A good team

Why did no-one warn us about teenagers???

Oh, you DID warn us!!!  We just didn't believe you then!

We do now!!!

Just as well I'm part of a team.....good cop/bad cop!

Thankfully when I'm having a bad day, where everywhere I turn there is a teenage boy or a nearly teenage girl saying "I want" or "can I", there is my trusty partner, calm and in control if the situation.

Likewise, when he's stressed and overworked and his patience is worn to a thread, I seem to be able to step into the breach and keep us out of the "worst parents in the world" corner.

I want a manual!!! There should be a manual!!!

Today I am grateful that I'm not doing this on my own, and a take my hat off to all those who are.

It's not an easy job, and, even though plenty people tell you that, you never really believe it....till it's too late!!!

And, of course....I wouldn't have it any other way. They are well worth the effort.....Please remind me I said that the next time I'm at my wits-end!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Holiday time

So.... Thomas is on holiday!!

Last day of exams today....so all we have to do now is wait for the results to come!!!

More importantly, I got flights booked to come over to Scotland to my mammy, in August!

Well, I couldn't go a whole year without a visit home, Australia or not!!

So, today I am grateful that my boss is also my friend!!!  Who else would let me take off a week in August after being away for nearly the whole of July???

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Lovely lunch

Summer arrived in Ireland today.

It's not sure if it'll stay for long, but at least it came for a wee visit.

It was actually warm!!

My "grateful" moment came at lunch-time.

I was meeting K for lunch, in town, as he had been at a tax seminar (yawn!!!) all morning!

It was quite romantic actually......

....picture this....

.....I'm walking across the bride into town, a tall, handsome man in a pale grey suit is walking towards me from the other end of the bridge. We meet in the middle. Our eye meet, he smiles down at me.....

....Well, it's got to be better than a tax seminar!!!!!

What a treat to be able to have lunch and a chat on our own, in the middle of the week!!!

So, I hate to say it.....but today I am grateful for tax seminars (just as long as I don't EVER have to sit through one!!!)

And, did I mention that we had a lovely, warm, sunny day???

Gratefully yours.
xx

On the up and up

Well, Meggie seems to finally be on the mend.

Still not feeling the best, but her appetite is starting to increase - might be the tonic I got for her!!

Not nice when your baby is ill, and you can't do much to help!

And what about my other baby???

He had his first three Summer Tests today!!!

English, Science and Geography, I believe.

No bother to the boy!!! Nothing phases him!!

So, that's two great things to be grateful for today!!

Now, if I could just sleep for a week...........

Gratefully yours.
xx

More work ,less food

Today I was grateful to be kept busy at work.

More work equals less food in my book!

I am definitely a bored eater....and, no, that doesn't mean that I enjoy eating wood, or cardboard!!! Might be better if it did! Fewer calories in wood!!!

Anyway, the secret to a slimmer me is definitely to keep me busy. You'd think I could do the double whammy and keep myself busy by exercising, but no!!

Still, admitting it to yourself is the first step, and accepting it is the second.

Doing something about it is the hardest step!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Back to blog

It's been a crazy few days!!!

We left for Dublin on Thursday afternoon in great form. Two hours of solid One Direction music made sure that I knew the words for all the songs on Friday night!!

Unfortunately, Friday morning saw oor Meggie throwing up left, right and centre!! I hoped it was just excitement, but when she didn't want to spend money in the Zoo shop (yes, we spent the morning, as intended, at the Zoo!!), I knew she was really not well!!!

After sleeping all afternoon on the couch, I knew that wild horses wouldn't keep her away from her boys, so we headed off for Croke Park, the concert venue. Ann, being a very sensible nurse, and mother, gave her a basin for the car..."just in case"!

Being in a sports arena, on a typical Irish summer evening, we were absolutely frozen!!!! But the concert was quite an experience and I'm glad Meg was there to see it, even if she wasn't able to enjoy it quite as much as we had anticipated!

An early start on Saturday saw us up and away from Dublin just after 6am, so that I could get home in time to go to work at 9.15!!! Yes, I know....bad planning!!! What can I say, I do it all the time!!!

Anyway....long and short.....glad the weekend is over!!

I am very grateful that we made it to see One Direction. It was a weekend that I don't think either Meggie nor I will soon forget!

It was actually worth it, to see her face when they walked onto the stage!!!!!

The things we do for love!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The calm after the storm!

Thank goodness we got better weather today!

By this evening it was glorious outside.

Just as well....Thomas was playing a soccer match, the cup final! K went with him to watch.

The good news is, they won!!

Megan has been out all evening with the girls out the front.

It's so good to have the weather for them to do that.

