Happy 4th Casey Jane

So we survived 17 - 4 year old girls jumping up and down with pom pons for Casey's bday. I think Casey and CJ were the only ones who knew ALL the HSM songs but everyone had fun. We arrived home- to way too many gifts and as predicted we spent the rest of the day painting a pony, playing with aquabeads ( give this gift to someone U hate, the beads are so small and the patterns are so intricate and u have to wait an hour for it to dry which in kid time is like 10 days), changing from cheerleader dress to fairy princess skirt, and wearing a headset which plays 3 HSM songs on constant LOUD replay (another "mean" gift from one of my best friends).

I still can't believe my baby is 4. Seriously, it still feels like yesterday she was in an exersaucer. I love the fact that my girl is ON or OFF- Really there is no in between with my little lady. Casey made a seating chart for her party- and placed all the loud girls in the middle and the shy ones on the end (Mommy- I am too loud for Jennifer she like things quieter so I put her by quiet people). She did give BIG hugs to everyone that came to the party and although we only had girls- she did place her brother next to her (since "he is suppose to be Troy and I am Gabriella with blonde hair). Miss Jane has settled down in school - although her competitive streak comes out for the stamps and at gymnastics. I think it is hilarious that when I wear a nice shirt, jeans and high heeled boots- she will say comments like" Mom- you have a fancy shirt and shoes but your jeans are NOT fancy at all." I love it that she SO wanted to go to Beyonce with us"- I really love having a daughter that makes days interesting- ( notice I didn't use the word easy)- I love that we have no idea what you will come up with next (I have embraced unpredictability). Just last week-Casey was very worried about moving back to TX because she couldn't remember where the bathrooms were in our house or if she would have friends in preschool. I promised my baby girl I showed where all the toilets were in our house. I really am so happy to be her MOM and SO excited about all the years ahead . ( seriously I know I am going to embarrass her by being ME in just a few short years:)

Horse World

So we had a little 6 year old bday party to go to this weekend and it happened to be a horse party. A little background information: where we live is horse country - A LOT of kids take riding lessons and horses are everywhere. We get to the equestrian center and CJ starts worrying he is going to fall off the horse -the other 10 kids are all arriving and I try to calm him down. As expected Casey is all about the horses and grabs a brush and starts brushing the nearest horse- 10 min later she is outfitted in a helmet and riding gear and on a horse- CJ not so much. One thing I love about our little school is that the kids in his class have such a strong sense of camaraderie- (there's only 13 of them and they have been together in most cases since they were 3)- one of his classmates grabs CJ hand and whispers in his ear some words of encouragement (I asked the little boy what he said "I told Christopher it will be okay and don't be scared I'll show you how to ride." (imagine witha cute little accent) Perfect example of how 2 kids (mine) could need such different methods of parenting -CJ's case- "Get on the Horse and Go"- Casey's Case- "Whoa horsey-slow down". Seriously- Casey is fearless- she was off and riding and she would not get off the horse until a pretty pink rosette pin was presented to her. CJ- through the tears got on the horse and had fun. The kids that are in the "horse world" are pretty amazing little riders. It was a very different "English" sort of birthday party. Now I just hope our letter to Santa from Casey does not include a request for a Horse.

Random

1- Dragged the entire family to see a local production of "The Nutcracker"- realized 15 min in it had no words- just a ballet to music with a lot of men in white tights dancing. Chris and CJ almost didn't make it back at intermission ( CJ kept whispering to me " Mom when are they going to say something")- casey liked it okay but it was kind of a complete bust.

2- On the subject of tights- there is a dad who is taking a work sabbatical and training for a triathlon who now does school drop off. Please oh please stop wearing tights with a with a too short Nike shirt- I don't need to see that at 8am ( and yes all the Moms are talking about ) - wear a longer shirt for lord sake its not like you are in the Olympics.


3- The battle of the school nativity plays- this year casey has a lead role for her class's play (mary) - CJ has a bit part (passerby)- poor kid is smart enough to know he has a bit part- "Mom, I just pass on by the stable and then I'm gone." Casey of course likes to add "That she is Jesus's mommy and on stage ALOT"

4-New Moon- yes, I went opening day- yes, I got an Edward poster- yes, I loved the whole thing- and I have to hand it to Jacob he looked pretty good- and the English crowd did not disappoint the crowd of teeny boppers screamed like raving lunatics every time Edward came on screen or Jacob showed off his 6 pack. Man, I love 13 year olds- I am still considering teaching 8th graders.


5- Thanksgiving-here- making all the dishes by myself for 12 people- stressed already but alas the food sucks here so anything I serve will be better ( how's that for positive thinking)- so me martha can handle it!!!

Bootylicious

Okay- so we had a little ticket snafu where instead of Sat Beyonce tix we had Monday- which in the scheme of things was no big deal but at the time I wasn't too keen on partying like a rockstar on a Monday and then doing 8am carpool.(I am dragging a little bit today- we did go for the caffeine route so we could stay up later on a Monday). Our tix were awesome literally saw everything.

But Beyonce delivered- AWESOME show- helped that our box was next to a 12 year old girls bday party ( I know who gets a box to have 20 friends for a 12 year old)- but these little teeny boppers were SO excited that they made us so excited (please note for a few songs all the 12 year olds were texting at the same time- it was a tad scary). Plus they had some sweet telephoto lenses so we saw JAYZ and some other English celebs. I love Beyonce she changed outfits a million times, she is so pretty, and that voice (kind like a funky cool angel). She did sing "AT Last" and had a photo montage of Mr Obama-( and of course all of London went nuts for our president ( he can do wrong for European eyes)- glad our world relations are better now -hopefully he can fix our economy-(sorry I had to)- She ended with Single Ladies and Halo and it was AMAZING. Tshirt purchased and being worn as I type (yes I bought the same one as the 12 year olds). I am SO going to be the mom taking the kids to the concert and embarrassing them by dancing and singing all the lyrics. I cant't wait!!!!!

Me and Miss B

So while you are attending a youth soccer game, raking leaves, or hitting the gym on Saturday- I will be shaking my booty at the Beyonce concert. Yes, an outfit has been chosen, yes, glitter will be worn, and yes my sweet dance moves will make an appearance. The last 4 nights I have performed My "Put a Ring On it" (minus the black leotard) for the family. ( got work the cardio before the big night) I'm ready for Miss B!!!!!! Will post photos from the concert- and yes I am buying a bootylicious tshirt

Back in the Saddle

So our house is back from the flu- sanity is restored. I visited my friend in the local hospital who got hit hard by the flu. I have to tell you the hospital scared the hell out of me. People shoved into wards- patients screaming in pain-mass confusion and waiting times that were ridiculous if your were in a life threatening situation. I am not going to use this blog to push my political agenda. I am praying that the approved "health care reform" is going to give healthcare to the folks that need it and not serve up some socialized mediocre medicine based on any model over here. Okay I feel better - but seriously our President has to stop leaning to European modeling- as someone that is "living it" -the model here is not a decent one to copy.

Other news- We headed to watch the fireworks last night at a friend from school's house. They own a horse farm so the kids loved running around the farm. The horses were put in the stables for the fireworks . The riding grounds are covered by a low voltage electric fence. Of course when I heard about it I freaked out since it was ON and we have a mass group of 5 year olds running rampant. Now here in lies the difference in parenting philosophy between us and the English- A quote from one of the parents, " Stop worrying about it Marina- once they hit the fence a few times they will learn not to touch it." And yes, kids hit the fence and received a mild shock and maybe they learned not to touch it again- But in truth I found the whole thing RIDICULOUS and scary. My mind is so wired to TV- I crafted a whole "House" episode about a child hitting the fence and going into heart arrhythmia. I knew I belong in Lalaland.

letter

Dear Stomach Flu Bug,

Could u please not infect anyone else in our house or circle of friends?
Just when I get one kid back on his feet u hit my other child. My little circle of friends all have u- so none of us can help each other out. I am mad at u. I have done a gazillion loads of laundry and am tired of being stuck in the house - except when I go to the grocery store to get Sprite and Crackers (and yes they don't have saltines here- mean country). I would hate to have anyone we know get this bug but there is an annoying mum at school who called to ask me if I was worried that CJ missed his spelling test yesterday. "Yeah lady, I am worried about a 5 year old missing spelling words like lick and deck"- crazy woman- there is spell check on computers and right now I need my kiddos to make it 2 hours without throwing up!
Don't even think of messing with me or Chris- or you really meet my mad side.

Leave now-

Marina

To mongram or not.......

