Sometimes eating a salad can feel like a bit of a chore. We like them, but now and then we find ourselves in a salad rut, in need of some inspiration to shake up the lunch box or dinner plate. Here’re three summer salads that will restore your love of all things green. Strawberry, Avocado and […]

9 years ago

Even a light blanket…

9 years ago

The rise of the mug cake has our support. Cooked in the microwave, it’s a great one to get the kids baking and all the ingredients can be found (hopefully) in the store cupboard. Once you have the basic recipe down you can try out any ingenious innovations that take your fancy. Basic mug cake […]

9 years ago

“Organised” is not a word I can relate to.  However I do strive towards achieving it every day. My good intentions start when, each night, I set my morning alarm half an hour early and ends when, fumbling, I hit the snooze button each morning. You could say that I am verging on organised for […]

10 years ago

Since giving birth to my second child (current nickname: Boobface) I have been almost continually COVERED in …. *shiver*… fluids.  Fluids of all descriptions. So much fluids that at one point I posited the idea that I might start an artisanal breast milk ricotta company. Yum. Would vegans be able to eat breast milk ricotta? […]

10 years ago

OK RANT ALERT… I have recently had my second (and last) child and I think it’s pretty reasonable to expect a certain amount of well wishing on the occasion of the birth of a child. What I did not, however, expect was sympathetic head tilts. That’s right folks, it’s a kind of reverse-China situation and […]

10 years ago

Since giving birth to my second child (current nickname: Boobface) I have been almost continually COVERED in …. *shiver*… fluids.  Fluids of all descriptions. So much fluids that at one point I posited the idea that I might start an artisanal breast milk ricotta company. Yum. Would vegans be able to eat breast milk ricotta? […]

10 years ago

When my second baby was a few months old, I typed my hysterical fears into google. “Does anyone just never, ever, ever, ever have sex again after having a baby?” After a really great birth, my episiotomy was slow to heal. I kept having to return to the hospital for it to be monitored and […]

10 years ago

If the title of this piece doesn’t tell you a little something about how effective self-hypnosis can be for managing pain… then I don’t know what will. As a rule, I never dole out advice to pregnant people. Or come to think of it any people as I am not particularly distinguished at this whole […]

10 years ago

Since becoming a parent I have gained a lot of love but I’ve also kind of lost my mind… Obviously leg hugs and snotty kisses and the sound of “muma, muma, muma, MUMA,” 87,000 times an hour more than make up for the things I’ve lost…. 9 Things I’ve Lost Since Becoming a Parent (and […]

10 years ago

Saying anything beyond “would you like some chocolate/wine/time to shower/sleep?” and “Well done you’re a hero!” to a woman who just gave birth is not necessary. Some, however, persist in goading the beast with tiresome questions about epidurals and oxytocin and feeding plans. As a c-section mama, I noticed the questions were slightly different. Now, […]

10 years ago

Decorating the nursery is one of the fun pre-baby tasks for expectant parents. Or it may become a bit of a minefield depending on the couple involved. When The Man and I discovered we were having a baby we agreed we would prefer to keep the baby’s sex as a surprise. Months later when we […]

10 years ago

The perfect accompaniment to brunch is the meaty Bloody Mary, but for those who prefer a lighter touch a simple Mimosa is a good bet and always mix up a fresh and zesty mocktail for the non-imbibers. Some mocktails can be too sweet to have with a meal, a mojito is a really nice option […]

10 years ago

For many of us the notion of hosting went out the window with the bath, book and bed routine that seems to dominate our evenings (and that’s not even the kids’ routine, that’s just us being old). Sunday afternoon is the new Friday night so get the gang over for some chilled out entertaining and […]

10 years ago

Once you’ve soiled yourself in a room full of strangers, it’s hard to imagine ever being hip or cool again. Using words like ‘hip’ and ‘cool’ unfortunately won’t help either. So here’s the ultimate how-to guide to holding on to your cool after you’ve lost your dignity, your breasts, what little toning you ever possessed and […]

10 years ago

Hate, hate, hate peeling garlic? Us too. Peeling garlic is a bit of a day-wrecker. All it takes is one clove peeling session to contaminate everything you touch for the rest of the evening. We’ve tried all the tricks. Here’s a few in case you’re interested: 1 Pour a little salt or baking soda on […]

10 years ago

Got a mountain of lamb left-over from Sunday lunch? Here’s two great recipes to use up cold lamb. Lamb Moussaka Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 large aubergines, sliced 1/2 cm thick 1 onion, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon dried oregano 400g leftover lamb, […]

