Simple tips for super snacking - healthy and delicious bites for kids on the go and at home (IrishCentral)

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:47:22 PDT

Last but not least, buy on sale and buy in bulk. Hopefully this gives you a few new ideas for how ensure your snackers are happy ones -- and, if you have yummy, healthy snacks that are your go-to favorites, let me know!

Getting organized for back to school - how to get a handle on your little darlings paperwork (IrishCentral)

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 05:31:54 PDT

The last piece of the process is no doubt the hardest – it’s making a lasting commitment to control the paper beast. To tackle it daily. To keep only what is critical and to recycle or trash what’s not. To actually use your file folders and memory boxes. To keep the paper beast under control -- before it grows big and scary and requires a bonfire to tame it. Although, if all else fails, a bonfire isn’t a bad idea… it is, after all, a sure (and welcome!) sign of Fall.

Making the transition from crib to bed - helping your babies make the big leap (IrishCentral)

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 03:31:15 PDT

Summer packing essential for a family getaway - getting all the essentials in for a gaggle of children (IrishCentral)

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 05:45:49 PDT

Summer road trip survival tips - words of advice from a Mom of five (IrishCentral)

Wed, 04 Jul 2012 05:15:42 PDT

Lessons learned on a Kindergarten field tip - being grossed out, enthusiastic and countless questions (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 May 2012 05:15:09 PDT

The myth of Mother's Day - commercial hype, disappointment and changing up the rules (IrishCentral)

Mon, 14 May 2012 06:00:30 PDT

Communion, cardboard and cake - A mom's musings on First Holy Communion (IrishCentral)

Tue, 08 May 2012 06:30:07 PDT

A girls getaway confirms there's no such thing as SuperMom (IrishCentral)

Tue, 01 May 2012 05:30:23 PDT

A red carpet moment reminds Mom she is "The Lucky One" - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 05:45:14 PDT

"I don't know how he'll do it" - leaving Daddy at home with the kids (IrishCentral)

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:30:09 PDT

Palm Sunday - Keeping the faith with five fiesty tykes (IrishCentral)

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:15:09 PDT

“How was your Palm Sunday?” asked good friends we had dinner with last night. Truth be told, it was not so great. Not that Palm Sunday is a historically a great day anyway, but their question was motivated, I think, by a curiosity about how we juggle five children under seven during mass -- especially mass on Palm Sunday which, by my estimation, is the longest mass ever.

Home sweet home - setting up house for five tykes under four (IrishCentral)

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:00:15 PDT

I relished giving all five of our children bottles on the front porch. Watching them play in the backyard. Helping them climb up the stairs, out of cribs and into my arms. In the seven years we’ve lived here, our babies have become children and we’ve all grown older and wiser. It’s time to move on. But it’s so hard to go. Especially when I don’t know where the road will lead us. I can only hope that when we find our second house, it too will quickly become a home as sweet as this.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day with the family at St. Patrick's Day Cathedral (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:15:13 PDT

We finally arrived on the steps of St. Pat’s where we met my husband, Liam and Ciara and were eventually joined by my parents, brother, sister-in-laws, niece, nephews and friends old and new. As the pipers played and drummers drummed, I said a silent thank you to St. Patrick. Not just for chasing the snakes out of Ireland but, for giving us one day a year to honor our heritage, tap our toes to the music, wear our green with pride and truly cherish our family; St. Patrick’s Day is a reminder of just how blessed I am to look into smiling little Irish eyes and see the wonder of the world from their point of view – for it is a very nice view indeed.

Twas the week before St. Patty's Day - a poem about prepping for our family holiday (IrishCentral)

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:45:16 PDT

Twas the week before St. Patty's Day

The Battle of the Zoos - Dublin vs the Bronx - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:00:48 PST

I am a zoo-lover. To me, one of the gratifications of having children is the ability to share my love of animals and wildlife and create little zoo-lovers to follow in my footsteps. With five tykes seven and under, we've been quite busy exploring every zoo within reasonable -- and not so reasonable --distance from our home in the suburbs of New York City. To date, we've been lucky enough to visit the National Zoo in Washington D.C., the San Francisco Zoo ...

The Bronx Zoo (on numerous occasions) and, on one stellar day, the Dublin Zoo.