So- I wasn't going to blog about because its sort of ridiculous but what the hey . So we got a note sent home from school with CJ the other day- ( I am on my laptop) or I would scan it for maximum impact). Basically the note said that CJ did not have the proper attire for soccer afterschool and that would we please rectify the situation as soon as possible. Not a super big deal except I had purchased an entire duplicate secondary uniform from the school shop for soccer (shorts/shirt)- and the only item that was different was a plain navy sweatshirt (school colors) with his initials ( I love me some monograms). I saw other boys running in Arsenal and Chelsea jerseys and no notes sent home. So yes, I am little MAD that for a tiny monogram we get a note sent home- and yes I am wasting 10 min of her and my time for a little pow wow to "rectify the situation" (a little sarcasm). So yes our dear teacher seems to have our number -no idea why- perhaps she is from an alternative universe where folks don't like monograms. Other new we had Casey's conference last night- went very well -so well- we had to make sure we were talking about our daughter. (very helpful (at tearing up brother lego projects), always in a great mood (have u woken her for school), wants to try everything (not last night dinner), really only likes to play with the girls (okay that casey), etc:)

Formal Halloween

So I may have mentioned how in England they make you work for your candy- (e.g we write notes to the neighbors asking if we can trick or treat and they write back if they would like us to stop by). At least CJ and Casey had fun delivering the notes- I have to laugh what a process

Scotland

What to say about Scotland- we loved it! From the moment we got there- it felt different than England- ( weather still sucked- seriously I would have cuter photos if we didn't live or travel to rainy spots)- Edinburgh is a big city with a small town appeal. The scottish seem to like kids- ( it was so cute we were in the Palace and casey picks an inopportune time to say she is " desperate for the toilet"- this guard caught the xchange and ushers us to a private bathroom. (from them on it was I heart Scotland per moi)- Food still is awful- I did not even attempt to try hagus- (which basically is a sheep stomach stuffed with other crud and gravy on top)- but the sights and people were great. We had Nanny (chris's mom) with us and we had her hiking and posing with Braveheart with the rest of us. (btw- I have heard all the movie lines from Braveheart for a straight 72 hours.) The hiking was great and the kids surprised us and behaved as much as 2 little ones can. (thank god one of the castles that threw in a dress up like a knight or lady bit and had some fake jousting to occupy the kids. On another note- for anyone that has to go to (or chooses to) go to a museum with small kids - I have some hints to survive the mission:

1)-secret mission ( kid needs to be 5 or greater)- basically you tell kids that you are secret agents and you need to search the museum for clues to solve such such riddle. ( CJ was cool with it until I took the game to another level and pointed at other tourists as competing agents- for which he snarled and snuck around them- yes we know this bit will later come out in therapy)

2- gum or jolly rancher- last ditch effort to see something- in casey's case it usually gives us a solid 14 min to gather an exit strategy.

3- Palaces/Castles- go the princess route- although poor casey is still wondering why we haven't seen Cinderella since Disneyland.

Our new friend

So Casey has made a new friend at nursery- the little girl is adorable and into nothing that Casey is currently into (e.g. she uses princess dolls as cricket bats and thinks the vanity set is something to jump off of)- but they have a blast jumping and dancing around like only 3 year olds can.
We first met our friend when Casey said she wanted the girl with "weird" eyes to come over to play. Turns out after meeting her mother- this little darling is blind in one eye and has had 46 operations due to a form of cancer that constantly produces tumors on the eye. The family is so positive - of course they have every reason to complain- but they don't. They go twice a month for checkups at the hospital and pray another operation is not needed. Seriously- I got a healthy dose of positivity in the face of huge ordeals and a new friend for Casey and I.

Jack O Lantern

1 toffee apple+ 1 wobbly tooth= our first visit from the tooth fairy tonight

Random

A few happenings in the household- 2 wobbly (or loose in american) teeth . Not sure I am fan of the process of losing teeth- (to be honest it makes me kind of sick)- but someday soon our first visit from the tooth fairy will be coming!!!
It has been raining nonstop for 24 hours- I lost my umbrella ( don't ask one of those tequila nights last spring) so basically my hair looks like I just ran a marathon without the satisfaction of burning 6700 calories (totally made up the number). Other news- baby girl has started a sort of fakey british accent- I am trying to not answer to mummy in order to maintain my mommy status.( a feeble attempt I'm sure) Fringe came back on the air- so my tv viewing has moved on from watching old Laguna Beach reruns (although can you ever get enough of Kristin/Stephen/LC triangle). I am thinking a pumpkin spiced latte is needed to put me in the Fall frame of mind and of course a new umbrella:)

Lists

1- Fall has hit- sweater on (check), flannel sheets on bed (check), dark at 5 (check),increased complaining by moi (check)

2- Nerves and nails are gone- MSU and ND overtime wins- can we please win a game without a nailbiter

3- The european attitude about chicago losing out- people were actually gleeful that the US didn't get the games. I spent some quality time in chicago so yes I am bitter- it really pisses me off that both the european and asian countries block voted. Seriously folks - ioc is missing out on summer in chicago, jazz, pizza, lakeshore, ( a lot more stuff but right now my mind can only thing of food and bars)- I knew they should have sent Oprah to the vote:)

4-bday party circuit- 2 kids=2 many bday parties on weekends with scary clowns that look like the one from Poltergeist-

5- Homework- I'm sick of it already- we may be playing hooky in a few weeks

Why 30 something parents shouldn't party

Had a weekend of 2 -2am nights. 1 was more civilized with husbands and cocktails and dancing- the other was a girls night that combined champagne, sambuca, red bull and vodka, and a dance club. Please note we arrived at the dance club late so that the 20 year old crowd couldn't see how really old we were. ( just guessing that when we all went crazy for a madonna song it was a clue that we were ancient not to mention we weren't dressed in skinny jeans and backless tanks)

1- Thought I was doing okay sunday morning until I came downstairs to get a drink of water and was greeted by the smell of half drunk glasses of white wine, meatballs shrimp left out over night. (seriously that smell and cleaning up took me back a few steps)

2- Darling children who bless their hearts DID not want to watch tv (strange phenomena) and wanted to play outside all day. (Note- I sat my booty in a lawn chair and pretended to be a goalie while CJ and Casey fired shots at me that occupied a good 30 minutes). Chris did save the day but letting me have some downtime where I laid in bed and sipped england's version of gatorade.

3- Recovery time- its monday afternoon and I am still hurting. Walked at the slowest pace ever on the treadmill (the grandma next to me looked like she was hauling she was going 4.5 mph) and felt tired from doing that- seriously I think by wed I might be somewhat functional

4- Gossip- somehow our little girls night circulated around our itty bitty school. So I had alot of I heard you went out until 2am to such such place. (sad surburban reality that this is headline news)

RSVP

A little bit of complaining- have I mentioned how much I hate when people don't RSVP- it so annoys me- so I am throwing a little shindig for a girlfriend of mine for her bday and the invites have been out for 3 weeks (technically 24 days) and I am hunting down RSVPs in the final hours- love the fact that one girl asked me if she could let me know the day before (e.g sounds like she is waiting for a better offer or to check if there is a new movie out on SKY and trust me in our hood THERE is no better offer going on )- seriously my face was priceless when i said " you won't know until tomorrow if you are busy on Sat night". Seriously- I am an email girl-(hell my iphone is connected to me 24 hours a day)- text or email or post it on my wall- just reply. (see I told you this blog is poor girl's therapy)-Ah return to sanity or in my case watching dvr reruns of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey"

Random

Chris was out of commission all day sunday with manflu- it seemed midly mysterious that in his sick condition he was still able to see NFL hilights ( and he kept watching the replay of the end of the ND and MSU game- which in some petty wifely way gave me intense pleasure- hehehe). But to be honest he really only drank sprite and throat lounges. The kids were good about staing outside and I took them to the park for 3 hours to scootered off some energy and eat icecream.

We are fully back in school mode- homework, tennis, soccer, swimming, ballet, and gymnastics.
And yes I would love to drop an activity and watch OC reruns while eating chips and salsa but alas this blog will serve as historical documentation for the kiddos "that mama drove you all around god's green earth for you to do the extra stuff you wanted to do"
Other news- we have to buy and wear some dorky rose boutonniere to school on friday for some historical birthday party- just what I need trying to pin a rose on a 3 and 5 year old- (perhaps I will look for a wrist corsage version- man I miss homecoming and the angst of will the guy be able to purchase a wrist corsage that matched my dress -( yes I was the loser that provided my dates with fabric swatches to avoid any dilemmas)

Let's see just got home from an open house at the school-we got to hear the goals for the year ( more science and math and less free time) and then look at some of the work they have done the last 2 weeks. The kids had to write a little blurb about their summer vacation (CJ wrote " I went to Switzerland and I went to a kids club and played with legos. " )- see all this travel and he doesn't mention the mountains, the hikes, the fondue; he mentions the legos .

