Starting to get ready for Thanksgiving in Ireland!

It was a slow start on Monday since we got back late last night from London but we were able to get out of the house in time to get Mike to work before 830 so that was pretty good for us. After dropping Mike off work we went to the store to get groceries, even tho Lino wanted to go to the park and he wasn't happy about going but it had to be done then back to the house to get some cleaning & unpacking done. That afternoon Lino wanted to go to the park but we had some things to do first so he kind of fell out about not being able to go right away. We ended up staying home for a while until he finally found his happy place then we got packed to go. I told him that we didn't have very much time to spend at the park because we were having friends over to play so he needed to hurry...he said ok...let's see. So we get to the park which was only a few min away and Lino was kind of falling asleep but he wasn't fully sleep. So I told him lets go but all of the sudden he didn't want to be at the park anymore. I thought maybe he was just having a moment since he was kind of sleepy so I told him we better hurry to play because we are going to have to leave in a few so that we are not late. So he was like, I want to go home now so that we can wait for our friends to come, I don't want to be late. Seriously Lino???? I knew he really wanted to go to the park, especially since he put up such a fuss about it earlier so I was trying to be patient and give him another chance before I left. So I got Shaun out and put him in the stroller and told Lino I would walk around and he could stay in the car. He fussed at me so I took his seatbelt off and thought he might get out but he fussed at me some more so I left him in the car and started to walk away. I figured if I walked away he would get out of the car and eventually go into the park. Well he got out of the car and was screaming but he was in no mood to go the park. I tried to calm him down and reason with him but he wasn't feeling it at all. After a few min of this I just gave up, he said he didn't want I walk around that he wanted to stay in the car so that's what he did. I put him in the car and he was trying to close the door but couldn't so I closed it for him...then the crying really started. I tried to get him to calm down again but still nothing so I just had to walk away and let him cry it out for a moment...and for me to not kill him. So I walked away and let him cry for a good 5min and he finally calmed down and I let him out of the car. But he still didn't want to go to the park so I wasn't going to fight him anymore so we got back in the car and left. I was already behind today so I decided to go by Fitzpatricks to get a cake and scone for this afternoon because I didn't think I would have enough time to make something. So Lino seemed to come around while we were in the store and when we were about to get into the car I asked him if he wanted to go to the park. I was hopping I wasn't opening a can of warms but I also didn't want him to miss the chance to go to the park while the weather was half descent (meaning it wasn't raining) and he was like "yeah yeah...I do want to go to the park". So I thought maybe he was reset and ready to go so we took the less than 2min drive to the park and who was sleep in the back??? Lino!!!! Dear God. So I thought about it for a sec and was going to just go home but I didn't want him to wake up and not be at the park and have another melt down so I decided to wake him up. He woke up pretty easy and he looked around and saw we were at the park and freaked out.  I couldn't believe it...and I was starting to really be annoyed. So I talk to him for a while and told him we didn't have to go to the park but I wanted to go for a walk around the river so he said he wanted to go too. I kind of was tricking him, I figured if I got him out of the car and walked around the playground he would see all the kids playing and would want to join them. So we walked around a couple times as he was like "mommy you said one time!" So I told him let's go look at some of the rides to see if maybe you want to ride one...he looked at me for a min in confusion...I think he smelled the rue I had planned but he agreed to just look. It only took a couple of min inside the playground before he was asking me to push him on the swings...so after all that drama he did want to go to the park and he did have fun. I am not sure why he wanted to make it so difficult on the first place, it will for ever be a mystery to me. Since we wasted a lot of time fighting about going to the park out trip was short but he was ready to go so it was an easy extraction. But unfortunately he was pooped from all his fight and fell asleep in the car ride home. I let him sleep for 30min since he was so tired but I knew it was going to be a nightmare when he woke up. And it was, I woke him up a few min before Annette and kids got here so when they came in it took him a little while to warm up. But once he started playing it was all good. So after all that drama we had a nice afternoon play date and the cake & scone were pretty good...and tasted even better since I didn't have to slave over the oven cooking them :-)   After our guest left we made a quick dinner, got Mike from work, ate, bath for the boys then bed. Mike and I just relaxed tonight since we were tired from the weekend. 

Tuesday is coffee morning in the city but before we head there we have a little stalling to do so I decided to go shopping for some warm clothes for the boys so we went to the Dunnes Store. While I was looking for thick socks and long johns Lino was playing with the toys and kids dishes next to me. I guess I got too focused on what was going on because I looked up and Lino was gone! He was just there 2sec ago because we were talking about the monster socks for the house but now he's gone and Shaun is fussing...great. I figured he was just a couple if aisles over so I walked over to where the boys stuff was and he wasn't there. Now I was getting a little worried so I walked around the kids section and still couldn't find him. Then I walked all around the men & women's section and still no Lino. So I went back to the kids section just in case I missed him or in case he was playing hide & seek with me or something...but he wasn't there. Now my heart was pounding and I was freaking out. I ran over to the pay counter and told them he walked off and the lady kind of chuckled at me...I was not laughing. Then I told the customer service lady and she made an announcement. I didn't even wait for her to make the announcement before I went running around the store. I covered all of the department store area and was heading over to the grocery section but couldn't find a clear path to get there and once I did find a way a lady came walking towards me with Lino. OMG, my heart almost came out of my mouth, I couldn't believe I had lost him. I was mad and happy all at the same time...and completely freaked out and blessed too. Thankfully Cork is pretty safe, I know it's not 100% safe but if that would have happen back in the states it would have been way more terrifying. I was just so glad that no one grabbed him and that he didn't walk off too far. So of course I grabbed him and squeezed all the blood out of him but I think he realized he was wrong because he kind of squeezed me back, he was happy to not be lost. Reunited and fully scolded for walking off I put his butt in the stroller and finished my shopping. I stalled just enough that by the one we got checked out, went potty it was 20min til the coffee morning...perfect. So I get back to the car and I can't even get into the car...someone parked so freaking close to me that I couldn't even open my door without hitting their door...now isn't this a little ridiculous?  I think I was just super frustrated because of loosing Lino but I was just so annoyed. I ended up having to put Lino into his seat from the other side and I had to get Into the car from the passengers side as well. I couldn't even buckle Lino in so I had to pull out and find an open area that I could open the door enough to strap him in, talk about being annoyed!!!  

No worries tho, I didn't go far before getting everyone all strapped in then we headed on our way. We had a nice morning with the other kids/moms. We ended up leaving a little earlier than normal because we were suppose to take Mike to the Garda station for something but he decided not to go today so we just went home instead. The afternoon was slow...played with the boys, tried to paint pop corn but that was a horrible idea or I just didn't execute it properly. Either way the pop corn ended up being mush so it was not as I had planned it in my head. I kind of feel bad for the boys because I'm not very crafty at all and I don't ever know what to do with them when we are home other than play with the toys or play outside or finger paint every once in a while. A lot of my other SAHM's back home are super creative and put me to shame everyday...oh well, hopefully my boys will survive. 

