Tracy Kiss puts a spoonful of her friend’s donated semen into her smoothie every morning along with coconut milk, fruit and er, seeds. She believes it is responsible for her boost in energy levels. The spunky 29-year-old from Buckinghamshire told Closer Magazine that she uses it to ward off the flu: “I’d been feeling run down […]

10 years ago

Are you crippled with shyness? Do you gesture with your hands a certain way?  Well, your children could inherit these non-genetic traits directly from you. It is a given that eye colour, hair colour and the tendency to have freckles are determined by a couples genetics. I love that my son’s eyes are the exact same […]

10 years ago

I warned you that it was the silliest best thing ever… and you didn’t disappoint.  Moments after we posted our story about “Baby Mugging” and how it was taking over the internet, our readers got snappy. For the uninitiated, this idea was the brainchild of blogger For the uninitiated, this idea was the brainchild of blogger […]

10 years ago

I used to write my dolls names across their heads with markers. Didn’t everyone? As a result, I usually came up with quite short names that fit on their tiny doll foreheads like Em, Sal, Mary and my all time favourite, Eva. So there was a definite gap in my life for long names that needed […]

10 years ago

If your children are not tidying their room, it means someone else is, and we all know who that is going to be! Giving your children chores has now been proven to scientifically contribute to their success in later life. Thank you, science, I owe you one. Speaking during a TED talks event called “How […]

10 years ago

It is totally ridiculous. But now I really want to do it. “Baby mugging” has now gone viral thanks to blogger Mommy Shots who’s simple baby-in-a-cup photographs have caught the imagination of the internet. Instructions: 1. Hold a cup in front of your baby 2. Ensure it completely obscures their little adorable body 3. Snap […]

10 years ago

You can have it all, they said. Nothing is out of reach, they said.  Well now I am the master of my own busy little universe which is getting busier and harder to manage every year; There are the children to feed, the dogs to walk, quality time with your husband (in no particular order!), […]

10 years ago

It happened on the eve of my son’s third birthday; we now refer to it as RiceKrispy-Gate. We had spent a lovely few hours shopping for ingredients, setting out the cake cases and stirring the chocolate goop that promised to be the piece de résistance of my painstakingly planned birthday display. If only I hadn’t taken […]

10 years ago

Clint Eastwood once said, “Marriages are made in heaven, but then again … so are thunder and lightning.” How right he was! Then add children into the mix (aka mini thunderbolts) and your storm, although perfect, is often very stormy. There are countless relationship experts and guides dedicated to the Great Art of Staying in […]

10 years ago

Best. Dad. Ever. Passengers on board a flight to Boston had a Halloween to remember thanks to one Dad’s determination that his little girl would get to trick or treat. Stephanie Kahan was one of those passengers who tweeted a picture of the note the dad of a three-year-old distributed around the aisles along with […]

10 years ago

Begging at your neighbour’s door for food with open pillowcases is not the most difficult part of October the 31st. For me, the scariest part of Halloween is the amount of sugar my children will consume within 48 hours. Chances are you will have at least one giant bag of sugary loot stashed in your […]

10 years ago

My first pregnancy was a BIG surprise. None of my friends had children yet, and I hadn’t the first clue what to expect. My first action as a pregnant lady was to go straight to the pharmacy and empty a bag full of about ten positive pregnancy tests onto the counter and told the horrified […]

10 years ago

I have spent so much time in stealth mode tummy shuffling out of the nursery in the dark holding my breath that I feel like I deserve a medal from the defense forces. Inevitably, I would wake the baby, and we would be back to square one of sleep training hell. My night-time adventures were […]

10 years ago

The most embarrassing thing anyone could ever do to me would be to look at my history on Google search.  I ask it anything and everything I want to know ever. So I can totally see how you might take to an answers forum to seek information, especially if you found yourself in a new and […]

10 years ago

Do you remember paisley shirts, crimpers, and scrunchies? Well, that sums me up perfectly during my early teenage years. When I wasn’t hanging out in shopping centers, swaying to ‘Back for Good‘, I was busy perfecting ‘the twist’ on my not-yet-heat-damaged hair. This 90’s hairstyle was spotted on the Duchess of Cambridge out and about recently. […]

10 years ago

“We fought like lions and we won” These are the precious words, 36-year-old, Elena Furlan, wrote to her child in a heart-breaking letter that has gone viral. But what makes this all the more precious, is that she penned it knowing she would never get to see baby daughter grow up. Elena, from Tricesimo in North […]

10 years ago

Is there anything nicer that newborn smell. Well, now some beauty brands think there is! Many in the beauty industry are now selling new ranges of fragrance that has been specially blended for babies. Infant spritz is fast becoming a must-have for baby showers for your mini fashionista.  It becoming big business and they are […]