The other assignment was likes and dislikes- one of the little girls wrote I dislike school- (for which the teacher took a red pen and wrote in large capital letters (OH DEAR)- CJ was a little more of a kissup; his likes were- Mrs."Current Teacher", Molly, imaginary friends, and poison (no idea)- Dislikes- dead animals, dogs that bark, when imaginary friends go away ( I guess per CJ that is after lunch), and pushing. Love the fact they had us sit in the kids little chairs so we could feel like we were back in school ( minus the napmat , milk and graham crackers snack, smurfette lunch box, fruit roll ups, crossing guards as I walked to school, Trapper Keepers, Amelia Bedelia and Ramona books )- ( sorry for the trip down memory lane)

Its starting to feel like fall

Yes the leaves are changing colors and the weather is getting colder,- and chris and I are both cursing at the tv as not one but both ND and MSU lose in the MOST ridiculous manners possible. Luckily our satellite went out- so we only had scores updates from the iphone for the last 30 min (took some of the sting away not having to watch Charlie leave quite A LOT of time on the clock). To add insult to injury- my dear sister in law and brother who live in Ann Arbor ( and no they didn't go to Michigan - they went to Lehigh)- had a status update on facebook like "Hell yeah Michigan...way to kick some ND ass!!!(okay its verbatim)(of course I had to leave a little comment so quickly family turns on you in the autumn).
Yes it feels like fall- already angry Sunday about why we couldn't win in the Big House- but at least we have the battle of the losers next week (MSU vs ND)-so one of us will be happy next weekend. The best was CJ kept asking why we call it football- since they weren't playing soccer on the field. ( yes that made chris mad- and we do realize we will have some language issues when we head back to the States)

Random

1- woke up this morning and remembered I had put a bottle of sauvignon blanc in the freezer to chill before some girlfriends came over- (yes the bottle exploded all over the freezer)- so day 3 of school and the kids were eating a cereal bar and juice box in the car ( I had intentions to serve them oatmeal and fresh fruit)

2- you will see from the pix -that $50 sparkly shoes have made a world of difference- seriously I would have bought the shoes last year if I knew she would have jumped into the sweatsuit to wear them.

3-day 2 of finishing cappuccino in peace is pure bliss!

4-stayed up way too late watching BBC documentary on 9/11- seriously so sad/depressing- as it contained live phone calls from the towers to the fire dept and call centers- the footage is still unbelievable to watch. Still remember being in Chicago with friends- watching in disbelief. (note another group of terrorists were just convicted in London of planning the liquid bombs on airplanes in the summer of 2006- thank god the British secret service uncovered the entire plan)

Back to School (YEAH!!!!!!!!!!)

Our summer holiday is officially over- tomorrow is school and yes I am ready for it to start-not so stressed this year as we are use to the drill- the uniforms all have their nametags and we have sparkly shoes awaiting casey jane to help woth that pesky prison suit. My patience is gone- we have cooked (some peanut butter cookies that never did rise), we have painted (on paper and of course on the lawn furniture as well), we have scootered, biked, strollered, roller skated, legoed, bitty baby dress uped, lil pet shopped, starwarred our way thru summer and now its time for me to drink a cup of coffee and actually finish the cup. ( oh and go back to the gym, and grocery shop for things other than gingerbread cookies and barbie and spiderman magazines). Yes- I will be sad but I need a break:)so bring on the school year:)

Ireland

So we got off to a rocky start- first a 4am wakeup call to get to the airport then a bad barista who did not put the lid on my coffee correctly. (yes, the entire coffee spilled all over my white coat and tan pants ) But as soon as we got off the plane and into our rental car things picked up ( both kids fell asleep) so for the first half of the Ring of Kerry- Chris and I had fun stopping at different points and not having to answer the "where are we going, what are we doing" type ????. Pretty brilliant landscapes - still confused how any folks not in wetsuits could be swimming in the ocean but you know me I am strictly a heated 85 degree pool girl. We stopped for lunch and a beer and walked around the town of Killarney. Kids perked up after the nap. We mistakenly allowed the kids a musical doll and a leprechaun for CJ that played "when Irish eyes are smiling"- let's just say we heard that song a zillion times in the car and by the end of the trip we nor our eyes were smiling . We had a fun place to stay (B&B) - would have been funner if we didn't have 2 preschoolers that didn't really let us talk to any other guests but it had cute little signs about leprechauns and tons of Golf memorabilia.

We did the usual touristy things ( and don't even get me started about people saying Americans do all the touristy stuff- so what- half the English folks we have met have never been to Ireland and its literally next door)- So yes, Chris and I kissed the Blarney Stone and we went to the Jameson Whiskey tour and Chris nominated me to be a whisky taster (I HATE whisky)- so I had to do 3 shots of different whiskies and the smell alone was enough to make me want to throw up. We ate seafood by the ocean
( yes Casey Jane likes lobster and would like that more often- so would I little lady) We drank beer during the day and in general had a vacation. The last town we stayed in Kinsale (harbor town)- was so cute- amazing restaurant's and shops. (Casey and I took a detour and came back with matching bracelets and a shirt for me- poor CJ's detour ended in him getting a haircut with Dad). And yes the people were friendly- they seemed to like kids when we took them out to eat- and we got a more warm fuzzy feeling than we usually get over here:) But I may be biased since I am 1/2 Irish.

School Prep

So we don't start school for another week and 1/2 - which is fine by me since we got out in July. No real rush this year- we only needed to add a few items to CJ's uniform (swimsuit, sweatsuit)- yes the poor kids have to swim this year (which btw he loves except when it's a freezing cold pool which this one is). Another awful thing about uniforms is sewing in all the nametags- seriously pain in the arse.
As luck or fate would have it- CJ's teacher for next year is none other than the one he had first term who went on maternity leave. We are remaining extremely positive ( or neutral)-as long as we don't have the Name battle (Christopher vs CJ)- we should have smooth sailing.

Casey Jane on the other hand is back to the blue tracksuit or as we affectionately call it "the prison outfit". Since we actually have friends here- we have people handing down uniforms to us. So this past week- Casey Jane has been handed down probably an additional 5 tracksuits ( yes it is HELL for her). I wanted her to try on the pieces so I could see what fit- no such luck- shrieks of horror (she knows to her core the outfit is ugly). So we are back to square one- (note the other nursery parents did approve Casey wearing the summer dress with tights but of course the school did not comply) So we have tried bows,frilly underwear, and now we may bring out the big guns. Casey has wanted since she saw them a year ago the lelli kelly sparkle shoes ($50 of sparkles sewed on ked like sneakers which of course are made in China for $1.50). I may resort to the bribe "if you wear this prison outfit everyday without screaming- you can have the lelli kellys." Trying to decide if this makes me a "smart", "sane", or "lazy" parent.

We are waking up early to grab the newspaper tomorrow- with the supposed lemonade stand pictures in it. The kids better be in it (I know I sound very stage momish but they earned it)

Random

I think i use the title about once every 2 weeks but alas I can't think of anything else.

1- Last friday night- I insisted that Chris watch with me the movie "The Strangers"- such a dumbass move- the movie is ridiculously scary in a Blair Witch kind of way- has had me freaked out all week. Seriously sometimes I am my own worst enemy. Note - Chris found it sort of humorous that I watched the movie through a blanket. I should have turned it off when the first frame rolled (according to the FBI 1.6 million violent crimes are committed every year in America)

2-summer weather has finally hit us- a little late to arrive but at least it showed up.

3- weird fact the recipes I make that I love no one here loves (queso, buffalo chicken dip, etc)- the few random non notable ones that I have made (lemon bars, spicy/sweet cheese spread, sweet corn salad) have been loved. Basically, I figured out- I need to go through my cookbook and pick all the recipes that I rate a 5 and they will probably be huge hits here. Who knows maybe I am the one with "off" taste buds.

4- The Daily Show (yes we are a day behind) but Mr Stewart has us laughing) we thank his lefty self for totally making fun of the Health care town halls (both the president and the public). I am still waiting for my call to let our dear president know how I feel about socialized medicine. ( will give you a clue just guessing Sasha and Malia would not do well with socialized medicine)

5-Parenting tip- if your crazily decide to have kids 20 months apart be prepared that u should purchase 2 of all unisex toys. The fights over the darn Fisher Price camera and the Leapster are at an all time (is it Sept yet?) high. Nix that don't buy the toy in the first place.


