Our Madill-Lowe

This is for you

2012-02-14T09:55:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine’s day – imagine if you will a bunch of flowers in the little guy’s hand and they are just for you – Ourmadillo’s lovely readers.

Now imagine a printed photo with a lollipop stuck in it and then multiply that by 45 because Eamon’s class AND his aftercare are having parties today where they will be exchanging Valentines. I think they turned out pretty cute and I thank this blog for the inspiration. I took advantage of a bunch of credit I had with an online printing company because I was none too pleased with something a while back; and to be honest still not very pleased with them considering how long they took to deliver the photos. But even at the 11th hour they were pretty simple to put together and didn’t require Eamon writing his own name 45 times - though I did make him write ‘back-up’ cards at the weekend just in case.

Hope you all have a lovely day spoiling the ones you love and being spoiled in return. You’re all special.

On dancing

2012-02-03T21:27:00.002-05:00

Eamon fancies himself as a bit of a dancer and he's certainly got some moves. A dance class wouldn't go astray but for now he enjoys the reckless abandon of flinging his body about whether it's in time to the music or not. At his school dance recently another parent was surprised to see Eamon dancing so enthusiastically when her two boys were not even tapping their feet to the music. "Do you dance like this at home all the time?" she asked. I'll be honest I'm surprised when people don't get down and boogie when they get a chance - though we are a bit more restrained.

Anyway, here's a little video clip of him dancing - it looks a lot darker than it actually was - it is an elementary school dance after all - but the DJ played the music the kids liked (I see more Katie Perry in my future!), parents and kids danced together to some of the old classics which was pretty cool to see though I doubt that goes for all parents - one mother I know commented that her 5th grader preferred if she stayed in the car! For now I'm going to enjoy this as much as I can.

(By the way, it starts off vertical but I remembered the limitations of my camera and adjusted. You should hear Eamon tell me towards the end that he did the splits in case you're wondering what he said.)

Peaceful place

2012-01-26T07:35:00.000-05:00

The contents of Eamon's backback are placed each night into a basket and wait to be sorted into various folders or furtively placed in recycling. If you saw this basket at the moment you would imagine either a whole lot of paper comes home or that the basket doesn't get sorted very often. You would be right on both counts. But every now and again we come across a piece that deserves special handling - and this made fridge status!

Incidently he says he didn't have time to draw me! I should have pointed out that that is exactly what his coupon (given to him by his teacher) for 10 minutes of drawing time is for. The coupon that I leave in his bag everyday because he hasn't used it yet.

Wordless Wednesday: Spaceman?

2012-01-23T07:33:00.001-05:00

January is kicking us in the x@#!

2012-01-23T07:27:00.002-05:00

We haven't gone into hibernation - though I think some animals have that winter thing sorted - but we have seen our fair share of bed what with being sick and being sick some more. Bleh! Oh and in between being sick we slid down mountains and had us some fun. Take that January!

The force is with us

2012-01-12T22:51:00.003-05:00

Before Christmas Star Wars was on the TV in Rob’s uncle’s house and it attracted Eamon’s attention while we were there. We got back to the hotel and found it was a Star Wars marathon on the TV and there was nothing to do but let Eamon watch it till the end and see the transformation of Anniken Skywalker into Darth Vader. He was entranced. I was knackered!

Since then he has talked about nothing else. He doesn’t necessarily talk about the movies he’s seen, or else he’s very confused about what he’s seen, or else he’s just rewriting the whole story but his stories do have light savers [sic], Jedis, clones, and characters with odd names and titles. One of these is General Akwuan – a Jedi who turns bad in the third version [sic]. This is what I know about him but this could change… he is a lizard with 10 arms, he has a multitude of light sabers which he keeps on his 3 belts. He speaks like a snake and has fangs like a wolf and I know he also has venom which he got from his mother’s side of the family (His mother was a lizard, his father a human). He has a brother who is on the dark side and they are sometimes interchangeable and a sister who is one of the maids in Queen Padme’s court.

Something tells me there’s more, so much more to come.

Wordless Wednesday: Dinosaur Dig

2012-01-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

Highs and lows

2012-01-02T10:10:00.002-05:00

As is our custom we had a quiet New Year’s Eve in. We cooked a nice meal and had fancy drinks and as I discovered a few years ago champagne or fancy drinks mean nothing to Eamon – a party isn’t a party without cake and so thanks to Mr. Duncan Hines I threw a cake together and used up some frosting from Christmas. Then we danced and rang in the New Year at 9 o’clock and sent the kid to bed so we could nod off on the couch while waiting for a ball to drop. (10 years in I’m still not used to this ball dropping thing – No fireworks? No firecrackers? No bells? No bagpipes? Seriously, just a ball?)

As is also our custom we talk about our highs and lows for the day while having dinner, and so on New Year ’s Eve we talked about our highs and lows for the year. Like us we hope you had a lot more highs than lows and we wish you a very happy, prosperous and healthy new year!

In no particular order …

Highs

Soccer practice and games

Eamon’s reading skills going beyond our expectations

New computers

Century rides

Peaches

Outstanding in the Field

Returning to Warner Hall

New Prius

Ireland beating Australia in the World Cup (rugby)

Ireland qualifying for the European Cup (soccer)

The songs Dynamite and Rolling in the Deep

Drop off play dates

Lows

Saying goodbye to the PT Cruiser

The MVA

Lyme disease (herself); mini stroke (Granddad); bad knee (Granny), high blood pressure (Grandpa)

Hurricane Irene

Not going to Ireland

Christmas day in pictures - images that will form our memory of the day.

2011-12-29T10:15:00.005-05:00

Christmas was very good. The little guy came running into us in the morning to tell us that Santa had been – and we quickly jumped out of bed to follow him to the Christmas tree to witness it for ourselves. If there are moments in our lives that we could hit a replay button this would be one of them.

I wish I’d taken more photographs – even a video but I was busy unwrapping my own gifts too.

We're ready Santa

2011-12-24T20:57:00.001-05:00

The cookies and carrots are out and our little boy has gone to bed. I’d give it a good few hours yet though Santa – he’s a little wired despite being so worn out and still a little sick.

He woke up yesterday with a high temperature and complained of a sore throat and tummy ache and with no appetite (not even for a muffin!) we made the call to school and so Eamon took his first sick day. Poor thing missed all the last day of the year’s activities and the holiday party in after care. He was sick alright and didn’t improve at all during the day – his temp went up to 102.4 and I made the decision to take him to Urgent Care thinking if he needed antibiotics I wanted him to have them as soon as possible and be in better form for Christmas Day. Everything came up negative and they put it down to a viral fever – never knew there was such a thing but he did get an x-ray on his stomach which was a bit of an adventure. He was burning up again during the night but thankfully this morning it was back to almost normal but his appetite alas has not fully returned.

He did manage this cookie and milk before bedtime though which makes our last minute Christmas wish come true.

Dear Santa

2011-12-21T20:56:00.002-05:00

Dec-8-2011

Dear Santa Clause,

Thank you for all my presents last year. Do you know what I have on my list now? Well it is a long list. Instead of all the toys on my list I only want the dinosaur set, the break your own geodes, the big city set (Big lego set) the bay blade, the hot weels on the wall, the glow in the dark marble run. I really like the d.s. you gave me last year. I play with it all the time. I also like the jungle set you gave me. Thank you so much!

Love

Eamon

(This was written exactly as Eamon wrote it. I have to say I am incredibly impressed with his writing skills and I think Santa will be too - enough to bring him ALL those toys)

Scans added: 12/28/11

Little Christmas

2011-12-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

Eamon got a taste of Christmas yesterday in Aunt Judy's - he and Rebecca will both be away on the day itself so they were given their gifts from their aunts and uncles early. And boy did they do well! Excitement is mounting here for sure.

The season is in full swing

2011-12-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

We’ve been busy around these parts getting our Christmas on so sadly the blog has been neglected and so a quick recap:
· Christmas tree and lights are up.
· Holiday music is being played almost constantly – including the Pogues Fairy Tale of new York – just doesn’t feel like Christmas without it.
· Eamon’s dipping into his advent calendar and decorating the tree beautifully – as in they’re not all on one branch this year.
· Eggnog has replaced apple cider as beverage of choice for the young guy.
· Advent candles are lit nightly and there will be a very happy boy tonight at dinner when we light the third candle tonight.
· All the presents are bought thanks to online shopping and one quick visit to a mall.
· A letter’s been written and posted to Santa.
· We’ve taken a trip to Santa’s workshop and a photo taken with the little guy on his knee.
· Cookies and spice cake have been made and devoured already.
· The boys have been ice skating.
· Toys for tots have been dropped off.
· We’ve both had our holiday work parties and survived. (Though I admit they are very tame in comparison to Irish ones!)
· We soaked up the atmosphere of a Christmas market.
· We’ve gone to a Panto! (Before Christmas!).
Seriously, there’s not much else to do but wrap presents and unwrap them again.

NaBloPoMo wrap up

2011-11-30T16:05:00.004-05:00

Well, we’ve done it again. 30 posts in 30 days – cue the NaBloPoMo sticker and the Hallelujah chorus!

We’ve had our ups and downs during the month as usual – towards the end of the month it’s easy to hit a slump in content but the topics Helen presented certainly helped and thanks to thanks to Vickie for putting some order to them. Elaine gave us a piece of advice for each day – that’d be 30! and Mrs. Q made us all envious by getting her house in order and achieving balance. I learned more about Laurie and Laurence as they kept ticking along despite issues with their children’s bedtime routine and digestion. Marya had technical difficulties – or so she says! Susan got pretty sick but still managed to eke out a post or ten about shoes. Luchy lost her free time (that’s a good thing) and Silvia lost teeth. Fiona just fell off the face of the planet.

As for me, nothing new as my Novembers take on a very familiar format – Halloween, school pictures, a video or two, the kid’s art, the fall list and lazy posts with nothing but a picture. Don’t know why anyone would even bother to read it but am grateful for you all who do. Thank you.

And smile

2011-11-29T21:42:00.002-05:00

School photo is a lot better this year for sure, there is still that open mouthed smile the photographer must make them do for the 'first grade toothless shot'. It's cute but that shirt wasn't such a good idea.

