A good chuckle

I've been having a good chuckle here to myself. (No, don't panic, I've not gone totally doolally quite yet, I promise.)

I've been reading back some of last April's blogs.

Mam was here this time last year too and, of course, the same themes are cropping up again - Costa, Crescent Shopping Centre, lunches out!!

But what has really made me chuckle is the weather. You know how it was always "better this time last year"....well, it wasn't!!! It was freezing one minute and sunny the next last year too! We even had hailstones in April last year too!!

So, I've decided I'm going to stop worrying about the weather and whether or not it's getting worse as the time goes on. I'm just going to enjoy the weather we've got.

I actually heard a lovely expression the other day in relation to the weather. Someone was talking about the "unique Irish climate". To me, unique means something special, out of the ordinary. So, that's it...from now on I shall celebrate all that the unique Irish climate decides to throw at me. And who cares what it was like this time last year? Obviously no one remembers correctly anyway!!!

So, today I am grateful that I have one less thing to worry about.

Now for the other 9476214704865 things!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Never too old

Or, it's never too late to teach an old dog new tricks!

Went into Lidl today for, I think, the second time since it opened about 4 years ago!

I went in with Mam to get something fine to eat from their in-house bakery, because I had heard they make baked goodies to kill for.

Suffice it to say, it's just as well Mam carries a shopping bag in her handbag at all times. By the time we left, the bag was full to overflowing!

I was pleasantly surprised by the range of things they keep. My crew are a fussy lot, but a lot of the things I normally buy were there....along with some that may well become "normal", namely the most delicious sorbets ever!!

Mam had the great idea of writing the prices of stuff off my Dunnes receipt next to the items on my shopping list, so that I can compare prices as I shop! So, I'm going to do my next big shop in Lidl, and see if I can get everything I need.

K, of course, is delighted!!

Today I am grateful that this old dog has been taught a new trick, and learnt that having a closed mind can shut you off from all sorts of experiences!!

Thanks Mam!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Never too late

As you may have noticed, I didn't blog last night.

I was out late. Brought my mammy and my mammy-in-law out to a concert.

Not just any concert, mind you. My choir was the entire second half!

It was great knowing that Mam could finally hear the choir. Great knowing that she was in the audience!

I really enjoyed the performance, although it was a bit later than anticipated and very, very warm! We were standing for about 45 minutes...which may not sound much, but when you're dolled up and in heels it's more than long enough!!

Anyway, long story short....today I am grateful that I got the opportunity to sing for my mammy, yesterday!

Better late than never!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Never gets old

No-homework days never get old!

I just love Fridays (even if I did have to work this morning.)!

With no homework to be done the afternoon stretches before us, filled with endless possibilities. The feeling continues on after dinner, and bedtime seems far away.

Whether I do anything or nothing, the feeling is the same and it's just a feeling of freedom! And I thought that I had served my time of hard labour a long time ago!!

So, the question is...how to get that feeling on a regular week day, with homework, after-school activities, work!!!!

I can hear Lindsay shouting the answer from the other side of the Irish Sea! Mindfulness!!

Also, I think, acceptance, positivity and gratefulness. Changing the way we look at the mundane and time-consuming every-day stuff! Taking time, even if only a minute or two, to be grateful for the air we breathe and the people we love and who love us, Making the mundane into the exciting, important stuff!

Today I am grateful for endless possibilities!!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Shopping buddies

Psst...did I mention that my mammy is the best shopping buddy there is??

I should really save madly for the few months leading up to a visit! I mean, I love shopping at the best of times, but I'm really a buddy shopper. I prefer having someone with me to egg me on, on for me to egg on in turn! Shopping really is much more fun with more than one!

And, on the bright side...I will be looking both stylish and gorgeous for the summer!!!

Today I am grateful for the fun of buddy shopping!

PS. don't tell K! He thinks I spend too much on clothes already!!! I think it's the Mars/Venus thing!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The human condition

What to be grateful for today???

I think that today I am grateful for all the people in my life.

Not just close family and friends, but all the people I come into contact with in the day. They add colour and variety to what could be quite mundane and routine.

You can never say that one day is pretty much like the next when you come in contact with people. Things they say, the way they behave and the way they dress will always be different, so making every day different for you!

