Family Moments is about the wonderful experience of connecting as a family.

In this series, we encourage parents to take a look at those truly special family moments. Memories that evoke a feeling of pure joy because they represent quality time with the people we love the most. The realities of modern day life can make these family moments feel out of our reach a lot of the time. Through this series, parents take a look at the obstacles that can get in the way of these happy family experiences with a view to making some changes so that life can involve more of them. Today we’re speaking to Grace Rattigan.

A little bit about me and my family.

Hi, I’m Grace, the master of the house! I’m married to Stephen who (90% of the time) I think is just the business! We have two children named Rebecca & Luke.

Rebecca is six and about to go into 1st Class. She’s a mini version of me with a tonne of sass! Luke is turning two soon and is every bar of his Daddy. He’s totally laid back which is very unlike myself and Rebecca!

I didn’t return to work after having Luke so I dabble in this online world when I get a minute. Lately, it is mainly just cooking and recipe sharing.

Stephen works Monday-Friday and according to him, he works very hard but is very aware that it is never as hard as it is for me at home!

Our favourite way to spend time together is...

Our sitting room. Plain and simple but I love when we are on the couch having a chat while watching the kids playing or killing each other. We do like to eat out a bit and so far that’s still manageable with them both! We are fond of a picnic and have our own little spot now in the mountains. It’s actually the same spot my mam and dad brought us as kids.

Our most cherished family moment is...

This one is easy - the moment Rebecca came to the hospital to meet Luke for the 1st time. It was what can only be described as magical. She was just amazed and so full of love.

She had lived every second of those difficult 9 months with me and this was her present and we still say he was the best present she ever got. Unless he is stealing her markers, that is!

The thing that gets in the way of us spending time together is...

Stephen’s hours can change. Currently, he is only working midweek and is home most days by 6.30pm but this can change and it does a lot. This means he has to work later evenings and weekends sometimes. We always have Sunday but if we have anything else on, that means our time as a family has to suffer. 

Our pledge as a family:

We have to learn to prioritise and say no. This is something I personally struggle with. I hate to think I’m letting anyone down or not being the first person to put themselves out to offer help.

But after losing my mam at a very young age (she was only 48), I’ve learned that life is tiny. It’s a “blink and it’s gone” kind of thing. For this reason, I feel you can’t take anything for granted.

So, our little family has to be our priority! Our time together as a family, and sometimes just as a couple, has to come first before everything else. 

To maximize your quality family time, take our Family Moments Challenge.

We would like to thank Grace for sharing her special family moments with us. To read more stories just like Grace's, click here.