Same place, different century

Office Mum: beach St Jean de Monts

Twenty-six years ago, my parents took the ferry to France and made their way down to St Jean de Monts, with four of us rattling around in the back-seat. The roof-rack that held our suitcases was covered in water-proof tarpaulin, secured with rope. My parents found their way by following a big, unwieldy map; cracked in ...

Mr. Pilkington breaks a heart

Office Mum: photo of Emmie

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Ten family friendly hotels in Ireland

Office Mum Eumom article: photo of word holiday

My first holiday as a parent was a bit of a shock. I remember looking forward to it, thinking that it would a relaxing, sun-filled, restful ten days - a few glasses of wine, some nice dinners, and lots of sleep. Oh and reading - a great chance to catch up on all those books ...

Happy Glampers

Office Mum post: photo of Yurt

It was the August bank holiday weekend, and I really wanted to be like those families who head away spontaneously for a night - we've never done that. The budget allowed for this to be a one-night-only event, so options were limited. We considered a self-catering house, but this seemed like a recipe for cooking, tidying and ...

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 ...

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 ...