10 years ago

So since The Child was born, every time I change his nappy I can’t help myself, I always say “Look at those gorgeous, sexy little baby legs” and compliment him on his “beautiful penis”. This drives The Man insane. He thinks it’s beyond creepy. And maybe it is a bit creepy, but I can’t help […]

10 years ago

I think if we are all being honest with ourselves we can admit that one of the driving motivations for actually becoming parents was the greater role Nutella would inevitably play in our lives. Many of us are in denial about how much we love the stuff. Maybe we hit our 30s and ceased to […]

10 years ago

Ahhhhhhhhhhh… and tomorrow’s the beginning of a new week. Again. “That’s it,” you shout as you struggle up from the depths of the couch, “I’m going on a juice cleanse.” Here are 10 thoughts everyone has before starting a health kick… 1. “The diet starts Monday.” Ahhh, Monday. ‘There’s really no time like the Monday’, […]

10 years ago

The Easter Egg Hunt is one of my fondest childhood memories.  My mother, who has a way with words used to hide haiku-like clues with tiny eggs all over the house, leading me slowly but surely to that big GIANT Easter Egg that I would then gobble down in under 10 seconds. It was so […]

10 years ago

Very occasionally mid-rant at The Man, I hear myself shouting unreasonably about the pettiest things imaginable, and I reflect briefly on the statistic that most people who are murdered, are murdered by their spouses. If The Man were to murder me, I imagine that instead of my whole life flashing before my eyes instead I […]

10 years ago

You expect these kinds of word-vom blunders from idiots and strangers in the streets who seem hell-bent on telling you how fat you are or how you shouldn’t be eating that/doing that/wearing that because apparently pregnancy turns you into an infant who needs constant monitoring and interference from society at large *Draws breath* You do […]

10 years ago

When you become a parent, most of your ‘firmly-held’ beliefs go out the window. Like the way I thought I’d never co-sleep until it became the only way to get any sleep. Or the way I was against organised religion. Turns out my staunch atheism folded like a napkin when it came time to put […]

10 years ago

We spoke to lactation consultant, Fiona Rea about really practical ways new mums can prepare for breastfeeding. 1. Connect to support in the area “Getting to the groups is really important, as is connecting with someone who you click with – someone who is supporting your choices rather than telling you what to do. There […]

10 years ago

I think most women would agree that when it comes to safely delivering a baby, there is no easy way. The mothers I know have had every style of delivery possible (except maybe the one where you deliver in a taxi – don’t know anyone who’s had that particular honour), and they all have wildly […]

10 years ago

The first year of parenthood is a mixed up muddled up shook up world – at times beautiful, at times bleak and at times brilliant. 10 Mad Things No One Tells You About the First Year of Parenthood: 1. The Loneliness Oh my god, why did no one tell me how lonely it is becoming […]

10 years ago

I’m not saying one needs to be drunk to navigate a shopping expedition to Ikea, all I’m saying is it’d be good to have a little something to take the edge off navigating Ikea with MY husband. I respect that most of us would draw the line at guzzling a nice bottle of Chablis in […]

10 years ago

Irish mythology is a rich source for beautiful and unusual baby names. We trawled the cycles of ancient stories from the Tuath Dé Danann – the ancient tribe of gods and goddesses – to the Fenian Cycle – featuring stories of the Fianna warriors – to find some of our country’s forgotten gems. There are […]

10 years ago

At first glance, the ‘out the sunroof’ method can seem preferable to the traditional vaginal delivery (I’m talking scheduled C-sections here) however on closer inspection (warning do not inspect either method at close range) there are a few downsides to having the baby surgically removed. For starters, most people who undergo an invasive medical procedure could […]

10 years ago

Congratulations New Mum! So you got the baby out of your body one way or another, successfully latched it onto your boob or a bottle and are probably just about starting to realise that life as you know it, will never be the same again. Enter the infernal clichés that will dog your existence for […]

10 years ago

Pregnancy… it was the best of times; it was the worst of times… For some it is a magical experience, for others it was a bizarre and grossly unfair return of teenage acne and a new found hatred for the smell of overly ripe bananas (anyone else get that banana thing? Or, was that just […]

10 years ago

At the first low moans of “I have a tickle in my throat,” and “I think I’m having one of my weak spells,” my heart sinks as this can only mean the onset of a Man Flu. It’s that time of year when The Man becomes more hysterical than an ailing Victorian lady wailing “fetch […]

