Lucky women can get away with dodging the stretchy pants for months into their pregnancy while others have bumps that pop overnight during the first trimester. Whichever camp you fall into while gestating (I fell into a third camp I liked to call “I look like a sweaty, boiled ham”) pregnancy does demand a few […]

11 years ago

So I know what the basics of parenting are: feed and water child at regular intervals and don’t get them wet after midnight. Oh wait, that’s the basics of Gremlins, but hey ho, we all know that toddlers are not dissimilar to Gremlins. But what if our child won’t let us feed and water them […]

11 years ago

My friend had been acting weird for a few weeks. We hadn’t had any drunken dance parties in my kitchen in a month, she kept cancelling plans and then she ordered a steak well done. She was pregnant. Clearly. Obviously, I didn’t comment on it as it’s not the done thing. Then last week she […]

11 years ago

“Is he good?” Asks everyone I meet when I’m out with my baby son in tow. “No, he’s evil.” I feel like saying. So what exactly are the hallmarks of the”bad baby”? Not sleeping enough, crying too much, not knowing its long division? 10 reasons the phrase ‘Good Baby’ should be banned: 1. It’s ludicrous […]

11 years ago

A retro rummage on YouTube threw up one of our old faves from Father Ted

11 years ago

Got a new mum in your life? Then take heed recently postpartum women have enough irritants to be dealing without you and your shite. She may be leaking fluids from multiple orifices, she might be sore, she might be insanely happy, or she may have been crying for three days now. Either way, don’t f*ck […]

11 years ago

As a tired parent of an (adorably) insane toddler, I find myself constantly questioning whether I’m doing this parenting thing right. Am I doing everything wrong, am I setting him up for a life of crime and unhappiness? Will he hate me? Am I loving him enough? As it’s Mother’s Day, I decided to write […]

11 years ago

Sometimes I feel like the Random Strangers (or indeed relatives and in-laws) who are constantly bemoaning how we are “spoiling” our babies would actually prefer for us to be hazing them in some way. Like the rituals required for gaining admittance to exclusive clubs. The objective for these people seems to be to get the […]

11 years ago

The days of newbornhood (that is the days of being parent to a newborn human that currently more closely resembles a lethargic, mini hairless cat than a new human) can be a lot of things; exhilarating, boring, confusing, scary, tedious, happy, delightful and strange. Amid all the frantic reading of the baby book and the […]

11 years ago

The first time the baby sleeps all night should be a cause for celebration but in reality, it was pretty damn unnerving. Or maybe I just worry more than most people. The Child was (and is) such an erratic sleeper that I had truly resigned myself to a lifetime of crazed nights pacing the floors […]

11 years ago

After setting up (along with her best pal Marion Kilcoyne) the beloved Pepper Pot cafe in Dublin, Dervla James, who originally grew up in Sligo returned home last year to open a new cafe and bakery, Pudding Row. She tells us about her journey to big city and back and how her childhood adventures were something […]

11 years ago

Men are out there running the world (along with women obvs), bringing home some bacon and generally behaving reasonably competently in all other aspects of their lives and yet when it comes to raising their own kids; the world seems to think that they turn into bumbling fools. In my house it has to be […]

11 years ago

Colic is the most mysterious affliction experienced by young babies – prolonged crying jags that seemingly have no discernable cause and usually go away of their own accord by about 3-5 months. In many ways colic can feel infinitely harder on the parents than on the baby, as one can’t help but feel helpless and […]

11 years ago

The Child is 2-years-old, has never been a good sleeper and I’m 82 per cent certain is kind of out to get me. I am tired. 17 stages of nighttime as told by a very tired person: Stage 1 – 7.15 pm: Urge to go to bed rising I wish I could just head off […]

11 years ago

We’ve been toying with the Going Again for some time now. In fact, things are even kind of underway in that department which is what’s lead me to start to suspect that The Child is quite possibly psychic. You see, he seems to KNOW. And judging by his various attempts to ‘cock block’ us, I […]

11 years ago

If you were wondering what to do with the heart-shaped bread cut-outs from our Valentine’s Day recipes or just bored of the heart-shaped pancake shtick which always dominates the love-themed menu then look no further. What you’ll need 6 slices bread 12 raspberries (or other berries will do) 2 tbsp. mascarpone 1 egg, lightly beaten 3 tbsp. milk 1/4 teaspoon almond […]

11 years ago

Goodbye dignity, hello picking someone else’s nose in public. 10 reasons why dignity is a distant memory once you become a parent: 1. The Pregnancy I was at a friend’s house before a doctor’s appointment and I did my pee sample there as I needed to go at that moment. So far so good. I. […]

