Dear God, It's me Móna...

Dear God,

(I know, I know, I am a little too much of a heathen to be ranting off a bitching email to God, but bare with me please.)

I am asking you to 'stop time' for two years. I have always believed in telling it how it is and right now I just need to buy a little time. A few years ago, I had this brilliant idea. I found myself with all this free time on my hands and decided to enroll in college and get myself an education. Not a bad idea, TheMotherOne was thrilled to bits and offered her babysitting/taxi/after-school (and wooden-spoon) assistance. My handsome Chef (silently grumbling at the loss of his nurturing wife) went along with the plan - as he does. So, there I was with all the time in the world and what did I do, I gave it all away.

Now look here. See these beautiful babies that I left behind a few years ago. They are practically teenagers now and barely speak to me. Well, ok God, maybe that is a slight exaggeration but look! There they were, gathering pumpkins in Farmer Jons pumpkin patch with not a care in the world, with the exception of who got the biggest pumpkin. Why did I feel this urge to better myself and go to college? Why did I have such a selfish need to do something for myself causing me to abandon my husband and babies? 

Why did I not do what my Mammy told me when I was seventeen and 'go to college' THEN instead of waiting till I was close to my mid-life-crises age before deciding that the right college course had finally been written into the curriculum just for me and it was time to jump ship on my current 'life' and throw the whole family into a tailspin whilst chasing another 'life'.

So, that is all I am asking for today. I would like you to freeze time for a few (2 or 3) years so I get all wrapped up in college (aka 'finish what I started') and then we can go back to being a normal family.

Thank you for your consideration,

Best Regards,

WiseMóna

God's Response:  Ah Móna, relax. It is mid-semester and you are burdened with the stress of all those assignments you should be doing right now. Instead you are wasting your precious time (and word count) writing to me? I see you struggle with the day-to-day worries of family life. I see your husband and mother rallying around you helping in every way they can - because they love you and want you to succeed in what you have set out to do. 

I see that the children are no longer babies. I cannot make times stand still for you or them. Believe it or not, they need 'less of you' right now and more of their friends and teachers. Keep in mind, the teenage years are coming and by then you will have graduated (I hope). You will be soundly settled with your 'WiseWords career dreams' and have ample time to be with (or get the hell away from) those lovely children of yours.

The important thing to remember right now is that you are loved and you are most certainly not alone. Every mother out there deal with the feelings of being so overwhelmed that they just do not know how to cope. A lot of Mum's feel so under-appreciated and unloved, so much so they cannot get out of bed to face the day before them. 

Be thankful for what you have. A beautiful family and you all have your health. A lovely 'real' home with a door that is always open to feed whomever crosses the threshold. Life is too short to be so hung up on people 'want'. Stick to what you 'need' right now and you will be, as you already are, eternally happy.

Best Regards from a Cloudy Heaven,

God.

PS - there is no way you are getting an 'A' on these essays if you do not stop mucking around on FaceBook. That, is a total deal-breaker.

Ok - glad I got this off my chest, I can get back to my procrastinating about those assignments that are due next week ON MY BIRTHDAY!


Those are all the WiseWords I have for today. 


WiseMóna

Time trickles away...

Sometimes the words just don't come. They ramble around for hours, days, weeks and even months (eeek) before the urge to purge is so great I have to abandon all other very pressing matters and sit down and just WRITE. That, or the fact that it is fast approaching Sunday evening, the whole weekend is gone and there is a growing mountain of unorganized (but clean and dry) laundry making itself known by its sheer size and volume.

I always feel like looking at current or past photos of either food or family will help encourage the flapping of jaws but this time instead of the photos encouraging me to write or share, they just made me cry. The first photo with the kids at the cool old knobby tree was taken by my Mum (Catherine) on her shwanky new iPhone. I hate that she advanced to the 'technologically' kitted out MORE than me. BUT I love that she captured the sugar-high she gave them last week at Barna Woods. You can feel their  happiness looking at this photo.

Sigh..........

This is where the tears start. What on earth has happened to my baby girl. Was it not yesterday she was just a little 5lb bag of sugar in my hand, snuzzling in between the Chef and I and sleeping her days away in the bassinet under the bar at Rondo's? Now, Ms. Rory-Belle is almost 8 years old. She is turning into the cutest little lady. She is funny, book smart, spiritual and wants to be a Vet. And, I might as well mention that she is pretty darn gorgeous to boot.

Sam, Sam Sam............

Wow. I had to pull some old photos from when the girls came to stay with us last May (2010) and was just shocked at the compare and contrast. I have not uploaded the photos I took from their first day with us, because even for me to look at today it was a little daunting. Sam, we were told, would 'never progress academically'. She ended this past week getting all her Irish and English spellings tests 100% right and her Maths test 100% right. Her feet have not touched the ground since Friday. Needless to say, her confidence is improving and I am a firm believer that beauty comes from within. I am fearful for the teen-years when the above two get going and we will have a whole world of other problems to deal with. 

