As a seasoned toddler, I often think back to my newborn self with a wry smile. I was such a rookie, flailing around in this non-womb world wondering where the cozy flesh-nest and comforting sounds of pickle sandwiches being digested had gone. And why does everyone keep staring at me in that crazed, lobotomy victim […]

11 years ago

Okay, I admit that I am definitely mulling over the going again thing a lot at the moment. I think this is because I’m feeling the Brood for the first time in my life. When I got pregnant with The Child, it was not a premeditated thing, and so I hadn’t really started to feel any […]

11 years ago

Pre-baby I imagined parenthood as a magical time of Pinterest and crafts and tender cuddles and gentle baby coos and puréeing organic whatevers purchased at the local farmers market where the baby and I would stroll each Sunday looking for a the world like we’d just stepped out of Instagram. WRONG. In fact, I reckon […]

11 years ago

We finally get a night out, free from thoughts of winding and Milton and muslin cloths and then the questions start… Why do you think I’m out here desperately trying to pull off a leopard print tube skirt and trainers? I’m trying to forget for a couple of hours that I am a human dairy, […]

11 years ago

Hi Sophie, it’s Future-Sophie here. I’m taking this time out of my incredibly hectic schedule of eating Nutella and calculating how many hours to go until bedtime to offer you a few sage words of wisdom. You’re welcome… 10 things I’d like to tell my new-mother self, two years on: 1. SOAK IT UP!!!!! I […]

11 years ago

Anyone else have a non-cuddler? Truth be told I’d take a non-sleeper over a non-cuddler any day.  My non-cuddling son has made me into a fully fledged baby stalker, compelled to steal precious cuddles from him whenever I get the opportunity. I hope that I am not alone in this… 10 things only parents of […]

11 years ago

I have argued in the past about how ‘good’ sleeper should not even be a thing. I have also made a case for the perks of having a so-called ‘bad’ sleeper. But now after two years of being a no-sleeper myself, I’m just too tired to pretend anymore. Coming up on my second anniversary of […]

11 years ago

Is he spirited? Or actually possessed by evil spirits…

11 years ago

Okay, I promise I’m not going to make this into some kind of public therapy session, and I’m not going to put whether or not I try to have another baby to a popular vote on the Internet. I’m just finding more and more the question of ‘going again’ arising. Me and The Man, me […]

11 years ago

Do NOT feed them after midnight…oh whatever we all know they call the shots…

11 years ago

Disclaimer: So I know this is billed as three ingredient dinners but please don’t be too pedantic. I’m going off the fact that certain spices, salt, pepper and olive oil are pretty much store cupboard items that can be found in most kitchens. 1. Chicken Thighs with lemons and honey Serves 2 Ingredients: 6 chicken […]

11 years ago

People say that when faced with extreme situations one learns profound truths about oneself.  Parenthood also teaches us about ourselves, though some of the insights may not be considered profound exactly, learning just how okay you will become with another person’s bodily secretions is hardly the stuff of deep philosophical and emotional insight. Still it […]

11 years ago

Living with a toddler is beyond craic, the toddler stage is, at times, how I imagine living with Bill Murray might be: Non-stop hilarity with occasional emotional outbursts. It is also pretty reminiscent of chaperoning a tiny but adorable little drunk person around and attempting to keep them from a) destroying everything in the vicinity; […]

11 years ago

When I’m in the throes of extreme sleep deprivation there is no amount of bad behaviour that I won’t forgive myself for. If I killed someone for telling me that they were on holidays in Ibiza for the last week and they’re “wrecked,” I would feel completely justified in that. I would argue my case […]

11 years ago

When you first become a parent, there’re so many things to agonise over. I’m such a worrier; I barely knew where to begin. The endless lists from the hospital about all the essentials your baby will need, rather then spurring me into action and getting organised, in fact only served to compound my terror. After […]

11 years ago

The mother & baby group can be an absolute lifesaver in the hazy, crazy early days of motherhood. An opportunity to escape the house and see some humans that you didn’t make yourself can be a welcome relief to the slightly repetitive days spent caring for a young baby. However, remember you are entering a room […]

11 years ago

The Autumn boot purchase tends to dominate our sartorial decisions at least until Christmas. Am I the only person who finds it nigh on impossible to to find the perfect Chelsea boot or to decipher my feelings towards over-the-knees? If you are finding the hunt sole destroying then look no further… we’ve done the leg […]

11 years ago

Finding yourself in the proximity of perfect parents can be a real pain in the ass. How can any of us measure up when faced with the dizzying heights of parenting perfection attained by our in-laws and other random strangers? 10 ways to ‘RUIN’ your baby according to in-laws and other expert parents: 1. Too […]

