Maddy thinks she will finally have some time to herself when Rosie joins a playgroup, but things do not go to plan when Rosie catches a bug. And when their internet connection breaks down, the Rileys find themselves cut off from civilisation.

When Maddy persuades Jim to open up about his feelings, she gets more than she bargained for. Meanwhile, Danny plays host to a visiting French exchange student, awakening Ted's latent xenophobia.

Maddy feels the rest of the family are keeping secrets from her after she recently embarrassed them in public. They claim that she cannot stop interfering so she agrees to back off from their lives. Inevitably they find themselves in all sorts of trouble without her interference. Jim becomes addicted to caffeine after he is given a coffee vending machine and needs Maddy's help to break the habit.

When a client of Jim's goes bankrupt,owing him thousands,he asks Roger,the lawyer from next door for legal advice and ends up getting billed for his services. Meanwhile Amanda,a woman Jim has met on the Internet and is obsessed with him,shows up and kisses him in front of Danny. Hearing the parents discuss how to deal with Roger the kids assume they are getting divorced but when the matter is cleared up they combine to put Amanda off.

When her mother Margaret announces her intention to marry widower David,Maddy does not share the rest of the family's enthusiasm,especially as he has had four previous wives and the happy couple met at the last one's funeral. Being a bridesmaid in a vast fluffy dress does not appeal either but when Margaret seems to have cold feet Maddy talks her round into tying the knot. Katy manages to lose her grandma's car and get it wheel-clamped whilst Dan defeats the school bully by telling him he fancies him.

When Maddy finds a pregnancy test, she is convinced it belongs to one of her stepchildren. But the identity of its true owner comes as a big surprise.

In the aftermath of the family move, the cat has vanished, half their possessions are missing, and a crate is doubling as the baby's cot. In the middle of it all, Maddy and Jim struggle to get used to their new house, their new neighbours, and each other's children.

Maddy's husband Jim decides that her ex-husband Robbie is his new best friend. While the two of them bond by putting up shelves, Maddy's stepson decides to come out of the closet.

Maddy's stepdaughter Katy becomes a vegetarian, but her animal rights stance only leads to animal wrongs. Meanwhile, Danny gets an unconventional job.

Maddy decides the time has come to get back into paid employment, but juggling her office job and her domestic responsibilities turns out to be harder work than she had expected.