Diary of An Irish Woman

musings of an irish lady now living in America.

Monday, November 24, 2008

RIP


My Uncle Charlie passed away last week in Connemara. He was my Mums Uncle - the youngest of 10 children of my Mamo (great grandmother) so more like my parents age. He was a character and in his Eulogy one of his best friends said that when you said Charlie, no body had to ask was it Charlie O' Malley. Everyone knew. He played so many Irish Musical Instruments that it always astounded me. He spun faster than anyone I knew in Irish Dancing. He loved his wife, children and grandchildren and the world has lost a lot in him not being here anymore.

I told my cousin that on the 7th day God created characters like my Uncle Charlie to keep him entertained in Heaven with his stories, music and laughter - otherwise would be full of altar lickers and holy joes and be a boring place all together. Good night Uncle Charlie - you will be missed - may the sod always lie gently above you.
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Sunday, November 23, 2008

de man

chilling out and about and in the house.


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daycare


So heres wee man with the other two kids at his daycare. You can see how much he loves it and loved getting these photos from them. Classic. There was such an age gap when he started - he couldnt sit up, roll over at the start and now hes toddling around and delights running around showing me everything when I pick him up. He adores the other two kids as well as the older teenager children of the wonderful lady who takes care of them. I think if he could set up a website as a fan of their 12 yr old son he would. Anyway - its because they are so great that I go to work and home from work a little less guilty for being a Mum that works away from the home. Although I think my job is a lot easier than the home one. Seriously - I get paid to talk on the phone as an Irish person. How hard is that!

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at the park


So every weekend we head to the local park to run around and go on the slide. Wee lad obviously takes after his Dad as he loves to go down the slide at speed barely holding on and laughing all the way. The fact that I dont even like going downhills in a car paints the difference... He is also now Mr Social at the park - walking up to other toddlers and saying hi and cruising on past them. The social butterfly is probably from me ;-)

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Magenta

What do you do when you are in a new job three months and going fairly well. You get rid of the interview haircut you did to get in the door.. And say hello to magenta! (In honor of my niece Emma who when we were told her fav color was pink she corrected us at age 4 and said "No thats not my favourite colour - its magenta - its LIKE pink.."
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November


Well we didnt get the pumpkin shots that we told ourselves we would this year but he's having so much fun exploring and toddling around its been fantastic. The newest craze is telling things to shusshhh as in be quiet. The funny part is that about 1 in 10 times he actually brings his finger to his mouth. The rest of the times its pointed to his ear, cheek and head. He told the hamsters at Catherines to be quiet the other day when he knew his pal Maidson was taking her nap. He loves to hang out at Catherines with Adita his pal. They sit in their high chairs saying each others name back and forth and passing back crackers to each other. Wee man knows exactly what he wants to eat and knows a few words but thinks that cracker means all food so Mam and Dad spend most of lunch time trying to figure that out. He eats a ton though and loves nearly everything - obviously a McDonnell there at heart. He has a dirty grin as well so he looks like his Dad and Grandad Borg until that grin comes on and then well - he is my Dad. Its wonderful and also quite scary...

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water !

So took wee man and hubbie today with friends of ours to San Jose Childrens Discovery Muesum. He LOVED it! As soon as we were inside he ran over to a crank that generates electricity to power a small dolls house nad an airplane overhead. (Obviously no live wires for kids to touch !)He was sqealing with joy at all the stuff he could touch, watch and play with. The sections are set up great so theres some activites for toddlers and infants so they get a go away from older children. We left the water tables to last as figured this way change him on way home. He was having such a good time playing with the spouts and fountains of water. He already runs to the water fountains as it is shouting wahwah so now they'll be a favorite! Although I can see that today it clicked for him that you drink at the water fountains and after all the climbing and running he did, he was a thirsty boy!




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Sunday, November 16, 2008

oops

So Thursday was feeling bit queasy. Friday went into work still feeling off. Next thing you know it was lunch and I was avoiding eating as still felt bit off. Then I got that feeling that I needed to be in the bathroom really really quickly. I went as fast as I could but missed the cubicles and unfortunately threw up all over the bathroom. That's not even the worse of it. When I realized I had to throw up some more. So I went to the bathroom and thats of course when everyone started to come in to use the ladies after their lunch. But all they see is a trail of paper towels on the floor and all the cubicles blocked at their doors by said accident and the only one thats free is the one I am in throwing up still.

Then of course I'm thinking I have to get this cleaned up while I yak some more. So I call my boss from the bathroom and ask him to put in a ticket to facilities to get it all cleaned up. Sadly it was a bug we all had and hubbie had spent the day trying not to throw up himself but having to go to the loo 6 times. So off I went home early after closing the 12th floor bathroom... Stayed in bed for the weekend with wonderful hubbie taking care of munchkin who thankfully didnt get it as bad.

On the plus side I did lose 5 pounds that weekend. However now I am known as the lady who closed the ladies room....

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

arrggg!

So Health insurance companies are the phone companies of 2000's

What do I mean by that. Well remember took forEVER on phone with phone companies when you had an issue back in the 1990's. I remember my letters and calls to MCI battling their company over bills and coverage.

