It’s April 2017 and that means that a few terrifying things are about to happen.
1. The Easter Bunny Is Coming
What’s the deal with the Easter Bunny? Jacob is starting to ask questions about how he knows where we live and why he just keeps chucking mini chocolate eggs into the garden in a panic every year.
“What are you insinuating?!” I bellow at him while reminding myself that it’s probably better than his wondering why the Easter Bunny has to come into his bedroom to leave eggs at the end of his bed like I used to do.
Anyway, I might get Jacob to write him a letter – does anyone have his address?
2. The Easter Holidays Are Coming
Two weeks – two fucking weeks! I have two businesses to run plus a mountain of bills to pay and you want to give my kids two weeks off from school? Fuck a duck. Or an Easter Bunny. Whichever takes your fancy.
Anyway, we’ll be going on every Easter-egg-led adventure imaginable – anything not to be trapped inside the house together for TWO WHOLE WEEKS! Argh!
3. I’m Turning 40
Yes, yes, it’s hard to imagine that someone who still uses their mum’s credit card because they can’t be trusted with their own can be turning 40 this year but it’s true. I’m feeling sort of.. adventurous about it. Like, I mentioned to Ass Monkey that I think this is the year I really get out there and party, go to all the events, or perhaps throw myself out of an aeroplane for charity.
“It’s time to feel alive”, says I.
Then I went for a wax and the beautician informs me that not only do I have a rather UNMISSABLE grey hair in my pubes but that my armpit hair is starting to turn white, too. White. Like Gandalf.
So that stopped my adventurous self in my tracks for a couple of weeks while I licked my (pigment-free) wounds.
4. We make The Big Move at Dynamic Ltd
When you have as much spare parts, equipment and general collections of scrap and junk (that I swear we’ll need some day!) as we do at http://www.DynamicCaterCare.ie, then moving premises takes some time.
But now we have a deadline and that deadline is April the 8th. So this week is it – we say goodbye to North Strand and hello to Ballymun and we get settled in.
It’s going to be SUCH a hectic week but it’ll be so worth it in the end when we have our permanent business home.
5. I Abseil Off The Roof Of Croker
Grey pubes behind me, I’ve gathered myself up and WILL take on a charity challenge this month. I’ve decided to abseil from the roof of Croke Park and raise funds for the ISPCC. It’ll be two days after my birthday drinks so I’m bound to have the fear on top of THE FEAR.
I’m trying to raise €500 and I hope you can support me and the ISPCC by throwing a fiver or two my way which you can do here – it’s the only way to survive turning 40 x
If my Instagram feed has been anything to go by this year, you’ll probably have guessed that I’ve gone crazy for interiors.
Officially owning our very own family home has a lot to do with that in the sense that I finally have a space to call our own, that I can decorate, hang family photos and art up on the walls, and plant a garden that we’ll watch grow year on year.
My great pal Claire Price launched House/Edit last year to much acclaim and is now taking a really cool interiors and fashion show on the road around Ireland called ‘Insider Secrets’.
There are two upcoming locations for Insider Secrets – Galway (March 25th at the G Hotel) and Dublin (April 1st at The Marker, which I am attending!). The first one in Sligo was completely sold out so if you were thinking about going to either of the other dates, I’d get on it!
I caught up with my fellow ginger lash bag Claire (who is also mum to gorgeous 2-year-old Ella!) and asked her everything about her new business and what we might expect at Insider Secrets;
1. Claire – we used to work in Luigi Malones in Temple Bar together back in the day. Was I the favourite of all your co-workers?
Obviously Sharyn!
2. Great first answer (!) When did you get the idea for House Edit and tell us a bit about it?
I’ve studied & worked in architecture & design for the best part of a decade and came to realise that my heart was in interiors. Brain storming in the studio one day with co founder and college pal Elaine, we thought, why not bring our knowledge & expertise to a wider audience and make good, affordable design available to everyone. We wanted to make it really easy for people to get online home inspiration and shop stylish, affordable homewares all in one place. And there you have it. House Edit.ie was born.
Look at these gorgeous birds – rocking their new business!
3. Do you find that being a mum propelled you to heights of ambition you had never felt before?
Absolutely. When Ella was born I was shell shocked by both the over whelming adoration for this tiny human and fear of the lack of control. I am a self confessed control freak. Ella on the other hand laughs in the face of control (she’s 2) You can see where I’m going with this. So once I blindly navigated my way through the first colic infused sleep deprived weeks (how many times did I FB you?!) I was quietly smug that I had the hang of this motherhood thing and thought at 5 weeks post birth that it would be a great idea to start my own business! The great thing about Motherhood of course is that it has this incredible way of turning you into a time militant. As a result my ambitions ended up becoming reality.
