“When I went back to work after having the twins I found that venture capital and looking after twin girls were not compatible!” This week, I hear from mother of three Anna Frankland, as she explains how she transitioned from working in venture capital in Sydney to setting up her
“Recently I was asked how I can say ‘no’ to work (which as a freelancer can be scary). My mantra is ‘every time I say yes to doing additional work, it means I’m saying no to being with the boys’. It makes the decision much easier” Originally from Scotland, Tracy
“Two of the main things that keep people in a situation where they are less than happy are lack of confidence and that fear of change that holds many people back” This week I talk to Dearbhalla Baviera, a mum of four, who has transitioned from a full-time role as
“Oh my God aren’t we desperate! Women are so hard on themselves and way too hard and judgmental of other women too” This week’s interview is with Helen Plass, owner of mumandbaby.ie a website for mothers-to-be and new mothers. She’s a yoga teacher, runs active birth workshops, hosts webinars, and
Why is it that more women than men stay at home with children? In 98% of families with one parent at home, it’s a woman who takes that role. Assuming there isn’t a secret world where stay-at-home mothers get to loll about all day in spas sipping Pinot Grigio, there must be something behind
“Women have been conditioned to feel that it’s up to them to keep all balls in the air which in reality is just not feasible (not to mention unfair)” This week’s interview is with bestselling author Melissa Hill, who lives in South Dublin with her husband and four-year-old daughter. After
“Me, who had always had a title – Travel Agent, Teacher, PRO – now found myself with the title of Housewife? And I wasn’t going to call myself that for a minute. Only because it is a very stupid title – I never married a house” Back after the holidays,
A room full of working mothers, hundreds of enthusiastic conversations, two inspirational coaches, sun streaming through the windows, and all the croissants we could eat – the Mumager workshop was starting out well. There’s something very uplifting about spending a day with like-minded people – with women who have similar
Working mother guilt is a myth, according to widely publicised survey findings from UK parenting website Mumsnet. 48% of the 900 mothers polled said that they were happier having a job than being at home, sparking a range of newspaper articles on the topic, including this one by Bryony Gordon who
Working mother guilt – does it ever ease? If we’re not feeling guilty about being apart from our children, we’re feeling guilty about an un-ironed uniform, unsigned homework or giving toast for dinner. And sometimes we feel guilty about work too. While I would argue vehemently that parents in the
“I think that most working mothers do look for a balance with work and raising their children and it baffles me that the corporate world can often look at that as a negative.” This week I meet Jenny Bishop, who is the Marketing Manager of The Marketing Institute and has
Recently scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, I came across this: It had been “liked” by over 1.2 million people at that stage. I was taken aback to see that so many people agreed with the sentiment; agreed that spanking children is a good thing to do. Agreed that teaching
“lower your standards! Housework can wait. If everyone is fed
“it is the simple things that I find the hardest – like my child being invited to a birthday party mid-week and I can’t bring them, so have to ask another parent to bring him so he doesn’t miss out” The first interview for 2014 is with June Tinsley who
This is my 100th blog-post. And tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. So I’m thinking that it might be OK for me to say something about that – about my first year of blogging. For me, 2013 has been a year of engagement. Not the diamond-ring type – that was a decade
“I try hard not to compromise the kind of mother I want to be, by not letting work encroach on the children’s time. But inevitably, deadlines need to be met“ Next up, in this series of interviews with mothers, is Carmel Harrington, a sales manager turned stay-at-home-mother and now a published
After reading “Here’s why we need to start asking men – how do you do it all?” I started to really think about why we don’t ask men this question, and about all the other questions we are asked as women. Can you picture a man being asked any of
“I think once you become a parent, guilt is inevitable” “I often feel like I am present physically but trying to work on something myself while doing homework/cooking dinner etc. I feel like I may be around
This is the first in a series of interviews with mothers; chatting about home and work and family, and that elusive balance that we all seek. Topics range from childcare to career changes, working from home to stay-at-home mothers, setting up businesses, fitting in homework, the ever-present guilt, and mostly,
Mommy-wars. Or since we’re in Ireland, let’s say Mammy-wars. I can’t stand the term, but it’s the widely-used name for the phenomenon of mothers judging mothers on every element of parenting, originally coined to refer to mothers working outside the home versus stay-at-home mothers. Newspapers love the SAHM/ mothers working outside the