Counting Your Blessings

I know that I'm occasionally prone to whinging about my children and how messy/untidy/annoying/loud they are but when all is said and done they're mine, they're all healthy, happy and well and fit to enjoy life to the full and that is a blessing not to be sniffed at. Several sad events have taken place recently within my own community which have made me abruptly sit up and evaluate my life and in doing so I've come to the conclusion that although it has been hard there are people not too far away from me who have suffered terrible losses within the past few months that will undoubtedly be difficult and traumatic to deal with.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than the sudden death of a young and much loved child and as a mother myself I cannot begin to even comprehend the anguish and pain that must be experienced by parents in this situation. Equally as distressing is the sight of someone you love fading away before your eyes through an agressively short illness and what makes that situation even more harrowing is when it is a well respected, highly though of person in the prime of life who did a lot for the area and leaves behind a devoted wife and three young children.

Life can be very cruel and it's at times like these that I do question what the plan is and why certain people seem to sail through life whilst others are constantly burdened with heartache and sorrow.

Today I value my family and friends and I keep in my thoughts and prayers those who are struggling to come to terms with sadness and grief.

One Man's Treasure....

Like every woman in the world there's nothing I enjoy more than getting a good bargain and I couldn't resist sharing this with you! I bought this beautiful red bag on Monday and have been showered with compliments since (I even got stopped in the street by a girl who mistook it for a Paul's Boutique creation demanding to know where I got it as apparently 'red ones are a bitch to get hold off'.) Hee hee....at which point my joy was multiplied one hundred fold!!

Now are yis all ready for this....I paid the princely sum of £3.00 for it in one of my local charity shops (Drop Inn Ministries on the Dungannon Road)! It had literally been brought in about ten minutes before I arrived for my weekly snoop and I was rather delighted I must say!!

I find second hand shops, vintage boutiques and charity outlets all completely fascinating! Perhaps it's the writer in me coming to the fore...but I love to imagine who owned the items before they were relegated to the black bin bags, why they had them in the first place, why they're getting rid of them and then why the person buying them has a need for them...lots of questions and the possibility of a thousand answers....great craic trying to figure it all out as you nosy through everything!

I also adore the sense of adventure and the idea that when you go in you never know what to expect! There are some very quirky and obscure items out there for the taking....and I usually do!

To date some of the weird and wonderful stuff I have bought include....a Senseo Coffee Maker (that works like a dream that I paid £5.00 for....best bit RRP upwards on £60), a set of wicker furniture for my conservatory, a TV cabinet, glass tables, a purple children's sofa bed, numerous items of clothing including a gorgeous cream trench coat (with the labels still on and bought for £6...ha), some very funky cardigans and scarves and some lovely pieces of jewellrey!

And just think...not only are you getting more for your money but what cash you do give is going towards a good cause....another reason for the feel good factor (along with knowing that you've got the deal of the century!)

One Fired Every Minute.....

Wednesday evening is now my favourite TV night and will be for the foreseeable future as long as I have Lord Sugar and his wanna be business partners keeping me entertained on The Apprentice along with the shennanigans from the labour ward on One Born Every Minute!

I have to say though that it takes a certain type of person to want to willingly partake in such shows and I most definitely wouldn't be one of them...leave me on the other side of the screen to laugh, cringe and sometimes shed a wee tear at what's happening in TV land but as for ever even contemplating joining in....ooooh I don't think so!

As I am not a business person in any sense of the word nor do I have any ambitions to accomplish world domination with my superior savvy or well tuned accumen I can only watch open mouthed as others literally climb over the top of one another in an attempt to land a job! I have to laugh at some of the statements they come out with though in their attempts to impress the man himself....

"I deserve to be Lord Sugar's business partner because I have a degree in rocket science, have my own market stall that brings in an annual turnover of six million pounds a year and have the single most overbearing, domineering and up my own arse attitude of anybody in the world which means that I will murder anyone who gets in my way" (and all whilst wearing a sharply tailored suit and killer heels....and that's just the fellas).

But anyway.....I love it love it love it and am addicted to the show and end up squealing at the TV in angst depending on the task and/or how annoying the contestants happen to be....remember Stuart Brand...nuff said methinks!

Now over to my other pleasure....One Born Every Minute...sweet feckin' Jaysus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey....not for a million pound or a pension would I even think about letting a camera anywhere near me whilst there are rumblings in the fandango department! It's bad enough to have to lay yourself bare (literally) for medical personnel but to do it knowing that the nation will see you at your most vulnerable/angry/hysterical/....and in some cases stoned on gas and air....it would take a braver woman than me and I'm quite well behaved when I'm in labour! Besides if there had been a film crew present at the last delivery they would have missed quite a bit of the action as they wouldn't have all fitted in the lift! Long story....read the post I wrote for April last year!