11 years ago

I am not quite a stay-at-home-mum, currently I straddle the divide between SAHM and working mum as a freelancer. In the past couple of years, I have been at home, and I have been at work for stretches at different points, and I definitely found the full-time SAHM thing much harder, but that’s just me. […]

11 years ago

I go away for work occasionally. In the past, this was one of the fun side-perks of my job. After I had a baby, it was a little more complicated. The first trip post-baby was to New York for a fashion show when he was 8 months old. Thrilled I began packing, googling and some […]

11 years ago

Firstly I have to state that I did NOT look like the woman in the above picture the first time I went running after having a baby (nor do I resemble her remotely now). I looked like this (only clad in ill-fitting lycra): After waiting the appropriate time after the c-section and consuming with gay […]

11 years ago

Every parenting partnership has a unique division of labour. In our house The Man would probably try and claim that ours is 70/30 him to me which is a blatant LIE. I do, however, admit that he is perhaps a slightly more effective disciplinarian than I am. I read quite a bit about different methods […]

11 years ago

Our alternative A-Z guide to first-time parenthood continues with ‘M’. ‘M’ is for mayhem, muslins, mastitis and mum-friends… Mayhem A video montage of my early days of parenthood would probably go something like this: Nappies and excrement fly around a room in which laundry is hanging from every available hook, ledge, rack and object. Our […]

11 years ago

I am in possession of a spirited (demented) toddler who is currently struggling with a lot of emotional issues (mainly having parents I think). I have tried to be calm, rational and sensible. That didn’t work. Then I tried joining him in his tantrums until I noticed that he seemed to be inspired by the […]

11 years ago

Having had one baby, you’d think that trying to conceive would be, if not easy then at least, unsurprising but the last time we made a baby it was not premeditated AT ALL. I think the location in which you conceive a baby often says a lot about your state of baby-readiness – as near […]

11 years ago

What most people don’t understand that first moment that they see the positive wee-stick in the loo is that this private act of making a baby is about to become seriously public. Apparently by carrying your child and raising them here on Earth, you are actually inviting the entire human race into your life, to […]

11 years ago

Before I had a baby what constituted a day-maker was radically different to what constitutes a day-maker post-baby. In fact, I find it quite difficult to remember what I used to consider day-makers before sticky, snotty kisses and toothy toddler smiles. 10 things that can completely make my day now that I’m a parent: 1. […]

11 years ago

Our alternative A-Z guide to first-time parenthood continues with ‘L’: ‘L’ is for Lie-ins, Losing the baby weight, losing the plot, and LOVE Lie-ins Lie-ins are not something that you outright lose after having a baby. It’s more like what actually constitutes a lie-in shifts dramatically. For example, pre-baby a lie-in was sleeping in till […]

11 years ago

You’ve binged on Making a Murderer, Serial 2 is causing heated dinner debates over whether or not it is as good as Serial 1 and you finished The Jinx ages ago… Here’re 8 incredible documentaries to tuck into for January: The Wolfpack Raised by their parents in near-total isolation, the six Angulo brothers obsessively watch and reenact […]

11 years ago

Everyone thinks their child is the best. Not me though. I recognise that he is possibly not (currently anyway) the calmest, most zen little guy ever. Nor is he the most intelligent little being (I saw him trying to eat a phone charger) YET (I stress). But there is one thing he excels at and […]

11 years ago

When it comes to food, whether it’s decadent gin and tonic cupcakes or healthy lunch ideas to balance them, the HerFamily.ie team are all over it. If we’re not eating at the desk than we are usually talking about food. Luckily, our readers seems to share our passion! We checked out some of our most-read […]

11 years ago

Did you expend untold mental energy on rejigging the whereabouts of a small yet strangely dominating Elf toy this December? A long-predicted (by me anyway) Elf on the Shelf backlash is gathering pace among many of the mums I know. It’s fun and all, but it’s also an added layer of faff to the already […]

11 years ago

I love a baby name list… despite having no bump to name I still trawl them for inspiration for friends’ babas (then get irrationally annoyed when they won’t name their child Super Hans). I imagine my obsession is something akin to what sports fans get from looking at the Premiership league table (though in saying […]

11 years ago

San Fransisco dad, Beau Coffron is seriously upstaging us all in the lunchbox sculpture stakes. The father-of-three has been amusing us all over on his blog with his witty take and fun guides to parenthood. Beau shares his tutorials and how-tos weekly and the best bit is that his creations are actually pretty healthy. Bonus. […]

11 years ago

In what has to be one of the most pessimistic polls ever undertaken, Kwik Fit set out to find the worst day of Christmas. After surveying 2,000 British folk, the study has found that today, December 28, is officially the worst day of the festive period. And for those looking for an exact read of […]