10 years ago

When I had my son, I was the first of my friends to have a baby, so I had absolutely nothing to compare my, at times, bizarre new life to except the impossibly perfect-seemingly lives of Instagram mums. This was a mistake. I needed to get the hell off Pippa O’Connor’s Instagram account and watch […]

10 years ago

12 days of Christmas On the first day of Christmas… my true love sent to me: a sperm to inseminate ME! On the second day of Christmas… my true love sent to me: 2 morning voms and a sperm to inseminate ME. On the third day of Christmas… my true love sent to me: 3 birth Plans […]

10 years ago

If naming babies after fictional witches and wizards is wrong than I don’t want to be right… 20 Baby Names Inspired by Harry Potter That are Absolute Magic: 1. Harry – Because Harry Potter guys… Origin: Short for Henry Meaning: Estate ruler 2. Albus – For the man everyone born after 1985 wishes was their […]

10 years ago

Trigger Warning: This article contains a lot of genitalia chat, so if that’s not your thing perhaps you could enjoy this piece about bikini waxing instead… oh, wait. So it’s not like I needed a whole lot of warning about penis’, obviously, I had an encounter with one en route to the delivery ward, but […]

10 years ago

At the first sign of those adorable first words when my son turned two, I was delighted. Hearing his little sing-song, Mogwai sounds being replaced by a little gurgling, chirping young voice was truly magical, that is until the words started to turn on me somewhat. I know that it is a necessary part of his development but […]

10 years ago

That first stretch at home with a newborn as a first-time parent has got to be the most surreal period of anyone’s life. It’s like being gifted a very demanding, high maintenance, thoroughbred pet, without any clear instructions on what to do with it. There’s no shortage of lists of the supposed new baby essentials, […]

10 years ago

Conventional, undisturbed sleep becomes a distant memory after kids. When my son was born, after a few weeks of expecting the sleep thing to calm down (futile) I came to realise that if I wanted sleep I was going to have to get out there and grab sleep by the balls and take it any […]

10 years ago

I have lots of fond memories of nursing my little man. When our feeding came to an end it was with more than a little regret that I bid farewell to that special little hug nursing babies do; one arm flung around us, the other hand clutching that point just above our hearts. Of course, […]

10 years ago

After a seriously rocky start to breastfeeding the first time around, I am giving a lot more thought to preparing to nurse this time around. Of course giving ANY thought at all would already be more preparation than I invested last time. As a first timer, I just assumed that the baby would come out, […]

10 years ago

Who are these people and why aren’t they doing what I want…?

10 years ago

When I was pregnant, I decided that I would breastfeed, but it still seemed like a pretty abstract concept to me. I had no appreciation for what a rewarding, at times difficult and often quite mysterious process it turned out to be. When I was having trouble latching my son on – which at the […]

10 years ago

So some of these may seem a little outrageous, but I swear on Wine that they have all been uttered at one point or another. In general, I think the people saying these things are probably just making a bit of polite chit chat. However with my sleep-deprived, sensitive mum-brain I can’t help but respond […]

10 years ago

Nothing drags down a kitchen like a grotty fridge. Except maybe curling lino, centuries-old inch-thick layers of grease and scorched, melted-in-parts plastic counter tops… If you can’t tell, my kitchen situation is currently really bugging me. I am in the slow process of trying to improve it and my next DIY focus is going to […]

10 years ago

This mum of twins Instagram account is literally all the goals! Ayumi Omori has been documenting her twins’ naps since they were tiny babas. However as the babies have grown, the creative mama has become even more elaborate in her costumes and set ups. She has documented the adventures of Ichika and Taichi, paying homage […]

10 years ago

Bob Cornelius’s son Christoper, who has autism, has problems connecting with others. Cornelius knew this about his child but what he didn’t know was just how deeply it was affecting him until he spotted a heartbreaking clue in the boy’s homework. During a visit to his son’s school, he spotted the worksheet displayed on the […]

10 years ago

Followers of BumpWatch, my pregnancy video diary took to our Facebook page this week to relate some of the funny, mean and downright outrageous things people (or should we just say IDIOTS) have said to them as they went about their lives gestating away. From Funny to OUTRAGEOUS: 10 Readers On The Worst Things People Said […]

10 years ago

A gunman opened fire in a shopping centre in Burlington about 60 miles north of Seattle last night, the Independent reports. The lone gunman began shooting with a rifle in the packed centre and killed three people. Another person is seriously ill as a result of his injuries. Washington State police have stated that they […]

10 years ago