It fascinates me how everyone can be so normal when they know millions of people will be in on the act....have to say though the character who took me to the fair completely was the foreign girl who kept chasing her husband out of the room...."tell Victor to leave" (poor man) because in Lithuania ladies don't have babies in front of their menfolk!! Ahem....hate to point out to ye lovie but if ye want privacy beaming out images of your nether bits on Channel four of a Wednesday evening isn't going to secure it! Poor oul Victor...hope he was tuning in that night!

This programme has other benefits though....if you happen to be the mother of a teenage girl....let her watch it with you (especially during a forceps delivery...bahahahaha).....there will be much hiding behind cushions, shredding the said cushion with teeth and best of all legs will be clamped shut and there will be talk of never ever ever having children! Not that I never want her to have babies...of course I do....I just don't want it to happen anytime soon and watching someone getting delivered with legs in stirrups with the aid of a pair of ginormous salad tongs will definitely ensure that the event is prolonged until the time is right!!

Now where is that remote.....

The Feis Factor.....

It's Tuesday the 20th March and the X Factor tour bus has arrived in a small Co. Tyrone town to listen to thousands of hopefuls audition to become the next pop sensation......

Oh awright then....it's Tuesday the 20th March and it's that time of year again when the Dungannon Feis gets underway and all the local children partake in singing, doing drama and reciting poems in both English and Irish and this morning our very enthusiastic little five year old took to the stage (as pupil no. 24) and sang her little heart out (for all of three seconds....there was only four lines to the song but hey it was enough to prove she has 'it'!)

Before the event we left the house in a fug of gel spray (to keep Aine's unruly hair sitting properly), deodorant (for mammy and daddy who obviously needed the strength of Sure to keep the nerves at bay) and much talk of how important it is to participate in these things even if you don't win....oh and don't be fiddling with your skirt, taking out your pigtails or picking anything you shouldn't...ahem.

We practised the very important song all the way in the car, (I declare to God if you ask me the tune of it ten years from now I'll still remember it....am about to burst into a hum as I write this so fresh is it in my head!) arrived at the Des Fox Pavilion in Edendork and then it was all systems go until our wee woman (three from the end) made her contribution!

There's nothing like a group of shiny and sparkling ribbon clad little girls lisping and lilting their way through a song to bring a smile to your face of a Tuesday morning and they all did brilliantly! No tears....no forgotten words...and very proud mammies and daddies (with video cameras and iPhones at the ready to record the event!)

When they had all done their bit it was time for the ajudicator (who we shall refer to as Simon Cowell for the craic) to make her all important decision and ten minutes later after much cogitation and deliberation (in the manner of Lloyd Grossman)the announcements were made!

There were certificates, three third place medals (of which our little lady was one), two second place medallists and a very talented little first place winner!

And to say that no. 24's Mammy and Daddy were bursting with excitement would be an understatement! Little Mix's combined parentage couldn't have smiled any harder!

Then it was outside to be papped by the press (or have the photo taken by the Tyrone Times in our case!)

Our wee Aine....a star in the making?! Well we think so anyway!

Now we just have to get through the English and Irish poems....!

St. Patrick's Weekend

Yep.....we're all Oirish and proud in our house!!

OCD or Just Tidier than Everybody Else?

I admit to being a tiny bit of a clean freak but have to say that I just like things to be tidy, neat and hygienic and that it drives me absolutely insane when people use things and either leave them lying at their arse or don’t put them back in the right place?!

Like, I mean, seriously how hard is it to make a cup of coffee and then put away the sugar and the milk, wipe down the counter and put the spoon in the dishwasher????? Doesn’t sound like an insurmountable task to me but to my teenagers its fecking rocket science.

Also (am now in full rant mode) does anyone else have children who understand the phrase ‘go and hang that up please’ to be translated as stuff it in a drawer or shove it into the tiniest crevice you can find at the top of the wardrobe so that every bit of ironing is truly destroyed? And they do this even though they know I will check...sometimes I think they like to see me morph into a Tasmanian Devil of an evening!
Nmmmmmmmgggggggghhhhhhh.....don’t exactly know how to write a snarl but that’s my attempt!

Towels are also the bane of my life....I seem to spend hours washing the damn things as my children must be convinced that they have very contagious skin diseases that mean when a towel has been used once it absolutely definitely could not be dried on a radiator and used again! And said skin disorder also prevents them from lifting towel off floor along with sweaty clothes or washing out the bath and God forbid that they might put a lid on the shampoo or notice that the toothpaste is oozing?

And then to add insult to injury when you complain about their lack of care or tell them they’re lazy they turn round and tell you that you’re the one with the problem!!!!
“I think you need checked out Mammy. That OCD of yours is gettin’ out of hand.”
This statement is followed by much sniggering (from them) and even more internal combustion from me!

