Still alive.

So basically a farmer drove into a couple of telephone poles and we had no phone or internet for like 2 weeks. actual hell on earth!!

Whats happened in the last 2 weeks…..

We have turned on the heating AND been having fires because its freezing. The kids love to bring the spare duvets and pillows off the office sofa and make a bed in front of the fire. I did the same when I was little. Its nice to see them getting cosy. We watched ‘Men in Black’ such a funny film, both me and Mr Clev remember it coming out and the dance in the music video….that was lost on the kids…pretty sure if they knew the word they would have called us losers.

We did some housework and getting ready for baby. The mirror in this huge frame broke so we took out the glass and with my trusty blackboard paint did it up and now have a nice message centre for the kitchen. ya know, because you can never have enough places to write lists on in the house.

We are settled back in to school routines, the basket system is working like a treat too!! At the moment dinner is at crazy o’clock because everyone is so tired, so are all in bed sleeping by about 7pm.

Ive been baking a cake or some cookies every day between 2 and 3 which are our 2 pick up times. They can have treats while they are doing their homework, or after, depending on their willingness to cooperate. Maxi is loving school and has not only settled but is going from strength to strength. That means READING. We are working our way through the Oxford books at a rate of knots! go maxi! so proud of him!!

Amelie wants in on the homework action so she does letter tracing and colouring in, because ya know – anything boys can do she can do better. She has finally adapted and settled to preschool and after lots of tears the first week seemed ok this week. Her preschool is lovely and her teachers are just the nicest ladies ever. This week there were bunnies out in the field behind her school, just casually hopping about, thats a major Ireland plus point right there. 

Baby number 5 shows no sign of appearing any time soon, despite me feeling like complete crap. Like 2 weeks now of 2am wake ups, 4 hours of contractions some nights when I really should be sleeping. Pretty sure I have taken my own body weight in paracetamol and ibuprofen, and had more wine than I should have too, once the baby arrives and meets her family she will totally understand and forgive me. right?

Mr Clev had to work from home a few days (pre internet dropping out) because I literally could not move. Funnily enough after 2 days of me laying in bed sleeping constantly and saying ‘I dont know whats wrong with me’ I had blood results through from hospital showing that once again I am severely anemic. Iron tablets it is then. Mr Clev also made these Beef and Guinness pies to help up the iron levels. Yum. He did a great job which is why its mentioned on the blog! We are still doing our ‘great British bake off’ so this was our Pie Week contribution. Please excuse the grimy hob. Keeping it real, yes my house is an actual nuclear fall out zone at the moment.

Soccer started up for the boys which means lots of standing on sidelines again. Vivi is not so easily entertained now she isnt like 4 months old.  Luckily my sunnies are only a euro from pennys as after 90 minutes they were pretty much ruined! Mr Clev is back playing footie too this season. Luis and Maxi play on the same team and train Saturday mornings, and Mr Clev plays for the seniors (because he is an old old man) and trains on a Thursday night. He takes the boys with him and they play with their mates down there or the other youth teams, afterwards I think they go and have a sneaky boys only Supermacs. This has yet to be confirmed but my car deffo smelt a bit fast foody on Friday morning.

Sunday just gone was my nans birthday. She was 88. We kindly made her a cake from a packet and covered it with ten tons of icing sugar and strawberries. Family visited from the UK for the weekend too. It was actually really awesome because since my parents divorce I have not really been in touch at all with my dads side, and they are a proper huge Irish kind of family (surnames Hogan, says it all really). So my Dad’s cousin (which is like my 2nd cousin I guess but I just say aunt as its easier and then call her son’s my cousins) was here with her husband and we had such a great time catching up and yapping away. 

Its nice to do things with my Dads side of the family because I missed out on that for years, and my mums family are really good at getting together often. Anyway, I hope that there are more Hogan related gatherings in our future as all us Clev’s really enjoyed ourselves. I also found out that my sister is here for Christmas which will be our first one together with my dad since like the late 90s. Pretty exciting times.

Ok this weekend – its MY birthday! whoooop!!! my mummy is here and we are off out for lunch. yay! Im so up for this baby arriving but really really do not want to share my birthday with anyone. Honestly I know most parents would love that etc but I would have a really hard time knowing that MY day had to be shared with someone else AND that I would have to forever more spend my birthday making cake and stuff for another person (albeit my baby which I have enough love in my heart to do, but still, I was here first man). Does this make me emotionally immature and a bad parent? probably, but its the truth!!!

Baby Clev either come on the 22nd or the 24th but not my birthday you hear me – I have dreams that one day Mr Clev will have enough money to treat me to something amazing on that day and that will become impossible if I have to share with you….think along the lines of “I was going to take you to NY for your birthday but its babys birthday too so I thought instead we could have a nice family meal somewhere”. Nice but er no.

So after that rant its blatantly obvious that the baby will now most likely be born on Monday isnt it??? anyone want a wager on that one?