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 ...
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 ...
So, inspired by a recent Huff Post Parenting article called "Moms, put on that swimsuit!", I've decided to show solidarity; I'm sharing some photos of myself at the pool. I'm kidding. Of course I'm not going to do that. I'm not insane. Like the mum who wrote the article, I spent every sunny day of the ...
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. ...
I married a man who has jumped out of a plane in his time. I on the other hand, keep myself firmly belted in whenever I'm not on solid ground. He is tall and athletic; I am small and, well, just small. He likes football and rugby and golf. I like shopping and make-up and shoes. He's a ...
It's 8.30pm and I'm sitting in my garden as I type. The doors are open behind me, and I can hear the noise of tonight's World Cup match. My husband is waiting until full-time, then he's going to run to the supermarket for some mid-week supplies. And maybe some ice-cream. As you do, at ten ...
I wonder sometimes if as a nation we all suffer from a little bit of Seasonal Affective Disorder - or at least if there's any science behind the national mood-lift that takes place every time the sun comes out. "Imagine if it was like this all the time," we say, "Sure we'd never leave the country ...
Autumn equinox, the country bathed in an unexpected heatwave. A day to mark summer's end with one last everything. One last ice-cream, one last outdoor lunch, one last walk on the Dun Laoghaire pier. It was the day of the All-Ireland football final, and Dublin Bay glinted in the sunlight, a deep patriotic blue. Three hungry children determined that ...
From sandals to boots overnight - summer is a goner. And we're all fine with that; as a nation we've agreed that we can't complain, because the summer was just so good this year (by nation I mean three real-life conversations plus the general consensus on Twitter)I'm thinking back on the highlights of my summer, and was ...
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 ...