Hotel Westport – the perfect family getaway

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March 3, 2016March 3, 2016 | thetwodarlings

One of the real pleasures of being off at the moment is being able to take the lovely Eithne from Hotel Westport up on an offer of a couple of nights away last minute. It’s nice to be able to break up the weeks from time to time especially when the big lady is just in playschool. Easy to find close to the heart of the town, we landed in Hotel Westport and upon the big lady’s incessant request hit straight for the pool. She absolutely adores swimming and I haven’t managed to fit Continue reading →

Tips for buying shoes for toddlers

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February 18, 2016May 10, 2016 | thetwodarlings

With the onset of age comes a new air of independence with the big lady. She has always been rather ‘headstrong’ for want of the most complimentary word. She learned how to speak quite early on because she had to get herself across unlike the small lady now whose rather passive and not too bothered about what she gets as long as it’s the same as her big sister. Anyway, what has this got to do with shoes I hear you ask?! Continue reading →

Leahy’s Open Farm

February 9, 2016 | thetwodarlings

Given that we both met while working in Agriculture and it’s still a large part of life living in the country, a trip to an Open Farm is always going to appeal to us. So when the Catriona invited us down to visit Leahy’s Open Farm in Dongourney just outside Middleton, Co. Cork we LEPT at the chance. It’s somewhere we had heard lots about as it’s a really popular place with families all around Cork and further afield. Never ones to let a little wind and rain deter us we headed down the first weekend in February to check it out.
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Baking with toddlers made easy

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February 1, 2016May 9, 2016 | thetwodarlings

You know sometimes you’re struck by just how clever a product is. And if you’re a mother who loves and encourages baking with toddlers but hates mess I think I may have the answer for you! I met the lovely and enthusiastic Maria at an Afternoon Tea event in Cork over the weekend. She had travelled from Kerry to be with us and had on display her lovely selection of Bake it Easy products. I had come across Bake it Easy via a Twitter chat and when I met her yesterday I was struck by how well the products is put together and just how tasty it is! Continue reading →

Baggers Original raingear for toddlers

December 29, 2015May 9, 2016 | thetwodarlings

When I mentioned Baggers Original to my husband recently after receiving this lovely set in the post he was instantly transported back to his youth to a time when he and his siblings used to wear these very items too. Baggers Original are a range of raingear for toddlers to children aged 7-8 that have seen a new lease of life in recent times and relaunched after a 22 year hiatus in 2013. Baggers Original come in a set of two items – a pullover top and a pair of waterproof pants. These are lovely and colourful and easy to spot an over exuberant 3 year old tearing off ahead of you in the forest! Continue reading →

Are you a safe driver?

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December 14, 2015May 9, 2016 | thetwodarlings

We drive in the car a lot. We try and visit family regularly who live either 4 hours away by car alone or 7 hours in the car plus a boat journey. And we drive a lot everyday of the week to the childminders and back so I’d like to think I’m a safe driver with all the practice I have. My husband commutes to work but he does this alone. To be honest sometimes I find myself half jealous of him heading off into an hour long commute that includes traffic. Why I hear you ask?! Because he gets to have some head space and just listen to the radio. And I’m not the only parent in the world to think that this driving time is his down time, a survey by Chill Insurance recently found that 25% of parents consider driving as their quiet time. Continue reading →

Making life easier by doing it online?

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December 8, 2015May 9, 2016 | thetwodarlings

This is something a little different from my usual blog post but I’m a research scientist so my days are usually filled with data and surveys so here’s a bit of the day coming into the night. This survey was sent to me recently and I thought the details on peoples attitude to getting contraception online were interesting. I suppose having had two babies now I feel like I have no inhibitions when it comes to going to the doctor about contraception. That said, I do remember back to the days when these sort of doctors appointments would have been somewhat awkward so I guess the results of a recent survey by Lloyds that found that 68% of Irish people under 24 years old would prefer to receive contraception advice online probably didn’t surprise me. In fact, a quarter of all age groups surveyed said they would prefer to receive contraceptive advice online. Continue reading →

Lottie Dolls

December 4, 2015November 26, 2018 | thetwodarlings

When it comes to the small ladies we put every genre of toy in front of them, from farm animals to dolls they have a wide variety.The big lady loves her Barbie’s but jaypers, the clothes the Barbie’s come with leave LITTLE to the imagination. I restyled our Barbie’s by making some midi skirts and proper tops with my sewing machine so that she resembles an upstanding citizen. And then I discovered the Lottie Dolls and my interest was piqued. I especially LOVE the selection of Dolls that fall under the remit of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). We really encourage counting and maths in our house (we cant help it!) so much so that the big lady literally counted the teeth in my mouth last night as I put her to bed.
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Handmade Irish bags

November 28, 2015May 28, 2016 | thetwodarlings

I was so thrilled to be contacted by Waterford based Claire Povey to see if I would like to try out one of her beautiful handmade bags. These bags are perfect for bringing to the beach, the pool, the gym or for using as a changing bag. Claire kindly gave me the Harbour beach bag which I started using as my changing bag since it’s not quite beach weather down Southjust yet! Continue reading →

Me time for Mums

November 27, 2015November 26, 2018 | thetwodarlings

Most mums don’t have much free time, believe me I know. They’re always busy doing something, and more often than not, they’re busy doing something for someone else in the family or for work. It’s not unusual for some mums to spend the whole day in a blur, and then get to the end of the day realising there’s still stuff left to do. And then all you have the energy to do is flop into bed! Continue reading →

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