Your big sister likes facts and figures and general knowledge. She'll tell you about Tom Crean or the American Civil War or the latest episode of My Little Pony if you like. And your little brother likes whatever comes into his head at any given moment. It might be stealing bagels from the cupboard and stuffing them ...
Coffee in one hand, keys in the other, I lock the car and make my way up the street towards the gates - not too early and not too late. I continue on into the school-yard and scan the area. Some familiar faces, standing together in a group. Mums from one of the other classes ...
One day last week, Clara looked a little sad coming out of school. The kind of sad face most of us see from time to time - the one that makes you think "Please let this be because she didn't like her sandwiches and not that she's decided she hates school." I gave her a big ...
Tiny grown-up girl, wrapped up in swathes of burgundy, you smile out, from deep inside. Oblivious to the over-size, just happy to finally be there. It's a hand-me-down from your big sister, but you don't mind. You've waited two long years to follow in her foot-steps; to follow in her uniform. Your smile - your face, your excitement ...
All the talk after the first kids' club visit was about Darragh-from-Dublin. Or Mr. Pilkington as he was known by those in the know. Emmie had gone on her own for this first visit, but her enthusiastic stories of painting and treasure hunts and Darragh-from-Dublin were enough to convince Clara to join her the next ...
Our year of Friday mornings is over, and I'm trying to be a grown-up about it, but you're holding up better than I am. You love our routine almost as much as I do; we drop your big sister to school, then we wander slowly back, you holding onto the buggy, skipping along beside me. ...
You never know what day it is - the first sound I hear every morning is the light patter of your small bare feet, and the first words I hear are "Is it morning? What day is it today mummy?" And if I say that it's Saturday, you sometimes ask "Am I going to pre-school today mummy?" And maybe ...
On Saturday morning, as happens in houses all over the country on weekend mornings, my three kids bundled into our bed, at various times ranging from 5am to the somewhat more civilised 8 o'clock. The baby was snuggled into me, and Clara, my five year old was cuddled up with her dad. Emmie, my middle child, ...