6-Reflections a year later- more friends, not scared of driving, kids happier, home is homier (but is NOT home), have a clue on English social etiquette (e.g if someone invites you for tea or coffee it's going to last 3 hours), modified my bi$^&( about the weather, have not modified my bi%&*^ about the food situation.

Lemonade Stand

So we had a lemonade stand yesterday- no big deal. Except the English don't have lemonade stands. So since- we don't have a neighborhood we had to get permission to sell it by the train station. ( people kept saying I was going to get arrested or deported (btw sounds like a good option this winter). We made posters and since my volunteering has been next to nil this year. We decided (strongly pushed by mom) to donate the money made to a cancer charity or save the tigers. So -we emailed the school directory and made the lemonade ( not homemade- hello kool aid contraband from USA), kids made the signs, and we sold lemonade for a long time. End of day results 94 pounds were made or $160. And yes I called the local paper- to come and take pictures to hopefully stir up some other kids wanting to raise money for worthy causes. Yes- they showed up and it seems everyone liked the lemonade and it was actually HOT when we sold it!!!

What a fun day- Casey had her preschool shots- which I think I made worse by informing her on what was actually happening (think I should have gone with the white lie approach) - swear to god- the whole office heard her screams and then she kept screaming "why can't I drink the "super powers" instead of a needle. (good question baby girl no idea why we can't ingest MMR and DPT and Polio but I will try to google an answer later).

So- yes after my baby endured that- she pretty much got what ever she wanted today-
hotdog at costco (did I mention the fountain drinks don't have ice there- YUCK), princess nightlight (costco), listening to HSM -"Together" on repeat for 2 hours, mommy dressing and redressing bitty twins a gazillion times( yes- she made the dolls wear even the chrismas outfits), pink cotton candy, taking scooter out with nonapproved princess flipflops, swimming, and ice cream, and watching the Bernstein Bears. Good times.

Gloworm

too lazy to take and post a pix- but if I did it would show a neon plasticy lightup worm that I had to purchase (x2) in order to grocery shop for 28 min. Yes- I HATE grocery shopping with kids- not only did I get basically nothing on my grocery list- but I came home with random cereal and corn puffs in order to get thru the store. Couldn't really fit anything into the cart since CJ was taking up the whole middle section.
So should be interesting dinners this week- since I really only have breakfast items and glow in the dark toys.

Otherwise- casey and her playmate are making "pixie hollow" int he backyard with their fairy outfits on and have actually been playing without fighting for 58 min (not that I'm counting)- CJ is at camp where he let me know that he would really like me to be a camp counselor next summer ( did not want to break his heart that camp is a fun experience AWAY from mommy- at least I have another job opportunity to look forward to).

Things that cheer me up

1. Since we left chicago- I haven't gotten a newspaper - so I am use to reading my news online- I started recently reading the wonderful world news bytes on msnbc.com Short news stories of amazing/positive things going on all over the world- definitely a brighter outlook then the rest of the news.

2.Karate Kid- chris and I just watched it tonight- nothing beats the tournament scene- where Ralphie wins the match and gets the girl ( still not sure on how I feel about Will Smith's son playing the remake of karate kid- this may be my conspiracy theory but I think both will and jada are hanging out at the Scientology center way too much)(btw I still love Elisabeth Shue- she just rocks and is so cute)

3.Slip and Slides- just got back to froma childrens bday party where besides putting water on the slip and slide -they drenched it in dish soap- so every time casey flew down it - she was covered in bubbles.

4.Pizza crusts dipped into Hidden Vally Ranch- have to make it until Oct with the 3 bottles I brought back. U have to be on mama's good side for em to share.

5. New playlists- Just got 3 awesome playlists for my shuffle- love the fact that I get a weird insight into my friends song choices ( all 3 of them were lacking in 80s tunes and pop for my taste) but so nice to have "new" music to listen to.

6. Sunshine, beer, flip flops, guacamole, summer vacation,- oh and I am so addicted to the True Blood HBO series- ( definitely is a sexier version of the Twilight)- Chris hates it- which means I have to watch it by myself which wouldn't be an issue if I wasn't such a scaredy cat.

Swiss Miss

The trip started off rocky- jet lag set in with the kids and they didn't go to sleep until midnight and then I woke them up at 4:30 am to get to the airport.
Things picked up- I bribed them with a Krispy Kreme donuts if they made it thru check in and security w/o fighting. Flight was uneventful besides being seated by a 50 year old guy who let me know he has 8 kids ranging in age from 27- 2 1/2 years old. Story would be charming if he wasn't on wife #4- (who btw looked 25 from the photo he showed me)- he at least carried some bags for me and kept me laughing on the school bills and weddings he has to pay for.

We then got picked up to make the 3 1/2 hour trek from the airport to the town in Switzerland we were headed to. Praise the Lord- both kids slept the entire way- these roads were so CURVY- CJ would have been sick in a nano second if he was awake.

The hotel was unbelievably pretty and the sun was shining and we were greeted by a HUGE chocolate bar on each of our pillows (seriously what's not to love)

Basically we didn't see Chris for 2 1/2 days while he worked - the kids actually loved taking trams up the mountain and checking out different spots ( yes I resorted to gummy bear and toblerone bribes when Casey would complain about walking. We ate cheese fondue at night and stayed up way too late. Yes, the kids had moments of awfulness (CJ is in an annoying temper tantrum phase) but when we needed them to behave they did ( we took them to a work event dinner in Italy where I was so paranoid it was going to be a nightmare and it turned out so much better than expected.(got to love low expectations) (plus I ditched the kids with chris and his work colleagues and went shopping for an hour (fresh pasta, olive oils ,and candles were purchased).

So yes, it was one of those trips that made me thankful for being on this adventure (don't worry we were greeted by Rain as we flew back to England)- Seriously, the summer weather here sucks- such a joke that all these Brits always predict an amazing summer weather and my 2 summers here have been varying degrees of Rain.

Repack

So no sooner do I land and I am unpacking a bag to repack another piece of luggage. Definitely crazy- it seems 2 months ago it seemed like a good idea to fly back from the states on Monday and then rally the kids to fly and meet Chris in Switzerland on wed. Yes- I know I need to save for therapy as well as college for these kiddos. Picture the therapist's couch and CJ saying "I woke up in Michigan one day and the next day it was England and the next day it was Switzerland". Or maybe he can just have great dreams of candy in each country and some pretty damn good chocolate in Switzerland ( I am SO not above the bribe to get thru travel)

So we shall see how pressing my luck with jetlag and preschoolers goes tomorrow. Perfect world we will be climbing the mountains (I am sure I will have to carry 35lb Casey Jane) Heidi style up and drinking hot chocolate in style and singing edelweiss. Or reality style would be swimming in a hotel pool that resembles every other hotel pool- ordering chicken tenders and fries and forcing the kids to don some leiderhosen and heidi ensemble for which I can only hope to show their prom dates in years to come. A mom can dream can't she.

rebel

Ok I rebelled a little and the blog has taken the backburner. I think I was so schooled out since we didn't get out of school until mid July- that I needed a break.
So let's see what has been happening- am stateside with the kids- had a memorable flight where we were on lockdown in our seats for 3 hours and we hit so much turbulence both kids got sick- (note the barfing in the air at least didn't let me think that there was anything wrong with the flight- got to love kids for keeping your mind on the priorities like trying to find a barf bag ( which thank god I had some ziplocks of goldfish crackers)

I have shopped quite a bit- still haven't lost the patheticness of acting so delighted to be wandering aimlessly around Target with my big icyfull (should be a word) glass of Diet Coke. Just finished watching Twilight again- still a fan of Mr. Pattinson , he definitely smolders the screen (even the tv), saw relatives/friends answered questions with more positivity than 6 months ago about living in England. I noticed a trend with CJs british accent- it seems our little man loses some of its authenticity when he gets tired.

