Meet the Alpha Mums, headed by Amanda, very much the queen bee. Everything is organised, clean and sparkly - even the kitchen cork board is a statement of success. At the other end of the spectrum, we meet Liz, who is totally chaotic and feels the kids should enjoy free expression - if they want to do kamikaze jumps off the sofa, she drags a mattress round for safety. Somewhere between Amanda and Liz is Julia - she is organised - she has to be as she is a successful events organiser - but when her mother Marion decides she is no longer going to be the free child-sitter and school-run taxi, Julia finds her organisation skills are taxed and nowhere near the level of the Alpha Mums. Also in the mix is Kevin - he is the stay-at-home dad, who, rather than fighting against that, is embracing it with gusto - much to the irritation of the other mums.

This is mothers and they really are - coping or not - competitive and helpful. If the Pulling girls had kids, this is what it would be like.

A school fundraiser is not Julia's idea of an evening out, but somehow she finds herself heavily involved in order to impress a former colleague.

It's the school's Auction of Promises. Amanda hosts the auction. Julia is assigned a job. Kevin has a battle with the cloakroom and despite Anne's protests, Liz takes care of the bar.