11 years ago

I always find I think of my parenting in little snapshots. I punish myself lying in bed at night running a slideshow in my mind of all the things I could’ve done better or differently that day. It’s a masochistic activity that The Man certainly doesn’t engage in. Many of you may not engage in this […]

11 years ago

Does anyone else ever have those weekends when the other half just completely takes the piss? When you actually wonder if they are setting you up on some hidden camera show and at any moment it will come out that their outrageous behaviour was just a joke to wind you up? But then you realise that […]

11 years ago

According to reports in the Irish Independent, middle-income households will be paying LESS than 50 per cent tax on income for the first time in six years. Several “senior sources” confirmed to the paper that the higher tax rate will be lowered to 49.5 per cent. A 0.5 per cent decrease. Though the sources claim […]

11 years ago

Over the course of being parents, The Man and I have developed our own shorthand for the kind of parenting battles and mishaps that pepper our days. 10 ESSENTIAL (unofficial) parenting terms you never knew you needed… until you had kids 1. Nap-Trapped When they randomly take a nap about an hour earlier than usual […]

11 years ago

Modern parenting has become pretty bogged down with manifestos and terminology in the last few years. It hit me when I was trying to explain what Crying It Out was to my mother and she responded, perplexed: “In my day we just called that crying.” These days new parents could be forgiven for suffering something […]

11 years ago

In the spirit of the month that is in it I trawled the furthest reaches of Pinterest looking for the BEST WORST kids Halloween costumes ever and inadvertently lifted the lid on one of the most bizarre Halloween trends ever. As I scrolled through the search results I noticed an unnerving amount of kids all […]

11 years ago

Psychologist, Dr. Jessica Zucker had worked with many women grieving the loss of a pregnancy in her practice that specialised in women’s reproductive health. In 2012 however, she gained heartbreaking new insight into her patient’s experiences when she, herself, suffered a devastating miscarriage at four months. She has since produced a series of condolence cards […]

11 years ago

When our columnist Andrea Mara, aka Office Mum, wrote about the EU-wide study that revealed that for “every €100 the (Irish) mother earns, €94 is spent on tax and childcare, leaving just €6 net disposable income”, we had ha huge reader response with many women sharing their experience of the so-called ‘childcare years’. “Childcare costs […]

11 years ago

London mum, Jade Hornsby was completely stunned after a recent trip to Harley Street in London for a 4D scan. The reason? The 21-year-old’s late grandfather, Jack Hornsby appears as a ghostly apparition in the image kissing the new baby. The 4D scan was a gift from her mum Lesley Bineham, and it was when she was showing […]

11 years ago

I am not a nice person since I became a parent. It maybe has something to do with being constantly under-slept and edgy from too much caffeine and not enough time spent lazing around doing nothing. I swear I was a nice person at some point in the past, but now I am about as […]

11 years ago

Two-time Olympic gold medalist and Amazing Race star, Meaghan Mikkelson created the #NameMyBaby this year to choose her first child’s name. The elated couple announced the much anticipated chosen name on Periscope (natch) and then on Twitter. Here is the adorable bundle of joy who received his moniker after over 3000 Twiiter users voted: Meet Calder Allan […]

11 years ago

Bride sends no show guest the bill for dinner, Guest is NOT impressed… Minnesota couple, Jessica Baker and her husband were getting ready to go a friend’s wedding when their childcare fell through. Her kids were not allowed to attend the ceremony or dinner so the Bakers were unable to attend the wedding. A couple of weeks […]

11 years ago

The West Midlands Police have taken to Facebook to defend the actions of two of their officers. WHAT WOULD YOU DO? We’re asking people to put themselves in the shoes of two Dudley police officers who came across what… Posted by West Midlands Police on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Police were alerted to a car in […]

11 years ago

The first night that I spent in hospital after having my baby I slept with my son on my chest. In a high narrow hospital bed, this may sound a bit dodgy but I just didn’t want to let him go. I’d had a c-section and missed those precious first hours of bonding and skin-to-skin. […]

11 years ago

It was when I started my maternity leave that for the first time I began to see the man as my enemy. He was, after all, the one who had put the baby in me, was virtually no help getting it out and then trotted off to work leaving me to learn how to operate […]

11 years ago

Sometimes Fashion, you go too far. Moschino is the sometimes genius, sometimes ghastly, always irreverent luxury Italian brand that pokes fun at the more po-faced aspects of high fashion. In the past, they’ve had the audacity to charge monumental sums for what are often fashion monstrosities. Since joining the brand in 2013, current design director, […]

