Lino was doing really good with potty all day and had a dry diaper after we left Go Safari so I let have a special treat and let him watch a movie on his iPad. I thought if I encourage the good behavior now he might actually continue it but no while he was watching the movie he pee'd..oh well. Later in the afternoon I tried a new cake, apple strudel cheesecake. It was easy to make but I thought it needed to sit over night before cutting so I didn't have any...Mike was disappointed too :-/
My bubble buddies at bath time. Shaun was super pooped so no smiles from him...
Tuesday started out in the pouring rain. It was coming down pretty bad when we got up and I freaked out because no body had any rain coats...except Mike but he never wears it. But thankfully when we left the house it was only raining a little but the fog was really thick. By the time I dropped Mike off the rain stopped, thankfully, but I had already decided to go looking for rain gear for Lino and I wanted to go to the Penny's but the closes one was the city center and I didn't want to be bothered with trying to park and walking with 2 little ones in this weather. So I found another one that wasn't too far so we went there. Somehow I managed to get there without getting lost which was pretty exciting. Lino kept asking me in the car why do we need rain gear and I guess my standard answer of "this is Ireland" wasn't getting it today...oh well. So we trucked in the store and I search high and low but couldn't find anything...very disappointing. So I thought maybe Tesco would have one and since there was a Tesco attached to the shopping center we went I look for one there. But again, no dice. One of the ladies in Penny's suggested I try the Dunnes Store too so I headed there...since it was close to where we were planning to meet for the coffee morning. By the time we got to the Dunne Store the weather had completely changed, it was partially sunny and a little warm. This weather is so crazy. So we went in anyway because at some point we are going to need these jackets. On the way into Dunnes I ran into one of the moms from Lino's play school. We have talked a couple times before so it was an easy conversation...not forced. I invited her over on Friday for coffee so we will see if she can make it. She thought the Dunnes Store was a good place for the jacket too so I was hoping she was right. Well they didn't have the rain jackets that I was looking for but they at least had some water resistant jackets that weren't too expensive so I got one for Lino. I saw some men's jackets on sale too but no women's so I decided to get one of the men's jackets. It was all orange which is my favorite color and it didn't look like a men's jacket so I said what the heck. So we got out of there in pretty good time. Lino was actually being really good which was great...he was looking forward to the play group. So the coffee morning was at the M&S at the Tesco shopping center down the road and I knew exactly how to get there, it was close. So I leave the store, head to the Teaco car park but get a little mixed up on which lane is turning only and which was straight and turning. So I'm in the second lane and I start to go but I need to turn and it looked like the car next to me was turning too so I just kept going. But no, they were not tuning. They were going straight and I was going straight for them "SHIT!!!!!" CRASH Yup, I crashed into the car, but it was more like a bumper car tap than a crash but a hit non the less. And to make it worst, Shaun was starting to get fussy and it was an old lady. I felt so bad. Oh and it happened right in from if the place we were going so I just knew some of the moms saw me hit her. I was a mess but pulled in front of her and we exchanged information and she said she would call me tomorrow with the information from her mechanic. I didn't know what the procedure was and neither did she so we were a little loss. Someone who knew the lady stopped to see if she was ok, which was nice, and she was. I took a picture of the "scratch" because it wasn't much at all. She had a pretty old car and thankfully I barely hit her so there wasn't much there. I kept asking her if she was ok and she said she was just shook up but otherwise ok, so that made me feel better. So 5 min later we went our separate ways. Shaun was almost in a panic with his screams and I was nearly in tears from all the excitement (and hormones) so we slowly went to the car park. When we got into the shopping center I saw another mom I knew and we chatted for a bit. I need to plan a play date with her but I can't ever remember her schedule so it's hard...one day. I was heading to the M&S but Lino saw the play area and wanted to play there. So I never even made it to the coffee morning. So after all that, I couldn't believe I didn't even make it to the coffee morning...geeze o peez o.
The damage to the ladies car...
