The many questions of Lino

I can't believe the weekend is over all ready and that we are back to the grind again...oh well. So instead of my normal boring recant of my very routine days this week I had to capture all the little statins and 100 layers of "why" questions from my son :-)

Monday:  

We got up and ready, dropped Mike off for work, went to playground to stall before going to the playgroup.  Went to the playgroup, saw a mom I know named Alex, went to swings with Alex after playgroup, chased Lino down because he was determined to chase after all 50 dogs that were at the park, went home and Lino napped in the car, cleaned, played with Shaun then played with Lino after his nap. We "rearranged" the train set because Lino insisted but I knew Mike would not be happy about that because he spent a lot of time working on the train...oh well. Mike got home we had dinner, I called my GG and talked to her for a while while the boys were in the tub (it was so good to hear her voice) then bed for the boys!

Lino: Why is it raining?

Me: This is Ireland, it's always raining!

Lino: Why???

Me: Because it is. 

Lino: Why???

Me: Because the clouds have a lot of moisture in them and they have to let it out every once in a while and when they do it rains. 

Lino: Why???

Me: Ugh....because Ireland is an island and is in the middle of the ocean so there is a lot of moisture in the air so that means it's going to rain a lot. 

Lino: Why???????

Me: BECAUSE

Lino (at the grocery store): Why do we have to buy food?

Me: So you can eat it. 

Lino: Why do I need to eat it?

Me: Eat what? 

Lino: Food

Me: To make you big and strong!

Lino: Why???

Me: Don't you want to be big and strong like daddy?

Lino: Why mommy???

Me: So you can be big and strong and be a big boy.

Tuesday:

Shaun is starting to get a little fussy lately and I can tell his mood isn't the greatest and he refuses to sleep in his bed...oh well...once the teeth come out I hope he feels better.  Last night I had a nightmare that we were moving to a house (that I loved when we saw it) in Carrigaline. I was in a pain because I couldn't believe we were going to move...again!!!!  Thankfully just a dream but such a nightmare just to think about it. 

Up and ready as usual. Dropped Mike off then we headed to the playground to playground before playgroup, Lino had a tantrum so we left playground early and went to the store to get some groceries. Then to playgroup, then back home where Lino & Shaun slept in the car and I cleaned. Lino ate a granola bar for lunchish then we played with the trains until Mike came home. Had dinner, put the boys in the bath while Mike cleaned up then to bed while we watched a little TV.  We missed the start of Americas Next Top Model so the first episode that we saw, today, kind of threw us for a loop...girls and guys? Crazy. I know it's crazy to watch ANTM but I'm addicted to the craziness and it's funny so we watch it...Mike mostly watches it because I make him but we also see it as competition because we always try to see who can guess who's getting eliminated...it's the little things that make us happy!

Oh so today I looked at the forecast for the week and saw nothing but cloud cover and rain and it made me remember back when we first got here the weather forecast was so bright and sunny. I think those days are gone for good...or at least for the next 9mo. I hope at the end of this gestation period a sun is born!!! Hahahaha

 

Lino: What are we doing today?

Me: dropping daddy off at work

Lino: Then what?

Me: Going to the play group

Lino: I think that's a good idea!!!

That kid is funny

Wednesday:

Shaun is 6 months old today!!!! 

Up, Lino and crew had breakfast while I tried to tackle my hair before the drop off. Mike was excited because we left about 15 min earlier than normal and he told me to make a SOP for it...I told him to shove it! Then explained that I didn't even get ready, washing and drying my hair took most of my time so I just put on clothes and came downstairs. Not a routine that I would like to repeat if I didn't have to. So we dropped Mike off and headed to school but we were really early so we sat outside for a while. I dropped Lino off, came back home to finish my hair, picked Lino up, made lunch, Lino napped while I cleaned, after nap we played in the playroom for a while   Mike came home and we had dinner, played, bath then bed. 

Lino: Mom, where are we going?

Me: To school. 

Lino: Why are we going this way? (Because he knows which way is school)

Me: Because there is a lot of traffic the other way and I want to go around it. 

Lino: Why is there traffic there?

Me: Because of the school. 

Lino: Why?

Me: Because there are a lot of mommies and daddies dropping their kids off at school like mommy drops you off at school so it's really busy on the road. 

Lino: Why is it busy on the road?

Me: Because there are a lot of cars and people and kids but the road is rally small so it makes it really busy.

Lino: Why is the road small???

Me: Because this is Ireland...all the roads are small. 

Lino: Why?

Me: Because...well...I have no idea that's a good question. I guess it's just like that in Ireland.

Lino: Why is it like this in Ireland?

Me: Who knows

Lino: Why...Why...Why...

He wasn't happy with any of my many attempts to explain Ireland and I think that's because I didn't understand it myself :-)

Playtime...they each have their favorite toy and section of the room...it's funny. Although when I first left then in the room Shaun was on the left by the green chair and blue toy but miraculously he made his way over to the widow.  How did that happen?  I'm sure Lino didn't pick him up and move home over there like I've told him a million times NOT to do!!!!!

But Lino loves being a big brother and showing Shaun how to play with the toys the right way...that's all ME!

Water babies...

Lino made me take this one so I figured I'd put it in the blog. He's veery demanding when it comes to taking pictures...he gets that from me :-/

Thursday:

Another nightmare last night that made me laugh when I got up...I had a coffee morning at my house but it was acomplete disaster!!! I didn't have any coffee and my water pot was too small then I wasn't being a good host and didn't offer anyone anything at all...why am I freaking out about coffee morning??? Guess it's because my 2nd attempt at scones last night didn't turn out as well as I would have liked. Oh well that just means I have to try again. At least the batch I made last night were pretty tasty, just need to work on the texture :-)

Today I went to coffee morning in Midleton and was late getting Lino from school...bad mommy. I made a brown butter banana cake that didn't turn out as good as it sounded...need to make a formula adjustment for the next time. It was good enough to much on but needed a little more sugar. I think it's because I didn't use butter, I used this butter for baking instead and that usually worked for me but for this cake I think I need the real 100% butter. Oh well, I'll repurpose it into French toast on Saturday.  So Lino decided not to take a nap today so I went with it to see how it would go...it ended up with Lino pooping his pants, getting a diaper rash from it (because I didn't change it right away) and him screaming because he didn't want to take a shower but that's the only option when he has a poop and then the nice part of all this nastyness was he went to bed about 1.5hrs earlier than normal which meant some extra free time for us!!!!!! Not sure it was worth it but I did enjoy the free time. 

Lino: Why do I have to go to school?

Me: So you can learn

Lino: Why?

Me: So you can be smart and have a job like daddy and make money!!!

Lino: Why do I need to make money?

Me: So you can have money to buy you a fast car, a house when you get bigger, clothes and all the chicken nuggets and French fries you want!!

Lino: Ohhhh

I can't believe that was enough to satifiy his curiosity.  

Lino: Who's that?

Me: Your teacher

Lino: Why is he my teacher?

Me: SHE is your teacher because she teaches you at your school

Lino: But why?

Me: Because she teaches you things you don't know. 

Lino: Why don't I know things???

Me: Because you're only 3 and there is a lot of things to learn and a lot of things you don't know. 

Lino: Why???

Me: Because there is a lot to learn, like what's 2+2, why it rains, how to read...stuff like that. The teacher teaches you all that stuff so you can be smart. 

Lino: Why I'm smart?

Me: Why do you want to be smart?? So you can have a good job when your bigger and make money!

Lino: Why???

Me: Because....I told you earlier 

Me: Take another bite of your food Lino, it's almost time for your nap. 

Lino: Can you help me

Me (with Shaun attached to my boob): You can do it. 

Lino: No, you can do it. 

Me: Lino, you can feed yourself. Plus I'm feeding Shaun. 

Lino: Is that a little ridiculous? 

Me: hahahaha...yeah, that's a little ridiculous

That saying he gets from his daddy. So funny when he says it back to you tho. 

Oh yeah the sun came out for a few hours this afternoon so I put the clothes out to dry. I knew it wasn't warm enough to dry the towels so I out those in the dryer and 2hrs later, after being on high heat, I come back to damp towels and a puddle of water at the bottom of the dryer. WTF???? Why is there water at the bottom of the dryer?  These dryers suck...so annoyed. 

