There's no such thing as a freebie...

I wrote a piece for the Irish Daily Mail this week about the fact that no GP in our town has signed up for the free GP for under 6s scheme yet. Here it is in full for anyone who missed it...

MY eldest started pre-school this year and to say our home has become a hotbed for germs would be an understatement. I’ve started sleeping with a pile of towels next to the bed so I can catch projectile vomits before they penetrate to the mattress. I’ve become an expert at syringing antibiotics into the backs of their mouths so they can’t spit them out. From December to April alone, we’ve had six vomiting and diarrhoea bugs, two of which lasted more than a week per child, so low sugar levels and dehydration became a concern. And when you have three children aged four and under, that’s a lot of poop and puke to contend with. So yes, we visit the doctor. A lot. In fact, in one month alone over the course of the winter, we handed over €350 between visits to the GP and the out of hours service, SouthDoc. And that’s not taking into consideration the cost of prescriptions or the bottles of Calpol we’ve had to fork out for to deal with high temperatures and the likes.

When I heard that under 6s were getting free GP care, it was music to my ears. It’s not that I go running to the doctor with every cough and splutter, and I know there’s nothing they can do for viruses. But it’d be nice to know that money wasn’t a consideration when deciding whether or not your child’s illness warrants a visit. I’m a firm believer in trusting my gut instincts, so having to check my bank balance to make sure that I can actually afford to get expert medical advice is not a nice feeling.  So over the past few days, I’ve been checking and re-checking the list of GPs that have signed up to the free care for under-6s scheme in the hopes that my lovely family doctor will be on the list. Not only is she not, however, no GP in our area is. Clonakilty has no shortage of doctors - there are a few practices in the town itself and more in surrounding areas. But the only GPs I’ve seen on the list in West Cork are in Bantry. And I’m not going to be driving over an hour there with three children in the back of a car. It can be hard enough to keep kids settled in their car seats for a two-hour return trip at the best of times. But throw in sickness, high temperatures, nausea or whatever else into the mix, and that’d be no fun for anyone.

I love my GP. She’s on the ball, good with kids, is thorough and knows her stuff. She doesn’t prescribe anti biotics willy nilly and has even given me free advice over the phone on more than one occasion . But if another GP in town signed up for this scheme, I’d have to seriously consider changing. At the end of the day, we’re a young family and every cent is accounted for, with most months running pay cheque to  pay cheque. A €50 visit here and a €50 visit there all adds up and we really have to skimp on things like the food shopping if it’s been a heavy month for doctors visits. So far though, it seems that it’ll continue being a regular expense for our family. I've been told that when the youngest is seven, the what seems constant sickness will ease off and their immune systems will be hardy. Great. Only six more years to go then.

Happy Anniversary!

For our first wedding anniversary, he went to the Haribo factory in Dublin, bought a load of boxes of jelly babies and spent hours picking all the white ones - my favourites - out for me. He presented them in a beautiful keepsake box, along with a paper pig (my favourite animal) and a few other bits and bobs. We had champagne, a fancy dinner, the works. This week, as we celebrated four years of being husband and wife. I got a morning text wishing me a happy anniversary. No card, no present, no fuss. I'm not complaining. I would have forgotten completely if it hadn't been for his reminders.

A lot has happened since we walked down the aisle in front of family and friends back in 2011. Our eldest was only nine months old at the time and we've added two more to the brood. That's a hell of a busy four years. We've moved from Dublin to the countryside, I've quit my full time job to become a work-from-home mum. It's been pretty hectic.

Through sleepless nights, crying babies, dwindling funds and very few moments alone as a couple, we've had plenty of arguments and strops and stressful moments. But we've also come through it all and survived without killing one another. 

So we may have come to four years as husband and wife with less fanfare and less romance, but I'd like to think that we're stronger than ever as a team and as a family. And that's worth celebrating. Next year, I'll demand bubbly. I'll hopefully be functioning on more sleep by then!