Wednesday is normally my clean up day but I needed to get more groceries because what we got on Mon was just enough for 2 dinners, I didn't really know what I wanted for the week so I thought it would be easier to just shop twice.  So after dropping Lino off at school Shaun and I headed to the store. I needed to get a couple of bottles of wine for the two recipes I was making but I forgot I can't get any alcohol before 10:30...that really bothered me. Especially because I had got all the way to the check out with my wine before I was told it was too early...hopefully I didn't look like a lush :-/ Oh well, I got everything else for my recipes so I'll have I wing it from there. So  I get home and start on my dinners...I'm making 2 recipes from my Jamie Oliver cook book that Mike & Lino got me. One is a chicken & leek pastry pot pie and the other is a shredded lamb stew. The cool thing about the lamb is that this one "stew" can be transformed into 3 different dishes. And since the size of the lamb leg is so big it will be enough for us to try at least 2 maybe even a all 3. I'm excited about that because that means less cooking for me the rest of the week!!!  So I get started on the first dish and realize I forgot an ingredient...of course, but thankfully it's not something I have to have right away so I was able to get it going. I thought I would have time to get the lamb in the oven before having to get Lino but that didn't happen. I can't believe how quickly the time flew by...I'm so slow I can't get much done at all...very pathetic. I did have a few min to spare so I did a little veggie prep before I left. I also realized I wouldn't have been able I start the lamb anyway because I needed the wine. Of course that meant I was going to have to go back to the store to get the wine and the 2 other things I forgot...there is nothing worse than going to the store 2x in less than 3 hrs. Puls now I had Lino with me so it wasn't going to be as quick of a trip as it could be. So u get Lino, get to the store to get my missing items and we actually get out of there pretty quickly. Lino got a donut while we where shopping because he was good, that's what he told me but the truth was that the donut was going to keep him quite and cooperative so I let him have it. When we got back to the car Lino informed me that he couldn't get out of the stroller because he pee peed in his pants...good job Lino...thanks!!!  I wasn't even mad, well not really, just annoyed that I let him have a donut for being "good" and he goes and pees his pants...this kid is just unbelieveable.  Of course I didn't have a change of clothes so I just took the wet ones off of him and put him in the car seat. Home we went so that I could clean Lino up and finish my dinners. I got everything done that I had planned to do...cooking wise and now it's almost time to meet up with Martha & the boys...time flies.  

So Martha and I decided to go to the park today instead of Monkey Maze because even tho it's cold it's actually nice outside, remember that means no rain!  Lino was excited to see his friend so it was kind of not so hard to get him ready to go. We got to the park before they did because Martha was walking so Lino ran around like a crazy kid until his buddy arrived. I had Shaun nice and bundled and in my old sling and Lino was semi bundled but he was running around so I knew he didn't need too many layers or else he would be sweating and hot. He had his new hat on and a couple of shirts so he was good to go. We stayed there for a while but Martha & I were freezing..you worry so much about the boys being dressed properly you forget about yourself. We knew it was getting colder out since the sun was going down but we didn't want to leave just yet so we went to the coffee shop to warm up and have a little snack. Since Martha walked down we walked to the coffee shop...it wasn't far but it was getting cold so it was kind of a hurried walk. I guess I was so worried about my stroller and cold hands that I forgot to bring my wallet so Matha bought me a hot chocolate...so sweet. So we chatted away while the boys played. It was getting late and time for me to get Mike so we headed back towards the car...hopefully I'll be able to catch up with her over the weekend. So we go to get Mike, get home and the house wasn't burnt down from my slow & low lamb dish...thank goodness. So I finish dinner, we ate, did the night time routine and watched the tube before bed. 

Nothing special happened on Thursday. After doing the drop off I went to the farmers market at Mahon to see if I could find a turkey for next Sat...we are hosting Thanksgiving.  I talked to the organic farm lady and she had huge turkeys that were frozen that she was selling for 1/2 price but I wasn't sure if we needed a 25lb turkey so I kept looking. I decided to get a crêpe too because I had been eyeing this crêpe place since I've been in Ireland so finally got one. I wanted a dessert one but it was still early so figured I better stick with savoury. While that was cooking I did a little more shopping and got some milk to make rolls...Ihave to start testing out my moms recipe to see if I will be able to pull it off for Thanksgiving.  Then I got my crèpe and was heading out and saw anther place that had turkey's for Christmas so I went to ask about gettig one for next week. The lady actually had some available that were 10lbs lighter so I got her card too...have to talk to the bank if Mike to see what he thinks :-). Then off to today's coffee morning which was near my house.  I had a nice time talking to some of the moms there and I was getting excited because I'm hosting coffee morning next Thursday so I figured the crowd that showed up here today would more than likely show up at my house next week so I will have a nice crowd...I think. Then I raced to go pick up Lino from school, we came home, cooked and played the afternoon away.   We got invited to monkey maze to meet up with Nicole & Michelle so we went there for a little while. They were there for a birthday party and we were there just for fun but Lino thought he was part of the party too. He inserted himself into the festivities and everything and I felt so bad. I fed him before we left so that he would't want something to eat but when all the kids were eating their chips (aka French fries) he was insistent on wanting some too. So he shared with a couple of the kids then the host mom bought him some hips of his own...she beat me to it because I was on the way to get him some too. She wouldn't even let me pay for them so that really made me feel bad, I guess I didn't think this thru very well because his friend was doing all the party stuff and he doesn't understand that he wasn't part of the party...anyway it was a bad call on my part. Thankfully the mom was really nice and she understood and let him sit with the other kids...he ended up having a good time and he wore his self out.  We left there to get Mike from work and I finished dinner while he played with the kids.  Tonight we had part one of the lamb dish...it was lamb with pasta and it was pretty good. The cheese really helped with the strong lamb flavor and all the herbs and veggies mixed in together to make a very interesting and tasty dinner...even Lino enjoyed it!

Lazy Friday...just bummed it out today. Watched the tube while Lino went to school.  Once he got home I decided to make rolls so I started on that while the boys played. My mom finally have me the recipe last night...she was holding out on me like she didn't want to share it. It was like some top secret recipe and she was doing a background check to make sure I was good enough to get the recipe...crazy. I had another recipe that I had found on line too just in case mom didn't give in on giving up the recipe.   So I started a batch before I picked up Mike then finished it after he got home. Let's just say the first batch was a true trial because it wasn't the best. I must have kneeded the dough too much because the rolls didn't rise very much at all...oh and the house was kind of cold and it needed to be warmer for them to rise. So I cooked a few of them just to see if the taste was there and it was. Lino actually liked them but I think it's only be aside it was loaded with butter and honey. So I decided I was going to make another batch. Really they are pretty cheap it's just the time that's the factor. So I made another batch but this time I made sure to put the dough somewhere warm to rise, the top oven was perfect. This time I tried the recipe off of the internet because I didn't have to roll out the rolls (I thought that might help with my tough roll issue).  So I was cooking dinner in the bottom oven and letting the dough rise in the top...perfect!!!  For dinner we had the 2nd recipe for the lamb, it was suppose to be lamb and dumplings but I didn't make enough of the lamb so it was a lot of dumplings. Actually it was GREAT!!! That dumpling mix was so rich, moist and delicious I could have ate a whole pan of it. Oh and it was super easy so that made it even better. This was definitely a winner.   After the boys got ready for play time we pulled out the rolls and they were actually good.  The flavor was different from my moms recipe but at least this time I didn't make little hockey pucks hahahaha. Mike said he preferred my moms version, even tho they were hard, so I knew I had to give her recipe another go on Saturday.  For tonight it's time to relax and watch our favorite shows...Greys & Scandal which I heard was a great episode. 

