RETURN TO ROUTINE

Due to jetlag, my day started early. I was awake by 04,00 and started with laundry since it was too early to go shopping for food. I was happy to be able to talk with my boyfriend before he left for work today but sad that I could not be there to wish him a good day with a hug and a kiss. But such is life at the moment.

After I put the red and pink clothes from the children on the mesh and plastic sweater dryers upstairs to dry, I readied myself to go out for food shopping as I had to toss out everything in the refrigerator. Cleaning out the refrigerator is one thing which should be done before a month-long trip but time is something I did not have enough of before I left.

This time it was not a 3-minute walk to Dunnes for food, rather half an hour to get to downtown in addition to the two extra hours it took to buy the food at three different shops before driving home. Since my children will be arriving tomorrow night, I needed to make sure there was enough food for all of us for the next week.

During my time in Ireland, I got into the habit of making smoothies every morning except for maybe three or four days. Today I stocked up on fruits, both frozen and fresh, and the remaining smoothie ingredients as I plan to continue this habit of healthier eating. During this time, I also did not eat cookies or candies, ate gelato once in Galway, and shared one piece of chocolate cake which my boyfriend brought from the Polish bakery.

Last night when I took one of the mismatched sandwich crème cookies (the Whole Foods version of Oreos) from the freezer, I noticed how overly sweet it was. As I finished that one cookie I noticed it had a strange taste and I could not eat another one though before my trip I could eat five or six at a time.

Dinner tonight was a baguette with Havarti cheese and arugula with a side of avocado, baby orange tomatoes, and green bell peppers. Dessert was a banana with a handful of walnuts, almonds, banana chips, and dried cranberries. I dined alone but wished it was not so.

My return to routine continues tomorrow as I prepare for my children's arrival. It has been five weeks since I have seen them last and I am sure they will be as excited to see me as I am to see them. I am looking forward to hearing about their summer and telling them about my time in Ireland.