The earliest mood of motherhood comes before there is motherhood at all - prompted by that first moment staring at blue lines on a stick. It may be joy, or relief, or surprise, or shock, or fear - very few moments can be so life-changing and provoke such opposing emotions. For me, it was an inexplicable sense ...
I get to be a stay-at-home mum once a week, so I know exactly what it's like. No, not really. In fact not at all. My one day per week of SAHM-dom is Friday, so it's not quite a representative example of true stay-at-home parenting. On Friday, the traffic is lighter, the moods are lighter, ...
“I have discovered in recent years that the world I thought I'd left when I chose to stay at home, is still out there and it is up to me to go find it once more. A task I am enjoying pursuing” This week I meet Tric Kearney, mom to four children, two at college, one ...
8.10 am according to clock on the oven, so 8.08 am real-time; I raise my voice slightly. Twelve minutes until 8.20, when we need to be driving out the drive-way. Although really, 8.25 will do it. But aiming for 8.25 would mean being late for sure. We need to aim for the unachievable departure in order ...
Taking kids to visit Santa in the run up to Christmas - a tradition that's been around since the 19th century in the States, and presumably almost as long here in Ireland. I have gorgeous memories of going to see "Santy" in Switzers in Cork in the 1980s - I can't remember any of the ...
Have you read about Karl Stefanovic, the Australian TV presenter who wore the same suit every day for a year? He decided to do it to prove that men escape the kind of scrutiny to which women are routinely subjected. Co-host Lisa Wilkinson had given a speech last year about sexism, which prompted Stefanovic to try his social experiment. ...
Childcare booked - check. Return to work date agreed - check. Sense of calm and wellbeing? Not quite there yet. Going back to work after maternity leave is a time of mixed emotions for many mothers - for some it's a worry, for some, it's exciting. And for most, it's a lot from column A and ...
Amid the strong support for the feelings expressed in Donna Hartnett's open letter to Enda Kenny, there has also been some "tough luck, you can't have it all" type responses (on Twitter, and some referenced here) I don't think that's the point at all - I don't think anyone expects to "have it all" - certainly not ...
I have two little girls (and one little boy - but he's the easy one in this story). For the two little girls, everything must match. The water in their glasses must be to precisely the same height, and is measured accordingly. I'm dispatched to the tap, to even things up. The number of chips ...
“I’ll be in the middle of writing a feature, trying to meet a deadline, but thinking, “I should really put a wash on, or do the dishes” Freelance journalist Jennifer Riddall moved to Ireland last year from the North West of England and is currently in the process of returning to work after maternity leave. When ...