One year recap

June 28, 2013 we landed in Ireland on our 3yr adventure.  We were pretty excited and nervous about the move but had no idea how it would turn out.  I think Mike & I both had a feeling that it would go good because we enjoy challenges so much but I don't think we prepared our selves for all the ups and downs Ireland had in store for us.  The first couple of months we spent in the Montenatte  hotel near the city center of Cork.  It was a "nice" apartment but small.  Thankfully Shaun was only 3 months and Lino spent a month in NY with the grandparents.  I was able to explore most of Cork city during the first month of being here and Shaun just went along for the ride, mostly in his sling.  I must say, I quit enjoyed the first month because it was like being on vacation.  There were so many funny and different things about Ireland that I didn't realize so it made the days go by quickly.  Mike & I also enjoyed the time with just Shaun which was nice and we traveled a little while it wasn't such a task.  We only had one car and Mike used it to go to and from work everyday so I was left to walk pretty much everywhere.  And actually the weather was AMAZING so it didn't bother me.  Well actually it was a little warm in the apt but when you got outside it was very nice.  Everyone that I met kept telling me that the weather is never this nice and just be prepared for it to rain but it never did.  I was shocked myself!  So beautiful weather was one shock then doing laundry was another shock!  I absolutely hated doing laundry in the hotel.  Either I didn't know what I was doing or the washer/dryer unit that we had was just a complete piece of junk.  Or maybe it was a little bit of both?  Either way, it was a freaking nightmare and I hated it.  I just remember it taking 6hrs, at least, to wash and dry a small load.  And when it came out of the dryer the clothes would still be wet and after a few weeks all the clothes started to get this sour smell to them.  Finally, after about throwing up on myself over a dozen times, I got tired of it and decided to do it the Irish way and hang dry the cloths.  Thankfully the weather was great so this made it so much easier.  Clothes actually dried in a reasonable amount of time and the sour smell wasn't nearly as bad...still there, but 95% less!  Ugh I hated doing laundry...HATED it!!!  What else?  Shaun was loved by everyone who saw him...of course.  I probably walked about 10 miles a day.  I didn't drive once the first month.  I honestly didn't miss Lino that much, it was nice to get a break from him because he is just so intense and being in that small apt for 2 months would have been murder for all of us.  Oh, Shaun stop sleeping good the moment we got there.  I thought it was the time difference but even after a month he didn't sleep more than 2hrs at a time so we basically co-slept the whole time.  I actually enjoyed it even though I was tired.  Grocery shopping was like going on a treasure hunt which was interesting.  Oh and food is so expensive here too...I was in total shock about that.  Although the produce isn't that bad it doesn't last very long and the refrigerators are so small so you have to go shopping every 3 days or so which is totally different from what we use to do back home.  What else???  Oh, a week or so before we were scheduled to go back to the states to get Lino I met my first friend, who is still my friend, Martha!  I actually remember our meeting like it was yesterday.  I had decided to go to the café in Glanmire to "meet" some moms.  I heard that a lot of moms go to the cafe's for morning coffee and scones and since we would be living close to Glanmire, basically the village that we would be doing most of our shopping in, I wanted to meet the locals.  I had met a few people in the city but I knew that I wouldn't be there much.  Anyway, I'm there with Shaun having a tea, I hated coffee, and I see this mom come in with a young boy around 1.  She seems focused on what she was doing, eating and trying to feed her kid, but she seemed nice too.  I don't know how I could tell that she seemed nice.  Maybe it was just that she was there and I was there and had been there for a while and I was determined to talk to someone.  Either way I was going to talk to her but didn't want to interrupt her lunch so had to wait a little.  Finally I just put on my big girl panties and went over and talked to her.   Thankfully she was really nice and super friendly and helpful.  Gave me info for a bunch of groups that I should join in order to meet other moms in Cork which honestly changed my entire experience.  If it wasn't for Martha I don't think that I would have had as good of an experience as I have had so far.  I'm sure I would have eventually found some of these groups but it just came at the right time for me.  I will always be grateful to her for that.  So anyway, after only talking to her for 20min she invites me to come over to her house so that I could meet her other son...what??  She has 2 boys like me?  Another score!  So later that afternoon I went over and ended up hanging out at her place for a hour or so.  It was so crazy because I would never go to some strangers house that I had just met back in the states but I totally felt comfortable taking my 4mo old baby to this ladies house.  Just crazy how different you act when your surroundings change.  Anyway, a long story short, that was the real beginning of my life in Ireland.  Martha & Cuidiu are the 2 major pillers in my life in Ireland and my kids as well.  Actually my family, I have met so many great moms and couples and families from those 2 sources its unbelievable. 