So we stayed at the play area for about 3hrs it smeemed. When we fist got there I saw one mom that I had met before at a coffee morning and she was planning to go to the coffee morning as well but her daughter wanted to play in the play area too, so she got stuck. We talked and exchanged numbers and planned to meet up next week. A little before we left I saw yet another mom, she was at the coffee morning but her son wanted to play so that is why she was there. Here son and Lino were actually playing together and I thought he looked familiar but I couldn't put my finger on it. We had coffee at her house a few weeks ago and Lino and her son were both glued to the TV so I didn't even think they got a chance to get to know each other but I guess they did. Eventually Lino was partially ready to go so I took advantage of that and headed towards the car park. On the way Lino stopped me to ask for something to eat...that's a rarity so I asked if he wanted a chicken sandwich and he said yes. Go figure. So we stopped to change Shaun's diaper then we went to the deli & bakery right across from Tesco. I just got him a plan chicken sandwich and as we were walking to the cashier I looked at the sandwich and noticed a hair. Normally I would have rejected the whole thing then and there but I was trying not to be so American and I just took the hair off the sandwich. But then there was a second hair and I was getting leery. I thought maybe I'll just eat the sandwich as get Lino something else. I tried to not look any more but I had to check the rest of it to make sure there wasn't more in there and I couldn't believe it but there were like 2 other hairs...that I could see. And I couldn't turn a blind eye to that...I was about to throw up actually. So I gave the lady the sandwich back and told here that there were several strings of hair in it so I didn't want it any more. She didn't understand me so I had to say it like 3x and I still don't think she got it but I gave her the sandwich back and just paid for my drink. The people in the line and behind the counter were giving me the death stare but I didn't care. I know people here wouldn't do such a thing as complain about hair in their food but I just couldn't let 4 strings of hair go. I was just amazed at how much hair was in it and then I started thinking maybe it wasn't hair, that was just way too much to be someone's hair...right???? I have no idea I just know I didn't want to have anything to do with that stringy stuff in my sandwich. So I just wanted to get something quick for Lino so we went into the Tesco and got a few things from the hot deli section...we both ate lunch for less than the string sandwich would have cost me so it worked out. How gross.
So I couldn't believe the kind of day I was having so I headed home but I told my friend I would come by so I texted her to see if she still wanted company. On the way home Lino kept telling me to be careful because I didn't want to crash...AGAIN!!!! thanks captain obvious. So my day just continued to get worse from there. On the drive home I splashed this lady and her kids on the side of the road with a rain puddle. I saw her up ahead but and I noticed that there were some puddles on the road but it didn't all click that if I continue on my current course and speed I would drench the mom and baby in the stroller. So dumb me just keeps going until I'm in the puddle and it's splashing super high and I look back in my review mirror and notice her shaking her head and shaking her clothes off trying to get some of the excess puddle junk off of her. Thankfully her kid had a weather cover so I don't think the kid got wet but I'm not sure. Then I see the car behind me treat the puddle in the appropriate method...rolling slowly thru it and checking on the mom and tot. I felt horrible...what do I do turn around and say I'm sorry or what???? I mean the damage was done so an I'm sorry really isn't going to do much help at that point. So I said a quick prayer that he would forgive me and that no one would get sick from my horrible judgement. What a morning...
So we get home and I wasn't sure if my friend was up for company but she texted me back so we headed that way. I needed to stop at the house anyway to get some of the cake that I had made last night. So we go out that way and I was thinking the whole time that I should just stay home. I was exhausted from my ordial this morning and I didn't know exactly where I was going so I was sure I was going to get lost and that Lino would fall asleep and we would have a fight when we got there...just didn't know how the trip was going to go. So I make it past Midleton ok then the directions start coming quicker and I turn but wasn't exactly sure if it was the right turn. I drive for a while and get to a stop where the directions say to go right but I go left because I have this feeling that I'm not in the right town. I see a Garda guard ahead of me stopping cars but I didn't think anything of it...must be checking for insurance. And thankfully I had been nagging Mike about getting us insurance since before we moved into the house and a little over a week ago we got the insurance tag. See in Ireland you have to have insurance, NCT (which is like an emissions test) and taxes displayed in your front window. I knew we had the NCT because that was part of the selling agreement and I just got my insurance so I was set...I really didn't think about the taxes because I thought that was already paid too. Boy was I wrong. So I turn left and she looks at my stickers and tells me to pull over and I immediately reach for my insurance card because I think that's what she is looking. But before I could get it she tells me " you know you are auppose to have your taxes displayed at all times?" I was like "oh yeah, I know, it's right there". She was like "no that's your insurance". Then it clicked I remember Mike telling me that he just payed the taxes on Friday or something like that. He didn't know where to go to pay it but finally found it. So I told her my story and she kind of believed me but kept telling me that "it's a €60 fine for not having it displayed". €60...seriously???!!! So I texted Mike and told him what was going on and he didn't respond right away, as usual, but eventually he did. There was really nothing he could do because she wanted to see the actual sticker so eventually, after she took all my information looked over my American license and calle into her office she told me