Watching my language

2011-11-28T23:27:00.000-05:00

Eamon dropped the f-word at dinner. He asked for something and not very politely either as in I want some fxxking X (no idea what it was now as my whole attention was centered on the modifier). We both stopped. I could tell he didn't know what it meant and was trying it out for size so to speak. He got a warning in my most stern voice and the next time I won't be so lenient.

It occurred to me that if this happened on any other night in any other month but November it wouldn't get the blog recognition especially on a night when there was not much to report. One day he'll realize that this month is not the month to test us.

I had a dream

2011-11-27T17:58:00.002-05:00

There were two things left on our fall list when we woke up this morning – visit the MLK Jr. Memorial and go rock climbing. Now both of these could have been done on the same day but given our predisposition for lazy Sunday mornings we opted for one only and with the weather so great it was a trip to the tidal basin for us.

The memorial is wonderful – and I’d love to say that the visit was solemn and meaningful with Eamon leaving with a greater understanding for justice, democracy and equality for a better world, but I was lucky I didn’t slap the child and his scooter into the tidal basin – he was in such a churlish and whiney mood. Perhaps two monuments in one week are enough for him or maybe we were all a bit tired. Good job we didn’t try rock climbing too.

And no the president wasn’t there – I brought my camera with me but the battery died before I could even take one snap so I grabbed a photo from the internets. We did manage to bring our NPS passport and get a stamp though.

With friends

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000-05:00

A good night.

Few hours in Philly

2011-11-25T20:43:00.006-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Ms. Ellie and Grandpa in New Jersey this year and while it was the first time for us coming north for the holiday (with Eamon at least) we know it will be the last what with their plans to relocate to Virginia when Grandpa retires next year. So we decided to use this opportunity to be tourists in a city we visit often but know little of and avoided the hordes of shoppers again this Black Friday. And as is our usual style we arrive somewhere just in time for lunch we headed first for food and then for the sites – you can’t learn the history on an empty stomach after all. Thing is similar hordes of people had the same idea of avoiding stores and the lines for the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were even longer after lunch. We satisfied ourselves with walking around the buildings, sitting in some installation art and seeing the bell from the outside - oh yes, and finding a stick and pretending it was a sword before taking the train back over the river to eat more pie. We absorbed as much history and art that way anyway.

I don't know if it's intentional that I stood behind Eamon in the photo but I did manage to spill a pewter goblet of iced water over me during the lunch. I was wondering why it was so heavy when I picked it up. Icy cold water makes for a wet patch on my bum and an comfortable lunch by the way.

Werk it!

2011-11-24T20:26:00.002-05:00

Guess who wore his denim jacket today and looked like a cool rock star dude! Guess I just needed the right moment to suggest he try it again.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Wordless Wednesday: Busy prepping

2011-11-23T13:50:00.003-05:00

You can take the girl out of Limerick...

2011-11-22T22:02:00.003-05:00

There once was a post written in haiku

And a 'blah', 'got nothing' there were two

The reason is plain

November's a pain

And tonight - this Mom had no clue

In real time

2011-11-21T22:34:00.002-05:00

It isn't November without a post like this...

Right now Eamon is fast asleep in bed surrounded by a thousand soft toys. Sometimes it's hard to find him in the bed.

Himself is on the other computer punching in numbers into a spreadsheet and looking at our health, dental and vision insurance options. He'll punch it all in ask me a question and then go and do it all over again. He's also listening to Pandora on the iPad - why the two computers I do not know.

I am in bed where I've been since I put Eamon down (still better to lie rather than sit) and I just finished watching a two-hour PBS documentary on Woody Allen and I'm not sure how I feel that that was only Part 1.

Bloody bucket seats

2011-11-20T21:05:00.003-05:00

One of the things we had on the fall list was drink hot apple cider – it isn’t autumn around these parts if you don’t – but we added doing it in a drive in movie theatre – not exactly the first thing you think of with this season. Last night we checked both off the list.

I can’t remember when I first heard about Benjie’s drive in but I checked out their website and I was immediately put off by the list of instructions and what you can and can’t do there. I thought it was taking all the fun out of it somehow and I’d be thrown out for taking a sip out of my own water bottle. A colleague, however, could not speak more highly of the place and so we thought we’d give it a lash. Eamon had a great report card this week and they were showing a double feature (triple really but we skipped the third one) of Puss n’ Boots and Happy Feet Two and we made it a special occasion for him. We like movies but this would be the first watching two in a row (he couldn’t believe his luck and kept checking the clock when it was way past his bedtime). He naturally conked out on the way home.

Anyway, our experience was great – the whole place had a 1950s vibe complete with old style movie clips and advertising and we’re definitely going to go again. On the negative side it is pretty far from here and it set my recovery back a few days by sitting down for so long sharing my seat with Eamon (I did mention sharing my space right?).

What makes a tradition?

2011-11-19T22:23:00.000-05:00

This is our third year in a row going to the local Thanksgiving Parade – the first year we went we rallied a small crew together and brought camp chairs and stalked out a good spot early on – too early really. The next year we went straight from gymnastics class, missed the beginning of the parade but caught most of it on the sunny side of the street where no stalking out was necessary. Today we knew a good time to meet, which side of the street we preferred, where to park and Eamon knew which float gives out the best candy - we’re now parade experts. Mind you next year we might just have to get there earlier because someone was disappointed (not too much though) when he discovered he should have been WALKING in the parade instead - thing is to walk in the parade you have to get there at the crack of dawn - something neither of us were quite up to this year.

By the way if this really is tradition then hitting the pub afterwards is a big part of it.

Space and mobility

2011-11-18T21:41:00.002-05:00

What do you miss most about your life before you became a mother?

[This is one of the questions posed by Helen]

Who hasn’t thought about this? I know it has crossed my mind from time to time – mostly at 6:00am on a Sunday morning with the kid telling me to get up it’s bright outside. I know somethings have got bumped along the way – exercise for one and it’s my fault for not making it more of a priority - but when really pressed there are 2 things in particular I miss – space and mobility.

Space
My dresser became his changing table and my handbag was replaced with a diaper bag but that was a long time ago, as was dinner being made with him on my hips or hanging off my leg. But I don’t always have the bathroom to myself when I absolutely need it, or whatever chair I sit on is the one he wants to sit on with me, my pillow gets swiped and I lose out big time when it comes to sharing a bed with the little guy; they’re not my dirty tissues in my pocket and my handbag is more likely to hold a toy or game rather than a lipstick or a compact. My TV show is turned off for a cartoon and every surface in the house is covered with school work and paper crafts. But the days are numbered when he will hold my hand and sit on my lap and they will be very empty spaces without him.

Mobility
I could argue that it’s hard to navigate our small space without stepping on a shoe or a piece of lego but I’m not entirely blameless either. With mobility I mean the freedom to just up and move – whether it’s to a movie or for a drink or to go away for a weekend or move to a different city or country. Sure we can travel with him and plan to do more but I still dream of moving to a different country, staying, learning the language and working. We talk about doing it someday and giving him a real experience but we will see if we ever get around to it. For now though I enjoy ‘staying still’ and because of Eamon, I’ve been introduced to so much more in my local area, to so many more people and my eyes are constantly being opened to see the world around me with the wonder of seeing it all for the first time.

Like the best in the whole world

2011-11-17T21:00:00.002-05:00

I was looking for inspiration for tonight's post and as I was getting Eamon ready for bed I picked his brain and the whole thing ended up as a video. He has a lot more to say than me most days and he certainly has a lot more to say when it comes to dinosaurs.

I'll be back to normal soon - Dr. confirmed it's my sciatic nerve and has given me orders to rest my leg and some pain killers and both of these are helping a lot.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

Infirm

2011-11-15T20:41:00.002-05:00

People I've done something to my leg again. I feel it in the upper back of my left leg - hard to sit, lie, get up, stand and walk (only!). Reminds me of sciatica I had 2 years ago with the other leg. I've taken some pain meds and hope to sleep tonight. Starting now. G'night.

1st Manassas

2011-11-14T20:35:00.002-05:00

First time we went camping it was in Gettysburg when the little guy was yet to walk and toddled around some of the memorials. Next time we went was to Point Lookout, Maryland – a site of a civil war prisoner of war camp where we got to see (and hear) some re-enactors fire a cannon. Last year we took the bikes and cycled up and down those bloody great big hills at Antietam and climbed the tower. This past weekend we went to a cabin in Bull Run, Virginia. Are you noticing a theme here? It’s hard to throw a stone from a campsite round these parts and not have it land on civil war ground.

And so it was the first time we took a walking tour with the kids. I was pretty impressed with them to be honest and love this photo of Connor talking to the Ranger – no idea what he was asking. There were questions about the war from Eamon at dinner - not for the first time - and like many before him, he couldn’t understand why Maryland would go to war with Virginia (my simplified version) when his friends live there.

Taking it easy

2011-11-13T21:02:00.003-05:00

We took Elaine's advice and took a break this weekend in a cabin in the woods. Eamon definitely got his wish of playing in leaves and I loved having my morning coffee on the porch swing with the leaves falling all around me and the squirrels busy collecting nuts.

A snapshot

2011-11-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

[This is one of the questions posed by Helen “What were you wearing, thinking about, listening to, doing . . . 20 years ago? 15 years ago? 10 years ago?”]

20 years ago
November 1991 – Limerick, Ireland
I was in my home town living with my parents of all places! I lived in Italy for 3 years after college and decided I wanted to stay put after a summer at home. I remember thinking if I got a job I’d stay - I put a CV together and within a couple of weeks I had 3 jobs (teaching to adults in 3 different locations). I then made some difficult phone calls to my Italian employer and my then boyfriend that I wasn’t going back.

I was wearing color – a lot of greens if I remember and I was probably more coordinated than I’ve ever been - as in my shoes matched my handbag, my socks matched my shirt (a shirt no doubt with shoulder pads!). In my young 20s, with my own money and recently returned from a country where fashion is king this was probably the time in my life when I was the most fashion conscious - not that you'd notice from the picture here. I shopped at A-ware and loved that John Rocha collection! I wore make up and my hair was long and my natural brown.

In this photo I found and sorry about the quality – I am with two of my sisters (that's me in the middle) and that cutie pie is my niece Sharon. When I had free hours during the day – which I often did - I would cycle out to Siobhan’s house and hang out with them.

