72 hours of stateside living

What I have done for the last 72 hours back in the states-

1- Starbucks drive thru

2- Target

3-TJ MAXX/ Nordstroms Rack

4-Sephora (spent a ridiculous amount of $$$$)

5-Nordstroms (another pot of gold was spent here)

6-Macys/ other random stores in the mall
7-lunch out/ dinner out (yes I ate beef on all occasions) Chris suggested I get a beer and shepherds pie to remind me of England I kindly declined his suggestion)

8- watched tivoed shows (office, Gossip Girl, Brothers/Sisters)

9- repeat list ( I have hit Starbucks twice daily)

10- drove everywhere parked in spots that are HUGE and loved being back at the right side!!

Oh I also spent some quality time with family- off to Big D tomorrow to get my tex mex fix and hopefully some warm weather will melt the ice that for some reason caused a snow day in Frisco:)

Holiday Grab Bag

Last day of school and we are on winter break! I feel like its first semester in college- sort of not sure if you love it or don't want to go back. I admit I had a rude awakening with college - visited my sister at school while she was senior living off campus and then ended up in an all girls dorm with sister J (should not have been a shocker since I was at a catholic university) and a roommate who was more interested in campus rosary readings than trying out fake ids. To be perfectly fair she probably was shocked that all I did was try to get into bars and have my sister buy booze for me on the weekend. Anyway that's how I kind of feel about England so far.( minus the alcohol/bar part)

Have a handful of good friends (the kind that know I am crazy and still love me- and that I could call to check on me in the morning after I watch Saw 5 while home alone) Chris has asked me a zillion times if I am going to cry when I have to leave USA soil. I can't say for sure- I am going to be in Dallas and Michigan. I know I am going to get a little teary when I see my house ( which I can't go in) since we have renters and when I meet my sister's new addition little Danny. We have a split decision in our house- Casey wants to get the heck out of here- CJ sees suitcases and thinks we are moving and not coming back (yes we know we have to save for retirement, college, and now therapy). To be honest I will probably be too busy shopping, eating out, and going to ever strip mall from MI to TX. Oh and sharing magic memories with family and friends (I was starting to seem a little materialistic:)

I do hope like college that in the end I am crying and someone is pushing me on a plane because I don't want to leave. Only time will tell- not sure how much blogging will occur but put family, inlaws, and travel on transatlantic flight with toddlers and I would expect some more blog therapy sessions:)

Wishing everyone near and far the love of the holiday season! In this somewhat depressing climate (economy, war, etc) it's hard to see joy, peace, love but they are out there. So enjoy!

The 20 min Angel

Casey woke up this morning not happy in fact in an awful mood. Not a big deal except for the fact that today was her nativity play at school and with her class having been decimated by chicken pox (30 kids in the nursery school 12 with chicken pox) our little angel needed to participate. First thing out of her mouth was "I don't want to be an angel I want to be Cinderella." It didn't help that she has 4 Cinderellas dresses in close vicinity to her bed .( pretty much all her classmates got her a Cinderella dress or princess apparel). So her mood continued throughout breakfast only when she a few classmates did she stop being a grumposaurus. The play was super cute- kids stood there shell shocked I think one girl said a line and the rest just stared into the audience. Casey did participate in the Christmas carols-(sidenote she actually sang the British ones like "Christmas pudding" better than the American ones." Other random notes- I was stopped by at least 6 or 7 parents who were so touched we gave them a Christmas photo card. No one here does the picture cards so they thought it was such a novelty. I think they found it deeply personal that we shared a photo with them (don't want to break their hearts that 120 other families have the same card:) CJ's class has their Christmas dinner- some 3 course extravaganza- say a little prayer that our little boy remembers to use his fork instead of his spoon:) Lastly as a constant reminder to us parents its sometimes the little things that matter most. Casey liked her vanity set but a classmate gave her a tiny jewelry box with a spinning ballerina and she has been playing with that non stop.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

Okay so today my baby girl is 3!. She awoke at 7:30 this morning to a fully decked out vanity set in her room. Chris and I had to cave on it because she told basically everyone she met that she wanted a vanity set. We held firm on no makeup just a pink sparkly brush and some hello kitty lip balm. First thing out of her lips was "Oh no- I told santa to bring me this .Oh I forgot he's gonna bring presents to Nana's house so I get 2 vanity sets!" (not quite right little lady)

Well- we are so proud of our Casey Jane. We love the fact that every MDO or preschool program has labeled her as "spirited" (for those non parents readers out there that is code for pain in the booty). Chris and I (although we wrestle with it) know that UNBREAKABLE (e.g blue track suit) spirit will take you far in life. We are picturing you as a sassy tough DA or a sassy tough actress that plays a DA on Law & Order. I love the fact that you insist on wearing a skirt with your soccer jersey but still are a little spitfire on the field. We are starting to see what an empathetic little girl you are- just recently Casey was given some princess stickers but wouldn't take one until she made sure all her classmates got one. You are so popular without even caring/trying. At your brother' s dicso you had at least 3 (7 year olds) trying to dance with you- one even gave you a candy bar which you took and then said " I don't like boys." Since coming to England- you and your brother have become quite a team. You still fight but I am starting to see how close you both are to each other.
3 years has flown by but I still remember Dec 7, 2005 in a hospital In Highland Park, IL during a snowstorm (got to love chicago)you came into out lives and we are so blessed to have you !

A Star is Born

Okay - I realize I am 100% biased but CJ stole the show at the christmas nativity play today. Yes we had kleenex and yes we used it. My little boy did his mama and daddy proud (even Casey screamed "that's my brother!")

Dear Santa

Dear Santa-
I know most 30 something year olds don't write you but since I have heard enough about disney princesses, planet heroes, and ben 10 for a lifetime I decided to write.
I have a few items that don't need to be purchased just shipped and moved to England- our king bed-the queen is not working out we need more space so when we inevitably have 2 adults and 2 kids in the bed we are not on top of each other. (BTW our queen barely made it up the stairs so please find a way to get the king through the door frame.) Our movers forgot our flannel sheets and warmer bedding and its freezing here so bring that as well (alternatively just ship some TEXAS sun our way)

I miss my tv shows; I hate falling behind on useless pop culture- (yes I watched the britney interview and yes she still needs serious therapy). No need in sending sports- we have seen enough of the IRISH football this year. I have some good friends here but could you transport monthly some family and friends my way who will in turn act as mules and bring me some much needed USA contraband supplies (US diet coke formula, salsa that doesn't taste like ketchup, fluoridated water,chick fil-a, and some clothes from Nordstroms). Lastly I would like some UGGS (i have to cave on this ) as it is freezing waiting for these kids to line up at school.

Thank you Santa- I have been a good girl most of the year (except in aug when I was stuck in a 2 bedroom run down temporary apt housing, unable to drive, with no friends, and no BABYSITTER, and a husband who repeated a zillion times "this is going to be an adventure").

Love

MARINA

PS- I would also like world peace and a better economy and every child to find a forever family!

It's that season

I am going to come clean; sometimes (like 5 % of the time), I can be a pain in the arse to be married to. Like for instance when it's the holiday season and I over schedule every hour of the weekend. Quick recap of the weekend's event (as I type -chris is laying on the couch watching/laughing as he watches a taped version of the ND/USC game; he keeps shouting out horrific statistics about ND's lack of offense and defense)

FRI

pick up CJ from school- drive directly to Casey's ballet- while at ballet change CJ into outfit for the school dance- leave ballet and drive CJ to the Christmas disco- arrive there and Casey decides she wants to stay (she was in a tutu after all)- the boys look awkward the girls are dancing with other girls (don't want to break their 5 old hearts but this dance scene will be repeated for the next 15 years of their lives). Casey ends up hanging out with some 2nd graders - I find her in the snack room; she could care less if I am around. On the other hand CJ wants me dancing pretty much within 5 inches of him at all times. Leave dance at 6:30- arrive home and start cleaning and heating up food for Chris 's work party (which was to start at 8pm). Chris arrives home a little horrified at where we are with getting ready. Feed kids and plop them into bed at 7:30 (I did the pathetic plea "STAY in you beds because Santa is making his good boy/girl list tonight; btw the kids stayed in their rooms the entire night!!!!) Spread the appetizers and drinks out just as the first guests come. Party went well - we errored on to much seafood (chris and I were the only ones that ate the sushi tray- and everyone drank white wine or beer no hard alcohol) So if anyone needs a gin and tonic or a whiskey on the rocks head to our casa:)


Sat-
Left Chris to shop and meet some friends for lunch. He took the kids to see Madagascar. Got home and we headed out with some Canadian friends for dinner and drinks.