that I could bring in the taxes or post a copy to the Garda station within a week and she wouldn't send me the fine. Great, now I have to freaking go to the Garda station next week and figure this crap out. So I told her I would and told her for the 3rd or 4th time that I know we paid for it just recently I just don't have any proof. She was either a sucker or believed me because I was American because she kept saying I know I believe you. Then he let me go...I couldn't believe how my day was going. So now I'm really flustered and didn't know where I was in relation I the directions so I read them again and notice a key turn at some red garage and I was like "SHIT!!!!!" I don't remember seeing any red garage and I don't remember turning...where the hell am I????? So I decide to turn around and go back to find this red garage. When I turned around I had to pass the Garda again and she acted like she was going to pull me over again...seriously lady!!!! I just got stopped by you 5 min ago, you don't remember me????? But she did remember me and waved me on...geez. So I start back tracking my steps and little did I know that red garage was way back almost to Midleton and that I did turn at the red garage so I was going the right way. What a mess...so I came up to the stop sign with my friendly Garda friend and I knew I needed to turn the other direction. And I found the house. I was such a reck but I had already told her we were coming so I just stayed for a little while. It was nice to have a chat. She is very personable so it was easy to hold a conversation. We only just met the previous week so we talked a lot about our past, how we got married, child birth in Ireland, my crazy day, stuff like that. While I was there the lady that I hit called me to talk about the damage and she told me not to worry about it. I couldn't believe it, I mean I could because there wasn't much I could do since her car was already old but I would have paid for it if she wanted to fix it. So she told me it was ok and I apologized about 10x and she said she knew that I was sorry and she wasn't worried about it. I asked if she was ok and she was then I told her again that if she changed her mind about the damage let me know. Once I hung up I was in tears...how embarrassing. I was just one big ball of emotions today, ok many hormones running thru my body these days...I cry more now than I have in the past 10yrs combined. My friend felt sorry for me and old me to have a glass if wine for dinner, which I planned to do...what a roller coaster. At least that part is over and everyone is ok and I can move on from there...pick yourself up Renee and get a grip!!!!! I ended up staying a little later than I had planned so we stopped at Tesco on the way home to get a cooked chicken for dinner. We got home and I whipped together some chicken soup and rice and got it done just in time, as Mike was getting home. What a day...I hope tomorrow is better.
Wednesday we were back on the schedule. Took Mike to work, took Lino to school and I got invited to a coffee morning at one of the moms house. I thought we were going to do coffee at my place but she wanted to do it at hers so oh well. The funny part is that fresh baked is very important, it seems like having cake or scones from the day before is a no no so the mom was telling us that she would go to SuperValue on Friday to get scones because she wasn't going to get up early on Friday to cook. I told her I would bring something because I had planned to make a cake or something anyway and she was like "no, I'm not going to ask you to get up at 7am and bake that's silly!" I was thinking to myself, I was going to bake the cake the night before because I thought it would still be pretty fresh but maybe it's not fresh enough :-/ Maybe I can fake it???? Or maybe I shouldn't my first time???? So many decisions, anyway I was glad I was going to have a chance to sit and talk to the moms because they live close to us so it would be nice to have friends close by. After that I came home to clean. The day was pretty normal until the afternoon when Lino decided to eat 4 eggs and he/we dropped the 5th on the floor. I had planned to make a couple things that need egg wash but now I was out of eggs. I guess I didn't think that thru when Lino was asking to eat up all the eggs. I was just focused on feeding him that I didn't think ahead. So now I can either pack up the boys and run to the store, that will end up being a 30min trip because I can't run in and out of the grocery store with then very quickly...at least it's not a guarantee that I can (I think I used all my luck yesterday at Tesco). I could leave out the eggs and see how it turns out without it, I was making chicken cutlets in the oven so I knew it didn't have to have the egg wash but it probably needed it to make it crispy. Then my last option was to ask for eggs from one of my newly introduced neighbors or even my landlord who lives fairly close. So I texted Mike and told him to bring eggs, not really a viable option but I wanted him to know my delima. And he said he would but I texted him back and said I was just joking because the eggs wouldn't make it thru the jog and that would be a pain for him to carry them for 1/2 of his jog. So I decided to ask the neighbors. I gave them a ring and they were more than happy to let me have some eggs...so nice. So we walked over and ended up staying for a chat. I guess it's kind of not personable to just come over to get eggs then leave. So we stated and Lino roamed the house like it was his, he so nosey. But they seemed to enjoy the visit so it was nice. It's funny because they wanted to talk about the weather and I just think that's funny. We had a little thunder storm last night and the winds kicked up a little but to me it was nothing compared to the thunder storms I Texas so I didn't think I much of it but they were like "did you hear the storm last night, it was bad!" Hahaha, I had to laugh but I guess the weather is usually pretty mild, that means no major storms, hurricanes or anything like that so a little thunder and power flickering is a big deal. So after our 10min chat I got sent home with 4 eggs, even tho I only asked for 2 and a bottle of home made jelly. They are too nice, I'll have to make a jacket for them on Friday to thank them. Now the question is, do I also return them the eggs???? I don't know what the etiquette is...what is the protocol???? Help!!!!!!! Oh well, I'll play it by ear I guess.
