What makes a great day?

Office Mum photo of kids having coffee

Some days are just grand, and some days are great. Not for lotto-winning type reasons - just easy days, when things fall into place. We had one of those today. It started wonderfully - nobody cried during breakfast, and I didn't shout. Winning by 8am. On the way to school, Clara, who is six, told me ...

Mumager workshop – back to work

Office Mum post: Mumager logo

A room full of working mothers, hundreds of enthusiastic conversations, two inspirational coaches, sun streaming through the windows, and all the croissants we could eat - the Mumager workshop was starting out well. There's something very uplifting about spending a day with like-minded people - with women who have similar aspirations and similar concerns. The realisation ...

Prime Time childcare exposé – one year on

Office Mum post: handprint image

Exactly a year ago today, RTE's Prime Time documentary "A breach of trust" aired video footage that, to use a well-worn but entirely apt description, shocked the nation. We witnessed a child being slammed down on a sleeping mat and a blanket being thrown over him. We saw a member of staff swearing at a little girl for sticking her fingers into her food. We heard children being ...

Interview & return to work tips from coach Sarah Courtney – and a giveaway

Office Mum interview: photo of Sarah Courtney

“As a coach I act as a mirror to reflect what you are saying to yourself. I am your ally but I am totally independent so I’m not going to tell you what to do the way a friend or family member would. I have no agenda” Sarah Courtney is a Life & Business Coach, with ...

The Rules

Office Mum Word Cloud

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 ...

Office Mum stories – Martha Kearns

Office Mum interview: Martha Kearns

“Leave the guilt at the door. It's not helping anyone and just stresses you out : no one else” This week’s interview is with Martha Kearns, a journalist and mother of two. Originally from Sligo, she has lived in Dublin for 20 years. Martha is the News Editor of the Sunday Business Post. She is married to ...

Net the Leveller

Office Mum post: photo of Justin Bieber

Once upon a time, there were people who became artists and writers and  entrepreneurs, and then there was everyone else who watched from the sidelines. People who worked in banks and hospitals and estate agents and supermarkets. People who made career decisions at sixteen or seventeen; who put aside creative aspirations or entrepreneurial tendencies in ...

Mythbusting the mythbusters on working mother guilt

Office Mum post: word Myth

Working mother guilt is a myth, according to widely publicised survey findings from UK parenting website Mumsnet. 48% of the 900 mothers polled said that they were happier having a job than being at home, sparking a range of newspaper articles on the topic, including this one by Bryony Gordon who said: "The idea that working women feel ...