Sun
Take CJ to swim class- rush home to catch the train to the city with Chris and Casey. It's pouring rain and we have prepaid tickets to ice skate at Somerset House. (every time we go to London it rains!!!) We get there and grab some lunch and miraculously the showers stop for our prepaid hour of skating. Ice skating with preschoolers is hard work because you basically our bending over the entire time to hold them on the ice. (Chris is a so so skater ; similar to roller skating I rock at ice skating as well). Chris and I are such dorks we made each of us pick Olympic skater's name (Me:Sasha Cohen, Casey: Kristy Yamaguchi, CJ: Russian Pair (He liked the title rather than an actual Russian pair name) Chris: Sergei)The kids had fun and sort of got the hang of it. Anyway after tube rides, bathroom stops, and train ride home we made it back at 5pm. Not much weekend left to relax.

Pilgrims and Turkeys

What am I doing right now- working on my Thanksgiving presentation with Casey. Casey and I get to present to 3 year olds all about the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow at school. We have pilgrim hats and Indian headdress to wear. I am trying to spin the story as not to offend our new friends. (e.g The pilgrims fled from an evil monarchy and left for a new land in order to have FREEDOM ) We will probably skim over the fact that the pilgrims were taught how to grow crops and hunt game by the Indians and then decided to take all their land as well. I am trying to get Casey to say what she is thankful for ( I was hoping for her to say something like God, family and her nursery school). She has been quite the little pistol that a little teacher flattery could never hurt. But of course I am stuck with her being thankful for "dresses and ballet". We then our going to read a Thanksgiving story and make turkey handprints.

And yes we will be celebrating Thanksgiving on Thurs- very low key. Most of my ex pat friends are back in the states. So it will be the 4 of us- Not to mention we are hosting Chris work friends for a cocktail party on Fri so I am sticking with the basics on Thurs (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing , and pumpkin pie). Chris is pushing for the nasty green bean casserole that makes me hurl to make (I have an aversion to cream of mushroom soup). We are thankful that no matter where we are we always have each other and STARBUCKS:)

Lastly- I am thankful for my luck in making new friends. After my Thanksgiving presentation I am getting my nails done by one of CJ classmates mom (who was bored and decided to become manicurist). Continuing on Friday- my New Zealand friend (who happens to be a makeup artist) is doing my makeup for the cocktail party. For not having any specific talent I seem to rub elbows with the talented. Now if only Gwynnie and Chris Martin lived in the burbs.

All or Nothing

Chris and I split parenting duties this weekend in an all or nothing approach. He was off duty Sat and headed to England vs S Africa Rugby match with work folks. I had sunday off- Chris got the kids up and took them to swim class- I listened from the bedroom as he was gathering the suits and towels and googles (if I was nicer I would have gotten out of bed to help but I just rolled over for more zzzzs). I then had an empty house which was so NICE. Leisurely, took the train to the city where I met my college friend for brunch. Both he and I get so annoyed how London restaurants inform you as you are seated that your table is reserved for 1.5 hours and then you must leave. The English don't do brunch like the Americans (there was like 4 breakfast choices) but after 2 cappuccinos and then another stop at starbucks for another grande dose of caffeine we hit the Tate Modern Art Museum. Pat and I do museums in the same fashion warp sppeed Fast and Talk about non art related topics throughout the whole exhibit. (My mom would have been appalled how fast we blew through the Tate). We then wandered around the city- went to a shopping area where I coerced Pat into buying a British flag skull hat ( I bought one for Chris as well) and I bought some knockoff burberry scarfs. We then grabbed a snack and a drink and just reminisced about college and chicago days.(to any 20 year olds out there ENJOY those relatively carefree college days) Hit the train back to find CJ and Casey- who dad took to see santa telling me about their whole day (CJ's such a tattletale- he whispered to me "Dad let us watch 2 shows and just gave us chicken nuggets no carrot sticks or fruit for lunch)."

What happens before 9am

*****Note I know I just wrote the last blog titled good things so don't read this unless you are bored at work or nursing a baby as this is strictly another woke up on the wrong side of the bed (or ocean) entry

Chris had his alarm set for the ungodly hour of 5:45am -which is ridiculous as he has been getting slammed at work so he has been coming home pretty late and getting up super early. I got up shortly after him and started putting clutter away so the cleaning lady could actually clean the floors and not suck up Polly Pocket pieces and Planet Hero junk. Daily Ritual #1 - I check my iphone for email (always nice to think you get email as you sleep). Anyway the one email I was waiting for just had the header Baby Announcement( if you have a baby the proper header is It's a Boy or It's a Girl) but it wouldn't load the rest of the email. So I am cursing at the iphone to load to find out if Griff had a boy or a girl. Chris tells me to boot up the computer but I insist on watching the iphone not load the email for a good 15 min. Finally I caved and checked the email (GIRL) and of course like Murphy's law the iphone email appears pretty much as I am opening the email on the computer.

Actually had time to give the kids a breakfast which didn't consist of a breakfast bar and drink to go. Weather was looking good- get to school and CJ runs of to play tag with some friends. Casey and I are hanging by the benches with some of the other kids from CJs class. The kids were really cute telling me about which part they were in the play and what everyone wanted for Christmas. Long story short, I am over there chit chatting with the 5 year olds and let them stand on the benches as they tell me their stories (the benches are like 2 ft high). Next thing we know a loud bell is rung and a teacher comes running over to us and screams at us for being on the benches. (I was scared). CJ comes running over to me and says "Naughty mummy". I seriously felt like I was in grammar school again. Get CJ lined up and I didn't screw his water bottle top on properly and he takes a sip and the whole bottle of water soaks his blazer. I tell him to roll with it. Casey and I head to the hike down the hill to the parking lot. At the bottom of the hill- she wipes out and falls into the mud.(repeat performance) Screaming ensues - I try to help her and then she screams "Don't touch me mommy or you'll get ucky." (empathy point for Casey Jane)-
So- I strip her dress and tights off in the parking lot and put her in the car seat with her underwear on. I know all the parents were like that CRAZY AMERICAN .

Start to call Chris's work number which btw we have a system in place. If it is a true emergency- I need to ring once (not leave VM) and then immediately call back. If it me wanting to leave a disgruntled vm- i do it on the first one. Which btw these vms would be a much funnier blog them my writing as I use more adult language and come up with CRAZY ideas I share with him. (I swear Chris listens to the first 10words and then deletes them as my tone is a give away in the first sentence on where this going). Anyways- I make the wifely effort to not leave a vm as I feel bad how much work he has on his plate.

Ending on a good note- I get to the gym and the morning run of bad luck ( I still have the image of the teacher yelling at us) makes me run pretty hard on the treadmill. We have a sitter tomorrow night and instead of pushing my agenda (which I normally do) which btw is Thai Food, and the movie "The Changeling" with Angelina- I am taking Chris to see the Bond movie and we will get the nasty nachos with day glo orange cheese instead of popcorn:)

Good Things

1- Starbucks Red Holiday Cup (Love it- especially since they make you work to get your peppermint mocha over here)

2-Nursery Nativity Play- Casey Jane got chosen to play an "angel" (some of the kids have to play donkeys and camels just imagine me trying to get her into the camel costume- I praised God and her teachers for giving me the part of least resistance.

3-CJ's Nativity Play- He get the part of the innkeeper (he wanted to be baby Jesus but a 5 year old in a diaper is a bit scary- he then offered to play grownup Jesus)- He has 5 lines as the innkeeper and his wife in the play is the girl he says has "the most beautiful blonde curls".

4-British girl bands- I am loving Girls Aloud, Sugarbabes, Saturdays (think Spice Girls for the next generation)

5 No PCness in England it's a Christmas party at the school and not a "winter festival celebration".

6-First Christmases ( I am thinking about all these new babies- Danny, Callan, Addison, Mary Clare, Jimmy, Cameron, Ben- all having their first baby Christmas:)

7-CJ's British accent- seriously it is a force to be reckoned with.

8-Casey has had laid out a blue smocked nutcracker dress for a bday party for over 3 weeks. I am not going to lie I love that!!!

9-The princess tore up the soccer field yesterday- seriously she was stealing the ball from 5 year old boys.

10-Chris and I are back to drinking tea at night and watching old OC reruns. We seriously are drinking herbal mango tea and still watching teenage dramas.

11- 1 month until I am home stateside.