The reason why I am writing about this at this particular time is because my mad five year old spilt coke on the kitchen floor this evening (which I mopped earlier) and before I had a chance to open my beak she turned round and said “calm calm Mammy.” Of course this was met with much mirth and high hilarity from the rest of the crew who had the energy to roll around (as they hadn’t spent all day cleaning) and were oblivious to the one year old emptying the contents of the turf basket all over the living room floor (also freshly washed today....nmmmmmmmmmggggggggghhhhhhhh)

Now talking of babies (ones who have just learned to crawl)....if they could be employed I would give them the task of hunting down every last little speck of microscopic dirt and then order them to deposit it in the bin as opposed to attempting to give their mother a stroke when they decide to try and swallow it and subsequently gag and then vomit (all over the same clean feckin’ floor!)

And as for teenage girls.....Sweet Jaysus but they are messy articles....I said to my fifteen year old daughter recently that she would never get a man such was the mess of her room and she answered me airily by saying that was going to bag a millionaire and employ a maid?!.....that’s another thing I hate about teenagers....they always have an answer for you!

Anyway...I do love my children really (when they’re sleeping....ahem)! No really I do but I like a clean house as well and don’t think that there’s anything unusual about that? What mother doesn’t want to provide a clean and habitable environment for her young (who don’t appreciate it and couldn’t care less if they lived in a bog).....on second thoughts maybe I should go and get a 9 to 5 number and forget about the housework?
Or perhaps I should start writing book number 4....Anyone for Dust?

Anyone for Secrets?......the book is finished and now life can back to normal...sort of?!

Hey folks,

How shall I start....Happy Halloween, Happy Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Birthday to me....whew that's a lot of events to have missed writing about whilst I've been busy getting book no 3 Anyone for Secrets? finished and to say that I'm relieved and completely delerious with happiness would be an understatement!

Writing this book (and trying to find reasons not to write this book) have led me on one hell of a journey!

Without going into too much detail 2011 was a bit of a crap year for me...anything that could go wrong inevitably did and my stress levels were rather high! Just to clarify....d'ye know the ad where Skittles keep exploding everywhere...well that would be comparable to what my blood pressure was doing to my head on a regular basis!! But hey....I'm still standing and so is everybody else in our rather mad household so I guess someone somewhere must have been looking down on us!

But anyway...getting back to the book...it's amazing the excuses you can find not to write when you're not in the mood or when your head is so full of other things that you have the attention span of a flea and can't sit still for two seconds...

You can -:

Clean out the fridge
Defrost the freezer
Take a toothbrush to the grouting in the bathroom
Fill black binliners full of unwanted clothes for charity
Manically sort out cupboards and hotpresses
Walk the dog (even if you don't own a dog you can borrow somebody elses)

In other words you can have a very clean and shiny house which you would have the peace and contentment to enjoy if there wasn't a feckin' laptop sitting in the corner winking at you incessantly and sending out waves telling you that you need to write 50,000 more words before the book is finished!

If truth be told I actually completed the first draft of this book some time ago but was deeply unhappy with it as I felt that my own personal problems may have been affecting my writing to a certain degree...my characters were all very angry and said feck a lot! (Think Father Jack on a good day here!)

Thankfully, however, with the help of my ever patient agent...the gorgeous Emma Walsh and the nice people at Poolbeg I was given the time and space I needed to get into a better frame of mind and now I have re-written most of the book and am now much happier with the results! I even did a little dance when I pressed the send button on my email on Sunday and sent my manuscript on its merry way...whoop whoop!

And so life has indeed returned to normal and my version of life being normal is life being mad but with three teenagers (where hormones ensure that everything is a tragedy), a mad Wii obsessed five year old and a one year old who has just learned the art of head butting....what d'ya expect??

But as long as everyone is healthy, happy and content then I feel likewise and thankfully the status quo has now been restored as have I!!

The girl is back...and she's loving it!!

Okay....so I'm not good at keeping my resolutions...I know I know...

Yes folks,

I did write a very long blog on 16th August stating that I was going to keep updating my blog blah blah blah but it didn't quite turn out like that! It's a bit like the first week in January when I plan my diet with the precision of a military strategist which usually lasts until the second week in January when I say 'feck it' and go and have a Wispa!

In my defence, however, I have to make you aware of the fact that my internet connection has only just been restored within the last week (happy dance....yay!) and as I've been spending all my time nursing my hubby back to health after a bit of nasty day procedure surgery (I would tell you the details but don't think you'd want to know!) my time has been all but taken up...aside from the fact that I've also managed to write another 10,000 words of my newest novel (entitled Forever Valentine and set in Belfast)...smug? me? Noooooooo.....

Anyway...this is just a wee note to say that I am going to be better at being in touch and for all you kind people who had the thought and presence of mind to email me through my website to ensure that I was still indeed in the land of the living I thank you for your concern!

Fionn xx

The Return of Civilisation....

Hi everyone,

No really...it is me!! It's not an imposter pretending to be Fionnuala/Fiona/Finoodles becasue she has fell off the face of the earth and totally forgotten about her blog and its followers...ahem!!

