Blog List

Whether you look to Disney movies for inspiration , or find it out the window in nature , choosing your baby’s name is definitely up there as being one of the toughest tasks of motherhood. a From the moment you announce that you are expecting, the politics start, most notably within your family where each person has a list of names they think you should go with. Every visit is a baby name...

There’s nothing like a little harmless flirt (that’s the verb, not the noun). If it’s reciprocated, it gives you a bit of a perk; puts a smile on your face; makes you think for a second that despite your unwashed hair and the vague smell of baby-sick that follows you around, you’ve still got what it takes to turn a man’s head. Nowadays, most of us have daily interaction with the opposite...

Blue Monday, which landed this year on January 19th, is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year, but surely it’s all relative. For instance, if you won the Lotto that day, gave birth or got a promotion at work, you would be in pretty good form. Or if the foul plague that is the dreaded vomiting bug had finally been purged from your home and the kids were hastily dispatched back to...

Another mum once told me that you’re out of the woods when your youngest hits the age of three and it’s plain sailing until they enter the wilderness of the teenage years. Being heavily pregnant on my third child when she told me this, as well as having an unruly toddler and a three-year-old, I felt like thumping this mum of older kids with her designer handbag. I felt utterly despondent at...

Having just gotten over the shock of discovering my 14-year-old son managed to acquire, kiss and lose a girlfriend in the space of two days, I didn’t think I could handle any more romantic revelations. My seven-year-old son had other ideas however and after sharing an open and honest conversation with him, the type of which I’d say I’ve only another two years to enjoy, I learned that my...

Birthdays. Love them or hate them, when you have children, they are part and parcel of their social landscape and there’s no escaping them! Recently, a disgruntled mother in the UK hit the headlines, when she sent an invoice for £15.95 to the parents of a five-year-old, when he was a no-show at her son’s party. They even went as far as to threaten small claims court. While it is an extreme...

The eggshells are back on the floor. Like many mothers I’m tiptoeing around them once more. Just when I thought it was safe to relax and de-stress after Christmas I find it’s that time again: exams. End of semester exams for college are upon me (us) and Leaving Cert exams are fast approaching. I’ve been here before so I’ll get through it...won’t I? Education is not for everyone but...

A recent study compiled by three leading British universities, has suggested that the presence of a woman’s partner during childbirth may be, at best, of very little comfort and, at worst, actually increase pain levels. Reassuring on so many levels. No, really! Finally, something has been produced that accurately describes my experience of labour. My partner is many things. He is warm-hearted...

So far January has been an exciting month within our family as we celebrated two milestone birthdays. The first was my dad’s 75th birthday and more importantly (no offence, Dad!) we celebrated our daughter’s first birthday. Celebrating a first birthday is an exciting milestone as Baba is no more and The Toddler is soon to emerge, bringing joy, tears, laughter and destruction, judging from our...

Monday morning. Mid-January. Potty training begins. Again. But this time I’m prepared. Dozens of tiny underpants and dry leggings wait in the wings, Caillou’s Potty Time has been a regular feature of story time in the last week, and I’ve stockpiled patience. According to a brief Google search, potty training can be done in five days (or less) so I’m motivated. The young one is not...