What was I listening to? I’m trying to recall my CD collection and there was U2, REM? Maybe Nirvana but I think that was a couple of years later. Soul? ‘The Commitments’ was out that year.

What was I thinking about? I loved being at home again (though I moved into a flat after a few months) I embraced the comfort and security of it as well as the freedom of being in Ireland again. A young single girl in Ireland had a lot more freedom than one in Southern Italy – sitting in a café or bar alone didn’t elicit unwanted attention for example and there were certainly fewer cat calls from the guys in the streets (one part of Italian life that grated on me). I do remember thinking I should ‘settle down’ to a career and I considered opening up my own business. I attended some classes in putting a business plan together but when a potential partner backed out I didn’t quite have the resources to go alone.

15 years ago
November 1996 – Sydney, Australia
I was living and working (teaching ESL) in Sydney on a one-year trip around the world - Sydney was a base for a few months where I got to earn some cash and spend time with a good friend Rosanna, whose wedding was the whole reason I went there in the first place. In January 1997 after her wedding I went off around the country for a few months. I’d love to go back.

I wasn’t wearing a lot! As in I didn’t bring much with me in my backpack! I threw a lot of it out after I came home I was so sick of it but I do remember an A-line pinafore that I wore a lot – it lent itself well to being casual but not too casual for the classroom for example and luckily enough I found a photo. Here I am in Darling Harbour with my cousin Sharon who visited me while I was there. I know, right – another Sharon and another poor quality scan job.

My hair was shoulder length and had blonde highlights – I came back after the year being totally blonde - it was easier and cheaper to cover all my grey at that stage.

What was I thinking? I’m sure I was focused on my travels and what to see and do. But I do know I had made the decision to move to Dublin once I got back to Ireland and I also knew by this stage that I loved teaching and it wasn’t going to be a stop gap.

I was listening to mixed tapes I brought with me and I’m racking my brains to remember what was on them – PULP for sure. I still love Jarvis Cocker. Was this the year of the Macarena and The Corrs? I remember they seemed to follow me around the globe and I couldn’t bear the sound of them.

10 years ago
November 2001 – Dublin, Ireland
I was living in Dublin and getting ready to move here. I was Deputy Director of a large language school and though I really liked my job I was ready to move on after 5 years there and ready to move on from Dublin too. My ideal then would have been to go to a smaller town but that was not to be as I had made the decision to follow my heart to Washington DC.

I was mostly wearing black in FOUR sizes smaller than now (gulp!). My hair was blonde and I wore it straight though that was always a challenge in the damp Irish climate. I was handily enough tagged on this photo in Google+ this week - it’s from a year later in 2002 but it pretty much fits the time frame.

I was thinking about the big move and there were a lot of practical things to sort out and emotions were high saying goodbye to people and places.

I remember listening to Good Morning Ireland on the radio while having my coffee and doing yesterday’s Irish Times crossword. I miss Irish radio.

Can't wait to read if other bloggers wrote on this topic today and find out they really did have a life pre first born and maybe even a different hair color!

On yer bike

2011-11-11T07:13:00.000-05:00

This was taken last week in an attempt to write a post about some of our routines but as I began to write it I realised that it would be the most boring post ever. Seriously - who wants to read about what time I get up and how many times it takes us to remind Eamon to brush his teeth? I don't! But at least I managed to get a photo I wouldn't normally have of him on his bike going to school. How cute are they!

First trophy

2011-11-10T23:29:00.001-05:00

Eamon’s soccer season was extended a week and so he had one final practice on Tuesday – a little earlier though what with the clock being set back and it threw a little spanner in our works. We are away for the weekend and Eamon will miss his last game so the coach presented him with his trophy at the end. He was the only one getting it and it made it extra special for him though when he heard he’d miss the game his lips began to quiver but when I told him we were going ‘camping’ with Connor it made total sense to him why we’d miss the game. He was thrilled to get it and showed it to everyone on our walk home.

Anyway, I forgot to bring my camera so we took some pictures when he was all cleaned up (the mud that came home on that child twice a week from soccer was unreal!). He brought the trophy to school and showed his before and after care crew and his teachers. He told me everyone loved it and they were really looking forward now to getting theirs. Going to bed he put it on his shelf and said, “When I’m feeling low all I have to do is look at the trophy and remember how happy I feel today”.

Oh bless.

Just so we're clear

2011-11-09T20:48:00.002-05:00

Emptying out Eamon’s lunch box I discover the uneaten crusts of his sandwich - a recent development in his bread eating. I ask him about it…

Eamon [Matter of factly]: Mom, Mom, Mom, just so you know I will never be that kid that eats the crust of his bread.

Me [Just as matter of factly]: Eamon, Eamon, Eamon, just so you know I will never be that Mom who cuts the crusts off.

Memitating

2011-11-08T20:45:00.001-05:00

I have no words.

Look what I made!

2011-11-07T21:18:00.001-05:00

At the weekend I finally got around to clearing up the balcony and prepping it for the colder season ahead. This meant getting rid of the dead stuff and harvesting my crop of five peppers from the seeds Eamon and I sowed earlier in the year. Yes, just the five jalapenos but we supplemented these with peppers from the farmers market and I made a batch of pepper jelly this evening.

See what I did with the jars? See what the Silhouette (which I am totally in love with and have not yet had enough time to play with) can do? It etches glass! I had to give it a try and I love the result.

From the gallery

2011-11-06T20:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since we posted any of Eamon's art - this is one he did in his kindergarten art class, one of the few in paint. It's of a bear walking in the woods. Or of a bear walking in the sky above the woods. Whatever it is, we love it. We love it so much we got it framed and it's to go on the wall in our bedroom beside some work done by himself and myself. It only took us 5 months to have it framed and it might take about as long to hang it.

I'll put it on my winter list of things to do.

It's January 1, 2032. Write a blog post for that day

2011-11-05T16:00:00.001-04:00

[During NaBloPoMo every year I rope a bunch of my blogging Mom friends into doing it with me. I have plans to add their names to a blog role over to the right (check back if it’s not here). This year we enlisted the assistance of Helen – our biggest lurker – to come up with a variety questions and themes for days when we lack the inspiration or need a little push. This is one of those days!]

I’m excited about seeing the kids today – it’s not often I get to see the two of them together what with them having two different mothers so today is extra special. On New Year’s Day it’s not unusual to reflect on life and I sometimes wonder how Eamon’s life and the girls’ mothers’ lives would have been different if they hadn’t become parents so young. We can’t blame the kids when funding was pulled so drastically from Planned Parenthood the way it was and how ₰Ɛẍ-ed up everything was when they were in high school and I do love my grand-daughters. It’s funny how the women’s movement is now choosing to wear burkas in protest! Ha! Having Eamon back in the house has had its ups and downs but I am glad he decided to go back to school and finish his degree – his career as a break-dancer didn’t quite pan out as he wanted. I often wonder if we should have encouraged him so much when he was younger.

Weather is extra chilly today. It’s been a while since we went on our New Year’s Day hike at Great Falls since climate change has become a reality. Three feet of snow is now a norm in these parts but for some reason it takes the county by surprise every year and everything still shuts down. Himself likes being able to cross country ski to work so he’s still staying fit and trim.

Speaking of work – I may finally retire this year. Well, it depends – if Eamon can knuckle down and pass his exams and graduate I’ll call myself done. Though he found his old dinosaurs in his room lately and it made him remember how he wanted to be a paleontologist (glad he didn’t find his superheroes!) so I might have to put a few more years in yet. I’m finding it harder and harder to cope with the new technology in the office and I’ll be honest my eyesight and hearing isn’t what it used to be but they’re kind to put up with me. You never know, in another few years our retirement fund might actually be worth something.

I think I hear the girls now – I have a surprise for them - I procured some sugar on the black market. I know someone at work who can hunt down tobacco and other contraband items. Real sugar instead of all this synthetic fructose – I can’t wait! Maybe I shouldn’t be writing about it here on the blog but I haven’t had a reader since 2021 – though at the last MWA (Moms’ Week Away) we talked about a resurgence but we can’t quite recapture that energy since the last one we did during the “Real Moms of DC” reality show for Bravo TV. We all appeared like a bunch of left wing granola crunchers – well almost all of us. They really do skew everything with the editing. But it was fun and I enjoy seeing them every year and catching up with their families.

Anyway, I’m planning on making cookies with the girls – Chyna is the same age as Eamon was in this photo I found the other day. I wonder will she insist on wearing monster fingers while cutting out the shapes. Ah, how I remember that day – we made loads of those ghost cookies and I still have that cookie shape somewhere. Anyway, I’m needed for planting big sloppy Granny kisses on my girls and some chubby cheek pinching. A very Happy New Year to, er, everyone?

Peace out, man

2011-11-04T07:32:00.003-04:00

It's decades day at Eamon's school. I write that like it's such a normal thing but until last week I was all 'what the hell is decades day?' It is a school spirit day and this year they’ve spread the days through the year instead of all in one week. Today the kids could come to school dressed representing their ‘favorite’ decade. I only hope this is some kind of learning thing for the older grades, because seriously, they said favorite decade like this kid knows anything past last week.

Anyway…

I snapped up a groovy set of duds for the little guy - as handily enough, costumes are drastically reduced this week! Eamon was having none of it by the way – to be fair the pair of colorful bell bottoms that goes with this would put anyone off the 60s but he really wanted to wear the peace sign necklace. I thought jeans and the top of the suit would be great. We went back and forth about what he could and what he wouldn’t do and really there was no way I was going to force him into wearing anything he didn’t want to wear as much as I knew he’d get a kick out of being dressed up and get into the spirit of the day – as is intended. It makes me sad to think it came down to a fear that he’d be laughed at. :(

Himself suggested he wear his tie-dye shirt which he wore over a long sleeved shirt and he looked great. And to be honest this is probably what he would have worn had we not passed by a store with a sale on! But for whatever reason Eamon then decided to go and put the costume shirt over all of that – probably to tone down the look. It’s a bright t-shirt! I think he looks pretty groovy and am dying to hear how he got on today. I am also standing by the phone in case I get a call from the school nurse to say he’s passed out from the heat with all those shirts.

Guess who got the stick!