From Martha I met my next 2 closes friends in Ireland, Michelle & Nicole.   Michelle is an undercover Irish woman who is really American....hahaha...actually she is Irish but grew up in America so some days she seems more American than Irish... and Nicole is 100% American and proud of it.  Between these 3 ladies our lives in Ireland have been shaped.   Nicole with her 2 boys, another score and Michelle with her one girl really just enhanced our lives.  They all know different people and some of the same ones that I knew too which was cool.  But they are all so cool and seemed to get a long with everyone so it was just great to become friends.  We didn't hang out a whole lot to begin with but eventually we did and now its like every day I'm seeing these girls and if I haven't texted them, seen them or talked to them I'm in the process of making plans to do one of the 3.  I feel like the boys have also benefited from them as well.  They have such a good relationship with their kids its great.  I remember one of the saddest points here was after Lino arrived and I was still trying to make friends...for him not me!  All this "work" I was doing trying to get out and meet people was so that Lino would have some kids to play with.  But after about 2 or 3 weeks of being here and going to the playground in Glounthaune about 2 dozen times Lino just wasn't getting the love that he wanted and he was actually a little sad.  He would try his best to make friends with the other kids at the playground but they didn't want anything to do with him.  It was so sad.  I couldn't tell if it was because he was just a strange looking mixed kid, or just a stranger or his accent or what but the kids just didn't talk to him or play with him so it was hard.  That was probably the lowest low that I had felt in a long time.  And it made me question our move to Ireland.  I mean, if our kids are not happy here what are we doing?  So I was determined to find him some "friends" so that when we go to the playground he would have some of his friends that knew him there to play with him.  Oh, I remember joining some sites that had chat boards for moms to meet up and I did meet up with a couple of moms but I only kept in touch with one mom, the only American mom I had met in the group, Denise.  So we met up a couple times because she has a daughter the same age as Lino.  And Lino and Patrick were like best buds from the moment that they met so we spent a lot of time with them as well.  Oh and I met a really nice German mom at the Glanmire health center during a breastfeeding group.  We are still good friends, although she is back to work now so we don't get to see her as much.  But basically Cuidiu is where I lived for the rest of the summer.  Every Tue & Thu I knew that Lino would have other kids to play with and I could relax a little.  He seemed to enjoy the play groups and after a while he would ask me in the morning "what are we going to do today?  where are you going to take me fun today?"  At first that was cute then it got to be a little more pressure because what if I didn't have anything planned for him and what if what I had planned wasn't what he considered fun?????  Oh the stress of it was just crazy.  I never in a million years that that I would be stressing about what play groups to take my 3yr old to so that he would have a fun day.




So after 2 months in the apt we moved into our house which was amazing!  Weather was still good, that was basically 2 months of no rain at all and beautiful days practically everyday.  Then Lino started to go to his playschool 3 days a week which was great!  It took so much pressure off of me trying to find something for him to do 5 days a week.  Now I only had to entertain him on Mon & Tue.  Even though the playschool was only 3hrs long by the time he got home, ate lunch and took a nap...oh the days of a nap., the day was basically over so I didn't have to do much to entertain him for 2hrs.  That was a nice feeling.  So the routine got to be pretty nice and very manageable.  Shaun was just going with the flow and Lino was sort of directing traffic which was actually OK.  At some point Lino did say that he liked being in Ireland...which was nice because it took almost 3 months for him to understand that we didn't live in America anymore...well actually that we didn't live in Texas anymore and that Texas was in America.  Talk about a hard concept to explain to a 3yr old.  But eventually he got it and he was OK with being in Ireland.  Unfortunately I messed his head up soon after that because we ended up going back to the states for a month to celebrate my dad's 60'th Bday.  We had a great time and we did miss Mike but it was nice to be with family and have a little bit of help with the boys.  The first few months in Ireland with 2 kids every day on my own was intense and crazy...I didn't know that was how it was going to be for me to be a SAHM.  I mean I love my boys but man is it intense...and messy!  Anyway, it was nice to have a break and to see the family.  We got to spend 2 weeks with Mike's parents and 2 weeks with mine which was nice.  The only not so nice part was the traveling to and from with the boys...by myself!  Even though I flew out of Dublin so that I would have a direct flight it was just hard work to manage both boys.  I mean when one would go to sleep the other would wake up looking to play or want to eat.  And as soon as I thought I might be able to close my eyes to get a quick nap in I had to pee or Lino had to pee or Shaun needed a diaper change or we were landing or food was being served or something.  Just not the most fun thing in the world but thankfully the boys were very good and even though they were demanding they were very well behaved and I didn't have to worry about being that mom with the screaming kids!