11 years ago

Young mum, Claire Henderson has shared the terrifying story of how her baby daughter, Brooke, became gravely ill after an affectionate kiss on the mouth. “Please share this with every new mum and pregnant woman you know… COLD SORES CAN BE FATAL FOR A BABY. Before 3 months old a baby cannot fight the herpes virus. […]

11 years ago

Speaking at a Fine Gael fundraising event this week, Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, said that “very strong innovation” was the key to ensuring economic recovery for the country. He went on to say that every child over the age of five should be given access to an iPad to make Ireland a more tech-aware […]

11 years ago

“One positive action in a negative moment has caused a tsunami of friendship for me with moms that are going through the same thing.” These are the words of Dianne Hoffmeyer, the 41-year-old Burtchville Township, Michigan, mum who’s response to a couple of total bitches last Monday went completely viral. Dianne was queuing to get a snack for […]

11 years ago

So we all know that man + cute baby = slightly hotter man. It’s a weird equation but one that I’ve got the evidence to back up. Once we had a child, I observed The Man fending off female advances where ever he went with the baby in tow. It must be an evolutionary thing. […]

11 years ago

When you get a baby, there’s a whole new world of garments and gadgets. I always love starting a new activity that requires an entire new wardrobe, my favourite part of starting a new fitness fad is always the ‘essential’ gear that needs to be sourced prior to actually doing any work, and this pretty […]

11 years ago

Anna lives in Greystones with her partner, Ben and their two boys, James (4) and Euan (2). James is currently campaigning for a cat or dog to be added to the brood, Anna is resisting. She has recently joined Weekend AM after six years with Ireland AM.  1. If I’ve learned one thing about myself since becoming a […]

11 years ago

Italian designer, Paolo Ulian has answered one of life’s eternal questions: How can we eat Nutella from the jar without getting our fingers sticky? With one of his patented finger biscuits, that’s how. Think of it like a crunchy delicious finger glove. The idea for the finger biscuit struck the designer back in 2004 in […]

11 years ago

When Imgur user, NobodyLikesaSmartAss’s four-year-old twins asked for a Hulk Princess cake for their birthday these parents did not shy away from the challenge. With Tesco and Marks and Spencers yet to bring out an official Hulk Princess cake, these awesome parents embarked on the cake-baking, boundary-pushing icing journey of a lifetime to produce this […]

11 years ago

My wise and esteemed colleague Trine wrote last week about the many (17 if she is to be believed) advantages to being a millennial mum and I (negative Nancy that I am) feel compelled to write a riposte.  10 reasons why life is harder for millennial mums: 1. Baby-led parenting Okay, baby-led parenting is not […]

11 years ago

Footage of adorable ‘not princess’ Jojo admonishing her dad for calling her a princess has been viewed nearly half a million times in the last week. Even when dad tries to explain her royal heritage saying, “but I’m a king!” Jojo’s having none of it. She interrupts him with this cutting shut down “No you’re […]

11 years ago

Anyone else feeling the new season ‘trenzy’? Ya know, the trend frenzy that is near impossible to resist once the shops start bringing in gorgeous new stock, the weather suddenly has us longing for velvet and wool tights and the twinkle of Christmassy sequins can almost be glimpsed in the near future. The trenzy can be a […]

11 years ago

First of all I would like to state here before I launch into my whinge that The Man is a really, really good father and a fair to middling husband. Before we had a baby I had no real complaints in the relationship department. In my book, he was everything I was looking for in […]

11 years ago

So obviously you approach parenthood with all kinds of notions and plans for what type of parent you will be. Then inevitably the baby comes along and casually RUINS EVERYTHING. “How can I be my best, most loving, mothering self when you won’t stop crying?” I found myself shrieking a few days in. Not what […]

11 years ago

I’m sure most sane people can agree that selfies are one of the more narcissistic and embarrassing modern activities. Personally I wouldn’t be caught dead in one (incidentally, what are the chances the ‘dead selfie’ will be a thing by the time Millennials are dying out? The deathie?). One young college student, Emily Musson, has […]

11 years ago

Forget the thigh gap and the collar bone coin challenge, the thighbrow is the latest body trend celebs are showing off on social media. So what is it? It is NOT as I initially believed the untended pubic hair that peeks out along my knicker line like a decorative fringing (so on trend). Apparently it […]

11 years ago

Parts of the country are on storm alert ahead of this weekend. Storms and flooding are expected to hit the west of the country initially before heading eastwards as the day progresses. Orange weather warnings for Connacht, Donegal, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary have been issued by Met Eireann. Meanwhile, Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan and […]

11 years ago