2011-11-03T21:01:00.004-04:00

Eamon got the ring in the brack* and for anyone who doesn’t know the significance of this it means he’ll be married within the year. He snagged the coin too so I can only guess she’ll be a wealthy girl. Currently my eyes are on a classmate who wrote this letter to him yesterday though Eamon tells me there are 2 girls in his class with a crush on him so he's unsure who he'll marry.

The scanner is on the blink (well really it isn't but I'm not in the mood to wrangle with it this evening) so I’ve written out verbatim what she wrote in the letter. Imagine every word in a different color, shapes and hearts decorating the page and actually pretty impressive hand writing.

Dear Eamon

I like you because you are cool and I like your hair cut and you are funny and act like a ? and makes me laf

Love T.

*I needed some barm brack this year – my tenth year in the country around this holiday (oops there I go dragging another day out of it). I needed a taste of Ireland so I found me a recipe and made me a loaf. It’s a tea bread made at Halloween and there are a number of objects baked into it so it becomes a kind of fortune telling cake. The biggest prize is the ring. Incidentally, getting a ring for the cake meant I had to buy a packet of 48 wedding favor rings. Maybe Eamon will use them for the wedding!

Yes, I’m still talking about Halloween

2011-11-02T20:08:00.002-04:00

I am making up for last year when there was not one post about Halloween at all. Nary a mention! But I promise this is the last of it and all I wanted to say is that we finally got around to picking our pumpkin but alas it was not in our own pumpkin patch. Something, someone or what is more likely some critter got there first and there were no pumpkins for the kids when it came time to harvest. Way back in May this year the kids in the building – aided by some parents – planted a little garden with some flowers, veggies and herbs. They tilled the soil, they planted seeds, and they watered their little plot. Then they went off to play in the pool for the summer and visited from time to time with a watering can but for the most part they let nature take its course. And nature did indeed take its course with some seeds failing, some succeeding and some taking over the whole goddamn garden completely. Be ye so warned that pumpkins need space to grow. The vines were dramatic how they took over the garden but it was drama the kids could get into. Eamon doesn’t get too excited seeing the basil grow but a big ass sunflower or a pumpkin? Now that’s something to talk about.

So, that’s what brought us out to our farm for a pumpkin. We were headed there anyway for the hayride and the maze only this year we did it with snow on the ground. That’s a first! Eamon must have picked the biggest one there and was determined we brought it home. We have a rule if you can’t carry it then it doesn’t leave the field but he showed some determination and rolled that thing uphill quite a ways that we gave in.

And of course we had our picture taken on the hayride – 5th year in row going to this farm and having it taken. That to me says family tradition! Know what else is happening for the 5th year in a row (if you haven’t guessed already)? NaBloPoMo – National Blog Posting Month – a post a day for the month of November. What have I started?

Crouching cheetah

2011-11-01T07:20:00.001-04:00

The costume stood up to the rigors of a kid who is serious about getting into character, well, apart from a dodgy seam and a loose ear but we think we got our money's worth! We topped off his 'look' last night with some face painting and staying in character he showed how the fastest land animal would trick or treat from door to door. At high speed!

And we're off...

2011-10-28T16:29:00.002-04:00

There's no school on Monday for a teacher conference so the annual Halloween parade was today. The kids and teachers parade around the play area in costumes, it's all very cute - even the scarier higher grades. Today no sooner had they left their classrooms than they were back digging into a plate of treats before some parent organized festive fun. Those kids ran around that playground - it was chilly but not that chilly! Last year I barely made it to the school before the kindergartners came out (and then realized I'd left my camera at home!) but this year I was ready to enjoy it but man those kids were on speed or something the way they ran around that yard. I don't think I missed much last year at all.

It's not unusual for Eamon to ask us first thing in the morning what animal he should be and despite my constant suggestion for a hibernating one, one of his favorites is a cheetah so guess what the boy is this year! And, this airy costume is one I made myself! Fall list - check! He's swimming in it - I followed a pattern and made the largest size - age 8 - thinking he'll get a few years of play in it but I know no 8-year old kid this size. Seriously, I cut 6 inches off the sleeves and legs and that head piece fits me.

Don't quite know why I'm smiling here - this is the first day of 4 days in a row of Halloween activities and parties and candy, candy, and more candy. Happy Halloween everyone.

Outstanding!

2011-10-26T14:32:00.001-04:00

Never was a company so aptly named than Outstanding in the Field because that’s exactly the adjective that described our experience last Sunday at Boggy Creek Farm in Austin. Outstanding! The other word that comes to mind is WOW! Because wow is what I thought when I first saw pictures of this event and I fell in love with that long white-clothed table draping the landscape of a farm and the pictures of diners ambling over the field, glasses in hands ready to enjoy the bounty of the very earth they were walking on. It was instant that himself and myself knew we had to go and one mention to west coast foodies Riona and Phil and they were in too. It was logical that we’d meet in the middle and that’s what brought us to an urban farm in Texas.

We were not disappointed. In fact, it exceeded my expectations because while I was drawn in by the artistry of the setting it was the food and drink that kept me seated at that table for close to four hours. As the food kept coming and the conversation flowed as much as the wine, we were introduced to the farmers, the fisherman and the rancher before finally meeting the chef by the light of a lantern. I couldn’t agree more with one blogger who wrote “I was just dying with appreciation for life” because it’s exactly what I felt sitting beside himself (on our wedding anniversary no less), our best friends and newly met table mates. We all shared our family style plates along with an interest in sustainable farming and buying local - though the irony that many of us traveled thousands of miles to support it wasn’t lost on us.

(More pictures below)
This definitely tops the list of my most memorable meals and makes finding our next year's "WaterFire" trip hard. By the way, none of this would be possible without Ms. Ellie and Grandpa who stayed back at the homestead and kept the little guy entertained and well spoiled. Thank you.

Outstanding in the Field

2011-10-26T14:25:00.003-04:00

There's more than just on this page! Click on the link below to see the full set in flickr.

Outstanding in the Field, a set on Flickr.

Miscellany

2011-10-17T21:05:00.003-04:00

It’s been over a week and I haven’t posted – so here’s a whole mish mash of what I could have blogged about but didn't.

The kid lost his second tooth and again it’s like the most exciting thing that could ever happen to anyone anytime in the history of the world. In the absence of Granny Maureen (the official Lowe family tooth puller) I did the yanking for him because he said he was tired of the hurting wiggly thing in his mouth. Incidentally, because of the chance to loosen more teeth many more apples and carrots are being eaten lately so it’s all good.

We’re settling into our routines a bit better these past few weeks – I tweaked it slightly having Eamon do his homework as soon as we all get home instead of allowing him to watch TV. He still gets lots of play time and relaxation in after care but leaving it till after dinner meant he was just too tired.

Eamon and I went to an outdoor showing of the movie ‘Rio” at his school last Friday evening. I noticed that in the excitement of seeing each other at outside events, the kids spend a lot of time running around and just shouting their names as they see each other. Weird and loud! Thankfully, Eamon settled down with his friends for the movie and it was nice to be wrapped up in warm clothes (and a borrowed blanket and socks!) on an evening with just the slightest chill in the air. Good movie too.

I’ve extended my role as social organizer with Eamon as more and more play dates (the drop off kind!) are being organized. These are of the “my people will call your people” variety as the kids plan their own free time now. This evening he told me that "G. is just begging me to have a playdate". I’m considering a contract for my time and laying ground rules for him on hosting one. Little man makes way too many rules for his guests.

We've crossed a few things off our fall list. The guys went camping and I did some sewing but I guess I'll blog on that some other time. Yesterday we went for a hike; there weren't enough leaves for Eamon to roll around in though enough for him to be stuffed up and wheezy and very cranky this morning.

Found out the problem with posting to blogger lay with the internet browser – damn you Internet Explorer.

His faith is strong

2011-10-05T23:01:00.000-04:00

For any kid who is into knights and castles the Renaissance Faire is a great place to visit. Though it’s not his number one favorite thing in the world he does like dressing up, playing with his castle and loves the dragon part of the tales (related to dinosaurs much?). He enjoyed seeing some of the acts and cheering his team at the jousts (unlike Jamie, Kay and I when we discovered we were sitting on the English not Scottish team side!). After learning about knight school he got a chance to meet one of the knights and got to ask him questions and of course it was the perfect opportunity for a photo. Later in the day there was a knighting ceremony and I was surprised that he was reluctant to take the vow along with the crowd to become a knight. Jamie, Kay and I were notably silent too by the way during the “God Save the King” chants - 600 years of repression is still hard to shake at a make believe festival!

It was only afterwards that I realized that Eamon probably thought that the knight was real. Why wouldn’t he? At least once a year we take him to see a bearded man in a suit and take a photo. Perhaps it was a bit more realistic than we thought – maybe he didn’t think knighthood was for him with all the years he’d have to put in being a page and then a squire. Good choice my young man - learn a trade and stay away from danger.

Speaking of make believe, are there more mythical figures for children now? Are there more here in the US than in Ireland or is it a sign of the times? Growing up I had Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and occasional threats about a visit from the Boogie Man. Santa was the most magical thing ever for me as a little girl but I paid the tooth fairy scant attention and probably knew exactly who it was. Eamon has visits from Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and a leprechaun visits his classroom on St. Patrick’s Day every year. Have I missed one? I don’t think it’s a bad thing – magic and make believe are an essential part of childhood and as long as we keep the Boogie man out of it I’m happy to continue. I try to recreate that excitement I felt at Christmas but I don’t pay too much attention to the Easter Bunny (it does leave room for Ms. Ellie to participate) but it’s the Easter one that took me by surprise this year. I made a slip saying something about one of the things that Eamon got in an egg that showed I knew a little too much about who had put it there and I decided to come clean – my heart pounding but my curiosity soaring – he didn’t believe me. The Easter Bunny did it. Only him. Full stop. Period. End of story.

Huge sigh of relief.

Fall list

2011-09-27T21:32:00.008-04:00

The darker mornings are the hardest for me; Eamon is struggling with a tougher routine; and the weather has thwarted biking to work for himself. As much as I thought I was ready for autumn, it still hits hard. A little bit of therapy was needed – so we wrote down all the things we want to do and focus on the postive side of this beautiful season (as we do!). So here’s our fall list that should see us to Thanksgiving.