It also means that I've had the couch and the tv to myself all evening!!! Yes, I know!!! Lazy!!!!!

Still, I'm grateful that everyone is happy today!

No, please, a few more days of sunshine!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

High Doe

You know me.....

....I'm not one to worry about every little thing (!!!!!!!!!) now, am I?

Megan and I are very excited about our impending trip to the big smoke to see the wonderful One Direction in concert.

Megan has been thinking about it for weeks, while I have been trying NOT to think about it!

But now it is upon us, and I have to start getting my head round the logistics of it.

Step aside, Daddy's here!!!

Thank you, thank you, K, for doing all the organising for me!!

 I've said it before, and I've no doubt I'll be saying it again....what would I do without him???

I now know where to go, how to get there, how to get home again (most important), tram times, train times....you name it really, it's organised!

Now all Meggie and I have to do is turn up and enjoy the ride!!!

I am so, so grateful to K for all his hard work in organising this special (if a little....well, a lot, frightening) trip for his girls.

We love you.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Warm and dry....mainly dry!

It's on days like this that I am truly thankful for my warm and rain-proof house!!

To be able to close over the sitootrie door, draw the blinds and forget about the hail, thunder and lightening going on outside is a marvellous thing! (Well, okay, I could still hear the thunder rumbling over the top of the house, but it didn't seem too bad from in here!!)

And thinking about all the extreme weather that's plaguing the world at the moment, and all the poor souls who have lost their homes, or worse, makes me realise how small and insignificant a lot of my worries and insecurities are, and how truly lucky I am.

All you need is here and now. Make the most of it and enjoy every moment.

Gratefully yours.
xx

Lazy dayz

Another lazy Sunday.

What can I say??

Long lie.

Shopping in the morning, but that doesn't feel too energetic when I have a wee helper with me.

Lunch with my mother-in-law, who cooks a mean roast dinner and delicious rhubarb tart!

The only real exercise was a walk round the graveyard, taking some photos of the wonderful views!!

Well......it is meant to be a day of rest, isn't it??

Today I am grateful that I nothing that urgently required my attention today.

Long live Sundays!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

View from a window

It was better than the telly!!

I actually enjoyed washing the dishes!!

Gorgeous was out in the sunshine in the back garden playing hide-and-seek with Fred and Freda, from next door. Well, she was hiding, and they were trying to scare her out into the open so they could peck at her tail!!

They didn't catch her though!! She has some great hidey places!!

Maaaam - he's at me!!!

So, for once I was grateful to have some dishes to do!!!

Never happen again!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Warm and dry

It turned out to be a lovely day today.

It's amazing how the weather affects your mood!

It just seemed to be a more relaxed day....no much wonder people in the Cayman are so laid back!!!

It wasn't a hot day, or even a particularly sunny day, but it was warm and dry, and there was only a slight cooling breeze.

I'm grateful for the first "sigh!" of summer!

Fingers crossed now that it stays for a little bit. Just long enough to totally wind down and recharge!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Everything in moderation

As mottos go, it's not a bad one!

People are always talking about the work/life balance these days.

I bet when my Mam was a young mother it never even crossed her mind that she spent too much time looking after a house, a husband, a dog and four (gorgeous) daughters, and not enough time looking after herself!

Or did it?????

Anyway, I think I've got it sussed....well, I did today!

A bit of housework, followed by a lovely coffee and a chat with a pal, followed by a wee bit more housework, followed by school runs and homework, followed by choir! Oh, and I did cook a lovely dinner for both husband and kids!!

Nothing imbalanced there!

It's not every day that I even think about it, but it is nice to appreciate, every now and then, that I am balancing pretty well! And I am grateful for that appreciation.

Now, who's bringing the tight-rope???

Gratefully yours.
xx

A job well done

I was working all day.

And I really mean I was working!!

It was a quiet day, so, in order to get through the day without resorting to coffee and snacks every five minutes, the only thing was to find a job to do!

And it gave me great satisfaction to get that job done, and done well!

So why, I hear myself ask, is it so hard to get motivated to tackle jobs at home????

You wouldn't believe how neat, tidy and organised I am at work!!!

Today I am grateful that I can, at least, get myself moving at work!!!

Maybe it's because I get paid for it?????

Gratefully yours.
xx

CandleHeartDesigns

I had a flash of inspiration this morning, and had to go to The Art and Hobby Shop for supplies!!

I found a new way to use my photos for card-making, and I'm on a roll!!

Having great fun, but, as I said, I needed supplies of turquoise and purple card before I could really get started.

It's set off a chain of ideas for my photos as well, so I'll be kept busy for a while.

