Not MIA

So... this is a post to let you know that I haven't actually dropped off the face of the earth. About three weeks ago, Eoghan fell onto my laptop and broke the screen. I have had very limited computer access since that time, so therefore I have not been able to update my blog! I can only write a quick entry now because my Internet time is quickly running out. But currently I am traveling the country and able to stop in Internet cafes. A new screen is on its way all the way from 'Americamp' but no telling when my computer will be up and running again.

Elizabeth Mills "deserted" me this morning after arriving on Saturday. I cannot even begin to tell y'all how good it was to see her. She left me here feeling very homesick and wishing that I, also, was jumping on a plane to go back to America. That, however, won't be happening for another 6 weeks! Elizabeth is going to update my blog from home with stories (and maybe pictures) about our adventures. She'll be my guest blogger!

I am supposed to meet up with my childhood friend Ashleigh Morris in a couple of hours. She and two of her friends from college are meeting me in Dublin and then we will be traveling up to Northern Ireland for three days. After traveling around with her, my Canadian au pair friend Emily and I will be biking the Ring of Kerry!! One hundred and ten miles and lots of hills. We are planning on doing it over four days, so hopefully it won't be too painful. Weather is the one thing we have to worry about at this point... and still being able to walk come Sunday, April 11th, when we're done!

All Dressed

Lately, Eoghan has been waking up in the morning and immediately finding himself something to wear. Up until now Gillian and I would always pick out his clothes and get him dressed. But now that he can dress himself NO TELLING what he comes downstairs wearing.

On Friday he was sporting a particularly interesting outfit.. notice the high water pants, his nicely tucked in shirt, how far up his pants are pulled, and last (but definitely not least) the direction his pants are on:




I don't know why he started telling me about all the things he loves, but it has quite an extensive list.. also I tried to start a tomato ("to-may-toe" vs "to-mah-toe") fight with him at the end, but he clearly didn't get it..

"Having our playdough and EATING it too!"

Eoghan and the playdough Eoghan-- don't be confused, the real Eoghan is on the left

Inspired by the former TV show "Jon and Kate Plus 8", I decided to make edible playdough with Eoghan today! I have wanted to do that since before I even came to Ireland, but when I arrived and found out he thought peanut butter was disgusting, I had given up all hope. In the beginning, every time I pulled out my peanut butter to put on my apple slices, rice cakes, etc. Eoghan would say "ick, peanut butter is disgusting!" (It didn't bother me too much because it just meant more for me!!) Anyway, one day he miraculously decided to try it again and now LOVES it. I cannot pull out the jar of peanut butter without him asking for some. Don't know what caused the change in heart but I have converted the child. His new love for peanut butter made my dream possible- now we could make edible playdough!

So today we used equal parts of honey, peanut butter, and powdered milk to make our own playdough. We also added some flour to keep it from being too sticky (I think I put in too much honey). Knowing that it was edible made it all the more fun for Eoghan. He spent about 45 minutes straight playing with it. I banned him from eating it until the end... and when it came to that, he was biting chunks out of it (gross). I tried it before three year old hands were all over it and it actually tasted very good, but big bites of it would make anyone sick! I had to talk him into saving it to play with again tomorrow- otherwise, we'd have had a boy with a very bad stomachache.

I HIGHLY recommend trying this recipe though- kids and adults! I may have even had more fun with it than he did.

International Dinner

On Friday, Emily hosted all the nearby au pairs for an 'International Potluck Dinner'. We each cooked something that is unique to our home countries and took it to Emily's for dinner. I was debating between cornbread and PB&J sandwiches, but after my mom's brilliant suggestion, I settled on MACARONI AND CHEESE! There were about 12 of us there, so there was a LOT of food. My favorite things were German. Maren and Elisa made a very thin crust type of pizza- one was topped with ham and cheese and the other one was topped with apples and cinnamon (so good!). One of the Hungarians made some interesting dish with potatoes, eggs, and sour cream... not one of my all-time favorites.. Some of us stayed the night at Emily's and she treated us to pancakes ('Canadian' pancakes) in the morning. Canadian pancakes aren't much different from American pancakes, so they were very good.