Thursday was a lot of the same...work, school, dropped off some cake at Martha's and returned the sling she let me try out. I talked to Conor for a while then went home, Shaun scooting under the table (backwards, that crazy kid), coffee morning, home and lunch. I talked to my mom for a while too and I just can't believe that it's been 3 days of her not working because of this stupid budget stuff. If this continus on for too long she is not going to be in a good place with her situation. She put 4 kids thru college and just doesn't have a ton of money sitting around. This is just crazy. I absolutely hate politics so I don't know a lot about what's going on, I know I should but I don't, but I do know a lot of people are going to be hurting after this mess. I was talking to one of the moms at the group today and it's crazy how people in Ireland perceive the situation in the states and what they think of Obamacare. It's amazing what the news tells you and what it leaves out. The one mom thought that Obamacare was a great thug for us and that people would really benefit from it but once I told her my quick and simple point of view she was shocked to hear about all the extra layers Obamacare would cause. I hate politics so we didn't talk long about it but like I said I can't believe it's been 3 days and no sign of progress yet...God I hope the budget gets set soon. So then on with the rest of my day. I was feeling a little sick like I was coming down with a cold or flu even because I was super achy and totally not motivated to do anything. Lino pooped his pants again and I just give up. He went 3 hrs at school with a dry diaper but at soon as he gets home he acts like it's an act against God to go pee in the potty...I don't get it. Anyway it wasn't a good afternoon and I was too tired to deal with the poop so I let Mike handle it when he it home. I'm glad this day is over...with all the rain, my aches and pains and my poopy son it's about time for today to be over.
Shaun Shaun scooted his way all the way under the table this morning. He was the way on the other side and somehow got under there. I asked him what he was doing under there and he just smiled at me so I had to take his picture. It's funny because when the flash went off he gave me this "uh oh" look...like he was doing something that he wasn't suppose to be doing...too cute.
