Drink eight glasses of water a day. Take the stairs. Put the phone away when the kids are around. Be on time for work. Be on time leaving work. Pay attention during homework time. Eat five servings of fruit and veg a day. Don't let the kids watch too much TV. Get seven hours sleep. Don't eat red ...
I clash with my daughter. She's six. And I'm not six. I'm not proud of clashing with someone half my size and thirty-ish years younger than me. But, as we are fond of saying here, it is what it is. And the reason we clash? Because we are the same. I am her and she is ...
Where to buy a moses basket mattress, what to pack in the hospital bag, which books to read, where to find baby name meanings and why you must put your unborn child's name down for schools: these are just some of the many pieces of advice I was given when expecting my first baby. But what ...
My third child is experiencing quite a relaxed toddlerhood, compared to that of my second and especially my first. He has fewer toys, fewer clothes, and hand-me-down everything possible - so a lot of pink. But he's the happiest, most chilled out kid of our bunch, so we must be doing something right - finally.... In ...
As part of lovely Learner Mama's linky, I've put together ten random things I've learned about parenting. They apply to me; they may not apply to everyone. But I wish my pre-mother self had known some of them. Or maybe that would take the fun out of it... 1. Nothing you can buy or do will ...
"Want other mummy, not you!" said the two-year-old, pushing me away when I tried to hug him after work this evening. Oh. Not what I was expecting. Maybe I'd misheard. I tried again - reached out for a hug. "No, you stay there. Want other mummy, not you!" Right so, I hadn't misheard. I tried explaining. "I'm your ...
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 ...
“I have guilty moments, I think most mothers do. Fathers tend not to, which is interesting; most men I know are pragmatic about it. Work has to be done, bills have to be paid” This week’s Office Mum interview is with Sinéad Crowley; journalist, RTE Arts and Media correspondent and mother of two. A self-confessed internet ...
Before I had children, I had pretty high expectations - of myself. I thought I'd be a good mother. I thought I'd have children who ate mostly vegetables. I thought they wouldn't watch TV. And I thought I'd maintain a certain level of personal-grooming. No need to let it all go is there? Then I ...
Statistics from Safe Food show that Irish children are not getting enough physical activity: four out of five kids get less than the recommended sixty minutes per day. It's hard to pay attention to all the statistics that are sent out over the airwaves. We often switch off - we can't fix everything, we can't possibly get ...