Fota Wildlife Park Cork – family pass and VIP family experience review

fota wildlife park cork review vip family pass fota wildlife park family pass

Last year one of the first big purchases I made with money I earned myself was the yearly pass for Fota Wildlife Park here in Cork. So many of my friends have it and even though its about a half hour drive from the house I just knew it was something we would get a huge amount of use out of. And I was so right, I would estimate we have been about 20 times in the past year and honestly there has never been a time where I have suggested going to Fota and the girls have been anything less than ecstatic. And it’s been a joy to watch Lucy change over the last year going from a ‘baby’ that stayed in the buggy the vast majority of the way round to a little lady that literally walks or runs the whole route now and grows more and more fascinated by the animals every time we visit. And the park has changed loads since we started going, there have been new animals introduced and new babies born so it really is a new experience every time we go. Continue reading

Ultimate guide to Tayto Park with young children

tayto park deals tayto park rides tayto park days out in ireland days out in meath

When I was first contacted about going to Tayto Park, I turned down the offer with the explanation that I thought my five and three year old were too young for it. I had for some reason a notion that it was all rollercoasters and things more suited for teenagers through to adults. Well how wrong was I! When I looked into it more and spoke to friends who had visited it I was assured there was more than enough to keep my two ladies happy for hours. Continue reading

Discovering Cork – Fitzgerald’s Park

Ages ago now I had a post on my Facebook page where lots of other Mum’s suggested places to hit for with kids around Cork. Suggestions came for near and far, from model railways to beaches, parks to playgrounds. My aim this summer is to discover them all. When the big lady started school I think I had underestimated the commitment involved in a child going to primary school and really felt I hadn’t made the best of our free time last summer. Granted I was akin to a sweaty whale Continue reading

Eurocamp La Pointe St. Gilles Campsite Review

eurocamp la pointe st. gilles benodet campsites pointe st. gilles - bénodet la pointe st gilles campsite reviews
And so it’s back to reality after a wonderful holiday away. Our first week easy spent in England with my parents in law and after that we hit for Brittany, taking a fair chance as it’s climate, much like it’s countryside, is like Ireland, damp and green. After all the travelling we had done we wanted to pick somewhere that wasn’t going to result in a long drive with the ladies so we chose Sunelia L’Escale St. Gilles or La Pointe St. Gilles in Benodet Southern Brittany that was less than a two hour drive from Roscoff. Continue reading

A weekend in Paris

Ah Paris, one of my favourite cities in the world. Apart from the pure beauty of the surroundings I find it a really nice city to be in. The metro is easy to use, no one is ever rushing or pushing you our of the way. Really the French don’t bother too much with tourists which is the way I like things. I’ve been to Paris now about ten times and each time I discover something new even if I revisit the same spot over and over. My sister currently lives there so I’ve been taking full advantage of that and visiting her and her boyfriend as much as I can. And it’s brilliant to visit this way as I get to see another, perhaps less touristy, version of Paris even if we did spend the whole day doing touristy things! Continue reading

Hotel Westport – the perfect family getaway

hotel westport family holiday ireland the two darlings parenting blog family holidays ireland family holidays mayo ireland

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

Christmas Traditions From Around The World

christmas traditions the two darlings candles in windows ireland

Have you ever wondered why it’s customary for families to place a candle in their window on Christmas Eve? This tradition serves a variety of purposes, but usually the candle is placed near the window as a welcoming gesture for Mary and Joseph as they search for shelter. The candle must also be lit by the youngest member of the family and, if possible, extinguished by a girl named Mary. Nowadays the candle is replaced by something slightly Continue reading

Are you a safe driver?

travel toddlers babies baby the two darlings

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