Emily on the phone for the 100th hour trying to give everyone (the lost au pairs) directions.. for a good hour and half we thought we would be the only ones at the dinner!

Franziska and Maren admiring our feast

Group shot

Maren and I after our multi-cultural dinner

Speaking of pancakes.. on Tuesday, we celebrated 'Pancake Tuesday'. Instead of 'Fat Tuesday' (like we have in Americamp), they have 'Pancake Tuesday' here to kick off the season of Lent. Everyone eats pancakes for dinner! Gillian and Kieran don't like pancakes, so Marie sent down some pancake batter for Eoghan and I. Eoghan excitedly topped his pancake with sugar, while I stuck M&Ms in mine (I was giving up sweets for Lent the next day so had to have one last hurrah with my sweets). I have never done Lent before, but I figure I should try it since I am in a Catholic country. So far we're doing alright (but I must say turning down dessert at the International Dinner was mighty tough). Something else I found interesting about their start to Lent was that they are not supposed to eat meat on Ash Wednesday. I think it was the first day of my life I was ever a vegetarian but I did it! I am so Irish.

Random photo: Katie getting a kiss from her friend Tadhg (pronounced Tyge)

RIP Corsa

So.. I was planning on going to spin class tonight in Mallow at 7:00. At about 5:45, Gillian noticed that my lights were on in my car outside. She said she had noticed Eoghan playing in it a few hours earlier, but had forgotten to tell me. I went outside to check the Corsa and it looked like my car had been vandalized by my worst enemy: my headlights were on, all my windows were rolled down (they are manual so you don't need the keys to roll them down), my rearview mirror was twisted, my back windshield wiper was pulled out, and there was cereal (yes, Courtney, your leftover Irish muesli!) spilled all over the front seat. I cleaned up the mess and headed back inside.

The time for me to leave (6:45) rolled around and I got in the car to head to spin class. I started the car once and the windshield wipers made an attempt to wash my dry windows (he clearly had turned them on too..) but the car wasn't starting. I tried again but the Corsa wasn't having it. Eoghan killed my battery. Sad day, the Corsa has died- temporarily. We're hoping he'll be back in action by the weekend.

In Loving Memory...
Born: whenever cars were first invented
Died: February 11, 2010

Stinky Diapers and Peeing on Potatoes

I don't have much to share except these very entertaining videos and pictures!

Also the two most recent things that Eoghan has done that have made me laugh:

1. Obviously I have picked up some of the Irish terms and expressions after spending so much time here. Likewise, Eoghan has picked up some of our American sayings (ie. he only calls it a 'trash can' now instead of a 'rubbish bin', he uses 'candy' instead of 'sweets', etc.). Anyway, sometimes I like to quiz him on what I call things vs. what they call them. The other day I asked him 'what do I call Katie's nappies?' and he said 'stinky diapers'.. obviously I make it very clear that I don't enjoy the smell Katie's 'bum' (another Irish term) creates..

2. He was sitting on the counter, helping his dad peel potatoes at the sink one day and Kieran walked away to put the peeled potatoes on the stove. Next thing we knew Eoghan had his pants down around his ankles and was using the potato peeling sink as a toilet. Kieran and I couldn't even yell at him for it because we were so much in shock- we just looked at each other and laughed (unfortunately probably reinforcing that behavior!)

Flashback to Eoghan wearing my wellies.. this time he and Charlie decided to take part


Playing "Katie the Dog" (I have never seen a child so happy to be considered someone's dog!)


Not only does she have yogurt all over her face, but please notice her hair

Talented Kids

Katie reading the books to me... I love it how she thinks we sound when we're reading them to her!



This time Eoghan swapped Katie's hat for his mom's! Also notice the glove on his right hand.