There are moments in every parent’s journey where we feel like the stress of it all is getting on top of us. Juggling the demands of family life alongside other work, keeping the house going, trying to get a bit of grown-up time in, paying the bills, keeping food on the table, not to mention […]

11 years ago

Question: if you were planning on getting back to the gym this year, and really wanted to commit to your workout programme, would you be motivated by this promotional photo? Personally? I would, and not only do I LOVE the campaign – a series of pics accompanied by the hashtag #CommitToSomething – I’m also tempted […]

11 years ago

It’s almost impossible to wear black clothes around your kids, for fear that they will puke on you in spectacular fashion. And obviously, kid’s puke is THEE most colorful puke in the world, innit? I have been puked on, or almost on, so many times at this point since becoming a mother that it has […]

11 years ago

I have been on Facebook for a long time – maybe eight years or so. I was in my early thirties when I joined, with a half-hearted MySpace account (which I simply wasn’t musical or arty enough for) and a really sad Bebo account (which I was WAY too old for). But when Facebook came […]

11 years ago

My partner Alan and I could almost be described as ‘professional arguers’. We are both extremely stubborn, strong-willed and have an inherent need to always be right. Which of course is a total disaster in a relationship, because as the woman in our union I’m the only one who can be right.. em, right?! Ok […]

11 years ago

I realised with a jolt this week that I am nearly forty. I mean, it’s not quite happening until next year but it IS looming, which is making me kind of twitchy. First of all, my partner and I are getting hitched this year and I have some vague concerns around the notion that if […]

11 years ago

It is becoming more apparent every day that I have a lot to learn about being a mother. The teacher? My kids (four and one-and-a-half). The classroom? Our living room, mostly and sometimes, the kitchen. And the lesson? How to have FUN. Did we adults get so caught up in mortgages and jobs, car tax […]

11 years ago

When I was pregnant with my first child, I continued to attend my regular GP until a friend asked me if I had signed up to the ‘free combination care scheme’. I hadn’t. In fact, I had never heard of it or knew what it was – how could I when I’d never been pregnant […]

11 years ago

When it comes to giving new mothers or mothers-in-waiting advice, the list is as long as it is varied. You’ll hear which brand of nappies is the best, which maternity hospital to attend, what buggy brand is way too expensive. And that’s all the practical stuff which is obviously important. But what about everything else? What […]

11 years ago

If 2016 is the year that you are planning to take the plunge and move the entire family Down Under, then this might be of some interest to you. Encore Media are an Irish company who specialise in producing programmes which feature real life and real people. They produced the hugely popular ‘Garda Down Under’ series […]

11 years ago

Can we please all agree that January is the WORST time to launch resolutions for the year ahead? The weather is miserable, the coffers are low, the memories of necking Prosecco from the bottle by 10am are beginning to fade.. so why depress yourself any further by writing out a list of things to give […]

11 years ago

We’ve done it again. We were lazy, non-committed-to-the-sleep-routine on Child The First (and look how well that turned out, what with him essentially living in our bed and all) – and guess what, we have been just as useless with Child The Second. What is wrong with us?! Little Eva’s night time routine started out […]

11 years ago

A two-year-old boy has died following an accident at his family home in Antrim. It is understood that Archie Tafts, from Cloghmills in Co. Antrim, died due to injuries sustained after a cabinet fell on the toddler and crushed him. He was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment but doctors were unable to save him. (Photo […]

11 years ago

When Jacob was around one and a half years old, we noticed what we thought we little warts on the back of his knee. They started out as just a couple but steadily over the course of a few weeks, spread in numbers so that he had some large ugly looking ones side by side […]

11 years ago

Time off over Christmas is a nice, long time to get re-acquainted with yourself, isn’t it? In between shouting at the TV during episodes of ‘Making a Murderer’ and drunkenly marvelling at how beautiful our house would be if I was allowed to leave up the Christmas decorations all year ’round (I’m not, by the […]

11 years ago

Ass Monkey and I got one night out together over Christmas. Just the one. We booked the babysitter, we got dressed up, we excited about the thrill of spending time in the great, big, adult world outside our doors for a few hours together and we went for it. The venue was a local restaurant […]

11 years ago

We all understandably have different emotions at play when another year draws to a close. Some of us will look back at the previous twelve months with fondness and be sad to see it go. Some will be keen to see the back of 2015 and have great hopes that the year ahead will be […]

