Love
Mmm! This year’s perfect kids’ board game
It’s midterm break this week, so we took advantage of the school holidays and headed to Kilkenny for a couple of days at the start of the week. Aside from a few glorious hours on Tuesday morning, we got washed out of it for our visit. So when we stumbled across Black Kat Games, (I say “stumbled” but knowing my husband the existence of a board game shop was the whole reason he suggested Kilkenny as a destination for our break!), I was eager to get in out of the rain to see if I could find anything to occupy the two kids for...
read moreOne foot after the other
When my daughter was born, I promised myself I’d relax and enjoy her babyhood, safe in the knowledge that it would pass quickly and when it did, I’d miss it. Most of it anyway! Part of my promise to myself was that I wouldn’t worry about exercising or getting in shape until she was sleeping through the night. This promise was made partly because it appealed to my inner lazy self, and mostly because it allowed me to let sleep be my priority. Of course I didn’t expect it would take almost 2.5 years before my little...
read moreThe first KonMari purge
It started when the kids went to bed last night, and then again as soon as I woke this morning. We finally called it a day at 8.30pm. The great KonMari purge, inspired by The ClothesLine Challenge. I had high ambitions of getting the whole house done this morning. Yeah. That wasn’t going to happen. But we did get through the first two categories – clothes and books. I would write at length about it, but I’m exhausted! So I’ll tell the story with pictures instead. Step 1 – gather all your clothes...
read moreThe Clothesline Tidying Challenge
I love the idea of a tidy house. We always want what we can’t have and all that. Since having children, my goal of living in a clutter-free home has become more and more unattainable, as half the Smyths catalog has taken up residence in my sitting room. I try to tell myself it’s because our house is too small. And it is small – two bedrooms, a sitting room, a kitchen, a tiny bathroom upstairs, and an oversized downstairs toilet (which even after 8 years in the house leaves me wondering how anyone could possibly have...
read moreSlow and steady wins the race
I’ve written here before how reading Elizabeth Pantley’s No Cry Sleep Solution was a road-to-Damascus type epiphany for me. It changed my approach to parenting. Where before, one bad night was enough to send me into a tailspin, after reading that book, I learned to look at the bigger picture and see the gradual improvements that were happening instead. Heading into the winter last year, when we were 18 months in with our second child, the setup in our house would have had Supernanny and Gina Ford and all the rest of the...
read moreBressure – another stick to beat us with
Have you heard of Bressure? Neither had I until it was coined recently by Channel Mum, the latest enterprise from Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard. At least I assume they coined it since the reporting about a survey they conducted was the first place I saw it used, and the quotes from Siobhan in various online and newspaper articles all used it. What is Bressure, you might ask? You might think that it’s a clever buzzword designed to provoke maximum media exposure for a new enterprise at the expense of a group of mothers who...
read moreThree simple letters – Y E S
I don’t have a story to share about a special couple close to me whose dream it is to walk down the aisle. I didn’t struggle through my early adulthood wondering about my sexuality and questioning whether or not the things that other people take for grants like marriage and children would ever be options for me. In many ways, I had it easy. I fell in love at 18. After ten years together, he asked, and I said Yes. We married amid great celebrations with friends and family. Our wedding day was more than just a great big...
read moreAnd then it’s over
A month or so ago, I had a rare day. I took some time to myself at my husband’s urging. I never take time to myself. There’s always something else I feel I should be doing. And when I work all week, it feels wrong to take even more time away from the kids, from my family. But as the kids get bigger, it gets easier to leave for a few hours. So, I left the two of them and my husband planning a fun morning for themselves, while I headed off to the shops. First stop Starbucks. I treated myself to a Cinnamon Dolce Latté and...
read moreLet’s go for dinner #IPBAwards 2015
Let’s go for dinner they said. That’s how it began. A simple suggestion and discussion that happened to coincide with the announcement that Blog Awards Ireland wouldn’t be taking place this year. That suggestion for dinner and drinks quickly snowballed into a full blown awards event, complete with ten categories, some nifty trophies, fantastic sponsors, and the best goodie bags going. I am the first to admit, I had my doubts we could pull it off. But Sylda from Mind the Baby reassured me that we could do this in our sleep....
read moreGuest Post: The Art of Saying No
This week I’m delighted to bring you a guest post from my friend and fellow blogger Kate, of KateTakes5. Kate writes lots more pearls of wisdom about parenting, fitness and lifestyle at Kate Takes 5. Or you can follow her on Twitter or Facebook. Or you could just read a book instead. I was in a shop at the weekend with my sister and our daughters buying provisions for the Sunday roast. ‘And can we just get these biscuits too?’ asked her 12 year old. ‘Um..no’ ...
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