Where does one start to explain the confusion, disruption and most of all the wondrous visit to a lovely place called STRESS CITY that has ensued from the crazy idea of moving house whilst having a six month old baby, a mad four year old and three mildly disgruntled teenagers in tow (and I'm not even going to mention the fact that I had a deadline for my third book hanging over my head at the same time!) My mother said to me several months ago - (adopts earnestly serious expression just like Eileen wears when imparting advice, criticism or both) "Fionnuala if you are trying to give yourself a hernia you are going the right way about it. Would it not be a better idea to tackle one thing at a time instead of trying to do everything at once?"

My mother and I then went on to have a very invigorating chat about what we would do if we both had the pleasure of living in an ideal world (and I won the argument...ha)! Don't tell her I said that, mind you! Just know that what I'm telling you is true!!!

But Mammy does have a point (only a small one, mind, but its there all the same.) I have never been one to do things by half. Nooooooooooooooooooo (when uttering this word and in order to give it the right air of drama it helps if you suck your teeth and shake your head.) I believe in dealing with everything life throws at me all at the same time. A bit of recreational circus training in the art of juggling may have been useful here but who knew that there would be so much to deal with at once?! Well...I did... sorta...kinda...maybe but thinking that I am God's own answer to Superwoman I went on ahead anyway!

I now know why experts say that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do in your life and I'm not just talking about the physical aspects of it regarding the actual 'move'. The transition period where you try to get used to new surroundings is also quite difficult especially when you've come from quite a built up area but now find yourself slap bang in the middle of the country where the shop isn't as easily accessible and you can't go to the front door and shout and hope that some of the many friends you made in the last street might hear you! That said, however, our new home is perfect! It's light and airy and spacious, our children have tons of room for both themselves and all the 'stuff' they have accumulated over the years,the garden is huge and finally I have my own writing room and dressing room (yay...happy dance) but the journey there has been bumpy and stressful and just ever so slightly manic!

Thank God I saw light approaching the end of the tunnel several weeks ago or I may have been trying to write my blog whilst entangled in a straight jacket in a room where padded walls are prevalent and there are no removal vans, sleepless nights or book deadlines to worry about (all at the same time!)

Am I am happy now though, I hear you ask?!

I am delighted!!! I have finished my third book and am in the process of editing it! I have started to write a fourth book and am very pleased with it! The house looks lived in and half normal and no longer has one room named by my four year old as 'the messy room' becasue it contained (all over the floor) the contents of the attic from our old house and the children are all happy and have settled in well and taken to life in the country like little ducks to water!!

However....(sorry if I didn't complain this would be very boring to read)....I am most distressed due to the fact that I have been without broadband now for nearly eleven weeks!!!!! Surgery to staple my right arm back on would have been complete by now but unfortunately the internet connection is still severed and if the actions of a certain phone company and sattelite provider do not result in contact with cyberspace being made shortly I will not be responsible for my actions!!! And its not only me who is suffering...every time my children want to use Facebook they have to hang out my bedroom window upside down with an elbow in the air, manically waving the phone around and crying obsenities at the poor signal! For the love of God....please sort it out engineers!!! Pleeeeeeeeease!

Anyway...I hope that this justifies my lack of contact over the past few months!! I have been busy! I have been reduced to behaving like a raving lunatic at times but hey it was worth it all and were you to ask me to do it all over again....I would run ten miles in my bare feet over scalding hot coals just to get away from you!

Civilisation has indeed resumed and I will be in touch again very soon (from my other half's computer at his work...)

It's good to be back!

Fionn xxx

Kylie for Christmas...

Folks, I have made a decision! I've been promising my other half that he's getting Kylie Minogue for Christmas for about the last eight years but since we plan to marry next year have decided that I actually mean it this time! Now, by this I do not mean that I intend to kidnap the Aussie songstress and gift wrap her for him (although methinks that he wouldn't be looking for a refund if I did). What I am referring to is the fact that there are certain similarities between us (I wish) or actually maybe there's only one...we're both five foot nothing (which is a terrible affliction when you're an ordinary human being who can't reach top shelves in shops and needs every single pair of trousers known to mankind taken up but makes you cute and sexy when you're a popstar who had seven foot bodyguards towering over her!)

Whilst she is a skinamalink I have a spare tyre or three sitting around my middle. Whilst she has a pert bum that compliments skimpy hotpants and drives men wild I have childbearing hips that are best suited to wide legged capri pants. But all that is about to change as I am going to begin Slimming World again...to syn or not to syn that is the question!

The first class starts in two weeks and then the craic will begin in earnest and instead of cooking things because they're handy I shall be cooking them because they are good for me and the rest of the house (who will all have gobs on them because I intend to throw out the deep fat fryer, outlaw crisps and chocolate and buy copious amounts of fresh things that they will mutter about and poke with their forks in disgust...and that's just Philip I'm talking about!)