12-online shopping - my poor dad gets a package daily delivered from my online habit

13-Sunday is mommy free day- Chris has the kids and I am headed to the city to do kid free activities! ( Can you tell I am excited)

Nix the Wordless Wed

Just got home from parent and teacher conf so had to report back.
As I have blogged I like CJ's teacher although she seems too strict with a hint of an anti-american vibe. Well here are some highlights from the conf-

1) CJ is overenthusiastic. (so let me get this straight he likes school too much:)

2) We were surprised to find he was right with the class in reading words, vocabulary, etc (last time I checked NASA, Microsoft, and Mayo Clinic were located in the US; americans can be pretty smart)

3 Table manners- CJ chooses to use his spoon rather than his fork at lunch- when we let him know he should use his fork he sometimes (gasp) uses a spoon and says "Forks are for dinner -not lunch" (I'll take the blame for us - 9/10 times we eat sandwiches , cheese/crackers, yogurt,or chicken nuggets for lunch)

4-He likes to hug both children and adults (a written observation by the teacher). I know she found this strange but hey got to love the christian preschools he has been through that CJ is hanging tough with the hugs (Don't hugs make the world go round?)

5-She then showed me his writing journal- Q Where is your favorite place?
CJ's answer "wth mom in teksis, nana house, or inglend" (With my mom in texas, nana's house (MI), or England) Came home and gave my little guy a great big HUG!

Wordless Wednesday

The many moods of an almost 3 year old (pictures taken within 3 minutes)

Fireworks

Last night- we had the schools fall fireworks. All across England from Halloween until Nov - firework/bonfire displays are on to commemorate Guy Fawkes (a member of a group of English Roman Catholic revolutionaries who planned to blow up parliament). So we headed to the event at the school- (sky did not look good). Get there and like any other school they start selling junk -whistles, light up stars, flashlights (etc). So you have kids running around blowing whistles and shaking fluorescent flashlights everywhere (isn't fun to be a parent).They at least have beer and mulled wine for the adults. Anyway- the whole school is there so you have nursery schoolers thru high schoolers. It starts to rain- which we brought umbrellas unlike some people that have lived in England their entire life who forgot theirs. I So we head to stand by the bonfire to warm up- got to love it a huge fire for which they have no visible barriers and small children running around it. It is 5pm and we have 1 hour to kill until the 6pm fireworks. It continues to Rain (HARD) and now we have a shifting bonfire wind blowing live embers on us. Casey starts crying- so I say let's watch them from the car. CJ then starts crying that he wants to see them and he and another classmate were playing ben 10 so he was fine being pelted by the the torrential downpour. Chris and I try to reminisce about our high school bonfires days-while watching the 16 year olds (who btw appeared not to have snuck booze into the event and were actually drinking tea; sad that is so cold/wet they need to drink tea instead of beer:( The hour ticks by and the fireworks finally happen- pretty professional ones at that (not Beijing but good enough that you wonder if this is what your tuition $$$ are being used for) We come home soaking wet -two crying/tired kids who we place in a bath and who continue to blow the awful whistles (the whistles have unfortunately been LOST! today) until the bitter end. The box has been checked we celebrated Guy Fawkes day and will stay home next year!

Rollergirl

Yesterday was a cold, rainy day. CJ started to get bored so I decided to take him rollerskating at the local rink. Not sure if it the midwest but I grew up going to school roller skating parties (remeber the slow skate /shoot the duck) and bday parties at roller rinks. Not to brag- but I pretty much rock at roller skating. So I was pretty excited to teach my son how to shoot the duck and land on the star to win the icy coke. Get there -strobe lights on (check)- pre teen crowd (check)- smelly rental skates (check)- pop tunes (check) -no Thriller but Rhianna and Boyzone and Chris Brown-icy coke machine/video games (check). CJ did pretty well -fell a few times but had fun and was even able to let go at the end. I left him holding the wall a few times so I could skate (yes I did backwards, crossovers, spins, and even showed those Brit tweens how to shoot the duck). Those Brits can't skate at all. (seriously no Michelle Kwan's at that rink) Did like the fact no liabilty forms needed to be signed to skate and we did get an icy coke. CJ did say (okay I'm bragging)- "Mom your the best skater I have ever seen." Now I need to find by sasoon jeans, benetton rugby, perm, retainer, and I will be set to claim my tween rollergirl title.

Laundry

Last night started off fine- Chris had to work late but I was set on the couch after putting the cherubs to bed with a glass of wine and popcorn watching the cheesy Dirty Dancing reality show (British show about picking the next baby and johnny- highly addictive)-Went to bed late after watching cnn and hearing post election news. CJ wakes up at 2- we send him back to his room- he creeps in again saying his nose hurts- walk him back to room to find he has a bloody nose all over sheets /comforter (etc)(LAUNDRY). Strip the bed clean his nose and pop him into our bed. Casey joins the night call with my pull up is wet and I need a new one. Deal with it- and then head to the laundry room to try to shove the sheets in our not so big washer. Chris leaves for work and forgets to set alarm for us. Wake up at 7:50- shove CJ in uniform and grab cereal bars and sippy cups of milk for car.(Most friends know -I normally let my kids sleep and they are use to eating breakfast in the car) Didn't tighten the lid on CJ's cup and he manages to spill it all over car seat and coat (More Laundry). Get to school late and are rushed- CJ jumps out of the car and climbs the hill to school- Casey follows and falls and is covered in mud. I attempt to help her and fall as well and now have more mud all over me. Pass CJ to another mom for school line up- head home for the 5th load (LAUNDRY) in 10 hours. It can only go up from here.

random questions from babes

1- How do we know God is a boy? (posed by casey) CJ's attempt to answer "he looks like a boy in my little golden bible book." Casey continues-" I think God's a girl"

2-"Mom- can you hear me breathing different?" (posed by CJ)- Oh CJ - it's just a cold. "No. Mom, I am breathing British. (he is fascinated with talking British and now breathing British)

3-"Mom- my new stuffed animal Kaa (snake from Eurodisney) looks nice but will he become a viper at night?" (by CJ)

4-"Can we go to the North Pole on our next trip ?" (both kids)

5- "Mom- when I turn 3 will I still be a baby?" (Casey) Nope- you will be a big girl!(mom) I want to be a baby princess (can't win with this little lady)

Weekend Update

What are we doing right now in England- checking out US election coverage. Chris and I are election junkies we love the electoral map and constant news feeds- we were hoping for a nailbiter on Tues but I suspect this one to be called sooner than 04. We recovered from the Halloween party- house was in shambles but kids had fun and we have bags full of cadbury chocolates now in our pantry. Casey pulled her usual night- time antics insisting on sleeping in a skirt - Chris forced her into pajamas since its freezing and we found her at 2 am asleep on her princess rug no shirt and a skirt on. (miss trouble undressed herself and found a skirt) . I am trying a new approach with her I am going to cut out disney princesses and make a ghetto storybook for her with cutout princesses in various tracksuits and pants. Let you know if it works!

Other news - we headed to the American club gourmet night where I got stuck with an awful Moroccan recipe for which I couldn't find one of the main ingredients. (beef suet)- we ran late because MSU was playing and won in the final seconds. Ended up being a fun night besides someone comparing Obama to Jesus (he is a charismatic, bright man and I know Oprah loves him but get real) Then the conversation turned to private vs public schools for kids. (did I mention I am so sick of talking about the education of little people)- People here take this stuff way too seriously.

Don't worry will turn off CNN to watch the Hills and Fringe tonight:)

Paris with Preschoolers

Just got back from Paris a few hours ago- and we had as much fun as you can have with 2 children in tow. I mistakenly cursed us by saying this trip will be much easier than my post college backpack trip. Like lugging a backpack is harder than dragging a 4 and 2 year old around the metro with bags:) Here are the hi's and lows of the trip to Paris and EuroDisney.

Highs

1. The French in general- we found them very helpful- lifting strollers- giving directions, recommending restaurants-no comment if this is this is the after effect of the Brits
2. The weather held up for us- we were ready for rain but it never came down a lot (we might be use to England's monsoons)
3. CJ and Casey were troopers- we had eurotains, regular trains, and subways and they held up thru it all
4. At the Notre Dame Catherdral- CJ said a cute little prayer for his new nephew Danny-" I hope he is warm and cozy"- quickly followed up by "I hope Aunt K feels better so she can go to the store to buy me safari whale for Christmas."
5.French bread, cheese, and wine!

6. Watching CJ and Casey go nuts at the Disney parade- fun times as the kids actually believed all the characters were real.

7 Casey was in heaven as she dressed as Cinderella and then met all the princesses- Seriously Chris and I are going to be hard pressed to find something that impresses her after that Princess dinner.