And the most amazing thing is that you can make that small difference to someone else's life as well, and if you are aware of that fact, you can do it in a positive way!

How hard can it be to just do one little thing every day that makes a positive impact???

Gratefully yours.
xx

Lunch buddies

Today I am grateful for empty ironing baskets, tidy kitchens and lunch buddies....in other words, today I am grateful for my mammy!!

There is a lovely new cafe open near us and we discovered today that if I leave work and Mam leaves the house at the same time, we reach the cafe at exactly the same time! Fate, or what??? I mean, how can we NOT meet up there for lunch when I'm at work in the morning???

Oh, and I am also grateful today that summer seems to be knocking at the door! Beautiful, warm, sunny day today!!! Bring it on!!! The t-shirts are at the ready!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Stressless

The house seems to run more smoothly when my mammy is here.

I still have as much to do, but I seem to get it done with less effort than usual (and I don't mean because I make Mam do it!).

I dunno...I think the blethers and coffees just help to ease us through the day. The jobs get done, arguments with offspring are minimal and stress is banished from the house.

Then again, maybe it's with Mam being here I don't feel that I am the responsible one. I'm the bairn again and therefore I don't carry all the stress around with me!!

Either way, today I am grateful to have my mammy here with me for a while....never long enough!

Oh...and, of course, the cuddles help!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Day of rest

I didn't blog last night because I was too exhausted!!! (Everybody say aaaw!!)

We had a great day and I think Thomas got the kind of day he wanted. He had us all sitting down for dinner - all 13 of us - well, I prefer to say 8 adults and 5 kids!! We ate and chatted for ages, then the kids went outside to play, and we ate and chatted some more!!

Today was pretty much all go again!! Lazy kind of morning but then shops, coffee, more shops, more coffee then home to flop! Well, after returning big sis and hubby to the airport, of course. Not much rest then!!!

Anyway, rest or no, today I am grateful that Thomas's special weekend went well. I hope he will have fond memories of it when he is all grown up! (Going by the size of him these days, that won't be long!!!)

Off to bed now I think, for that well-earned rest I was promised!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

All hands on deck

OMG!

The time has run out! Mam and big sis arriving this afternoon. All hands on deck!!!

It's good to know that we work so well as a team! Between the four of us today (yes, I had the kids hard at it the minute they came home from school!) we got the house and garden beautified for the visitors, food shop done and some of the cooking done for tomorrow's party.

It helped that it was a glorious day, mild and sunny, with just a hint of a breeze to dry the washing. I had the upstairs windows open all day, as well as the patio doors. The kids re-planted my pots out the back, giving a much needed splash of colour out there while K hoovered and washed dishes, and I tidied and dusted (oh yes I did!!!).

Today I am grateful that many hands make light work.

I can look forward to tomorrow now without worrying about the house/garden/bathrooms not being up to scratch!!

Also grateful that Mam and big sis (and Lawrie!) arrived safe and sound.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Drip, drip, drop...

...Little April showers!

I had a lovely walk home from work today. It was just so fresh and refreshing!

One minute the sky was blue. The wind was fairly blustery, but almost warm. Wonderful for blowing away the cobwebs!

The next minute the drips and drops started, and within a few seconds it was lashing down. And then...blue sky and sunshine again!

It just made me think about the lovely song at the start of Bambi.

Today I am grateful for the way that nature, at it's best and it's worst, can heighten sensations and refresh your soul!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Jammie time

I am always grateful when it comes to jammie time.

Jammie time means that I don't have to go outside anymore today.

Jammie time means comfort.

Jammie time usually means cuddles from other jammie-clad bods.

On a week day, jammie time means time to relax.

I'm thinking about introducing extended jammie time at the weekends!! It should be compulsory!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Win win

Thomas gets the house to himself.

Megan gets to have fun at ballet class.

I get to read my book in perfect peace for a whole hour!!!

Today I am grateful for win/win situations!

The only one who doesn't really win out of all this is Daddy...he gets to come home from work and cook the dinner!!!

Like I say....win/win!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Cracking the whip

After the choir weekend away...I mean the choir's intensive rehearsal weekend...you'd think we'd be perfect.

Apparently not! Our esteemed choir master was really cracking the whip tonight!

