Listening to the Anglotapes for the second day today, like most of the country, I’m angry and speechless. We all know the history of what happened, but to actually hear the conversations played out – to hear the lack of forethought, the complete absence of care, the clear intention to mislead, is shocking. The Anglo directors made ...
Author: me
the pink champagne gathering
It's 9pm on a beautiful June evening and I'm typing this post sitting in my garden, drinking a cold beer (this doesn't have a huge amount to do with the post but I am unlikely to experience this again, so I'm noting it for the record). Last weekend we had Father's Day, and this weekend in our house we have ...
The mammy-war myth
Mommy-wars. Or since we're in Ireland, let's say Mammy-wars. I can't stand the term, but it's the widely-used name for the phenomenon of mothers judging mothers on every element of parenting, originally coined to refer to mothers working outside the home versus stay-at-home mothers. Newspapers love the SAHM/ mothers working outside the home debate, as do radio shows, ...
a chip off the (not so old) block
the birthday party
So. Hosting children's birthday parties. I can't possibly be the only person who finds this extremely stressful? When chatting about this to other parents, I sense that they don't find this quite the ordeal that I do. Or perhaps some are better than I am at hiding the fear? I feel slightly...embarrassed about the amount of anxiety ...
a little post about a super-nanny
Today is my birthday, and I arrived home from work to an eerily silent house. As I looked around in mild confusion, two excited girls, one bemused little boy and one smiling childminder jumped out from behind the counter and yelled "surprise!" There was a cake on the table - this is a picture of the beautiful cake ...
Doing the right thing (never again)
Do you ever do something because it's the right thing to do, and afterwards wish you'd taken an easier, less selfless route, as your well-intentioned plans backfire all around you? I don't mean big life choices like whether or not to take a year out to work for Doctors without Borders (à la every US medical ...
Seven very good reasons to work from home
Working from home: no to mascara and high heels, yes to school runs and meals with kids, and best of all reduced guilt.... Lots of people work in jobs that are not suitable for working from home, and plenty of other people are not allowed to by employers. But if you have children, and have ever considered seeking to work from home ...
my so-called lie-in
Childcare betrayal
Breach of trust, on every level. Like thousands of people who watched Prime Time last night, I’ve spent the morning trying to focus on work but my mind keeps going back to the images of children being slammed down on mattresses, tiny toddlers being punished despite being far too young, a little girl being cursed at ...