A4 Update - February 2016

February can be drab, but we have some incredible sunrises & sunsets.

The kids had two days off this month due to inclement weather. One day was from another ice storm, and the second was for a horrendous tornado outbreak in the Mid-Atlantic states. Wake County schools announced a three-hour early release at 10:30am on the day of the tornadoes. Everyone was nervous as a day of decision to release students early is not an easy task for a school district to undertake.  

Matt traveled a ton in February.  This time all in the USA.

The family went to a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game, and it was a ton of fun! The audience was engaged during the whole game. We even saw the Stanley Cup at the ceremony celebrating the ten year anniversary of the Hurricanes Championship.  

Holly started volunteering at Youngest Kiddo's school. She is starting in the library and hopes to get into the classroom soon.  

Speaking of Youngest Kiddo, he needed new shoes. Apparently his size 13 trainers no longer fit his size 3 feet!  Going for parents of the year on that one. 

We continue to make the house our own. Matt installed a new Elfa organizer in the master closet, which is phenomenal. The painter started at the end of the month to bring the house out of the mid-1990's. The electrician made sure all the proper outlets were GFCI connected. The fireplace technician cleaned up the unit to remove about 20 years of dust and insects. 

To round out the month, the laborious task of furniture shopping is in full force. Ugh.  

The highlight of the end of the month was an excursion to one of the many nature preserves in Raleigh. This town is full of parks. The kids loved jumping over the fallen trees and throwing rocks in the lake.  

The warmer weather is moving in, we've already had a few 70 degree days.  

A4 Update - January 2016

Today is my first chance to open Blogger to write a blog post. It's been a super busy month!

The family rang in 2016 with a sleep over at our college friends' house. Time with friends was just what we needed after the busy holidays with family.  

We arrived in Raleigh on 4 January. The flight from Chicago was comically short. Without any furniture at the new house, we spent the first week in a corporate apartment.    

Our container arrived on 15 January, and we promptly slept in our new digs. Happy to say that by the end of the month almost all of the boxes were empty (the photo above is only about 1/3 of the boxes).  The only boxes left are those that await a home on yet to be purchased shelves.    

The return to reality happened fast when we bought two cars. Public transportation just isn't the same as London. ;)

I thought enrolling the children in school would be a piece of cake compared to London, but I was mistaken. Look for a post about that soon, but so far both kids are happy with school, whew.

Maybe that's because they hardly attended school once they enrolled. They started on a Wednesday and promptly had an early release day that Friday. Then the next week brought Martin Luther King Jr. day, an institute day, and 2 1/2 days off due to a huge ice storm! All told they went to school 8 days in January. No need to call the truant officer, it's all good now.  

Matt traveled back to Europe for meetings in Dublin & Warsaw to finish up pursuits he started before we left. Hopefully his travel back to Europe isn't a trend.

Holly's parents spent a week at the house helping with a few home improvement projects. Dad was brave to climb the extension ladder to wash the windows that seem to be 100 feet off the ground. Mom used her sewing skills to make Oldest Kiddo a Greek dress from a bed sheet for class. They also kindly returned the items we stored in their basement whilst in London. The Kitchen Aid mixer has returned, and it already made cookies & muffins.  I sure missed that machine.  

The home improvement projects don't stop. Some are to fit the way we live such as replacing the grossly inefficient master closet organizer.  Others are imperative such as the bathroom sink that leaks into the cabinet below.  That's the joy of home ownership, right?

The weather in NC is absolutely gorgeous, aside from the ice storm a week ago.  We had lunch on the deck the other day when the temperature was 72F.  Not a bad thing for January.

Stay tuned to see what February holds. We need to get out and about in Raleigh to enjoy our new home town!

A4 Update - September 2015

Now that a majority of the tourists have left London, the daily touring has resumed!

Oldest Kiddo started secondary school.  She looks quite smart in her new uniform.  I think she might be one of the few kids in the world that actually likes middle school.  She takes the city bus to and from school each day with heavy texting in the morning to coordinate bus times with friends.  Her school goes through high school so there are some really big kids in the lunch line; she was a bit disturbed that several of the boys sported a mustache.

Youngest Kiddo is now in Year 2 (1st grade in the US).  Since his sister leaves earlier, I have about 45 minutes of time with just him in the morning.  He still is not a fan of leaving his toys to catch the bus, but it's certainly less hectic with only one kid to get out the door.

While the weather is still nice we've ventured way out of our end of town.  The first journey was to Crystal Palace to see Waterhouse Hawkins' dinosaurs.  I've had this picture book for years, and I was happy that we could see them.

On another sunny Sunday the kids enjoyed the massive slides at Victoria Park.

Holly took another tour of Buckingham Palace, The Geffrye Museum, and The Ben Franklin House.

The final series of Downton Abbey started!  

A4 Update - July 2015

Happy Summer!

The kids had their last day of school on 17 July.  That officially started #our48daysofsummer!!!!

Oldest Kiddo was one of the leads in the Year 6 production We Will Rock You!  She played a very sassy Scaramouche, and her hard work paid off as she rocked it for three shows!  The rest of the family is ready for a break from Queen songs for a while. 

On the last day of school we left for a get away to Northern Italy.  Matt used up all of his holiday time on our last trip to Italy, so he worked from our Airbnb home for the week.  No one said working from home had to be your own home.  The kids swam everyday, and everyone ate way too many carbs (if that is such a thing).

Matt was only in America four days for the second month in a row!

Holly and the kids watched Back to the Future at Royal Albert Hall with a live symphony.  Aside from the lack of air conditioning, we loved being inside the great building to watch one of our favorite movies.

Matt went to the Formula 1 race in Silverstone.  

