If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, is there anything more sweet than when your little girl wants to be just like her mum? Obviously you’d prefer to stop them growing up and keep them under your wing forever, but when kids copy what they see adults doing it can be seriously cute. (Albeit […]

6 years ago

TWO MILLION SHOEBOXES! The staff and volunteers at Team Hope Ireland celebrated a landmark this week, when box number 2,000,000 was collected for their Christmas appeal. The record number was reached after 10 years of donations from families, schools, workplaces and teams all across the country – and with thanks to the many readers across […]

6 years ago

Because a tree is for life, not just for Christmas. This has been the year where there wider world woke up to the realities of climate change. Spurned on by the likes of Great Thunberg, we are all keenly aware of the need for positive environmental action. As we head into the traditional season of […]

6 years ago

A 12-year old billionaire, an orangutan butler, and a company called ‘Bumfresh toilet paper’… Not since Roald Dahl has there been a children’s author so imaginative, so irreverent and so delightfully wicked as David Walliams. Some of his best-selling books, such as Gansta Granny, have been turned into equally successful TV shows in recent years, […]

6 years ago

Tasty, warming and full of goodness, this French recipe from chef and food writer Rick Stein’s latest book will see your family through the cold months… AUTUMNAL VEGETABLE SOUP WITH BASIL, GARLIC & OLIVE OIL SOUPE AU PISTOU SERVES 6–8 Ingredients 100g dried beans, such as flageolet, cannellini or haricots, soaked overnight in cold water […]

6 years ago

Chef Rick Stein’s latest book explores the recipes passed down through generation of Fresh families. Get your kids involved with making the pastry for this tart, and they’ll be dying to taste the finished result. LEEK TART FROM PICARDY FLAMICHE Many versions of this leek tart or pie from Picardy exist, some with a top of […]

6 years ago

Help Team Hope reach two million shoeboxes! There’s been festive cheer spreading across the country in the past few weeks, as people in every county packed boxes for the Team Hope Christmas shoebox appeal. Collection centres have been filling with brightly coloured boxes – as the Her crew witnessed when we dropped our own carefully-wrapped […]

6 years ago

“Gay was the world’s greatest broadcaster” Ireland is a nation united in sadness today following the announcement of the death of Gay Byrne. Best known and loved as the host of The Late Late Show, Gay was widely acknowledged one of the most accomplished broadcasters, not only in Ireland but anywhere in the world – […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by the National Childcare Scheme If you’re a parent, especially to a baby or toddler, there’s no doubt that autumn and the lead up to Christmas can really leave you feeling the pinch in your pocket. That’s why it’s entirely worth understanding and availing of schemes available to help reduce the cost […]

6 years ago

New legislation granting legal recognition to same sex parents is too narrow in focus, says the Equality For Children campaign. Today, Ireland takes an important step forward in granting legal recognition to same sex parents. The news this morning that Health Minister Simon Harris was due to sign off on the relevant parts of the Children […]

6 years ago

Yum!

6 years ago

The daily struggle. Mornings are a crazy time in every house, especially when you’ve lunchboxes to fill. If like us, you end up eating the same lunch as your little ones to save time, then why not make something you’d all enjoy. So, we’re saying goodbye to ham sandwiches and trying something a little different. […]

6 years ago

It’s all one big learning curve.

6 years ago

We oohed, we aahed, we squealed excitedly and took a million photos – and that was just the adults. The new Wonderlights opens at Palmerstown House Estate in Kildare tonight, and it genuinely is a wondrous experience. HerFamily was lucky enough to get the chance to preview what’s the ‘multi-sensory trail’ before the grand opening, and […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by McDonald’s Happy Halloween! We haven’t forgotten how busy this time of year can really be. Between the costumes, the extra sweets, decorations and making sure the kids’ Trick or Treating goes perfectly, it’d be nice to have a fun day out where you can sit back and let someone else organise […]

6 years ago

It’s the question that you’ll be asked a hundred times in the run up to your due date: have you got your bag packed yet? But what are you supposed to put in it – and what are the extras that you’ll be glad you thought to bring? Influencer Pippa O’Connor is mum to two […]

6 years ago

Time to organise a festive family trip. Aside from the fact that Galway is Europe’s Capital of Culture for 2020, there’s another reason to visit the City of the Tribes because the much-loved Christmas market is returning for the festive season. It’s only October but as parents know, Santa lists start way ahead of time […]