Lows

1-subways with kids and bags- elevators broken at metro stations lugging stroller and bags up and down. City parents I now feel your pain- its darn hard work

2-Chris and I mistakenly thought our high school french would help us order (NOT)- we both ordered andouilette which is tripe which is cattle stomach made into sausages. Chris attempted to eat it (he could be on fear factor)- one whiff and I almost hurled. I tried to scam some food off the kids but they were having none of it. But I had wine and bread :)

3-Having to ride roller coaster by yourself- Space mountain is fun but I felt like a loser going on by myself. (chris was with the kids)

4-The day of our departure from the Paris train station we were greeted by the French military and police with machine guns walking around the train station. CJ thought it was cool but my mind was to terrorism plots:(

5-Chris being on his blackberry and me not checking my iphone in fear of ringing up a huge bill (I am addicted)

6- The kids didn't thing It's a small world was that cool- (I loved that ride growing up)- they were all about Buzz, Peter Pan's Flight, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

7- Parisian teenagers- the 13 yr olds who were sometimes accompanied by their parents were full on making out in line for rides. ( R rated stuff-) and they acted like no big deal. Chris and I were covering CJ and Casey eyes.

My new nephew

Daniel James arrived in Dallas last night via an emergency c section. My sister and son are doing well and we are thrilled to have a new nephew. I want christmas break to start tomorrow so I can get my hands on this little man. He is going to be covered in kisses and Burberry baby very soon!

A little sunshine

Well CJ was sick on monday from school- poor little guy went to school for 15 min and then came home. He didn't look well in the morning but when I mentioned staying home he got stressed out that he would miss phonics and get behind (think we have an ulcer patient on our hands)-

So he came home and we had some fun before Casey got home- we went to the bookstore and bought some books and I got him a juice from starbucks (latte por moi) . I pushed him in the stroller and we had fun just the two of us. Then I let him lay on the couch with 7 up and watch some awful Jolly Phonics dvd so he felt like he wasn't behind (ridiculous that you can think you are behind in preschool). Still perturbed that the Brits call Z- zed just plain wacked.

Anyway after I had been pitying myself about friends, life in England in general; I had 2 other moms from nursery school (call or text) to let me know they could pick up casey and take care of her in the afternoon if need be. Always nice to have people willingly help you out. Then when I went to pick her up- one of the mom's(knowing that we came from warm TX) brought some warm clothes for Casey to wear on off days that her daughter outgrew.( she even noted she removed all blue clothes as everyone from that nursery school has Casey's high pitch scream ingrained in their minds "I hate blue tracksuit.") I promise to have a celebratory bonfire when the jumpsuit ceases to be in effect in 2010.

random things that bother me-(can't all be sunshine)

1- having to watch SNL clips on You tube
2- Chris took my Tom Tom for his trip and I literally can't drive without it- even Casey asked where is Tom Tom as I have it in on all the time.
3-Carved pumpkins have been tossed because it bloody rains all the time so they were covered in mold within a day.
4-diet coke still tastes awful here- my sister will love it-I might actually drink diet pepsi here.
5-pay to park your car at the park (the principle in itself annoys me)
6-the only volunteers I have gotten for the christmas fair are people that already have a lot on their plates. (e.g one women commutes an hour each way to work and she volunteered her and her husband and then said she could help out Friday night although not until 8pm (when she gets home from work)- wish everyone else would follow her lead)

D&G

Be prepared for Doom & Gloom this week- Chris is out of town for most of the week and for some reason I am pretty awful at staying at night in any house by myself. England no different then MI, Chicago, or Texas- I pretty much have my usual game plan

1) stay up way too late
2)have all lights on
3) try not to watch CSI, Law and Order, but it never fails I will be watching MTV and a horror movie trailer freaks me out. So pretty much I am stuck watching HGTV or the Food channel.
4)sleep with cell phone (they cut the landline first) and house key, (they may try to lock me in my own house), scissors (don't ask- started in chicago when I saw Sydney Bristow go to town on an enemy with scissors)
5)Allow CJ or Casey to sleep in the bed with me. (who am I kidding I will carry one of them into my room if need be)
6) Usually I have a friend call in the morning to check if I am alive so if I don't answer she can help CJ get cereal (etc). I have not found that person yet in England-usually need some just as neurotic as me . So, Chris is on duty for morning check calls. He knows better than to complain.
7) wake up grumpy due to lack of sleep- which I am sure will hamper school drop off.

Other news- Chris may have wanted to kill me on Sat. I had a family picture scheduled at 10 am- (yes the kids are in tartan plaid for the holidays)- ends up our Tom Tom ( stat nav) takes us on a wild ride through dirt roads where the only vehicles encountered were horses and hunting dogs. So 45 min later with a nauseated car load of kids (okay just CJ and Casey) -we arrive there. The photographer was fine - he seemed mildly annoyed I didn't do the casual approach (He mentioned a zillion times that a plain shirt and jeans photograph best; like I even considered doing that). Chris let him know that there was no way that Casey Jane was wearing anything other than a dress after blue tracksuit week. Still amazed about photographers - the good ones get kids to act natural and get good photos. He had - Chris and I step out ( we volunteered before he asked!)- and said he got some beautiful shots- we shall see!

The vacation is over and photos of my purses

Everytime I think we are getting settled- I realize we are not-
No real news- CJ keeps asking philospohical questions that keep me up at night wondering if this will be a good memory or a bad one in CJ and Casey's childhood. For instance- "Mom- things are weird here in England- "What do you mean?" (trying to keep an open dialogue instead of jumping in with darn straight kiddo this place is whacked)-"I had more fun in Frisco- school's a lot of work." I am a rule follower but man this school is giving the kids 45 min of homework a night plus recording every book they read- we are both exhausted. So we skipped homework last night and watched Wonderpets and drank hot chocolate to keep our sanity. Thank God- fall break is one week away. So Chris heads home late last night- and I let him know the vacation is over and I want to go Home. Of course- Chris tries to play mr positive about all the trips and sights we will see- and that if we headed back to TX we can't live in our house because we have renters (etc)- All very useful information but I was having none of it. I did buy another purse to cheer me up yesterday. (instead of postcards I am collecting handbags:) (Burberry is top pix and London Osprey is bottom pix)

We have a stay at home dad and his son coming for a playdate this afternoon. Should be interesting- so funny at these afternoon playdates you are expected to serve dinner to the children. Kind of awkward to me to host and cook dinner at the same time but I suppose nuking fish sticks or jacket (baked) potatoes doesn't really qualify as cooking to me.

Ready for Fall and Rain

I am loving Casey's pigtails- we spend a good 10 min in the morning doing hair (hers not mine)-

CJ won "Star of the Week" last Friday and was given an award at the school Assembly. This was quickly followed by a short parent /teacher conference after he broke a classmates hairclip and pulled her hair. His teacher made a huge ordeal over the broken hairclip (it was a piece of junk)- but we had CJ write a letter of apology and the made in China barrette has been replaced:)

We like to keep it interesting at the Tebben household! Casey Jane has a new best friend Georgie (from school) who she likes to pretend to call daily.

Overserved

Sat- started off rocky- I forced the family into wearing autumn colors for the pumpkin patch. Chris was complaining from the get go. Get to the farm and we ask where the pumpkins are they said they don't start selling them until Oct 26- so no pumpkins but at least I got some hay bale shots and the kids ran around. I was in such photographer mode- I dropped my camera on the cement. It's totally broken- Chris was telling me to find a canon repair shop and I just nodded my head and ordered the same model off the walmart website here, (seriously no point in driving 20 miles to find out the repair is more than camera-gone down that road before so my dear husband will be none the wiser when the same camera magically appears)

Once babysitter arrived -we caught the train to the city and head to a tapas restaurant to meet my college friend (pat) and a friend of friend (elizabeth). Started getting nervous that this was a disaster- had an awesome margarita which helped my nerves subside. Pat arrives first- funny as ever still looks like he did in college. Chris and I literally crack up every time we are with him because he is so much like us (he gets all of our references and talks as much as I do). Elizabeth arrives next- super cute , confident, outgoing girl. She was so at ease with our conversational topics (fountain drinks, ND football, the Hills, Sydney Bristow,where to travel to, Palin/Tina Fey, Obama sneaking ciggies). So we had a great time- lots of sangria (3-4 pitchers can't remember details). Not sure if it was a love connection but I will definitely hang out with Elizabeth and she gave us great tips on where to travel to (she's an analyst for a hotel benchmark company). Pat seemed glad to have other contacts in the city and not freaking out they he will be living here as of Nov. Train ride home uneventful besides me getting that queasy feeling that 2 margaritas and 3 glasses of sangria coupled with calamari and olives can give you:)

Babysitter with the best resume I have seen

The weather is so fickle here- it is freezing in the morning and then by afternoon short sleeve shirt. Went for a playdate this morning- where the other child shrieked and threw tantrums most of time (all I could say was I 've been there)- Have a new sitter coming on Sat just quickly asked her about her childcare experience- She's a montessori preschool teacher, concurrently getting her masters in child psychology and has been a nanny for 10 years. Her resume was 2 pages and she has every certification you can imagine. She more qualified than me to parent:) Got her number from one of the mom's from school who is a partner at one of the big accounting firms. She enquired if I ever wanted to go back to accounting- I had to laugh that a 3rd try at being a CPA was not in the cards for me.