4. Do you think the phrase ‘Working Mum’ is over or misused?
I think next to the word Mother in the dictionary should be: hardest working human being of all time, full stop. Since becoming one I have another level of appreciation for my own. Being a mother by definition is seriously hard work. I think by using the term working mother it kind of implies you have two jobs.
5. What do you use on that gorgeous hair of yours to make it look so silky please? (this was a PEQ – a Personal Envy Question)
You mean apart from the flung remains of toddler dinners! Literally whatever my very thoughtful husband has picked up from the shop that week. Gone are the days of browsing the shampoo & conditioner isle for fortified manuka honey enriched concoctions. Pre child however, when I had time for those kind of luxurious trips to the shops, Le Occtaine was one of my favourite hair care brands as was Aveda. They both smell divine.
6. Tell us about the Insider Secrets roadshow, what can ticket holders expect for their €65 bucks?
So we have RTE Design Judge & Interior Architect Roisin Lafferty sharing all her expert knowledge on the day in what’s set to be an awe inspiring masterclass. The very stylish fashion stylist Orla Sheridan is going to be hosting a fashion workshop and answering all of your fashion dilemmas. Myself & House Edit co founder will be talking all things colour alongside our partner Fleetwood Prestige and April and The Bear will be sharing tips on accessorising your home. All this served over a delicious afternoon tea style lunch with spot prizes galore and fabulous goodie bags.
7. Is it possible to get home decor ‘wrong’?
From a spatial configuration point of view there are definitely better ways of optimising and adding to what you currently have. On the decor side of things however the answer has to be no. We are not in the business of dictating what’s right or wrong because ultimately style is incredibly subjective, so what looks amazing for one person may not work for another. I think ultimately ‘good’ interior design & decor boils down to an environment that works for your current living dynamic and decor that reflects your style and personality.
8. What are your top 3 tips for someone who wants to brighten up their home for spring?
Tip 1: I will sound like a broken record but you cannot underestimate the power of decluttering and investing in purpose built storage. Throw away or donate to SVP anything that you haven’t used in the past few months. Likelihood is you are never going to use it and it will instead contribute to physical and mental clutter.
Tip 2: A fresh coat of paint cannot be underestimated and is the single best tool you have in transitioning from winter to spring. My current favourite colours are Pantone Sky Gray & Pantone Silt Green. My bedroom will be one of these colours in the next few weeks.
Tip 3: Throws and cushions. There are some fantastic high street offerings in this department, from H&M homeware, Zara to Dust, Homelust, April & The Bear and TK Max, all of which have incredible selections of spring ready homewares. Remember to mix things up a little and layer pattern and texture to give depth to your interior.
9. What part of the Insider Secrets events are you most looking forward to?
Apart from the incredible speaker line up and girlie day out, it has to be the prizes. I am considering going undercover just win some of them myself! Framed artwork from Lola Donaghue. Hampers from Brook & Shoals, afternoon tea with bubbly, the list is endless.
10. Claire – you were at my wedding recently. Was it the best wedding you were ever at? OK I’M JOKING, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER THAT!!
*Laughing hysterically!*
Get your tickets for Insider Secrets now via EVENTBRITE
Not to worry about poor ole Ass Monkey.. he’s still getting his wedding day out – I don’t love women in THAT way (although Jessica Alba anyone?!)
I love to support other women in the way that we all should be naturally doing, as opposed to constantly being pitted against each other in all the ridiculous ways that society has invented over the years.
As a business woman, I love to see other women thrive in doing what they love in their careers and have been truly amazed over the years at the amount of pregnant women or new mothers I have encountered who have insatiable appetites for starting up new business ideas at a time when one would otherwise suppose that they are too busy.
I have come to the realisation that it is not only the men who feel an urge to ‘hunt and gather’ when children come along but it is true for mums too.
The women I meet are charging forward in business because they really want to secure their children’s future in a way that they are in control of and I find it incredibly admirable (and sometimes crazy. Sometimes I have to say, ‘Er your baby is due in 2 weeks, do you really want to launch this now? But the Power of the Mammy cannot be underestimated as you know!)