Holiday Fever

The last time I went on holidays I was a couple of stone and one child lighter. A week from today, we're heading off for the first time as a family of five for what will hopefully be a week of fun in sunny Portugal. I can't bloody wait!

For now, I've been obsessing about what to bring to make the trip run as smoothly as possible, given that we have three children aged four and under. Here, I've come up with a list of tips and products that will hopefully mean an easy journey there and back, and a hassle-free stay.

• Our flight is thankfully not very long - 2.5 hours. But still enough time for kids to get restless, especially the youngest two. I'll be heading to the pound shop to buy a few cheap bits that will keep them entertained - it's always the little fiddly things that keep them occupied most, isn't it?! I'll also be packing a few of their favourite books and some stickers - and the trusted iPad. I've already downloaded a few child friendly apps - Pora Ora for my eldest - she learned her 2 times tables really quickly using the Leapfrog app! - and my three-year-old boy is just nuts about Sago Mini Toolbox. They both love Toca Kitchen 2 and it keeps them entertained for ages. Best load them all onto our iPhones too!

• Snacks, snacks and more snacks for the journey. Handy foods include things like bananas, fruit pouches, raisins, rice cakes. Buy some bottles of water after you've checked in through security - Evian is baby friendly because of its mineral/sodium levels. Breastfeeding mamas are lucky as they have what they need on tap, but if you need to bring bottles of formula, you're allowed to bring the amount you need for the flight through security. You might have to taste it though if they ask, so be prepared! I'm definitely going to pack some treats like chocolate buttons though - they might come in handy for bribing them to be quiet. Needs must!

• I'll be packing a change of clothes for both myself and the baby in my hand luggage. There's nothing worse than being stuck in a pukey outfit, or worse again, if you've had to deal with an explosive nappy that's leaked. For that reason, I'll also be bringing a plastic bag that I can easily pop dirty clothes/bibs etc in. 

• Our one year old has never flown before and obviously can't understand that the cabin pressure at takeoff and landing might hurt her little ears. So I plan on feeding her during takeoff and landing to avoid any discomfort. I'll get the other two to swig down on something as well. 

• Most airlines allow only one free piece of baby equipment - a stroller, car seat, a highchair or whatever. I struggled trying to decide what to bring until I found this. It's the perfect solution and I love it. The Doona costs €388 in Smyths but it's worth it, in my opinion. So handy and it also allows me to keep baby in the safer rearward facing position for longer as it's bigger than standard seats in this category. I'll also throw this in my case to protect Tessa from the blinding hot (fingers crossed for good weather!!) sun while we're over there. 

• As well as having the stroller handy, I'll also be bringing some slings. I wouldn't be without them. Not everywhere is buggy friendly - the beach, if we go hiking or if we are battling through crowds or going into small shops or restaurants. My three-year-old loves walking and refuses to go in the buggy, but if it's been a long day and we're out and about, he always ends up being carried. So I'll be packing my trusty Ergo Performance for George's piggybacks (they're suitable for carrying kids up to nearly 4 stone in weight!) and for Tessa, I'll have the new Pao Papoose. What I love about this is that she can be carried on my back, facing me or looking out. It's so comfy and she loves it too. 

• We're staying in a gorgeous apartment complex in a really child friendly place, so it's got a highchair for all that we need. But loads of places don't have high chairs, as I've discovered in the past, so I always pack my trusty Totseat. We have the owl patterned one and every time I use it I get asked about where to find them. It's a high chair that you can literally pack in your handbag or nappy bag - brilliant.

• Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a bit OCD when it comes to the kids and hand washing. Six vomiting bugs in the house over the course of one winter and you wouldn't blame me. I've discovered this. What a brilliant product. It doesn't stink or sting sensitive skin like normal hand sanitiser and it's also handy for wiping table tops, car seats, high chairs or whatever. For me, this is definitely a must have when I'm out and about. 