Now its the Health insurance companies doing the same. Their appeal department and resolution doesnt even have a phone in that department. You can only write or fax them - so you spend hours on the phone with other very nice meaning folks who cant help you at all while they shuffle you around and then drop your call three times...

Arrggg!!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Halloween and Dragons

So its November already and what a month that whizzed past

Wee man is now running around madly by himself (that would be the baby and not the hubbie). He was a Dragon for Halloween as the cyberman Dr Who costume is a wee tad big (age 4) - who knows by age 4 he might want to be what the other kids are. I dressed up as work - any excuse to go in with a medieval dress on and cloak really. However I was ill Halloween night and the weekend and spent most of Saturday after all hallows in bed sleeping off a bug. Thankfully hubbie sweeped to the rescue and got wee man to music class and also saw another open house. Thankfully the wee lad enjoys them - all that opening and closing doors he gets to do and turning lights on and off.

So on the house front. Well we are still in our same place. We love it here but have no garden or garage and would be great to have some. We did put a bid on one house that wasn't short sale only to find out the owners are insane in this market and although house was down from $650 to listed at $599K - they wanted $660. Not in this market Sonny! So we laughed at their counter offer. I understand their predicament as they took a huge loan on the house and want that money but this is not the market to do that. So we still also have an offer in on a short sale house we love and things are slowly and I mean slowly starting to move there. We're preapproved from the bank which is great so starting to get the ball rolling. More updates as they come

Work has been crazy but good. Turns out talking on the phone to complete strangers is right up my alley and hit 240% of my quota for first quarter and so 45% of quota for year. So they all love sports and I don't but I am educating them on the ways of the geek and I have found a new walking buddie in Marcia a co-worker who also started same time as me. 4 days a week we hit the gym and walk for 30-45 mins for lunch. I have started to see my waist again! I'm no longer a complete rectangle shape like weetabix! (Large square/rectangular shaped cereal for those who haven't heard of it..)

And my hair is shorter cute wee bob with purple/magenta streak in front. Wee baby looked at it - said hair and then pointed to the purple bit and said hair? I said purple and he now says purple...

Words are now coming thick and fast with him and so is this burst of understanding. He knows now that words are on paper and says paper and book and points to the words pretending to read. Cat, Dog, Horse, Rooster, Sheep, Cow (all with sounds and the words), when the kettle boils he says cup tea, although in fairness he may think that's one word. Diaper, carrot, dinner, cracker, apple, banana, puffs, cereal, water, bottle, milk, on, off, sit, stand, dance, tango(because every baby should know that one), bus, car, points to the moon says moon, points to star and says star then sings his version of twinkle twinkle, airplane, bird, tree, grass, ball, Mama, Dada, door, key, mailbox, radio, telly, wiggles. So many words now that new ones appear in threes and fours.. His wee brain is soaking it all in. I cant wait till he meets all his cousins and tries to understand them.

We had our friend Sheila stay over and he has certainly got over his shy phase. He was delighted to show her his playing of the recorder whistle and brought over food to show her - usually after he had taken some from his mouth. Then as she slept in his room he played hide and seek dipping his head down in the crib in morning and said Sheeya looking for her in his room after she was gone for the day. So wonderful to have her stay over.

Also we had Kerensa stay as well who is a mad woman. Anyone who gets up at 6am to make a quiche and brings over food to your house to whip up a Greek yogurt or some of her Dads famous spaghetti sauce is a good friend to have. Wee man was very impressed with her as well and we like have friends over, its easier than going out sometimes especially after the bath and bed hours.. Kerensa is also a friend who loves Ireland and has a dream of opening a taco van in Dingle Penisula some day. Her thoughts are that Irish cuisine could be improved with a taco or two. The thoughts of a taco cart make me smile and think of the Van book and movie by Roddy Doyle. Thankfully unlike the committments nobody is singing in that one.

Our friend Emily also stayed last weekend training for hockey and it rained Sat night and we all chilled in, reading books in and just hanging out in front of the fire.

Wee man is so funny now, he knows how to play for laughs. Also he will sweetly trot to the gate to go get his toothbrush and get ready for bed when you ask him to. Wonder how long that will last. I showed hubbie the baby's wrestling move. He tries to grab my hand and throw his leg over my arm trapping my arm when I put him down for the night and laughs. Hopefully he wont grow up to be a hulk hogan wannabe.

So just finished shopping on Safeway for groceries for tomorrow and now I am off to bed. Its been long few weeks since I started work and looking froward to getting an extra few days off for Thanksgiving. We leave for Florida end of this year for a week and then to Ireland for a couple of weeks in March.

Of course the biggest news stateside was the election of our 44th president of the United States Mr Obama Barack himself. It was such a wonderful night and feeling proud of my adopted country here. The two bottles of wine we had on a school night I was not so proud of as my head was quite heavy the next morning and just reminds me of how I cant really drink the way an Irish person might have a reputation for.

Also wee baby is going to be a Zazzle model for their new exciting lineup - embroidery products. So when you try and make a shirt for toddlers/babies you will be able to pick wee lad as a model to see how it looks on your child while my child poses in it. Hopefully he wont be making any more appearances on the Internet but its exciting for him

So hopefully will blog sooner than later and hope everyone is keeping well.