Friday:

Lino slept in today...had a rough night I guess. Otherwise it was business as usual. I dropped the money maker (Mike) and the banker (Lino) off  then went to Mohan Pt to do some shopping. I spent almost 2.5hrs getting groceries and looking for a cook book because I'm obsessed with cooking new recipes now. In the end I only got a toddler beginners cook book for Lino and I to use...when he's a big boy. I guess I'll get a real cook book for me at some point.  I also got all the stuff we will need for lasagna for Sat because we are having Martha and the boys over for dinner while her husband watches the hurling match...it's the finals...a big deal!!  Then home to drop the groceries off really quickly then pick Lino up.  At school Lino made cookies and I let him eat one but told him he couldn't have any more because he had a diaper on...I'm hoping one day that will mean something to him because as of now it means nothing to him at all...he doesn't care. I guess he won't graduate from high school in diapers...right?!?!?  We came home and I made another cake, a blueberry lemon ricotta pound cake, that Lino helped me with then I had to try and find my new friend that I gave horrible directions on how to get to the house.  After I called her to give her better directions I looked at the directions that I sent to her and realized that I told her to go left when she should have gone right and right when she should have gone left...what a mess. I felt so bad but she didn't seem to be too bothered by it which was nice.  So after I gave her better more accurate directions Lino Shaun and I went outside to wait for her...to give her a better chance of finding us.  While I was outside looking for her I met the neighbors across the street...super nice. And once my friend made it to the house I also got another unexpected car pull into the driveway...come to find out it was another neighbor. Everyone is so nice and friendly...love it here. So our guest stayed for a while and enjoyed the cake that I made even tho I kind of destroyed the top of it. I put it on the second rack to cook and when I tried to pull it out to check it the top of the cake scrapped off from the top rack. Seriously Renee!?!? Anyway it tasted delicious even tho it may have looked like a small animal mangles the top trying to get an early taste :-)   It was nice to have company but I felt like I spent the whole time apologizing for the house...I need to not do that. But it was nice and I made plans to visit her next week, it's nice to have somewhere to go with the kids. Once they left it was almost time for Mike to get  home so we waited for him outside. Then we had some family play time, I fixed dinner then proceded to throw half of Lino's bowl on the floor and wall...such a mess. We ate, Mike got ready to go...he went to the city center for a retirement party, I put the boys in the bath then put Lino to bed. It was another early bed time for Lino because he didn't have a nap. He wasn't in a horrible mood but he was totally ready to go to bed. I'm not sure if we can continue the no nap routine because he is a litte cranky by 5 but we will see.  Shaun was ready to go to sleep too but he fell a sleep sooner than I expected so I had to put him on the couch for a minute...I wanted to make sure Lino was sleep before I went back upstairs...didn't want to wake him.  So I had a couple if hours to myself...that never happens!  But I miss my hubby so I hope he gets back soon. 

Lino: Mommy, your eyes are brown. 

Me: Yup

Lino: Your eyes match like my eyes. 

Me: Yeah, they do!!! You're right. 

Lino: And Shaun has blue eyes. 

Me: He does??

Lino: Yup, he has blue eyes like daddy. He matches like daddy's eye. 

Me: he sure does. 

Lino: I match like mommy and Shaun match like daddy!

Me: You are so smart!

Now let's see if he ever picks up on the skin color and if he does I'd be couriois to see who he matches...he is so amazing and smart. Love that kid. 

Someone was pooped

Saturday:

Lino slept in a little, that means he slept til half 7 which was nice.  We had a little family time then had breakfast and raced out of the house to walk to the train station. We made it just in time which was nice. Went shopping for a few things, got coffee and ran into Michelle and talked to her for a while, got invited to a birthday party which was nice but we were already running late for the train so now we were really late so we started running to the station but I dropped Mikes coffee :-(   So we knew we were going to miss the train and I felt bad about dropping his coffee so I told Mike I would go get him another one. He didn't want to go get it because he didn't want to look like an idiot getting another coffee within 10min...whatever. So I went to get him a replacement and Mike took the boys to Penny's to get a hot water bottle for Shaun...picture below. Then we headed to the train, walked home and started making dinner for our company. The kitchen was a reck but we got everything done pretty quickly. Martha and the boys came over and we had a nice evening. Mike made a killer lasagna and Martha really enjoyed it...the boys picked at it but that's what they do. Shaun really enjoyed the lasagna too, he couldn't get enough it was great.  We had a nice evening and Lino & Partick had a ball...they are really starting to be really good friends and it makes me happy that he has a friend. After they left we cleaned up and had some FaceTime with Nini then we put the boys in the bath and in bed. We waited about 30-45min to long to put Lino in the bed because he was a mess, over tired, but eventually he crashed. Then we watched the Greys Anatomy season premier which was wonderful!! I love that show...then Mike and I fussed about the dishes...neither one of us wanted to be bothered so I just did it...we were so tired and cranky it was time to go to bed!

Lino: Let me see the pool

Nini: The pool is sleep Lino

Lino: No it's not sleep it's awake

Nini: It's sleeping Lino, you can't swim in it. 

Lino: Why?

Nini: We had to close it because it's going to be too cold to swim so you won't be able to swim when you come here. 

Lino: Why is going to be cold?

Nini: Because it's going to be cold in a little while and you won't be able to swim. 

Lino: Why?

Nini: It's going to be really cold and snowing so you can't swim. And it's going to be winter time so you can't swim so you have to wait until it's warmer to swim again. Is that OK?

Lino: No

Nini: Huh

Hahahaha

Hot water bottle...apparently this contraption is commonly used as a heat source in the winter. Some mums put it in the kids bed so when the get into their beds at night it's not a cold bed. Some moms use it just to warm them up instead of turning on the heat or starting the fireplace. I will be using it both ways for sure but mainly to get Shaun to sleep in his bed a little longer, hopefully, so that I don't have to act as a heat source for him. We will see how it works...it was only €6 so it wasn't a bit investment if it doesn't work. 

Best buds!!!

Sunday:

Lino must have been over tired because he was up for a hour last night crying to get into our bed. Thankfully Mike dealt with him while I had Shaun. He tried to leave him once but Lino wasn't having it and just kept crying so he ended up staying in his room for like 30min until Lino was completely out of it...rough night. Then Shaun was up at 7 and soaked thru his diaper so I tried to sneak downstairs to get a diaper but Lino heard me in the hallway so I just got stuff from his room and Lino came back in the room with me. Since there was no going back to sleep for Lino we just got up and let Mike get a little rest.  We cleaned up the play room because I was going crazy with the clutter then we had breakfast, Mike got up a couple hours later and had breakfast, then we went shopping. Lino and Shaun slept in the car so I stayed with them while Mike went to get a few things. They woke up about 45min later so we all went in for groceries. We spent way to much for the few things we got but we wanted a complicated dinner so that's what happens. Then home to prep and play outside. Lino had been going to the potty all day and had a dry diaper so we tried to get him excited about that. So we let him play on the swings, I chased after him all afternoon, we raced around the house, Mike chased us...it was a nice afternoon.  We had a little FaceTime with TT then had dinner...crab cake appetizer, pancetta & mushroom risotto with steak...yum yum. Lino wasn't interested on what we had so him and Shaun had rice and meat. Shaun was killing it and I wasn't feeding him fast enough because he kept grunting at me...it was funny.  My mom FaceTimed with us while we were eating too and that was nice. I got to see all the veggies in her garden. It's a nice hobby for her so I was happy and surprised all at the same time.  After dinner it was bath and bed. I pre-cleaned the kitchen while Mike maned the boys then bed time. I'm not sure of Lino was just super tired or just in a bad mood but it took a little extra work to get him to sleep today but it wasn't that bad thankfully. Then football time for us. We got to watch the Cheifs play and kick the Giants butt which was nice then I talked to my dad for a min, we watched a little of the Jets game then bed. We are super pooped from this weekend for some reason. 

Before

After

Before 

After

Lino: Why do we need to tidy up?

Me: Because this room is a mess

Lino: But why 

Me: Because all your toys are everywhere so we need to pick them up and put them in there place. 

Lino: Why?

Me: So you can find them when you want to play with them.

Lino: Why do I need I find them 

Me: So I don't have to! 

Shaun enjoying his dinner of rice with the meat. I couldn't feed him fast enough. 

Mike slaved over dinner and it was really good. We had crab cakes to start (not so good but it wasn't his fault) then had steak and pancetta & mushroom risotto...he is obsessed with perfecting his risotto recipe so I'm sure we might be having this every Sunday until the recipe is perfect!

Week of 17th Sept

Monday:

Another week in Ireland. Lino was up and down a little last night then up around 6 this morning...ugh. But he went back to sleep and we (Lino Shaun me) slept in a little while Mike got ready for work. He made Lino some oatmeal so that helped to make up some time but it wasn't enough time for me to get ready so we just dropped Mike off and we came back so that I could get ready. Today I planned to go to a new playgroup in Douglas but I wasn't exactly sure where it was but I had a map, not the best map but at least I had the general vicinity. So we headed out about 15min before the play group was suppose to start and I was worried that it was going to be close. So I headed off the way I thought it was and I got turned around and ended up back in the city center...oops. So then I tried to look at the directions from the website coming from the city center and eventually (30min later) I found it. At this point it was already 20min into the group and we had to leave in 40min because I had to go home to wait for the Sky people to hook up the cable so I decided to not go. Lino seemed to be ok with that but he saw a playground next to the place so he wanted to go there. I couldn't really say no because I had been telling him we were going to the play group but then i couldn't find it and he wasn't really giving me fits so I kid of owed him. Thankfully it was completely empty so I knew he wouldn't want I stay long.  We really didn't stay long at all because it started raining and I wasn't dressed properly for the weather so it was an easy out. At least I know where it is for next week. 