10 years ago

We have all been that soldier. Usually in the middle of the supermarket, usually when you are short on time, and usually when there are 75 thousand eyes boring straight into you as your 3-year-old decides to melt down because you won’t let him open the box of tampons you have hurriedly stashed under the […]

10 years ago

It’s normal to hate your partner after you have a baby, isn’t it? They are not holding the baby crying outside the bathroom door while you have a shower on purpose, are they? When he says he is ‘babysitting’ I want to scream ‘PARENTING, YOU ARE PARENTING’ in his happy little face. It is not […]

10 years ago

What’s old is new again!  There is something very romantic about reaching back into history and naming your child after times gone by. Many of us love classic girl and boy names because they remind us of a moment in time that was elegant and simple. Celebrities embracing such vintage names include Jennifer Connelly who named […]

10 years ago

“No one” Bob Cornelius’s heart sank when he read this on a homework project by his son Christopher, asking him to list his friends. The 11 year old is on the autistic spectrum, and that heartbreaking answer prompted his dad to post on his Facebook page appealing to parents to emphasis the importance of compassion to their children. Bob, […]

10 years ago

He was so great and that’s what made it so sad. My dad was a huge presence in every part of his life which is why his sudden death left such a large hole in so many lives. Now, on the cusp of his 11 year anniversary I find myself realising what an indelible impact […]

10 years ago

This week, I outlined my experience of the different maternity care packages available in Irish hospitals in my piece Is Semi-Private Maternity Care Worth The Money? I opted for semi-private on my first daughter; I went public when I had my son, and I went with private maternity care on my youngest daughter. Overall, I […]

10 years ago

Could there be a more difficult choice? To save the life of your baby or that of a beloved family member. That was the choice one pregnant Chinese woman found herself having to make earlier this month.  24-year-old Yang Li was a perfect match to be a donor for her 29-year-old brother Yang Jun who needed […]

10 years ago

Watching my four-year-old son playing dinosaurs is a thing of great beauty. He visualises all the volcanic eruptions, the fights, and the hunts which usually end in one massive dino attack. Most days, my daughter folds up her little world and crams it into her dolls house for an hour where her dolls come to life, […]

10 years ago

She is back… with a bangle! Actress, mum of two, and all round legend, Amy Huberman, has teamed up with Newbridge Silverware to create her very own gold-plated jewellery line. The ‘Luna’ collection includes bracelets, necklaces and earrings and marks a departure from the traditional silver associated with the brand. It is all beautifully crafted and […]

10 years ago

It’s a girl for Olivia Wilde and husband Jason Sudeikis! The House actress shared an adorable picture on Instagram naming their little pink bundle, Daisy Josephine Sudeikis.   And the day she arrived was fitting – little Daisy arrived on the International Day of the Girl (October 11th)  The baby is pictured stretched out on a […]

10 years ago

Have you ever made a birds nest with your kids? Have you created a time capsule, or had a snowball fight with your toddler? No, me neither. But perhaps it is time! We have come up with a list of 20 fun and cheap activities to do with your children before they get too big to […]

10 years ago

Being a mum is never a straightforward experience, as we reported in our story on How Parenting is More Stressful for Mums than Dads.  But one mum has shared her devastating account of motherhood and her experience of being induced to give birth to her stillborn baby. Jacinta Jane, a mum from the UK, wrote the […]

10 years ago

Little Anias and Jadon celebrated their first birthday last month. Today, they are recovering in a New York hospital after a life-threatening operation which took over 20 hours. They were born with a condition known as craniopagus, which occurs once in ever 2.5 million births. Their doctor, Dr James Goodrich, says it is incredible they […]

10 years ago

When Davitt Walsh watched a car slip from a pier in the Co Donegal harbour, he immediately jumped into the freezing water and swam to help the family trapped inside. The 28-year-old saved the life of little Rionaghac-Ann, a four month old baby, when she was handed out of the car window by her father […]

10 years ago

Hello, my name is Amanda, and I am an imperfect mother. According to the perfect mother rulebook, I am without doubt one of the worst; I use disposable nappies I stopped breastfeeding because I got tired of it I let my children watch too much TV I once left them alone in the bath while […]

10 years ago

Dear Younger Self, Please do not wear the orange lipstick you sported circa 1994 to 1997. Not only does it not attract men, but it actively repels them. Oh, and chokers suit no one. Ever. Not even Kendall Jenner.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to rewind the clock and put right all the wrongs you stacked […]