11 years ago

I have, over the course of 2015, used my job as a forum for bitching about my other half and I believe that this has in some way contributed to our continued resistance of divorcing…  From completely dodging parenting for a whole weekend to actually being capable of p*ssing me off when he’s not even […]

11 years ago

Our alternative A-Z guide to first-time parenthood continues with ‘K’: ‘K’ is for Kegels, Kinder Surprise, Kindness and Kill Everyone Kegels “Put down that bagel and do another Kegel!” Kegels are the most boring aspect of pregnancy and not something that I ever felt any inclination to do. My lethargy when it came to Kegels […]

11 years ago

Sometimes I get the distinct impression that I am doing this whole parenthood thing wrong. Surely it should be a bit more serene and a bit less FRENETIC? Or maybe we’re all battling the same sh*tstorm of love, crying, baby giggles, encrusted Weetabix, nappies, leg-hugs and actual shit. I certainly hope so. 10 things Parenthood […]

11 years ago

With McGregor’s epic victory over the weekend, it got me thinking how The Child and the Notorious actually (weirdly) share quite a few traits. I’m not sure if this is a good or a bad thing but here’re 10 ways The Notorious Child is EXACTLY like Conor McGregor: 1. He also regularly gets me up at […]

11 years ago

Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University recently explored the difference between couples who have a moderate sex life to couples who copulate more frequently. The study charged one group of 32 couples to maintain their normal sexual routine for a month while a second group of 32 couples were told to double the amount of sex […]

11 years ago

Pre-baby you may have all kinds of plans and notions about what motherhood will be like. I gleaned a lot of my information from other peoples’ social media accounts and Hollywood romcoms which should tell you enough about just how ‘prepared’ I was for the total shitstorm of love and, well, actual shit that was […]

11 years ago

Our alternative A-Z guide to first-time parenthood continues with ‘J’. ‘J’ is for joy, jeopardy, jaundice and jammies… Joy For many, the first few weeks of parenthood are ones of profound joy. Don’t worry if the joy isn’t in evidence 100 per cent of the time, that level of delight would be hard to maintain […]

11 years ago

The interiors geniuses at April and the Bear have popped up in a new festive space in Dublin’s chicest quarter at 6 Castle Market Street from now until Christmas Eve. With her eye for home styling and selection of fab festive home accessories, creative director, Siobhan Lam has transformed a beautiful space upstairs from menswear […]

11 years ago

So you know when you find yourself standing on one leg squawking like a pterodactyl in the baking aisle and then notice that you’re out in public, humiliating yourself again? Yeah that. So with a nearly two-year-old around I find myself doing a lot of THAT. 10 Stupid things I did this weekend to amuse […]

11 years ago

Our alternative A-Z guide to first-time parenthood continues with ‘I’. ‘I’ is for infant, immunization, irritable and ICK… ‘I’ is for… infant You’ve got one of those now but it is still as much of a mystery as when it was 10,000 leagues under the sea inside your belly. You may start to notice that […]

11 years ago

I am fairly challenged in the grooming department and I often look vaguely mental when I try to make an effort on the makeup front. However after scouring the interweb AND catching on to one of the best beauty vloggers around, Sinead Cady of MakeupChair.ie I think I’m ready to try harder to look nicer in […]

11 years ago

I often read about parenting boys versus girls with great interest and talk to my friends about their experiences with girls and compare it to my experience raising my son. There’s two questions that interest me. Are boys generally born rowdier, louder and more boisterous than their quiet, calmer fellow female babies? Or do we, […]

11 years ago

Whether you actually live in a small space or it just feels like the walls are closing in on you due to an expanding family, these chic cheats will help to maximise your storage and give the home a budget-friendly overhaul. 10 tips for living in a small space without losing the plot: 1. Use […]

11 years ago

Last week, Rebecca Marie of eco-lingerie company, Piper Marie, wrote an open letter ‘Dear Moms Using Formula’ which sparked a lot of reaction on our Facebook page. This is the case pretty much every time babyfeeding is debated in the public domain and each time I can’t help but wonder why, just WHY it is […]

11 years ago

Okay, there’s something I need to admit here: When The Child is in the throws of a tantrum, most of the time I wind up acting more childish than he does. This is not something that I am proud of, and I am constantly trying to come up with better strategies for dealing with myself […]

11 years ago

Whenever parents-to-be confidently tell me of their plans to get a routine in place ASAP or have a natural birth or do helicopter parenting, I can’t help but think of that line from Robert Burns’ poem To A Mouse, “the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray…” Of course, I never ruin their […]

11 years ago