After our month long vacation we took a trip to London!  Our first trip in Europe as a family.  It was just a quick weekend trip but we had a good time and the boys again were super good.  They are very good travelers and I am so thankful for that. Sometime in here I met another good friend, American, of course named Cara!  She has 2 boys as well and they are basically the same age!  She was a great person to be friends with and I met her at Cuidiu which was cool.  Speaking of Cuidiu, at this point I have joined the group, well I did that a long time ago, but now I am on the committee which is crazy.  I guess I just needed something to call my own.  I have no specific jobs yet but just part of the decision making board which is kind of cool.  Anyway, Cara's 3yr old and Lino are like twins, they act so much a like its crazy.  They get a long very well too which is so nice...I'm just lucky to keep meeting people that actually pair well with us...and we are a crazy group so its not so easy to find people that can deal with the craziness :-)    Next we ended up having a Thanksgiving dinner at our house with all of our new friends.  It was such a great time!!  Food was great, company was great and drinks were even better!  I didn't even think we would celebrate Thanksgiving because we had only been in Ireland for about 5 months so I didn't think we would know enough people to have a big thing...but we did!  I think there were about 12 adults and 20 kids which was cool!  Mike's parents were going to come but were not able to make it.  See this is another one of those low moments and times when living in Ireland isn't so great....Nan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September and only given a few months to live so there was no way Nini & PopPop were going to be able to come to visit us...even though Nan told them to come.  So even though we had a great Thanksgiving celebration it was bitter sweet.  Sometime this month I got into my first accident...not major at all but still note worthy.




December our swing set fell over which was funny but not funny.  The winds at our house are just crazy.  And that beautiful weather that I was raving about was far far away at this point.  Now its the real irish weather...rain & cloudy every day.  There were even a bunch of floods in the city center which was crazy.  So another trip back to the states for us to celebrate Christmas with the family!  So this means at this point Shaun is 9 months and has ben back & forth from Ireland 5 times already.  No wonder the kid doesn't sleep!  While this was a sad trip because Nan lost her battle with cancer I felt so blessed to have been able to bring the boys to NY to spend those 2 weeks with her while she was strong in October.  And even more blessed that we got to see her before she passed away.  Christmas wasn't the same but it was good...Nan was at peace and at rest with her husband and had no more pain which is all that we wanted for her.  Shaun won't remember her because he is to young but I am pretty sure Lino will.  Even after she passed and a week later after we had come back from KC, Lino went into Nan's apt and asked where she was.  And we told him again about her going to heaven and he remembered and seemed to be OK with it.  And even to this day he sometimes asks me about Nan and her being in heaven and telling me he wants to go to heaven to see her.  Which I am a little freaked out about because I don't want him to go to heaven just yet but I am happy that he remembers she is in heaven and that he wants to see her.  We have a ton of pictures of her and the boys so even if he doesn't exactly remember her he won't ever forget her either.  She was one of a kind that Nan, andI truly loved, love her and miss her.


2014!!!
The new year in Ireland went so quickly.  We were so busy with all of our activities...Mike with work which he is really enjoying.  The people he work with are great and he loves being the boss!  He has seemed to get the team on his side super quick which is a very great skill that he has.  The team really trust him and looks to him for direction which is great.  I mean he is kind of a kid to some of them but he is so good at what he does they can't deny it.  And its great that we live so close because for a few months in the summer and up until around November Mike was able to jog home from work every night.  He only had to stop in November because it was just getting to dark to early...these are the dark days of Ireland between mid Oct-Mar where its pitch black by 4:30 and the sun doesn't come out until 8:30.  So the first few months of 2014 were honestly a nightmare!  I could have killed someone because there was nothing that I could do with the kids other than go to the stinky nasty dirty play centers that I did not like going to.  But I had to do something so it seemed like once a week we were there...or at Nicole's house!  At this point the honeymoon stage of the move was pretty much over.  We were in our routine and we pretty much felt like we were settled in.  One good thing that came out of the new year is my new friend Ha Eun! 