Time change makes it hard to reach Chris but he seems to be surviving without us- had to leave him typed up instructions/diagram of how to operate the made in Germany washer/dryer. Tried to update myself on US news- whole another blog on how when we return from England this country may seem a little more like England (can u tell I'm not a fan of socialized medicine). But I am so happy to be home- (yes - chris and I both agree, we have some great friends in England, and do some pretty cool things, but it ain't home). I actually get teary eyed when the Passport Control agent says "welcome home"- (or maybe I am just so relieved to have survived the flight:)

Lil Bro

So we had A LOT of fun with my brother here.
I escaped 2 days to London kid free and got to enjoy the sunny weather sightseeing.
First day I picked the sights and as expected jam packed the day that we were running from subways to trains and completely wiped out. Second day my brother insisted on seeing only 2 things and not running around the city like a chicken with a head cut off. For the record it was so much more relaxing his way! I did get kicked out of the Holocaust exhibit at the War Museum. I failed to read the no cell phone signs and was responding to a text. (to be fair it was a friend watching Casey Jane who needed to find barbie Thumbelina pronto or a tantrum was brewing)- my little brother thought it was immensely hilarious to have me being escorted out for a small period of time. (note the exhibit is very powerful and of course barbie texts should not be allowed)
We shopped -( yes, my metro sexual brother likes to shop) we ate (sushi and Sapporo), we took dorky tourist photos (okay that's just me), watched the MJ tribute (I mentioned Chris and I are huge fans- we found the gloves for the family a bit much and why or why was Louis Farrakhan there! okay and Jesse Jackson),
Photo contains my new purchase- a beautiful Radley bag (30% off- thankyouverymuch)

Why I love teachers

Cute little end of year notes accompanied by a photo album of my daughter every month of the school year. Made my day!
(Please note spirited was not even mentioned!!!)

So I passed my drivers test- and yes I almost hit the curb during my parallel park and yes I was freaking out during the 40 min exam. (Note- I had the same grumpy test giver as before but he seemed a lot better since I was driving a piece of junk driving school car (cost me $75 to rent the car) and not my own car- I also kept my american accent mouth shut for most of the test)

Other news- remeber how I said how I love small schools- well one bad thing when you have less than 200 kids in a school is sickness Spreads. Our school has been closed all week due to SWINE FLU- we haven't fallen and have actually enjoyed being out and about ( since I was kind of getting sick of working on spelling words in summer)
We supposedly go back Monday- will see.

Baby Brother is headed in for a visit- hope the sun keeps shining (you know it will rain as soon as his 747 hits the tarmac but one can dream) . Love the fact that this 83 degree weather has heat warnings in England - I think when its 83 in Texas everyone is outside doing things:)

YA books, swine flu, and MJ

So after I blogged about the swine tag being played at school- it seems we may have a suspected case at the school (will see if they close the school and we start summer already)- Subjected myself to the 2 hours Greys Finale on Thurs- still cried like a baby even though I knew Omalley was the faceless man and the Izzie plotline.
Glad summer and visitors and trips are on the horizon has I have kind of hit a "I want to get home- the novelty of living abroad is over mood". It seems whenever this mood strikes a care package miraculously lands on my doorstep. Yes - my neighbors back home love me- US Weekly , gummy snacks, and enough art supplies to keep these kids rolling through the art work. Spent the morning on the treadmill at the gym watching all of MJ greatest videos. Still have great memories of 5th grade and wearing a MJ and his llama button on my jean jacket.

Other news- we have a dinner/dance with the nursery school parents tonight. (PRAY to god we don't talk about 4 year old education and what they will be doing next year)- That will be the quickest way to get me to drink excessively. We did have Open night at the school on Thursday - the kids loved showing us what they have done- still can't believe CJ and Casey Jane are siblings- CJ wanted to show us EVERY detail of the classroom and everything he does (including minute details like where his gym bag is hung up)- Casey on the other hand just checked out the dressup area and hung out with some older kids. Lastly- I have gone back to the YA (young adult reading section of the bookstore- I think I found the next blockbuster series- 1st of it is "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness- highly addictive and I am so not embarrassed to be in the teen section awesome book.

Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful

1-It seems there is a new game of tag going on at CJ's school where someone oinks like a pig and then tags someone and says you have the swine flu.(note I have witnessed the kids playing it) I'm surprised it hasn't made the papers since we still hear about the swine flu on a daily pandemic basis.

2- Chris took CJ to a birthday party on sat - so I had the afternoon with Casey. I let her pick out what she wanted to do for the afternoon. She came up with the gameplan that we both wear high heeled shoes (hers were plastic Sleeping Beauty heels and I cheated with a wedge espadrille) , walk to our town center, and go to the nailpolish store (Boots drug store)and look at the nail polishes. I pushed for starbucks or the books store but her mind was made up. Well 1/2 way to town and little Casey's feet hurt and she wanted to be in her crocs.( so maybe the best parenting tactic is really let them have what they think they want)- ended up painting her nails purple and pink at home and doing a fairy castle puzzle together.

3- In my little Blog world ( I read like 4 blogs)- I have been keeping up with a family's trials and tribulations as they go through the process of adoption in Russia. The courts ruled on Friday that their little boy can head HOME to Texas! I love stories with happy endings. And for the record I am all for Madonna getting to adopt Mercy- love the fact she kept appealing to the courts- as at the end of the day the Most important thing in my mind is these kids get forever homes!

Chris

A quick little list honoring Chris for Father's day

1-May and June have been tough months in our house. I have had 2 friends (1 locally) have their marriages fall apart, and Chris has not only let me run around helping out being a good friend ( he's helped carpool, entertain) , but he also has not tried to play any devil advocate routine and completely agrees these 2 husbands are pitiful in their current state. (sidenote I am kicking some arse in my body combat class due to these two arses)


2-Most of the traits I lack in he has- Patience, organization (no not throwing stuff in 3 junk drawers I now have going in the Kitchen), ability to park in any space, watch any sport on tv, not complain when I insist on watching garbage like bromance, millionaire matchmaker, and other pure tv rubbish, calm casey jane down when she gets in her moods , remind me not to overreact when I go in to a tirade about the inconvenience if living somewhere different (also knows I have reached my cooking limits by Sunday morning )

3-Really tries to juggle his schedule to make most of the kids school events- (CJ face lit up the other day when he heard Dad was coming to sports day at his school,
love the fact that we are the only family in CJ class not letting him participate in a voluntary ballet exam ( I think Chris hilighted the form three times that NO - Cj does not have permission- it literally was killing him that ballet was a mandatory curriculum item for CJ.

4-Loves life, family, slurpees, sports, hair products, monogrammed shirts, sushi, tex mex, movies ( he likes the awful nachos at the theatre), red wine, espn.com, Everest books, legos, reading stories to the kids, watching casey swim like a champ,
having CJ ask him some ridiculous question that 5 year old usually don't ponder, trying to "borrow" my US weekly and Hello magazines, watching Tom and Jerry and eating frosted flakes sat morning with the kids.

Sleepover

Well- CJ had his first sleepover with a friend from school at our house last night. Outside play, pizza, Robots movie, ice cream, a chapter from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and then to the land of dreams (can u tell I miss Dragon Tales)
Well- we had 2 chatty kids up to 11:15- which by the time the clock struck 11 chris went in CJ's room and separated them since they kept trying to talk about all the animals they wanted to draw. (bith kids are ridiculously into art and make believe) Once CJ fell asleep we did carry him back to the room so he could wake up next to his pal. As predicted- CJ and his friend were up at 6am cutting, pasting, coloring, and trying to finish their zoo of animals.(on a sad note they insisted on making a very small cage for each animal:)

They came in to wake us because they both ran out of construction paper (did I mention we Go through a zillion craft supplies in a week- ). I brought them downstairs made some coffee (yes my machine is back from the factory) and pancakes with nutella for the tired munchkins. Casey Jane was exhausted as well because she sensed she was not part of the sleepover- and kept crying "I am so lonely without a friend"- chris and I caved and let her sleep with us since it was such a pathetic tearful cry. So as I type 3 of the 4 of us are napping.....

Things I dream about

And No it is not Chuck Bass from GG- ( although we live about 10 miles from his birthplace)

And yes my dear hubby is bringing me home sushi tonite from the city- and yes there is a subway strike so it will be a pain in the arse- but I think he realized I was at my culinary breaking point (and no NOT eating is not an option for moi). And we will watch Greys Anatomy and yes I already know all the spoiler plots because I made my dad tell me the all the details and yes I can't stand the Izzie plot nor the red haired army doctor.

Pringles, 90210, and Cloudy Bay

Ever have one of those days- where u need to stay in bed . Lets see its 8:30 and I haven't showered (that's PM not AM)- 3 1/2 year old attitude is kicking my arse.
From not wanting to go to gymnastics (a shrieky shrill of "I hate the purple leotard" (in a very Dakota Fanning dramatic way) to hosting a playdate where Casey refused to play with the other child (who btw played mary on the school nativity play). To an afternoon of time outs and hosting another playdate (CJ) where besides dinner -I also had to give baths as well (yes the playdate lasted from 3- 7:45 pm)(very good friend with sick baby and hisband not home)-at last kids in bed- toys everywhere (including casey's leotard collection ( did I mention that I so am not looking forward to the teen years). So yes still no shower but I did manage to pour myself an ample glass of wine and yes I am eating pringles for dinner (another nod that there is no takeout worth eating in the burbs). Shout out to hubby who tried to brainstorm food options but alas there seriously are NO options.