In the blur of baby days and toddler tantrums - "Parents Need to Eat Too" - VIDEO (IrishCentral)

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:00:25 PST

Parents need to eat too. This may sound obvious but, it is a simple little fact that is often forgotten in the blur of baby days and toddler tantrums. My husband is actually great at remembering this little tidbit and frequently recalls the airline advice that urges adults to put on their oxygen masks before tending to the children around them. He thinks of food (three full square meals a day) like that oxygen... it is absolutely essential and copious amounts are required for his base level of functioning.

The same can not be said of me. Don't get me wrong. I love to eat. Really. I love love love food. But, the notion of putting together a plate for myself while a little one is howling never even occurred to me. I just assumed that in the natural order of all things food-related, the kids come first. Well, guess what? I was wrong. And, in a moment more rare than a solar eclipse, I'm going to admit something else -- my husband was right!

And, he's not alone. Debbie Koenig, who you may know from the blog Words to Eat By has a fab new book that will help parents everywhere master the struggle of the juggle -- in particular, the juggle of a jiggly newborn or tuggy toddler and the dinnertime dilemma.

Are French parents really superior? - Wall Street Journal review raises questions (IrishCentral)

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:30:16 PST

A tale of two sisters (IrishCentral)

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:45:18 PST


The O'Connor Sisters in 1979

My sister and I have a storied past. I was five years old when she was born and quite accustomed to my spot as queen of the roost. I was the first child, first grandchild and a first class brat by the time she was born in June of 1976. I hated her. All I knew about babies being born is that they were "delivered." So, for the latter part of 1976, every time we passed a mailbox, I asked if we could send her back. Back to wherever she came from before she arrived on the scene, all precious and cute and attracting all sorts of attention that had previously been devoted to me, me, ME!

I tortured her for years. I set her up time and again in ways that were at times mischievous, cruel or downright dangerous. A few examples include the time I painted her and the bathroom in Bain de Soleil (remember that greasy orange "gelee" that turned our fair Irish skin to a crisp?!) and then washed my hands, called my Mom and blamed her for the mess; or the time I took her out of the crib and perched her at the top of the stairs. Or the time I poured all my Bonnie Bell cologne down the sink and then started crying and blamed her for the tragedy of it all. Kind of crazy, right? I really didn't like her.

I spent much of grammar school dragging her around by her pigtails -- and then I went to junior high, left her behind and never looked back. When I left for college, she was in the throes of her Beverly Hills 90210 obsession and a true loser in my book. But then, somewhere along the way, things changed. I think it was when I went to visit during her freshmen or sophomore year at Boston College. We tailgated before a football game and all of sudden, my baby sister was no longer a baby. No longer a loser. In fact, she seemed more and more like me. In fact, she even looked more and more like me as we were both featuring the fashion of the day -- a flannel shirt complimented by the "freshman fifteen."

Enjoying Snow Day with five little "cubs" (IrishCentral)

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:45:19 PST

Many of you are probably familiar with the story of the Five Little Ducks and if so, you may know the story has an accompanying song. It’s kind of a catchy tune (I’m ashamed to admit!) and if you know it, you should feel free to hum along to the following adaptation.

To provide a bit of context, the New York metro area had it's first significant snowfall of the year this past weekend. My heart still leaps when I see those first flakes fall -- and then it sinks just a bit when it's time to wrestle five little "cubs" into snow boots, snow pants, jackets, hats and mittens before heading out to enjoy (or perhaps brave) the elements. Truth be told, snow is no fun for kids. At least not for very little ones. Their mittens fall off, their sleds tip over but still we drag them out in the name of fun. And, in some ways, it is. Our experience this weekend went something like this...

Five little cubs went out one day

A good dose of Granny Wisdom (IrishCentral)

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:15:20 PST

I'm not sure what other tricks my Granny has up her sleeve but, after raising six kids (five boys and one girl!), I know she must have more... and I, for one, intend to find out! God knows I could use all the help I can get as I juggle the ins and outs and ups and downs of parenthood -- and I'm truly grateful to have my Granny and her doses of wisdom to help show me the way.

Nicknames for kids - decidedly Irish or universally irresistible? (IrishCentral)

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:00:18 PST

Do you have nicknames for your kids? We do. Lots of 'em. So many that I fear they may be causing some issues with our identical triplet boys. But, to be fair, let me start at the beginning.

