffective clumsiness of his efforts.

And as for dh, he was the one who steam-cleaned the loo - unasked.

There is nothing wrong in asking for tips. It's not anti-feminist, or old-fashioned, or pathetic. It's practical.

[missorinoco]

I had an answer! Wondering if I could stick the DC to the double sided sticky tape each evening and collect them in the morning on the way out.

[WhollyGhost]

quite renaldo

I love housekeeping books, including Shirley Conran's

My favourite is Cheryl Mendelson's "Home Comforts". It manages to be entirely gender neutral.

[renaldo]

'aimless' males find their aim pretty quick when toilet cleaning becomes their responsibility. I really cannot believe that in 2011 a woman is giving tips on how to clean up a mans pee. ( sigh)

[WhollyGhost]

I'd have read it too...

[PJFanClub]

but why weren't the questions from Thunderboltsandlightning or HearMeRoar answered?

Still, I'm sure the pages of the book will come in handy for scraping up d & v in the HearMeRoar household. I would actually have read it though

[CaptainMartinCrieff]

Links within Mumsnet aren't clickable in the app (Gggrrrrr ) what topic within a topic can the answers be found in so I can hunt them out!? Please!

[madwomanintheattic]

well, kudos to joanna, as she's the first person who has actually bothered to answer any of my questions in a webchat/ q & a. i expected nothing less.

i'm not entirely satisfied with the 'oh, it's just irony' excuse for the title and tag line, particularly when it's backed up with 'and it's trendy to be a domestic goddess so i'm capitalizing on it' but i suppose it will have to do. i find it deeply concerning that irony apparently blends so seamlessly with gender expectations that it's often impossible to tell the difference.

additional kudos for attempting a 'family ritual' defence of bunting.

you're still welcome for a cup of tea, joanna, the next time you find yourself skiing in the rockies.

[RachelMumsnet]

Joanna's answers are now back and you can read the full Q&A here

Joanna Gosling Q&A

Congratulations to Scootergrrrl, babysignmum, ZephirineDrouhin, Thunderboltsandlightning and HereMeRoar who have all won copies of Simply Wonderwoman. We'll be PM'ing you with details.

[madwomanintheattic]

i think i asked the most questions, to be fair. but i don't think any of them were about cleaning or bunting, so i suspect that disqualifies them.

i'll bet she's got some corking answers though. i look forward to being put well and truly back in my freshly bleached and steam-cleaned box.

[WhollyGhost]

I have faith in the honesty of MNHQ's draws

all of our names will undoubtedly be in the hat


[hgrin]

[madwomanintheattic]

i did promise to read it once i'd taken a marker to the title but i don't think my name will be in the hat

[WhollyGhost]

I'd like to win a copy


RachelMumsnet said they'd be "linking to her answers" this week [hconfused]

[smackapacca]

Crikey I just re-read the OP. I can't imagine any of us 'biatches' will be winning a copy.

[madwomanintheattic]

norty.

it says 'beginning of november' in the op.



i've got a dog or two you can borrow, madam. if you like i can up brown dog's steroids, which is guaranteed to provide the stimulus you require to extend your cleaning experiments?

[smackapacca]

I'm pretty sure she has too much to do.

[WhollyGhost]

Yep, I keep coming back to MN to see if Joanna Gosling has responded to the excellent points made by madwomanintheattic et al.

[madamimadam]

I just want to say this thread has cheered me right up.

I've been off MN for quite a while and a tedious query about wooden floors brought me back. Then I found this thread and - well, not only do I now know how to clean dog gland scent from an armchair (don't have a dog but, still, education is never wasted...) but reading this thread has put the spring right back in my step, I can tell you.

I know I'm too late to post a question but just wanted to say madwomanintheattic boffinmum et al, I salute you.

(And I do think Joanna Gosling is v interesting woman but even more fascinated by why she or her (female?) publisher think it's only women 'with too much to do'. Why's that then? [hhmm])

[PrettyCandles]

Does the peroxide thing work for carpeted loos frequented by 'aimless' males? The steam-cleaner (recommended up-thread) worked, but is such a faff.

[GalloweesG]

Thank you TinkaMinka I will purchase some peroxide forthwith. :)

[tinkaminka]

forgot to add, if the smell is really bad you may have to treat the area more than once, but it will definitely do the trick!

[tinkaminka]

hello galloweesG - I know a good thing to get rid of doggy gland smell or cat wee or dog wee smell, mix a cup full of any strength peroxide, with a few 2 or 3 drops of fairy liquid, and a teaspoon of bicarb of soda, put this mix into a clean spray bottle and spray the area which is affected and it really does get rid of smells, it doesn't smell of anything itself. Don't mix too much up as it will fizz out of the bottle. I would advise though test a small area first! incase it may lighten the colour with some items. Oh and do keep pets and kids away from the area when you are treating it. In a multi pet household where accident do happen I find it cheap and very effective. Good luck.

[smackapacca]

I think I might just have lost interest in the whole thing by the time it's all done anyway.