Good morning all. I am a day late with my blog series. Why? Because I completely forgot about of if I am honest. If you follow on instagram you will know that we are currently on holidays in the UK. We are off on Paulton Theme Park today…mainly for Peppa Pig World.
Featuring on the blog today is Irish blogger Sharyn who blogs at Raising Ireland.
First of all, tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Sharyn, an ex-showbiz kid who performed as a dancer, stand-up comedian, actor and singer for many, many years before having my body and mind (not to mention, free time!) taken over with having children! Now that Jacob is almost 6 and Eva is almost 3 I feel like I’m getting ready to get back out there. And.. 5, 6, 7, 8 – dance!
How many times were you woken last night?
We are surprisingly low on middle-of-the-night antics these days. And before you rage at me for having it easy, Jacob had night terrors for a year and a half and Eva’s had a cough since the day she was born, which only becomes a problem at night time so – I DESERVE THIS BREAK!
Do you co-sleep?
Oh yes. We are accidental co-sleepers, really. Jacob starts out in his bed and slips under the covers beside me at some point during the night. I never even notice it but every morning when I wake up – there he is! There are the odd nights when Eva joins us too, and even sometimes our dog Pearl – but those are the nights when I escape to the spare bed in the attic. That’s zero craic for anyone!
What time do you normally wake up?
It’s been a 7am wake-up for the last few years, which isn’t bad at all, although it took me a long time to adjust to it initially. I LOVE my bed and used to stay in bed until noon at the weekends! Now if my husband Alan leaves me there until 9am I think I’ve won the sleep lotto.
How much average sleep do you get a night?
I aim for 8 hours – otherwise everyone suffers. I’m a cranky bitch if I’m tired.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Moan about it. Then demand cuddles from everyone until I feel better.
Tell me about your typical morning routine.
Midweek, it’s military to get everyone out to work and school. Alan is in charge of food and I’m in charge of clothes and organisation. So he makes brekkie and packs lunches while I get everyone dressed, sign notes, get a wash on, preside over hands, face and teeth washing and general clock-watching to make sure everyone gets out on time. There are some mornings when Alan gets to the gym at 6.30 and I get out for a quick run with Pearl at 7.30 and those are the days when we feel particularly smug about ourselves!
When and how often do you prepare the family dinners? Give us a few examples what you would cook.
Oh jesus, you are asking the wrong woman. Alan takes care of the cooking mostly and now that he has dropped meat out of his diet entirely, we are all eating vegetarian. I’m the baker in the house, I generally make a few things every week to have on hand, such as flapjacks, cookies, cupcakes and banana bread.
What’s on the menu for lunch?
As it’s the day after St. Patrick’s Day, we are brunching it. Scrambled eggs on bagels with avocado, cherry tomatoes and cottage cheese with a bucket of coffee is on the cards. It’s my favourite thing.
What activities have you got planned for the day for the kids?
Jacob has taken up horse riding over the past few weeks so we are heading to that this afternoon. He has been through a few activities that he has dropped after a term or two but he’s OBSESSED with horseriding so I think he’ll stick with it. It’s also ‘Mammy and Jacob Day’ as we just head off together and have a treat afterwards so it’s extra special. He gets a bit fed up with all the attention his younger sister gets so this is balancing that out for him. Eva gets to spend the time with her favourite man – her dad!
Do you generally eat dinner together as a family or get the kids fed first?
I usually eat with the kids during the week and we have great chats about their days at school or pre-school. At the weekends, it can vary. Sometimes we’ll head out for a meal together or if Alan and I are heading out alone for a date, we’ll feed the kids before we go.
What do you do after dinner?
There is a LOT of Lego activity in our house so Jacob is usually keen to get back to whatever he’s working on and Eva just wants to dance! So we put some music on and we are all ordered to the dance floor (which is the rug beside our couch) to have a boogie. There’s nothing nicer!
What is your bedtime routine?
We used to have baths every night but we’ve stopped that as it seemed like it was making them more giddy afterwards! So now we get into pjs, do hands, face and teeth, read stories and sing songs until they drop off. If I get them up the stairs at 7pm I’m back down by about 8.15 but that has taken a LONG time to get right.
Most importantly, when and where do you normally blog in those 24 hours? Do you have a schedule?
I don’t have a consistent schedule at the moment although I’m doing my best to create one. I’d love to write a blog post every single day but finding the time can be tricky. I need to zone in on it a bit more and make it a priority. Alan and I have just bought a business premises and I finally have my own office so hopefully that will go some way towards organising my schedule!
Thanks so much for sharing a day in your life Sharyn. It sounds like spending a day in your house could be a lot of fun. I wish I had a hubby that cooks though.
Blog URL: http://www.RaisingIreland.com
Everyone loves a follower more. What social media platforms can we find you on?
Facebook: /RaisingIreland
Instagram: @sharynhayden
Twitter: @raisingireland
If this is something you might be interested in, why not drop me a quick email to be featured as well and I will get back to you. admin@janineslittleworld.com
