Today we said goodbye to Dad again by Claire

My husband works overseas and saying 'goodbye' is part of the course of our lives for over 2years now. You would be forgiven for thinking it gets easier with 'practise' but saying goodbye never does.

The girls are getting older and the eldest one (7) is better at handling it, the youngest (2) looks up at airplanes and says 'bye daddy'. Whereas,I try being cheerful, I am really grumpy,antisocial and teary for a day or so afterwards but then I have to move on and look towards the next time he'll be home. The children can't make that decision ..to move on as 'matter of factly' as adults but they are quite resilient, and I've seen my girls cope better than me! My husband was explaining to 7yrold that he was leaving again and she informed him that its ok she's used to it and he'll be back. She has explained to my 2yrold that daddy is gone away to work but he will be home soon! Of course, hearing this exchange between my girls is heart wrenching, but 2yrold nods as if she understands and that's it ...discussion over!

Of course it's not really over and daddy is still missed terribly, he is spoken to and about everyday. Every time 2yrold sees a work van same colour as his she says daddy or if she hears a song that they've sung together..; 7yrold stockpiles things that daddy needs to fix when he gets home! 

While that is us, the ones left behind waiting, it must be dreadful actually being the one leaving. Getting on yet another plane;Killing time in yet another airport. Being so far away from  family and seeing the differences in the children each time you are home. That can't be the easiest thing in the world either, to put it mildly!
But unfortunately that's the way it has to be for now and maybe someday soon things will change.

Big and Small Steps

So Killian will be starting school in September.  Gulp!  Also, just found out that so far there are only 2 children starting in Junior Infants (small school - about 53 in the school in total).  So I rang the principal and she put me in contact with the other kid's mammy.  Another little boy will be starting with him, and they had their first playdate on monday.  In one way I couldnt be happier, because it took them less than 5 minutes to become best friends, thick as thieves, and Katie joined in too.  However, I can picture it now, 10 years down the road ( or sooner) cycling to each others houses, staying out all day, making up stories just to meet up and get out of homework, in 12 years time, getting fake ids and sneaking into nightclubs toghether, and if Katie is still in tow, who will be getting a crush on who??  What have we started!!!  By the end of the day, no-one wanted anyone to leave - trying to arrange sleep overs and asking how many sleeps til the next play date.  So maybe take it one day at a time - I am so chuffed for my little boy to have such a nice friend to grow up with, and it will be the making of many more blog posts I'm sure.  Watch this space!!!

First Holy Communion (Finally) by Claire

The day has come and gone in a hive of activity. Visitors have travelled home, the last of the food has been eaten.Things are going back to 'normal'. Except for one major thing.. My first born little girl has made her communion.  First Holy Communion, in my mind, represents one of the mile stones in a child's life, they are growing up (and pushing us on with them).

Only 3 children made communion, 2 girls, 1 boy.Small country school, combined first communion with sunday morning mass, so it became a community event. They were all so cute, and clean and tidy!! As opposed to the untucked shirts, paint covered hands and unruly haired children that greet you after the school day!! They each had to bring gifts to alter and say 2 prayers of the faithful, they were brilliant, no nerves.. I love their confidence, long may it last. All the fussing over clothes and food was worth it.We didn't go OTT it was  a great day shared with family and friends and my daughter loved it.