We got back home just in time for our schedule cable visit window...the typical 4hr waiting window.  While we waited Lino decided to poop in his diaper again...I was looking right at him and asked if he needed to go because he had that look on his face and he said no then proceeded to poop...while he looked at me!!!!!  I lost it...I couldn't believe him. So that was it, on the toilet to finish what little was left in him then in the shower for a serious scrub down, I was not easy with the scrubbing what so ever. I wanted him to know that I was not happy then I put him in bed. He screamed for a min but I wasn't going up there to sit with him or read a book I was fuming. So he slept for a little over a hour and I let him get up. After that it was all down hill for him. He wouldn't eat but wanted everything that he couldn't have, wouldn't listen, wouldn't pick up his toys, wasn't sharing with Shaun...just flat out being a nasty pain. So finally after he was being nasty to me I had enough and back in bed he went. He had only been up a couple hours maybe but it was either put him in bed or kill him. I told Mike that Shaun might be an only child by the end of the day if Lino kept it up...so frustrating. So he napped and I tried to find my sanity...it was hard because Shaun was super clingy again today and wouldn't let me put him down for any length of time so it's kind of hard to get anything done with a kid hanging off your boob all day...I'm just saying. So finally Lino got up and was semi ok for the rest of the afternoon. The cable guy didn't come but I had talked to the landlord and it seems like there was a little confusion. The guy was calling us on the house phone...we have no house phone but apparently we have a phone number...anyway he was calling me to get directions but obviously I didn't answe so he didn't come. The landlord came over to look at the lights that we were having trouble with and told me that the cable guy would be there shortly. Oh, he got there when Lino was having one if his little tantrums and I had him in his bed and He was like "is everything ok???"  I laughed and said "remember I have a 3yr old, he's crazy and I'm not dealing with crazy today". He kind of stopped in his tracks for a second then he laughed...hahahah. He left but the lights were still not working so we will have to get someone to come look at it. Then the cable guy showed up and TRIED to hook up our cable but was unsuccessful :-(   He was telling me that because we have an American TV that the cable frequency wasn't being recognized by the TV that's why he couldn't get a picture...seriously???  I can't believe this, we have been here for 16 days waiting on this guy to hook up the cable and we are just now finding out that we can't connect to the cable because our TV is American??? I didn't believe it. And it was annoying because we only get one box so it was either hook it up to the living room or Lino's room. Mike said to hook it up to Lino's room but I decided to put it in the living room incase we have people over to watch a hurling match or something. We can move it later anyway so it really didn't matter, but we need it to work first before we worry about moving it. So before the guy left I called Mike so that he could hear what this guy was talking about and I could tell by the way Mike was answering me that he didn't believe him at all. It didn't really matter because I was there and Mike was at work and the guy said he couldn't do it so he left...what a mess. At least he gave us his number so that when we goes a new TV or figure something out with our current TV he can set it up for us over the phone. So he left and I finished dinner. 

Mike got home and we ate and he looked at the TV quickly and was upset because he said it looks like it should work. The issue is that we only got one kind of cable from the cable guy and Mike seems to think if he used a different cable that it would have worked...what do we do now????  Well there wasn't much we could do at that point so we just finished up the evening...bath and bed while Mike cleaned up the kitchen.  Lino actually went to bed at a good time but I was pooped from him just testing my nerves all day so Mike and I only stayed up a little bit before going to bed. Plus I was worried that he might be up and in our room all night since he took a longer nap than usual so I wanted to get some sleep while I could.  Here's to wishful thinking...

Tuesday:

Oh Shaun Shaun...Mr Shaun has taken to pooping in the middle of the night and usually it's a major blow out. Last night was one of those nights and I wasn't prepared, again, so I had Mike creep into Lino's room to get a change of PJ's some diapers and the wipes. Thankfully he was able to retrieve them without waking up #1...but what a mess he made. Thankfully this time he only stayed up about 15min then went back to sleep. I have to be more prepared next time...need to have the changing stuff in our room just in case!  Surprisingly Lino slept all night but he was up around 6:45 and was hungry (probably be ausw he didn't eat his dinner). So he rolled around in our bed but we weren't moving so he went downstairs and got him a snack. He got a banana and a granola bar and came upstairs to have me open the granola bar for him...at least he was quite but now I have crumbs in my bed. That snack lasted only for a little while then he was ready for us to get up... It was time anyway so we got up. We got all ready to go and everyone was ready in a decent time but I needed to get gas/petrol so it really wasn't "good time"...Mike kind of hinted that we need to start leaving sooner :-/   So of course we had loads of traffic and there was lots of people at the gas station so it took forever (it seemed). Mike hates that gas station because its one of the few that you have to pay first then pump. So how do you know how much gas you need? What if you want a full tank but your not sure if it will take €50 or €53.20...so we got more than what we needed the he had to go back inside ad get a refund. Isn't that a little ridiculous???? And to top it off if you pay with a card they give you your refund in cash...just weird. One of the things that we take advantage of in the states is pay at the pump stations...such a luxury...and so missed. Oh well, we got our gas so that was the point. We dropped Mike off then needed to stall for a litte before the coffee morning sooooooo....well I wasn't sure what we were going to do so we drove around for a minute before I decided to go back to the park and let Lino play for a little while. So we did that then I stopped to get some veggies at the Spar before heading out. We made it to the coffee morning pretty easy, because I didn't get lost, so we were the first ones there...that doesn't happen to often.  Today's coffee morning was kind of quiet but it was nice. We left a little later than I had planned so Lino fell asleep in the car by the time we got home. So I let him sleep in the car (with Shaun) while I made dinner. He only slept for a little over a hour because Shaun woke up screaming and woke him up too. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading a million books and playing with the trains. Lino was actually a really good boy all day and gave me very little trouble so I was happy.  Once Mike got home it was dinner, play, bath then bed. Another easy bed time for Lino and we had over a hour of free time...whoop whoop...and what did we spend our free time doing??? On our phones, we are so generation X. 

Oh, before we went to bed I was scared out of my life by this HUGE spider!!!!!  One of the moms warned me about these spiders and this is the second one we have see so far. This one ran up to my foot and just stayed there...waiting to be killed. So gross...the mom told me that she found one on her babies face one night...seriously?????  I'm just freaked out now, I just pray that they never crawl on the boys...or us!!!!

Wednesday:

Lino was up early as usual and I think he's making a routine of going to the kitchen to get a snack which is kind of nice because we get an extra 20min of sleep out of it but it makes for a mess in the bed...oh the dilemma :-)   So we actually got up about 15-20 min earlier than normal so I was thinking we might be able to get daddy to work early. So I made Lino some pancakes and eggs then went to get ready. By the time I got back down stairs Lino was done and ready to go...sweet!!! Then I found Shaun had another blow out so I had to take care of him while Mike finished up. When it was all see and done and we had all our stuff ready to go we were only leaving about min sooner than normal...how does that happen??  Oh well, so we dropped Mike off but he forgot his jacket because he is going out to dinner with his old plant manager tonight and he thinks he might walk home...we will see about that. Then we headed to Lino's school. It's amazing how quickly kids pick things up, he knows the way we are suppose to go o school and every time we pass the turn off for his school he says "that's the way to school" and whenever I go the alternative route, like today, he ask "where are we going?? This isn't the way to school!"  So I explain almost every time that this is another way to school so that mommy doesn't have to fight the traffic by the big kid school and today I think he finally excepted my response. I'm sure by next week he will start to recognize the new route as an acceptable route to school :-)   