Sat night we are headed to the city where we are meeting 2 americans for dinner. One a friend (guy) from college the other a girl ( I have never met) but is a friend of a friend. I think they are both single so perhaps my matchmaking skills may work. Chris thinks it spells disaster we shall see. I will update the blog later

Random annoying things

1- We have one tv which we thought would not be a major deal but it has turned a little crazy- whenever I get up Chris grabs the remote and turns it to baseball (love baseball games live hate them on tv)-I was so petty last night I took the remote with me to the bathroom:)

2-Blue tracksuit- it annoys me to know I have another 22 months of battles with this uniform

3-CJ started the british talk- "I have to tidy my room"- " I have to go to the toilet"- good news his girlfriend has started using the american version.

4-No baggers at the grocery store- super annoying no drive thru starbucks- saving money but need my caffeine; no ice in drinks and their diet coke formula is so off

5-I am getting very very pale-

6-everyone backs into parking spaces at the school- which I can't do

7-Nursery worker at the gym letting me know that Casey Jane has a very loud scream. (like I haven't heard it over the last 2 3/4 years)

8- No awesome mani/pedi place (still looking)

9- No sushi in our village, No great thai in our village, but plenty of indian food (I keep picking the wrong things)

First Love

Well- it started we first had the tears on Wed that Molly picked Alex as a dance partner in dance class - But it seems Molly has decided she is "in love" with CJ (she's a sassy little 5 year old another stronghold on calling him Christopher as well). It all started when we had a playdate and these 2 classmates played for 2 hours outside with safari animals lining them up, hiding them, and pretending to be in Africa. Well- all we heard about was Molly this and Molly that and since her mother is the sweetest person I have met at the school- I was fine with it. Well we had another over the top 5 year old bday party this weekend- where besides the bouncy castle they had a dance floor with a disco ball for dancing. Well they had a dance contest (to high school musical music) and our little guy danced his way to winning it (He gets his moves from his mama)- Then they started to play slow songs and Molly and CJ take the dance floor and start doing the 8th grade sway side by side dance. Then CJ runs up to me and says I have a secret Molly and I are getting married. It was pretty funny stuff. Of course I didn't have my camera to witness this slow dance:)


Sunday just got better in England- we have season 4 of the Hills (we hate Lo- she's so not needed on the show)- and we are loving the new show my mastermind JJ Abrams (LOST, Felicity,ALIAS)- Fringe- we stayed up past midnight watching this show. Other news- Chris drove the kids to school this morning and Casey Jane was of course perfect putting her uniform on and going to the teachers. Lastly, I received my absentee ballot from TX- and poor Chris did not apply in time:( I say that jokingly because I sent him the website and said you need to fill out the form online and he never did. Oh well his vote would have cancelled mine so c'est la vie !

7 Random Things About Me

1- I love trashy magazines, MTV and pretty much anything with a target audience of 14
2- My husband and I both love slurpees (me cherry, he coke)
3-I love board games but hate losing (love game shows too)
4-I love brother,sister smocked outfits, (pretty much anything at Strasburg) and plan out my christmas card in Oct (sad but true)
5-Don't really like driving (especially in England), more night than morning person, have been known to not be recognized since I look completely different M-F (track pants and pony tail) vs a sat night (heels and flat ironed hair).
6- Some of my nicknames- Nini (sister), Moe (middle school), Glitter Girl (college and beyond), Mimi (TX)
7-my fave number is 7 (soccer number)- I attended 3 NKOTB concerts back in the day -I will try to save my children from the hair don'ts I had ! (perm and sun in- need and I say more)

Yeah!!!!

Our son is being called CJ!!! Chris and I are toasting with a glass of wine (red because its 50 degrees and freezing) to our victory. We are craving Pei Wei in such a major way but settled for Indian take away (still have no idea what to order)- so here's to small victories in life. BTW I swear the British think we are crazy with initial names but we all can't be named Jude or George or Simon or William:)

School Drama for a 4 1/2 year old-might homeschool

Nothing to really to blog about- sent Chris to the school meeting since I had enough of the PTA and school drama for the week. Chris approached the teacher at the end to let her know that we would really like our son to be called CJ- we were fine with him writing his name Christopher and nameplates and what not but we call him CJ and want his friends to as well. As usual - it seems it went in one ear and out the other. I miss the over active American parents- I am helping to chair the school's christmas bazaar and I sent an email for volunteers to CJ's classmates (34)- got 2 positive responses- makes me so irritated that people think they don't have to volunteer just because they pay for the school. Find it mildly amusing that I am in charge of refreshments for which we are not doing mince pies or sausages rolls-leave an American to do all the work and you are going to get stuff that I would eat. (can you tell a rebellion is starting!)

Lastly- I know I touched base with many of you letting you know that Casey's uniform was still dramatic. ( On wed she took her pants off in the parking lot and we drove home with her in ariel underwear.) Well tomorrow is mufti day at the school- they get to wear jeans and whatever shirts she wants. (so we have pink sweater, a necklace, pink fuzzy crocs, and floral jeans) laid out tomorrow. She is becoming quite the poet; "Mom- Blue makes me sad."


Lastly as always god helps me find the perfect friends- a new Zealand girl who is super sweet and utterly confused with all the British formality as well -spotted my fave wine (Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc- it is sold out in the states) and bought a few bottles for me!


So looking forward to the dropoff tomorrow and dealing with the Christopher/CJ name game. NOT! Think I might add quesdillas to the christmas bazaar menu:)

Politically Incorrect

After dropping off CJ at school- Casey and I passed the town square where the giant fountain was filled with pink water in honor of breast cancer support. Casey of course asks, "Why is the fountain pink?"- I quickly answer because of breast cancer. Casey then replies "I love breast cancer"

Advice

Well we had a weekend full of advice. Chris got home from meeting with another team member in Switzerland and said I got some good personal advice about living abroad

1- overspend the first year-
2-even if your are tired if your wife wants to sightsee do so
3- travel whenever you get the chance (he invited us to come stay and ski in Switzerland while his family's au pair watches our kiddos- sounds good to me)

Nice it came from a 3rd party so I can safely say Chris is back on the weekend sightsee plan.
Sat headed to Costco- I felt weirdly back in Plano- spending $300 on stuff I may not need but loving every minute of it. We found a bunch of cute bday presents for casey- which we put in the basket and she would say "I really wanted an ariel pillow mom- when I get bigger can I get one" Supposedly I was blissfully unaware at 3 when my mom would do the same thing.

Then we headed to the American Club gourmet night. I was given an italian antipasto dish. Recipe pretty easy to make besides converting all the kg to US measurements and buying baking trays that fit in my oven. Due to the recent advice Chris was given- no complaints were made about hanging out with 10 strangers for the evening. The group was pretty cool- mostly 40 year olds with 7+ years of international living experience. Everyone was very sweet about helping us find sitters, dentists, and activities. Some of the couples are from London financial institutions so we discussed the bailout of AIG and the general dismal state of the economy.
It was funny because one couple kept talking about a high school for boys that would be great for CJ. I didn't want to break their hearts that there really was no possibility we would be here for high school. I think I have adapted pretty well with the frame of reference that this is a short term assignment- in truth I would be freaking out if this was permanent. But 5 courses of italian food and plenty of red vino made for a tired sunday:)

I

Abba continues

I am still smiling-finally managed to salvage an outfit (for CJ) for the schools 80th bday party.

I now know why a lot of Oscars winners come from England- I was blown away my the musical portion of the assembly. CJ kept telling me that only the really special kids get chosen for the school choir. They had all the classes each sing a song and the kids did an amazing job. The year 2 kids (1st graders)- did a selection from Les Miz- sounded like Broadway quality production. (definitely saw a few tears from the parents) The 10 years old then did Mamma Mia and it was really cute singing and dancing. The school brought out a big cake and they they had the younger kids (CJ's class) accompanied by the oldest student (17 year olds) blow out the candles.

Mamma Mia

Can you tell I'm smiling- I just got home from seeing Mamma Mia with one of my american friends. And yes we went to the sing a long screening- where we pretended to be too cool for school for a nanosecond and then sang every song after that! Talk about the perfect wed (middle of the week) pick me up! I almost forgot that I needed to come up with an outfit for CJ to wear to school for the school's 80th bday party. (oh I miss TX and our 2 year old elementary school) And yes the playground moms have plotted their kid's costumes for weeks so I will hunt for a cap and suspenders and whatever gear I can find. The only person that wants to wear a costume is Casey Jane but alas the nursery school is not included so the hated blue tracksuit will appear again on Friday. (she muttered that she doesn't feel pretty in it- (I swear I don't make this stuff up).

