First of all, tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m a mum, wife and teacher. In that order! I live in Galway City with my lovely other half and our three little fabulous redheads, aged 6, 4 and 15 months. I’m a secondary school teacher on my second year of career break. I plan on going back to work next September but in the meantime I’m really enjoying being at home with the kids (when they’re not painting one another with nail polish or feeding Play-Doh to the toddler.) I started the blog almost two months ago so I’m still very new to it all.
How many times were you woken last night?
Last night was a good night. My other half is travelling with work this week so I had the bed to myself until around 6am when the six year old crept into the bed talking about bad dreams and Kylo Ren. My eye! Total chancer. Shortly after, the four-year-old landed in. They knew there would be space and they ganged up on me. Game over! Awake for the day.
Do you co-sleep?
We did co-sleep for quite a while with the younger two but not with our firstborn. I think we listened to a lot of well-meaning people telling us not to but by the time the girls came, we were far more into going with the flow. Routine went out the window but we were all happier for it. Co-sleeping was a complete game-changer. It meant that nobody really woke up properly for night feeds. Winner!
What time do you normally wake up?
One of the kids will inevitably wake up between 6.30 and 7.00am and, as is the case in most houses with small children, when one’s up, we’re ALL up! (I refer you to the antics described in Q2 above!)
How much average sleep do you get a night?
Not nearly enough! We are TERRIBLE for staying up late and watching TV or tinkering around on laptops. Every morning we promise ourselves an early night but the cycle continues! As a result we are like the walking dead half the time.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
I am absolutely ashamed to say this – and I thought about lying – but I check my phone. I don’t necessarily go onto social media but I’ll have a glance at the notifications (or lack thereof!)
Tell me about your typical morning routine.
Because I’m not working, I do the school and Montessori drop-off so we all get up, get dressed, eat breakfast together and then we part company in the driveway at around 8.30. My husband’s office isn’t too far away from where we live, which is great. That sounds really idyllic, doesn’t it? Trust me, it’s not. There’s much wringing of hands, negotiating breakfast choices and cajoling of little people into shoes. It can get pretty intense!
When and how often do you prepare the family dinners? Give us a few examples what you would cook.
Because I’m not working at the moment, I tend to do most of the cooking. I don’t batch-cook and I don’t begin making dinner in the morning while the kids are at school but I have massive respect for the people who do! I tend to cook quick, easy dinners that take no more than 30 minutes or things that can be left unattended in an oven for long periods of time! We eat a lot of pasta. We also eat curries (I love One Yummy Mummy’s Curry in a Hurry) stews and stir-frys.
What’s on the menu for lunch?
Today it was wraps with chicken and cheese but soup with brown bread or toasties are usually big hits too. A lot of the time I’ll eat mine standing up or moving around the kitchen. Such is life, eh!
What activities have you got planned for the day for the kids?
I try to limit after-school activities during the week because they are still so young. We go swimming once a week and apart from that we keep a low enough profile. We live quite near the sea so we’ll go for a scoot or a bike-ride on the prom or to the playground. And sometimes we do absolutely nothing and watch TV!
Do you generally eat dinner together as a family or get the kids fed first?
Most of the time we eat together at around 6pm. At the weekend, we might feed the troops and hold off for a takeaway and a bottle of wine when they are in bed.
What do you do after dinner?
Not a whole lot. We sometimes go for a quick run separately (though I haven’t done that in ages) but mostly we veg and binge-watch Netflix. And of course now, I’ll do a bit here and there on the blog.
What is your bedtime routine?
The toddler goes down at around 7pm. The older two have stories together at around 7.30 so whichever of us has the most energy left will take them up and get them sorted for bed, referee the argument about who gets their story read first, etc.
Most importantly, when and where do you normally blog in those 24 hours? Do you have a schedule?
Because I’m not long blogging, I don’t really have a schedule. It’s all a bit ad hoc at the moment. The fifteen-month-old usually naps in the morning before I do the Montessori pick up so, if the stars align and I get an hour and a half, that’s when I’ll work on something or check out social media. Then, some evenings, I’ll sit down for an hour after they have gone to bed. The magic happens at the kitchen.
Thank you Sinead for giving us a look into a day of your busy life. I like your cook style. I am the exact same. Easy and quick.
Blog URL: http://shinnersandthebrood.com/
Everyone loves a follower more. What social media platforms can we find you on?
I’m scared of Snapchat and I haven’t got a handle on Pinterest but you’ll find me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Come say hi!
On Twitter – https://twitter.com/shinnersbrood
On Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shinnersandthebrood/
On Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/shinnersandthebrood/
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. schnurri87@msn.com
Adorable post! X