My Home from Home.....And Car Talk!!!

Why is it that when you go to all the bother of washing your car that one day later it looks as bad as the day before when it hadn't been washed in over 3 months... (Apologies to Declan's brother Niall who has the cleanest car I know and would probably be overcome by a weakness to hear this...!!)

In my defence we spend so much time in the car.... to/from school.....to/from work... after school activities...... we have school bags, lunch bags, bags of interesting things to keep little ones occupied in restaurants etc....recyclable shopping bags.... bags/boxes of stuff I need for school etc that it is a full time occupation to make sure that they bring in and hang up coats, scarves, hats, bags etc everytime we arrive home....

Almost all the kids in the surrounding houses are from age 5 down so they do not have the same taxiing to activities, music, swimming etc going on as happens from our house on a daily basis.... I am sure they think I am never off the road and I told them on one occasion that they had this all ahead of them.... only to realise that when they are at the same in years to come I will still be in my 'taxi' with Elena & Alex.... Ah, maybe Darrelle will be driving by then and it will be payback time??!!

Alex is often on board for these taxi runs..... I cannot wait for the day when I can say goodbye to the car seat with the infant straps and just use a regular booster seat with the seatbelt.... he goes through phases of taking his hands out and refusing to put them back in... despite stern warnings.... this then necessitates me stopping the car, getting out, going round to his side of the car and putting his hands quite firmly back in.... when it happens more than a few times it is very frustrating but one battle I will not let him get the upper hand on.... One day, in pure annoyance I told him if he did it again he would be 'in trouble'..
Problem solved! .....
Until the next day when he piped up from the back of the car... 'My hand is 'in trouble'.... It is out.... !!!!!
Funny the way he defies us on this one as he is generally so agreeable.....

Eldest cousin on Declan's side of the family.... Niamh...on visit to our house.

Hanging about in the car.....

Last note re cars... to Elena.....
Elena hates heat, no more so than in the car and always protests if I turn on the heat to clear the windscreen..etc... So.... regularly she pipes up from the back seat with pleas of 'Dad/ Mom please turn on the Cold Heat.....
Cute! so so far have not told her it is called air conditioning.... Am I hindering her language acquisition???!!!:)