But, d'ye know what??? By the end of  choir practice tonight we really were sounding amazing!

We sing a version of Danny Boy that our choir master arranged for us, and will be singing it in our next concert. I think that after the weekend, he had come to the conclusion that it wasn't quite as perfect as he wanted it to be. Hence the whip tonight!!

But, today I am grateful for the results of hard work.

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. And it's worth putting in the work necessary to get it done well!

So true in many situations, but not a concept that I usually think about when starting something. Perhaps the secret (or one of the secrets) to doing something well IS to think about it before you start! Or maybe it just makes the result even better when you think about it after!!!

Either way, I'm glad we put in the hard graft tonight, because the end result is a beautiful, moving piece of music.

Gratefully yours.
xx

I'm just a little hoarse!!

I'm back!!

Been away for the weekend, bonding with the choir!!

Lots of craic, lots of singing (well duh!!) but no wi-fi! Hence, no blog for the last two days. Did you miss me???

Learnt a fair bit about myself at the weekend. 1) I sing better when I'm relaxed, and I'm not as relaxed as I thought I was at rehearsals. 2) I'm really not a social animal. Small talk really isn't my thing. I'd rather just go to my bed. (Did make myself stay up last night, though, and the sing song was supersonic!!!). 3) I find it had to sleep with the wind blowing like a ref's whistle through the hotel bedroom window and a disco thump, thump, thumping two floor below me!!

So, today I am grateful for a (mostly) enjoyable learning experience. But, more importantly, I'm grateful to be climbing the stairs now to my own cosy bed with my own cosy (nearly) six foot tall teddy bear!

And, like I said....I'm not a big broon coo, but I am most definitely  a little hoarse!!

There was an icky picky
and a picky packy poo
Down by the river was a big broon coo
She said to her friend
"you've got a cold of course."
But the other said "neigh...
...I'm just a little hoarse"!!!

Thanks Dad!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Lost

...in another book.

It took me a wee while to get into it, but can't put it down now! I really should be going to bed now to sleep, but I've only about another half hour of reading to finish it!

Today I am grateful for individual reading lights!!

Means that K can go to sleep and I can get reading!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Birthday girl

Today I am grateful that the best girl in the world is now safely into double digits!

By baby is 10 years old today. I made her favourite, pancakes, for breakfast and she ate them in bed, before getting up for school. She was delighted with her presents and said so several times throughout the day, which was nice.

We had a chocolate fudge cake with sparkler candles on for pud this evening, and even Dad couldn't resist having a slice.

All in all, I think she enjoyed her day.

I am so proud of her. She has her moments of madness, but on the whole I think she's a lovely wee girl with the world at her feet. My one wish for her would be that she never loses sight of who she is inside, because she is a very special person, and she is loved to bits.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Grumpy guts

I am grumpy and tired and headachey.

I am therefore grateful that the evening was dry and mild enough for the kids to be out the back till bed-time!

I am harping back to one of my first blogs, where I explored acceptance as a means to contentment. I am accepting that today I am a grumpy guts, and hoping that tomorrow will be a new day! I think the kids and K would agree wholeheartedly with that one!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The long and winding road...

...finally leads me home, after a very long day.

My own fault, of course! Full days work, then straight on to choir practice! Left the house at 8.20 am and finally got home at 10.10 pm!

Ah well! Lots of night night hugs and kisses and stories waiting for me when I came in. Even Gorgeous was telling me stories!!

Days like these remind me that I am grateful for my family and my home. Both are where the heart is, and should not be taken for granted.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Girls rule

Well....that's the birthday "girls day out" done and dusted for another year! Thank goodness!

We had Meggie's pal over yesterday evening. Went to the cinema, just the girls, to see Timothy Green. The tongues never halted!

Home and into jammies....tongues never halted. (Pal was here for a sleep-over!) Although, I have to say, they were very good when I said it was time to cuddle down. Didn't hear another peep.

The tongues never halted today until pal went home at 8pm! We had lunch and dinner out, with a bit of shopping in between. I'm exhausted!!!

But, today I am grateful that two wee girls had a ball!

I'm not sure whether to be pleased or upset at the thought that I may not be required for these outings for too much longer!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Calming influence

My daughter is like a whirlwind!