First Holy Communion 2 by Claire

Preparations are underway for the communion tomorrow. My goodness all this for 1 day!  Purchased the communion dress but when we tried it on at home I noticed it was kind of grubby looking around the neck line! I suppose it was from people trying on the dress but I didn't notice this in the shop.I had to get it dry cleaned; 2 weeks before the communion day dress needed be be taken up a little. So that's done. I had a problem getting white occasion tights because I left it too late to buy them.I did manage to find plain ones and there is the option to wear frilly socks but I had my in-laws checking for tights in Scotland, which proved successful! Because her shoes are new the soles are slippy which is a huge worry because she is doing 2 prayers of the faithful and bringing up the gifts, I will try sandpaper and hairspray to stop slipping! Yikes!! So now the day before the communion we have.. Communion dress, shoes, tights/socks, headgear, bag, book, candle and rosary beads.  For 2yrold we have...dress,tights, new shoes, hairclip ( if one has a pretty thing in their hair the other has to as well!!) . Husband has decided not to don the kilt and go for suit instead so he's sorted and I have my outfit..fashion wise we are good to go!! Next hurdle is food; the plan is to have food back at ours afterwards, so today will be dedicated to sorting out the menu.This is proving a bit of an ordeal because the communion is on at 10am and I will have the family to feed all through the day and I have invited people who are not immediate family after 2.30pm so continuous supply of food is a must!! Thank goodness I have family who will help with that because if left to my own devices the menu would be cocktail sausages and chicken nuggets!  I have had the booze ordered and delivered online.Much easier than physically purchasing it yourself.. (Only had to explain to delivery man that it wasn't all for me!! If I had gone to the shops to buy all the booze I would have met everyone from local priest to local gossip and had to explain over and over that I am not (yet) a roaring alcoholic!!) Tips for future reference..  Check the neckline on communion dress in proper lighting. Get undergarments and accessories early. Be prepared for slippy soles on shoes. Have an alterations person contact incase dress needs altering. Invest in a stain removal pen (fits easily in handbag). If someone offers help to do anything.. Accept!!  That's all for now, will follow up with final communion blog after the day!! Fingers crossed weather will be great.....

appreciation of books through the years

My little boy has had a growing relationship with books since he was a baby - which went something like this:
Age - 1 year - mmm books - look yummy - I think I'll eat them
Age - 2 years - why didnt anyone tell me sooner you can tear paper this is so much fun
Age - 3 years - so there are stories in books and someone can read them to me - ok thats cool
Age - 4 years - I love books, I love the library, i dont want to give the books back to the library though. 

So daddy decided to surprise him one day and photocopied one of his favourite books so we wouldnt have to renew it again (sshhhh, dont tell anyone).  However, daddy was gone to work before he got up that morning and didnt explain what he had done.  Poor Killian got the fright of his life when he saw loose pages of his favourite book sitting beside the television and cried out - Mammy - the girls have been tearing up the books!!!!  How things have changed.  Long may it last!!

My sister Cathy singing 'Skinny Love' by Claire

This is my youngest sister Cathy singing a song called 'skinny love'. She got a present of making a CD for her birthday and this is one of the songs on the CD.
There are more but this is my favourite. The fancy video work is yours truly, pictures of Scottish lakes in winter, cliffs in Kilkee in spring and the view from back garden in winter.  I may upload new videos of my sisters stunning voice but am new to this video producing lark, so it may take a while. On a 'mummy note' my 7yrold has 'matter of factly' asked for half her aunties money when she's famous.. Just like that! I love the simplicity of it! Anyway, have a listen and please let me know what you think.. My sister may not be too happy when she find out what I've done!!! Check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCDmYdm9Ho&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My Sister - Singing Skinny Love by Claire

My youngest sister Cathy singing see my next blog for background story!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNCDmYdm9Ho&feature=youtube_gdata_player

How and when do you find the time to...By Claire

The Fabulous Moms Guide tagged me in a meme which was originally started by Ms Dolly Daydream ( Sex, drugs, rocker and stroller, baby ) and which posed the question             ‘How  and when do you find the time to…’     and while being tagged was a great honour, the prospect of actually trying to record the ‘madness’ of my daily routine was quite daunting!
Firstly, I want to say that I love the idea of this meme and the insight it gives into ‘how people cope’. I have learned a lot from reading what others have contributed, in particular I learned what a meme actually is; a useful thing to know considering..., i.e. subject that a group of bloggers write about (thanks to Fabulous Moms Guide).
Firstly to list the Rules of this meme:
1- Please post the rules.
2- When answering the questions, please give as much detail as possible!
3- Leave a comment on Sex, drugs, rocker and stroller, baby so we can keep track of the  meme and I can totally steal your routine tips to make my world a happier place.
4- Tag 3 or more people and link to them on your blog.
 So, having completed No:1 above, I shall commence with my first meme!!

