belgianwaffle

Lost and Found


Posted in: Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Twins

I had to collect Daniel and a neighbour’s child from GAA training last night. The neighbour dropped them off and I was to collect them. I never do this normally as I am at work/indolent/put in whatever you fancy here. Mr. Waffle was away for a couple of days and he had left me detailed information about everything including GAA drop off and pick up times (school sporting events, putting out the bins etc.). He has no faith in me. I went to our club to collect the two boys at 7.

There was no sign of the 2005 boys’ squad anywhere. I checked all the fields. In mounting alarm, I checked the changing rooms and the bar. Nothing. Could I be in the wrong place? I tried ringing Mr. Waffle, his phone was off as he was in a plane. I tried the neighbours; their phones were off as they were having a romantic anniversary dinner. I approached a man training another team. “Maybe they are at another club,” he said. He started to ring around people: “Do you have the 2005 boys’ summer schedule? Oh you’re in Mallow/You’re on your bike” and so on. I was grateful but I was also imagining the two lads having decided to walk home or something daft. It was half an hour after the end of training at this stage and there was no sign of them. Then I saw one of the other parents. “Where are the 2005 boys?” I asked him. “They’ve been training down the road since April; your fella was there, I saw him.” I drove down the road like the clappers and there were the two boys with a kind coach waiting patiently.

When Mr. Waffle got in I asked how in the list of things, he could have forgotten to mention to me that the boys weren’t training in their own club. “Oh yeah, sorry,” said my very organised husband. I’m still recovering.

Thanks, I’ll Take my Chances with the Flood


Posted in: Middle Child, Twins, Youngest Child

The Ark is a “Cultural Centre for Children”. My children hate it. I’ve brought them there loads of times and it is always deathly dull except for one time when there was a great fiddle player. The mere mention of the Ark is enough to bring them all out in hives.

Michael arrived home in tears from school recently because the class were going to visit the Ark. “Please,” he begged me, “don’t sign the permission form.” Daniel was stoically resigned to his fate but Michael kept begging us not to let him go. We pointed out that it would be a trip out of school. “I’ll miss break” he cried, “I’d rather have homework than go to the Ark.”

Nevertheless, we were adamant that this was culture and he would go. He cried lustily all the way to school on the morning of the trip. That evening I came home full of trepidation. The particular event at the Ark had been an Irish story telling session. Daniel was filled with enthusiasm; it was so funny, it had been brilliant. I looked at Michael, “Did you like it?” “A bit,” he conceded reluctantly and proceeded to fill me in in great detail about the session which he had, despite himself, really enjoyed. He still never wants to go back though.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer.

Yes


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Princess

Herself: So then I said to J that I thought my solo went well and then I felt so bad because, of course, she couldn’t do her solo because she wasn’t at school for practice because she was sick and she probably thought I was getting at her.
Mr. Waffle: Being a girl is really complicated, isn’t it?

Rainforest


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

It’s been rainy and it’s been hot (by Irish standards). This was the view out the back window earlier this evening.

2013-05-29 002

Higher Level Worrying


Posted in: Mr. Waffle, Princess

Herself: Where will I go to secondary school?
Me: We’ll see.
Her: When will you decide?
Mr. Waffle: Well there are lots of things to consider.
Me: For example, you might want to look at additional activities offered in school like music or sport or debating.
Her: What’s debating, I don’t know anything about debating, how will I be able to debate?
Mr. Waffle: Don’t worry, you’re a natural.

An App to Determine Personality Type


Posted in: Siblings

When I go to Cork and I pick up the iPad there are always about 24 updates waiting to be installed. I install them promptly. I hate having them sitting waiting. Indeed when I see one during the day on my own phone, I get all tense that I won’t be able to update it until I get home to my wifi. When I asked my brother why he never updates the apps on the iPad, he says that he hates to be pressured to do stuff by apple so as a gesture of defiance won’t do it. I think that this may sum up the difference between my brother and me. Are we extremes of a spectrum? Does anyone else even care? Let me know where you stand on this great debate.