He was really under there
Friday Friday!!!! Forecast says today is suppose to be partially sunny and it's rainy right now...what's up with that??? Well we left the house and it wasn't raining but 2 min later it started raining...to figure. And today of all days Lino doesn't have his boots on or rain jacket. I just can't get it right. I put him in rain gear when it's rainy then it clears up and no rain, then the day I put him in fall gear and there is no rain, it rains all morning...poor kid. So after I dropped Lino off I headed to Blackpool to meet up with Nicola and some of her mommy friends. My play school coffee morning got canceled last night because one of the mommies was sick so didn't want to share the bug so I was able to make it to this one. It was crazy because I was just starting to measure out the dry ingredients for the cake when I got the text about the cancelation. I was going to go ahead and make the cake anyway but I was feeling so exhausted I just put the dries in a container for another day. Anyway I headed to Supervalu first to get a few things and to stall then went to find Planet. Once I got there I was completely lost because I thought it was a coffee place with a place area but it was an entertainment center / health club...and huge!!! Finally I found a good entrance and went in to get directions to where I might meet some moms at and the lady looked at me like I had 3 eye and was like the play area doesn't open until 12. Seriously???!!! I asked if there was another place near by called Planet and she was like...uh no! Hahaha. So I called Nicole but she didn't answer, I figured she was driving so I sent her a text. A few min later she called me back and we met at the side of the place to discuss. This was her first time being there too so she wasn't exactly sure what time they opened either. A few min later one of the moms we were meeting showed up, Erika, and she was equally shocked with the 12pm opening time. I was getting a little worried that maybe I misunderstood the lady at the desk so I went back in to check with her and she corrected me and said the entertainment center doesn't open until half 12!!!! Yikes, even worse than my original time. Once I got back outside to give the update the 4th mom was there and she was also in shock. So we discussed what to do and I talked to Erika some because she is also American and has been living in Cork for the past 6yrs. I had to ask her ad Nicola about the laundry because I'm absolutely, completely, utterly annoyed with the laundry situation. Today I put a blanket on Shaun that I just washed and it smelled super sour on one side. It made me soa made this morning. So I was telling them my woows and asking if I was doing something wrong and basically it's just part of living in Ireland. I guess I don't have the right touch on the air drying system because people live without dryers and don't always smell like sour moldy clothes but for some reason I always have 1 or 2 pieces of clothes per load that end up smelling horribly by the time I try to put them away. It's such a nightmare, I just hate it!!!!! So we a hatted about that for a while, after they laughed at me first because that's one of the most common complaints from new Americans living here they said. Their suggestion was to just use the dryer and not fight too much with the drying system if I don't have to. Which is what I was waning towards anyway. They confirmed my thoughts about it being almost impossible to dry clothes in the winter because it's so damp. It can be done but you have to use all your alternative heating sources (furnace, fire place, hot box) and 3-4 days to do it. Nicola said she went a few years without a dryer but eventually couldn't take the sour smell so had to get a dryer. She was like if you have a dryer use it!!! At least use it to dry the clothes 1/2 way then finish them with the air drying. It might save me 2 days but cost me a few euros...I think that's money well spent myself. So we got a good laugh out of that and decided to go to another place in the shopping center. We found out that the entertainment center was going to open in like 30min for a party but we decided to go to another place anyway. Erika doesn't have a car and it was just her and her son so they road with me. I was a little embarrassed because my car was a complete mess and Lino's seat was completely filthy but we only needed to use it for a few min so he wasn't going to die from siting in it. The funny part is that I told Mike the other day that I needed to clean that thing out badly and he was like why don't you. I told him I didn't want to be bothered with the drying of that beast....hahahaha...guess I will be washing it this weekend! So we drove to the shopping center and the place was closed!!!!! And of course there was no sign saying what time they open...this is just crazy. Then we decided to drive back to Planet...who would have known we should have just stayed. By that time I only had a little time left before it was time to get Lino but it was nice to get a peek inside to see the place. It was pretty clean on the inside and had a nice set up. All the play stuff for the kids is around the parameter of the building and the seating area is in the middle. So no matter where your kid is you can pretty much see them from your table which is nice. Anyway, it was a quick visit but nice and I got a chance to meet and talk to another American which was cool. She's been living here for 5 or 6yrs and they don't have a car at all. I couldn't believe it. But she said that she likes it so that means there is hope for me...hahaha.
I left there and went to get Lino and we headed home for lunch. Lino baked some mini cinnamon rolls today and he was excited to eat them. We went home and I told him we would go to the park when he was done but then it started raining. So we decided not to go but then it stopped raining so I told him we should hurry and go before it started raining again. By this point Lino was into his trains so he wasn't ready to go so we played then it started raining so I figured it wasn't an issue that he was playing but then he wanted to go. Geeze Louis...so we got ready to go and by the time we got out of the driveway it had stopped raining. I put the rain coats in the car just in case. So we played at the park for a while until Mike got off of work, Shaun slept in the car most of the time which was nice...he needed a nap. Lino got board with the park after about a hour so we ended up walking around and doing a little exploring...we had a good time. After about 2hrs of being at the park Mike showed up and took Lino exploring a little more...but only after Lino made Mike doing a little exercising. He had Mike doing some sprints and laps around the river, it was great. Even tho it was kind of cloudy and misty it was a nice afternoon at the park.
With my boys at the park. Shaun was having a good time even tho it doesn't exactly look like it.