Another American, well Korean American.  It was crazy how we met, the story goes a little like this...so when we were house hunting we saw a house that we really loved but it was a little far away from where Mike is working.  Then on the last day of our house hunting trip we saw the house that we are in now and we loved it.  Nice size, nice backyard, close to work and fairly new which was great.  So we ended up getting  the house.  So sometime in September, I think, I met a lady at a sling meeting and we started chatting about how we got to Ireland.  After I told her Mike worked for Pepsi she asked if we had looked at her house and come to find out we did.  So it was funny to run into the owners of the house that was almost our rental house.  Anyway, she was still moving away and told me about the people moving into the house, that were American's as well, and she wanted to know if it was ok to give them my number...which of course it was.  So 4 months later I get a random text message from the lady renting out the house.   We meet up at the Farmers Market, I didn't have Lino with me because he was at school.  But I could tell instantly that we would be good friends.  She was so like me, or my type of person it was crazy.  So after a couple more meetings and a finally meeting at a parenting talk I knew we clicked.  So every since we have been good friends.  So now I can add a 4th pillar to our Irish support system.  Although we don't see each other as much because our kids schedules are slightly different and we don't live as close to each other we all get along so well as couple friends its great.  This random meeting ended up sparking a great 4 person friendship.


Between Jan and Mar Mike and I stressed about the decision to put Lino into primary school in the fall or wait another year.  I should say that I was stressing more than him.  But it was one of the most major decisions that we have had to make here.  The issue is that I know a lot of moms, Americans that have kids turning 4 between May-Jul and they are sending their kids to school in the fall. Us on the other hand, I was planning to wait until next year because I thought that was when all the kids normally go...wrong!  Although I spent a good 2 months trying to figure out this "play school vs Jr Infants" thing apparently I got it wrong.  So basically play school is like pre-pre school and it's not at a school, usually at a creche/day care. Then there is Jr Infants which is like pre-school/ kindergartens (where they learn to read) and Sr Infants is like full on Kindergarten and a little 1st grade.  So I guess technically Lino is ready for Jr Infants but I just couldn't see myself sending him to school school yet.  Although I was worried and still am that he will be to far behind I think it is the better option.  I mean we are having so many issues with Lino just going pee in the toilet I couldn't imagine trying to get him to do homework every night.  I still worry that I made the wrong decision and even though I keep meeting moms that are sending their kids to school at 4 there are really only about a dozen moms like that and the rest are waiting until their kids are at least 4.5 and some even 5.25.  And the one thing one mom told me is that "you might regret sending you kid to school at 4 but there is little chance you will regret waiting to send them at 5".  So that's that...it is what it is...what will be will be...God help us!  I just don't want him to go back to the states and be behind but I don't think he will...if he is older and more mature then he should be able to catch up if he needs to.  Anyway, it's done!


March we went back over to the states for Shaun's 1st Bday!   We had a ball too!!!  Can't believe that little bugger is a yr old.  Love that little kid but at that point he was starting to really become a little terror.  He was walking for about 1.5months before his birthday and he was starting to get into everything.   The thing is, I couldn't be to mad at him because he was learning all these things from his big brother!  Lino loved to show Shaun the things he wasn't suppose to do and then come run and tell me that he was doing it!  I would just be like WTF???  I couldn't be mad at Shaun because he was just a baby and I couldn't exactly be mad at Lino because I didn't really know if he had shown him the bad thing to do or if Shaun had figured it out by his self.  Either way I was in trouble because these kids were getting into everything.  We had a great time visiting everyone and when we got back, we had another little bday party for Shaun in Ireland.  We love our parties!