Play in the leaves - this is Eamon’s contribution - the kid who’s allergic to leaf mold!

See jousting at a castle (alright, we've been to the Renaissance fair and Medieval Times recently - both fun.)

Drink hot apple cider at a drive-in movie

Pick pumpkins from our very own pumpkin patch – I kid you not.

Get a family photo on the hay ride at ‘our farm’

Tell Eamon to get lost - in a corn maze of course!

Make some new dress up clothes for the kid – patterns and fabric bought, he may or may not wear them at Halloweeen!

Make kits for daysforgirls.org - check out their site if you can sew (or think you can like me) and want to enable more girls to get an education.

Get the knitting needles out for scarves for special olympics

Introduce Ms. Ellie and Grandpa to Boo at the Zoo – himself and myself will be away that weekend, they said they were game so the tickets are bought.

Go camping with the Tiger Cubs – I’ll be at home sewing (and drinking wine).

Visit the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Make our usual festive goodies - namely sweet potato swirl cake, apple chutney, pepper jelly, and cranberry sauce. (I think we've missed the window for picking apples so himself won't get a chance to say 'oh just a few more' and go on to fill another gajillion boxes. Just as well he likes fruit.)

Eat at a farm – our CSA farm has a BBQ this weekend but we’re planning something much bigger and further away!

Go rock climbing – after Eamon scaled the walls the Renaissance Fair and slayed the stuffed dragon, himself thinks he’s ready for more.

One last thing, I need to do is figure out why our brand new computers (YES! At last!) won’t let me post anything to blogspot. Blogger is driving me crazy lately but this defeats me. I can write in it, edit (I use that word lightly!), save drafts, upload pictures but I cannot post. Any ideas? The computers are both HP.

Toothless Wednesday

2011-09-21T07:34:00.000-04:00

Now we are six

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-04:00

The boy celebrated his sixth birthday recently and he thought the day would not come soon enough. Chuck E. Cheese was his location of choice - for months he talked about nothing else and for months we ignored it but gave in in the end. After all, it was his birthday and at the end of a very, very wet week I was glad we weren’t doing anything outdoors. He loved everything from the blow up crown to the Chuckie balloons and was jumping up and down with excitement with an oversized rat singing happy birthday to him. They know what little birthday boys want.

So, what’s changed in Eamon’s life now that he’s six?

Now that he’s six, he is a first grader. From what we can tell he likes it – homework started this week and fingers crossed it’ll be another good year for him.

Now that he’s six, he’s lost a tooth and had his first visit from the tooth fairy. He now has the perfect gap for the straw in his juice box.

Now that he’s six, he’s old enough to join the county soccer league and it involves one practice during the week and a game on Saturday. It’s a little more serious (though I’m not talking the big leagues here) and we were given 5 pages of rules on how to behave at soccer. I think I broke rule #59 at the game last Saturday and may not be allowed to be on the sidelines anymore – the rules were for the parents not the kids see.

Now that he’s six, he can become a tiger cub – first rung on the boy scout ladder. Himself and Eamon have their first camping trip in October and who knows where that will lead.

And lastly, now that he’s six, I made a promise to myself that I would start taking him to church. Better get my act together before he turns seven!

Summer 2011

2011-09-15T21:23:00.002-04:00

Summer 2011, a set on Flickr (Click on any of the pictures to bring you to the set on flickr)

Time to wrap up this summer yet? You bet! School’s back, there’s a chill in the air, the leaves are falling and the hardest part - the mornings are getting dark. But I know you’re all just waiting for the official announcement here, right?
It’s been a good summer – we did everything on our list (or at least attempted to) PLUS SOME so we consider it a huge success. And of course the best part of it all was sharing the activities with friends as well as family who played a huge part in the season. With them we did a lot more besides our list of activities and they inspired and energized us but left us just a little worn out and looking forward to the return of routine and a quieter season to come. Exactly what summer is supposed to do! I have shared the photos above and I hope I’ll be writing on some of them here yet.
One thing I never wrote about but was a big part of the summer was Lyme disease! Yes, it made a return to our family and you’d think that after we’d been once bitten (literally) we’d be twice as shy or at least twice as likely not to ignore a rash. Not us. Not me. Not anymore.
Well, himself has just made me a cup of tea there’s rugby on the telly so without further ado I call this summer over.

Canonballs ...

2011-09-06T20:24:00.000-04:00

... and sliding down waterslides. Summer list: check

Hard pretzels*

2011-08-31T15:59:00.005-04:00

Eamon’s first day in first grade was postponed by a day thanks to Hurricane Irene and a power outage at his school. He doesn’t look too happy in the photo that I took on Monday but he didn’t seem too upset either that his summer vacation was extended by a day. I doubt many parents felt the same. The PTA list serve was ablaze with ‘updates’ and I’d say every parent in the area contacted Pepco so that a crack team were sent to the site at midnight in fear of a repeat at the switchboard the next day. Power returned at 5:00 am in the morning in time for our 6:00 am telephone call from the county school board. Er, thanks for that. I think.

Eamon had a good first day as far as we can tell – he doesn’t exactly fill us in on many of the details except that he had hard pretzels for morning snack. Snack time, like recess is obviously a very important part of the day. At the open house last Friday he had a moment of pre-school jitters walking to an unfamiliar teacher’s classroom, but gladly it vanished as he saw his friend D. was in the same class and a very friendly teacher to welcome him. Both he and his friend looked very comfortable walking in line to class yesterday (and I'm glad to say that the first day of school was a lot easier on me this year too!).

Apart from that Irene brought us a lot of rain, some plans were canceled, and I was glued to news about what was happening in New York. Sharon was too and apart from a case of boredom she fared well overall. She said that that she’d seen worse storms in Ireland, Irene felt like any storm in Kilkee where the tail end of many Atlantic hurricanes end up. We're raised hardy in the west of Ireland! Her flight was canceled as we expected but she was on the ball and got a ticket out on Monday. Her bags, however didn’t leave till Tuesday!

* obviously the most important part of this post

Irene's timing couldn't be worse!

2011-08-26T07:15:00.001-04:00

One of the things we love to do on windy days is blow bubbles from our balcony – the parking lot is awash in no time and it always looks lovely. Last night wasn’t so windy but it didn’t stop us anyway. There is a storm on the way though – a biggy by the name of Irene. All the eastern states have already declared a state of emergency and the coasts are being evacuated. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a lot of rain and wind to this area but the way these things move who knows what will happen. For sure, some of our plans for the weekend have been changed but the biggest one is that we had to say goodbye to Sharon a little earlier than we wanted. She’s due to fly out from New York on Sunday and with some last minute details to sort out she went up today instead. I feel awful. What kind of an aunt am I sending her niece off to New York City with a hurricane about to strike! I doubt the plane will take off on Sunday but with the earthquake and hurricane this week, we have our fingers firmly crossed she can get home before the plague of locusts arrive.

A little shaken and a whole lot stirred

2011-08-24T18:42:00.000-04:00

What are the chances of getting an earthquake and a hurricane in this area in one week? Pretty high it seems.

Go Team JAPAN!

2011-08-17T20:43:00.003-04:00

[From Ms. Ellie on the sideline]
The British soccer coaches are remarkable - part skilled soccer player, part demanding coach and part enthusiastic cheerleader. They are doing a great job, the campers are having a great time and Mother Nature gave us great weather. Life is good at British Soccer Camp!

Rebecca, Eamon’s cousin, goes on the offensive.

Eamon works his way through a ladder of colored stones without missing a step.

Eamon looks headed for another goal.

Eamon and Rebecca join other team JAPAN campers and win a scrimmage against BRAZIL. JAPAN is undefeated. Two more days of camp, but who's counting. As long as our water, sunscreen and insect repellent last we will all be fine.

From the fields

2011-08-16T14:31:00.000-04:00

[Eamon is away for the week with Ms. Ellie - he's at a soccer camp on the Eastern Shore with his cousin Rebecca. We're glad to say that she's still standing and even willing to blog about it - here is her guest post.]

Mother Nature did her best to keep us from opening day of soccer camp; however, Eamon and I persevered for seven (that’s right SEVEN) hours through mega rain storms to drive from New Jersey to Cape Charles. We arrived tired and hungry; treated ourselves to dinner at the closest McDonald’s we could find and headed to Bay Creek where we crashed for the night.

Eamon and his cousin, Rebecca, were up bright and early Monday morning for the first day of camp. I guess the thought of camp really appealed to them as they literally camped out on the floor of their bedroom after making a rather ingenious tent from the bedding. Every kid has done the same at least once in their life, or, at least I hope they have.

A few last minute adjustments before meeting the coach who welcomed campers with an Official British Soccer Camp shirt and a soccer ball. Eamon gets some help writing his name on his soccer ball from Aunt Pat.

Day 1 of camp focused on basic skills with lots of time for practice before trying out skills in a variety of mini-competitions. Eamon and Rebecca are teammates on Team JAPAN in a match with Team ENGLAND. JAPAN won! The perfect end to Day 1.

Today (Day 2) we saw the kids get more competitive as rankings for each team were announced by counselors. JAPAN is doing well beating both England and Spain today. We need to get bonus points tomorrow by wearing GREEN which is the team's color. Eamon, Rebecca and I have some plans to surprise everyone with more green than they could ever imagine.

Best laid plans

2011-08-14T17:11:00.001-04:00

The first list I wrote back in 2009 included "eating funnel cake at the County Fair" but the day we had planned to go the heavens opened and the sky was electric with a storm that we knew that a fair ground was the last place we wanted to be. No County fair that year.

The summer of 2010 was full of sudden storms (and power outages!) and a few activities were skipped.

This year the rain and lightning struck again and the baseball game today was cancelled. We’ll just have to catch the Nats play away another time. By the way, if anyone wants to see a double Phillies game on Tuesday, September 20 please let me know because we won’t be there!

From the balcony

2011-08-12T10:32:00.002-04:00

Only two weeks till the kid is back at school. TWO WEEKS till the end of summer so it means squeezing the bejesus out what’s left. We’ve been zipping through our list (and adding more) and despite my best intentions to stay as unscheduled as possible it didn’t quite work what with every weekend between the end of July and mid-September completely filled - just in time for Eamon’s soccer games to start so we won’t have a free weekend till November! Gulp! But it’s been fun and we’ve done almost all of them or are about to - this weekend we’re packing our ‘W’ hats and supporting the Nats against the Phillies in Philadelphia along with Ms. Ellie and Grandpa - who no doubt will be wearing their ‘P’ hats. Consider yourselves warned!