We get to school early and sat in the car for a bit because it was a little cold then finally got out I socialize with the moms. When I dropped Lino off I told his teacher about the issues we have been having with pee pee accidents and why we had a diaper on him so she said she would look after him...good luck.  Then I talked to Lisa again and told her we saw her and her family on Sat when we were taking a walk but I was too nervous just to come over but she insisted that next time we should just call over to her. I told her I needed her number but of course I didn't have my phone and I don't know by number heart soooooooo...  I guess next time I see her or when we are out and about we will have to call over to her.  On the way home I stopped at Supervalu to get more croissants and a few things for dinner then home for some house work. Time really flies when your having fun :-0   Our landlord got to the house at the same time I did and he cut the grass and brought over a drill for Mike to use for the swing...very nice. I made a quick chicken salad for Lino for lunch the headed out to get him. He seemed to have a good day at school and his teacher said she took him to the toilet and he went with no problem which is typical but when I checked his diaper it was soaking wet so he may have went once but he didn't make a habit out of it. Anyway we went home and Lino talked I Ronnie for a while, he loves people, then he had lunch and went down for a nap.  Martha had mentioned she was going to come over so I dcided to make a cake...just in case. I was able to put out a couple loads of laundry and finish cleaning the kitchen so it was a fairly productive day. After nap we went to Mikes job to drop off his jacket because he was going out to dinner with his old boss tonight and it was probably going I be cold by then. Lino checked with him to see if he made HIS money and we both got a kick out of that. While I was there Martha called to confirm she was coming by so we made plans to meet at the playground so we headed there after seeing Mike.  The playground was crowded and I didn't have the proper clothes for the boys because I wasn't exactly planning on going to the park but oh well. Lino ran around and had a good time and kept asking when Patrick was coming over, how cute. We weren't there long before Martha and the boys arrived, she had never been to the park but my directions weren't to horrible so she was able to find it ok. We stayed there for a while and Martha scolded me for not dressing Shaun warm enough for the weather (she reminds me of Gina) because all I had on him was 2 short sleeved onesies. I had more on him earlier but he had a blowout then I didn't think to put more layers on him later because it was getting warm, minus the wind and lastly I don't have very many warm clothes for him so I'm limited to only a handful of long sleeves and pants. All that to say I'm going to get my kid sick if I don't start dressing him better...poor baby. Then Martha man handled my Moby and showed me the proper way to use it with my Shaun Shaun. It was super funny when she was doing it because she was tugging and yanking at the Moby and I was just being jerked all around but once she was done it felt so much better, it was totally worth it. We also talked a bit about Lino not eating and about different ways to get them to get what they need and she had some interesting ideas. Things I haven't thought about before but very interesting so I will have to try it out. Basically watch what he's eating because he may eat all carbs for a day or 2 then all meat then veggies and fruit or whatever and eventually by the end of the week he's had a fairly balanced diet...so basically they eat what they need and if you let them, their brain will regulate what the eat. Just don't give them junk, give healthy options but if they don't want something, like meat, don't make them eat it and just wait for a couple days because they will  be scarfing down loads of it to make up for the absence. It's gotta be easier than forcing then to eat so we will go with that. So we chatted a while more and watched the boys play but then I was cold and it was time to go so we went to my house. We had some coffee and I had a tea and she looked at me like I was crazy when I put honey in my tea...it's just funny how little things like that can be so different. I always thought it was strange to put milk in your tea now I'm on the other side, crazy. Then we talked about laundry because as you all know I HATE doing the laundry here so it's always a topic of conversation. But she told me that she didn't have a dryer at all, because they don't really need one, and I almost passed out!  As wet as it is here how could anyone survive without a dryer???? We have a dryer and I'm trying to manage without using it because its kind of expensive to run the dryer but when it starts being wet all the time I'm going to have to use the dryer. There is just no way I could so without it!!!  And she goes on and on about how you manage without one. Use the radiator to dry when it's on, it will dry socks or shirts fairly quickly (like over night). And when you have clothes that are "almost" dry but not completely but not damp, you put those into the hot box over night to dry. Oh and you use the stair rail to hang dry towels and hope in 2-3 days they are dry. I couldn't believe it. I can't believe it. This laundry nonsense just keeps getting worse and worse...eye yi yi...I guess we will either deal with the week long process of washing/drying clothes or pay 3 legs, a Fallopian tube and a liver to dry then with the dryer. Which I have used 2x so far and I can already tell that thing sucks too...but at least it's better than the washer/dryer combo nonsense we had in the apt. Ugh...anyway it was an eye opener and sad moment. Otherwise we had a good time, I love having them over. The boys play/destroy and we talk and chase after Tadhg...loads of fun...definately better than sitting and playing with cho cho trains all afternoon. 

After they left we had some spaghetti and meatballs then in the bath...well not exactly. I forgot to turn the stupid water heater on so the water was luke warm but I didn't really realize it until Lino got in and gave me the "oh shit" look. So I got him out and turned the water heater on.  Thankfully it only took about 20min to get warm water so we went with that.  Mike usually remembers to turn it on when he gets home...so since be wasn't there it totally slipped my mind. And this is another one of those energy saver things, most people in the states would just set the water heater to a temp and leave it alone but here you set the temp and you heat the tank then turn it off so that it doesn't continuously heat the tank all day. That's fine except when you get to the end of the tank and you haven't turned it on and you want to take a shower or put your kids in the bath...anyway gotta get use to that. Otherwise the bedtime routine went good and Lino and Shaun were out quickly so I had a hour to myself!!!!!! That never happens, it was nice!  I also volunteered for coffee mornings at my house on the 3rd so I'm pretty excited about that...why I have no idea but it will be nice to entertain the mommies...if any of them actually show up. Hopefully I get my directions right, the way I give directions is totally different from the Irish way so I better start working on it now!

Thursday:

Lino up at 6:30am...slept til 6:50 and made me get up at 7am :-)   I felt like I barely slept last night between Shaun not wanting to sleep and me feeling like I had a bug crawling I my head all night it was bad. Anyway Mike had to be at work early anyway so we got up and I made Lino breakfast. He was hungry too because he ate 4 mini sausages and 2 pancakes!  We all were ready to go super early so that was nice...but when I was dropping Mike off I was wondering what I was going to do with Lino for the extra 30min that I had :-/   Lino gave Mike a nice kiss and hug and told him to make his money, he's almost like a pimp then I decided to go back to the house because I was the only one that didn't eat so I was going to get a granola bar really quickly and then wash the dishes. So that's what I did...Lino was content with playing with the garage door opener and Shaun was sleep so I let them stay in the car...it made it a lot easier anyway.  I was able to get a little done and still get Lino to a school early...nice!  The drop off went fine then I went to the store...again...it's a daily thing it seems. But I needed more croissants because Lino and the gang killed my stash, plus I like them fresh, then I needed stuff for dinner & lunch. I thought I would be in and out of there in 20min or so but a hour later I was still missing 2 ingredients. I spent about 30min looking for Panko crumbs...I know I bought them here before because I have a partial bag at the house but I couldn't remember if I had bought them at Tesco or Supervalu. I was so sure I had got then at Supervalu that I walked down every isle very slowly and meticulously to check and I still couldn't find it. And I stil wasn't satisfied so I had half the management team looking for them for me and finally I told them "I must have seen them at Tesco" and I think they about passed out. One guy was like "I will talk to our venders and of we can get it I will have them bring them in". I told them its super common in America to use them instead of frying but still get the crunchy texture and he was like "yeah we will try to see what we can do". Well that was nice of him but it really didn't help me today...oh well. So then I had to rush to the fish store to get fish for dinner and race home to prep the chicken nuggets for Lino's lunch.  I was actually pretty quick so I was able to leave the house and make it to Midleton by 10:40. I thought I was lost for a minute but somehow I was able to navigate myself to the right area. There were only a few moms there today but it's kid of nice because you can actually talk to them and it's not super busy. The host had volunteered last minute to host because the original host wasn't able to do it but you couldn't tell because she had a massive spread that was super good. She made theses really good scones too and she said they were really easy so I got the recipe...I'll be making them for my coffee morning for sure. I didn't stay long but I was able to sort out directions to my house so I think I wi be good...we will see. I had planned to stop by the Tesco in Midleton before getting Lino to see if they had Panko crumbs but I didn't want to risk being late so I said I would make due with what I had. That was a good decision too because I made it to his school just as the kids were getting out. 

Lino's teacher said he had a good day and went potty no problem and when I checked his diaper he was pretty much dry, I can tell he had some leakage because he was probably holding it but it wasn't a full out pee. So I was really excited for him and he was excited too and said he wanted his diaper off. We talked about it and I told him after his nap I would take it off...maybe. I wasn't fully convinced he was really ready for that just yet but I tried to encourage him so I let him have half of his chocolate donut for lunch...I'm a sucker.  Hopefully that little treat will water his mouth to being a big boy...fingers crossed.  So while he napped I did my normal cleaning and dinner prep. After his nap we played around the house and Lino went to go pee outside and took his diaper off so I said whatever. Since he was being so good we walked up the road to pick blackberries. You can tell the berries are about to be gone because the few berries that are left are kind of small so it was hard to find good ones...I'm not even sure what's "good ones" but I know it's not the small ones. Anyway we had fun doing that and Lino seemed to eat as many as I put in the tub...hope he doesn't get sick. I hope I can get a few more because I want to see about making some  blackberry apple jam like Martha gave me. Once we had gathered all our berries we went home and read books until Mike got home.  We had dinner and Lino didn't want any part if it, fish sticks that where yummy so I just let him be, then bath and bed.  Both boys went to sleep right after bath. I'm excited that Shaun is getting the routine and knows that it's time I sleep once he gets out of the bath...now if he would only sleep more than 2hrs at a time it would be great. 