Jack the (only) Lad...

My little man will turn 6 years old in just a few weeks. I am filled with this horrible heartache when I think back to that first year with him. Oh, how he screamed and cried. He could not be held or put down. He could not eat, or go hungry. All he wanted was his Mama and his Mama almost lost her marbles trying to be everything he needed. Thankfully, the Chef, my Mum (some pretty hefty phone bills that year I reckon) and our amazing babysitter (Erica - who we still miss sooooo much) dragged me through that year and we all survived.

And our youngest little one - the Lovely Lulu.

But by no means the Baby of the bunch. Lulu is the meek and mild child. She has had the roughest time and transitioning to a new home has been harder for her than for Sam. To see an earlier photo of Lulu taken last summer -- click here -- there is a lot of sadness in her little face. I think that Lulu could be the poster child for 'Feed 'em, Love 'em, Watch 'em Grow'. She knocks my socks of almost daily now with her stages of development. She is finally (aaaahhhhh finally) making some progress. She just got 'Gaelgoir na Seachtana' which is an 'in-class' award for the most Irish spoken in class. We have never seen a prouder little kid. What a little star.

The Chef's birthday was last week and one of our favourite little Sushi restaurants decided to celebrate the owners heritage and have a 3-day Korean festival. OH.MY.GAWD. The food was as authentic as it gets and we had a hard time, well, going home. We had to though because it was a school night and we had already kind of celebrated his birthday the weekend before with all our friends..........but we are hearing rumours that they might do a Korean menu once a month so for those that are local to my neck of the woods - stay tuned and next time we will have a bit of a hoolie!

Ok, so to sum it all up and not stray off topic, all is going well in the Wise family household. I am slightly buried under assignments but have only a few more months of school to get through before I am off for a nice long summer break. 

Due to another visit from Mr. Fox, the Chef and I are looking at building a new fence so our hens and ducks can roam free-range safely whilst we are at work and school. One of our friends, who is as nutty as we are, recommended we look into getting a Goat fence because if you can keep a Goat in, then there is no chance of a fox being able to get in to kill our feathery friends. 

So, when it is all said and done, if one builds a goat fence to protect ones flock, then would it not makes sense to have a few goats?

Please tell me you honestly do not want one. Stay tuned folks. After exams, I have a feeling that there will be some goats milk on the table!

And finally (the crowd goes wild with relief) to add to all my sadness about the kids are not being babies anymore and I am getting old and crabby, my (MUCH OLDER) sister sent me this video from when I was a child and Rory was a baby. (I cannot believe the Chef got away with marrying me when I was like only twelve).

Life is good folks. Tune out the election and turn of those damn TV sets. Play with your kids, get out and go for a bike ride or a walk. OR, get out there and help a child in need. You can do so much more than you 'think' you can.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

I've got a secret

We all have those moments where all we can do is sit back and ponder where all the time has gone. I am feeling that way alot lately. Mostly because the kids are just slipping away from my grasp more and more. Instead of popping into my bed for a snuggle or a quick snooze in the mornings they are bolting down the stairs and hooking up their iPods to the speakers to 'rock the house' into awakeness.

Also, I have been with my handsome Chef for the best part of FOURTEEN years this month and to be honest, it feels like only yesterday when I caught a glimpse of him for the first time. Speaking softly with his smiling eyes, at the other end of the bar in his denim overalls and long ponytailed hair tucked under a navy blue beret, ' hubba hubba - I'm gonn marry that guy'  I said to myself and so I did!

He wanted nothing to do with me of course. It took me several weeks of coercing and a lot of Irish Coffees to convince him that I was the one for him and I am pretty sure he has finally resigned himself to that idea.

Having spent a lot of our time (and money) traveling before the kids came along, then pouring our life and love into the restaurant before finally ' upping shticks' to move back home to Galway, I can tell you that when I stowed away those suitcases in the attic I became one of those people that really 'loves' home. OK, I still like to get away for a day or two, but the wanderlust has been cured.

So when he decided that we 'had to go somewhere'  to celbrate or ten year wedding anniversary (looming on September 30th for all of you who remember sharing all that food and wine) I had a few mild panic attacks. I tried several great excuses like:

1). We can;t leave ALL THOSE Kids with Mum for a weekend, it is just too much for her to cope with (forgetting that my Mother would do anything for my Husband).

2). We have more than 15 feathery members of our WiseFlock and at least one or two dogs that need caring for too. (Again, Granny offers to stay at our place.....)

3). My passport has expired. (There is an instant 'walk-in-pick-up-a-new-one-office' not too far from home).

By mid-summer he gave up begging and pleading with me and we let sleeping dogs lie. I hate that I have turned into that person considering we never ever as much as made hotel reservations when we traveled as young lovers, we just packed our bags and 'went'.

So what is this big secret then?

Well, I love Paris in the Autumn. Due to the fact that we both love Italy and have spent more time holidaying there than anywhere else (by choice), we have family living in very cool cities accross Europe like Zurich, Switzerland and Alsace, France (slap-bang in the middle of the wine country), the Chef has never made it to Paris.