10 years ago

I though once the world started tie-dying wedding dresses that it was all over. I felt SURELY ‘unique’ wedding dresses had had their day. Obviously, I am but a fleck on the bottom of the shoe that is the interweb, and it never ever ceases to shock.  I’m not saying I don’t LOVE cake or weddings. […]

10 years ago

Yesterday, we reported on the Government’s new childcare package which was announced as part of Budget 2017 by the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan. It will mean that parents working full time will be eligible for a subsidy of up to €80 per month, depending on your income. The highest levels of subsidy will be provided to […]

10 years ago

Peter Andre singing Mysterious Girl in the sea is one of my earliest teenage memories, along with Kylie’s Locomotion and Bon Jovi’s Always. He faded into obscurity for a little bit and then re-emerged in a whirl of abs and teeth in the celebrity jungle where we fell in love with him all over again, and […]

10 years ago

It was bad news for smokers but good news for families, first-time buyers, and landlords in today’s budget announcement. The Finance Minister, Michael Noonan delivered his speech just after 1 pm this afternoon where he outlined a budget package of €1.3 billion, three to one in favour of spending over tax cuts. Here is our […]

10 years ago

Habits are what get us through our daily routine – teeth brushing, driving, coffee. Some are great like daily aerobics classes – others not so much, like smoking or staring at our mobile phones. Guilty! We KNOW that habits are useful or positive behaviour and that’s why we constantly try to shape or change them. It […]

10 years ago

Do you worry your own little princess may be exposed to negative role models when it comes to female Disney characters? Well, now you can Let It Go as there is a new list in town, and it is not all about lying in wait for a prince to rescue you. Over five thousand parents […]

10 years ago

A list of the best country in the world to be a girl has just been published. It is based on an analysis on issues that affect girls and young women.  Sweden has topped the list which was compiled by the Save the Children charity to mark today, International Day of the Girl. Niger is last, and […]

10 years ago

The big winners of today’s budget announcement are expected to be first-time buyers, families and the self-employed. The focus for us today will be on the radical new childcare package which is expected to allocate up to €900 euro in state support to parents with children aged between six months and three years in childcare. […]

10 years ago

She is an illustrator and mum-of-one. But Anna Lewis is also EVERY mother.  Inspired by her own experience, she manages to perfectly capture all that it means to be a mum. Her quirky drawings document the very real ups and downs of life with children in a way that is both relatable and sentimental. The […]

10 years ago

For weeks, rumours have been circulating that Cheryl and her partner, Liam Payne, are expecting a child. Now her former bandmate and best friend, Kimberley Walsh, has added to those rumours. Today she told The Sunday People that Cheryl would be “a brilliant mum”. The friends were both in pop group Girls Aloud together. She […]

10 years ago

It is every parents nightmare, and one which doesn’t even bear thinking about. Except it does. Educating your child about how to react when they feel uncomfortable around another adult is a vital lesson. The key is getting the balance right between teaching them without scaring them. We should assess these risks realistically and put these fears […]

10 years ago

Our Instagram has been taken over by pumpkin spice hair, 50 shades of grey hair, tiger hair and now possibly the most beautiful of all, rose gold hair.  Celebrities spotted sporting this new dusty pink shade include reality star, Kylie Jenner, actress Emma Roberts and Elle Fanning. We just LOVE the beautiful flecks of copper which you […]

10 years ago

Do you have FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) when it comes to extra-curricular activities for your child? It seems, in the current pursuit of happiness, parents are getting caught up in dragging their children from club to club making sure they “nurture” every glimmer of talent that they can find. But are we going a little too […]

10 years ago

It was supposed to be the holiday of a lifetime for little Oscar Long. He had been talking about meeting Mickey Mouse in Florida for weeks beforehand. But just two weeks before the family travelled to Disneyland in Florida, the 3-year-old was diagnosed with leukaemia. Reports in the Dail Mail show that his grandmother, Susan […]

10 years ago

If you want a strong name for your little one that is full of sophisticated charm look no further. We have compiled the best of the classic and cool names that will stand the test of time. These upscale names will look perfect on the application form for Oxford or Trinity College and perfect for […]

10 years ago

Are they ever NOT hungry? About twenty minutes after every meal my children will groan that they are STARVING. I actually need a full-time cook just to satisfy their hunger issues. I usually try to just reach for the fruit bowl but kids being kids, it’s not exciting enough for them. If we have a […]

10 years ago

Sally Phillips’s son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when he was just ten days old. She said she expected tragedy, but instead, she got comedy.  It’s now prompted the Bridget Jones actress to make the documentary, “A World Without Down Syndrome.” It is about her fears that by introducing such advanced screening tests in the UK, the […]

10 years ago