Wish me luck folks...or perhaps I should say "I should be so lucky...lucky lucky lucky ;)

Possibly the smiliest baby in the world...ever

I couldn't resist sharing this with you all....everybody meet my happy wee man Orán x

The Radar is back on....

Sorry folks for being so bold regarding my blogging lately but as I'm sure you'll understand I've been in a differnt world lately...one that spins in time with the next feed and when its due, endless nappy changes, baby bathing and talking in a strange squeaky voice to your newborn who must have also figured that you're on a different planet because you're talking funny!!

Anyway...baby Orán is now nine weeks old and quite frankly a joy to behold! He's absolutely gorgeous (even if I do say so myself) and has given our home and our lives new meaning again after quite a troubled period! Thankfully we're beginning to settle into more of a routine and a full night's sleep now seems within grasp as opposed to being a distant memory! And with the return of normality my writing has also began again!

Today I'm off to get photographs taken by my good friend and super duper photographer Jim Hamill (www.jimhamillphotography.com) did ye like the way I just slipped that in there Jim?? And as usual I'm running around like a headless chicken trying to find something suitable to wear, which is an impossible feat at the moment seein' as my belly has taken on a life of its own and enjoys morphing into a wibbly wobbly jelly at a moment's notice! I've also just got my hair newly reddened again (much to the disappointment of my other half who is mourning his blonde bombshell and making comments about how much more fun blondes have!) but as I explained to him last night after returning from the hairdresser's if I had gone blonde the hair would probably now be pink and having an author looking like a desk troll would not be what my publisher's had in mind for press shots!

Hair and make-up aside I'm really looking forward to my afternoon in the studio as it signals the release of the papreback version of Anyone for Me? and a whole lot of fun with it! I have library evenings coming up in my local area, interviews set up and am also looking forward to visiting my local Tesco Ireland in Monaghan to see it when it will be Book of the Week the week commencing 2nd May...woohoo!! Every Little Helps and all that!

Over and out for now! Photos to follow!

Forget Superman....Superwoman's in charge!

Praise me people!!!! Tell me how amazing I am and generally fall at my feet - no, I haven't won any awards or come up with a cure for a deadly disease but I have accomplished something else that I'd say most would have thought impossible!

Drum roll please!!!.....On Tuesday of this week (same day as I do my Novena to St. Martha which may have helped) I managed to write 5,000 words whilst keeping the mad four year old entertained and in between feeds and nappy changes involving the newly christened (photos to appear later) six week old!

Having said that though, my children were very co-operative...you'd think they knew their wee mammy had a big old deadline hanging over her head...thanks kids!

Feck Superman....he doesn't know what he's at in comparison....I, however, am the princess of multi-tasking and today, the queen of self-praise because I think I deserve it.

Now back to work!! Just need to figure out how I performed that neat trick which involved kicking my own arse into action whilst giving myself a stern motivational chat (in the absence of having my agent living in the cupboard....Emma aren't I great?!)

Go to sleep now Orán there's a good boy ;)

And we have LIFT off...

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner folks but I am literally up to my neck in nappies and powdered milk and seem to have a little bundle permanently attached to my shoulder which makes balancing the laptop rather hard work!

I promised you, however, that I would devote an entire blog to my birthing escapades...so here goes!

It was the 7th February and a bright and sunny Monday morning and I was lying in my bed in ward 1 East in Craigavon Area hospital (with my legs clamped shut) waiting for the consultant to come and tell me whether or not I was going to be induced that day. I was scared out of my wits as the baby wasn't due for another four weeks and would rather have been told that I was going home if truth be known. But this was not to be the case! The consultant pulled the curtains, said a few words and before I knew it rubber gloves were adorned, the necessary procedures were taken (I'll spare the graphic details but I'm sure y'all get the gist!) and before I knew it I was being told to stay put for an hour and keep an eye on my pains.

I have to stress at this point that having given birth three times previous to this I knew that I wouldn't be long in labour...my babies don't hang about...four hours was the longest! So, when the consultant said that she'd let nature take its course and leave me to the following morning if nothing happened Philip and I both killed ourselves laughing.

As predicted an hour and a half later the pains were coming thick and fast and Philip had been dispatched to Mothercare to source premature baby clothes as I knew I wouldn't have anything small enough to fit a baby that was estimated to be in or around five pounds. (On that note I must say that I was very impressed with what he brought back too...see men can occasionally get things right when under pressure!)

I was having a ball at that stage (a birthing ball that is, ha) and puffing on my tank of gas and air like a camel would suck leaves off a bush...class stuff girls when you haven't had a drink in nine months (gives you the opportunity to become inebriated, talk shite and be forgiven for being stupid all in one go minus the pesky hangover!)