Lino found a little crab on his adventure...a dead one but he threw it back into the river to eat just in case ;-)
Since it was such a nice afternoon, meaning no rain, and the sun was kind of our we decided to go to the Rising Tide for a pint and some fries for Lino. Mike jogged home and we stayed at the park for a little because Lino wasn't ready to go. There was a mom from Lino's play school there and she recognized me but I didn't recognize her, I kind of felt bad. But we talked for a while and shared stories about the ups and downs of motherhood. Then we both left. We made it home a little after Mike and just relaxed the rest of the evening. Mike put Lino in the bed and I got ready to watch Scandal season premier...I was super excited. I was so excited that I had the sling box all ready to go, a glass if wine and a slice of cake for both if us ready to go by the time Mike got done. The only issue was that Shuan wasn't in the mood to sleep so he was bouncing all over the place but at least he wasn't crying. There was a recap show that covered the last 3 seasons so we watched that first. Mike hasn't seen any if the seasons so it was a good recap. Then we watched the season premier and it was pretty good!!!! I love that show. Then bed!
What a night we had...Lino was a mess. He was either over tired, hungry, not sleepy or just hates his parents...what ever it was it was bad. He was up at 2, 2:30, 3:10, 3:45 and finally was out of it around 4:20. Then his brother decided to get up too and act like he wasn't sleepy but I shut that down really quickly. I don't know what was wrong with Lino but he was determined not to sleep or at least not sleep in his bed...it was bad. I was planning to make some baked goods for the breastfeeding challenge but not after that night. I could only hope Lino would sleep in and he did...Shaun tried to get up at 6:30 but I was so not ready so I somehow managed to wrestle him back to sleep and finally the 3 of us got up around 8:30. I tried to let Mike sleep in some but Lino was having a tantrum and woke him up too...sorry. So we I got ready and got the boys ready to go. I was going to meet up with a couple of moms and follow them to the challenge. When it was time to go Lino was like "I don't want to go, I want to stay with daddy!" I almost broke my ankle trying to sprint for the door I was so shocked...so I left them and me and Shaun headed out. We got to Nicole's house and Shaun was sleep so we waited outside until everyone was ready to go. Martha was thinking about going to but changed her mind plus the hubby had the car so I told her we might swing by after it was over. We made a quick coffee stop, I totally needed it, and headed to the place. Michelle had made some baked goods so she dropped those off and we hung out for a while. So basically this breastfeeding challenge is a challenge across the world to see how many breastfeeding mommy's can have their baby "latch on" at the same time. It's to raise awareness to breastfeeding plus it's a place to get support and resources if needed. At this event there were some drawings for slings and homeopathic treatments and stuff then lots of information about breastfeeding. I tried on a couple of slings because I'm about ready to get something else for Shaun, he's getting too big and busy for the Moby. The lady at the sling area was helping someone and the other lady helping her wasn't very helpful so Micold helped me figure out one of the buckle ones. I think I like it actually so I might look into buying one. I really like the one I used at Martha's house a few weeks ago too so not sure which will be better...too many decisions. So after that we left and decided to go have lunch at The Elm Tree. I called Mike and he said he would walk there and meet us which was cool. The weather was actually really nice so I was a little sad that I missed our traditional Sat family walk :-( So on the way to the restaurant I stopped at the street that Mike should be walking down to see if he wanted a ride. But I sat there for a while and no Mike or Lino. So I drove up the hill to see if they had got stopped or delayed because when I called him Lino was fussing in the background so I didn't know if he was having a hard time getting him to go. But once I got 2/3 of the way up the hill and didn't see them I knew something was up. So I went back down the hill and to the main street and to my surprise they were right in front of me. How the heck did that happen??? I guess he could have went down the other hill but that would have been out of the way...anyway I drove by and honked at them...Lino got a kick out of that. So we all had lunch at the Elm Tree. It was our first time having the carvery but it was pretty good and a good price too. Lino of course didn't want anything to eat except fries and he didn't even eat that. And when we got there Mike and Lino surprised me with a gift, a Jamie Allen cook book that they got in the city. The city???? So he tells me that they decided to go for a walk to the train station and went to the city for the morning and Lino wanted to get mommy something nice so they got me a cook book that I was to cheap to buy for myself...I didn't like the commitment of €40 for a cook book. And since they were in the city Mike got him a coffee at his favorite place and a brownie of course...he deserved it for taking Lino with him so I'm glad he got him a treat. So that explains why I didn't see them come down the hill because they came from the train station. Anyway it was nice and I really appreciated the book.
