Always Take The Trip
I read an article recently where the author shares the best parenting advice she ever received was to “always take the trip.” Here’s an excerpt from Annie Reneau’s article: “My friend Kelly has three stellar kids who are a bit older than my own three. I consider her and her husband to be model parents, so one day I asked her for her best piece of parenting advice. I thought she’d say something about love or discipline or consistency, so her answer took me by surprise. “Always take the trip,” she said. “When you question whether or not you should go on the vacation, just do it. Spend the money. Take the…
Happy List #30
Happy Friday!! I feel like summer is already moving faster than I want it to! This week I posted about the free souvenir we bring home from trips and how I preserve the memory. I also shared my trash to treasure 4th of July wreath. Here’s what’s on my Happy List today. I COULD LIVE HERE Hello, wood details. Hello, white brick backsplash. Hello, shiplap. Be sure and visit Sita Montgomery Interiors to see more pictures of this kitchen including the detail on the ends of the kitchen island. (image) PISTACHIO, CINNAMON AND YOGHURT BARK Yes, this is a recipe from the UK. Hence the Yog-HURT. This frozen recipe looks…
Junky 4th of July Wreath
I went dumpster diving and found treasure! Let me clarify something though. Dumpsters in Ireland are called skips. They range in size from 2.5 cubic yards to 35 cubic yards. You can also order a gigantic bag for your yard waste/other debris and that is called a baby skip. Aw, so cute! Aren’t you glad for all the random information you learn on this blog? Here’s what a skip looks like when it’s being hauled away on the lorry. This is not the one that held my treasure though. It held some old windows that were replaced in our house. I walk by skips in front of houses and businesses…
Memory Rocks
“Tell me a story, mama.” Every night when I go through the bedtime routine with my son, he asks me to tell him a story. A real story. THE PRESSURE!!! He likes stories with drama and danger the best. Like that time I got a flat tire going 60 mph down I-84. Or when the security guards at JC Penney used to duck behind garment racks when they were trying to catch someone stealing. The problem is my memory is TERRIBLE when it comes to these little, every day memories and experiences. Especially ones from decades ago. I’m not sure what I’m doing with all my brain cells, but saving…
Happy List #29
First week of summer is in the books. We’ve done museums, play dates and playgrounds. I now remember how much fun grocery shopping is with children in tow. Actually, my kids are eager to help with the shopping and if they are helping they aren’t whining. So, I like to give them something obscure to find – like sriracha sauce – and see how long it takes for them to track it down. This week I shared what it is like when your kids don’t get a report card for a year. I also shared our latest children’s book list, which features some books we really enjoyed reading last month! Let’s…
A Year Without Grades
My children completed their first year in an Irish primary school. Woohoo! Next year it is on to 2nd and 5th grade. How did that happen so fast? Time is flying, people. Just flying by. When we moved to Ireland almost a year ago, my kids had been attending a terrific public school in the southern United States. Suffice it to say, this year has been a big adjustment for all of us – especially them. Side note: My kids are not in the Irish public school system. They attend a private primary school. I detailed those reasons here. If you’re an expat moving to Ireland, it’s worth the read. My kids…
Books My Kids Are Reading Part 4
I was reading aloud to the kids last week while we waited at the train station. My son, in typical fashion, was sitting on my lap and my daughter was sitting on my right. On her right sat an elderly man. I read for 5 or 6 minutes while the kids munched on their after school snack. When they hopped up to throw their granola bar wrappers in the bin, the man turned to me and with a quiet, gravelly voice said, “I remember my mum reading to me when I was a young lad.” I noticed his eyes had teared up. “She’s been gone 5 years now.” With that…
Happy List #28: SCHOOL IS OUT
Today is the last day of the school year! No more homework. No more keeping track of school uniforms. No more packing (and the dreaded unpacking) of school lunches. No more forcing certain offspring to wear socks AND underwear because that’s what civilized people do on school days. HURRAY! HURRAY! HURRAY! On Monday I’ll probably be saying, “Oh, sweet heavens how long until school starts?” Kidding! That will definitely probably happen on Tuesday. This week I shared the unexpected thing I am so glad I saved after my mom died – sweet, sentimental pieces of her handwriting. By the way, I love you all to pieces. Your sweet comments here and on social…
Tourist Maps Make Great Wrapping Paper
Monday’s post was a little heavy, emotionally speaking, so let’s reel it back in, shall we? Besides, this blog, similar to the inner workings of my brain, thrives on randomness and abrupt topic changes. Keep up! Keep up! The whiplash is worth it. How many of you have traveled someplace new and picked up a tourist map (or 3 because each of your kids needs their own map even if they ask you to hold it 7.3 seconds later, thank you very much)? *raises hand* Then how many of you have chucked that map(s) in the recycle bin or garbage when you were finished? *raises hand* If one of your tourist maps survives…
The Unexpected Thing to Save When Your Parent Dies
My mom died in a car accident. To me, she is forever frozen in time as a larger-than-life, full-of-zest, tell-it-like-it-is, 52-year-old. Her 65th birthday would have been yesterday. The reverberations of her death echo through my family to this day. It irrevocably changed us all in ways that are still unfolding. Not a day goes by that she is not on my mind. Not one. When someone dies, there are immense amounts of mourning. Understatement of the year. There are also practical matters that callously intrude upon your grief. Decisions to be made. Items to be sorted. Paperwork to be completed. Things that must be done RIGHT. NOW. Before you’ve even laid the deceased…