• I never like having to go to the shop as soon as I get to a place to stock up on essentials, so I pack my own nappies and swim nappies etc. I found this for Tessa - it'll save me packing a load of disposable swim nappies. It's super cute too. I only use La Roche Posay kids suncream because they have sensitive skin so I've packed that too in case it's not available at the resort. Instead of bringing a makeup bag, I'll be throwing my cosmetics etc into this and it will be handy for the beach for the kids. 

• There are babysitting services available at the resort - woohoo! - so instead of bringing my electric pump (I'm not sure about the voltage and all those plugs can get annoying) I'm packing my Medela Harmony. I've tried a few pumps and this is great and small for easy packing. You can get handy bags for it too that will sterilise it in the microwave multiple times. For formula feeding mums, I would check the resort/area in advance to see if they stock the brand your baby is used to, otherwise I would pack enough of the ready to drink cartons. 

So that's it - for the moment! I'm sure there are a million things I've forgotten but this is my list so far. Hope it's of some use to anyone heading off at some point over the summer.  Make some suggestions of your own favourites in the comments please!

Au dear...

So apparently I'm one of a large number of slave drivers across Ireland taking advantage of poor foreign girls and using them as a cheap form of childcare. The Sunday Independent has - for the second week in a row - included an 'exposé' on the horrors that aupairs in Ireland face. I've been seeing a lot of this lately - on online forums and the like. People who keep aupairs and pay them €100 per week are disgusting and should be ashamed of themselves...

We're currently on our fourth aupair - well sixth if you count the girl I sent home after two days and the other who said goodbye to us after two weeks because she was homesick following the death of her father. We're still in touch with all of them and next month one of them is spending a week of her holidays with us. In fact, our last aupair will be coming back this summer and working for us again until September. If things were so bad when you're living with a family and being paid €100 per week, surely she wouldn't be returning for seconds?

I've no doubt that there are some families in Ireland that take advantage of their aupair, but they're few and far between. There are dozens of aupairs in our small town alone, and for the most part - bar some small hiccups - they're more than happy with their host families. They live rent free, don't have any food bills, have free access to wifi and the comforts of home. We always treat our aupairs like extended members of the family and they've always been happy to spend time with us, even outside their working hours.

It's a shame that a handful of unkind - and let's face it - pretty damn horrible families, are giving the rest of us a bad name.

This is it...

It's happening. We're farmers. Well, not quite yet, but we will be. Himself will even have a certificate to prove it - he's started his Green Cert and even bought a pair of wellies. Proper ones. I bought myself an Aga teapot, and cookbook and oven glove. I can't quite afford the Aga itself just yet, and we haven't got a house to put it in. But we're getting there. We met our architect, plodded through the fields, picked out the best site and he's gone off to draw up plans for our dream home. Apparently planning permission will take at least four months but still, the wheels are in motion and the next time we move, it will be into our forever home. Finally. Of course, there's the small matter of securing a mortgage, and given that I'm self-employed that may be a tad challenging. But in the mean time, I've drawn up my wish list for the house and it includes a walk in pantry and a gigantic laundry room that means I won't to see another bloody clothes horse clog up my landing again. I want proper home office so I'll no longer have to take important Skype calls sitting on the bed in whichever room happens to be the least messy on that particular day. A playroom will be a must given the kids' ages. And my gorgeous free-standing kitchen with an island, with the Aga at the heart of it. I'll bake bread every day, make home-made granola, pickle vegetables I grow in the garden...To anyone who knows me, this may sound a tad unlikely, given that every single potted herb I've bought never seems to last beyond a week, and I'm not exactly the type of person who likes getting their hands dirty. And even though I spent 13 years living in the city and working as a hack before moving to the countryside, I really feel at home here. Breathing in the fresh air, looking across rolling countryside, imagining our children growing up with an appreciation for the land and self-sufficiency...It's happening. This is it. The beginning of the rest of our lives. And I can't wait.