So armed with my class schedule, my mother's blessing and the hopes that I can convince a few of my BFF's to help relieve my Mum when needed, I took the plunge and have stolen some time the first week of October to take my honey to Paris for some second-honeymooning!

Considering it is just about a month away I am taking a huge risk that he will actually see this on the blog and the surprise will be secret-no-more. Wait, who am I kidding, he does not READ THIS BLOG (or anything on a computer!) so I reckon he will not have a clue about the trip until I drive him to the airport and whisk him away.

I know he is working on his own little secret himself, searching for something I 'want and need' and can't wait to report back to y'all just how much fun a girl can have surprising her hubby and heading of the the city of lovers for a few days in Autumn. 

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

(who is estatic to be back in college and have time to WRITE!)

Which came first the Chicken or the Duck?

Being married to my husband is never dull. To be honest, as the years trickle into decades I find myself constantly wondering what the hell is going on behind those smiling eyes of my handsome Chef. There was never a doubt in my mind that he would make a good Dad. He is forever doing all those kind of creative projects that I hate doing. 

One of the more recent projects we have been working is the new abode for all our feathered friends. To date we have only six...

'The Simpsons'

Bart, Maggie and Lisa

Horny Henry (aptly named)

Henrietta and Grace

My husband likes animals. Other than having an allergy to cats he would fill the house with little furry creatures were he to have his way. We have an understanding that as long as it lives outdoors, he can have it. Needless to say these birds bring us endless hours of fun and a fresh supply of eggs. 

The children love the hens and ducks. They spend a lot of time walking around the garden with one each under their arms, chatting away to them and helping them find big fat garden slugs. 

I just sit back and take it all in.  

To be happy and content with life is a very great place to be. How lucky are we!

Those are all the WiseWords I have for this sunny spring evening,

WiseMóna

A cobbing we will go!

What to do with all these weeks of holidays is something my dearest darling has been pondering for over a year now. For a while there, he was almost opposed to having so much 'time off'! Having grown up and spent most of his working career in the US, 2 -3 weeks of holidays was as much as he would have taken.

Earlier this summer he took a week off when some of our old friends/neighbours from Cincinnati came to visit and it was a real treat for them and us. During that week, he and my brother laid the foundation for Ron's Wood Fired Bread Oven.

Just this past week, he took another week off and thankfully got some co-operating weather to 'wrap up' this project. He has spent his time off working his butt off, and in a couple of weeks we will be able to taste the fruits of his labor. (It will take that long to dry/cure).

He has not worked alone! With his two trusty helpers right by his side, they have mucked in (literally) and created quite an oven! As Ron has said several times over the last few weeks this is only his 'first' oven, and once this one is seasoned and cooking, he will turn his attention to the next one which I am guessing will be at my Brother Kenneth's house - or perhaps at my brother-in-laws in France as he is quite eager not to re-invent the wheel but steal the idea!

The final phase is here now for my handsome Chef. He is currently working on a glaze (Terra Sigillata) for the exterior coat. Had we lived in a drier climate (like Florida) you would not need to protect it from the elements, but here in wet and rainy Ireland, it is best to 'roof' it.

I would not say he feels to rested after another week of holidays - but he sure is happy. We have had a lot of fun with the kids this week, and now with him going back to work I can shift to unwinding them a little and getting all three of us ready to return to school on August 31st - which feels like it is just moments away.

Stay tuned fellow food lovers, that first loaf of bread and perfect pizza is just a few days away!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

A smattering of pictures from the hard work accomplished today!

Oh Chef, How do I love thee, let me count the ways!

Our first dinner of the New Year, was a Suckling Duckling that we had bought at the local farmers market. Granny came over for dinner and after we got the kids tucked into their beds for the night, we devoured the tasty duck washed down with my new favourite house red Al Mouvedre, Tinto Joven (2004). (remember, that was the one that tasted like a baby Amarone - yummy!)

There were potatoes roasted in duck fat, carrot and parsnip puree (my favourite) and of course the old standby of brussel sprouts!

Ron had made a beautiful pavlova for dessert which he and Granny put a serious dent into.
But, the object of this post (as the title may imply) is how I started my day today. I awoke to the usual noises of the kids thumping down the stairs and fell right back to sleep until almost 11am!! OK, for those of you that are sitting there in MAJOR DISBELIEF - I really did sleep that late.

When I came downstairs, I stopped into my new office to turn on my space heater only to be greeted with a blazing hot fire in my fireplace. The Chef followed me in to my office, with a tray of piping hot coffee, and the best breakfast ever!!!

Fried Duck & Potato hash with a perfectly poached egg ontop! Oh, GOD! It was so tasty & delicious I did not want that last forkful to end. What a start to my day. I am getting the feeling that the year is off to a happier start for the Wise Family..................what a relief!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today (as I wipe the duck fat of my face)

WiseMóna