6 years ago

“A watershed moment” The cervical cancer patient support group 221+ has responded to the Taoiseach’s apology for the “many failures” of the healthcare system. The independent group was established in July 2018 to provide information, support and advice to families affected by the national cervical smear screening scandal. The group’s name symbolises the 221 women who […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by McDonald’s Costumes at the ready! As if Halloween wasn’t exciting enough, McDonald’s has come to add even more fun to October 30 between 12pm and 4pm. Once again, McDonald’s is playing host to a spectacular family fun day in restaurants across the country where you can bring the entire family together […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by Cadbury We’re celebrating family because, well… we can! There’s undoubtedly at least one family member who’s entirely worthy of a very special treat. Perhaps they’ve been so good, or exceptionally good to you for as long as you can remember. Maybe they’re the support you just can’t do without, maybe they […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by AVEENO® Baby No one likes dry skin and babies are no different. Dry, itchy skin and eczema-prone skin occurs much more commonly in childhood. So, as a parent, it’s always reassuring to know what’s out there to help and what to do if you think your child is developing a skin […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by Aptaclub Newborn on the way? Exciting times ahead mums and dads! No doubt things are a little busy right now while you try and get all those essentials ticked off the list. Just think of the clothes, having to paint the nursery, the bibs you’ll need, the pram, the crib… THE […]

6 years ago

Halloween is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, my favourite day of the year. It’s got all of the excitement of Christmas with none of the present-buying-house-cleaning-visitors-calling-dinner-cooking stress. Plus you get to dress up and eat lots of sweets – that’s what I call magical. Much as I love all of the amazing new costumes […]

6 years ago

Prams, buggies and nappy bags be gone.

6 years ago

Sonia Harris Pope is the MD of Harris PR and mum to Ruby. She is working with UNICEF Ireland to encourage support for breastfeeding women. Here, to celebrate National Breastfeeding Week, she gives an honest and uplifting account of her own experiences, and a plea to the nation to give more new mums more support… I’ve been breastfeeding for […]

6 years ago

A mile a day keeps the doctor away. Today’s children will be the first generation the history of humanity who will not outlive their parents… That’s the stark warning from Prof Niall Moyna, Ireland’s leading Clinical Exercise Physiologist, who says that poor lifestyle choices and physical inactivity in particular will cut lives short. We are […]

6 years ago

These are the women who can inspire your little ones to take up sport. Vera Pauw has named the women’s senior soccer squad that will line out against the Ukraine on October 8. The 23 players are the first squad assembled by the newly-appointed manager, and the list includes familiar Ireland stars such as Megan […]

6 years ago

Miracles can happen.

6 years ago

Come cheer the girls in green! On October 8, the Ireland women’s soccer team take on Ukraine in a UEFA Euro 2021 qualifier. The upcoming match will be the team’s first under newly arrived coach Vera Pauw, who is an experienced manager and former Dutch international. It’s hoped that team can continue their winning streak, […]

6 years ago

With the Rugby World Cup in full swing, no doubt your little ones will want to do anything that makes them more like the boys in green. So, use these recipes from Fiona Uyema to expand their palates and, um, eat like Johnny Sexton! Negima yakitori (chicken & spring onion skewers) These chicken skewers taste much […]

7 years ago

Halloween comes early with this magical one pot (cauldron?) stew from Darina Allen’s latest book Black-eyed bean, pumpkin & chickpea stew One of the very best vegetarian one-pot dishes. What’s not to like about black-eyed beans, chickpeas and pumpkin with lots of spices? Delicious on its own, but equally good with roast chicken or a […]

7 years ago

Ward off the autumn chill, and expand you brood’s tastebuds, with this nourishing soup from Darina Allen’s latest book Red lentil soup with turmeric, masala yogurt, toasted seeds & coriander Serves 6 This soup was inspired by a soup I ate and loved at The Little Fox in Ennistymon in Co. Clare. I’m not sure how they […]

7 years ago

For Vicky Phelan, writing her memoir was a “cathartic” experience. Although Vicky became a household name due to her taking a stand that broke the cervical cancer scandal, a terminal cancer diagnosis is just one of the battles the mum-of-two has faced in her life. In her newly-released book, Overcoming, Vicky details her experience of […]

