Education

Useful resources online to keep children entertained

| thetwodarlings

I think for many people we look at our printers and see them as a piece of equipment now preoccupied with tasks associated with home schooling and working from home. Even though the girls have their books home from school there is still a lot of extra resources and work that has to be printed out each week – between their list of homework to be done, worksheets to go with this book or that subject it’s a lot. On top of that I have a preschooler who is heading to school this September so she is eager to sit down with her big sisters and feel part of the world of learning and that’s brilliant. Continue reading →

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A little round up – upcycling IKEA furniture, simple makeup routine and more

| thetwodarlings

I feel like this website is sorely neglected and to be honest I should be pumping more time into it. I feel lately like all my social media or online time is directed solely at Instagram and sure if that were to vanish in the morning where would I be! And I started blogging as a way to channel my creativity and writing is one of the best ways to do that so from time to time I might throw up a quick blog post covering a few bits and pieces that I’ve been up to over the last while. Continue reading →

An easy and unusual DIY idea for getting lots of memories up on the wall 10 tips for protecting our kids online and ensuring internet safety in the home

How and why we switched to cloth nappies

| thetwodarlings

It’s one of those things that has been on my mind for a long time, the volume of nappies we have gone through in the last 7 years between the ladies is nothing short of shocking. Our bin destined for landfill felt as if it was 50% household waste and 50% nappies most of the time. I had thought about going reusable when Lucy was small but then it transpired she had a dairy allergy and lets just say I didn’t have the energy or the enthusiasm for that level of washing!  Continue reading →

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8 ways to be more sustainable around the house

| thetwodarlings

Back in the day when I used to work the area I became involved in was centred around sustainability – mainly in the area of water, wastewater and the reuse of dairy wastes. Sounds glamorous eh! But it was really interesting and I loved it and when I became a stay at home mother it was something that I became more and more conscious of especially as the girls got bigger and we had more. I started to question the world we were going to be leaving behind for them and, more importantly, the problems their generation and others will face.  Continue reading →

10 tips for protecting our kids online and ensuring internet safety in the home Put down your phone and read a book!

The ultimate directory of small creative Irish companies

| thetwodarlings

I’ve long since been a supporter of small Irish companies who focus on creativity and sustainability. I applaud any man, woman and parent who takes on the challenge of coming up with an idea, of creating a business and being everything and everyone that is required to run a company, from marketing to designing, they do it all. I’ve reviewed many a product from these wonderful companies and wonderful people but in the run up to Christmas I wanted to do something that I don’t think exists out there already – a proper, constantly updated, list of all the wonderful small businesses out there. A place where people can come with an idea they want to support local, support Irish and they can find what they want here, from these wonderful businesses.  Continue reading →

Lottie Dolls – realistic, inspiring dolls for young girls Thinking outside the box with fashion this Christmas

What to expect before, during and after an elective c-section in Ireland

elective c section ireland cork
| thetwodarlings

This is a post I feel I had better write before all the info is gone from my head, lost in the blur or sleepless nights and school runs and preparing food! I have had four sections now, one emergency and the subsequent three were elective, all in Cork University Maternity Hospital so obviously the info I give here may differ from hospital to hospital. The second which is the pivotal one really, once you have two sections for the most part you have set your future birthing options in stone you can’t go vaginal after that (in the vast majority of cases). The main reason I had an elective section second time round was based on the consultants opinion. At 36 weeks the baby was measuring around 8lbs (in fact she was closer to 9lbs at that stage!) and given the previous history of my first birthing experience it was decided to go for an elective section at 39 weeks (standard elective sections are always done one week before due date). 

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Wise words for the new mother I was from the mother I am now Default ThumbnailThe ups and downs of breastfeeding

The ultimate school uniform checklist

| thetwodarlings

Ok ok I know, school is barely out for the summer and here is your one talking about school uniforms for September but hear me out – I know lots of you will be thinking about it over the next two months so I figure its good to have something that you can reference! So for a third year in a row I am working with Marks and Spencer on their Back to School campaign. I think it’s testament to a good collaboration when it fits seamlessly into our lives, the eldest has been wearing pretty much nothing but Marks and Spencer uniforms for the past two years. I’m consistently happy with the quality and the price point and all of her previous uniforms are neatly put away and ready for the next lady when her time comes.    Continue reading →

An easy and unusual DIY idea for getting lots of memories up on the wall A little round up – upcycling IKEA furniture, simple makeup routine and more

Wallpapering a bathroom….some tips from my experience

wallpapering tips smallbathroom diy
| thetwodarlings

Our downstairs bathroom was one of those rooms I had a notion I wanted to make it a drastic contrast to the rest of the house. It’s small and really any mistakes made there wouldn’t be the end of the world. We have no wallpaper in the house so I wanted to see what it would be like to give it a shot and there are so many beautiful designs out there it was a DIY I was itching to try. And I wanted to see how much I could transform the room Continue reading →

DIY Gold Dot Canvas Art DIY display wall for kids art

Social media for small businesses and working with bloggers

| thetwodarlings

I get asked quite a lot by small companies and start ups is advice on their current social media strategy and for advice on working with bloggers. It is wonderful see so many people setting up businesses now, but the very nature of that venture is that you need to wear a lot of hats and be proficent in so many areas of expertise from the finacnes to the marketing. And social media is a wonderful thing for small businesses, it means that they can access a huge audience of people for a relatively small spend but there is more to social media than meets the eye. I want to go through some of the most common questions I get and the most common suggestions I give so that it may help another small business owner to perhaps step back from it all if they are lost in the fog. Continue reading →

Bloggers and #ad – what does it all mean? Put down your phone and read a book!

5 free printable worksheet ideas to keep the kids entertained and educated

| thetwodarlings

I won’t lie, our playroom is filled to the brim with colouring books….but since the girls discovered that my laptop has the wonderful ability to pull up any picture they can dream of to be coloured in they have me hounded. Terrible for the poor auld trees but great for my sanity. People often ask me how I find the time to get all the DIY things done around the house and I’m about to let you all in on a secret. Firstly, its not television that occupies the ladies while I’m busy creating my next Pinterest fail success, Continue reading →

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