I’m very hopeful we’ll get all our activities crossed off but I am sad for one. My little hummingbirds never came back this year. As a mother’s day present back in May, Eamon helped me select a horde of red, orange and yellow flowers to plant on the balcony and while it’s attracted lovely compliments from my neighbors it hasn’t attracted even one hummingbird. I only left the feeder out for a short time but I usually spot these creatures long before that. Pity! But I have enjoyed our little spot of outdoor space and despite the scorching heat, the balcony is still in blossom; our herb and tomato plants have given us bounties of good eats and the jalapeno peppers are just coming to fruit. And yes, I had a mojito with a sister on it (check photos on flickr) and with another sister arriving in September, I don’t mind repeating this item on the list whatsoever.

Look who's extended her stay!

2011-08-10T21:50:00.001-04:00

Next time she comes we'll put rocks in her bed! Just kidding - we're delighted we get to spend more time with her.

Day 5: Peach Smoothie

2011-08-05T21:27:00.003-04:00

Camp Peach comes to a close with a smoothie, one that went very nicely with yesterday's muffins for breakfast (and for the record I thought they were delicious). This blender jug contained nothing but peeled peaches, a little orange juice, some bananas that were good for nothing but throwing in the blender and a couple of spoons of vanilla yogurt. The four of us slurped to the last drop.

I am sad to see the end of this camp because naturally it means having to say goodbye to two of the best camp leaders EVER. We were so lucky to have them here, Eamon in particular, getting to spend so much time with his aunt and cousin while getting reacquainted with some Irish words and phrases!

They had a pretty full week and had they done any more Sharon would have had to buy a new t-shirt. I'll update the blog with some of these over the next few weeks when I recover (and don't forget to share some of the pix with me guys) but tonight, in our very quiet house, filled with peachy keen memories I want to extend an invitation (and a challenge) that apple season is soon to be upon us! Who can make a good pie?

Day 4: Healthy Peach Muffins

2011-08-04T11:14:00.005-04:00

Maybe it's a sign that we're all feeling the effects of the last few days' desserts that today called for something 'healthier' and I use quotes because seriously what could be healthier than just eating a peach? Though I would like to add that we are gorging ourselves on peaches as well because, to begin with, they are delicious and secondly, if we don't get them up soon they'll all go soft and mushy and we'll be infested with fruit flies. Back to the muffins - I am yet to taste these, this recipe and photograph are hot out of the oven (just sent via email) and this is what they thought:

Sharon said if you wanted a healthy peach breakfast it would be a lot less effort to mash your peach into your porridge. I have not saved the recipe link to my favourites as I cannot see me baking them again. Eamon came back for a second so I guess there is at least one thumbs up.

And this came too - so I am guessing the little camper helped out.

Day 3: Peach Cobbler

2011-08-03T21:41:00.000-04:00

A classic - peach cobbler with ice cream, (peach ice cream at that!). Tonight's dessert was a combined effort, the camp leaders doing the cobbler and I made the ice cream at the weekend. This southern version is the recipe they used but beware it must have been a toughie as one leader conked out on the couch shortly after it and the other conked out by 8:30pm. Camp Peach is proving exhausting for some.

So what did we think of this?
Camp Leader: This is my first time having cobbler. I'll have to make more.
Himself: I'll have more right now.
Camp assistant: It's good but I think I'd like more peaches in it.
Herself: Delicious, moist and buttery.
Happy Camper: I prefer Ms. Ellie's cobbler. She makes the best.

Day 2: Peach Meringue

2011-08-02T20:57:00.001-04:00

Who doesn't like peaches and cream? Add meringue and a lemon custard and another winning dessert from Camp Peach was born. I have no link to this recipe because this one came straight from the files in Siobhan's head. No recipe link to the peach and blackberry compote that came out of Sharon's head. I'm not going to write what we all said about this because apart from the sound of our lips smacking, an 'it's good' was shared by all.

Day 1: Peach and Blackberry Custard

2011-08-01T22:22:00.003-04:00

These guest campers aren’t kidding around with Camp Peach! I arrived home to the three of them decorating t-shirts with the name of their camp. Siobhan’s was emblazoned (I might have exaggerated here) with Camp Leader, Sharon’s was decorated with a giant peach surrounded by all the completed activities (it’s a work in progress), and Eamon was drawing dinosaurs because, well, he’s Eamon and dinosaurs obviously like peaches too.

I was also greeted to a divine smell coming from the kitchen. Sharon and Eamon were the master chefs today and they prepared a Peach and Blackberry Custard. While it was cooling off Sharon also prepared some peach and mozzarella bruschetta – both hits. The flavor of the white peach is a delicate pairing for the mild cheese and who cared if we didn’t have walnut bread in the house. Liked it. And how was the custard? Here’s what we all thought:

Camp Leader: YUM! Good recipe find Sharon.
Assistant Leader: I’ll put the blackberries further down next time.
Happy Camper: More please. And some ice-cream.
Herself: Tastes like bread pudding with peaches instead of bread. I love it.
Himself: [On second serving] Is there thirds?

10 big thumbs up!

Camp Peachy

2011-08-01T13:30:00.004-04:00

We’ve been very fortunate that we haven’t had to scout out camps and summer programs for Eamon. Where he went to preschool is the same place where he goes for before and after care during the school year; and they open 7:00am to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday, year round with a summer chock full of great activities. We imagine in a year or two he’ll get bored with it - the same place day in day out AND on the same grounds as his elementary school. I’ve said it before how I’d love him to have as much freedom as possible during the summer so we welcome any time off that comes our way and this summer he’s had lots of opportunity to get away from his routine and spend time with friends and family. After our week’s vacation in Chincoteague he had a second week on the shore with Ms. Ellie and Grandpa. Ms. Ellie also found a great soccer camp on the shore for him later in August and not only has he the chance to do something he loves but he gets to do it with his cousin Becca.

But we got another surprise when his aunt Siobhan planned a last minute visit (a bigger surprise when Sharon came along with her) and asked if Eamon could take a week off. You bet! Camp Siobhan a go go! When I told Eamon that Siobhan would be here for a week to do activities with him he as all excited. I mentioned that we needed to find indoor activities because she cannot spend too much time in the sun for medical reasons and so we found out what was on in the area and sent her a few ideas. It’s freaking hot anyway that staying inside is a good idea. Siobhan and Sharon came a little more prepared and it started with a camp naming brainstorm session when Camp Peachy was born – coincidently (er, not) after we picked over 40lbs of peaches at a farm on Saturday.

She has reading, theatre visits, pool time, and cooking projects all planned for the week and we’re all going to win with this arrangement especially if peaches (and Siobhan) are to be involved every day. Incidentally, the 2 activities I came up with this weekend could not have been worse for someone to stay out of the sun – fruit picking and flat water tubing! What was I thinking? Good job, she’s a good sport and good job we all love peaches!

Wordless Wednesday: D.E.A.R.* Time

2011-07-27T06:55:00.001-04:00

* Drop Everything And Read

Heating up

2011-07-22T09:08:00.001-04:00

It's hot around these parts and we've come to a stop in our summer activities spending the least amount of time outdoors and doing anything that involves moving our bodies very far. Cooking is at a minimum and popsicles are in demand. The temps are expected to hit a heat index of 116ᵒF today – that's something over 40 in the centigrade scale – and higher than I’ve experienced in this region so far. We canceled a camping trip we were going to go on this weekend. We were mad enough to reserve a camp site for July, thankfully our faculties remain unbaked and we’re not mad enough to go.

We will be venturing out this weekend but it will be to the cinema and the pool but I’m tempted to have some fun with water balloons. Who’s on for a fight?

Worded Wednesday

2011-07-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

Look! It’s Wednesday and I’m not just going to slap up another photo and call it a post – though I admit I’m tempted.
We went to Chincoteague Island again over July 4th (piggy-backed on Elaine’s traditional weekend at the beach) but this year we extended it to a full week and called it VACATION! No moaning from me this year about day and weekend trips though I constantly strive for longer and shout out about the healthy benefits of time off work and away from routine. Call me European!

Our week didn’t disappoint – the days were sunny, the sea was warm, the food was great and the company was excellent. Every night the little guy fell into bed exhausted from being out and about especially on the beach where he mastered a boogie board in no time flat. He dived into, jumped over and surfed on so many waves I was exhausted just looking at him. And one of us did have to stand and look at him because that boy sees no danger - who knows how much salt water he swallowed.

I enjoyed mojitos on the porch (with "sisters"), watched a summer storm, and we went crabbing, clamming and picking winkles. AND Eamon rode the attractions of the local carnival. When you write a summer list before heading off on vacation there’s a good chance you get most of it crossed off pretty quickly. I celebrated my birthday and positively one of the sweetest presents ever was waking up to the kids all ready to go pick winkles for me. Even Capt. Barry, when he heard of our search for winkles brought us to a few spots in their hunt until we found a good crop to harvest. By the way, now we know high tide is when to pick periwinkles here (the opposite to home). Did I mention that the food was good? Always so satisfying when you pick it yourself. Next year we have grand plans for investing in a crab pot and perhaps a pair crab grabbers after himself’s thumb came too close to a pincher. Yes, we’re planning on going back already.

Wordless Wednesday: Lesson from my father

2011-07-06T07:42:00.000-04:00

Summer List 2011

2011-06-21T15:53:00.003-04:00

Summer is officially here! Yay! The kid’s off school, the days are longer (and sadly get shorter from today); the fireflies are buzzing and we're only 4 days away from vacation so it's time for the list. With the weather being so warm since mid-April, we’ve done quite a few of these things already but the beauty of summer is – for me at least - nothing ever really gets old and we’re happy to cover some things again and again. You might notice that it’s not too different from previous summer lists –it’s the little things about the season we love so much.

So without further ado, this summer the Lowe-Madills will be …

Catching fireflies

Camping

Crabbing, clamming and picking winkles

Swimming in bays, oceans, lakes and rivers

Picking fresh fruit and eating as much of it as we can while doing it

Sipping coffee on our balcony watching humming birds

Sipping mojitos on our balcony (perhaps with a sister or two!)