At precisely four o'clock the lovely nurse who had been with me throughout the day suggested I took a bath and Philip agreed that this might be a good idea so the two of them they got me sorted in between much moaning and stopping to suck at the gas tank as I was very sore. I had just about got into the bath when I started to panic as I could feel the baby coming so between nearly hauling Philip in on top of me, squealing like a banshee on speed and slopping five gallon of water over the floor in my attempts to get out quickly we must have been the quare sight when the midwife came in to see what the kerfuffle was.

"I need to push."

"But you were only five centimetres an hour ago."

"Well I'm not five *$@#ing centimetres any more because this baby's coming now."

I think the nurse was still thinking that I was being a bit of drama queen when I eventually dive bombed back on to my bed (fastest heavily pregnant about-to-give-birth woman on two legs ever, me) so that she could examine me.

When she shouted for someone to get a birthing kit and instructed my stricken looking hubby to unplug the bed and run for the lift I knew the writing was on the wall...I would have been smug and said 'told you so' only I was gasping by that stage as unfortunately the gas and air had been left behind!

Why, when you're in a hurry, do lifts decide to play up. It was probably only a thirty second delay but to me (and to Philip who was turning the air blue and swearing like a trojan at that stage it felt like forever.) We were only in the lift two seconds when Master Orán started to make an appearance and I will remember forever the look on the man's face who was standing waiting for the lift at the other end as I emerged screaming blue murder (if he hadn't had children at that stage I'd say he'd have probably been quite happy to forego the idea or maybe adopt one such was the horrified look he gave us.)

I made it into the delivery suite in time to completely deliver my little man, who roared lustfully (most beautiful sound in the world to a new mammy.)

I did have to laugh, though, as the nurse cradled him and told him in dulcet tones that 'it was okay' and that she knew he was shocked to be there so soon.

Eh s'cuse me...he was shocked????? I was feckin' shocked and as for Philip I think it'll probably be a long time before he gets into a lift again without hearing the words 'pant Fionnuala pant" reverberating in his head!

But all's well that ends well and my wee baby man ended up weighing 5lbs 8ozs and being absolutely perfect despite all his mammy's fretting and worrying!

But I'd say when he's older he'll feel a strange attraction to Aerosmith songs...particularly one very aptly entitled Love in an Elevator...or should that be Born in an Elevator perhaps?!

Mini-Mammy

I just have to share this with you all as I think it so natural and so beautiful! I took this photo on the spur of the moment and think it captures the scene beautifully...my fourteen year old daughter Úna (who has now been dubbed mini-mammy in our house for obvious reasons) staring adoringly at her baby brother as he sleeps!

This is what life is all about folks...making the precious times count!

Introducing Orán Philip McAllister

This is my gorgeous baby son Orán who was born four weeks early on 7th February and who is the reason why his mother's blog hasn't been updated in approximately five weeks! His arrival was a shock but a very pleasant one at that! I hadn't been feeling well and was admitted to hospital on 3rd February as I had reduced foetal movement due to fluctuating blood sugars in relation to my diabetes. I thought that I was simply being taken in for overnight observation and never thought in a million years that I wouldn't be seeing the light of day again until my wee man was in my arms! Usually hospital stays are a drag that have everybody sympathising with you on your misfortune at being laid up but if truth be told I have to admit that I had a whale of a time! It was just what the doctor ordered (literally)...a well deserved rest away from the stresses and strains of the outside world and an opportunity to completely chillax!! It also turned out to be a great place to meet new friends...stand up and take a bow Carla Scullion, Catherine MCrory and Jayne Murray who along with myself were the occupants of Bay 3 on Ward 1 East Craigavon Area Hospital (or rather Bumps r Us as I nicknamed us)....there's bound to be a book in there somewhere with the main theme being the bonds created between expectant mothers when all are thrown together pre-bump!

Anyway....to get to the important bit...my little man arrived four weeks prematurely after the decision was taken to induce me (details of the birth will follow in another blog...believe me...they deserve a blog all of their own and when you read it you'll fully appreciate why...are you suitably intrigued yet??) We have named him Orán Philip and he was 5lbs 8ozs when he was born and is a little darling!! Mammy's little star and Daddy's boy and the rest of the family are dying about him...which is exactly as it should be!!

Welcome to the world little boy...you are only three weeks old but already we would be lost without you!! xxxxxxxxx

Friends....

There is a well known saying in life that states that 'a friend in need is a friend indeed'....unfortunately, however, not everyone agrees and if someone's in trouble or feeling down and lonely they'd rather deal with their own feelings of discomfort than try to offer any support therefore how lucky am I to have the best bunch of mates in the world...ever...who literally rally around me in times of need!

Times have been tough lately between ill health, problems of a personal nature and life in general just being crap (I could use a variety of stronger words believe me but I'll refrain cos I'm a writer and supposed to have a repetoire of 'proper' words.) Of course stupid cars that don't work, laptops that nosedive off seats all by themselves (according to the mad four year old)resulting in broken screens and spiralling out of control blood sugars don't help! However I'm lucky...my friends, like my man and my wonderful children are my rocks and I'm so very very lucky to have them!