Saturday we tried to sleep in but the kiddos didn't let us sleep past 8 so up we go. Lino's first request was pancakes so we got that going. I finally got to use my griddle so that was exciting...except I had to lug around this 25lb converter too but I'm not complaining :-0.  While we were eating we decided that Mike was going to leave ahead of us so that he could jog to the city and we would leave a little later so that we could walk to the train station and meet him in the city. So after breakfast that's what we did. I got the boys al dressed and did a few things around the house then left out with them. I made sure they were extra bundled because it was cold out there and windy. When we left I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to the train station in time but I actually did. I took a slightly different route and it seemed to be less if a hill so u wasn't flying down the hill by myself. Thankfully Mike had fixed the break on the double stroller while we were gone so that helped me a lot. We made it to the station in good time and I remembered that I had to carry the stroller up and over the bridge there because there were no lifts at this station...totally a pain in the ass to do by yourself. I thought one of the boys that was at the station might help but no so I had to do it by myself.  As soon as I was across the train was coming in, perfect timing. So we road into the city and I tried to look out to see if I saw Mike jogging but I didn't. So I wasn't sure if he was there ready or way behind...thankfully when we got there he had just got there a few min prior so it was perfect timing!!!  So we walked around for a little...went into the Italian shop to get cheese and sausages the dedcided to try to maneuver the big stroller thru the English Market. Mike was brave enough to push the stroller so that I could look for cranberries which they had so now I'm going to attempt to make a cranberry sauce for our Thanksgiving dinner. Then we wanted to get a few other things but didn't have any cash, talk about poor planning so I ran across the street to get some and by the time I got back Lino was sleep and Shaun was in Mikes arms because be was crying. Then we decided we didn't need to get any junk so I got cash for nothing...hahaha. We had to wake Lino up because he fell asleep and we knew he needed to go pee so Mike took him to the potty before we left. Oh and we also looked for ground veal but there wasn't any and there wasn't any porcini mushrooms either...for dinner...oh well. Then off to coffee and got chocolate at Mikes favorite place. We hung out there for a while because Mike was pooped and I was a little cold. The place was packed too, actually the whole city was packed with people doing their Christmas shopping I guess. After we had our drinks and got a little rest we headed back to the train station. On the way there we realized that we didn't go by the travel agent like we had planned to...need to start looking at trips for next year...oh well.  So train back to our stop and a long walk home. Mike liked the alternative route as well and he thought the hill wasn't as bad as the other ones so I think this might become our new route. Once we got home I started on another batch of rolls and Mike headed to the store with Lino to get pizza for dinner.  Well they were out I whipped up another batch with my mom on the phone to try and help guide me through. I did find out that I missed an ingredient the first time that she forgot to mention when to use in her original recipe, she swore up-and-down that she told me where to use it but after I sent her a copy of her instructions she realized she did forget to tell me. Then other than that, I just made sure not to over kneed the dough and I let it rise in a warm area this time...so let's see how it turns out. Once Mike and Lino got back with the pizzas I had already had the dough in the oven rising for a while so we had enough time to eat dinner before I had to roll them out for the 2nd rising. At this point I didn't realize how late it was.  It was almost time for me to go out with the girls so I had to hurry up and roll out the dough so that I could take a shower before I left. I didn't want to make too many rolls because I wasn't sure if it was going to come out good or not so I rolled a few and the rest of the dough I made into a giant cinnamon roll. I put them back into the oven to rise while I showered then when I got out I put the cinnamon roll into the oven so that it could at least cook before I left. Mike was upstairs with the boys playing and on the iPad with Nini so I told Mike I was going to leave both of the boys there with him since they were so happy. He wasn't feeling it and gave me the  look of death so I knew it wasn't going to happen. So after I got ready I took the cinnamon roll out got Shaun packed up and put the rolls in so that all he had to do was take them out. Lino and him were planning to watch movies while I was out so I knew he would be happy he only had to do one thing with the rolls. So we left and headed to Nicole's. I was actually late but so was everyone else so I didn't feel so bad. Nicole had a nice spread of food which was great, and she even had some traditional American snackies like 7 layer dip with tortilla chips and everything so I was excited!!! Mike text me to inform me that the rolls came out good and that they were really close to re original so that made me really happy. He thought the cinnamon roll creation was good too so I guess I can make the rolls next week and not worry too much about them tasting bad.  We ended up staying there for a while and it wasn't too big of a crowd either because she had moved the event to this weekend from last due to some other issues and there was another event on tonight so a lot of the moms had planned to go that event already so anyway it was a small crowd which I liked. The only issue was that I was the only one with a kid so now I felt bad. But thankfully Shaun was really good so it wasn't a major issue. We ate, talked, smelled sents from her scentsy collection and ate some more. She made the most amazing pumpkin whoopie pies that  have ever tasted...I think I ate like 4 and each one had to have at least 1000 calories so you know they where good. After a while Shaun started getting wrestles and I knew he was tired so we headed home. Lino was out in his room and Mike was passed out on the couch. I thought Shaun might just go right I sleep but it took a few more min for him to wind down again so we sat up with him for a while before we went to bed. What a busy but fun Sat. 

Since Mike & I got in late we tried to sleep in a little again but you know the drill, our kids were up and ready to move by 8. Lino wanted pancakes again and I couldn't talk him out of it so we made more pancakes...he ate a bazillion of them it seemed and I thought I was going to have extra batter to make cakes to put in the fridge for Lino to have for breakfast on Monday but that wasn't happening. Michelle had offered me tickets to the craft fair that was going on today so I coordinated with her to meet up to get the tickets. I got ready then got the boys ready and while Mike was getting ready I was attacked by my little men...Lino jumped on my back while I was carrying Shaun and I just had to take their pic. I love these little guys so much!!!!!

So we picked up the tickets and headed to the city for the fair. I wasn't exactly sure what we would find there but I figured it would be a good place to find some "Irish" gifts for Christmas. As soon as we got in I saw a mom I knew so we chatted for a while. Then we tried to contain Lino and walk around the place but it was hard. Some how we managed and I found a couple things so we got that and headed out. It was a quick trip but it was nice I get out and do something different. Martha texted me about going to the baby wear shop in Rochestown this afternoon so I was planning to go there too but after we left the craft fair we headed to Tesco and it seems like we spent hours there shopping. We didn't exactly know what we wanted for dinner or for the week so it made shopping hard. Plus Lino had fell asleep in the car so he was cranky and wanted to be held so that was a major distraction. Eventually we got all the stuff we needed and we got out of that place. Oh and I got a rapid boil kettle too because I've been wanting one and decided I didn't care what Mike said I was going to get it...plus I needed something with a little more capacity for my coffee mornings and for our party Sat. We headed home and started dinner. Mike decided to make a French onion soup recipe from the Jamie cookbook then after that we started hanging pictures and getting the house kind of ready for next week. We are all unpacked but there are still random things laying around here and there that needs to be put away before we have a bunch of people over. Hanging the pictures was the major task and ended up being a major pain in the ass too. Some of the walls in the house are like cement or something so when you try to put a picture hook up it chips the wall and falls out. So now we have a couple of chipped walls with no picture and a few bent/broken nails that had to be trashed. I have no idea how we are going to hang pictures or of it's even with it with these crazy walls. Oh and when we started hanging pictures I had I FaceTime my sister so that she could settle a fight Mike & I were having about Scandal. Of course I was right but even after seeing the recap Mike still didn't believe me...too funny...I love it that he likes scandal as much as I do. So after hanging some pics and not hanging others Mike started dinner...homemade ravioli!!! This means the kitchen is going to be completely destroyed after he's done but we will have a yummy dinner. Thankfully we had the soup to eat while he was cooking because we were hungry...the soup turned out pretty good too. But Mike was confused about the broth because it was light and I told him it's because he made it with chicken stock instead of beef stock which it's traditionally made with. He gave me this look of discuss like I had tricked him, then he consulted the recipe and I reminded him that I asked him at the store if he wanted to use beef or chicken stock because the recipe said you could use either. He said chicken but then he tells me while we were eating that he didn't know it was normally made with beef stock...eye yi yi. So I know that means he's going to try and remake this recipe with beef stock...to funny.  Once he was done with cooking we had dinner which was excellent of course. It was a different filling than he normally puts in the ravioli but it was still ok. He had bought some cookie cutters to try and use as ravioli cutters but after one try he tossed that idea and just cut them by hand. Lino even at all of his ravioli and I think he would have ate another one if the gravy wouldn't have been so spicy.  What a good dinner!!! After we stuffed our faces it was time to get the boys ready for bed...then Mike and I got to relax for a little before we headed to bed. Another week gone...only a few more weeks until Christmas...so exciting. 

Back in Ireland...and already off again!