Growing good things to eat

Seeing fireworks

Watching a summer storm from a sheltered porch

Watching a movie outdoors

Eating everything that comes in our CSA basket

Cannonballing into the swimming pool and sliding down a slide at a waterpark

Cheering on the Nats at an away game!

Getting saturated in a water balloon fight

Riding the attractions at the fairground and sharing sticky sweet funnel cake
Agus a lán rudí eile (I'm beginning to sound like a primary school essay after the summer holidays)

My main aim for this summer is to not over schedule ourselves – there’s a limit to what we can do in a weekend and nothing worse than feeling haggard during the week and that darned laundry doesn’t do itself - but we would love to do these things with you if you’re interested. What do you have on your lists?

School's out

2011-06-16T21:24:00.000-04:00

School's out for summer and this little boy is now a first grader. Wow! A first grader with a mohawk. Here's to a long fun summer and long hair at the end of it.

The chart

2011-06-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

How did June get here so quickly? No, seriously! I've been thinking about a short post on Eamon's chart for a while now but didn't realise it would take me 5 months to do. Remember it? The one he asked Santa for and drew an excellent picture of? Yeah that one. It's a magnetic calendar by the way.

Last night in an effort to delay bedtime (it worked) he just HAD to prepare June. Just couldn't rest without putting the dates to the days and filling them in with every playdate, library visit and birthday party. Turns out June is a busy month - there's Flag Day (can someone tell me what that day is about?), school picnic, last day of school, Father's day, first day of summer, and, oh yeah, summer vacation.

Took him a while to get to sleep thinking of all the fun things coming up.

Hot in a furry suit

2011-05-29T10:42:00.000-04:00

We're half thinking of going to a baseball game today - weather depending. It's a hot weekend here and with the pool open it's tough to think about sitting in a hot stadium. I wonder how the mascot does it. The American bald eagle is the mascot of ALL the Washington D.C. professional teams – well, almost all (the Washington Wizards went all original with this). We 'met' them all recently and strangely, they all look very different. Here’s Screech – the mascot of the Nationals’ baseball team. He’s soft and cuddly and a tad goofy. Kid friendly all the way.

Here’s Talon, the D.C. United mascot. Looks a bit more seasoned (like some of the older players!) but his face is Goofy with a capital G.

And here’s Slapshot the Washington Capitals’ (ice hockey) mascot. He’s more serious, rugged and masculine and dare I say it – hot!

Turn off that hoop and come do your chores!

2011-05-25T21:08:00.001-04:00

Recently in Williamsburg one of the people there admired Eamon’s newly bought three-cornered hat and noted that now that he was wearing one he must be a man and guessed his age to be six. Six is hardly a man, but it was old enough back in Colonial times for a boy to wear britches, leave the fold of women and join his father and brothers. No doubt every hand was needed on the farm or in the family trade.

Though he’s not quite six he is becoming more and more independent and can do all sorts of things like dress himself; brush his teeth; set the table; make his bed; get a tissue and blow his nose; get himself a drink; help himself to a snack; tidy his room; put on his shoes and socks; and even read himself a bedtime story. I am definitely in favor of the modern childhood but I wish Eamon would use more of these new skills on a day to day basis.

Wordless Wednesday: Bunny Hop

2011-05-18T11:28:00.002-04:00

13th man anyone?

2011-05-13T14:28:00.006-04:00

RFK, the stadium where DC United plays, is known as the home of the 12th man. I was under the impression that the 12th man refers to this guy who walks around and pounds on his drum and gets the crowd chanting D-C-UNI-TED. No need for cheer leaders or loud speakers in this venue. Eamon loves it and can burst into the chant at any time (for any sport!). Last Saturday we went to a game (another scoreless draw – groan) and Eamon and I hunted this guy down for a chance to bang on his drum. Totally worth it.

As it turns out the 12th man actually refers to La Barra Brava – the bunch of faithful fans whose mission is to show up at every game and cheer on the team. They seriously have the stadium hopping - no doubt Senor Salvatore is one of them.

A chick pea by any other name

2011-05-09T21:26:00.000-04:00

The picky ‘phase’ continues. It’s been a while since we’ve had our perfect eater and well, we may never have that kid back. The one that people complimented us in a fancy restaurant on his table manners and variety of food he ate (I kid you not – this did happen!). We are both firm believers in our job being to provide the nutritious meal and his job to eat it. So we continue to present him with the same good foods as always, introduce new ones and flavors and if it takes him 11 or 111 tastes to like it then that’s what it takes. The kid’s not going to starve.

The other night we had chick peas – something he’s had before and turned his nose up at. They were in a different dish than normal and he asks me what they are. Garbanzo beans I said – for whatever reason because I never call them that. He loved them. Wow! Is that all I had to do is change the name of the food? No extra small dicing or masquerading in sauces or making funny salad faces? Our menu is going to change ever so slightly around here and we’ll be having aubergines, courgettes, capsicums, neeps, swedes, haricot verts, lupins, spuds, beetroot, broad beans, maize and marrow and a whole range of foreign language dishes. Let me know others you think he'd like to try!

No longer sending his photo in for the Gap kids contest

2011-05-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

He’s not a fussy kid when it comes to clothes. He barely notices what he wears to be honest so it’s been pretty easy to dress the kid (not dress himself mind!). Apart from the odd super hero t-shirt and fleece hoodie he doesn’t have much preference for what he leaves the house in. And this is a good thing.

That is, until I dared to present him with an item that he refuses to even put an arm in and try on for me. A denim jacket! What's wrong with that? A fantastic thrift store find, preworn so it's not a stiff denim and a well known label to boot. I don't get it and if you follow his twitter feed the guy has told us umpteen times how much he wants to be a cool dude.

I even thought this picture of his adored cousin Andrew would help. No - though he did ask about a plastic bowler and shamrock glasses!

(Yes, kids in Ireland dress like this everyday!)

Wordless Wednesday: Peeps before breakfast

2011-04-27T21:19:00.002-04:00

Playing catch up

2011-04-23T13:20:00.000-04:00

Before this year is over or I get another post written - whichever comes first, I should mark the two big birthdays that happened in the family in March and April. The first was himself turning the big 4 oh and Grandpa Ed turning 65. The two birthdays were celebrated in contrast to each other with a keg and fried chicken for the first and a sit down 5-course dinner for the second. But they were both good fun!

By the way, Eamon made his first toast and did a fine job!

Kitchen: Before, mid and after

2011-04-17T12:35:00.003-04:00

Kitchen: Before, mid and after, a set on Flickr.

A pictorial recap of the kitchen redo has been long over due. While digging out the before shots, I got mired in ones of my little boy. Oh, how cute he was and where have those years gone! So, there might be one too many of the 'before' because of this but you can't miss the little video of him playing ball on the new floors. There's a mid-section too and like my own it expanded in time over the years but this is when we painted the walls and cupboards, laid new floors and went through 3 freecycled countertop microwaves.
There's still one last thing to do before we can call it done but it has made such a difference to our lives. We love it.

Rest stop

2011-04-12T20:10:00.000-04:00

I have made a couple of attempts over the past week to post here but my computer is not cooperating, nor is my patience. I'm sorry. I am glad to say that all is well despite my technical difficulties. Spring has arrived in the DC area in the form of blossoms and thunder storms and it's hard to know when we will be able to finally leave the coats at home but we're optimistic and are already making plans for the warmer months ahead. I might even start making lists again and ask you to join us!

A little game of chess

Gag Lunch

2011-04-01T11:11:00.001-04:00

This morning we started our day with a few ‘tricks’ like ‘there’s a spider on your back’ and Eamon’s response to trick us back is to tell us ‘there’s a monster behind you’; ‘the wall is on fire’; ‘there are claws coming through the wall’; and when his clothes were on his bed to go get dressed he told us that the bed had taken his clothes and was wearing them. I bet he tricks loads of people today! But I do want to catch him out somehow. I have grand schemes from things I see online to mark various days throughout the year but when the time comes round it gets scant recognition. There was the usual rush to make the batter on Pancake Tuesday and himself even had to nip out to buy the eggs for it (surely going against the whole idea of using up the stores of fat before lent!). For Valentine’s Day I drew a few hearts in sharpie on Eamon’s sandwich bag and threw a few heart shaped gummies in with his snack but at least I remembered to buy the gummies beforehand. Working full time can make things hard and as creative as I think I am I’m no Martha Stewart. This week I came across a few good gags for kids and thought I’d give it a lash. This picture is of one that suggested using double sided tape on the sandwich bag to make it unopenable, putting a gummy worm through an apple and replacing Cheetos with carrots. I loved it. Thing is when I went to do it this morning I had a change of heart – poor Eamon when he couldn’t get at his sandwich and worse getting a shock when the rare treat of Cheetos in his lunch turns out to be carrots. I could see the face scrunch up and tears form. So I kept the gummy worm in the apple and added a few holes to the sandwich in a hungry caterpillar fashion. I’ll ease him in gently with April Fool’s Day or there may very well be a monster behind my back.

Wacky Wednesday

2011-03-23T20:42:00.000-04:00

Not wordless Wednesday today but wacky. We're in the middle of spirit week at the elementary school; Monday was school colors day and though we didn't exactly remember Eamon was somehow dressed in the blue and white (like if you checked inside his pockets and under his cuffs or something); and yesterday was crazy hat day and last week's buzzard got an outing. Today was the wacky day and the kids could go in whatever they wanted - Eamon opted for the moustache look and we added the tats. Two more days - one sport day and one pajama day and we're done. Maybe the school has something going with this spirit thing because finding the crazy hat and tattooing your kid has added a bit more spirit to our morning routine.

And then we did lunch

2011-03-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

For this year's St. Patrick's Day I visited Eamon's class as guest reader. The kids were fun and it brought back memories of my days in front of a classroom; except I never had a comfy rocking chair to sit in, and the students weren't as excited and eager to chime in - nor were they all dressed in green. I'd like to be able to volunteer more but I guess if I only make it in once a year this is not a bad day to do it - and my son won't just learn about leprachauns, crocks of gold, four leafed-clovers, sweet soda bread, and corned beef n'cabbage.

