Moving to Ireland: Primary School 101
Editor’s Note August 2018: New legislation passed in July 2018 will greatly change the school admission’s process in Ireland. For all of you American expats moving to Ireland with kids in school year 2019/20, I think (and hope) your life will get a little bit easier. I’ve tried to note in the below story where my experiences would now be different when the new legislation takes effect. Last week my kids started school. In a foreign country. I am the first to admit, over the course of my children’s lives, I have spent way too much time worrying thinking about their education. I really thought, at least as it relates…
Moving to Ireland: First Week of School
PHEW! We survived the first day of school. It’s the second day that’s the real killer. And the day after. And the…you get my point. via GIPHY It’s been an awesome summer. It’s also been a long, long summer. My kids were ready to be with their own kind. I was ready for them to be with their own kind – for at least a few hours a day. I was nervous dropping them off though! So nervous. My jazz hands were working overtime that morning to make sure my neuroses didn’t rub off on my kids. Fake it ’til you make it! The first day of school is always a…
Shovel Head Owl Art
It’s hard to find an appropriate title for “she took a rusty old shovel head and a bunch of random metal scraps and made something cool.” But that’s what happened. As you might have guessed, this is a Junk Whisperer project. Who else do I know that would turn a shovel head into a funky, awesome piece of outdoor art? No one. The Junk Whisperer had the vision for this shovel art project, but she used the mad welding skills of my uncle to make her vision come to life. Interestingly enough, my uncle is quite the talented guy, as are many of my relatives. He made my first car –…
Summer’s Twilight
For us, summer is almost over. It’s been an extra long one. Normally, the kids would already be two weeks into their new school year, but Irish schools start a bit later than schools in Georgia. I call it a moving bonus of sorts. For the kids. I think of this time of year as summer’s twilight. The season is coming to a close and I’m going to miss all of the fun summer dished out for us this year. I’m really going to miss the unscheduled, flexible nature of summer. I’m taking this week off from blogging to just be in the moment with my kids and husband. We’re going to explore,…
Living in Ireland: Exploring Our New Country
For our friends and family back home, today is just a little bit of random life as viewed through our iPhone lens. We know Ireland’s beautiful summer weather is fleeting, so we paused for a picture one night. I’m not 100% sure, but I think Handy Husband was trying to blend into his surroundings. This is hard to do when you are standing next to a kid wearing multiple colors and prints. I admire her sense of style bravado. Wearing an uniform to school is going to be a big adjustment for this 9-year-old. She did ask me if she could wear any headband she wanted to school. My answer? Well, they didn’t…
Moving Tips to Keep You Sane
Last week I mentioned my number one moving tip to end all moving tips. No, it wasn’t go to a beach and sip daiquiris while someone else does all the hard work. Although, I’d like to research that one just to see how viable it is. It would be tough, but I could take one for the team and do lots and lots of research. My number one moving tip was to designate a Parts Box to hold all of the small parts and pieces for your belongings. This includes parts for the bed frames, clock hands, screws and anchors, furniture feet, shelving pins, etc. It will save your bacon. Trust me.…
Two Books That Made My Eyes Leak
As a general rule of thumb, I’m not a crier. I make exceptions for the occasional sappy movie and anytime my kids are on stage. Oh, and when I was pregnant I could cry during those Coca-Cola commercials with the polar bears. Dang hormones. The point is I don’t remember the last time my kids saw me cry. That’s why it’s a little awkward that the two books that made me cry recently are CHILDREN’S BOOKS that I was reading aloud to my CHILDREN. Oy. On a whim, I picked up A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd while in a bookstore in Corvallis, Oregon. It was on the bookshelf of staff…
My Number One Moving Tip
Between Handy Husband and I, we’ve lived in Oregon (a few different times), Washington, Canada, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Georgia and now Ireland. We have enjoyed the luxury of being moved by moving companies, domestically and internationally. We have loaded our stuff in a uHaul. We have loaded our stuff in my dad’s cattle trailer. Don’t worry, he hosed the manure out. Just think about that one for a minute. We have moved our stuff in the back of a car. Yes, a sectional does fit in a Toyota Venza. If you take 3 trips. If anyone wants to question my moving credentials, I think I have the market cornered on all…
Our New Pet
Meet our new pet, a blue whale named Per. Did I have you going there for a second? Okay. It’s not a real pet, but my kids don’t know that. I don’t think. Well, my 9-year-old kind of knows, but she likes to believe, so I’m not going to ruin the fun. A few months ago, in a riveting blog post, I told you about an amazing TED talk I listened to by author Mac Barnett and the children’s book I bought as a result, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem. I think I mentioned in that previous post there’s a fun surprise under the jacket cover of that book. My kids…
