Number Three is a full blown toddler now. There is no denying it. He has been walking for six months and he is getting more and more independent with playing. When we got back from our post-Christmas holiday in Ireland, I realised it was time to re-arrange our play area so that he could have… Continue reading Creating a Play Area For A Toddler
During the summer, I mentioned how the memories my children have of summer are so different to my own childhood memories. Today an article of mine was published on The Irish Times website. It looks at how The Bavarian and I have tried to bring the traditions we grew up with into our children’s lives. As… Continue reading Compromising on Tradition, But Loving The Cookies
Do: Get them a mug of Kinderpunsch (hot, non-alcoholic punch) Point out the twinkly fairy lights, the Christmas tree and any other light effects Make sure they at least try some of the delicious, sweet and savoury food on offer Let them go on the carousel Bring them to see the crib Make sure they… Continue reading The Dos and Don’ts of Bringing Children to a Christmas Market
The following is an excerpt from the diary I kept while working as an au pair in Bavaria in 2000/01. As I read it, it struck me that it echos the way I occasionally feel with my own children now. L., the child I was looking after was seven then, the age of my eldest… Continue reading Thursday, 23nd November 2000
As a parent, I am a firm believer in doing your bit. Before complaining about that state of the school, the lack of activities in the community or how difficult it is to meet other families, I prefer to make a suggestion, volunteer or start an initiative. I’m shy and the phrase “we are looking… Continue reading Pitch In, Sign Up And Help Out – How To Volunteer When You Think You Don’t Have The Time To
Number Two hasn’t had it easy this past year or so. In September last year, within the space of a week, he got a new baby brother and saw his older brother head off to big school, leaving him behind in kindergarten. He has mostly put on a brave face, kept a stiff upper lip… Continue reading Stuck In The Middle With You
Being a parent has taught me many things, from the basics of dressing a newborn to deep and meaningful stuff like the depth of a mother’s love. But it’s the oh-so-useful skills I have gathered over the past seven and a bit years that I want to share with you today. 1. Spot cleaning –… Continue reading Skills I Have Learnt So Far As A Parent
“Mammy, I think you shouldn’t go to the parents’ meeting. You should take a break. You are always rushing here and there. You’ll get rush sick”. This was the lecture I was given last week by Number Two. “…You’ll get rush sick”… Continue reading How To Get Rush Sick
I am beginning to realise that there are quite a few things that I had either forgotten or possibly just suppressed about life with a toddler. The way you can’t fill or empty the dishwasher with a toddler in the same room. The stench of the dirty nappies of a teething child. The way this… Continue reading 7 Things I Had Forgotten About Life With A Toddler
There are things no one sees me do. They are not secret. They are not hidden. Small things. Unimportant-seeming things. They go unnoticed. That is, unnoticed until they are not done. I think of them as invisible parenting. They are things like: Keeping an eye on minor ailments (rashes, itches, tummy pains) and changes in… Continue reading Invisible Parenting