Here is a picture of Lino and Mike on the train...they look like they had a good time.
So after our late lunch we all parted ways and we went to Tesco for some shopping, so we didn't have to do it on Sun and to get Mike and Lino's hair cut....long over due. So for some reason I thought there was a barber on the opposite side of the Tesco so we walked around like crazy people looking for it and found nothing so they got their hair cut at the Boston Barber shop. There was a bit of a que so Lino ran up end down the travelater a million times until it was their turn. I looked thru my new cook book to see if there was anything we wanted to make for the week. But I was a little overwhelmed so at the end all we saw was a dessert that we really wanted to try, sticky toffee pudding!!!! Hahaha. So we did out shopping which seemed like it took forever and we decided we wanted beef Wellington so we searched high and low for tenderloin and came up with zip!!!! The "buther" at Tesco didn't even know what a tenderloin was, that goes to show you the Tesco people behind the meat counter are not real butchers. So we decided to go to the Glanmire butcher because that was close to the house and it was getting late so if we were ging to have tenderloin for the weekend Saturday would be the best day for the butcher...who knows what the open and close times are for Sunday so we didn't want to risk it. On the way there I called Martha to see if she wanted visitors but no answer, she must have been busy. So Mike ran in to get the tenderloin, that the real butcher had, and I stayed in the car with the sleeping duo. We got home and were both pooped so we just hung out for a while. I was too tired to put the boys on the bath so after Lino ate, he got sausages and French fries from Tesco I put him in bed. Mike was out on the couch around 7 because he was popped from our night of no sleep plus he's a man and can't handle this mothering thing. So it was all me...Mike tried to help but...well...it wasn't very helpful. So once I got Lino in bed Mike went to bed too...whimp. He was pacing in the room when I was Shaun wasn't ready yet and for some reason I wasn't ready to sleep yet either so we stayed up and watched Safe House. But right after I turned it on Mike was texting me from upstairs asking me to come help him...I wasn't sure where this was going but I didn't like the spud of it. I was already a little annoyed that he checked out so early and now he's texting me from upstairs, is he out of his mind????? So I get upstairs and he's shivering and asking for clothes because he was cold...so I guess he's sick...great. So I get him clothes then later, after Shaun went to sleep I got him water and a thermometer to see if he's really sick but no fever. I kind of felt bad that I was annoyed but not bad about feeling like he was a whimp, he doesn't do good with being sick and he always is a little dramatic soooooooo...anyway. So finally I head to bed too...I need some rest myself!
Well Sunday wasn't much better of a night. Between Mike shivering from being cold and me pooping my brains out we had a heack of a night...I think we got a little food poisoning :-( So we were both feeling like dump trucks ran over us and neither one of us felt like being a parent so we let the iPad do the entertaining for a few hours. We tried to sleep but Shaun wanted the iPad and Lino kept yelling at him to leave it alone. At least Lino was self sufficient enough to get himself a little snack from his snack drawer while his parents were glued to the bed. Then finally Mike got up and took the boys while I got a few more winks...2hrs to be exact! It was some of the best sleep that I've had in a long time. So after I got up it was really a boaring day. We watched TV, sat on the couch and try to get rehydrated. We didn't even really have dinner, Mike had a grill cheese and Lino ate like 3 bowls of oatmeal. Oh yeah, we found out why he hasn't been eating his oatmeal or oatmilk as Lino likes to call it... We have been giving him the Irish porridge and he may eat 1/2 his bowl but Friday I have him some of our stock of Quaker Oatmeal variety pack, from Costco of course, and every since he has been gobbling it down. I guess he just doesn't like the flavor of the Irish stuff and I can't blame him I really don't like it either. Hopefully we can find a flavor he does like because I don't think we will be able to keep a full supply for him with only a couple trips back home a year...but we will see. So baths for the boys, finally, then bed for Lino and Shaun went right to sleep but didn't want to be put in his crib so Mike ended up holding him until he went to bed too. What a week...sure glad it's over. Hope next week is a little better.
Hi Renee just checking out your blog and loved reading about your cork adventure. Your kids are gorgeous and it sounds like you're having fun and games settling into life here! Good luck, hope to meet you soon
ReplyDeleteAmy
Ps- cork has a fabulous and free home birth system, no need for hospital at all :-)