You Know You're A Mum When...

... you wake up and discover you have shared a bed with a hedgehog all night - and you never even knew about it...

Neon...

... looks fab when your skin has a summer-hue!

My Latest Etsy Purchase...

... is some cute art for the wall in Nahla's room, ordered from here. I HEART the words, colors and design of this! Etsy is dangerous territory for me, I kid you not - so so easy to be tempted by all the gorgeous stuff all these talented people are making!

From Lumpy To Chunky

Remember when I ranted about that whole running before you can walk bit that life with baby seem to consist of? Well, it is true! No sooner have you one skill/task/development under your belt, before the next one presents itself - quicker than you can say: "But my What To Expect Book says...!"

Seriously, busy stuff, this being a mum. Anyway, the development I am refering to this time around is Nahla's food habits. I don't know about you other mums, but I took this food stuff really seriously. And by seriously I mean I went out and bought a selection of book on the matter. Gina Ford, Annabel Karmel & Co., I got them all. And I chopped and steamed and mashed and squeezed my little heart out.

And then, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, it was time for lumps. Not that Nahla was an fan straight away, but we got there. Lumpy dinners, tiny bits of bread with stuff on, baby pasta, you get it. And then I felt like I was the queen of lumpy food production, could produce lumpy food right up there with the best of them.

Then; boom! Lumps are out, chunks are in. Needed, in fact. All the books kept telling so. "Time to move on." "Your toddler needs to try chunkier bits of food." "Important for developemt." Ok, ok; relax, I hear you! Chunks it is! And so we set out, first of all to discover what really is the difference between lumps and chunks - which in real world mightn't mean a whole hell-of-a-lot, but in baby-world is like super-different. Or so they say.

And now; a few weeks in; I think we can cross chunky meals off our weaning to-do list too! Score! Just look at this dinner of roasted organic veggies and organic chickenbreast teddies. Kinda cute, kinda gross, I know, but Nahla thinks they are the cat's pajamas! So, ta-da; this Mummy and mini have mastered yet another step on the baby-food-development-ladder!

Pink Plastic...

... is sneaking into our house in larger quantities by the day...

Sometime This Happens..

You head out for the day thinking you are just going to the local farmer's market to get a week's worth of fruit and vegs - then you accidently fall into a shop on the way there, and end up finding the most fabulous shoes you have set foot in. (Well, in the last few months anyway!) Uh-oh!

Chains Are Hot!

OMG. I TOTALLY fell for these incredibly cool chains on Who What Wear. Love, love, love how they can toughen up even the sweetest outfit! I think a bracelet would be perfect, and why stop at one?! I am thinking a few piled up on my arm would be SO COOL! And how handy that just today I was planning on hitting the shops for a bit of work-wardrobe updating!

Summery Mummies

Summer fashion done to perfection by these very yummy Hollywood mummies!


The stunning Jennifer Garner and her equally adorable Seraphina looked pretty and summery as they were spotted out and about in sunny L.A. eariler today.

Equally summery was Minnie Driver and her little Henry, 2. The trendy tot and his mama did some grocery shopping before heading over to a nearby playground. Oh, balmy summer days!

Model mama Karolina Kurkova looked chic in a striped sundress and she and son Tobin, 1 1/2, hit a playground in their trendy TriBeCa neighborhood...

... whilst the ever gorgeous Jessica Alba covered her expanding bump in a fabulous pink maxi as she took Honor, 3, to their local Whole Foods market to stock up on groceries.

Seriously; does anything beat spending a sunny summer day with your summer sweetheart?!

(Photo Credit from here)

Living White...

... is something people seem to be a tad weary of when it comes to living with children. But, as these stunning images from Ikea Family show, it is entirely possible - as well as incredibly stylish. Love love love this whiter-than-white family home!

(Images from here)

My Strawberry Shortcake...

... cannot get enough of her favorite treat. And this Mummy LOVES the fact that her baby is scoffing into yummy, healthy, laden-with-vitamin-C rich strawberries, so we have pretty much bought out M&S as it is!

Playing House

Just a little treat from Mummy, as in "I-am-sorry-I-have-to-leave-you-for-24-hours-to-fly-off-and-work" type of gift, it turned out that this treat more so than most, captured my little munckin's heart - and imagination. She plays and she plays and she plays with this little mushroom house. Opens the door. Makes the little fairies walk in and out and in and out 3000 times. Opens it. Shuts it. Carries it around. And Mummy? Would have bought the house months ago - and for three times as much - had I only known it would prove to engage Nahla to the extent it is doing!

Party Princess Mamas

It was a glam night for Hollywood mamas Nicole Richie, Rachel Zoe and Jessica Alba over the weekend. All three of them attended a party with their husbands at the famous at Mr Chow in Beverly Hills. And needless to say, these three very stylish yummy mummies all looked fabulous. I HEART Jessica's maternity choice! And as for Nicole's headband? Perfection!

Newlywed Nicole Richie and hubbie Joel Madden looked ready for a mum and dad night out...

