These are just my own personal essential parenting tools - they're not by any means universal - but without them, I suspect I'd be in some kind of institution at this stage. In no particular order: 1. Kids' TV TV saves my life every evening. Take yesterday for example. There were fourteen children running around my kitchen ...
I'm in awe of all the people I know doing Dry January, but I'm going to have to sit this one out. I admire you, but I can't find it in me to make the toughest month of the year even tougher by giving up nice things. I can't forego my Friday night wine any ...
On Monday morning, my youngest got up at 4.45am, and as is always the case when he comes into my bed, neither of us could get back to sleep. An hour later, I convinced him to go back to his room, but for me, it was too late. I couldn't get back to sleep, so ...
In most countries, temperatures of 18 degrees don't qualify as a heatwave but in Ireland, we'll take what we can get. It might be still chilly in exposed areas (in either sense) but we know how fleeting this is, and we're making the most of it. Some signs there's a thing we're calling a heatwave in ...
Ooh Valentine's Day - maybe we'll book a romantic night away in a hotel. Scrap that - no babysitter, no money. But I'll buy him a card and a present. Well, a card anyway. Those are nice cards! I'll get one each for the kids as well. Oh wait, there's €3.99 each. Maybe I'll just make cards for the ...
Recently, I asked my seven-year-old if she remembered Sequoia Parc, the campsite we stayed in, two years ago in France. "Of course I do - it had a dragon pirate ship thing beside the pool," she said. "No," I said, "That was Clarys Plage, last year." She was sure I was wrong. I was sure I was right. ...
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 ...
A wedding, three years ago. A lovely friend and his lovely new wife. A room full of rowers. He had met her in his rowing club. A rowing club! We were indeed surprised when we first heard. But he had joined the club and met his wife, and there we all were, celebrating. It being a ...
Today's newspaper was already on the mat when I arrived home last night, or rather this morning, just after 3am. I felt a surge of The Fear when I saw it there, reminiscent of the feeling I used to get fifteen years ago, arriving home from impromptu Wednesday beers and realising that there weren't a ...
My husband and I don't do weekend lie-ins on alternate days, though I know lots of people who do. For us it just hasn't worked well for lots of reasons, not in the least because I'm a very light sleeper, so it's not a given that my lie-in would include much actual sleeping. Especially when the ...