Even though today is Tuesday it's really my Monday since Monday was like my Sunday... weird I know. So today daddy was back to work and we were back to our routine, instead of going to the coffee morning we just hung out at the house though. There was lots of cleaning and clothes to be washed so I had plenty to do today.  We went and did a little bit of shopping for the week but I didn't have to get very many groceries because we are leaving to go to London on Friday so it's a short week here. After shopping it was back home for some more cleaning and unpacking and repacking...oh the joys of traveling.  Oh, so I did get to use my vacuum finally for the first time in over four weeks so that was pretty exciting. I had to get some help setting up this major pain of a converter but once I got it set up I was all good to go. It's crazy saying that I haven't vacuumed in over a month but that's the truth... but now all the floors are nice and vacuumed, well not all of them. We need to move some things around in Lino's room so that the armoire that Mike put together will fit in there better once we do that I can get everything nice and vacuumed. 

This is what I have to lug around every time I want to vacuum talk about getting a workout and I majored pain in the butt...

So that's basically all that we did today we went to get daddy after work, had dinner, put the boys in the bath and in the bed for an early bedtime. We were going to catch up on some shows that we had recorded from the month but the Slingbox or the Internet wasn't working which ever one so we ended up watching a movie from the computer which was nice and relaxing... so we had a nice Tuesday night. 

Wednesday Lino was back to school and I was back to cleaning again it's amazing how much cleaning I have to do even though I just got back I guess i'm just not happy unless the house is clean to my specifications... even tho Mike did clean a little before we got back I'm a little OCD about cleaning sometimes so it wasn't good enough until I cleaned it the "Renee" way.   So today's project for cleaning was to mop the floors in the kitchen. Lino and Shaun were both attached to my leg so I put them in the playroom and gave Lino a sucker because he was begging me for it and I thought maybe I'd have 20 minutes to get the floors cleaned before they had enough playing by themselves. And I did have 20 minutes to get the floors cleaned but once I was done Lino comes in there to me wanting me to do something with Shaun because Shaun was fussing so I had to go see what was wrong with him. When I go in there and pick him up he stops crying so of course I don't know exactly what was wrong,  then I turn him around and I find something sticking out of his hair... I was like "What the heck is this???"  Then I remembered I gave Lino a sucker so this is what he's done with it even though he told me he would be careful with it. I guess this is what he thought being careful meant. I'm not sure if he actually gave Shaun the sucker or if he left the sucker on the table or what... All I know is that it ended up in the wrong place in the end... poor Shaun. I know for sure I'm going to the bad mom club now...how horrible is that for me to trust a three-year-old with a sucker???? shame on me!

Thankfully I was able to get remnants of the sucker out with just a little bit warm water, so no major hair was lost in the process. After that I decided to take a break from cleaning since it was causing my kids to endure crazy tortures. Then later that afternoon we met up with Martha and the boys at Monkey Maze for a little afternoon of fun...really it was more like a quick trip to the play area because I couldn't stay long...had to get the hubby from work.  We made plans to meet up next Wednesday and do something as well, hopefully this time will have more time to spend hanging out.  Even tho it was quick was a nice little reunion for the boys. Lino and Patrick really missed each other and had a ball playing together. Best buds they are. Then we went to get Mike, went home for dinner, that I still needed to cook so the boys had a late bedtime but I guess it was worth it since they got to see their friends. 

Thursday morning was the normal morning routine. Dropped Mike off at work then dropped Lino off at school then Shaun and I went to Mohon Pt for the farmers market. I didn't really need anything from the farmers market but I just like to walk around there, plus I wanted to try the Indian food this time. And since I was there of course I had to pick up some sweets because we love the sweets there, it's nothing but junk but it's good.  I ended up seeing one of my friends there so we had a quick chat before I had to leave to pick up Lino.  I needed to get Lino's haircut and I wanted to try a new place closer to the house but Lino was actually hungry after school so we went home and have lunch first. So once we go home usually it takes forever for us to get back out of the house so it was well after two before we actually left to get a haircut. So we stopped by a place close to monkey maze and Lino got a nice little mini mohawk it's kind of cool. I thought I would never give my kids a mohawk but it actually looks nice on him. My excuse is that it's so cold here he needs to have a little hair on his head to keep in some of the heat... A lame excuse I know but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Since we were so close to Nicole's after the haircut we decided to stop by there and see her and the boys for a little while. Plus I have picked up some stuff for her from the states so I needed to pass it on to her before Mike or I used it. We ended up staying at her house for couple hours and we had a good time. It's nice to talk to another American about some of that American conveniences. I was telling her all about some of the new shows on TV and she told me she's going to get a Slingbox so that she can watch her shows like we do...that was very exciting for her and me too.  I suggested that she pick up Scandal and watch that series because it's pretty amazing so in the next few weeks I'll have to check back to see if she likes it or not... I'm pretty sure she's going to like it but I guess I'll have to wait and see. So after my boys completely destroyed her play area we headed on out to pick up Mike from work. So once we got home we had dinner and I finish packing how might put the boys in the bath. Tomorrow we leave for London but I feel like I just got back ... it's crazy how busy we are. 

It's Friday!!!!!! Mike went into work early so that he could get off early enough for us to get to the airport.  So we just put the boys in the car in order to drop him off at work and I took them back to the house to get them all dressed and ready for the day. Since it's Friday I decided just to relax, I've done enough cleaning and packing for the week so me and Shaun sat down and watched a few reality TV shows. Nini got me hooked on one of these crazy shows on Bravo so I ended up watching that and then a couple of my own shows, it was nice and relaxing.  We picked Lino up from school and he told us all about the alphabets that he made into sugar cookies at school...that was really cool. So before he devoured his little cookie he would have to tell me what alphabet it was and then I would tell him what word starts with that alphabet.  It's a cool way for them to learn their alphabets, maybe we will have to do that at home sometime as well. Once we got home we just hung around the house a little bit until it was time to pick up Mike. We knew we were going to have to repack the suitcase or at least we thought we were because we were flying on Ryanair and the suitcase requirements are very strict and I wasn't sure if the bag that I packed was too big or not. So before we went to pick up Mike we stop by Fitzpatrick shop in order to get some sandwiches so that Mike would have something to eat before we got onto the plane.  Mike got off of work a little bit later than expected but once he get home and check the bag he said it should work so we just went with that. We got to the airport got all checked in and then set at the gate waiting for the plane so we could board. Ryanair is very similar to Southwest airlines in the US where you don't get the seat assignment. You basically have to race into the plane in order to find your self a seat. Actually it may be more light Spirit Airlines in the US because you have to pay extra for everything. If you want to book your seat in advance that's an extra €10 if you want to check a bag that's an extra €60 if you want to drink water that cost as well ...it's crazy. But the flights are really cheap so I guess you pay for what you get. We didn't mind not having some of those conveniences since it was just a quick trip to London the flight was only going to be about an hour so it wasn't a big deal for us. While we were rating at the gate Lino decided to make a phone call to his best but Derek but of course no one answered... He loves him some Derek I know he misses him a lot because he always names his toys Derek...so cute. 

So once we actually got onto the plane we find out that the seats don't even recline so that made for a slightly uncomfortable plane ride but like I said since it was only an hour flight it really wasn't that bad. We made it to England and then we had to find bus station because we are taking a bus to London. Originaly Mike thought it would only take us about an hour or so after we got off of the plane before we would get to our hotel but the reality is it took more like 2 1/2 hours because it was so busy at the bus station that we had to wait for the 3rd bus before we could get on.  The bus ride was not bad at all.  It was a quick trip into London with a few stops along the way. Once we got to our stop then it got interesting because we had to navigate ourselves to the hotel. Mike spent a hr or so today looking up a map for us to use so that we wouldn't be totally loss so that was nice. But the issue is reading the darn map and knowing which way to turn when you get to the street you're looking for. So Mike was in charge of that but when he kept looking at the map and the street name then turned the map and used two fingers to mimic walking on the map like we walked on the street...I knew he was messed up. Now we have a long standing understanding that he is horrible at directions even tho he use to swear up and down to me that he had a great sense of direction.  But after being together for over 9yrs that fairy tale has long died so of course I took over.  Now I'm not the best at maps by any means but I can get to where I'm going. So we thought we might find something to eat on our walk to the hotel but by the time we got cash and turn the corner we must've left the busy area because there was no restaurants or shops open at all. So we make it to the hotel and think we're going to order some food but the only place to order from his Domino's Pizza and there was no way we were going to order Domino's while we were in London so we decided to starve ourselves... oh well, at least we had a sandwich earlier. Oh and the hotel room was just one queen size bed my thought he had ordered two double beds but that's all that they had so we ended up sleeping all together in the bed and actually wasn't too bad but it was funny when we first saw the room. 