Friday:

End of the week...finally!!!!  It seems like such a long week for some reason so I'm excited it's over.  Shaun had a nice middle if the night poop and was trying to wake up so I was caught at a cross roads...do I change him and risk him crying and waking up Lino at 5am in the morning??? Or just nurse him and let him sit in the poop until he goes back to sleep and then try to change his diaper without waking him up???  Neither seemed realistic so I decided to nurse him and change his diaper at the same time...I wasn't sure it could be done but I was able to successfully accomplish both task without a peep from Shaun. It's really impressive what you can do when you are pressed in the corner with no way out...good thing I have big boobs too :-).  I was so impressed with myself I had to share my excitement with my friend Gina, who was equally impressed...hahaha.  Lino was up and in our bed before 7 as usual...I don't even know what time it was when he got into the bed I just know it was earlier than normal so I was praying he was rested. Eventuallly we all got up right around the normal time. For some reason we were actually efficient in getting ready so we were able to get out of the house 5min earlier than normal. Lino really wanted to wear his underware today and since he basically went potty all day yesterday I let him. I kept telling him to be a big boy and how happy it made me that he went potty and he said he was gonna be a bid boy...I hope so.  So we dropped Mike off then went to sit at his school until the doors opened. He is always so excited about going to his class that I can barely stop him to say goodbye. I guess that's a good thing so I shouldn't complain. Since it's Friday that means I can be lazy so I went to Tesco to find the Panko crumbs and a couple other things then I went home. Shaun was super fussy because he was tired and I think he's teething so we just sat on the couch and had a little QT...it was nice. I was proud of the way I had dressed him today because he had on long sleeves and his first pair of jeans so I sent Martha a picture...she was proud. But it ended up getting warm by the time I left to get Lino so it was kind of pointless to dress him so warmly...but oh well.  I went to get Lino and his teacher said how good he was today's and how he went to the toilet 2x without her even asking him. I was excited!!! Then I looked down at him and he had pee'd his pants...really Lino? I couldn't believe he did that as soon as I got there...I told her he hates me that is why he is punishing me. She laughed and just wished me luck. Today they baked cakes so Lino was excited to eat his but I told him he couldn't have it since he had an accident...I'm such a mean mom. He was not happy about that at all and he screamed and pee'd all the way home...such a mess. I couldn't even talk to him he was so tired and frustrated so I tried to give him a peanut butter sandwich because I know he will eat that any day but he wasn't having it. So I just put him to bed...and pray for a reset :-). Shaun was ready to take a nap as well and a little after Lino went down Shaun was out too...so I should nap as well right?  Well I tried but it didn't really happen as easy as I would have liked. Finally I was able to close my eyes but then Shaun was up about 30-40min later. At least I got a little power nap in, I can't complain too much. Since I had put Lino down for a nap earlier than normal I went to wake him up, set the timer to go off, but he wouldn't budge! I guess he is super tired...so I let him sleep until he was ready to get up...no need fighting him about getting up. Finally after his 2hr 45min nap he was up and refreshed. He ate his peanut butter and played. He had a little poopy accident but I didn't make to much fuss about it because it didn't look like a full poop. Thankfully I cought him in time and he finished in the potty. We played in the play room for a while and I tried to fix the train track but my brain wasn't working. Then I out Shaun in the spongebob chair because he was trying to get to it then Lino wanted to get in too so I had to take their pictures. I can't believe how big they are getting. Shaun is almost 6mo and Lino is just a big ol monster...I love them so much. I just wish they would stay small, like less than 6mo, but I know that's not possible. 

It took for ever to get the picture of Shaun because Lino thought it was a game to stick his head in the picture everytime I would try to get the picture...that little knuckle head.   Right after we took pictures Mike got home and I let him enjoy his boys for a while. Then I had him pull down more baby clothes from the attic. Shaun has only been wearing the 3-6mo clothes since we moved into the house but he's getting to big and the weather is too cold for him to wear them anymore. It's such a waste because I have a ton of clothes that haven't ever been worn. I totally messed up when I packed our clothes for the move here. I should have packed the 3-6mo clothes instead of the 0-3mo...oh well. Nothing I can do about it now. So I organized all his "winter" clothes and packed away the smaller sizes...for give away or for just in case (wink wink).   Earlier in the week we had talked about going to the city center for this Culture Night festival but once he got home we were kind of like "naaaaa" so we just chilled at home. Since it's Friday it's easy dinner day with means, leftovers!  After dinner I was finally able to enjoy a glass of wine...I definitely needed it and deserved it...

Not long before bath Shaun decided to have a major blowout so it took both Mike and I to manage it without getting completely crapped on. He was a pretty happy camper after that. Since it was so close to bedtime I just threw something on him and it happened to be one of the PJ's that my sister gave me when I was pregnant with Lino. As he was sitting in it I realized that was probably the last time that PJ would be wore by one of my moms kids, so I sent the pic to my sister and we both shed a tear together...this thing has been around for over 7yrs (you can kind of tell) and it may have just been used for the very last time :-( 

Bath and bed for the boys and once they were sleep I cut up the apples and dates I needed for the cake I was was going to make for Martha's coffee morning. I figured I would get the tedious part of the cake making out of the way today so all I have to do in the morning is mix and go. It took a little longer than normal because I was trying to be quite but I got it done then it was time for a little TV for Mike and I before we headed to bed. I had 1.5 glasses of wine and was starting to get a buzz so it was time to go to sleep...

Saturday:

Lino got up and was trying to get into the bed and I thought it was early, like 2 or 3 in the morning so I made Mike out him back in the bed...it was not an easy return and it was really 6am. He spent over 45min in the room with him and he still didn't go back to sleep and he woke up Shaun so it was a bad morning. He was back in our room, and bed, about 1min after Mike left his room. So what was the point of putting him back in the room???? I have no idea, not my finest moment. So we were up so I got up and took the boys downstairs to have breakfast. I thought Mike would be getting up shortly because I told him we were going to Martha's today so I thought we would take our walk early. But a couple hours passed and no Mike...I know he's tired. So no walk but I was able to get the cake cooked and the boys fed so now I just needed to get myself ready. I thought we might make it to her house early but no we were late. Mike stayed home to work on the swings, and the train track that I couldn't figure out. I didn't plan to stay super long but we ended up staying all day.  On the way there Lino made me stop so he could pee so I thought he would have a dry diaper day but that was the only time he asked to pee all day. He missed his nap so I just decided to keep him busy and put him to bed a little earlier. He had a good time and I had a good time too. Martha had a couple moms over but t was small which was nice because you could have a conversation with everyone. Martha made a huge pot of stew that was good and Lino ate almost all the chorizo out if it. Everyone like the apple date cake which was nice because I had made a full batch and wanted it gone otherwise Mike and I would have ate it. The other 2 moms left a little after lunch but I stayed and chatted with Martha. We ended up walking down to the playground and letting the kids run around for a little while.  Martha let me use one of her many slings for Shaun because I forgot to bring mine and we borrowed a stroller as well so that we could all walk. It was a nice day so it was nice to get out and walk. We might have stayed longer at the park but it was getting late and while I was pushing Lino on the swings I smelled poo :-[   And low & behold he had pooped in his diaper, a little, so it was time to go.  We had a huge hill to climb to get back to her place but the while country is a big hill so what's new?  I was so pooped after the climb so it was nice to take a little break while the boys had a few blackberries from the bushes.  Martha sent us packing with more crap than we came with, pie and some of the stew but it was nice of her. Here is a pic of Lino & Patrick playing...they love dogs!

We made it home and Mike was almost 85% done with the swing set...that thing is massive. He was glad to have us home but he said it was also nice to have the house so quite while he was working in the swing. If course he hadn't eaten all day, other than a peanut butter sandwich, so he was hungry so it was good that I took some soup from Martha...it made a quick dinner. I started marinating some chicken and tried to get Lino to eat something and all he wanted was a peanut butter sandwich of course. After he ate I put him in the shower and in the bed...he crashed quickly. Then I made some buffalo chicken nuggets to go with our soup and we had dinner!  Then poor Mike lugged the huge swing over to the side of the house but I made him put it back in the place he originally had it...I don't think he was too happy about that...especially since it was at the end of a long day of working on the swings :-/  Sorry    And since Martha sent me home with pie, as well as the rest of my apple date cake, we had to have a slice of pie after dinner.  Even tho we spent the day apart it was a good Sat for all of us...I think. 

