10 Tips for Surviving a Parade With Kids
Let’s talk parades. I LOVE parades, which just proves I’m a complicated individual. I don’t enjoy hanging out with large groups of people. I’m not very patient. And did I mention ALL. THE. PEOPLE? Yet, I love parades! It’s probably nostalgia knocking on my door. I remember going to a 4th of July parade as a little girl with my grandma and cousins. I remember exactly where we’d sit on a curb with a few trees doing a terrible job of shading us from the July sun. I remember cowgirl princesses on horses and beauty queens in convertibles doing that elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist wave as they slowly passed by. There were restored hot rod cars,…
Happy List #18
Hello everyone! How is spring treating you? Fun tidbit. We don’t spring ahead for daylight savings time here in Ireland until this weekend! That’s why my posts have been publishing an hour earlier recently. Here’s a list of countries around the world and when and if they do the daylight savings time switch. Also, Sunday is Mother’s Day in Ireland. I had been wondering why the stores have been carrying Happy Mum’s Day items for weeks. Now, I know! I’m not sure losing an hour of sleep is a very good way to celebrate moms though. This week I discussed how well my green thumb is working with my newly acquired…
The Tale of 3 Houseplants
I bought a houseplant. Yay me. It’s still sort of alive a month later. Yay me? It’s not looking good though, which is a shame because I had to carry it home from the grocery store like this. People don’t even look at you strange here for carrying home a plant on the train. I’m not confident the plant is going to survive. Something weird is going on with the soil. And the stem. If we’re going to be thorough, then fine. The leaves too. As for the obvious question, yes, I have watered it. And not just that one time. I have dutifully followed the directions that came on its…
I Just Want ONE Good Picture
One good picture. Is that too much for a mom to ask? We recently went on a hike. It was one of those “let’s go for a walk” moments when Handy Husband dupes us all and we end up hiking 7 miles. I’m fairly certain the entire trip was uphill both ways, but I probably imagined the snow and burning coals part. The mud was real though. If you can’t tell, there’s a chasm between Handy Husband’s definition of a “walk” and everyone else’s. But we are all healthier for it. If you ever go on a “walk” with my husband, make sure you pack your survival gear. You’ll probably…
Happy List #17: Happy St. Patrick’s Day
How cool is it that the 17th edition of my Happy List falls on the 17th? And not just any 17th, but St. Patrick’s Day! I couldn’t have planned it better myself. When you’re reading this, I will hopefully be watching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in DUBLIN. We’ve got to do it at least once, right? Be sure and follow A Pretty Happy Home on Instagram to see what all the fuss is about or if we even make anywhere near the parade route. This week I shared our easy Irish flag centerpiece. You could easily modify this idea for any country, so go forth and celebrate! I also gave…
Travel: Belfast with Kids
When we were considering a move to Ireland last year, we took a bus tour through Northern Ireland. Our bus stopped in Belfast for approximately one hour. Long enough to grab a sandwich, but not much else. Earlier this month we took a long weekend and headed north to spend more time in Belfast. GETTING THERE FROM DUBLIN: It is approximately a 2-hour train ride from Dublin’s Connolly Station to Belfast Central Station. I recommend booking your tickets in advance if you are traveling with a group. This just saves you the headache of finding a seat all together. Plus, the kids get to see their names above their seat…
Irish Flag Centerpiece
Our celebration of St. Patrick’s Day would not be complete without showcasing the Irish flag on our dining room table! Isn’t this Irish Flag Centerpiece festive? My flag holders are milk bottles filled with green mung beans, white basmati rice and orange split lentils. My son and I poured the dry ingredients in the milk bottles in color order as it relates to the stripes on the Irish flag. The simple design of the Irish flag was very helpful in this regard. The Irish flag, also known as the Irish tricolour, has been in existence since 1848. However, it didn’t become Ireland’s national flag until the rebels hoisted it over Dublin’s General Post Office during…
Happy List #16
Why, hello again! I hope the first week of March has treated you well! The ol’ blog posts have been Irish-themed this month. Give me a theme and I will run it into the ground. This week I shared an easy felt shamrock wreath craft and some mostly authentic Irish recipes. Someone needs to make the Guinness Brownies – STAT! Okay, I will make them. Today’s Happy List is largely home-focused. While I love Ireland, my Irish home has me feeling a little meh. I’m determined to get out of this decorating funk one way or another and I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration online lately. It’s not always inspiration that helps…
Recipes (Mainly) From Ireland
I’ve done some “research” and came up with a sampling of Irish recipes I’d like you all to try in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. If I tried them all in the next week, I’m sure my body would protest in one way or another. So let’s spread the love around! While I tried to skew this list in favor of authentic Irish recipes, I did make a couple of exceptions in the interest of culinary expressionism. In other words, I lead with my stomach. Irish Cream The Irish do love their whiskey and Irish Cream is typically made with Irish whiskey. This recipe from Good Housekeeping is not from…
Quick and Simple St. Patricks Day Wreath
My kids are counting down the days until they get the day off from school to celebrate Ireland’s biggest holiday – St. Patrick’s Day. Waiting is oh, so hard! Until then, they did help me make a super simple felt wreath to decorate one corner of our home. We traced shamrocks onto green felt, then cut them out and hot glued them on a wreath form. Super simple and not overly obnoxious! Those are my two main criteria when it comes to holiday crafting. I used a wire wreath form like this one so I could easily remove the felt shamrocks if I want to reuse the wreath form in the future.…