I was having a particularly tough day on Friday and was basically telling my friend Carrie-Ann (who is a little gem) how down I was feeling and next thing by magic a little quote appeared on my Facebook page from her which really touched me and was so appropriate....

And here it is...my new motto in life from now on...

There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh, forget the bad, and focus on the good. So, love the people who treat you right and Pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is part of LIFE...Getting back up is LIVING

Carrie Ann, Rachel, Claire A, Joanna, Nells, Kat, Edel and the rest of the posse thanks for always being there and for having spectacularly bendy ears when I need you....you are superstars and I love you all to bits and once I produce this babby we are definitely going to have a night out....FACT!!!

Happy Birthday Colm...

I am officially in shock folks...I am the mother of a sixteen year old!!! Of course I am the world's youngest mammy as I had him when I was four and am not a day over 21...ahem! Oh well alright then spoil sports...I actually had him when I was eighteen and had my place secured in Napier University, Edinburgh for a degree in Newspaper Journalism after sitting my A-levels....at the time the thought of having a baby and missing out on the opportunity to continue my studies and live life on the wild side like all my friends filled me with fear but I have to say that sixteen years on I wouldn't swap my big fella (who is now taller than me) for the world! I love him more than life itself and in many ways he did me a big favour by deciding to turn up when he did!

I am not for a moment advocating teenage pregnancy (before you all jump on me from a great height for being a bad and irresponsible influence) but Colm's arrival meant that my life went in a completely different direction than it may have done if my original plan had come to fruition! For a start I doubt if I would have had my gorgeous daughter Una, I also doubt that I would have ever met Philip, who is the absolute love of my life (stop telling me not to be soppy...my hormones are firing on all cylinders...I'm allowed!) which means that I wouldn't have my precious Aine or my current bump nor would I have had the opportunity to meet and bond with his children and to boot I may have actually succeeded in my chosen career path and been a newspaper journalist as opposed to an author and wouldn't be sitting writing this blog now....whew...isn't my son a brilliant lad altogether for arriving when he did!!

I am a great believer in things happening for a reason and life being mapped out for you and am very thankful to the man in the sky for giving me my wonderful firstborn son as he means the world to me...of course he has his moments where I could cheerfully knock him out for not tidying his room, constantly fighting with his sister (who he loves really...they can't fool me), not knowing where the dishwasher is and being under the mistaken belief that his clothes are magic and therefore capable of making their own way to the laundry basket...but what can I say...he is a teenage boy and I'd probably die of shock and want to take his temperature to diagnose illness were he suddenly to turn into a clean freak who was willing to wear ordinary clothes minus a designer logo...sorry didn't I mention the penchant for anything with a label on it...if it ain't Henley's, Haywire or Crosshatch these days we do not want to know...no George or Cherokee or Peacocks will do anymore...noooo sirreee God forbid a top might cost less than 20 quid!!!

Happy birthday to my big man who has brought such joy and comfort to me over the years and who is the apple of his Granda's eye (well, growing up with an only girl it's only natural that he would be delighted with a wee man who would become his shadow over the years!)


Love you son xxx

A Fond Farewell to a National Treasure

We've all heard of female celebrities, Cheryl Cole, Holly Willoughby and the likes, who through hard work, endearing personalities and a good relationship with the public have earned themselves the coveted title of 'National Treasure' but in my humble opinion Ireland has just lost one of its finest treasures which is a fitting description for this lady as her father has constantly referred to her as 'a little gem' since her tragic and untimely death on Monday.

I didn't know Michaela Harte very well but our paths had crossed in the past as we had attended several local weddings together (where she was subjected to a particularly rowdy swing by Philip during a ceili dance where the guests danced the Walls of Limerick), I had seen her at football matches (most notably in Croke Park at the Semi-Final between Armagh and Tyrone in 2005 where Tyrone thrashed their opponents and went on to beat Kerry and bring Sam home) and my partner had met her at a parent teacher meeting for one of his children who attends St. Patrick's Academy in Dungannon where Michaela taught both Religion and Irish. On all these occasions we both decided that she was a very down to earth, nice, modest girl. I don't know what we were expecting but as the daughter of one of Ireland's leading football managers who was becoming a celebrity in her own right as a former Ulster Rose of Tralee and personality I suppose you could be forgiven for thinking that such a girl might have a few tickets on herself but this was refreshingly not the case.

I, like the rest of the country, was submerged into shock, dismay and intense sadness when I heard the news of Michaela's sudden and unexplained death on Monday whilst on her honeymoon and was plunged even deeper into despair yesterday when it became apparent that foul play had taken place and she was strangled in her hotel room. It beggars belief that something like this could happen in the first place to anyone but for it to happen to someone known to us all is even more devestating and hard to deal with. News this morning indicates that arrests have been made and we can only hope and pray that the perpetrators of such a senseless crime are brought to justice.