Sunday:

Nothing special about Sunday. I made pancakes because Mike wanted then. We lounged around the house most of the morning then when Shaun went down for a nap I helped Mike put the slid together, that part took 2 people. Then we had our landloard stop by and being us some French beans from her garden which was nice. And since she was here we asked her for the charger to the drill that Mike borrowed because he went thru 2 batteries in one day and still had a bunch more to do. It's kind of handy that they live so close because she was able to run down and get it and come right back.  So we were able to get most of the slide together and he connected the 3 pieces that he had and it looked great!!!  There are still a few things to fix but he is missing some screws from the set so he has to call about that and he stripped one screw so he needs to figure out a solution for that but I think it will be useable for the weekend...too bad Lino won't be able to use it. We told him he can only use it once he becomes a big boy and pee's and poops in the potty all the time. Hopefully that as well as no cakes or chocolates will be enticing enough to eventually encourage him to go to the potty. Until then he is staying in diapers!!!!!

Then we got cleaned up and went shopping.  Lino fell asleep in the car as we expected so he was crying to be held in the store. Poor Mike was sore from Saturdays work so he wasn't feeling being held and Shaun was in the seat of the basket and Lino didn't want me to hold him soooooooooo he had to hold him. I know it's ridiculous but the poor kid only got a few min nap so I couldn't be made that he was cranky.  Eventually Mike was able to get him to go into the basket and then he wanted sausages so we got him 2. They were hot so I tried to wrap the in a napkin so he could hold them but he dropped the first one. So I told him to let the other one cool off before he pulls it out of the bag and drop it too but did he listen to me???? NO!!! And what happened????  He dropped it...just like I told him. I didn't get him anymore because I told him to listen, so we ended up paying €2 just to throw 2 sausages into the trash...nice.  Finally we were able to do our shopping and we got stuff to make pizzas but Tesco only had the prerolled dough is we went to Supervalu down the road to get some dough. I assumed that they would have it because I've seen it at the SuperValu in Glanmire but they didn't have it...so we it croissants instead...we were all hungry. Then Mike stopped at a couple other stores looking for a piece to hook up to the TV to get it to work with the cable but he didn't have any luck, then to the Glanmire Supervalu for dough and more croissants then finally home. Sunday dinners are always interesting because Mike usually likes to to cook and try new things so today we had homemade individual pizzas and mushroom & pancetta risotto. They both turned out good but the kitchen was a complete mess...but that was Mikes job to clean up :-).  After dinner I put the boys in the bed and we FaceTime with my mom for a while. She enjoyed watching the boys in the bath because Shaun was trying to eat the bubbles and Lino was playing "kiss me" with her and trying to get Shaun to eat his foot...that nut. It was nice. Then bed...Lino & Shaun were pooped so they were out quickly.  Mike and I enjoyed some cake and football and closed the week off with a nice Carlsberg beer!!!!   Oh and we got our Magicjack to work so we can call family from our cell phones...super excited about that!!!  But no cable yet, guess we might have to buy a TV or just manage   with the sling box for 3yrs...we will see. 

A long week

Monday

Lino had a good nights sleep and didn't wake up until around 6:30 (when he got into the bed). It was freezing last night so I made Mike get up in the middle of the night and turn the heat on and by the time it was 3am it was boiling (for Mike). We have got to figure out this heat situation because there is just an on/off for the main heater. We can at least tell it to heat only upstairs or only downstairs so that's good and there are thermostats in each room so I'm sure that's how we are suppose to adjust it...but it was the middle of the night and I just wanted some heat. Otherwise it was a slow start getting out. I needed to do a little follow up surgery on my hair so it delayed us getting out. I wanted to try and get us all ready to go so that I didn't have to come back to the house but it didn't happen so we had to come back so that I could eat something really quick.  When we got to the house there was a spider at the door and I was going to kill it with the broom but Lino went right over to it and stopped it...no fear at all. I was so happy that he wasn't afraid and that he killed it for me. I was trying to muster up the strength to not be squeamish so he would be afraid...whew. Then we headed out to Mahon Pt to meet up with a friend and her kids. Lino was excited about going (once we got inside the mall) because he likes the play area. So we spent the morning there and Lino seemed to have a good time with his new little girl friend.  My friend gave me some more helpful tips about preparing for the Ireland winters and told me about Culture Nights in the city...sounds like fun.  It was a nice morning, can't wait to do it again!  We stopped at the Tesco on the way out and I got a few things for dinner and I had given Lino €0.20 to buy some candy because he was good (he had that money in his car seat because he still it from me but I told him it was money for working for mommy and being good). Of course he wanted the most expensive and biggest packs of candy and didn't even want to listen to the options that his little money could afford so we had a little tantrum right in the middle of the candy isle...no worries...I've done this before. Finally he found his inner self and picked out a candy that he could afford.  We finished our shopping and went to the car but once I got I to the car I realized I had forgot a few things...so back to the store we went.  Can't you get it together Renee!!!! Thankfully this trip was short and dramaless so it wasn't too bad. I knew Lino would fall asleep in the car so I made him go potty before we left (he wouldn't put a diaper on) and sure enough we were on the road 5 min and he was out. Him and Shaun where out by the time I got home so I let them sleep in the car while I cleaned the house...oh the joys of house work. The boys woke up and we played for a while then went to see if there were any raspberries ready to be picked then we made scones...I was board. They didn't turn out as good as some of the ones we have had but it was ok for a first attempt. The rest of the night was as usual...dinner (that I had to MacGyver but it ended up working out), bath and bed. Mike and I stayed up for a while chatting and watching some shows on the sling box...love that thing. It seems to work pretty well with only a few times where it is choppy but it's really not bad at all. A very good investment!!

Tuesday:

Mike needed to be at work on time today so we were rushing around to get ready. But we made out of the house in time to get Mike to work and the boys were all ready for the day too so I didn't have to go back to the house. The only thing was that I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast but I have plenty of fat reserves so I know I will survive. Today was a coffee morning in Ballingcolig but it didn't start until 10:30 and it was only 8:50 :-/   I knew that I would get a little turned around going there so I decided to head straight there and stop at the Dunnes store for a little shopping.  It took me about 25min to get there but it should have only taken 15min...oh well. We walked around the grocery section for a while and got a few items. I was starving so I got me a couple of croissants to munch on and they were nice and warm...fresh warm bread...the best!!!!  I was looking for this insulated water bottle that my friend was telling me about yesterday. I guess you can use it as a cheap little heater in the winter. You can put it in the kids bed so they don't get into a cold bed at night or you can just cuddle up with it at night instead if turning the heat up. Anyway anything that can heat me up during the winter that doesn't require Mike to turn the heat on is a valuable item in our house so I wanted to find it...but no luck. So I went across the mall to the retail part of Dunnes to see if they had it there but they didn't. The cashier said not until Nov so I'll keep my eyes out for it until then. I thought maybe we had killed over a hour by then but it was barely 45min so I let Lino stay and play with the Halloween decorations for like 20min. He asked me what the skeleton was and I tried to explain it but he gave me this look of confusion so I tried again by telling him I squeeze my arm and feel the hard part and I told him that was a bone and your whole body had all these bones all over and once you take the skin off and fat you end up with a skeleton.  So hard to explain some of the simplest things...but I think he got it. After that it was finally close enough to go to the coffee morning so we went there. We had a nice morning and I met a new mom from California but she hasn't lived in the states for over 7yrs so it was cool to chat with her about her traveling adventures with her 2 boys. Our kids are about the same age (only a few months different) and Lino and her 3yr old found a truck that they both wanted so they spent almost a hour fighting over who was going to get it. The other little boy even bit Lino so then we had to split them up but that didn't work either so we pulled out the timer and that seemed to settle the dispute about who's turn it was to play with the truck. The funny part is that once we pulled out the timer neither one of them were that interested in the truck...isn't that how it always ends up???  We headed home around noon and I tried to get Lino to put a diaper on but no dice so he pee'd before we left and he slept in the car...so did Shaun. So I cleaned ad made soup for dinner...once they woke up we went to the garden to see if the raspberries were ready then spend the rest of the afternoon outside playing soccer (American soccer that is). The rest f the evening was business as usual...we made a little calendar so that Lino could cross off the days until he would see Nini & PopPop because PopPop promised Lino that they would get him a black car if he was a big boy and didn't have any potty accidents, we tried to call them but no answer, we read about 100 books then played with Shaun.  After dinner Nini and PopPop FaceTimed us back.  So Lino wanted to see if they had his car...he doesn't forget about his cars but somehow he can't seem to remember his part of the deal. PopPop wasn't there so no cars but we showed Nini the calendar and she reminded him of the deal and he said he would be a big boy...lets see how long that last. Then bath and bed and the hardest thing about bed time is starting to become what cars do Lino want to take to bed with him. It's usually a bit of a process so we can either let Lino spend 30min deciding which cars he wants then he ends up with 4 armfuls of cars that he needs a book bag to carry ten all. Or you can play the guess the car Lino wants game and end up running up & down the stairs 3-4x until you get the right one. Although you save time with option 2 I'm not sure I save any sanity but I usually opt for option 2 and by the second attempt at the right car I'm l laughing at myself for doing something so ridiculous. Never would I have guessed that one day I would be at my wits end with my child about which of the 5000 cars needs to go to bed with him. The visions I had of motherhood are so far removed from reality...but I still love it. 