Vulture-man returns

2011-03-16T09:51:00.000-04:00

Not sure if you remember Vulture-man? But let me tell you he's alive and kicking and rejuvenated thanks to a little town in Ohio that heralds the beginning of spring with Buzzard Day. It's thanks to a colleague from that town to introduce it to us and thanks to Eamon's excellent coloring that he snapped up a prize and has the honor of wearing a turkey vulture on his head. His plan is to cut two holes in it for eyes so he can wear it as a mask. I know you're all going to thank me next time you see a vulture and know that spring is here.

Belted

2011-03-05T17:29:00.001-05:00

The PTA organizes afterschool clubs at Eamon's school and for the past term he was enrolled in the karate club. He'd been talking about doing karate (or martial art) since he took a few classes of kung fu last summer - incidently it was during that first class when he did one move over and over again for 20 minutes that I saw another sign that he was ready for kindergarten. Well, he got his first belt on Thursday and this is how I found him that night. I think he was excited!

Because it's an after school club we don't get to see it so we asked him to redo his routine for us and he gladly obliged. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Our downstairs neighbors love us!

2011-03-02T21:03:00.000-05:00

Clean up aisle 5

2011-02-20T18:46:00.000-05:00

I can count on one hand the number of times Eamon has thrown up. (I’m warning you there will be talk of vomit.)

1. 2007? (He was still in his crib – probably around 18 months/2 years old) It was very late at night/very early in the morning when we both woke up with a strange sound from Eamon’s room. He was terrified of this thing coming up his throat it took us a while to persuade him to let it out onto a towel we’d placed in front of him.

2. Early 2009: I was alone in evening and I heard a noise coming from his room – nothing unusual as there’s often noise that comes from his room for up to an hour after we put him to bed. I ignored it the first time I heard it and of course it’s one of those thing that I regret as a parent not going in the first time because when I did go in there was vomit everywhere. He had sprayed the walls, the bed, the floor… (I did warn you!). By the time himself came home, Eamon was sitting up wrapped in a towel watching cartoons (seriously thankful that night for late night cartoons!) and I was busy with bleach and a bucket of water.

3. Time number 3 is the time I tried to poison my child – shellfish in his lunch that may not have been refrigerated or reheated properly. I got a phone call from school that Eamon had thrown up after lunch and was looking pretty pale. He threw up again before getting in the car when he was picked up and that was pretty much it. He thought this was the coolest day ever and often refers to it as they day he threw up 2 times at school.

4. December 2010: Coming over Moll’s Gap from Glengarriff to Killarney on the one of the twistiest curviest roads in all of Ireland. The scenery was an incredible backdrop for his first bout of car sickness and thankfully we were at the end of the journey and were able to take a mini hike by the lake to freshen up before heading back on our trip.

5. Yesterday: Eamon had been complaining of a sore throat and was a tad congested in the morning. He didn’t have much of an appetite all day and in the afternoon, while I was sorting out books for a book drive he came to tell me he was feeling sick and needed the doctor. After further investigation he said his tummy was sick and he might throw up, I moved him closer to the bathroom but not close enough and well, let’s just say some of those books will not be making it into the collection box.

And there you have it. Next time I’ll have to use two hands to count but something tells me I’ve talked enough about it.

Almost there

2011-02-15T21:10:00.000-05:00

Over a week since my last post? And not the first time this year either. Yikes! Writing more on the blog was obviously not on my new year’s resolution list this year so forgive me. I am easily distracted and have been spending less time online - some of it is intentional but it’s mostly due to our increasingly older and more pathetic home electronics. Argh! I am also easily frustrated.

Eamon’s had his usual activities – plus some. His gymnastics ended a week ago and again we neglected to bring the camera so we had a mini reenactment at home.

Winter is usually a slower time in our lives but we’ve actually been embracing it this year and cabin fever hasn’t set in - not yet at least. With the more bearable temperatures this week maybe we won’t be able to ice skate for much longer (fingers crossed). No blisters this year either.

The family who knits together...

2011-02-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

The scarf is finished! Remember the scarf I was knitting for the Special Olympics? And it was finished well by the closing date too I might add. But then when I checked the details of where to send it for the Maryland athletes I saw that they had only received 50 or so scarves by the beginning of January and they needed 600. My heart dropped thinking about all those great athletes and supporters who wouldn’t have a scarf for their games so I put the knitting needles on high gear and pumped out another two. Actually, himself even learned a bit of plain and purl and we had two going at the same time. For a while there was a knitting frenzy here and this is probably what prompted Eamon’s sign above. Note his own finger knitting attached.

YAY for snow

2011-01-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

There's the perfect hill near Eamon's school for sledding - well, almost perfect if it wasn't for the close proximity of some monkey bars at the end of the hill which Eamon's head missed by bare inches yesterday.

Easily done when he goes down the hill like this!

Tourists

2011-01-23T15:51:00.000-05:00

Eamon’s been reading some of the Magic School Bus series and recently we read one or two with the kids in space. It sparked a lot of interest in space (as it’s meant to!) and you’ve got to love living in this city when we can talk about space ships and planets and walking on the moon and go right downtown and touch a moon rock! This was his first time in the Air and Space Museum – for some reason I’ve been avoiding it. Well, actually, I know the reason – it’s always crowded and every visitor who ever comes to Washington asks to go and I have spent more time looking for people in it than I have looking at the actual exhibits – so I took a leave of absence for a while. Eamon was a good person to go back there again with.

We are spoiled living here with the wealth of resources at our fingertips and January’s not a bad time to go and be a tourist. A cold time granted.

Traditions of Christmas

2011-01-09T22:01:00.004-05:00

St. Stephen’s Day is the day after Christmas in Ireland (not Boxing Day) and tradition has it that St. Stephen – (the first martyr) was given away by the movement of a wren in the bush he was hiding in and for some reason the Irish have taken it upon themselves to seek revenge on his behalf ever since - or perhaps link it to a pagan tradition. In years past groups would hunt and kill a wren and parade it through the kitchens of their neighbors playing music, singing, dancing, and generally causing no good with the woman of the house and what was left of the Christmas cake. Nowadays, the Wren Boys, as they are known, don’t do the nasty on the bird but in some areas they still go from house to house or pub to pub. Well, in Glengarriff the tradition is alive and well and we were visited by the youngest wren boys ever – probably the ones not allowed in the pub!

Himself was ~~getting away from us all~~ reading in the bedroom when he came down and said “I think the Wren Boys are at the door” as we'd been describing them to him that day. There was no way we would have heard them otherwise. There was singing and dancing and the tin of sweets passed around. It’s rare that a first for Eamon is a first for himself too.

This wasn’t the only Christmas tradition himself came across first hand. Oh, no it wasn’t! Kay and Jamie offered to take Eamon and his cousin Andrew to see the local Panto, Snow White, back in Limerick. It had been years since I was at one and when I was explaining what it was to himself he wanted to come along too. A Panto by the way is not related to pantomime here; it’s a musical play based on a fairy tale with oodles of audience participation. The kids would love it.

We booed and hissed with the best of them. Himself found himself on the aisle seat and was the target of some hair tousling by the Dame. He’d been warned there might be antics in the show and thought he was over the worst of it until the Cops (CSI Miami – Limerick style) brought him up on stage for an interrogation regarding the death of Snow White. He was mortified. I couldn’t stop laughing. Horatio didn’t have a come back joke when he said he was from Washington. I don’t know if he even quite believed him. Andrew and Eamon were flippin’ out. Kay managed to take a picture of him on stage – a little shaky mind but we were laughing so hard. In all fairness to himself he did a great job and was able to tell the officers exactly what happened and who did what to poor Snow White. They weren’t long in arresting the queen after his description.

Pity ‘Law and Order’ have stopped filming, he might have got a part!

Planes, trains and automobiles

2011-01-03T21:14:00.001-05:00

We spent Christmas in Ireland. We took a train, then a plane then a car to go to the wilds of West Cork and no-one but no-one could have predicted the weather for our journey. All over Europe there were canceled flights and stranded passengers but we were lucky that our plane left without incident; lucky that Shannon airport was open; and lucky that the Scottish travelers were rerouted and were able to meet us in our convoy through the thick fog that greeted us. The fog lifted to reveal a rare white painted Irish landscape and the only things whiter were the knuckles of the drivers for last 25 miles from bantry to Glengarriff.

But my God it was worth it when we got there.

Siobhan was there to show us down the last few hundred yards through snow covered rhododendrons that lead to the house where Granny, Cian and she were stranded for a few days. They were busy during that time decorating, crafting and baking - giving us the best welcome ‘home’ ever. Later that night when the last of the family had arrived safely we all breathed a sigh of relief and started the best.Christmas.ever.

We were all in a hurry to get there the boys couldn't wait for me and my photo taking. So wish I'd taken more of this part of the trip. This was around hour 21 and the little guy ran the last leg of it.

Mmmm, delicious.

Christmas Eve waiting for Santa to arrive. (Singing!)

Jet leg meant that this little boy didn't wake up till after 11 on Christmas Day. Check out that view!

The carnage!

First Family Gingerbread House

2010-12-22T21:32:00.000-05:00

Hacker

2010-12-21T23:25:00.000-05:00

The kid’s got one of those dry hacking coughs and claims there’s something stuck in his throat. The humidifier’s in action and no amount of expectorant or honey-lemon drink can ease his near constant seal bark. We’ve been trying to persuade him to have a sip of his drink every time he feels the need to cough in an effort to save his own throat and our sanity. Every time he coughs one of us shouts ‘take a drink’. I dread the 13-hour journey tomorrow with him; you know who’ll be reaching for the bottle every time instead!

My Christmas loist

2010-12-19T17:02:00.000-05:00

Now that Eamon can write* - for the most part - he wrote his own letter to Santa, or rather he wrote a list. I guess the lesson on letter writing is yet to come. The list contained 3 items and here is the actual list he wrote and mailed - or rather a scan of it minus my comments.
1. Video Game DS (like the one his cousin Riley has with the pen!)
2. Chart (see excellent illustration below)
3. Action figure Ultimate Big Chill (also illustrated for Santa's and the elves' benefit)

* and read! He just came in and started reading over my shoulder! I will have to be careful what I write here.