We were going to go to Howth today, for fish and chips. Or maybe Ardgillan Castle. Or possibly Glendalough, for a picnic. But like everyone else, we woke to that same mixed sky weather we've been seeing all week - rain, sun, rain, sun, except with more grey than blue. Howth and Ardgillan and Glendalough ...
Day 1 not in the office - Tuesday May 5th The kids were off school today, and it was a very normal day. I've had dozens of days like this, when I've taken annual leave during school holidays, and this didn't feel too different. No big "shock" moment. That's good. We went to the playground - they ran ...
I'm going to sound like a killjoy now. I'm going to sound like the girl who always came last and never caught the ball (I was indeed the girl who always came last and never caught the ball.) But is it time to look at refreshing sports day? Could we come up with something that's more ...
We go off-road before we even start. Clara rushes across the grass, shrieking at the others to follow. They're going to climb a tree they say. We follow, a little behind. Watching three small figures running down the hill - I hear the opening bars of Little House on the Prairie in my head. I resist ...
A very nice thing about blogging is being offered products to review. The hard part is deciding whether to say yes or not, but when Claire Povey asked if I'd like to try one of her hand-made beach bags, one click through to her website was enough to convince me to send back a resounding "Yes ...
I've been tagged, blogger-speak for being tapped on the shoulder by another blogger, and the topic is "The A to Z of Me". Which sounds slightly self-indulgent, but I'm curious to see where I end up. So thanks Bumbles of Rice for the tag, and here goes: A is for Artist, which is what I wanted ...
“Anyone reading this will hate me when they hear that childminder costs are highly subsidised and kindergarten is free. We only have to pay for the dinners. The level of care is very good too.” This week’s interview comes from further afield than usual. Fionnuala Zinnecker is a mother of three, with a German husband, an ...
I wrote this a few weeks ago, right after I told the kids that I was finishing up in my job: I've just had a very grown-up conversation with two relatively small girls. It's one I've been dreading - the "I'm going to be staying home from work from now on" announcement. In theory they should ...
The sun was shining when we made our booking to go glamping. So of course, we assumed it would be shining during the actual glamping. A bit like when we have a week of good weather, and you picture the whole summer rolling out in similar sunshine. Or at least I do. And we were booking ...
“We need to stop congratulating fathers whenever they pitch in. This perpetuates the belief that child rearing and housework are ‘women’s work’ and men are only helping out.” Thank you Deirdre for taking part in this interview series for Office Mum - could you tell me how many children you have and their ages? I have a boy, ...