Picture from earlier in the day...per Lino's request. 

I totally forgot about this...Shaun was fussing a little earlier while I was cleaning/cooking and I looked over and he was out. 

Wednesday:

Back to school for Lino and he was up and ready to go. He was in the bed a little early and was tossing and turning so no reason prolonging the inevitable. We were able to get up and out and I even had time to have a bowl if cereal...what a nice treat.  I actually made it to Lino's school a little early and was able to chat with some of the moms. I met 2 moms that live very close to us and one of them actually use to work for Pepsi!!!!  She didn't know Mike and was out on maternity leave when the whole transition for Mike happened so she had no idea about the move. Then I find out that she lives less than a quarter of a mile down the road from us. She told me that she saw us walking before and figured one of us worked at Pepsi because she saw Mikes Pepsi jacket the first day we dropped Lino off at school. It's crazy how small Cork is...I know I keep saying that but it is just so crazy. After the drop off it was time or some more house cleaning for mommy...it seems like the cleaning never ends and I started dinner which was a new interesting recipe that I was courius to see how it would turn out and how Mike would like it. I made it back to pick Lino up and I was early...I might be in a roll here...but the parking lot was already jam packed. I did some crazy parking and blocked in like 4 cars but who's paying attention???  Lino seemed to have a good day at school and he was telling me all about his stretch and grow class...I love it. We got back home and I made Lino a quick chicken salad on a croissant and he killed it!!!  Well before he ate it he had a major fall out because he was super tired from getting up early today but after he found his zin he decided to eat lunch (I think he just was trying to prolong going down for a nap because I told him if he wasn't hungry that meant it was nap time...so he wanted to eat he said). I had to make him take the first bite because he wasn't familiar with chicken salad but after that he seemed to enjoy it (or at least he didn't mind it). It could have been the croissant that he really loved because he absolutely loves them but I'd like to think it was the full package...either way another successful meal for Lino. Then he took a nice 2hr nap and I finished more laundry and I had about 20min of no kid time again...nice!!!  After Lino's nap I convinced him to go to the park because I knew that he was going to be a pain the rest of the afternoon if we stayed home...a sleepy Lino at home is like nightmare on elm street 2020 version. So he was ok with going "but AFTER we check the raspberries mommy" hahahaha he loves that garden. At the park we saw one of the moms that I had met at the school that morning so that was cool. We stayed at the park for a while then headed home for dinner.  We had a few minutes before Mike got home so I decided to make a banana bread but I put my own twist on it adding crushed apples and some other flavourings...lets see if Mike likes it.  After dinner we let Lino FaceTime with Nini & PopPop and they showed him the car that they had bought for him being a big boy. He was excited to see it and told them that he was being a big boy (but he forgot to mention he was being a pain).  Tonight was Mikes turn for bath and bed and Lino came up with every excuse not to go to bed...I need to use mommies tooth paste, I didn't tell Shaun night night, I forgot to put my bike in the play room...blah blah blah. Then Mike had to do the "go find this specific car" game with Lino and he was so frustrated it was funny...welcome to my world. Lino went to bed easy and we had some time to watch the tube and enjoy the banana bread...which was really good!!!!

Thursday:

Lino didn't sleep worth a crap last night. He was up at least 3x last night and Mike had to put him bac in his bed 2x and I had to do it 1-2x. The first return to bed trip was a nightmare and he just screamed for about 5min straight then I guess he told Mike to sit at the bottom of his bed so he did. Then maybe a hour later he was back up but went to his room easier and still wanted Mike to sit at the bottom of the bed but this time he didn't go back to bed so quickly. Mike thought he was sleep so he came back to the room but Lino came walking in about 45 sec later. Mike got so frustrated  he couldn't even talk so I took Lino back to bed and he went pretty easily...I just told him lets check the timer to see if it was time to get up and I showed him it was still going so he got back in bed and stayed there the rest of the night. Mike was like "why does he not go so easily with you?" I told him its because I command respect...hahaha...I really don't know but probably because I talked to him and he knows he frustrates Mike so he makes it hard for him. Who knows. So anyway we were all a mess in the morning and I wasn't sure how he was going to do at school but I was hoping he would be fine. He wasn't super hard to get dressed so we didn't have any major drama before drop off. After everyone got dropped off I went to Mahon for a little away time.  Mike and I had been talking about getting the car cleaned (they call it Valet here) so I saw a sign for it at the mall so I said what the heck. While the car was being cleaned I let Shaun "play" in the play area and I blogged for a min but then Shaun wanted some attention...which was fine. I ended up seeing a mom I had met at a play group so I stopped to talk to her for a minute then went to get some fish and fixings for dinner (fish tacos). Then I head to get Lino and got to school in good time. Lino's teacher was raving about how much of a big helper Lino was and how good he was at school...I was thinking to myself "is she talking about my kid???"  That at least gave me some hope for the afternoon but as soon as we got home the sleepy Lino came out and it was a battle all the way until nap time. I always pray for a nice reset at nap but I know it's not very likely. So I spent his nap time fixing up a few things then when he woke up he wanted to take a picture with Shaun on his bed...he's very demanding...like his momma :-)

Lino and Shaun rolling in the bed before we went to the playground. 

So we went to the playground to meet up with a mom that I connected with on one of the mom groups.  She was nice and has a 3yr old son too. She is Hungarian and her son doesn't speak much English but him and Lino seemed to get along just fine. He had a balance bike and was showing Lino how to ride it then Lino started chasing after him which was funny. At one point Lino was running in a circle chasingn after the bike and they had a major collision!  Neither cried but you could tell Lino got hurt but he just came over for a little hug and started running after him again...boys. So we stayed there for a while, so long in fact that Mike was able to run down to see us on his run home. It actually started raining and I thought he might cancel his run but he didn't...it stopped raining a couple min after we left so he was ok. We had dinner and Mike and the boys were playing while I cleaned up and Lino went and pee'd his pants...why o why I will never know. So we put him right in the bath and to bed.  It's sad, it's not like he ran out of time or something he just stood there and pee'd his pants because he didn't want to go to the restroom.  I don't know how long this power struggle is going to last but it is really getting old. So a glass of wine was due for both of us once Lino was in bed...we can only hope for a better day tomorrow. 

Friday:

At least Lino had a better night of sleep. Mike was like he sleeps all night when you put him to bed but he doesn't when I put him to bed...so maybe you should put him to sleep all the time. Ahhhhhh my husband, always finding ways to pon Lino off on me...it might actually be for the better because Mike will clean the kitchen and I can deal with Lino a little easier than him so I guess we will swop...or at least give it a try.  Anyway morning routine went fine, drop off was fine but I was tired so I did nothing today!!!!! I came home and cleaned just a little then sat and played with Shaun until it was time to get Lino. When I went to get Lino he had a nice treat for me from school...they made scones!  He was excited to show me what he had made but I think he was more excited about eating them. It was actually a really good scone, it put my crapy one to shame. But that was cool that he made scones at school, he loves to help us cook so that's right up his alley...well he likes to taste all the ingredients but that's part of cooking too...right??  

We got home and Lino seemed to be in a good mood and since it was Friday I figured I'd let him have a peanut butter sandwich for lunch since he's been begging me for one all week...and I hoped that if he got a PB sandwich like he requested that it would keep him in a good mood and make the nap transition a little easier...no such luck. Wishful thinking Renee...oh well we survived and he eventually complied and ate lunch then took his nap. My lazy day continued and I even had over a hour of free time that I did absolutely nothing. Shaun went to sleep almost 30min after Lino so I had a nice block of time that I could have napped or did something.  I was so tired too so I just knew I would fall asleep but for some reason I couldn't take my eyes off the sling box so I sat on the couch with Shaun and watched TV. It was nice anyway not having to do anything but then I felt a little bad that I wasted a whole hour...oh well. Once Lino got up we only had a little while before we had to go get Mike from work because we had to go to the Garda to get our residency cards...So we played outside until it was time to go. Once we got to Mike, Lino showed him the scone that he had made...I made him save one of them so that he could show Mike (and let him try one)...Mike was impressed. Then we headed to Cobh. There was no cruise ship there today but Lino remembered the place and that was his first question when we got close to the Garda station. We got there almost exactly at the time we were told but the room was full of people already...WTF!  So I guess there was a que that we didn't know about because otherwise we would have got there sooner. Since there was a line I took Lino out to play and see the other little boats but I only let him stay out for 5min because I assumed that it wouldn't take long for them to go thru all the people...I had no idea how long it was going to take. When we got back there was absolutely no movement on the que...well that's not exactly true, now there were 2 more people behind us!!!!  So Mike took him out because there was just no room for a 3yr old to run around and they stayed out for over a hour and we still had another hour wait. While we were waiting inside Lino made friends with this Indian student and was talking up a storm with him. He was telling him about Shaun, the hot and cold water, the fast boats, the water gun picture he made at school (that's only for shooting bad guys) and all kinds of stuff. He had the whole room listening in to his little conversation, it was funny. Finally it was out turn (well it might have been Lino's friends turn but I thought we were next so we kind of ran to the door before the kid could react). Once we go in the Garda guy started complaining to us about all the people and about how he didn't know that there would be that many people there and about how long it was going to take him to get thru all of them then he started complaining about the student applicants and how they were liers and give fake addresses to try and get residency. He went on and on about that and that reminded me about the first time we came how he was complaining to Mike about the Americans  on the cruise ship. Apparently when the cruis ships dock here all the passengers are suppose to give their passports to the crew members so that the Garda can verify and stamp all of them. But the Americans are the only ones that don't give up their passports so the Garda has to go on to  the ship and do the verification process individually...I guess it's a major pain. Anyway he complained I Mike about that for a while last time and now he's complaining about the line of people so I kind of came to the conclusion that he's just a big complainer. Once he was done complaining to us he started having computer issues. The residency number that was writen in our passports didn't match the number in the computer...they were switched or something. He was fussing at the computer and complaining about the person who wrote the number down in our passports because they wrote it wrong but Mike and I looked at each other and was like "uh you are the one who wrote it in our passports so you must have wrote it wrong" but we dare not say anything. Finally he figured it out but he had Mike looking at the computer to verify that the numbers were wrong but that the people (us) were right...crazy. Next he had trouble with Mikes picture so he retook it then he couldn't get my fingerprint to work and then once he printed off my card my picture was a got mess. It looked like he put the zoom on 100% and totally was a mug shot from the airport...horrible. He blamed it on the computer but I think it was him but I wasn't going to argue because we were so close to being out of there.  Finally we were done and we almost ran out the door...over 2hrs out of our life for something that should have only taken 15min...unbelievable. Since that took forever in a day we had to adjust the dinner plans so the roast that I was planning to make I cut into steaks and we had that. It was a late dinner but there wasn't much we could do to avoid it. I put the boys in the bath (quickly) while Mike cleaned up then in bed Lino went. What a crazy Friday...totally Friday the 13th craziness.  

Saturday:

We tried to sleep in a little but it didn't really happen so I got up and made breakfast while Mike got a few more winks in. We had our pancakes then decided what we were going to do for the day...take a walk to the train station then go to the city center so Mike could get some stuff from the Italian shop, take the train back, walk home, get cleaned up and head to Midleton for the food & drink festival.  Sounded easy enough but the walk to and from the train station was crazy. We took another route because we were told its a more direct route to the train station but no one warned us that it's a crazy small and steep hill!!!!  Going down was like running sprints and we could barely stop our self. Especially Mike with the stroller, he was just zooming down...it was crazy.  But we made it safely down and made it just in time for the train. We got to the city and were very efficient (for us) and got all the stuff Mike needed to make pasta on Sunday and I even had a few min to stop at the shop to get some post cards. We made it back to the train station with only 7min to spare before the train left (nice timing) and walked back to the house. It wasn't an easy walk, we climed about 33 stories to get to our house (we tracked it) and it was a grulling 33 stories...just straight hill, well curvy but all hill. I don't think we will be going that way again.  So we get home, shower, pack our bags and head to Midleton. When we got home it was nice and warm so we all put shorts on but by the time we got to Midleton (45min later) it was freezing and no one had any jackets...this weather is crazy. We just made the best of it and didn't complain, too much, and we had a good time. I saw one of the moms I knew which was cool and Lino got his face painted for the first time!!!! I'm not sure if he really liked it while she was painting his face but he thought it was cool after it was all done and when he saw the picture. 

SPIDER MAN!!!!!! 

It really wasn't that much going on there but it was cool that the street was blocked off and they had a bunch of little venders set up selling food and crafts. We thought we might eat more but we really only had 2 things, partially because we were so late and people were packing up to go and partially because it wasn't anything we wanted to spend out money on. So after 2hrs there and only having breakfast and a little snack that we shared at the festival we were all cold and hungry...so shopping trip it is. We went to Tesco to pick up stuff for dinner and for Sun but it seemed like we spent for ever in there...just exhausting. Finally we had all our stuff we went home and both mike and I were cooking!!!!  That rarely happens, usually one or the other cooks because we are not good at sharing the space in the kitchen but tonight we made an exception. Mike made tomato basil soup and I made mushroom spinach triangles with filo dough that I finally found. We thought we would be done quicker if we both cooked but it still took us over a hour to make our dishes. In the end it was a good dinner...but the kitchen was a mess. So I was in charge of the boys while Mike tackled the kitchen. Lino and Shaun were pretty tired so they were not to hard to get to bed. Even tho it seemed like it took forever to make dinner we were still able to get Lino in the bed by 9:45 so we had time to watch a movie before bed, Looper, which was pretty good.  

Sunday:

Up with the birds today but Lino and Shaun were up all night so I needed some extra time before getting out of the bed. So Mike took the boys downstairs for breakfast while I rested for another hour...thanks hun!  Then Mike started working on putting the swing set together while I did a little cooking for our first visitor...Martha & the boys.  I made homemade hummus (turned out pretty good), cut up carrot sticks and made a chocolate & peanut butter cake. And Mike worked on the swing set...all by his self. And poor Mike, his power tools aren't working so he had to screw down the screws by hand.  Usually whenever Mike is putting something together this intercut he has help from his buddy Bryon but he's kind of not so close so it was just him. I tried to help but between Shaun wanting attention, the rain and Lino pooping his pants I was basically no help to him. It's times like this that make us really miss our friends back in Texas. So even with the weather being super crazy...cloudy and muggy in the morning, drizzle a hour later, sunny and warm in the afternoon, medium down pour aa hour later then cold but sunny a couple hours later...just crazy.  To add insult to injury he had all kind of issues with the instructions because they were just pictures and no actual instructions. So there was one part that I went out to help him with and it took us about 10 tries and 40min to figure it out...finally we got the pieces to fit and we felt so stupid because it was pretty easy after we got it together...isn't that how it always goes.  After all that he got about 1/4 of the massive thing put together then back in the garage it went...oh and we have had this swing set since July last year when Nini and PopPop got it for Lino for his birthday but we never put it together...until now.  Better late than never...right?

Looks like he could use a hand but all I did was take a picture...plus this is one of those times that it was cold so I didn't want to go outside :-)

 

So inventive my husband...he made a way to as

Martha had planned to come over in the afternoon but had an unexpected visitor so canceled but then rang me a couple hours later to come by...so we finally had visitors!!!!  They didn't stay long since it was late but it was nice to have a chat with her for a little while at least. I wasn't sure if she would like the chocolate peanut butter cake I made for them but she enjoyed it...I was excited about that...so I was able to give her some to take to Conor otherwise Mike and I would have ate the whole dish in about 2 nights.  She really liked the house but she had no idea how to get here so I had to go get her from Fitzpatrick's, plus I'm not great at directions so I figured it would be easier to just get her anyway. The boys seem to get on pretty well, Patrick and Lino were jumping on the guest bed and Patrick was screaming so we ran in there to see what was wrong but we found out it was screams of laughter. Before they left I showed Martha the garden and she got we some rosemary and lavender then we went to pick blackberries from the ditch outside the house and she was excited about that. I guess there are blackberry bushes all over the place but she said there aren't as many near her so it was nice to be able to get some. Oh and she gave me some homemade blackberry apple jam which was really nice. So a nice quick visit and now she knows where we live so I could have a pop over at any moment!!!  Good thing I have plenty of instant coffee and tea bags :-). 

While Martha was over Mike was making dinner...homemade pasta and meatballs!! He was making a royal mess as he always does and Martha was like "is it worth it?" Hahahah...it's so worth it, it's so good. Then she was like "do you have to clean up after him?"  Yup! That is the down part but I guess it's fare. So it took a little longer than expected for dinner as he made a little too much pasta but in the end we have dinner for at least 3 days and it was great!!!!! Thanks hun!  <3

We gobbled up dinner then I put Lino straight into bed because he had already taken a shower this afternoon (from his pooping in his pants ordeal). Shaun on the other hand wasn't ready to sleep yet and Mike was exhausted from the day so he went to bed and I stayed up with Shaun for a little while. It was a good day too, my Chiefs won agains the evil Cowgirls so I had to make sure to do a little trash talking to my uncle and cousin before I went to bed.