New parents Rachel Zoe and husband Rodger Berman had left 3-month old Skyler at home, despite the fact that the tot has been pictured with them on a variety of restaurant outings over the last couple if weeks. Maybe tonight was date-night for the loved-up pair?

Now heavily pregnant with baby no. 2, Jessica Alba did not let her bump getting in the way of her style when out for the night with husband Cash Warren. The actress, 30, looked gorgeous and glowing in her blue dress - pregnancy clearly becomes her!

(Photo Credit from here)

For Working Mums Like Me

Much as I LOVE my work, being a journalist, seeing my stuff published, always meeting new people, looming deadlines and the glitz and glamour of press openings and events, nothing, but nothing beats time spent with Nahla. And so I think I am getting better at leaving work in work (easier said than done when you freelance, but I am finding a balance!) and devoting 100 % of my time and attention to my munchkin when it's Mummy and Nahla time. I am reminding myself every day, as my phone beeps, as Facebook sends me messages that somebody has poked me/written on my wall/tagged me and as e-mails ping pong into my inbox that it CAN wait. The tags and e-mails and SMSs will still be there later.

Sometimes I have to REALLY remind myself, as when I do work, I tend to be quite workaholic'y - but I am getting better. Nahla, who turned 1 1/5 yesterday(!) is getting so much bigger every day, learning and growing and playing and developing, and I don't want to miss a minute. Like all mums, I want to feel like I have seen and experienced and been there for her entire childhood, every development curve and every bump and bruise. I want her to feel like she has a mummy that always has time for her - although to also realize that mummies and daddies do have to work and do need time out too. It is a work-in-progress as with most areas of parenthood, I guess, and a balance we all strive towards. But one thing is for sure, this time is never coming back and I intend to live in the moment and enjoy my princess' childhood as much as she does!

(Image form Pinterest)

A Fun, But Exhausting 24 Hours...

... have left this mama unable to do anything but spend an evening pampering herself in the bathroom! Which - I hope - will ensure that tomorrow, I am back in flying form - rested and filled with energy!

Back With My Baby!

Who didn't seem to have even noticed that Mummy had been an ocean away for more than 24 hours! Hm! And here was Mummy walking around feeling like she was short of a limb because her beloved munchkin was so far away! That's parenthood for you. But seeing her little face in arrivals this morning - even if she was more preoccupied with running around pointing out stuff than hugging her tearful Mummy - was The. Best. Thing. Ever.

(Photo borrowed from here)

Getting A Coffee...

...at Kaffebrenneriet earlier today - after what can only be described as a very hectic day - was pure BLISS!

Today's Yummy Mummy Style Crush

Pretty girls! Look how big little Harlow Madden is getting! The stylish tot and her equally stylish mama, Nicole Richie, were spotted out getting a yummy frozen treat in West Hollywood yesterday. Nicole, who was rumored to pregnant a couple of months back, is now being very serious about her fitness regime and was spotted leaving the Tracey Anderson Method gym earlier on in the day.

(Photo Credit from here)

Separation Anxiety Setting In...

... as this working mama is heading to Oslo tomorrow morning for a whirlwind 24 hours of work, before returning to Ireland and her two loves Sunday morning. More than 24 hours away from my little love. I have never regretted saying yes to a freelance assignment this much before. And yet I know she will be fine, great in fact, spending time with her Daddy and welcoming Granny and Grandad home from 2 weeks in Paris. And I know I will enjoy my day once I get there. The fashionable brunch at House of Oslo. The goodie bags. The dressing up. I'll have fun, I'll make myself. And before I know it, I am back with my baby. Where I belong.

Funny, I never before thought about why my mum and dad were so worried when I headed off on all my travels and adventures in my early 20s. Thailand. Malaysia. Australia. America. I just thought they were being overly protective. Hah. Now I know better. Being a mum means you worry 24/7. Always. Because you are meant to, it is your job. Being a mum - and a dad for that matter - is the most amazing and important job in the world. No amount of goodie bags will ever come close. Which makes me wonder; how do mummies do it who have to go away for longer? Further? More often? I have so so much respect for mummies everywhere trying to juggle children, family and career, women truly are awe-inspiring!

Doting Duo

Nwah, look how cute little Mason looks as he heads into work with his yummy mama Kourtney Kardashian! The reality star mama had her 1-year-old in tow as she stopped by the family store DASH in Calabasas, California yesterday, and the little guy is getting so big! Talk about working mama!

(Photo Credit from here)

Oh, Sweet Friday Mornings

Here chez Mummy and Nahla (as Daddy is in work), we relax with tea, blogs and cartoons before our busy day really begins. It's THE WEEKEND!

Nahla Had A Hot Date...

... with adorable Eamonn. And apart from the fact that my little diva does NOT like to share her toys/table/raisins, the date must be said to have been a success. How cute does the little pair of them look, tucking into their lunch?!

Girly Brunches...

... are THE best way to spend a rainy afternoon! And having found the perfect new salad to try out - as well as this AMAZING new deli shop here in Naas, where I picked up the yummy lemonades and some to-die-for rustic bread, sure we are all set!