40 preschoolers, The Queen, My Purse at Last

Finally had some sun this weekend. We headed to CJ's first British classmate's party. I don't know what I was expecting- from all my martha stewart type friends that planned kiddo bday parties in TX - I guess I was expecting a scaled back version of a 5 year old's bday party here. Well there was a hall rented 40 children- basically all 3 classes from their school were invited. A DJ , a dancefloor, bounce house, magician, beer/wine for the adults, and general mayhem as you attempt to get 40 kids to eat dinner together. The kids and moms for that matter were decked out for the party- (most moms in dresses/heels (no worries I was in capris)- Goody bags for the kids had a cupcake, a cookie, a light up toy, a stuffed animal. (may be nicer than the gift I gave)

Finally met a very cool Mom (she's form Ireland) from the school. She is funny, krunchy (e.g she has home births (she's like a 100 pounds and does the whole drug free thing for 9 lb babies (CRAZY) and recycles everything), likes wine, likes kids going to school . She sought me out asking if I was going to the States for Christmas and if I could buy some items from babygap and seven jeans for herself. She always laughing at how our kids teacher refuses to call CJ anything other than Christopher. Anyway- she was filling me in on how everyone tries to outdo each other on bday parties and now since this was the first one of the year- things could get ridiculous.

Sunday - woke up to Chris letting me know that Michigan State had crushed ND ( we have the college tv package)! Then headed to London. This is one of the last weekends they let you inside Buckingham Palace. Casey liked it- although she mentioned (loudly) that the queen isn't as pretty as the princesses (disney) and then stared at the chandeliers (reminded me of that cute baby einstein phase). Chris seemed moderately bored as I hung out in the banquet room and counted the glasses at each place setting 6 (water, white wine, red wine, port, pudding, and champagne.) Get rid of the pudding glass if you ask me and add another champagne flute. We did spot the mayor of London (he still needs a haircut before this city hosts the Olympics).

Then we took 2 tubes-2 buses to get to the Burberry outlet. So sad -it's in a bad part of town across the street from some projects and then myself and 1/2 of asia was running through the door scouring for purses. (side note no British people wear Burberry- its out of fashion here)
A purse was purchased - (Chris did tell me to buy whatever I wanted since we were never going to spend 2 hours getting there again). Will provide photos of myself and purse at a later date.

Sample of Today

6am- Chris wakes me up to help him pick out an outfit for his presentation and to make sure his socks and pants match. Not happy- and not sure I didn't send him out with navy pants and black socks. Seriously he spends way too long getting ready . (he is a closet metrosexual)

7 am- picture day at school put in Casey Jane's bow in her hair for which she screams

7:30- let kids pick out cereal choice (the mini kind)- they both pick the same one- CJ left unhappy.

7:45- Casey pulls out bow and spills strawberries on tracksuit.

8:45- CJ still crying at drop off- asks if I can pick him up after lunch because 3 is too long of a day . (Teacher starting to annoy me that she refuses to call him CJ and only calls him Christopher. Make a mental note that I will bring this up at a later date.)

9- drop Casey off at school she sees the photographer and literally starts shrieking. Put bow in hair again. (who am I kidding like she's going to have a bow in her hair when I get the pictures back). The school claims they will do sibling shots after individual ones (can't wait to see CJ and Casey Jane strangling each other on film)

9:30- navigate a gazillion 1 way streets for which the English treat as 2 way streets to meet 2 other Americans for coffee (and yes we went to Starbucks thankyouverymuch)

11-rant and complain for a good 1 1/2 in a very therapeutic way. ( could have been more therapeutic if we drank booze instead of coffee)

1pm- meet plumber at house to discuss why we have basically no water pressure. (so all my friends/family back home better love taking that long hot shower while water basically trickles on me)

2pm- Blog- hopefully this is making Moroney laugh after being thrown back into the fire after maternity leave:)

Mary Poppins

Well - Chris and I had our first date night since June 21- (can you tell I was counting)- we used a sitting service and the girl was great. The girl walks in the door and CJ says "You are more beautiful than our other babysitters- for anyone that knows us that's a good start after we lost a TX babysitter last year due to CJ pestering her with questions if she had a baby in her tummy (she did not).Poor girl didn't eat a thing at our house and never sat for us again.

We stayed a 1/2 hour and then we left (without guilt) for dinner and drinks. Chris and I have never lived near family so we have become quite comfortable (due to necessity with babysitter agencies). Dinner was good (appetizer awesome /main course so/so)- We came home and sitter (who of course was drinking tea) said are children were angels!

Felt bad for Chris he woke up early this morning to jump online to check college football scores- he did run up to tell me the IRISH beat Michigan. It appears our satellite package can only get us NFL so he has to find a 3rd party to get college football. He seemed sad at 7 am reading about the hi lights of the big games:(

Casey Jane started ballet on Friday and loved it. She is the youngest in the class but loves the fact she gets to pretend to be a princess. We had a tough time removing the leotard and skirt Friday night!

tearful dropoffs, overscheduled, and Mom's isn't a disney princess

Well I have already become "that Mom" - you know the on that contacts the school on day 3. Long story short- CJ has been sobbing at dropoff- picture Pouring rain standing on a playground and a little guy ( in basically a suit) waiting to line up to enter school sobbing "I want to go home". I myself don't even put mascara on in the morning. He then is not sobbing when I pick him up but he looks wiped out and sad. I ask him about his day and he does the whole drama that at "this school he has to ask for hugs they don't just hug you like at his other school". So I talk to Chris who thinks I am making a mountain out of a molehill. I then go to the headmistress to ask if he can go part time instead of 5 full days a week- (he can't)- they assure me by week 2 he will be loving it. We shall see- I figure if I am already "that mom" - I am going to do some random surveillance.

On another note with this school day wiping him out- we are going to drop out of some activities. I had him signed up for soccer, swim lesson, and religion class. I ask him the other day which activity do you want to give up. Direct quote " Mom- would god be mad at me if I didn't go to church school" 4 1/2 is too young for catholic guilt-so we are going to have to make a call on one of these activities.


Casey on the other hand (still hates the uniform- dad's job on MWF)- but basically could care less that I am leaving her at school and is now letting me know my hair isn't pretty like Cinderella. This little lady needs to learn whose the Queen of the house.

Christmas In Sept

Well our move went well- all things considered. It rained the first day (shocker) and the movers said there was no way they would be able to fit our Queen bed up the staircase (glad we left our king at home) but they did. The kids played in the the playroom with their toys from 3 months ago that are now new toys. Seriously, CJ mentioned a zillion times how did we get so many toys we are so lucky. So we are almost unpacked and have even hung some of our pictures. Seriously - Chris and I have the moving thing down -we literally walked room to room and pretty much knew where we were going to put up stuff. It helps that we only have 1/3 of our stuff as well. Since its a rental no need to pull out the Benjamin Moore paint book and pick a Charleston sage for the third time. (still a little bitter about moving ). Neighbors - chris and I have bet on how long it will take to meet them. I say 3 weeks he says 3 months. It seems British folks aren't the most outgoing.

Casey had her first day of school- it went well! We persuaded her to put on the blue tracksuit with a bribe of mommy painting her toes this weekend. yes - she is not even 3 and she wants her toes painted. We have resorted to bribes to get that tracksuit on 3 days a week.

Quick little answers to questions readers (all 4 of you) have posed-

1- No we do not get the current Hills or Gossip Girl and yes I am jealous ! No- I can't watch it on my computer because of some dumb Law .

2-CJ and Casey attend the same school the difference in uniform is casey is in nursery school and CJ is in their form of kindergarten.

3- I miss BIG parking lots- Target, Malls, Chain restaurants ( never thought I would say that but any American restaurant kicks England hiney for food and service). Bot most of all family and friends!

4- I like the fact that people make do with less here. Kids are disciplined and very well behaved (not mine -yet). Its green/hilly and not brown and flat. Feels like we have to sight see whenever we get the opportunity. Chris helps me out more that in the States. CJ and Casey finally have been playing well together!

First Day of School for CJ

Well, we we had a tough day yesterday. CJ was worried about school starting- will I have any friends- where is the bathroom at the school- the teacher won't know my name-no one will sit by me at lunch- if we were in TX the triplets would help me find my class if I got lost-(add another 100 worries and you get the picture)

Then the mail came-CJ's teacher sent him a welcome to my class letter which made his night.

Then we woke up -extra 10 minutes to put the uniform gear- CJ freaking out that we would be late for school. Casey Jane crying that she wants to go to school (little does she know it starts Monday!)

We arrive at the classroom and his sweet teacher says "Hi Christopher- who is your favorite planet hero" (they had the parents fill in cheat sheets a month ago on kiddo's likes and dislikes).