So 90210 tivoed show, a glass of cloudy bay, and salt and vinegar rice pringles (suppose to be healthier) Oh btw the fitflops are doing something- highly recommend (and no they don't sponsor this blog)

Pretty uneventful random weekend- Fri night went out with a girlfriends and some of her friends from our gym. These girls are very intense at the gym- I did a circuit class with them and literally the boxing section I was worried I was going to be knocked out by some of them. Well we went out for margaritas (very subpar place with salsa that was AWFUL) and the majority of the time they talked about other folks at the gym that cheat ( e.g during spin class the teacher says put it on 3 and they leave it on 1). To be honest they seemed genuinely upset that these girls were not spinning at the harder level. I had to say "who the hell cares if they don't want to spin at the right level." ( I did that whole cheezy speech that they are only cheating themselves and the whole time was laughing that people really worry about the STUPIDEST junk. Basically, I drank my margarita and left being very worried my treadmill speed was being monitored.

Sat- headed to a barbque where this family invited 110 people (they had a big yard but not that big). Weather of course was overcast- barbque went better than expected. When you have 25 kids ranging in age from 2- 11 with trampolines and a bounce house you pretty much expect a crying child every 10 sec (still laugh that some folks there have NEVER met us but know Casey Jane's catcall). Food was good, a lot of beer/wine, and an entire room of desserts . (there was like 28 different cakes, pies, ice cream choices)

Mr Green

It seems both kids' class are pushing the recycling and green earth concepts to the max. I am all for recycling in theory (to be perfectly honest I have made some baby steps (no plastic bags at the grocery store /bring my own/no bottled water have purchased cute hot pink aluminum water bottle) but I am definitely not a HUGE recycle by any means). CJ is now patrolling the trash can - anytime I throw something in he questions if we can reuse it for an art project or recycles it (yes we need canned soup art in the house). He is paranoid about the bath water we use - are we wasting water -don't fill up the whole tub etc. So yes like it or not Chris and I are trying to embrace recycling and actually CJ is leading the effort.

Reasons I haven't updated my blog

1- computer virus- being without a computer for 3 days and then shelling $150 to go back to my factory settings and missing all my other handy settings ( I am a little bitter- but bright side is I didn't lose most of my hard drive)

2- Chris out of town the rest of this past week (translates into paranoid me who sleeps with cell, landline, car keys, and lights up the whole house and only watched hgtv type shows that won't air scary movie trailers)- side note I finally requested a friend here to check in every morning that I was alive. No one was volunteering so I had to make the request

3-CJ had the stomach flu which I guess was better timed since I was already up in the middle of the night

4-Coffee maker broken- and no it is not convenient to get to starbucks with both kids. The poor customer rep on the line who dealt with me- I was not happy about 3 week turnaround time.

5-the sunniest weather I have ever seen in England (its like 72) but kid you not people are swimming in outdoor pools (brings back MI and Chicago memories of memorial day weekend pool openings)

6- I attempted to cut the lawn here (itty bitty small lawn) and I butchered it (had no idea how to set the length so it basically looks like we have no grass)

7-purchased Fitflops ( cute flipflops that CLAIM to have you lose inches on your booty and thighs just by walking around)- totally sure they don't do that but I have a cute bronze pair just in case they do.

8-attended cricket game where the most exciting thing was young men in white polo/pants. Damn that sport is long and boring!

9 - made it to church with kids and Casey volunteers to bring up the communion. (which they allow her)- who in their right mind let's a 3 year old carry the GLASS bowl of communion. (sidebar in pure Casey fashion she makes it down the aisle, hands the bowl to the priest, and then refuses to leave the alter.

10-did I mention the lack of resteraunts in the burbs will send me home (seriously I don't want to cook 21 meals a week)

Prague

So 13 years ago I backpacked through Europe post college and one of my fave cities was Prague. To be back toting a family was different but weirdly the same (see photo of mommy drinking Pilsner Urquell)

1- My backpack was replaced with a 30 pound Casey. The only saving grace of having a little more money than I did as a backpacker was this go around I didn't have to wear that nasty sweaty stomach pocket thingy to hold my passport. ( mine was disgusting after 6 weeks of touring Europe)

2- Drank some beer but a lot less of it. The hostel I stayed in was on the water and had 2 things going for it- beer for a 25 cents and some hot guys from UNC. (oh yeah the city's architecture was breathtaking as well)

3-Casey and CJ allow cultural happenings in 45 minute incrementals every 3 hours. Talk about trying to plan around kids- I'll take my lonely planet guide and zero $ any day.

4-Prague is alot more commercial in some areas and seedier than I remember 13 years ago (again it may be the beer that helping me to forget) but its hard to beat the Charles Bridge at night and we lucked out with awesome weather.

5-The kids had moments of being rockstars like when they charmed the pants off of this couple at dinner (who subsequently invited us to their country home in the Cotswold)- btw the "English" do not invite randoms to their home so that was big. We shall see how the couple reacts when we actually show up there:)

6-Lego obsession to a new level- CJ trying to figure out how many legos it would take to build the Prague Castle.

Quick vent

Okay so I sent an email a week ago to the nursery parents seeing if anyone wanted to meet up at the local park for a picnic after school. Totally made the invite weather dependent as I DON'T want 20 kids and 20 moms hanging out in my kitchen. Well my harmless little picnic idea has created quite a ruckus - let's see

1- one call can we make a list so all the kids have the same food (20 ham sandwiches, apple slices, etc)?
2- should we detail if the kids can bring scooters and bikes?
3- if it is overcast will it be cancelled?
4- are you letting Casey change out of school uniform before picnic?

Answers to the Questions above

1-No- I am sorry little george will have to learn sometime that other kids will have better stuff in their lunchbox- in fact we still have some Oreo cookies that Mommy will be eating at the picnic:)

2- No- I am sure some kids have scooters but we will just let everyone bring their own stuff

3- let's be honest it will be raining tomorrow

4-no

Will report back on how/if the picnic happened. How George reacted when his ham sandwich looked different from a turkey sandwich. How we all need to relax and not create drama or else I will never invite anyone (except the 4 cool chicks I have found here)on a picnic. Okay -I feel better:)

A few random things on my mind-

1) i still hate how in May all the shows I watch end- the lost finale was good but I will be happy in a year from now when have less questions and more answers. ( Locke dead or alive?????)

2)school calender here is whacked - strange to have kids going to school until mid july- but when you are still wearing a sweater and a coat in May it won't feel like summer anyhow.

3)cooking- Both chris and I are so bored with what I throw together for dinner- I think we have had chicken stir fry a zillion times (this no decent restaurant in a 15 mile radius will be the death of me)- I have started leafing thru cook books in hopes that a magical chef will appear and cook the items for me:)

4)CJ first field trip (w/o mom) is tomorrow- yes we have heard about the bus, not having to wear a uniform, getting a packed lunch (no fizzy drinks (soda) or sweeties (dessert), and going with his class to Celtic Camp a million times this week.

5)Casey is moving backwards on staying dry at night- she now wakes up in the morning-throws her wet pull up in the garbage and then tells me "Mom, my pull up was wet but I didn't poo poo in it." (at some point I will bite the bullet and remove the pull ups but the girl sleeps from 7pm-7:30am and hate messing with that.

6)hosted a playdate on Monday for which the child stayed from 3-6:30pm- when I said the kids could watch a show while I made dinner- the little boy informed me that his mummy does not let him watch the telly during the week. Interesting concept but think I will stick with my routine.

England

Picture Casey drew at nursery. On the back if it the teacher wrote what Casey said: "Its me and mummy, CJ and Daddy, its raining like it always does here." From the mouths of babes come the truth:)

Show and Tell

Okay - I am over my pity party (cure -train to London, sushi, 2 sappora beers, and premiere screening of Angels and Demons)(spoiler alert- good but not as good as the book or the first movie- plus Mr. Hanks looks so old which will remind yourself of getting older- yuck)

CJ has show and Tell tomorrow- ( an yes you can't bring in any toys- so mummy (as CJ refers to me) came up with the posterboard idea of taking pictures of toys (legos) to get around their rules. (Yes I am a rule breaker)

My little guy came up with the concept all by himself-

4 Things you need to do legos:

1. legos

2.patience (note all those bitty pieces drive me nuts -kind of the way I hate Polly Pockets or Lil Petshop :)

3 Partner (daddy- Chris is in heaven that CJ loves legos-kinda like when I took Casey Jane to ice skating and the American Girl Cafe)

4 Pocket money (poor guy get 1 pound a week and the legos are pricey- luckily the grandparents dumped some treat money into both kids piggy banks before leaving.

