Just tell me you need a hug

There comes a time in the evening when we are getting tired. Small people can start crying, losing tolerance. Sometimes it escalates into something bigger. I think that this can depend on how I handle things. If I am tired myself and I am not concentrating, I can see this poor behaviour as irritating and fail to recognise it for what it is i.e. "please bring me to bed because I cannot take it anymore". I should know what THAT feels like! Lately I have been trying to teach Jane especially that when she is feeling bad/tired, to just ask for a hug. Hugs make everything so tolerable and the benefits can change the mood instantly. It can start with the tenderness of consolation and finish with a playful jiggle to reintroduce the good humour; I can smell the sweetness of the children, whisper some words of encouragement, remind them of how loved they are and it recharges some really worn out human batteries - for both Mama and Little One. Bring those hugs on!

The first lost tooth

There is a particular grown-up feeling with the first feeling of a wobbly tooth...especially if, like my two boys, you are possibly the last boy in the class without a gap. A six year old can measure his importance by how many teeth are gone. With the full 20 milk teeth, you lose out on thrusting conversations with your pals - the game involved in guestimating how long the tooth will last from first wobble to ejection, to how many euros has been collected from the tooth fairy and of course, what violent act caused the tooth's ultimate demise.

No 2 has been checking regularly for the possibility of even the remotest wobble and last week a tiny wobble was confirmed. It took a week or so to gather its north-south momentum and at last on Sunday it was hanging out by its last sinew. The sweet little fellow mulled over the various merits of leaving it fall out itself versus having it pulled. Being a thinker, he considered the potential pain of a final wrench so being practical he took matters into his own hands and the wee little tooth had its last moment. To see the joy on his victorious little face while holding a miniture, redundant tooth in his hand is one of those moments that you consign to memory. Yet, there is a wistful twin memory of the day that little 'tooteny-pegger' suggested its presence with a tiny white glint and confirmed its presence under the knock of a steel spoon in Summer 2004....and that was after a good few weeks of disturbed nights, several mls of liquid paracetamol and painful, throbbbing gums. For all that effort it just about lasted 6 years. 6 years and 2 months. And a damn good job done.

if we could just add sunshine, please?

Homework done, bellies filled with nourishment, 3 smiling kids, shouts and squeals from the gardens, 'bambi-eyes' at the front door wanting to come in and play ...all possible with these gorgeous bright evenings. We have sprung forward the hour for a month now and we are really starting to cash in with the extra daylight that this part of the world can bring. It is bright now until 9:00pm and in another month we will have brightness until 10:30pm. It is like an extra day in the same 24hours. We don't appreciate it enough because we are so busy complaining about the lack of sun here but to the tourists, it is a gift. So I try to cherish it because it rocks. ....though a little sunshine and warmth would just be the icing on the cake.

It is late April after all.

You can't take your eye off them for a minute!

One minute it was there. Then it was gone. Rapunzel ...without the witch. Self-inflicted devastation to the crowning glory of three children. It is the age-old fascination with scissors - creativity mixed in with mischieviousness. A gaggle of cousins sneak upstairs, giggle and know that the scolding they are GOING to get will be so worth it .... what fun can be had with hair!

The result: Punk hair for Clare. Eighties flick for Jane. Pixie non-fringe for Andrew ..... and my sister with a hair problem of her own ...another grey hair....from the stress of anticipating what I might say on my return.

Ultimitely: Can we replace it? No. Can we laugh about it? Yes. My aunt said: "may this be the worst ill you suffer". Perspective mummies, please.

THE Talk

Birds and the Bees

When I woke up on Thursday morning, little did I know that today would be THE day. The day for the birds and the bees. The fact that it is Spring is appropriate. Since the day that No1 was born we (I say 'we' because we must be united on this but (sotto voce) it is really I - for while DH has similar views to me, he has been happy in this matter to take a back seat). Still, WE (I) thought long and hard about how we would do this; WE had long discussions about when, where, and how (DH listened carefully and agreed with everything I said) and WE decided that he would lead the way with our son because after all, DH is a man and he should be the one that takes the lead in guiding him into manhood....... And this is how I ended up telling him practically everything.

I never really wanted No1 to get it all in one go so we ( and I mean WE here). I don't actually believe in it being One talk. I have been answering his questions and probing him to think about these things since he was about two. I like to think of it as a long process. The facts about sex are the easy bit; the intricicies that surround it are the part that takes some time to negociate.

But it must be agreed the the crux of the matter is as my son so succinctly put it "but how does the seed get to the mum?". He dealt well with the information. I asked him had his world changed forever. My very mature and solid boy said "well, everyone in the world was made this way..". (Heart melt). I responded by saying that "no actually...not everybody was made with as much love as you were made by Dad and I".

Easter Weekend Report

Travelling

Glee is the only word to describe the four, newly but temporarily free adults that sped to the airport on Easter Saturday. Sipping coffee while waiting for the plane we all reminised on care-free days where such indulgences were more commonplace. A quick scoot around duty-free to pick up a last minute lip-stick provided a few laughs. It is these ordinary things that can give so much pleasure. An event-free flight finished with greetings from a loved one at the airport and then on to begin our preparations for this wedding.

Wedding

I never saw bride so nervous as she made her way up the aisle. Squared on each side by her teenage sons, her nerves belied the sureness that brought her to this decision. The loving glances of her groom willed her on her way towards him and once in his arms, a shy smile reassured us all that her ordeal was over and only good things were to follow.

Vows and poems, rings exchanged, kisses....ah yes!

I love the kiss after wedding vows. I think that people should clap and cheer and renew the kisses they gave each other on their own day because it is the universal seal. Champagne, canapes, talk and photos followed and of course a wedding 'breakfast'. I haven't heard this word since the days that my Mum would recall her wedding day. Dancing was recommended but most people retired to the bar to catch up on each other.

Our Time

Spending a few days with Dear Husband's Mum's family is always a pleasure. Cousins gave us meals and entertained us with witty discourse. We loved having time to enjoy each other in the heart of a warm, extended family but our three Treasures were never far from our thoughts and even closer to our conversation. I think I knew that this would be the case.

Easter Weekend

Goodbye to cousins

I waved goodbye to a dear sister this morning. Thanks to her gorgeous children there has been noise, laughter, shrieks, arguements, PS3 absorption, mess, constant feeding frenzies and it was just lovely. Smiling faces, dirt covered knees, football challenges, dolly games. What more could you ask for?

Weekend away

That dotie pet, my sis, has taken my 3 children to her home in Limerick. Dear Hubby and I are going to a wedding in the UK and she is looking after our precious babies. I hope that she is not dead by Monday from overwork. Despite several failed efforts, this is DH and I's first attempt to take some time away together without the children. First in 10 and a half years. I sit here in a bit of a daze. It is quiet, so quiet. My bag is packed and I am actually wondering what I should do now???