When Liam, now seven, was born, he was a real snuggle bug. It was the winter of 2004/5 and during those long, cold, dark months, he spent a lot of time snuggling in and scootching up my shoulder in that way only a newborn can. You know about scootching, right? It's that wiggly way babies nuzzle in, up and over your shoulder; it's really quite pleasant to experience, especially when the wind is howling and the temperature is falling. This sweet baby maneuver earned Liam the nickname of "Scootie" in addition to an original little ditty we'd sing to him that went something like this: "Ooh, ooh, Scootie, ooh Scootie-Loo.

Christmas with five tots: The good, bad and merry! (IrishCentral)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:53:59 PST

In the days leading up to Christmas, people often said things like "It must be great to have all those kids on Christmas!" Or, "Wow, Christmas in your house must really be something!" It is great to have "all those kids" on Christmas (and the other 364 days of the year!) and this year, our Christmas really was something. Something like this.

It started at 5:15AM because little Mac couldn't find his "Wawa" and was wailing like a madman. That smelly, soggy "Wawa", as it turns out, was right underneath him the whole time. With that crisis solved, we sighed, rolled over and said a prayer that we would fall back asleep until sunrise. No such luck.

At 5:30, Liam appeared in our room. You might think he was there because of the excitement of Christmas and anticipation of opening his gifts but alas, that was not the case. As it turned out, the reason for his pre-dawn appearance was a bloody nose. A very bloody nose.

New Year's Resolutions... or life long ambitions? (IrishCentral)

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 07:53:03 PST

Like many of us, as a New Year dawns, I am prone to make resolutions – promises, both small and grand, that I make to myself to be better, do better, do more. As I look ahead to 2012, I decided to look back to this time last year and share what I wrote at the dawn of 2011. It makes just as much sense now as it did then. And for the record, I survived turning 40 but still long for a weekend away… all of which will make sense after you read this…

This year, as I teeter on the edge of 40 and ponder what 2011 may hold, I’ve decided to rethink my resolutions. I’ve decided that since there’s an undeniable pattern in my annual goals (exercise more, save more money, find time for date nights!), why limit them to a calendar year? Why not think of resolutions as long-term ambitions? Maybe it’s a cop out. Maybe I’m letting myself off the hook by lifting the 12.31.11 deadline but, on the other hand, maybe I’m giving myself the chance to truly be a better person and lead a better life. It is with this hope, intention and optimism in mind that I share with you my goals for 2011… and beyond.

I would like to yell less and listen more. I’d like to really listen, to actually hear what my children and my husband have to say. To take the time to digest and respond to their comments, thoughts and requests with more than my typically breezy “yup, uh-huh, sure” or “what’d ya say, hon?”

Twas the weekend before Christmas - lists checked, presents wrapped and settling down to time with family (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:30:14 PST

Signs of the Christmas season for a busy young family (IrishCentral)

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 05:45:13 PST

There were several moments this week when I knew the Christmas spirit had officially entered the Lyons Den.

Granted, if you were to go by the store windows, the Christmas season actually started the day after Halloween but, we like to take things a bit more slowly around here... or, perhaps better put, we have to take things a bit more slowly. Between birthdays and work days and play dates and sick days, it's hard to even find the time to trim the tree.

Christmas magic - turning Santa Clause skeptics into believers (IrishCentral)

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:00:16 PST

As a mom of many, keeping the mystique of Santa alive and well is a priority for me this Christmas season.

My oldest just turned seven last week, the next in line is five and the triplets are now three-years-old. They all have a healthy curiosity about pretty much everything and, while the bigger two can be skeptical at times, more often than not, they believe what I tell them - especially as it relates to things they want to believe in, like the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and, of course Santa Claus.

