Business as usual (kind of)

It’s been a while. A long while, actually. It’s amazing how busy looking after two little humans (and one big human) can keep you. But now that Orla has started going to nursery two days a week, it’s time for me to try to get some of myself back. I’ve started working again, I’ve joined a gym, and I’ve finally started writing the book that I’ve been trying to find time to write for years. And hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze the odd blog post in now and again….

I’ll keep it short and sweet, as my two Orla-free days seem to fly by so I haven’t got much time. Since I last posted, we’ve moved house, Poppy’s lost seven teeth, I’ve finally got divorced after a five-year separation (hurrah!), Poppy’s turned six, Orla’s turned one, I’ve changed (roughly) seven million nappies, we’ve been to Ireland twice, have had a household full of illness all winter (which included pneumonia), have wiped about three litres of snot from Orla’s nose, and we’ve had three fairies move into Poppy’s bedroom, which, believe me, is a stressful business.

Poppy’s new year’s resolution is to learn to ride her bike, Orla’s is to learn to walk (according to Poppy), and Paddy’s is to learn to drive. Mine is to learn how to juggle everything I have to do without drowning. I’ll keep you posted on our progress…wish us luck!

 

Orla looking bemused on her big day.

 

Orla looking even more bemused on her big day.

 

 

 

It’s all about the Taytos

Two and a half years ago I made a vow to myself. I swore I would never, ever, under any circumstances, take my daughter on a plane without back-up ever again. But last week I broke that promise, the recollection of that hellish ordeal when she was just 18 months old slightly improved by the passing of time and the kind of memory that saw me go into the kitchen earlier, pour a cup of milk then return to the living room without it. That, and the fact I had no choice. If I wanted to take her to Ireland, as I had been promising for ages, then I would simply have to man up and get on another flight with her by myself. And to my complete and utter disbelief, it was actually a success. No tears, no screaming, no tantrums….and Poppy was pretty well behaved too.

It wasn’t just the flight I was nervous about. It was Poppy’s first time  over in Ireland meeting my boyfriend’s family. And she wasn’t just meeting them – we were staying with them too. For four days. I’m generally nervous taking her to meet people she doesn’t know in environments she’s not familiar with because I just don’t know how she’ll settle and how she’ll react to certain people and certain situations. Basically, she’s unpredictable. There’s no rhyme or reason when it comes to who she likes and who she would rather hide behind my leg from. But thankfully she took to her new Irish family like I took to the Tayto crisps. And I *think* her behaviour was acceptable enough for us to be invited back…

And while Poppy got her fix of lollipops and ice cream and met “the real Mr Tayto” at Tayto Park (yep, they do love their crisps enough to have a whole theme park dedicated to the brand), me and my boyfriend got two nights out and lie-ins every morning. And I got a suitcase full of Taytos and Superquinn sausages to take home with me. Poppy said it was the best weekend ever, and who am I to argue?

PS – this blog post has been sponsored by Tayto.