“So where are you off to?” my child’s teacher asked, as we chatted about holidays. “To a mobile home in a campsite in Italy,” I said. “Oh, is it Bella Italia? I went there when I was ten,” the teacher replied, and that was when I realised for the first
What makes a holiday? Is it time off work, or time to yourself, or time with the kids, or a break from the kids? Is it time to read your first book this year or time to get through six? Sunbathing or swimming or sliding or sailing or sleeping? Time
Exactly two years ago this week, I was on this same beach (give or take a bit of sand) when I saw a woman in a deckchair and almost took her photo. Then I got worried – what if I shared her photo online and it had unexpected repercussions on her life
There’s something about the train. This is, granted, mostly if you almost never get the train. I suspect if you get it every day, there are frustrations like crowded platforms and delays and never getting a seat. But for people like me who only get trains every now and then,
I was going to call this Snapshot of a woman on the edge but that was just too melodramatic for what really comes down to wishing away the long, final days of school before the summer starts. So it’s a snapshot from the cusp instead – from one tired mother
I’m a bit fragile today. It’s a little bit down to last night’s wine and tapas – the ratio of rioja to patatas bravas was not in my favour. But it’s a lot down to the Last Supper – the goodbye dinner with the mums from my middle child’s class. After four
I am the mean-mom who doesn’t let my kids have new toys when it’s not Christmas or birthdays, despite the fact that every single child in the school goes to Smyths EVERY SUNDAY to buy new toys – these are the same children who apparently all have their own YouTube
Back in April 2017, when I’d been freelancing for two years, I started this post. I think the fact that it’s taken me over a year to actually finish it probably sums up freelancing life better than anything else I could say below. But anyway, just over three years into freelancing, here’s what works,
“But why can’t I make a sandwich with a burger bun?” my youngest asked, “There’s no bread in the press anyway.” He had a point. And despite being the mother who won’t let her kids have treats in their lunch boxes (I’m the meanest mother in the class apparently) and
Two summers ago, we spent a glorious fortnight in Marina di Venezia, a campsite near Venice that’s situated right on the beach. About five days into our holiday, I was lying awake in bed, cranky after a bad night’s sleep, and irrationally irritated that everyone else was still snoring (including the
I woke up this morning unable to breathe. I’d been dreaming that I was suffocating and when I woke up, I found I still couldn’t breathe. I sat straight up in bed and opened my mouth and gulped in some air. Hay fever. Just bloody hay fever making me think I’m
I stared at the self-service till in the supermarket, and it stared back at me. I braced myself and pressed the start button. Bagels – check. The satisfying beep told me I’d successfully united the barcode and the scanner on first go – result! Bread – check. Surely a record?
*Review: I was invited to review Martinhal Cascais, but all opinions are my own* I put my book down on the lounger and turned my face to the sun, pausing for a few seconds to appreciate the moment – to appreciate sitting by a pool in Portugal, with nobody to look after
“What’s up pet?” I asked my middle child on Friday evening, when she looked a bit sad. She shrugged. “I’m not sure what it is. I think I’m just worrying about lots of things but I don’t even know what they are.” This isn’t uncommon – she’s my little worrier.
As anyone who works mornings and looks after kids in the afternoon knows, it’s a day of two distinct halves. The morning is busy-busy, trying to cram in every last drop before the imaginary school-run klaxon sounds, and tools must be downed. Like the no-nonsense bell in a TV game show,
Vanessa Tierney is a mother of two and business-owner who has moved back from the UK to settle in Wexford. She talks about the benefits of ditching the commute and working from home – the premise on which her business is founded. Thank you for taking part in this interview series
Are you and your friends like me and my friends? We stay in touch on WhatsApp and Facebook. We grab coffee when we can, and we have really, really good nights out when we find a date that suits everyone. But we haven’t been away together since our hen parties a very
They came on Saturday afternoon – my almost-last round of edits. This is the time to make final tweaks and find typos. (Typos are so hard to find, but I know they’re there, lurking, grinning slyly, hoping to make the final cut.) And for me, the only way to do this is to
“So what did you do for St Patrick’s Day?” asked our lovely optician on Monday. “Did you go into the parade?” “No…” said the child. “Did you watch it on TV?” “No, Dad was watching the match, so we didn’t see it.” I jumped in then, quick to clarify that I’d
This time five years ago, when my husband was out one night and there was nothing on TV, I cranked up my ancient laptop and googled “How to start a blog”. I’d been thinking about it for a couple of months at that stage, but fuelled by a quiet house