5 things I haven’t learned at all about holidaying with kids

Office Mum: photo at pool

Every year, bright-eyed and innocent, I look forward to going away on holidays - to reading and relaxing and resting, and to getting lots of sleep and sun. And every year, I am yet again taken by surprise to find that the holiday isn’t quite the chilled out, easygoing, restful experience I expected. Here’s what ...

Office Mum stories – Melissa Hill

office mum interview: photo of Melissa Hill

“Women have been conditioned to feel that it’s up to them to keep all balls in the air which in reality is just not feasible (not to mention unfair)” This week’s interview is with bestselling author Melissa Hill, who lives in South Dublin with her husband and four-year-old daughter. After an early career in banking, she ...

Holidays with a dash of toddler

office mum photo of son on scooter

Holidaying with a toddler is kind of a contradiction in terms – if you expect, that is, for a holiday to be a relaxing affair. If you like high-octane adventure holidays, where you come home exhausted after two weeks of running, climbing and water-based-activities, then of course, holidaying with a toddler could be right up ...

When the age-gap is small…

office mum photo of daughters

When my first baby was a year old, my husband and I thought we had it licked. "This is pretty easy actually," we said to each other, "We've come through the first year unscathed, let's have another one!" I mean, how much harder could two possibly be? As it turned out, when the first baby is still ...

Office Mum stories – Barbara Scully

Office Mum interview: Barbara Scully

“Me, who had always had a title - Travel Agent, Teacher, PRO – now found myself with the title of Housewife?  And I wasn’t going to call myself that for a minute.  Only because it is a very stupid title – I never married a house” Back after the holidays, the weekly interview series resumes with ...

Out of the office (by the skin of my teeth)

office mum photo: passport

"That's where I got my passport photos mum, isn't it?" said Emmie who is five, as we walked past our local Fuji photo shop last Friday. "Yep, that's right - we'll have to make sure we all bring our passports when we go on holidays next week, won't we!" I replied. "Do you have a passport mum?" ...

Can a woman be as good at her job after she has kids? Of course she can.

Office Mum post: photo of Gwyneth Paltrow

Can a working mother be as good at her job after maternity leave? That's the question - a Telegraph article headline - that caught my eye yesterday. The writer, UK journalist Antonia Hoyle, goes on to say: "Post-children I am distracted, indecisive and less confident. I am more prone to mistakes and often counter-productively manic in my desire to succeed. I ...