April & May were basically spent counting down the days until our vacation to Italy!  Mike & I had said we were going to go to Italy for our 5yr anniversary but instead we had Shaun so we had to put it off until 6yrs.  But it worked out anyway because it was so much cheaper for us to go while in Ireland vs going from Texas.  Plus my mom ended up going with us to help watch the boys and to get a little vacation in too.  The trip was amazing!!!!  I'm so lucky and blessed to have such a great husband who really made sure we had a good time.  We spent 4 days in Rome, the airline lost our bags in the Netherlands which was fun.  The weather was great and were in a nice location to get onto the bus or train which was great.  The sights were amazing and everything that I could have dreamed of.  The boys seemed to enjoy it as well.  I think it was all the cool looking buildings.  Mom of course had a great time.  The first 4 days were intense sight seeing which was good and bad because I think it stressed me out a bit which meant it stressed Mike out.  But after the first 4 days we got the hang of things and actually utilized our babysitter and were able to enjoy time together as a couple.  We took the train from Rome to Lake Garda...missed our stop in Lake Garda because the train stop was literally 1min long.  Mike almost blew a gasket but we managed to lug all of our crap off of the train at the next stop...actually we almost didn't make that stop either.  Although we were at the door ready this time unlike the last time, the door for some reason didn't want to open and didn't want to stay open.  Thankfully there were some nice young Italian men that kept prying the door open so that we could throw off our 6 pieces of luggage off of the train.  Oh and mom was throwing the boys around like rag dolls trying to make sure that we got them off the train quickly before the doors closed again.  This was some crazy intense stress that lasted for about 2min but seemed like it was hours.  Anyway we made it off and we were lucky because we only had to wait about 20min and there was another train going back to Lake Garda so we got onto that one. Our stay in Lake Garda was quick but nice and relaxing.  It was different for us to be in an apt and not a hotel room but we actually liked it.  The resort we were at was really cool and the boys loved the pool...even though it was ice cold!  Oh, Lino ended up getting sun burn after the first day because I totally forgot to put sun screen on him...even though I packed it in the bag.  Poor kid.  His little shoulders were on fire the 3rd day and we just felt bad for him.   We did get him some spray so that helped.  Mike & I took a day trip to Venice which was nice, and expensive.  It was a fun adventure and I'm glad we did it but at the end we missed our train which did not make daddy Mike happy.  But again we were lucky and there was another train about a hour after the one we were suppose to take so we weren't stuck.  We were getting a little worried because when we realized we had missed the train, because we were looking for Italian cookies at an authentic Italian bakery, we ended up getting a ticket a the service desk of the train station but the line of people waiting to be helped was crazy long.  So we just knew that we wouldn't make the next train if we had to wait for them to change our tickets.  But, my smart husband, sometimes he's smart, found a kiosk and was able to change the tickets there.  That saved us so much time and probably money too.  Ahhh, just another story to tell the grandkids.  After our stay in Lake Garde we took a quick 2 day trip to Switzerland which was amazing!  I would definitely go back but only after winning the lottery or planning it better because that place is super expensive but beautiful where we were in Interlaken.  We took a trip up to the "Top of Europe" and the whole family just was amazed by the beauty of being up there.  The whole trip was amazing and great and I just wish it didn't have to end.  We actually spent 11 days on vacation which is the longest vacation that we've taken ever!  That's including our honeymoon!  And even though my mother stresses me out and we were at each others throat every other minute I'm so glad she was able to go to enjoy this with us and to help us out...it made all the difference in the world.


June...first month of summer with Lino!  All I can say is what a stressfull summer. I had a few camps planed for Lino but not until July so I was stretching to find things for him to do during the month. We took our first trip to the beach which was crazy for me because it was only about 70F but everyone was out on the beach in their 2 piece bathing suits and SPF 45 and everything.  There were a lot of people there in their wet suits too so I guess they do kind of realize that the water isn't really warm but the kids didn't seem to mind the cold...but I sure did!  The sun helped a little but not much.  Its crazy how easy these people burn.  We were at the beach one day with Michelle & Dee and Dee must have missed a little spot on her ankle and the next day it was raw!!!!  She had like a 2nd degree burn from missing a little smear of sun screen on her ankle.  I couldn't believe it...and it took about 2.5 weeks to actually heal.  I felt so bad for her but she said she is use to it...just crazy.  So a little beach time, a lot of time at Fota because the weather was actually nice then just hanging out with the friends. Somehow we survived but man was it tough. I guess I need to chill out some about what to do with him because most days he entertains his self and so does Shaun but I'm so worried that he won't be happy or that he will be board so I plan a million things then have a super cranky kid on my hands at 5pm...hopefully one day I'll learn.


Overall this year has really flown by.  I can say for certain that I have enjoyed my time in Ireland and I know for sure that my kids have enjoyed themselves too.  I feel like I can call this place home which is great.  We all have good friends now and a semi routine which helps so its all just starting to become normal.  While I do enjoy it here I will be happy to move on to the next place whenever that may be.  I know that Mike has been enjoying his work too...its been stressful but he enjoys...I mean LOVES the challenge so it is great for him. 


Last recap for the year are the phrases/sayings or words that you have to use if you want to fit-in in Ireland:
half 3 instead of 3:30
add "so" at the end of all sentences
things are "nice" not good...example: this hamburger is nice!
tire is spelled tyre
there are no ..."ze" at the end of words its "se" instead...like realize
and z is pronounced "zed"
dinner = lunch
Film is pronounced Fil-a-min
no AC or Ice!!
backyard is a back garden
grocery store is the "shop"
garage is the gas station
petrol instead of gas
pay at the pump is a luxury and most people are nervous about doing this
the only drive thru places are KFC & McD's (only 4 in Cork that I know of)
call over means to come by
its not "how old are you" its "what age are ya"
trash is rubbish and if you call it trash they know right away you are American....so funny
trunk of the car is the "boot"


I'm sure there are a few dozen more but those are the big ones that I just don't want to forget.  I love it!  Here's to another year in the land of the Irish