I suppose I should start by introducing myself - my name is Fiona and I am a mother of three children, aged 21, 6 and 3 (yes, that's right!).  Just after my youngest child was born, I moved to Northern Ireland to live with my partner, having conducted a long-distance relationship for the previous five years.  I have to say that it all came as a bit of a shock - leaving my home, family and friends in rural Southern Ireland, becoming a full-time housewife and, probably the most difficult of all, having no money of my own!  

I made friends quite quickly, with neighbours, with a couple of parents at my son's nursery school and with the people at Himself's work.  I also joined the committee that runs the local village hall and got involved in a few events in the village.  

So here I am, almost three years later. My eldest daughter, Emily, has just finished University and is now a journalist (albeit a job-hunting one), my son, Tim, is about to finish Year 2 of Primary School and my daughter Ellen, who was 3 the day before yesterday, is coming to the end of her life as she knows it - that endless round of Toddler Groups, Jo Jingles, Parent & Toddler Swimming and lazy mornings watching cbeebies.  

I suppose, that brings me back to my reasons for starting this blog.  If I were an amateur psychologist, I would say that I was doing this so that I would have a defence mechanism in place for September.  That's when Ellen starts Nursery School and, for the first time ever, I will be home alone.  After the madness of the Summer and long weeks away in Tipperary with the two little ones constantly at my side, I will be kissing them both goodbye in September and coming home to..... nothing.  Emptiness.  Quiet.  Dare I even say tidiness?  So, on some level, I think this is my way of giving myself 'a job', something to focus on, even if it means blubbing over the keyboard and lamenting about the passage of time and 'how quickly they grow up'!

But until then, it's coming to the end of term and there seems to be so much to do.  Apart from the usual stuff, like sending in a pound for Fun Day, a donation for a leaving gift, contribution to the teacher's gift, making sure wellies and indoor shoes are brought home, there are also nice things to look forward to.  A couple of sneaky visits to the Coffee Shop with some of the other Mums (while we still can), a farewell dinner for a Mum that we have all grown fond of and who is now moving on to a new life in Canada, that lovely 'end of the year' feelgood factor that seems to put everyone in a good mood.

It will all be fine in the end.  Who knows, I might even start looking for a 'real job'!