Tips for finding a childminder (nanny)

Office Mum: Coffee

So, you need to find a complete stranger to come into your house and be solely responsible for your children while you're not there. Scary stuff. Looking for a childminder (or nanny to use the more correct term) can be a very daunting challenge. When I was starting to think about this, a good and wise ...

tips for taking the ferry to France

snack, ferry tips - office mum

The ferry never changes. The familiar smell of exhausts as engines are switched off and families squeeze between rows of roof-box-topped cars to reach the entry doors. The staff with genuine smiles waiting to greet us and help tiny children clamber up the steep steps. The sense of relief when we emerge on the fifth floor and spill ...

still learning from the kids

There was a funny moment this morning when I was getting breakfast for the kids - well ironic more than funny. The two girls were busy at the table making necklaces by threading beads onto string, and deep in concentration, they were ignoring my requests for help. I was rushing as I was due to start work ...

Stop pointing at the bumps!

So women are fasting and over-exercising during pregnancy to avoid weight gain - "Pregorexia", which is a dangerous obsession with staying slim while pregnant, is on the rise, according to a recent article in Grazia. They are desperate to maintain their pre-pregnancy figures as far as possible, and to avoid putting on weight that will be difficult ...

Holiday in Sequoia Parc, France: Pirates, Mermaids and Disco Kids

We've just returned home from what has been our best holiday ever. We say that every year of course, and it usually takes a few months and a healthy dose of hindsight to admit that two weeks in a damp mobile home while it rained almost every day was not in fact the best holiday ...

one day, two views

This is a picture that I took of my kids having a picnic lunch today, and instinctively thought "I should put this up on Facebook!" I suppose because the kids look happy, they're having lunch on a picnic rug, and maybe on some level it makes me feel like a good parent. We really go ...

His Best Friend’s Wedding

wedding glasses - office mum

As the best man said “we’ve known each other since we were kids, and I’m very honoured and proud to be standing here today” , we all turned towards his wife, inclining our heads and expressing a silent “awwwww!” . Partly as we were genuinely moved by the best man’s words, but also as a ...

summer holiday

          The bags are packed, the kids are packed and takeaway coffees are in hand – we’re on the road to Rosslare to take the ferry to Roscoff. I’m beyond excited to be going on holidays and not remotely worried (read: reasonably worried) about the potential pitfalls that might detract from our enjoyment, including:   A five year ...