From there they were off and running. The school seems great but very formal- I think CJ got corrected a couple times for not handshaking properly to parents (he tried to high five) and trying to call the teacher Miss Tanya instead of Miss. McGrath. He seemed to be having fun and excited about going to school tomorrow all by himself. Let's see how we do with the battle royale with Casey and the blue tracksuit- should be an interesting blog

Hair Dye, Moving Boxes, and Biting

Well my first UK salon experience was a success. Let me say- my planning paid off! After we found out we were moving to England- I switched salons in Texas to Toni and Guy (since they are international). I then made an appointment here and had my colorist call the Plano salon to get my haircolor. Seriously I don't mess around when it comes to my hair color. So anyways- the colorist Mark scares me at first by saying- "I know how to do Texas hair". (I am envisioning Dallas tv show circa 1982). He stuck to the color and now my gray hair is gone! The best part was it wasn't ridiculously expensive (hair is $$$$ no matter where you live)

Spent the rest of the weekend packing- seems to be a quarterly thing for our family. Come Friday we will be in our house-Thank God. Dragged the kids to the electronic store with Chris- who spent hours picking out the TV. He's already bummed that college football is on and we are out of the loop. One of my high school friends posted that MSU and U of M lost and I had to inform him. (sad times for Chris- makes me know we will be coming back to TX!)

On another note- I found an American Women's Club in my area. (yes, friends I am joining another club). The women who is the president is in her 60s- she was so sweet. She is a LSU grad and was all concerned why Notre Dame doesn't have sororities because I sound like a Kappa something girl. (sounded like a compliment but I have no clue) She invited me to the first event and he club looks pretty cool- Book clubs, Gourmet Clubs, and just women that can relate to bad washing machines, crazy driving experiences, and bland food. The first gourmet night is TX foods- hopefully we get some spicy food.

Finally had my first day at the gym that has a daycare. Assumed since Casey Jane was pottytrained there is no way I get called on the loud speaker while running (was a running (no pun intended) joke in TX that I never made it past 2.5 miles without a call for a diaper, etc). Well it appears our little Princess bit another child- so we had to fill out an accident report. So as I type- CJ is watching berenstein bears and Casey is in timeout. I am destined to not run 3 miles until middle school with these rug rats

Ode to Tom Thumb

Oh Mr Tom Thumb grocery store I miss you so much-
Your beautiful grocery carts that are large and have a nice handy rack underneath for my soda.
From the moment- you walk in and are greeted by Starbucks it is a joy
A free cookie sample is given to every girl and boy
Deli dept with boar's head meat and cheese- makes us happy with glee
Mr Tom I miss you -


As I type I have just finished sewing elastic straps in black ballet shoes. (nothing easy here- they make us sew even the shoes) Yes -it seems at CJ's school, dance is required (even for boys). Chris asked that I call the school and see if there was an alternate activity ( there's not). On a positive note- the boys don't have to wear tights just gym shorts and dance shoes. I think Chris has sufficiently brainwashed CJ not to wholeheartedly participate in dance. Next, I am on to sewing the pink ballet shoes for Casey who will not take off her uniform for dance (light blue leotard and light blue dance skirt). Anyone reading who knows me- knows that I tried to find someone to pay to sew the shoes since I can't sew but no such luck- (Darla where are you?)

Pitstops and Punting the River Cam

Headed for a weekend trip to Cambridge. We finally got lucky with sunny, warm weather. Park at the carpark and ask the kids if they have to use the bathroom; Casey walks in and says no. We head to the park and within 15 min of being at the park- Casey pulls down her skirt and uses the top of the slide as a pitstop. When asked why she would do this- casey replies "those bathrooms are disgusting"- classic Casey. From there- things picked up- we went boating down the River Cam and saw all the of Cambridge university. Then we headed to the botanical gardens and ate lunch outside. All in all we probably clocked 6 0r 7 miles walking around town. CJ pointed out that he has to walk all the time and Casey gets a free ride (stroller) so he should get more treats. Kid has a point at this walking rate we are going to be reclaiming clothes we gave away to younger cousin Alex. Then headed to the open air market- and checked out the shops and more of Kings College. Hit a local pub for dinner that had an outdoor playground- so we had a moment of peace while the kids play that we could drink a pint. Might export this concept back to Texas.

Forecast Rain and more Rain

Should be grateful for the rain since we haven't had hot water for 2 days in our temporary accommodations.

And yes Casey Jane picked out a High School Musical umbrella 2 1/2 going on 11 years old:) CJ went back to his passion from the 3's -Thomas the Train and me I am holding out for the Burberry goods!

IPHONE Delirium

Quick weekend recap

I had an awful crappy Friday. Show up to the local pool (kids are already decked out in swimsuits) to take them to open swim. My little fishes wanted to swim- I get stopped at the front desk and the lady informs me that I need another adult to swim with a 4 and 2.5 year old. That a single adult can only swim with one under 8 year old. So I go through the whole deal that I would not have paid $150 for this membership if I had to have another adult with us and when I bought the membership I explained that I would be the only one taking them to open swim (meanwhile CJ and Casey are screaming about wanting to swim). I then ask for the manager who proceeds to tell me that even though his staff sold me the membership I can't use the pool- so I demand a refund - and he tells me that "British people don't ask for refunds"- well the door was open so I happily told him "I'm an american and either the kids swim or I want my $$$ back". Needless to say I was so mad- supposedly I am going to get an "American" prorated credit back. Then I get a text ( he know s better than to call live) from Chris letting me know he has a happy hour to attend for "work". So 8:30 rolls around and I am furious after hearing about the cute little pub in London he went to while I battled baths with 2 antsy kids who know by heart the 12 books we have in the apt (Poor CJ thinks he can read since he can recite verbatim the books)


Saturday- God was looking out for me-First get up at 8:00 am (avoid serving breakfast and dressing kids for the day) in the morning say bye to chris and kiddos head to starbucks for a latte and then off to get my mani/pedi (started to like Hello magazine (similar to US weekly). Second ,call from cell phone store- IPHONE is ready for pickup. Then had a picnic at a park that recreates the 100 acre woods from Winnie the Pooh . Then off to dinner- kids behave well- consume 2 pints of beer as we leisurely eat outside. Lastly, stay up very late playing with IPHONE (I love it)

Sunday-

Head to the Science Museum in London ( perk is all the museums are free). Then- while we are on the tube - a couple offers us free London Eye tickets for the whole family (giant ferris wheel that oversees the whole city). Kids had a ball seeing all the sights from very high up, Get home and continue to play with Iphone. Chris purchased the bling bling pink case for it:)

Gold and Silver for US Gymnasts in the All-Around!!!!!!!

sweeping up the competition

olympic update

Well we lost the gold in women's gymnastics. 1 of our 3 US gymnasts (sacramone) fell on beam and the floor.(completely understand the beam but floor !) We were looking pretty good up until that point. I think its fair to say we know what China was doing in the years preparing to host- they created machines in diving and gymnastics (pretty impressive). Chris misses Russia's old uniforms with CCCP emblazoned across (we needed to google what the acronym meant). It is hard to tell which country the athletes belong to it seems everyone is in red white or blue. Still back to my old ways of screaming at the television wishing every other non US preteen gymnast to fall off the beam or bars. (Casey did point out "there all good -mom"). This just means we need to take the all around on Friday- go Shawn and Natasia!

Missing Crocs

Well we woke up monday morning with a Casey and CJ missing a croc each. Wouldn't be that big of deal if we had our stuff but our supplies are limited in the current state.

On Sunday - we were invited to a bar b que at a work colleague's house. On the trip to the house- Chris and I coached the kids about being well behaved , eating all the food that was served, etc-

1)We arrive at the house and our kids are so excited to have playmates and toys-they pretty much go berserk

2)CJ decides to chuck shoes over the fence into the neighbor yard. (at least it was his own and his sister shoes)

3)Food is served- I call the sausages hot dogs in attempt to get the kids to eat them. Casey eats one bite and spits it out saying in a crystal clear voice that "this is very bad". (never mumbles in toddler baby voice when a inappropriate comment is made)

4)CJ asks repeatedly to our hosts when will they serve the cookies we bought and don't forget guests are suppose to be served first. (classy with a k)

5)Hosts attempt to get a step ladder to scale the fence (neighbors not home) to retrieve the crocs to no avail. (seriously embarrassing)


6) One positive note-I have found a new summer beverage Pims- not sure exactly what it is but it's a great cocktail

So we are getting the crocs delivered tomorrow- CJ is in school shoes and casey is prancing around in ballet slippers as I type.

the elusive iphone

I've wanted an iphone since they came to market a year ago. Just when I thought I was going to get one this spring we decided to move to England and so we had to wait until we got here to get it. I could have bought one in Texas and switched SIM cards but as soon as they said your warranty is null and void I couldn't break the law.(I'm such a girl scout) Well- we have had obstacles to get this darn phone- need a British bank account- need the atm- need the pin for the atm- and now they tell me it can't be a brand new bank account-(it has to be some ridiculous amount like 2 weeks old in order to get one due to new restrictions with some terrorist act)- OH yes -I am terrorist material dragging 2 screaming kids to the store (in the burbs) after almost t-boning my car on a roundabout. SO yes my on hold iphone is STILL on hold!!!!!! Chris keeps pestering me on why I need the iphone- simple reason is its cool (could be getting VIP info from Frisco, Chicago, Denver,Philly, Boston, St Louis, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Michigan) and I want the pink case with the bling for it as well. So 2 more weeks until I have my phone- let the countdown begin.