We kind of slept in on Saturday because we got in so late last night everyone was tired. Once we finally got moving we decided we better find a place to have breakfast. So Mike looked for that while we got ready. We talked about prebooking our bus tour and maybe tickets to the aquarium but Mike really didn't like that idea and instead of him telling me that everytime I talked about booking he would kind of blow me or or go to another topic. I had been asking him about prebooking since Wed and he wasn't giving me any indication one way or the other...which means he really wasn't interested. So finally after we all were ready to go I asked one last time and he was like "I don't want to be bother wit prebooking". Thanks Hun for letting me know, I could have saved my breath asking you 5x today about it...geeze. So we head off to breakfast but by this time it's almost 11 so it's more like brunch.  Mike found a cool place that had good reviews so we wanted to check it out. On the way there we joked about needing to make a booking because in Ireland it seems like you have to make a booking for all the sit down restaurants no matter what. But we didn't think the same would be true in England.  So we head to the train station, but our day passes because we knew we would be on and off the train, or Tube as they call it there, all day. The trauma were actually pretty easy to navigate, Mike was in charge of that, but the thing that sucked was that most of the stations didn't have elevators, lifts, so we ended up carrying the boys in the stroller up and down the stairs all over the freaking city...talk about a Royal pain in the ass. Otherwise it was a pretty easy train ride there, then we had to do a little navigating on the street to get there but that was actually easy too so no issues. Once we got there we started lugging all our stuff into this small café/restaurant and when we were all in there the guy asked if we had a booking, we said no of course, and he said they didn't have any openings...of course. We were pretty bummed out because there were a ton of stickers on the door showing all the awards they had got in the last few yrs so we knew it was going to be good...and even Lino was bummed out and stated crying because we weren't going in there to eat. I think he was just hungry but it was funny that he was crying. So thankfully there was a hotel restaurant right at the corner so we went there for breakfast. And we had to laugh at ourselves because we ended up eating at a hotel anyway so we could have just ate at our hotel. But our bestie Alicia knows all to well they we don't like I eat at chain restaurants when we go on a trip, and eating at the hotel is only allowed in special circumstances, this would not normally be acceptable. And there are only a few places that are exceptions...IHOP for sure and maybe Starbucks...just depends.  If we are in Washington it's not acceptable to have Starbucks and maybe if we go to a coffee country like Costa Rica or Africa or something like that. Anyway, hotel brunch it is. The food there was actually good but it's crazy how much weight the pound has over the dollar. Our meal was like £30, which is crazy for what we had, I had one piece of bread that was called French toast, Lino had 2 very dense & small pancakes but both of our plate had like a slap of real bacon and a half a pound of syrup already poured on it and Mike had eggs Benedict...and water!!! So £30 is like almost $50...for breakfast, for that breakfast, and we are still hungry???? Insane!!!!  On the plus side we did decide what we where having for dinner and Mike called to make a booking while we were eating. And he even walked over to the restaurant we wanted to go to and made a booking for brunch for Sunday...so we are all set!  

We left there and headed back to the train station because the bus tour has a stop by our hotel so we wanted to catch it there. But before we got to the train we had to detour because there was a Starbucks right there and Mike had to have a coffee...especially since he didn't have coffee at breakfast. I was surprised that they had the American Christmas flavors there like Egg oNg Latte so I had to get one too...so we ended up spending $15 on 2 coffees but Mike didn't complain about that...I guess we have our priorities straight...not!!!  The only issue with us getting coffee was that we didn't take into account the fact that we had to drag the stroller with two boys in it up and down the subway since there were no elevators and since the Starbucks in England don't believe in the little green spill sticks, our coffees spilled all over the place on the journey back. We kept yelling at each other to drink more of our coffee so it would't spill but by the time we drank enough to minimize the spillage we were basically back...what a mess.  So the hop on hop off tour was right across from the station we got off at so that was nice. We headed over there and got tickets. Apparently the guy was giving us a discount because it was a slow day...not sure I believe that but it was nice to save a few extra £ anyway...and it was actually more of a savings than we would have got if we would have prebooked online so it all worked out. While we were waiting on the bus Mike got him some freshly roasted nuts, they were ok, not as good as NY and we got on the bus.  Mike and Lino went to the top if the bus and Shaun and I stayed down below...it was too cold up there for me. We road around for a little while then decided to get off at the Eye of London...a huge ferris wheel. We bought our tickets from the bus company because they were cheaper and they said we wouldn't have to wait in the ticket line but once we got into the line or the ride they told us we had to get our tickets from the other booth. So we did have to wait in a ticket line just not the major line. But by the time we got back to the line for the ferris wheel the line had doubled in size. Thankfully the line moved really quickly so that helped. Each of the carriers can hold like 25 people so that helps I move the line along very quickly. Even tho they don't fill up the carriers completely they pack enough people in there to put a huge dent in the line and keep the line manageable. While we waited in line Lino found himself a girl friend, a lady in her 20s or 30s and he kept trying to get close to her but of course she was walking in the line so she kept moving. She thought it was cute and so did we until he decided to kiss her butt!!!!! I was like LINO!!!!! Don't do that!!!!! He just laughed and didn't think anything of it. It was funny...I have no idea what this kid was thinking or his attraction to kissing & sniffing butts...it's just not a good habit to have. Anyway it was funny.  So there was also a little stand with snacks and Lino had to have a sucker so we got him one but old him it was for after the ride. He said ok then we bought it and he changed his tune very quickly, as he always does. Now he wanted it now and I didn't want him I have it on the ride so I said no and all he'll broke loose. He was having an out right fit, falling out all over the line, kicking & screaming and just making a big production. We just ignored him but the other people in the line didn't think to fondly of it. It was funny because we got to the picture taking station and the lady didn't even try to take our picture because he was having such a fit. It was actually a good thing because we didn't want to take a picture and if we did take a pic we would have probably bought the pic even if it didn't look the greatest...we are a sucker for those photos so that saved us a lot of money!!! At that point we were really close to getting on one of the carriers so Lino finally decided to straighten up because he saw we were about to ride the ride. The ride takes about 30 minutes or so to make the full revolution so it was a nice ride for the money with beautiful views as well. I was really excited that the weather was nice like I said it was just a little cold but clear skies got to see lots of London up the top of the Ferris wheel it was really cool!!  After that, we decided to get back on the bus and ride around for a little while... we weren't sure if we were going to get out somewhere else so we just said we would get on and see what happened. We actually did not get off the bus again, we decided to take the bus back to the hotel so that we could get ready for dinner. Get ready for dinner I mean put on more layers of clothes because it was getting cold outside and with the sun going down it seemed like the temperature dropped about 10 or 15° at least. So we got everybody all suited up and then we decided to take the train over to the London Bridge since we had a few extra minutes before dinner. Mike was like I want to see London Bridge again and take some pictures because it was so beautiful from the bus but I told him that the bridge that we were looking at from the bus that was pretty wasn't London Bridge but he didn't believe me. So once we actually got to the bridge he was like "is that it?" and I was like "yeah I told you!" Hahahaha but the bridge across the way was all lit up and pretty so we got a picture of that and we got a picture of the sign this said London Bridge. So after uneventful trip to London bridge we headed on to dinner. We had decided to get Indian food since we had heard such good things about the Indian/curry food in London. The place that we went to wasn't super fancy but it was nice and the food was actually pretty good and the price wasn't too bad as well. Lino didn't really eat his dinner but that was okay because he had been snacking all day Shaun did enjoy his curry tho. Since we had dinner so early we decided to do some more strolling around the town just to get a look at London at night. So we took the subway back over to  Liverpool Street and we decided to walk around there for little while. By this point both of the boys were passed out so Mike and I were able to have a nice walk and talk together uninterrupted. Right outside of the train station there was a little sushi shop that we had saw when we first got into town on Friday so we decided to try it out. It was weird because it's like a little stand that has fresh sushi but there's a real shop across the street so I'm sure they just get their sushi from there.  So the nice part was that you can get individually wrapped sushi so we were to try one piece each without having to commit to a full meal... Especially since we did just eat dinner.  They actually tasted pretty good just needed a little wasabi and a little soy sauce to round it all but otherwise tasty for street food.