I think, certainly here in Tyrone and also in GAA footballing circles, Michaela was probably best known for her close and mutually adoring relationship with her father Mickey Harte (pictured above with Michaela and her brother celebrating a Tyrone victory) as well as her passion for the game and cameraderie with the players. Public reaction regionally, nationally and internationally to her untimely demise has been intense as although we knew she was a popular and well liked young woman I don't think she realised quite how many people she touched during her short life. We all know how hard it is for teachers to gain the respect and admiration of their students but you only have to look at the online book of condolences and the number of appraising comments from her former St. Patrick's Academy pupils to see that she certainly made a big impression and was much loved.

I watched the six o'clock Northern Ireland news yesterday from behind a tear stained cushion as I listened to her heartbroken father talk about how much he loved his special wee girl and saw the pain etched across the faces of her brothers as they held him up and supported him. As an only daughter who shares a close relationship with her father the impact of such a tragedy and in such horrific circumstances doesn't bear thinking about and we can only hope that the thoughts and prayers of the nation will bring them some comfort at this terrible terrible time.

We must also spare a thought for her new husband, John McAreavey, who must be in a living hell at this moment...miles from home in a foreign country where he doesn't know anybody trying to deal with the shock of losing the girl who only became his wife ten days before she was murdered. I am sure that they had spent their time talking about good times to come and planning their future together which makes Michaela's death all the more distressing.

Events like these certainly put life in perspective. Who are we to complain about having troubles when the Harte and McAreavey families are suffering through the hardship of losing a much loved daughter and daughter in law in the prime of her life in such horrendously sad and difficult circumstances.

As someone with a strong faith and great belief in angels I can only comfort myself with the notion that Michaela certainly earned her wings in this life and is now above us all trying to help her family, friends, colleagues and students deal with their grief.

Rest in Peace Michaela, wee gem.

God...but I hate pricks

Well folks,

As you have probably guessed my life hasn't become any easier but I can assure you that a) I haven't started using recreational drugs in an effort to make myself feel better b) I haven't begun a quest to start saving drug users from injecting themselves as a distraction and c) I'm not sticking a needle in myself as an equivalent to pinching my arm to check if everything happening at the moment is real.......nope it's actually much simpler than all that...last week after several bouts of tests I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes which is something that can develop in pregnancy but that hopefully will leave afterwards.

What this condition means is that my body is unable to process the sugar in my blood therefore through controlling my diet and possibly going on insulin I should be able to combat this situation. However, it does increase the size of the baby as it is getting a brilliant supply of sugar from me and means that I will probably end up giving birth in February as opposed to March when it was planned! Oh yes...and given the fact that I am five foot nothing and have a tiny pelvis I'd appreciate it if said babby didn't grow too much bigger as I'd like to deliver it naturally if at all possible! You've all seen the film 'Look Who's Talking' with Kirsty Alley and John Travolta...well here's a wee quote from Kirsty to John when he's being flippant about her giving birth..."why don't you try squeezing a watermelon out of an opening the size of an orange and see how you feel"...at which point he suggests he better start ringing his mother more often....ahem!

I have to get my blood checked every week at the hospital I'm due to give birth in and have changed consultants now as well as having to see diabetic specialists, dieticians and a diabetic nurse....great craic...oh and lest I forget to mention the really fun bit I have to check my blood eight times a day before and after eating with a finger pricker whilst recording all the results.

I HATE NEEDLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never been fond of giving blood or having injections but having given birth to three children already it's something I've had to begrudgingly get used to (whilst pulling the arm out of the chair I'm sitting on or alternatively Philip...whoever happens to be closest) therefore we are not impressed with this latest development even though everybody else seems to think that it's highly amusing that I have to stamp my foot, have a stern conversation with myself (out loud) and breathe deeply in the manner of a WBA wrestler in order to psyche myself up for the procedure!

The running joke between Philip and myself has become "but it's only a wee prick darling." Which is then my cue to say "but darling you know as well as I do that I only like big pricks."

But anyway for all my moaning and complaining I do realise that it is necessary, and for the sake of my precious wee cargo I will do anything in order to keep it healthy and well and ensure that it comes into the world having had the best start possible, so I shall bear the brunt of all the tests, extra trips to the hospital and the radical diet that means I'm bereft of my chocolate fix (cue large sniff in order to ward off bout of hormonal chocolate deprived crying.)

My only consolation is that at least this annoying prick serves a useful purpose and is helping me and my little baby as I can assure you that there are other pricks in this world (of the human variety) who seem to live off hurting and aggravating people...but that would be a whole other blog entirely and one which might see me transgress from being a romantic comedy writer to one who writes books of a pychologically disturbing nature that could give Stephen King a run for his money in the horror stakes!!

But don't worry I have no intention of doing any such thing as through every trial and tribulation I will endeavour to remain positive, count my blessings for the good things in life and keep you all laughing.....right...time for another pre-lunch jab I think...oh the joys!