Keeping the magic alive gets harder when the grammar school years arrive. If your child is still a sweet, innocent believer, there is an excellent chance he will meet a kid on the bus or playground or classroom who will tell him that "Santa isn't real" or "only babies believe in Santa." When your wee one comes home with this news, it will break your heart; the notion of losing that innocence is just too much to bear. So, here are a few tips to get (or keep) things back on track -- to keep the faith in Santa Claus this Christmas season and hopefully, for many more to come!
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Teaching tots to be thankful this Thanksgiving (IrishCentral)

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 07:15:20 PST

A (working) mom's solution for sleep deprivation (IrishCentral)

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 05:15:17 PST

Travel tips from a Mom of five - survival advice for a family vacation (IrishCentral)

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 05:45:23 PST

Handling the kids when Halloween is over: it's more trick than treat! (IrishCentral)

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 08:15:18 PST

Sight-seeing in Ireland with five tiny tots (IrishCentral)

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 05:30:24 PDT

On vacation with five children - sight-seeing in Dublin (IrishCentral)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:45:30 PDT

Taking a vacation in Ireland with five tots in tow (IrishCentral)

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 06:45:16 PDT

Lessons learned from back to school night(s) (IrishCentral)

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 05:05:20 PDT

Last week was a doozy. Monday was the 2nd grade back to school night. Tuesday was the kindergarten back to school night. Wednesday night was the parent orientation for CCD and for me, a wake-up call for just how much of my Catholic education I’ve forgotten.

I’m told that as a kid, I used to sing church hymns in the tub but, it seems with the passing of the years, I’ve forgotten not only many of those hymns but some of the Catholic basics as well – like the fact that the Sacrament of Reconciliation and First Communion both apparently take place in the second grade. This was just one eye-opening takeaway from our back to back evenings back at school; here are a few more.

The great debate - Can working Moms ever really win? (IrishCentral)

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 06:50:20 PDT

Ten years on - remembering 9/11 World Trade attacks (IrishCentral)

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:35:18 PDT

Hurricane Irene spares us - sighs of relief as storm passes with little damage (IrishCentral)

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 06:20:32 PDT

The "little beach" we left behind before Irene hit

A missing tooth, a missing Tooth Fairy and Tooth Fairy extortion (IrishCentral)

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:50:18 PDT

Liam in simpler times, after the loss of tooth #1

The tooth fairy has officially visited our home five times. Our six-year-old has officially lost six teeth. As you may have noticed, there is a discrepancy here. As far as I can tell, the issue was the loss of tooth #5.

I can’t recall where or when it fell out and neither can Liam, the aforementioned gap-toothed six year old. The fact he can’t even remember the details of this little tooth makes me feel a bit better about my own vague recollection. I do recall that when it came out, it eventually ended up in a little “treasure chest” – one of those little hand-painted projects which, for some reason, ended up on top of our entertainment center (yep, we still have one of those!) several weeks back. That’s when my mind goes blank.

Summer vacation with five kids - what this Mom learned (IrishCentral)

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 05:50:21 PDT

We just got back from a week on Cape Cod,MA. A lovely, sunny, laid back, relaxing week where we did little more than hit the beach and then hit our beds shortly thereafter.

Now it's back to reality. Before dinnertime on day one, I had unpacked everything, done about five loads of laundry and reorganized the basement; the basement wasn't on the agenda for the day but, since I spent so much time down there with the laundry, I couldn't stand tripping over the bins of hand-me-downs and had to do something about it. As I reached the height of my organizational frenzy, my six year old, Liam, wandered down and asked me to play with him. When I said I was busy, he whined "But Mom, why don't you ever play with me at home?!" Which made me realize that I learned a lot over the course of our week away and first day home.

1. My kids like to play with me. And I like to play with them too. And I really need to do it more often, not just when we're on vacation. While we were away, I made sand castles, went on walks (without my phone!), and totally tuned in to the five tots that I'm too often tuning out. It's so easy to use the "busy" excuse but it's amazing how appreciative they are when I slow down, pay attention and really focus on these amazing little people we're so blessed to have. There was one night when Ciara just wanted me to sit and snuggle and watch Peter Pan. And I did. And she was thrilled.

Diner time - end of highchairs signals the end of an era for a mom of five (IrishCentral)

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:35:16 PDT

We recently crossed a significant milestone. The three highchairs that have been cluttering our kitchen for two years have officially been kicked to the curb; two of them, in fact were literally put on the curb because they were beyond redemption with the stench and stains of caked on mac and cheese and mushed grapes and who knows what else. The third chair is now tucked away in our basement, patiently awaiting visits from the offspring of my sister and cousins, all of whom now have tykes tinier than mine.