7 years ago

“What’s wrong with me? Why don’t I love my baby?” Vicky Phelan has come a household name thanks to her tireless activism for women’s health. It was she who first brought the cervical cancer screening scandal to light when she refused to sign a gagging order and instead spoke out after she settled her case. It […]

7 years ago

“If no one talks about this, then how are they supposed to know that it’s not something that you should just live with?” By going public after settling a court action in April 2018, Vicky Phelan broke the cervical cancer screening scandal that rocked the country. In the weeks and months that followed her brave stand, […]

7 years ago

“One of the saddest but most uplifting stories I have ever read” To hear Vicky Phelan talk about the events of last year is somewhat jarring. Was it really only in 2018 that she spoke to the press on the steps of the Four Courts? Was it was it really only last year that we learned […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by AIG Insurance Dublin take on Galway in Croke Park this Sunday – and you and your family could be there! HerFamily has teamed up with the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association and the Croke Park Hotel to give away a fantastic prize of a family weekend in Dublin to attend the All-Ireland Ladies’ […]

7 years ago

Come on you boys in green! Are your kids the kid who want rackets during Wimbledon, a football during the Euros and a tape measure to use as a finishing line when the Olympics are on? Then you’ll want to kit them out for the upcoming Rugby World Cup. Little sports fans love any excuse […]

7 years ago

“If there’s any message I want people to take from this book, it is hope that, even in the hardest of times, life is worth living, one precious moment at a time.” As inspirational quotes go, it’s a hard-hitting one – made all the more impactful by the fact that it was Vicky Phelan who […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by Aptaclub Now, who wouldn’t fancy that? It’s exciting times ahead mums and dads! Besides getting the house in order, slowly ticking a few last-minute jobs off the to-do list and putting those finishing touches to the nursery, it might be time to think about baby’s wardrobe. Now, we know we want […]

7 years ago

Sneaky veg alert! A tasty, comforting dish that can be cooked in a big batch and will have the kids eating more vegetables without even realising it? TICK TICK TICK! Every parent will want to add this creamy veggie moussaka recipe to their culinary repertoire this autumn. It comes from chef Jamie Oliver, whose latest […]

7 years ago

Green is the magic colour. Saturday morning pancakes are a lovely treat. Not only do they let you spend some quality time with your kids and give them the chance to learn their first cookery skills, they’re also quick and easy to make (well, if you don’t count the clean-up time and effort). Plenty of […]

7 years ago

Heading abroad on holiday when you are expecting your first baby can be daunting, especially when you compare it to last year’s more carefree adventure. Fear not! Travelling with a bump shouldn’t stop you from enjoying yourself but limiting stress is key for any mum-to-be, particularly when travelling. Holidays will never be the same again […]

7 years ago

Little seeds; little miracle workers

7 years ago

It’s fair to say that being eco-aware is on-trend right now. It’s also fair to say that this is one trend that we should make a permanent fixture – green is the new black. Environmentalist and artist Don Conroy has spent his whole life advocating for people to care for the planet and its wildlife, […]

7 years ago

Perfect if you’re running short on space.

7 years ago

Brought to you by McDonald’s  If we thought all that summer fun was over, we can think again. Yep, school’s right around the corner, but there’s still time to get those summer family moments in motion and keep the kids occupied. While we might also opt for the likes of a drive into the countryside […]

7 years ago

Her is a proud partner of Vicky Phelan’s Overcoming book tour. “I am acutely aware that this could be my last summer.” Those were the heartrending words that Vicky Phelan shared on Twitter last week. However – as Vicky continued in the post – instead of taking the summer off to enjoy quality time with her family, […]

7 years ago

Brought to you by SEAT Anyone in the market for a new car? Choosing a new car is always a tough decision – you’re going to be driving it for years and having your kids as passengers – very precious cargo – so both comfort and safety is key. You want a car that is […]

7 years ago

HerFamily is a proud partner of Vicky Phelan’s Overcoming book tour. “I am acutely aware that this could be my last summer.” Those were the heartrending words that Vicky Phelan shared on Twitter last week. However – as Vicky continued in the post – instead of taking the summer off to enjoy quality time with her family, […]

7 years ago