She just never stops and I sometimes feel like I can do nothing to stop her from whipping me up, throwing me about a bit, and dropping me down again like a pile of discarded leaves.

God bless her energy!

My son is the calming breeze that gently ruffles my hair and lulls me into a relaxing sleep.

God bless his insight!

Of course, they are both capable of the total opposite, but I do find that they tend to work well as a team...one to wind me up, the other to calm me down again! Synergy!!! So much better than simple chalk and cheese that are simply totally different entities. My two work together in harmony, although I'm sure if you suggested it they would strenuously deny it!

Today I am grateful for team work!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The wheelbarrow kid

Thomas and I decided to start tidying the garden today.

We started, of course, by going to the garden centre to buy some new plants and compost.

On the way home with our purchases, at the end of our road, I had to stop the car and let Thomas out, as his pals were waving for him to join them. Bless him, he did stop, all be it briefly, to say that he had intended helping me in the garden, so I told him to ask the boys to come down and at least help me get the big bags of compost out of the car and round into the back garden.

I had almost given up hope of them arriving, when I looked out the window to see Thomas, Robert and Kevin heading towards the house, complete with wheelbarrow and garden tools!!

Kevin has helped his dad in the garden for years, and they had only bought the wheelbarrow yesterday! There was no way he was passing up the chance to show off his skills, and his new tools!!! The testosterone starts here!!!

Safe to say, we now have a new bed for veggies, beautifully prepared by the boys - well, mainly Kevin!!! And I also have a promise of more help with whatever else I decide to do in the garden this year!!!

I also have to say that Meggie and I made a fantastic job of the pot out the front of the house! Looking good!!

Today I am grateful for any help I can get!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Growing up

Today I am grateful that my babies are growing up.

Don't get me wrong....I'm not wishing away their formative years! Time goes too fast as it is! But it's getting to the stage where K and I can go out for a good walk in the evening and leave the two at home, knowing that the house and both kids will still be standing when we get back!

Celebrate each step as it comes!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Wake up walk

My walk this morning was wonderful.

Due to the clocks going forward at the weekend, it has gone back to being dark when I get up, with just the first signs of brightness showing in the sky.

It was fresh and frosty this morning and once I started walking I really didn't want to stop! I ended up taking a very circuitous route, because every time I should have been heading home, I took another detour just so I could walk a bit further.

I was ruminating on the difference between being alive and living, and I came to the conclusion that as living has become easier (think washing machines, supermarkets, mobile phones), being alive has become more difficult to achieve. All the "new" time-saving gadgets have meant that we are working harder to pay for them, so have less and less time to stop, breath, smell the roses and be alive! We take for granted that we will be able to pick up something easy for tea in the supermarket, and spend more time watching other people's lives on the telly than we do actually living our own!

There is something to be said for getting back to nature, and for switching off the tv and finding something that makes us glow inside instead.

Today I am grateful that there are lots of interconnecting streets around where I live! I could walk for miles and not go up (or down) the same street twice! Much better for ruminating!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Abort mission

Thomas had a friend over last night for a sleep-over.

Didn't quite make the "sleep" part. Poor friend started feeling unwell just after midnight, so I phoned his mum, waking her up in the process, pulled trousers and jacket over my pjs and drove him home. His stomach got the better of him half way home and poor wee soul barfed all over the back seat of my car!! I think that both he, and his mum, were mortified, but these things happen and there was nothing could be done about it.

Silver lining....well, there had to be one in this blog of positive thinking....my car got the interior cleaning that it has deserved, and I have been promising to give it, for months, if not years!!! And I was able to feel virtuous at the end of it, for having finally done the job!

Thankfully he was feeling better today and, bless his little heart, he came round with a bunch of flowers for me this evening! Tulips - my favourites!

So, today I am grateful for silver linings...every cloud has one!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Grephews

Well....I have another grephew!!!

What wonderful news. Today I am grateful for another safe arrival.

I now have four grephews and one griece!!!

I can feel a children's story coming out of this...a bit like the gruffalo!!! Ha ha ha!

Anyway, love and kisses go out to the new mammy and daddy, and, of course (and more importantly!) the new big sister!!

What was I saying yesterday about Easter and new beginnings!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx