The latest issue of maternity & infant is on sale now - don’t forget to get your copy!
Packed full of information on everything from Annabel Karmel’s Christmas recipes and festive fashion to a month-by-month guide to baby’s first year and tips for surviving the terrible twos - PLUS all the Christmas gift ideas you could need!
Enjoy!
Wishing you all a very happy - and safe - Halloween!
Get set for the start of Halloween with the traditional Lighting of the Pumpkins in Virginia, Co. Cavan this evening!
Growers from around the world are gathering at the second annual Pumpkin Festival today where a street carnival will kick off with fire eaters and exotic dancers. Other attractions will include organic food stalls, crafts, cookery demonstrations and children’s fancy dress Halloween party.
The Festival will also include a Pumpkin Treasure Hunt, choosing the king and queen of the Pumpkin Festival and a fire parade - oh, and if you happen to have a huge pumpkin to hand, you could win a €3,000 cash prize if it’s the largest!!
Artists will include Sharon Shannon, Mundy and Shane McGowan.
The festival ends on Sunday with a fireworks display over nearby Lough Ramor - check it out if you’re in the area!
The maternity & infant Awards are nearly here and we’re calling for last votes to be cast - just click here to do so!
The Awards are your chance to vote for your favourite products and services, so check out the final shortlisted companies and let us know who gets your vote.
The Awards will take place on November 14th, 2008 in The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. Hosted by RTE’s Sharon Ni Bheolain and attended by more than 300 people - including Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney TD, our People Award nominees and all the key industry players - this promises to be an exciting event!
For a full list of Awards categories, click here.
Paddington Bear, a childhood favourite for generations and star of the recent Marmite ads, turned 50 yesterday. On October 13th 1958, the very first Paddington book was published in the UK.
Special commemorative bears are available from Marks & Spencer (above), priced €23. If you haven’t yet read a Paddington story to your child, both of you are missing out! The very first book, A Bear Called Paddington, is a real children’s classic. I’ve just checked Amazon.co.uk and it’s selling for £2.99 + P&P if anyone needs to pick up a copy.
If you want to find out more about Paddington Bear, his stories and adventures and for lots of child-friendly activities and downloads, check out www.paddingtonbear.com
Apologies to all who have tried to access the blog in the last 10 days - we had some unscheduled maintenance issues to deal with.
Never fear, we’re back up and running now and will be posting more news, views and offers for you shortly.
This year’s Festival was launched today by Derek Landy, Ireland’s internationally celebrated author of Skulduggery Pleasant. The Festival runs from Oct 1st-31st with over 1,500 events taking place nationwide to celebrate children’s books and encourage reading amongst children and teenagers.
The vast majority of Festival events are FREE, although booking is recommended. Libraries, schools, bookshops and community centres will be hosting the widest range of book-related activities the Festival has ever seen, all designed to spread the message that reading is fun and stimulating, accessible and inclusive.
Also as part of the Festival, there is a new ‘Design a Book Cover’ competition, sponsored by The O’Brien Press. Budding young artists can compete for the chance to see their design become a front cover. For details on how to enter and more on the Festival events, visit www.childrensbooksireland.ie
Following the success of recent events, Dundrum Town Centre are running more of their popular Parenting Workshops which centre around an informal coffee morning on Level 3 at Frango’s.
October’s events are as follows:
Liza Crotty from Claphandies will present fun and creative ideas for infants, toddlers and pre-school children, including learning through interactive play and floortime (Thurs Oct 2nd). Baby massage returns with Yasmina Lenehan from Harmonia Therapies who will impart her knowledge and demonstrates a combination of Swedish and Indian strokes as well as reflexology movements that can help improve sleep patterns and enhance development your child’s development (Thurs Oct 9th). Finally, Christine Barnes of Jo Jingles will offer a music class to entertain and educate your children using music, movement, singing and nursery rhymes (Thurs Oct 30th).
All events are FREE. For further information visit www.dundrum.ie
(Pictured above: Baby and toddler nutrition expert Annabel Karmel MBE, with two young helpers, welcoming the return of Parenting Workshops at Dundrum Town Centre from September 2008)
From ghouls and ghosts to long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night…
Try Hayfield Manor, Cork’s first 5-star hotel which happily welcomes children! This Halloween, Hayfield Manor have a special package for families, where the art of storytelling comes alive with Old Irish Ghost Stories in front of a roaring fire!
Little guests are always welcome and we love that there’s a special kiddie afternoon tea with miniature treats, a dedicated dinner menu with kids’ favourites, board games available from reception and an extensive DVD collection of children’s classics. Best of all, pint-sized robes and slippers can be found in your room - with hot milk and cookies served before bedtime!
Mums and dad haven’t been forgotten and can make the most of The Beautique Spa, a swimming pool, gym and access to a personal trainer, as well as fine dining at Orchid’s Restaurant or more relaxed fare at Perrotts Garden Bistro.
A 2-night luxury break in a Manor room with full Irish breakfast and a 5-course gourmet dinner on one evening is €245 per person sharing - and you’ll receive €50 off treatments at The Beautique Spa per booking! Children’s accommodation (under 12s) is free with this package, if sharing with parents.
For more information, check out www.hayfieldmanor.ie or call (021) 484 5900
Some of the cutest Halloween costumes around have just crossed my desk - all courtesy of Tesco!
Whether your little one wants to be a pumpkin fairy (pictured above) or something more sinister and scary, Tesco has a great selection of costumes and accessories. We LOVE this pumpkin fairy costume (€10.50 in sizes 6 months-3 years) which is perfect for even the tiniest trick-or-treaters!
Get to Tesco now as this year’s costumes are sure to fly out of stores!