11 years ago

As 2015 draws to a close, our very lovely experienced ‘midwife’ Maureen has a message for all you expectant mothers out there: you don’t know what pain is! Lovely, isn’t she? This is the fourth in our series of comedy sketches and the last for this year. We really hope you’ve enjoyed them and look […]

11 years ago

I have a confession: as of the first day of January 2016, even my stretchiest of jeans no longer fit me. Isn’t it incredible that we spend all year trying to be the best versions of ourselves; eating (mostly) well, getting out for fresh air and exercising (my exercise regime consists is ‘housework’ and ‘being […]

11 years ago

US comedian and actor Bill Cosby was yesterday formally charged with the aggravated sexual assault of Andrea Constand in 2004. The alleged victim took a civil case against the well-known figure in American television in 2004 which led to more than forty other women coming forward to make further accusations of sexual assault. Bill Cosby’s […]

11 years ago

Approximately twelve different people have asked me this week; ‘Any plans for New Year’s Eve?’ and I’m pretty sure my response has been the same across the board: a blank stare. The truth of the matter is that I cannot remember a single New Year’s Eve since the kids came along, where either myself or […]

11 years ago

When you are pregnant, there is nothing nicer to have at hand than no-nonsense, friendly advice from those who have gone before and who you know won’t steer you wrong. We have done our very best to bring you pregnancy tips and first-hand accounts that will make you laugh all the way to the labour […]

11 years ago

Another week, another really terrible storm bashing against our shores. When, oh when, will it end?! Homes across the country are hunkering down yet again as gale force winds of up to 120km per hour and heavy rains reach Ireland. The Civil Defense have deployed soldiers to Athlone, Galway and Co. Clare to assist local […]

11 years ago

Bella Moore-Williams, her mum Francesca, dad Lee and big brother Bobby caught up with the Good Morning Britain team on ITV earlier today to fill them in on their very happy Christmas indeed. For only a matter of months ago, it looked like Francesca and Lee were going to lose their baby girl as she […]

11 years ago

I’m a big fan of Jada Pinkett Smith. I was a fan of hers before she married that Mr. Smith because she always managed to nail really strong movie roles for women, she was an awesome singer and she looked so damn cool all the time. We came across this really interesting series called Red […]

11 years ago

So. You have been looking forward to this night for weeks, weeks! You and your pals have even set up a WhatsApp group named ‘The Big Escape’ which you update on the hour with reminders about the glory days, the epic nights out, The Ones Before Children. You have everything organised and planned down to […]

11 years ago

What is it about pregnant women that gets everyone else so ‘involved’? Surely it’s a kind of private time, a very personal time for couples and in particular, for women, no? You’d think so, my friends, you would. But no, pregnant women have somehow become the Number One target for people who have no concept […]

11 years ago

If there is a calm house with kids in it in Ireland today, let me see it. One. More. Sleep! You will literally have to scoop me from the ceiling before the day is down because I’m so excited. Imagine what the kids are like! There is no end to the things you can do […]

11 years ago

Do you remember when you were a kid on Christmas Eve and you wondered how Santa would get from the North Pole to your house as well as everyone else’s around the world? Before the invention of smartphones, we had to use our imaginations to visualise Santa and Rudolf leading the sleigh out of the […]

11 years ago

Important news just in: Santa and his reindeer have been spotted in Cork! Air traffic control at Cork Airport has reported that Santa was spotted launching a test run with his reindeer and sleigh in preparation for Christmas eve. As if things weren’t exciting enough on Christmas Eve-Eve, it seems that our very own country […]

11 years ago

Two more sleeps! Two! It’s so close. How are all the kiddies coping with the excitement?  In our house, four-year-old Jacob is going to sleep ok, but he’s up crazy early every morning, jumping around with giddiness. It’d be really cute if it wasn’t 5 am! With schools finishing up and mum and dad (hopefully) […]

11 years ago

Following on from yesterday’s 5 More Sleeps! countdown for the little kids who are just brimming over with excitement for Christmas morning, here are some ideas for tonight to keep everyone on board with the Christmas fun! 1. Change up those chalkboards and posters to the number 4 – and get all those games going to find […]

11 years ago

I didn’t realise just how much I loved all things pumpkin until I made my very first pumpkin pie this year.  To be honest, I assumed that I’d hate it, given all the bits and pieces I’ve had to pull out of them over the years to make Hallowe’en decorations. But yet again, I was […]

11 years ago

I have been at the Christmas Countdown since the beginning of December; I have the Spiderman advent calendar, I have the chalkboards to update each morning – I am on it. However, my four-year-old son is only just ‘on it’ with me now and I’ll tell you why. It’s simple; announcing that there are ‘seventeen more […]