How and when do you find the time to…….do your laundry?
Washing machine is constantly going in my house. The laundry basket seems to magically reproduce and multiply clothes.(Once, I put jeans in the laundry basket with €20.00 in the pocket, but do you think the €20.00 multiplied?.. Nooo, in fact that money magically disappeared!).   I do all my laundry in the evening after work, Apparently ‘off-peak’ time is cheaper (Um No). I tend to tumble dry everything (heavier items get put on radiator if heating is on). Tumble drying might be a ‘no no’ in some peoples’ books but for me its convenient, fast and has a guaranteed result of dry clothes, no guarantees with weather. I sort the clothes whenever I get a chance, no exact time.

How and when do you find the time to…….write a blog post?
 I Write blogs whenever I get a chance, if the girls are watching TV, on tea or lunch breaks at work, doctors waiting room! I record blog ideas and notes on my phone and then I tweak and tidy in the evenings or in bed at night.

How and when do you find the time to….look after yourself…i.e. wash your hair, paint your nails, take a bubble bath etc.?
Again, it’s in the evenings when I don’t have anything more urgent to do. My husband works overseas and it’s only me and my girls so I only have time for myself when they are asleep, and sometimes I am so tired I can’t be bothered! But I suppose it depends on ones view of ‘me’ time e.g. I have taken up Knitting, so I consider it ‘me’ time if I get the chance to knit for a while or finish something, (which again I do at night in bed mostly). Someday, I do intend to take up a sexier hobby though!

How and when do you find the time to…….spend time with your other half?
That is a difficult one in our case. Because my husband works overseas and only gets home for 2 weeks every couple of months, it’s very difficult. We try and get out for a night but the girls want to see their dad too, so it’s hard. I try to take days off work when he is home, so we can spend a bit of time together, but there is nearly ALWAYS something to do or somewhere to go.....

How and when do you find the time to…….do fun stuff with your LO?
Evenings and weekends, I love cuddling up with them at bed time too. I try to take them to the Swing park and off to the beach as much as possible because if we are at home I’ll only do housework and that defeats the purpose of our fun time.

How and when do you find the time to…….spend time with family?
 I love spending time with my family, my sisters are my best friends and I don’t know what I would do without them. I see my mum almost every day, don’t see my younger brother or dad as much as that though (must be a guy thing). My in-laws are Scottish and they are great to visit as often as possible and we go to them as much as we can too. Overall, its all a bit irregular!

How and when do you find the time to ….socialise with friends?
This is something I have really let laspse, I see my friends that live near me on and of, mainly due to the ‘having children thing’! I live a bit away from my other friends so a night out involves getting a babysitter out to the ‘sticks’(country) or me going up to the city with my brood, its just so awkward and trying to get a night that everyone is available is neigh on impossible. So, I don’t have an answer for this one!!

How and when do you find the time to ….prepare an evening meal juggling a baby/toddler bedtime routine?
When I get home from work I just do a light snack for me and the girls, they have already eaten through the day , then its wash and bed by 8-8.30pm. Luckily my daughters occupy each other while I cook and there’s always the TV! (Probably too reliant on TV But ...oh well it works for me)

How and when do you find the time to ….deep clean your house?
I get fads of cleaning fits, empty wardrobes, clear out junk and tidy playroom etc once every few weeks; on those days none of the normal stuff gets done!! Other than that a light clean on a weekly basis at weekends.

How and when do you find the time to ….do the food shopping?
Once a week at the weekend mainly, I don’t have a list because I never stick to it anyway. My girls (under duress) and I go to the next town to the supermarket. And then I spend the rest of the weeks’ lunch breaks, from work, going in around Tesco getting things I never got at the weekend shop. Organised chaos!

How and when do you find the time to ….bulk ironing?
This one is an easy answer for me..I don’t!
 I only iron if I need something. My husband loves ironing and I don’t think he trusts me with his shirts (wise man is my hubby)!

So that’s how I do things, no real plan in there at all, just organised chaos with a little sprinkling of luck and a continuous flow of coffee!!

Now to Tag 3 more ..
http://mumofalltrades.blogspot.com
http://miniandmum.blogspot.com/
http://schoolgatestyle.blogspot.com/
Tagged .. ladies your ..you are It! xx