Sun Holiday Essentials | Tips for Travelling Light with Children

When travelling I always want to keep our luggage to a minimum and I usually don't do too badly but on occasion have ended up arriving home with a surplus of unworn, unused items. This time, however - after learning from all my previous travel experiences and mistakes - I finally got it right and ended up packing super light for five people with absolutely everything we needed when there.

The Wonder Label Pitch | Pitching for the First Time

First of all it's mind-blowing that I'm even writing a post about this.

The words 'Drop the mic' are still ringing in my head.

Yesterday I did my first ever business pitch. You can probably tell from that sentence that this isn't going to be an informative 'Expert Tips' type article. I've never done a presentation, and I've never done a pitch. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm the person at the party who, as soon as I hear the words, 'Right, who's going to do the next party piece', tries to quietly look as transparent as possible.

House Rules for Different Personalities

Not blogging as much as I used to has made me realise how much I've missed it. It's my creative outlet in a world where noise, chaos and jumping on furniture is part and parcel of everyday life. But I've also realised something else. What started out as a blog about cooking and interior design, two of my favourite hobbies, has unexpectedly changed over the years and I now find myself writing more and more about family life.

Easter at Sea Lodge

Sundays all over the world are particularly special. Time to relax, time with loved ones, time to slow down. Last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we spent the day in Wexford which as always ticked all of those boxes.

Imaginations

The sound of war. Grenades, shrieking, gunfire. Pew, pew, pew. Pew, pew. Noise and chaos, thumping sounds, shouting. Arms and legs flying in every direction.

Waiting for Snow

It's at this time of year I always remember the big snow of 2010. Not 1983 like some, I was just too small to recall the details, but the last big snow when my eldest was only four and I delighted in the fact that he could toboggan down the hill beside our house on a baking tray. It snuck up on me; I wasn't expecting such a big pile on the first day it fell, maybe it was because I didn't have an app back then to check the weather as often as I liked, maybe some people had an inkling it was on the way, maybe it was just one of those things that happen out of the blue for a reason that nobody knows. One minute I was preparing dinner and the next the snow came... Falling slowly at the start then picking up speed, gently covering everything outside with big, thick snowflakes until everything turned white. I don't remember much about yesterday but I do remember that evening, happy memories are as clear as day. Snow makes me happy :-)

As soon as the temperature starts to drop and I'm rooting out hats and gloves and scarves I secretly hope that the same will happen again. Hygge comes to the forefront of my mind. I want to curl up beside log fires while a blanket of snow quietly covers the ground, light every candle, sip on warming drinks and spend quality time with family indoors after the working day is done. Some people are summer people but I've decided I'm definitely a winter one.

Outside it feels cold enough for snow, but because there's no sign of any yet here's some photos from the web the get me in the hygge mood...

Sleep | The Third Pillar of Health

A good night's sleep, what we all want every night.

Ode to Summer | Star Jumps

Ode to Summer

I'm not great with endings. Thankfully David is the opposite. Change, in his opinion, usually signals growth and new beginnings. It's good having someone in the house who thinks like that.

When Callum finished Montessori in June I was feeling lots of emotions but mostly sad; something that had played such a big part in his life over the past three years was coming to an end. I hoped the next chapter for him would be a positive one. Starting primary school was a major milestone. Would he like it? Would he be happy? Would he make friends? Would he like everyone? Would everyone like him??

"I am an old man and have known a great many troubles but most of them never happened" - Mark Twain

Air Travel with Kids - Solo

“We’re landing on the sea!” 

That’s exactly how I remember it. Words from an excited Callum. One moment we were all surrounded by clouds, then just before we even realised what was happening, water just below.

I was travelling solo with my three boys and I couldn’t be happier. Even with a water landing imminent…

Vive la France!

"The year began with lunch..." The first line from one of my favourite books, A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.

The days are long but the years feel short

Next week the days of 12pm pick ups for my five year old will come to an end.

Eggcellent Easter

Like most Sundays these days Easter started early; with two bowls of porridge, a bowl of Rice Krispies and an hour later sausages with ketchup. With three boys I'm a constant preparer of food!

Let them be mindful

At the beginning of 2015 I wrote an article titled 'Mindful Mama' for Parent Trap, the parenting section on TV3's Xposé website. 

I'd heard that mindfulness along with daily meditation had proven benefits for productivity, mood and physical health. I was sold, and decided to give it a try. 

After testing it out as one of my 2015 New Year's resolutions I wrote about how beneficial it was, especially for me - a busy Mum. I knew that by nature I was the complete opposite of mindful, always rushing, with thoughts and ideas constantly whirring around my head. I really wanted to stop inflicting that sense of urgency on my children. I also felt I wasn't as present for my boys as I could be. Everyday distractions were getting in the way - filling the dishwasher, wiping up spills, laundry, my phone - I knew I was missing out on precious time with them, and I was aware that while the days felt long the years were short at this cherished stage in their young lives. 

After putting what I'd learned into practice I realised that practicing mindfulness - which had slowing down and focusing at it's core - was absolutely perfect for someone like me, who often runs from task to task without really achieving very much at the end of my busy day.

When in France...

When a good friend of mine contacted me a couple of weeks ago asking if I had any tips for places to visit while she was holidaying in Sainte Maxime in May I couldn't stop writing when I replied...

Manifesto #1 | Parenting

At the beginning of 2017 I wrote seven manifestos; one on parenting, one about family, a personal manifesto, work, health, marriage and happiness. Writing down a list of principles to help guide how I want to live each day suddenly made everything very clear and simple. In just a few months they've improved so many things and, like everything on here, whenever I come across something that I think could be useful I need to share it! 

Winter's in the Air

Winter. When does it really end? It seems the answer is a little vague, and also somewhat subjective.

We have three kids!

I spent a good part of my life as a Mum trying to act as if everything had stayed the same. Baby number one arrived, "Ooh, you're going to London, I'll come. A night on the town, of course I can make it". Brunches, lunches, trips, dinners, bars, always there, always acting as if I could do this whole baby juggling thing in my sleep.

Stop and Smell the Roses

Last Sunday, on the drive home from an excellent weekend spent with family at White's hotel in Wexford I had a moment...

2017 | Go Outside

This year, as 2017 approached, instead of writing out a list of resolutions like I usually do I decided to write up several manifestos instead. I got the idea from a podcast I've become slightly addicted to over the last few months called 'Happier' with Gretchen Rubin and Elizabeth Craft. I wrote 7 in total: one on parenting, one about family, a personal manifesto, work, health, marriage and happiness. These manifestos sum up my morals and beliefs, they make how I want to live my life clear and simple, they are sentences or sometimes even a word or two that hone exactly what I need to do to get the most out of every single day. My manifestos are a collection of words I want to live by. As the saying goes 'None of us are getting out of here alive so we may as well make every day count!'.

Winter Warmers

The week between Christmas and New year is always one of my favourites. If we're not in work we can barely remember what day it is. Time seems to stand still yet as we near New Year's Eve the week feels like it definitely went by far too fast. Meeting up with friends and spending time with family is high up on the list of priorities, and with our newly acquired calmer demeanour it's a perfect time to catch up on all the things that make life rich and more fulfilling.