11 years ago

Adi Roche and her charity Chernobyl Children International have been bringing children to Ireland at Christmas for nearly 30 years, and today, Dublin Airport will welcome this year’s visiting group. The 31 children, many of whom are orphaned and have special needs, are given respite with Irish families, away from their orphanage in Belarus. Some […]

11 years ago

Mark Fordham, a second class student at Kiltiernan National School, died yesterday afternoon following a farming accident in Kilcolgan, Galway. Gardaí have said that the incident happened in Kilcolgan between 11am and 11.30am yesterday morning, and Mark was rushed to University Hospital Galway where he sadly passed away in the afternoon. Fr David Cribbin, parish […]

11 years ago

I guess Christmas really started in our house last night, as I had an Indian takeaway, a few glasses of wine, some Toblerone to consolidate the piggery and then.. chronic heartburn at 4am. While I was holding myself at a forty-five degree angle on the couch, waiting for the meds to kick in, I wrote […]

11 years ago

By now, you probably have your Christmas cake made and are dousing it in a little whiskey every other day – or hour! Way back when, the standard method for decorating a Christmas cake was a layer of marzipan, held steadfast to the cake with some jam, followed by icing with snowy icing peaks all […]

11 years ago

Welcome back to the world of Maureen the Midwife – our resident antenatal ‘expert’ here at HerFamily.ie. On her very first visit here to our offices, Maureen was very (un)helpful in directing us towards our vaginas. The second time we met with her, she painstakingly (didn’t) explained to us what a ‘Show’ is, as one of […]

11 years ago

Isn’t it funny how much you can change after you have kids? I used to have lists and lists of things that I would get for myself on the next pay cheque, or the one after that, ear-marking magazines and saving links to my phone. Nowadays, I seem to only earmark the Smyths toys catalogue, […]

11 years ago

Even though my children are small and I don’t yet have teenagers who are glued to their smart devices, I have already been alarmed at the kind of things that kids can be exposed to online. There have been really inappropriate advertisements that have popped up in between YouTube videos of Bob the Builder (we […]

11 years ago

If you hope to be a little crafty with your gifts this Christmas, why not consider making something sweet and delicious that will leave everyone drooling in anticipation of trying one or two?! We have been gathering up some of the best edible treats from around the world here at HerFamily.ie over the past several […]

11 years ago

Oh, the nativity, the Christmas songs and the dance routines, all brought to us yearly from our little munchkins! We dress them in festive jumpers and Christmas hats with their names emblazoned on the rim, we practice with them for weeks on end at home so that they get the song words and the actions […]

11 years ago

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission have just released important information for consumers who have or are planning to purchase Hoverboards this Christmas. 1,400 Hoverboards (also known as Smart Balance Wheels or Balance Boards) were recently prevented from being imported to Ireland due to significant safety concerns. The Commission’s spokesperson Fergal O’Leary has said that […]

11 years ago

Some of my absolutely favourite things comprise 2015’s Irish Christmas card from Aras an Uachtaráin – gingers, mothers with their babies, and mothers feeding their babies. Hurrah! President Michael D Higgins has dared to be different with his official festive greeting which will feature a breastfeeding Madonna. The image of ‘Madonna of the Green Cushion’ […]

11 years ago

My other half Alan is an excellent cook. Yes, there it is, I started off with a brag. But to counter that brag, you’ll be pleased to hear that I can personally burn soup, so you understand that my choice of life partner had a LOT to do with my general survival. Alan cooked the […]

11 years ago

Having spent five years reinventing myself as a working from home mother; queen of baking, thrower of play dates and expert of writing while the kids were in school or napping.. I am now officially two months back at ‘work-work’. At the beginning, I was stressed out like you wouldn’t believe; furiously trying to make […]

11 years ago

Every now and then, our kids can present with unusual symptoms when they are unwell, leaving us terrified and running to the phone or internet at 4 am to see if they match to anything specific. Obviously, the best course of action if you are worried about anything to do with the health of your […]

11 years ago

We live in a world where we are all in such a hurry, but there is no greater time than when you have a new baby to jump off the busy bus for a while. While I know how tempting it is to throw the biggest party EVER to celebrate your new arrival, invite the entire […]

11 years ago

I LOVE my bed. I am not one of those people who wakes up fresh after a six-hour sleep, bright-eyed and ready to instantly start the day. I need to lie there, with my eyes closed in silence, hugging my pillow until the very last moment when I can no longer fight it and I […]

11 years ago