Surviving the summer with a toddler

 I am a firm believer that when the weather is nice and there are breathtaking surroundings right outside your doorstep, there is absolutely no need for toys. Let the sticks and pebbles be the toys  that will inspire your toddler's imagination. You will be amazed to see, if there is nothing else around, how great will your children play just with a couple of sticks and few rocks! How amazing a spade and bucket can be! Very often when on holidays when it comes to toys less is more!  However, there are times that we need something else to keep our little ones occupied when waiting for a meal in a restaurant or going on a long journey. I strongly discourage using phones or tablets. I understand that there are times when they can be life savers but I only use them as a last resort. Don't get me wrong, I am not judging anyone who uses them to get that bit of peace and quiet, but I personally prefer to show my kids different ways of spending time. I know how addictive and compulsive

 I can't believe we are actually doing this!  I think I have everything but the kitchen sink in there 😜 Here is the plan for our journey: I am hoping that the weather stays nice, we plan to see as much as we can! The trick will be to keep the little one occupied during long drives and we also don't want her to look at a screen the whole way there! Another challenge will be to find activities that will be suitable for both the toddler and her nearly teen-age brothers, who are getting into this lovely 'I'm bored' stage and are mostly 'too cool' for doing things with us. So let's see how this goes!  We are starting off easy: our friend's house in Co. Kildare so we have all the luxuries on hand: beds, shops near by and a washing machine 😄. So far so good, just like home but a pleasant change of scenery. Sometimes it can be tricky for toddlers to accept change in their surroundings or routine. When they experience new things their sense of security may

  Gone are the days when it was enough to pop your bikini and few dresses into a bag in preparation for a great holiday! If you are a mum of a toddler, you know very well that anything and everything could become useful at any time! Toddlers are as unpredictable as the Irish weather! So if you have a toddler and you travel around Ireland - you really need to plan what to take. So here are some tips that I find useful when packing for any trip: 1. Sorting bags I think I've bought out the whole stock from Lidl 😁. These seemingly harmless little bags are fantastic at battling cluster and organizing your clothes. I assign a different colour for each family member and then, I divide the clothes into groups; t-shirts, trousers, jumpers and hoodies, underwear etc. This way I can avoid digging through the whole bag or a disorderly pile of clothes. I am always able to find what I need when I need it. I also only pack clothes that go well together so, anytime I pull out a random t-shirt I k

 The holidays are fast approaching and I'm sure you are all dying to get away, but getting away with a toddler is not as easy as it seems. It has become significantly more challenging to vacate than when you were single or even with a small baby! Going for holidays with a toddler is a game changer, there are countless things you need to think of and many plans that you need to make. You can no longer treat yourself to a spontaneous trip. Now you must make a plan in advance of exactly where to go and what will you do to entertain your toddler.  We are getting some work done on our house this summer so we are forced to leave our home for two months. We are a family of five- two adults, two almost teenage boys, a toddler girl and a dog. We took advantage of our situation and so, this summer we will be travelling across Ireland, staying in as many different locations and accommodation types as we can! You can join us on this exciting, yet testing,  journey and see if any of my tips or