F

Lets see 19 years of driving experience gets you nada in this country. I FAILED my driving test- no I did not commit any serious penalty (I even parallel parked like a rock star)- I got 16 minor faults (didn't use mirrors 100% of the time and undue hesitation for roundabout) and yes 15 is the pass score. So I am livid- the instructor/test giver was an arse from the get go 1. He mentioned a zillion times how he believed England's driving standards were so much harder than the States. 2 that most experienced drivers have not kept up to date on the highway code.3. of course it rains for my test- lest I expect anything else

So yes- I have a test date in july (some reason they are all booked up for the next 6 weeks and yes I have to pay another $100 to retake the test). Feeling like cher from clueless when she fails her test.(except its not sunny and my closet is so super small here) Feeling like this is a nice out for the company to send us home- can't drive anywhere need to go back home. The biggest joke was the test guy reminded me to remove the L plates to drive home since I can still drive on my USA licence until fall. I am going to start with the fake english accent and see how that works next time around:)

Mum's Day

So yes- we were the only family celebrating Mother's day in our village- since England celebrated it 6 weeks ago. I woke up to a latte (homemade - did I mention starbucks doesn't open until 10 am on the weekends- just thinking in a down economy they might want to sell some java before I am on my third cup) and a bagel w/ cream cheese (I miss my einsteins this was a sad british bagel with philly) in bed. So nice as I flipped thru In Style magazine while Chris battled breakfast duty- then daddy and chris left for swim lessons while I had casey sorting through my makeup (so scary she could probably curl her eyelashes if I let her)- Church- and then a sunny day at a converted farmhouse/pub. Food was good and we toasted the day with some bubbly.

Chris left his blackberry at home most of the day- I would love to say that is a pet peeve of mine but its not- since I get out the iphone to check weather and other random updates way too much.
I got a gift- heart was in the right spot but its not me (crystal ball sees a return in the near future)- but no gift compares to bagging chores I hate- bath time and emptying the dishwasher:) All in all it was an awesome day- will post pictures later.

Grabbag

Well- we had a girls night out last night- met at a mexican restaurant for margaritas (felt a little guilty that Mexico wasn't celebrating Cinque de Mayo) but still managed 2 margaritas. My British friends were stuck with angry husbands who didn't want to do the bedtime kid routine due to the Arsenal vs Man U soccer game but were stuck dealing with it anyway:) I guess complaining about men is an universal language.

Speaking of men that need to be complained about- how about Jon of (Jon &Kate plus 8)- how is it that a man with 8 children has any time/energy to have an affair with a 23 year old? Chris and I actually watch the show occasionally (totally realize anyone would be hard pressed to find a tv show we haven't at least seen once). Jon definitely looked beaten down in the early years but it seemed after potty training the sextuplets (another version of hell on earth) Jon and Kate were more relaxed. Not sure how much cash for dates- Jon is going to have after the alimony pymts but we shall see.

My mom casually (not that casual is ever a good adj for my mom) noted I have a very free flowing blog (e.g A LOT of spelling and grammar mistakes). The truth is I quickly type an entry- reread it once and then post. If I spent any time editing it- I wouldn't post:) (would be nice to have a cute copy editor like I did on the high school newspaper)( FYI- it was very Cool to be on the newspaper st THS)


Obama is speaking at my alma mater for graduation. I am okay with this (although a lot of students/alumni are not). I personally know alot of alumni that voted for him-so yes there are Catholic Democrats out there. Here's the deal its the President of USA so it is a huge honor to have him say yes to our university. Totally for free speech and healthy debate but this whole mumbo jumbo that a Catholic University should not let a pro-choice,pro stem cell research President speak at commencement in my mind is ridiculous. (please note he is not even talking about these hot topixs)(and yes I voted for the other guy but being an American overrides my political party affiliation). Okay I am done preaching.

Last gripe- my driving instructor is mysteriously out of the country. So my last cram sessions were cancelled so now I am stuck with the hubby trying to teach me how to parallel park (think the worst couple from Amazing Race )- and yes we will probably have to do it on Sunday (Mother's Day). Oh joy!

Au Revoir

So we had some tears sunday morning- the grandparents left bright and early at 6:30 am- and CJ happened to wake up to see them leaving. Poor little guy had begged them not to leave on sat evening. He then cried waving goodbye at the door to Nana and Pappou- he then said he wasn't going to eat breakfast until they returned.(Casey Jane ever the opposite child happily siad goodbye sat night and slept in:) Glad he was a kid because 20 min later he was chowing on cheerios. I hosted a bar b que Sunday so I wouldn't be too depressed that my parents were gone. Man-it's nice to have people help you out with meals and kid duties- the school crew knew soemthing was going on since my hair was flat ironed daily and I wasn't habitually in my running gear. So gone are the 25 minutes of me times (yes-I know I could get up before the munchkins but unless a starbucks IV system is invented that is never going to happen)- gone are my mom's 3 course dinners and glasses of wine (don't know what it is with parents in their 60's but they like their pre dinner drinks (or at least mine do), gone are my dad fixing our graden and random oddjobs (and yes he knew it was a rental but he still wanted to help fix things). So yes I miss my mommy and daddy:)

Strength

So I haven't felt like blogging lately- a few days ago I forwarded a joke email to some friends and woke up the next morning to a reply to that wasn't what I expected (one awful thing about living overseas is I tend to get a lot of info by email that normally I wish I could hear live)

One of my friends for the last month and 1/2 has been going through a very rough time in her marriage and right now is separated. So the last 6 weeks she has been throwing childrens birthday parties, doing school dropoffs, driving to ballet, working part time and not sleeping or eating worried what the future holds for her family. I spoke to her yesterday and in spite of the mountain she is facing (right now it looks like Everest)- she is trying her damnest to still keep her childrens' lives as carefree and effortless as she can.

When I asked her how she was coping she simply answered "I have to- no other choice." I can think of some other choice she could have chosen - stay in bed, have family take care of her kids,complain excessively, call in sick to work/take a sabbatical- yet somehow she has found the strength to carry on despite this bleak period. Strength, Faith, and a general feeling that this will pass. I came away from our call inspired,(I tried my hardest to just listen (very hard for opinionated girl like myself that wants the very BEST for my friends and would gladly tai bo anyone getting in the way of that) and understanding the true meaning of being a Mom. I guess this whole motherhood thing isn't for the timid or weak- no days off from being a parent. So from a long way away - I am sending some healing POSITIVE prayers to a supermom that isn't going to quit in the face of adversity.

Man U

So Sat- we headed north for a 3 hour car journey to Manchester for the Man U soccer game. My dad has been a Man U fan since he was 9 so he made a mild request if we could get tix he would love it (sidenote my Dad NEVER asks for anything)- Well Chris somehow got us 4 seats close to center (sold out game) - I arranged for sitters for the all day event. ( we had 2 sitters -one happened to be an emergency room nurse yet I still wrote down hospital numbers/poison control and asked for update texts through out the day).

So we headed off bright and early- the sun is shining (British rarity), we are listening to music, and enjoying the drive , we stop and get some coffee after 2 hrs 15 min of the drive (important fact for later in the story). We get back on the Motorway at 1:15 pm and we hit a standstill of traffic- we laugh about- then 1/2 hours passes and we see 5 ambulances, 3 helicopters, 4 firetrucks pass on the shoulder of the road. Now everyone is turning off the cars and getting out to see what's going on. We wait another hour - no cars moving all directions of the motorway are closed. BBC online says the accident is very severe- reports say we will be here until 7pm ( kickoff is 5pm)- me and my water drinking habit send me into the woods to relive my college tailgate days when the port o john lines were long. Obviously concerned about the folks in the accident but we realize we will miss the game and we had planned such a fun day ( my poor dad is in his red Man U shirt- talking to other fans on the motorway).

I of course break first and start complaining - (I think I mentioned what if I didn't get that dumb cappuccino about a zillion times) Chris/ my parents remained positive until 4pm (yep that's 3 hours) and then we all started losing it. Have to hand it to the British- no one swore or complained excessively- some people took out books , others organized things in their trunks, some played cards, or stared at their blackberries. My dad and I decide to walk further down to see if we can see anything- we walk about 1/4 mile and we hear the news that the truck that had flipped over had been cleared ( no info on injuries) and the road will be open. It is 4:40- and we need to get to the game. So long story short- we made it in the stadium (with 77. 000 fans )- we were late but we brought them good luck when we arrived Man U was 0-2; by the end of the game the score was 5-2!!! Pictures were taken, beer was consumed, Man U scarves, hoodies, shirts, were purchased! Moral of the story- I thought we had planned the day perfectly- nothing went according to plan but it ended perfectly!