So, roll on birthdays, anniversaries and new babies!! I got you covered!!

I'm so grateful for that flash of inspiration!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Dominos

No, I don't mean the game with little blocks with dots on them!!

I mean the pizza place that delivers delicious pizza right to your door!

After a hard day at work (well, okay, maybe it wasn't that hard!!), and then a walk in the rain to get the car (it's like mid-winter here! What's the story???), the last thing Meggie and I wanted was to have to cook, or drive anywhere for food. The boys??? At rugby, of course!!!

So, on goes the computer, chose what we wanted to eat, payed online with Paypal, and had our pizza delivered right to the door!

Bliss!

Today I am grateful that Dominos deliver!!

Pity they don't do a full roast chicken dinner too!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Under my...

....umbrella, ella, ella!

There really is only one thing to be grateful for on a day like today, and that is an umbrella!

It was a little bit miserable today. Dreich is the only word to describe it.

Still, none of us got soaked, I had no washing out on the line, the cat fits snugly under the shed and the car no longer needs to visit the car-wash. So not all bad then!

Wouldn't mind if it was a wee bit drier and brighter tomorrow though!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Ten o'clock...

...and all's well!

I've been sitting at the computer for a while, not sure what to write about today. So, I took a break, and went upstairs to say good night to the bairns.

Crystal clear....today I am grateful for my beautiful babies.

When they are both tucked up in bed, lights out, ready for sleep....oh, mustn't forget Gorgeous! She's up there in her bed, on Meggie's spare bed, ready for sleep too!!...it's just the best feeling. All's right with the world.

God help me when they're older, and out half the night with their friends!! How will I ever sleep???

In the mean time, I shall just be grateful for every bed-time cuddle as it comes!

Gratefully yours.
xx

30 minutes

My quiet time today was a wee half an hour at lunch time.

I got home from work, made my lunch (tuna and mayo with melted cheese on a slice of lovely seed bread) and sat down in the sitootrie, on my own, for thirty blissful minutes.

It was just enough to charge the batteries to get me through the afternoon runs - school for Meg, school for Thomas and Robert, ballet for Meg, and relax!!!

So, today I am grateful for thirty minutes of peace.

So nice.

Gratefully yours.
xx

The week that was

Today I am grateful that we are into another week, and the kids, barring any over-night disasters, will be back at school tomorrow.

It's been three weeks of nothingness. Two weeks of holidays then a week off sick, and I still can't motivate myself to do anything when the kids are underfoot. I need to get back into my routine!

I am, of course, delighted that the kids are both better, after their various bouts of throat problems, but I am more delighted to get back to normal! Although this Monday holiday has pushed normality out another day!

Oh, the joys of being a creature of habit!!

I need to get my "go with the flow" head on before we set off to Oz!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

Galway Bay

Oh, we had a lovely day!!

K suggested, last night, that we go away for the day. Just get up and go.

So, we got up and went!

We headed up to Galway, where we visited the Aquarium (not as nice as the one in Macduff!), walked along the promenade and beach (Meg and I could have spent all day beach-combing!!), lunched in a restaurant that believed that less is more - less flavour, more food piled on just in case you haven't eaten in a week!! Am I too critical???

We also visited one of K's Aunts, who lives in a gorgeous house, with stunning views over Galway Bay.

She and her husband are a lovely couple, who made us all very welcome. Even Thomas was blethering away to them!!!

All in all, it was a glorious day - even if we didn't get any sun!!!

I'm grateful these days for any time spent together with my family. The teenage years are coming!!!

Now, to make a list of ideas for the next bank-holiday weekend!!!

Gratefully yours.
xx

The journey

It was a grey, miserable morning. But, by the time I arrived in Adare for my mornings work, I was in a great mood.

I realised, about half way to work, that I am really lucky to have such a lovely drive to work!

The area round about where I live is just gorgeous anyway. I've always loved it - old, neat houses, and plenty of trees!

Then the dive out to Adare, even though most of it is dual-carriageway, is also really pretty.

And the journey is just long enough to relax, but not so long that you get fed-up!!

So, today I am grateful that I live where I live, and I work where I work!!

How lucky am I???

Gratefully yours.
xx

In the garden

Well, the kids are on the mend.

They are starting to get stir crazy (as am I!!) after being stuck inside all week.

So, I let them persuade me to go out with them into the garden for a while this afternoon.

It was lovely to get some fresh air, and exercise! What with the swings, tag and basketball, it didn't take long to tire us all out!

Still, it was lovely to have some fun with them, and I am grateful to them for not letting me say "No"!!

Onwards and upwards!

Gratefully yours.
xx