So we walked around a little bit more but there really wasn't anything to do with found ourself on a weird corner that seemed like it was going to nowhere so we turned back around and headed back to the subway. Before we got to the train station we saw a pub and decided to sit and have a pint and enjoy London while the boy slept. It was kind of weird because I wasn't prepared for the warm beer but after a few sips I remembered that's how it is in Europe, although it's not like that in Ireland. While we were enjoying our beers and then came up to talk to us about our boys, he was pretty nice but weird.  It's always funny to have conversations with drunk people on the streets no mater where you are in the world. Since the night was still early, we decided just to walk back to the hotel instead of taking the train especially because we didn't want to carry the strollers up and down the stairs again. As we got close to the hotel we saw a he/she on the corner "working" and it was funny because we both were trying to figure out if it was a he or she. Once we got closer and she turned around there was no question at all, it was a man...scary!  What a way to end our Saturday in London. 

So this is the last day in London...time to pack up and leave. But our flight doesn't leave until later on in the evening so we just packed our bags, checked out and decided to do a little more exploring before we had to leave for the bus. Even though Mike had made reservations for the place we went to yesterday to have brunch we decided just to get something on the street so that we can use our time sight seeing instead of eating. But that proved to be more difficult than it should have been... Absolutely nothing was open and I mean nothing. We had saw a little restaurant on the way back to the hotel last night and it looked like it had a decent breakfast menu so we thought we would go there but they were closed. I guess he left out a little detail but we looked at the menu should've checked to see if they were open on Sunday oh well. So we decided just to walk around the corner and thought maybe we would find another place to go to like a Café or something that we could just get a sandwich and run but there was really nothing open around our hotel it was very depressing. It seems like we walked around for about 20 minutes before we actually found a place to go to. It was a little Italian shop that nobody was in so we went in and basically rated the place but the guys are really nice. The guys let us pretty much make whatever we wanted, it did matter if it was on the menu or not so we had them make us a couple breakfast sandwiches. We ordered Lino bacon and a croissant and again they gave us what seemed like a half of a slab of bacon. It's crazy how much bacon they give you.  Across the street from the Italian shop with a Starbucks so of course we had to stop by there and get a coffee before we contunued on. Then off to the bus to take the hop on hop off tour to our next destination which we weren't exactly sure what it was going to be. We were walking up to the bus stop when our bus was leaving so we were pretty bummed out about it but we figure the next bus would be there in the next 10 minutes or so ,so it would give us enough time to figure out what we were going to do next. But it seems like it took more like 30 minutes for the next bus to come and in the meantime Lino was running around chasing birds and almost running into the busy streets of London... He was about to give me a heart attack and he was making Mike run around the place like a mad man it was horrible. The same guys that were at the bus stop yesterday selling tickets to the bus with her today and it was funny to watch them try and hustle people and take customers from the other bus companies. One guy was a little ruthless and seemed like he wasn't following the rules of the street because everybody kept yelling at him about how dirty he was taking customers that other people had already started to sell tickets to. In the meantime we saw at least three buses from one bus company go by and two buses from the other bus company before our bus finally showed up. So we were thinking we must have booked the wrong bus company but oh well we got the second day free so we couldn't complain too much. So we had decided that we were going to take the bus over to Buckingham palace and Big Ben so we could take some close up pictures there. We got to Big Ben first and I saw a guy taking pictures with a nice camera so I asked him if he would take a family photo of us and I would take a picture of him and his girlfriend and he did. He took a really nice picture too, too bad I don't have it on my phone but at least now we have one picture of us in London as a family. Then we just decided to walk to Buckingham palace because it was right down the road and we weren't sure how long it was going to take the bus to come back around to pick us up so we walk there. We got a little turned around but it didn't take a step to get there. On the way there Lino had to go pee and I was so afraid that he was going to pee on some Royal Grounds but he had to go and there was no toilet available so he had to pee on a building... thankfully we didn't get pulled over by the cops so I guess we were safe. So we made it to Buckingham palace and took a bunch of pictures there... Mike thought it was amusing to see the standing guard because they're standing there basically as part of a show and then there's the real cops around the corner with the guns protecting the building. Next it was on to Speakers Corner. I had heard about this on the bus tour yesterday and wanted to actually check it out. So apparently every Sunday in the park there's a corner where people can go and have freedom of speech... I think there's a certain time limit like from 9 AM until 2 PM that they are allowed to do this. During the Sunday time window they can go to this corner and say whatever they want to say as long as they're not talking about the royal family I think and as long as they are not using obsessive foul language other than that there's no rules at all... Oh and they have to be 6 inches off of the ground... I think this is where that soapbox saying comes from. So most people are on box or ladder so that they aren't talking bad on the nations soil at least that's my interpretation. So based on the map we thought that this would be a short walk as well... Well not a short walk, a medium walk, but it seem like it took forever to get there.  I told Mike we should've just took the bus since we have to bus pass but he said it would be quicker just to walk... We will never know if he was right or not but all I know is my legs were super sore by the time we got there and I was in a sweat. So we got there and there is only a few people out taking advantage of their freedom of speech time. Mostly they were talking about religious things so it wasn't very interesting but when we were leaving there was a guy talking about Christianity and there were some Muslims around him yelling at them and I thought it was getting a little scary... But then the Muslim started laughing so I think they were just trying to taunt the guy so I guess it was all part of their plan.  I had to take a picture of them yelling at each other but I have to do a quick because like I said I was a little scared... I wasn't sure when the friendly taunting was going to turn into a real out right anger. So I got my quick snap and ran back to Mike and the boys. Then we decided to go down Piccadilly Street which is like Michigan Avenue or the magnificent mile in Chicago where all the fancy shops are at. Again we decided just to walk there instead of taking the bus because the bus route was going to take us all around town before it would take us to Piccadilly Street so we trekked it, basically all the way back to Buckingham palace... this was a really long walk. Once we got there we just walked on the street until Mike found a chocolate shop that he wanted to go into. This place had some pretty amazing chocolates that they would let you sample but it was super expensive but Mike wanted to have some so we got a small box. We got to customize it so we got to put whatever chocolates we wanted to have in there but the problem was that we only liked a few of the chocolates so it seemed like we kept putting more of the same chocolates in the box... it was kind of funny but I guess it doesn't really matter if we got a box of all the same kind of chocolates as long as we like it. The lady helping us was really nice though she seem to stuff a lot of chocolate in that one little box so at least we got our moneys worth. Well actually not sure we got our moneys worth, the one little box with about 28 pieces of small chocolate which couldn't weigh more than half a pound cost us about £28 which is close to $40... I'm Not sure I can call that value. Anyway it's a splurge that Mike likes to do because he really likes good chocolate so I wasn't mad... really that was the most expensive splurge that we had the whole trip. Next it's time to find the bus because we've seen the last few sites we wanted to see before we leave and it was getting close to time to make it back to the charter bus to head to the airport. Of course we get turned around a little bit and an old lady sees us looking at a map and looking around and she decides to help us and she points us in the right direction to catch the bus... I'm very grateful for that lady. It's on the bus and back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, had to change Lino because he fell asleep on Mike on the bus and peed on him. We changed his clothes on the bus but the pants he changed into were not the warmest so I wanted to put something warmer on him before we left.  Then we walked to where the coach bus station was at. The bus stop was actually close to where the train station stops on Liverpool Street so we were able to get something to eat there. We had minced meat pastry that was pretty good and then we got some noodles to share and we still have a few minutes left before the bus arrived. By this point it seems like we have walked about 10 miles and the boys seem to be pooped from all the walking is well they were both crashed in the stroller it was hilarious...

So we are waiting for the bus and there was a ton of people in line waiting as well. I wasn't sure if they were all planning to get on the same bus we were getting on or if there was another one. Come to find out there was another bus so some of the people got onto that bus but there was still a ton of people left for our bus. And when our bus actually got there it was like roaches scrambling to pick up a crumb of food... all the people just flew to the door of the bus and it was a complete mess. I was trying to make my way to the door but I had the stroller with the boys so Mike pushed his way closer so that we could actually get onto the bus. Like I said it was a complete mess and I wasn't sure how we were actually going to get onto the bus but the lady started calling out different things apparently asking for those people who have pre-booked to come forward because she was going to take them first. Thankfully we pre-booked so we were able to just get onto the bus without much trouble at al...l well other than me having to yell at about three people to move out of my way so that I could push the stroller through in order to get to the door. After fighting through that massive crowd really there was only about 8 or 12 people that got on the bus and there was at least 30 more still waiting outside. I'm not sure what the processes is but I guess the people who did not pre-book have to wait for the next bus to come around and if there's room they will put them on the bus.  Maybe it's cheaper just to book a ticket and not pre-book a time ...I don't know but it's a pain if you don't have the pre-book time. Thankfully Mike  booked our time...good job hunny!!!  So off we go we set the back of the best because that's the only place for three but unfortunately that was by toilet. Lino had to go potty so we actually had to use it this time... And it was not fun. We had to use it while the bus was moving and when I closed the door there was water all over the floor.  I wasn't sure if it was pee if it was cleaning solution but after a few seconds I could smell that it was wasn't pee pee...thank God. But the problem was that whenever the bus with move more of this cleaning solution with slosh out of the toilet so it was a little bit of a challenge to trying keep Lino from getting wet and me as well. Somehow we made it out of the toilet with only getting the bottom of our shoes little wet but I was just disgusted afterwards. Then the whole bus ride we had to keep hearing this noise that Mike said was the brakes but I think it was some sort of suction in the toilet to try and take the water out of the floor. Whatever it was it was bothering me know and made him scared so we had to deal with him screaming for the first 15 minutes or so because he thought the noise was a monster... The poor kid is tired because he got his nap interrupted twice so there really wasn't much reasoning with him we just had to let him get over it. Eventually he did and the rest of the bus ride was pretty easy. We got to the airport in plenty of time so we were able to get checked in and go to the waiting area. Now this is the craziest thing I've ever heard for some reason they don't give the gates to the plane until a few minutes before boarding time. So even though we were at the airport about an hour before our flight was going to board we had to sit in this waiting area for that hour watching a board waiting for our gate to pop up. And this wouldn't be so bad if we had seat assignments but since we didn't we were worried that if we didn't move fast after the gate was signed we might get too far back in the line to board the plane and not get seats together. So this means that Mike was staring at the board intensely for the whole hour... That's not exactly true he was staring at the board for the first 30 minutes but then I told him to watch Lino because he was running off all over the place and I told him to run with him instead. He was worried that I wouldn't be diligent enough to watch the board but I told him Lino needed to run around so it was more important for him to let Lino burn up some energy so that he wouldn't be a nightmare on the plane than to be the first ones in the line to board. Finally our gate popped up and it was about one minute before boarding time, how ridiculous is that???  At the same time another flights gate number popped up so there was two flights worth of people making a mad dash to about the same area in the airport and I mean a mad dash!!!!  It was absolute insanity, I really did not like that at all but what can you do for cheap flights. Luckily we made it to the gate and we were not too far back in the line so we should be good to have decent seats on the plane. Then we ended up standing in that line for another 15 or 20 minutes before we were able to board what a mess!!! The flight back to Cork was pretty uneventful actually got to close my eyes for a few minutes and take a nap while Lino watched his movie and Mike read a book. By the time we got back to Cork, got to our car and drove home it was almost 10 o'clock so we were all pretty pooped. We had a pretty good weekend but it was so fast I hope might can get some rest tonight so he's ready for work in the morning. I really enjoyed our quick we can I know it was quick and we didn't get to do much but at least we got to visit London as a family. I'm so excited to take our next trip now even if it's only a three day trip it's going to be lots of fun to travel with the family around Europe and make all those memories...I can't wait!

A quick week in NY before heading back home (ie Ireland)

My week in New York was very relaxing, I didn't really do much at all because I just wanted to hang out and hang around the house so that's exactly what we did. On Monday I didn't even change out of my pajamas I just sat around watched TV and played with the boys. Shaun was a little cranky on Monday but not as bad as he was on Sunday.  I think he must be teething because there's no real reason for his crankiness and there's not a lot that I can do to make him happy so I think it must be teeth. Other than him being cranky he played with Lino and Siesta and he seemed to have a good day.  

Fun with Poppop and Siesta... While he's rocking the mantail that Mike hates so much. 

On Tuesday we decided to go out and get a few things done. So after we had breakfast we headed to the store so that Nini could to get some stuff for dinner.  Then we went to the grocery store so that I could get a few things to bring back to Ireland. I wanted to get some Mrs. Butterworth syrup but they didn't have any there so I had to settle for Aunt Jemima instead. I know that Mike is in love with Mrs. Butterworth but he's going to have to settle for this instead, at least it's better than the true maple syrup that they had in Ireland we just don't like that stuff we prefer the invitation stuff...hahahaha. I also wanted to get some other things but they didn't have all that I needed at the store we went to King Kullen maybe that's the reason they didn't have the selection that I needed. I tried to find the red lobster biscuits that I found in Kansas City but they didn't have that there either then I looked for the Chips ahoychewy cookies w/ Reese's and they didn't have that either...this store sucks. Then I spent about 30 minutes it seemed looking for some medication for the boys. With Shaun being so fussy with teething I figured I better get some fever reducer medicine for him and I wanted to get some cough medicine for Lino because he has been coughing and has had a runny nose for the last week or so. But in true Renée fashion I couldn't make up my mind so I spent 30 minutes looking for medicine and didn't get anything at all. Nini had given me some stuff to get for her because it was on sale if you purchased $20 so I thought I was going to have enough stuff to get the deal but after I couldn't find the five things I was looking for I didn't have enough in my basket to qualify for the deal. So instead of just putting the items back because I knew she just was getting those items because they were on sale, instead I decided to get more junk so that I could qualify for the deal. Of course Nini fussed at me about it later and I know she was right but oh well. 

Nothing special happened on Wednesday...Another lazy day around the house.  I should have pulled myself together to go up to White Plains to see my friend/ex coworker who just had a baby but I just wasn't motivated. So nothing really to report for the day but that night was a doozy...Shaun was up all night it seems and was cranky again so it was hard to please him. He didn't finally go to sleep, the first time, until after 1am and Lino didn't do much better because he didn't get into the bed until almost 11 I think. What a rough night it's going to be. 

Shaun Shaun playing at freaking midnight...go to sleep kid!!!

Thursday was wet, rainy and cold so neither one of us wanted to go out plus we were all up all night so we were pooped. So the Costco trip will have to be postponed for another day or two.  So we had a lazy day today but on the good side Nini made polenta which was excellent... This is like one of those secret recipes that she never made for me until this year now it's one of my favorites. 

Friday was Nini's surgery so Nini and PopPop got up early to go to the hospital while we slept in. Thankfully the surgery went well and didn't last too long so Nini and PopPop were back at the house before noon. So we spent a few hours at the house with Nini recovering and thenPopPop  and I decided to go to Costco with the boys so that we could give Nini a little rest. So I shopped at Costco for a few more things to bring back to Ireland while PopPop and Lino had a hotdog... Lino loves the hotdogs there and PopPop was a fan as well, I think he was just impressed by the size and the price it's a good deal for sure. Then we went to pick up some medicine for Nini before heading home. PopPop ordered pizza and we had a nice dinner while the chef recovered.  This was Shaun's first time having real New York pizza and he absolutely loved it. It was so funny to watch him eat it he was tearing that pizza up...get it Shaun Shaun!!!

Today is the last full day in New York so PopPop decided to take us to the Bronx so that we could see grandma and Pepa. So we ended up spending most of Saturday with them, we had a good time, had lunch and the boys got to play with their great-grandparents. It was the first time Pepa and grandma had met Shaun so it was a special moment. Lino acted like he was right at home because grandma had got him a car so he was running around rolling his car all over the floor in the house, it was funny. Once we left there we had a few errands to run before heading back to the house. Oh course I fell asleep in the car ride because that's what I do... But PopPop was in charge so he stuck to the original plan and took me by PC Richards so that I could try and get a battery for my camcorder. Unfortunately they didn't have the right battery for my camcorder so we had to go to Best Buy. Thankfully they had the right one so I was able to get a battery and I also picked up some Mickey Mouse earphones for Lino so he could have something for the plane ride. I know we have some wraparound earphones for Lino but I must've left them in Ireland or I threw them out because I couldn't find them and I didn't have them for him on the plane ride to New York so I needed to get him something. Hopefully Mike won't complain about the splurge I like them, and I think he'll like them too.  Then we stop to get coffee and some other stuff for PopPop then went home. It seems like we were gone forever but really it was only 7 o'clock by the time we got home so we had dinner and hung out for the night. 

Sunday Sunday...travel Sunday. Since our flight isn't until later tonight I left most of the packing for today which is unusual for me.  I was up early and Lino was still sleeping and I told PopPop that I was going to wake him up so that he would be tired tonight for the flight. PopPop didn't think that was a good idea but I did it anyway...I think it's the best plan of action :-/   So I did one last load of laundry then try to pack all of our stuff in the two suitcases that we brought with us but with the 25 pound converter that Mike bought plus all of the extra junk that I bought at the stores there was no way all that stuff was going to fit the suitcases. So I ended up stealing an extra suitcase from Nini in order to make sure we had enough room for all of our stuff. It seemed like it took hours for me to organize the bags weigh the suitcases, reorganize re-weigh the bags before I finally had the right combination. So much work, for what??? Peanut butter and granola bars??? Crazy huh. Actually I guess it is worth it because without this 25 pound converter I won't be able to vacuum because my husband is too cheap to buy me a new vacuum cleaner for Ireland so in the end, it is worth it!  I ran to the store quickly before we left so that I could get a few things and to load the pictures from grandma and Pepa's house so that they could have them. I also got some medicine for the boys because I'm not sure if the same options are available in Ireland. I was able to find some cough and cold medicine for Lino that was nighttime formula so maybe I'll give him a dose of that before we get onto the plane so maybe he'll sleep the whole plane ride... Is that bad parenting??? I hope not... I just want him to get as much sleep on the plane as possible so that he can reset a little easier with the time change going back to Ireland. We will see how it goes I guess. So before we headed out we took one last family photo of the grandparents and their boys... they're going to miss these little rascals!!!

PopPop got us to the airport in good time.  I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to get all of our stuff checked in and walk to the gate. And I'm glad we got there really early to because there was a super long line to check your bags... I was worried for a minute that we weren't going to make it. But thankfully PopPop asked one of the ladies there if that was the right line for us to be in and it wasn't. So we found the right line and was able to get our bags checked in pretty quickly. I had made a last-minute switch and put peanut butter in a different suitcase but once we checked in the lady told me I had a bag that was overweight so I had to put the peanut butter back in its original suitcase... Guess I should have just kept with my original suitcase order since I spent all that time weighing them this morning. Oh and we decided to leave the boys car seats at Nini and PopPop's house so that was one less thing for me to have to check in. So we got all through security and headed to the gate and I realize we had almost an hour before it was time to leave. So thankfully I had packed the boys some snacks, a peanut butter sandwich, hummus and some other things so Lino had him an early dinner while he was running around the terminal. And I realized that I had forgot to give Lino the cough medicine before I checked the bags so now I was screwed. So I decided to encourage Lino to run around more so he would get really tired and hopefully sleep on the flight. So even though we had a hour before the flight was leaving we ended up rushing to get to the gate before they close the doors because Lino had to go potty and I had to go potty and Shaun needed a diaper change ... it was just one thing after another but we made it.  Well we didn't have the row to ourselves this time but we at least had a nice guy sitting next to me.  So I got the boys all situated in their seats then Lino drops the snacks on the floor which is typical but he was happy and content watching his movie. He actually fell asleep before we even took off so I was really happy about that. Lino ended up sleeping pretty much the whole flight, he only woke up once they turned on the lights to serve breakfast which was the last 1.5 hours of the flight so I think he got four hours of sleep which was good. Shaun either couldn't get comfortable or was just too hot sleeping with me but he only slept about a hour of the whole flight so that meant I barely got 40 minutes... if that. But once we got to Ireland I was happy the flight was over we had a good trip and the boys did great on the flight so I really can't complain at all...vacation time is over :-(

So we get to Dublin and get off of the plane and I'm waiting for my stroller or should I say buggy since back in Europe. Now normally the buggies would be right there at the gate when you get off the plane but for some reason they weren't there today. So the ladies kept telling me "no they'll be there" so I kept walking to find them and ended up upstairs and wasn't able to go back downstairs to the gate. So I had to have somebody put a key into the elevator in order to let us go back down to find the buggies. It seemed like it took about 30 minutes for the buggies to come up but finally they did so we were able to head to the customs area. We got through customs pretty quickly and Lino entertained most of the people in line, they thought he was really cute. Finally we were able to get our bag and we got to see Mike it was really nice to see him. By this point I was really pooped but the boys were so happy to see Mike and so was I so we just stood there for little while hugging and chatting befor heading off to the car. We got all of her stuff in the car and headed back to Cork.  It was a nice long 3hr drive to Cork and Lino was up most of the time but Shaun was right out. I had planned to go to sleep too but ended up talking to Mike half of the ride. But at some point my eyes closed and I was out cold, I remember opening my eyes once because we had stoppped but I saw a gas station so I just close my eyes again cause I knew we weren't home yet. Once we got to the house I was still out and so is Lino so Mike just took Shaun with him and let us in the car I was just too tired to even move. We must've slept in the car for another two hours before I finally was able to pry my eyes open and get out of the car but Lino was still out so I let him sleep some more. Mike and Shaun were watching Star Wars actually Mike was watching Star Wars while Shaun was sleeping so I sat down and join them. Mike had surprised me on the drive home and told me that he had the day off so I felt bad about sleeping but I was so tired so I was finally able to just hang out with him which was nice. Finally around 3 o'clock I decided it was time to wake me know otherwise he would sleep at all tonight so we woke him up and we all sat around and watch Star Wars and Transformers... talk about family time. We were all pooped and tired so we just decided to go and get a pizza for dinner so that so we did and then we all crashed around 1030. Unfortunately it was the night from hell because Lino and Shaun were up crying most of the night... I guess because they couldn't sleep or because of the jet lag...either way it was a rough night. I felt that for Mike because he had to go to work the next day but I was so tired I needed the help so we were all up basically crying ourselves to sleep. What a welcome home. But it feels good to be back as a family and to cuddle with the hubby.