Saying so long to these kitchen mainstays leaves me with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I appreciate our newly streamlined and less cluttered living area. I'm impressed that Kevin, Declan and Cormac will sit in chairs and more often than not, stay there through the course of a meal. On the other hand, I'm having some emotional angst. Saying so long to high chairs is part of saying good bye, once more, to our baby days.

I've survived other small rites of passage with less emotional fallout. I was thrilled when they traded the bottle for the sippy cup. While I lamented the loss of the snuggle time that accompanies breast or bottle feeding, I was glad to no longer face the dilemma of how to snuggle and juggle three babies at once. I was fine when we traded up from those bucket car seats to the "big boy" car seats -- especially since making three trips in and out of the car with the combined weight of tots plus seats was no easy task. I will admit I was bummed out the day the wheels literally fell off their triplet stroller but, it really was getting tough for me to push almost a hundred pounds of kid and stroller up the steep hills where we live so, we put that stroller on the curb and never looked back.

A busy mom finds more hours in the day - courtesy of summertime (IrishCentral)

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:20:17 PDT

How many times have you said “if only there were more hours in the day?” And how many times have you vividly imagined all you might accomplish with those precious few extra hours? It recently dawned on me that the summer season gives us this gift of time. By its very virtue, summer provides extra hours of daylight – a few hours in the morning to get a jumpstart on the day and a few more in the evening to relax and unwind.

Grocery shopping for a big family - What do you get for $500 at Costco? (IrishCentral)

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 06:05:16 PDT

This week it happened again. Our groceries disappeared. Just like that, POOF! They were gone. The emergency reserves of peanut butter and jelly? Gone. The only bread left in the house? Those nasty end pieces that no one one will eat. The only fruit? A lemon. Slightly moldy. The only snacks left for camp? A few measly fruit roll-ups... the ones we'd deliberately passed over for weeks because the humidity leaves them so tightly rolled they inevitably incite a toddler tantrum.

With a possible Lyons Den famine bearing down on us, I did what I had to do. I went to Costco. At 4:00 on Friday while the sun was shining and the pool was calling. As I crammed my protesting kids into the car (not all five of them, just the "big ones" while the "little ones" were napping), I could feel my temperature rise, my pulse quicken, my temperature shorten. I hate Costco. I love the pool. What in God's name was I doing?!

Well, if men are hunters and women are gatherers, I suppose I was gathering. Providing. That's what I was doing. At least that's what I told myself. I had to go to Costco and as it turns out, I had to spend $500 to stock our shelves, fill our pantry and ensure a good rotation of satisfactory snacks for my little campers. The dollar amount still shocks me. What did I get for $500, you may wonder? Well, quite a lot. I think it's fair to say we won't need snacks until September. And, we'll have some basic provisions for oh, perhaps a week or so. Since I've been told it's of interest, here's a quick glimpse of how we filled our cart...

Gone but not forgotten: my way of explaining death to kids (IrishCentral)

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 05:50:22 PDT

July 4th festivities and memories (IrishCentral)

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 07:20:17 PDT

Lyons Cubs: 7.4.10: NOT enthralled by parade

A mom learns once again to ask for help (IrishCentral)

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:05:18 PDT

Girls weekend - good escape at any age (IrishCentral)

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:35:20 PDT

Channing Tatum was “very competitive” when filming ‘The Eagle’ (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:50:21 PDT

Actor Jamie Bell, who stars alongside the Hollywood hunk, said they constantly challenged each other when filming the historical movie, about a roman soldier attempting to recover the lost roman eagle standard of his father's legion.

Jamie said: “I think when you’ve got actors that are really competent all around you at the action stuff, you have to really step up, you can’t p***y out on them – which is great because me and Channing are very competitive.

“We spurred each other on, we competed over who has the best fight scene, the fastest horse, who can stay in the river for longer.

Lady Gaga is getting an ‘egg’ bed in her New York City condo (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:50:20 PDT

The eccentric singer is spending £1.2 million on renovating her New York condo as a shrine to her onstage persona and it will include a version of the ‘egg’ vessel she arrived at and climbed out of at the recent Grammy Awards.

Her home will also showcase her flamboyant costumes, several props and keepsakes she has collected on her travels, which include bones and masks.

An insider said: "This house project is Gaga's new baby.

Robert Pattinson: Reese Witherspoon got farted on in 'Water for Elephants' (IrishCentral)

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:50:19 PDT

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