On another note- Olympics start today and I am excited. I remember watching the LA Olympics with Mary Lou Retton and Ekaterina Zabo (the Romanian gymnast) on tv and then pretending to walk the balance beam in my backyard with Parker. Love the all around competition those girls are awesome. Chris and I love gymnastics (yes he actually knows more of the gymnasts than I do), track and field, swimming, soccer (rather see World Cup than Olympic). So GO USA!!!!

weekly confession

1) Let a stranger parallel park my car. I did this kind of thing all the time in Chicago and now I am resorting to this habit again. Guy did a great job!~ (the paid parking lot was full)

2)Watched a really awful Cold Case episode so scary that I made Chris carry CJ to our bed. (Casey is the room next door to us whereas is CJ on the first level) CJ of course wakes up mid transfer and asks if he still gets his planet hero point since he was sleeping in his bed. " Yes, son you still get a point."

3)I still haven't eaten beef in England yet. I know its safe but I have been sticking to chicken.

4)kind of glad I wasn't in TX for 107 degrees. I am in a hoodie as I type


5)No pals yet- met a few cool girls at the park who of course turned out to be nannies. I then of course try to poach them to sit for me- (I may have one taker)

6) Just went online to find a church- this will be chris and I first church that is not starting a building campaign. Yippee!!!


7) No iphone yet since we have not received our British account details. I am going to stalk the mailman until we get the bank info. Baby needs to make calls and check the Internet:)

8)Started laughing when we got satellite tv and CJ and Casey wanted to watch I SPY- only to complain the characters talk funny. (oh kiddos in a very short time you will be "Talking funny" as well)

9)wish more of my friends would start blogs so I could read their confessions.

10)having a glass or 2 of vino a day

London Bridges

Well- we had a non errand seeing the sights of London Sunday- Kids did well-considering we had a train ride- 2 tube rides- and a double decker bus ride. Rained most of the time but we had fun being tourists. CJ and Casey loved playing on a giant pirate ship in the Princess Diana memorial park and seeing the peter pan statue. I had fun walking around Harrods and checking out various Burberry bags I want to get my shoulder on. Going to have to find sitters to hit the Tate Museum of Modern art and the National Gallery.

Sat spent most of the morning at the uniform shop for the kids school outfits. Let's say I have my work cut out to these kids in the uniforms- CJ- white shirt/v neck sweater/blazer/coat/and gray wool pants (dead poet society cute but a lot of gear for 4 1/2 year old)- Casey Jane-blue sweatsuit with a crest on it- (mind you Casey has not worn pants in a year and only will wear clothes with pink on it). She screamed bloody murder as we attempted to try on the outfit on.

Should be interesting this sept

Disconnected

Well-I finally have Internet. Probably good I didn't get it right away or we would have some pretty depressing posts. Not going to lie almost suggested we do the separated living conditions for 2 years then I remembered our house in TX is rented out. Agreed to give this a chance and after 6 months will reevaluate.


Here's the Bad and The Good

The Bad

1- Temp housing- not good-pretty darn depressing. We only get our air shipment so I have 1 box of toys to occupy the kids for 9 weeks. (okay 5 weeks until school starts but whose counting)

2-Driving- I was not a great driver in the US put me on the other side of the road on tiny cobblestone 1 way streets and its pretty darn scary. I am going to take driving lessons but in the meantime I am nervous wreck every time we drive 100 yards. I am making no attempt at parking and plan to pay to park my car for the next 2 years.

3-no phone and no Internet- pretty much felt isolated for 3 weekdays. (doesn't seem like a big deal but it was the first time in a long time I had no outing/friends to see with the kiddos) I get depressed without plans.

4-washing machine- awful!!! 3 hours 56 minutes to wash and dry (still damp) about 10 items of clothes.

5- TV- no sky cable yet so we are stuck watching Big Brother- they love that awful show here!

6- Grocery Store fine- weird items are missing (hard to find shredded cheese, salsa)- no paper dinner napkins.

7- Stress- we have stress in our lives and chaos and all those non tranquil -moving to another country commotion

The Good

1- pretty much walking a ton when I do drive I have to park in a lot which means I still walk a ton. Figured out why everyone has awesome strollers here- they need them.

2- Awesome weather 75 and sunny with a breeze

3-House we are renting is great can't get into until 9/20 but once we do we have nice big american size refrigerator and washer/dryer, green yard, walking distance to the downtown areas) Chris figured I may not stick it out in England if we didn't go for the better housing option.

4- The kids are pretty desperate that they are playing well together and using their imaginations (pretending to be pilots and pretending to be mommies and daddies, etc)

So please keep us in your thoughts as we struggle through all chaos of the next few months.

Checklist for the leaving America

1- American Burger and fries (thanks Red Robin last night)
2-Laundry clean and done in American size washer/dryer-
3-Walk around target with soft pretzel and icy diet coke fountain drink buy a shirt for $5.66 and In Touch (still no pix of those Pitt twins)
4-Watch results show of " So you Think you can Dance" followed by "America's Best Dance Crew"
5-Drive with the radio not worried that I am on the wrong side of the road
6-Brush my beautiful white sparkly teeth
7-one last starbucks before I pack ( I know they have coffee and tea there)
8-get care packages from pals (thanks CEM and Kristi and Kristy)
9-say goodbye to parents until XMAS-feels like I am going to boarding school
10- Read Horoscope for today (this is real for Pisces)-Tap into your spirit of adventure. Explore a new neighborhood or a new interest. This brings friendship your way:)

I like Cupcakes

Like her mother- she only likes the frosting as well!

Made In Detroit

Just home from the Kid Rock concert in Detroit. Headed to the concert with one of my best friends from childhood. Parker and I had a blast reminiscing about summer concerts at Pine Knob- which included underage drinking (mountain dew and vodka was our drink of choice but who are we kidding any beverage we could get our hands on worked), picking up random guys (with a strong preference for the preppy ones), hanging out in the parking lot to party and telling our parents we got stuck in traffic (got to love the no cell phone era circa 1990). Our other partner in crime from high school -Wendy bailed on the concert because of that annoying thing called a job (we missed you sorry you had to defend the law!) We had a blast people watching and jamming to Kid Rock songs- no mention of children or even husbands for that matter! So yes beer and an outdoor rock concert on a 70 degree Michigan night make for a great night.

Worn Out Welcome

Well its official- our welcome at the parents house is a little worn out. The grandkids are not as adorable as they were 3 weeks ago. Weekend started off rocky- generally my mom is a good cook but we had one of those awful nothing went together meals (sweet potatoes, shrimp tempura, and undercooked artichokes)- Next we have had some issues with temperature control- the parents refuse to bust on the AC- so sat night I was woken by both kids at varying hours in the early morning letting me know they were hot and need a drink of water. So with lack of sleep- I demanded AC on and am now in control of the AC for my final week here. So yes my parents have mentioned ( 100 or so times) that I need to call on wed and reconfirm our Friday flight to England. (e.g. not taking any chances with cancelled flights) The toddlers have won- and the grandparents surrender to tiredness. They put up a good fight and hung in there though Sprout on Demand, McD's happy meals, treks to the park, swim lessons, I have to go to the potty at the most inopportune times, Toys everywhere. They have a bottle of champagne on ice in preparation for our Friday departure.

Casey Jane the Bad A@%!

Decided to enroll the kids in swim call here in MI- Had to lie and say Casey was 3 in order not to have to do the parent tot class. I figured singing songs in 70 degree pool water with casey was not a good use of my time:) Got there the first day and her class was full of 5 year olds who looked like giants compared to our little lady. Parents quizzed me on how old she was-(just turned 3 -I replied.) The teacher put the kiddos in the 4 foot area of the pool- so basically casey has to tread water the entire time of the class. Needless to say- Casey is a rockstar swimmer- basically outswam the class the first day and every day of camp. She did tell me that she likes our pool in TX better because there are not so many people- (oh how we miss our pool!)
Went to costco to get some hi-tech anti fog goggles since we may have a future Olympian on our hands.