Hit and Miss

So yesterday I took my mom for a day out in London- First stop was a formal "English tea" at Claridges. The hotel is beautiful very art deco- the tea was amazing (the tea menu has probably 29 different teas)- the service impeccable- the sandwiches great- the dessert average (seriously I do not like english trifle). We wandered around shopping afterwards- bought a few items at Molton Brown (shopping in London is very hard because 90% of the time you can buy the EXACT same item for less back home) I mean my mom had just purchased some Jo Malone (made in England) items back home and they are cheaper back in Michigan than London.

So next, we navigated the tube to head to the West end to see a show. A little back history on the show I picked- my mom has seen a lot of shows, I have seen a lot of shows, she likes musicals so the only one we both have not seen was "Spring Awakening". Now I didn't do my homework here- had no idea what the whole show was about besides the mini byline they tell you. I was watching 90210 (the new one) a few months ago and the show did a few numbers from Spring Awakening which I found very catchy (in a "Rent" kind of way).Now I should have known that show would have watered down the musical to a kool-aid version of its former self.

Well- as soon as we are seated with a program I sense trouble- some explicit material warning on the cover. Yes there was nudity, subject matter mainly consisted if SEX, teen suicide, and other taboo topics. On the flip side- I actually liked it (no- not because it shocked my mother- which it sort of did). The music is amazing- you have to have strong stomach that some of the songs are titled Your
Fuc$!@ ( but the stage set is amazing and the music is so catchy (I know I already used this word) Would suggest this be more a girlfriend show than a mommy and me show. I was kicking myself that I didn't go for Mary Poppins or Oliver. The good news is my mom is a trooper she went along with it and No she didn't buy the soundtrack for her own listening pleasure:)

Thank you Jesus for the dress

So even though today is Monday after a great 3 week vacation- it didn't start off so bad- CJ of course wanted to go to school and once Casey jane saw she didn't have to wear the blue jumpsuit and got to wear a dress- she was happy. After school drop off my parents too off to see London (they looked reliefed/happy to have a break from suburban toddler fun- my mom and dad did help the kids plant a veggie garden yesterday which both kids have overwatered already.) and I have sepnt the lst 1.5 hour at driving lessons for which I spent the majority time trying to parallel park. And No I never learned how to do it in Chicago because I always had nice roomates or strangers park my car for me:)

Mimi version 5.0

So a few girlfriends from TX are in Florida for a girls weekend. I went last year and it was so fun- booze, sun, late nights, no kids, no husbands, shopping, etc. The trip is loosely labeled "Moms Gone Wild" -we get tshirts as to make a complete spectacle of ourselves. While I couldn't make the 2009 trip- with that pesky Atlantic ocean in the way and hosting my parents:) Needless to say- my friends brought along a substitute for me.(please note she has hair that doesn't move and is very skinny). I am still laughing- my alter ego for the trip is Mimi version 5.0

Plume

The blog has taken a back burner- between trying to finish our taxes and hosting my parents- time has not been on my side. As usual - for our visitors the weather has been "British"- constant rain and cloudy.(seriously as soon as someone lands in Heathrow- the clouds open up)

The kids have been so excited to see their grandparents. All in all they have been good sports- we headed to Stratford (birthplace of W. Shakespeare) today- 2 hour journey- pouring rain- hiking 3 miles to Anne Hathaway's house- (Casey gets the stroller and CJ has to walk). We saw the sights of the town and headed home. My mom also is noting the friendliness of the culture- I think she had a hello response rate of a dismal 10%. (props to her for keeping on trying). The kids souvenir from the day were these dorky feather plume pens. (CJ won't stop writing with it). I can just imagine CJ bring back the feather plume pen to school in TX and getting complete laughed at. Oh well- I am sure it will be broken in the next 24 hours

My mom has been pretty laid back - no rearranging my kitchen or commenting on lack of organization. She did leave the room when I insisted we watch gossip girl (which btw my dad loved)- but all in all it is SO nice having my parents here to see where I live and help out , and host! We shall see how the next 2 1/2 weeks go- 4 adults/2kids-med size house-small water heater (last person who showers is in trouble)-I may have to censor some of my blog comments due to the fact my parents actually read my blog:)

Pix from trip

Sunshine & Sangria

Okay- just got back from our trip to the Canary Island of Lanzarote- awesome trip it started off rocky but sunshine and sangria can make anyone smile.
So the day before our departure- I became super sick- throat hurt , head hurt, felt dizzy- could not run any errands pre trip (no new magazines, snacks for the plane, etc)- basically had the kids watching tv and snacking on cheese and crackers for their main meals. Got on the plane the next morning and I felt like my head was going to explode. Arrive at the resort- (which btw is beautiful)- long story short 24 hours later I am at a medical clinic with 101 fever, throat infection, double ear infection, and sinus infection. The dr injects me with a shot than writes a script for 5 other medications and tells me I need a shot every day for the next 3 days. (Note if it was my kids I would have paid stricter attention to the various pharmaceuticals given to me but I saw she had a degree on the wall and assume I couldn't be any worse off). Did I mention in other posts how over I am so over socialized medicine in England- it was so nice to leave a dr's office with a script (mind you this one was in spanish but beggars can't be choosers)

So for the next 24 hours I laid in bed and outside- Chris handled the kids at the pool and other locales. After the third shot I felt so much better- ( a little buzzed from the medication but much better)

CJ and Casey had a blast- they had a kids club at the resort which we used and they had so much fun with other British and Spanish kids. At the end of the week the kids did a little play of High School Musical and it was so cute- the boys were basketball players- the girls were cheerleaders. Our kids knew HSM songs the least but I suspect the soundtrack will be playing in our car from now on. It was so cute the spanish kids would sing the songs in spanish and english.

We did a few cool day trips to a volcano and got to ride camels (our poor camels had to carry all 4 of us up the hill) Every night at the hotel there was some sort of entertainment (singers, dancers, magicians). Without fail- CJ would volunteer- ( I will have to find a way to post the limbo photos of CJ) The food was great and after the 3 rd day I could try out some sangria and margaritas.


Chris and I got to read by the water (I finished 3 books to his one)- Felt bad that we couldn't find the final 4 games anywhere on the island but after the first half of the MSU /UNC game which we checked on his blackberry he seemed fine about missing it:( We met a couple from Ireland that we went out for dinner and drinks with.

I will post photos later of some hilights of the trip. back from vacation to laundry, taxes, grocery trips, and kids missing the beach (oh and myself as well)

Legoland

So we headed to legoland for the CJ's big day- adventure started off fine. Chris and I had our grande starbucks- kids had their etch a sketch and cereal bars in the back. Well a 1/2 hour into an hour long trip CJ throws up everywhere- I guess staring at the etch sketch and motion sickness to blame. We of course have no clothes for him to change into- so we wiped him down with wipes and the poor kid is so worried we are going to go home and not go to Legoland that he starts crying - we assure we are still on the way. (note he kinda smells like throw up even though we wiped and cleaned his clothes to the best of our parenting abilities)

We get to legoland and we are greeted by huge dinosaurs made out of Legos- CJ wants to count all the pieces (think we stopped when he hit 57)- The park is pretty amazing- (rides are so so) but the minitown (made up all European cities out of Legos os amazing)- Few funny things

1- Props to legoland- they gave CJ a birthday badge and pretty much everyone that worked there asked him if it was his birthday- which btw he thought was SO cool. He also got free cotton candy (or candy floss if you are my British son who refuses to call it cotton candy- yes it annoys me)

2-Whenever we had a line to wait in- some kid would say " Mum- it smells like throw up" Sad it was actually our kid that was the offender but we tried a new shirt and throw up smell would not go away - yes- I let him chew gum.

3-Casey is a bad A#%- she was trying to get on all rides by standing on her tip toes- whereas CJ would ask us a zillion times if he was big enough for the ride- (one had 2 years old on it)

4-At the HUGE lego store- Chris was in heaven- I had to hold him back from buying a recreation of the star wars trooper set. We came away with some bounty and he and CJ stayed up late putting together the items. (Did I mention how happy my husband is that Michigan State is headed to Detroit- CJ came downstairs asking who is screaming Go Green Go White- that would be your dad- okay I cheered too since Chris has always been a good sport about ND (except when MSU beats in football every year)

5-I am SO impatient- on one long line (some stupid laser tag Pharaoh ride)- I literally asked Chris a zillion times how long we waited- even Casey said Mom- "You just asked that"