With that said, there are great resources for women in business in Ireland if you are thinking about setting yourself up as the next greatest entrepreneur.
There is start-up funding available from your local enterprise board, inspirational podcasts to download and a wealth of tutorials online from business experts in almost every field.
Attending seminars and workshops are a great way to meet other women who have the experience behind them in business and are willing to share it with you. It’s also, from my experience, a great way to feel motivated to put plans in place that you may have been pondering on for too long.
We have two full-price tickets to give away to the upcoming ‘Women’s Inspire Network – From Kitchen Table to Building an Empire’ event in the City North Hotel, Co. Meath – one for each competition winner.
The event takes place from 9 am to 5 pm on Wednesday, October 5th and promises a full day of workshops and seminars, lead by inspirational business women in a variety of industries.
To enter, simple enter your below and we will announce the winner this Friday, September 30th at 5pm.
Check out the great line-up of speakers and events here:
You may not have heard the news, but I am a promised woman (hard to believe, I know).
For precisely one year now, myself and Ass Monkey have upgraded our relationship status from ‘Surviving Parenthood’ to ‘Parenting While Planning A Wedding’.
Actually, that’s not entirely true. We got engaged and well, did precisely nothing about the whole wedding bit for ages.
A few things got in the way; our family business Dynamic Cater Care got crazy busy, I took a great new job at HerFamily.ie and both of the kids got the fucking chicken pox (it’s official title).
Just when things were starting to calm down after Christmas and we might have had some space to make plans, we took the deranged decision to hire some builders and let them have at a house extension on our home. You know, instead of just chilling out for a bit.
So as of January 8th of this year, we have been living out of bags at my parent’s home (which we are eternally grateful for, OF COURSE), and there has been little or no room for any major wedding decisions.
With 8 months to go to the ‘I Do’s’, I can safely say that we are in the total shits with regards to the following:
1. Registering The Marriage – yes, apparently it’s not good enough that our intent to get married is in our heads, we actually need to do some paperwork too. Will someone please do it for me?!
2. Wedding Rings – AKA persuading Ass Monkey that he does, in fact, need to wear one. The stubbornness is strong in that man.
3. The Dress – No, I didn’t ever dream of ‘the perfect wedding dress’ when I was a little girl and no, I still don’t have any idea what I want. There may be a little shopping trip to London planned with The Mammy next week so it might be ok. I’ve loads of time, right?! (gulp)
4. The Numbers – This wedding may well comprise me, Ass Monkey, the kids and the dog at this stage since we have yet to send out any actual invitations. Can’t we just do it by text?
5. The Honeymoon – Planning a honeymoon when you have kids throws up sets of problems that you obviously wouldn’t have to contemplate otherwise. We keep swinging from ‘Let’s go somewhere amazing and live it up while granny minds them!’ to ‘Oh god we couldn’t leave them for a week, we’d miss them too much!’ And so there the decision stays, unmade until inspiration strikes.
Anyone?
Are you planning on getting married this year? Share your planning stories with me – misery loves company!
The kids of Rush don’t have a playground, did you know that? Well, there is one up at St. Catherines which is quite close to my house and I have done one of the following each time I’ve visited it with the kids:
a) Had a row with a pack of shit head teenagers.
b) Had a row with a shit head adult enforcing ‘The Rules’ (I CAN run in and get my dog if she happens to get in by accident, I have NOT left her there to supervise the see-saw ffs)
c) Picked up broken bottles, cigarette butts etc.
d) Wished that the council would actually clean and repair it so it was a decent playground to bring the kids to.
I’m well aware that there are lots of playgrounds around the country with similar societal problems and it is so sad that it is the case. But anyway, I digress. The main town of Rush does not yet have a playground but did just finally receive the go ahead to build one at the harbour park, which is fantastic news.
As a certain amount of funding is needed to bolster the existing council funds, and as my best mate Rory Carrick and I love to throw a party, we are combining both of those things for The Rush Playground Fundraiser, which takes place in the Rush GAA Club on September 26th at 8pm.
Our aim is to host a fantastic 80’s themed night full of fun, music, HUGE amounts of laughter and 80’s tackorama. Do I have my Madonna outfit ready? Washed, aired and ready to rock, my friends ;o)
Tickets are €25 each which include nibbles, 80’s rock band Delorean and your contribution to the town’s much-anticipated children’s playground. Tables of 8 to 10 are available to reserve, if you want to make a night of it with your friends.
Click on the link below to secure your tickets and you can pick them up at the door.