Holly braved the queues to see the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit at the Victoria & Albert Museum.  It was such an amazing show, and I hope it tours the world.  

August is set to be jam packed with fun while the sun is still shining into the evening hours.........  

A4 Update - February 2015

It snowed in London!  It was a laughable quantity, but the kids sure loved it.  

The family took a half-term trip to Dubai.  We've coined it as the holiday that really, really tried

Our landlord replaced our oven, which was very much appreciated.  The one we had took over forty minutes to preheat to 350.  The new one is ready in ten minutes.

Matt traveled half of the month with one of the trips back to 'Merica.

Oldest Kiddo started attending Saturday School at one of the local schools.  She gets to learn about a new topic each week.  So far she's learned about the solar system, German, the human body, Spanish, and Judaism.   

We did a kid swap with our friends so they could go out for a few hours without paying for a sitter.  We shall send our kiddos to them in a few weeks for our day out.  

Youngest Kiddo had a field trip to the Southbank & London Aquarium.  It was a culmination of their unit on buildings.  The kids loved seeing Parliament, The London Eye, Westminster Bridge, and riding the train into the city.

The days are starting to get longer, which is such a relief.  We can now make it home from school before the sun sets.  

A4 Update - January 2015

Happy 2015!

It took us longer than expected to get over the jet lag from our Christmas trip to 'Merica.  Matt had quite a difficult time as he had to return to NYC less than a week after returning from Christmas.   

Oldest Kiddo performed a short singing solo in her class assembly.  She was nervous, but she sang beautifully.  

Youngest Kiddo signed up for two clubs this term.  He is still in football (soccer in 'Merica) and chose Spanish Club.  Oldest Kiddo did not like any of the offerings this term so we spend the time without her brother at a cafe up on the High Road.  

I quit my job.

Matt was on a roll last weekend and booked the family in for a few trips.  If our time is up in December then we must use every term break for travel!  You'll be shocked with one of travel destinations.  Stay tuned!

We got snow!!!  Well, it was really sleet that accumulated on our patio table.   I caught a little video of the snow the next day.  So happy it did not stick around.  

The good news about the end of January?  The amount of daylight we receive in London increases dramatically.  That's good news since waking the kids up for school is no fun right now.  

Adiós To My Career, For Now

Upon our move to London, I had to leave my teaching career behind in America.  I did not say cheerio to my job completely as my contract allowed for a two-year leave, which guaranteed a job at the same status (full time/part time) upon my return.  Although my leave began after the start of the 2013-14 school year, the district considered that one full year of leave.  The 2014-15 school year started back in August, and a look at the calendar shows that my second year of leave is already half over.   

I know school districts plan for the next school year long before the current year is over.  While I knew it was inevitable, I was surprised at the arrival of this in the post.

Ugh.  The district needed to know if I planned to return in the fall.  One check on a line and a signature at the bottom was all that stood between me having a job and not having a job. 

I had many conversations with Matt and in my own head about what to do:

The emotional voice in my head wanted me to indicate that I would return.  Who knows what will happen in the next few months.  Keeping my part-time job at school would be a small contribution to the family if an unexpected return happened.  Then in June/July I could send in my resignation upon knowing we were good to go through December.  

The rational voice in my head wanted me to resign by the deadline so I did not cause a problem for my principals the summer.  I've seen many instances where teachers decide over the summer to not return in the fall.  Sometimes this decision happens right in June, but sometimes it happens a few weeks or even days before school starts.  You can imagine that the candidate pool can be mighty shallow when placed in a last minute hiring situation.

The title of this post tells you which voice won.

My principal let me know that the letter was safely delivered to personnel.  So, this is goodbye to my career, but I have a sneaky feeling I'll be back someday.  

Morning Routine Hell

Recently I shared what a typical day is like for me in London.  Today you will learn about the intricate dance that is getting the kids to school.  It only lasts about 90 minutes, but many days it can be the most exhausting part of my day. 

Back at The 407 we set our own pace for the morning.  I liked to leave by 7:45 so that I could drop the kids off at before school care and still have time to get my classroom ready for the day.  If we did not leave on time, it was an internal fail, and we could only blame ourselves.      

In London, the bus rules our morning routine.

Once I’m ready shortly after 7AM, I wake the kids and cajole them down to breakfast.  They are pretty easy to please for their morning meal so it usually goes quickly.  After they eat, the kids are to get dressed and brush their teeth.  This is one time when the whole morning can derail.  Youngest Kiddo can decide that he is not interested in donning his uniform and commence playing cars whilst in his undergarments.  Oldest Kiddo might decide that an impromptu concert is needed in front of the bathroom mirror instead of brushing her hair.  

By far what causes the most drama is when I check the bus status using the City MapperApp.  Our morning lives or dies by these times.  The bus typically runs every 6-8 minutes, at least that's what Transport for London hopes.  However, the bus is subject to traffic delays and diversions due to construction which impacts the frequency of the busses.  

Just before the kids make their way downstairs for shoes and coats I check the time to the next bus.  I bite my lip and squint my eyes when I type in our destination, and I prefer to see these options...

Not our real location

I like that we can zip to the stop and get a bus in 3 minutes or if we are moving slow we have 10.  Unfortunately, it's usually this....

4 minutes then 27!?!?  What the heck!?  If school starts at 9, and the time on the clock is 8:25, we aren't going to make it if we wait.  Cue the panicky, "Come on kiddos, we've got to go!"  It can either go swimmingly or Youngest Kiddo can decide that he's not interested in hustling up the street for the 4 minute bus.  

So, that means we have to walk.  Cue a pouty fit from Youngest Kiddo.  He's not opposed to walking in London, but he's pretty particular about taking the bus to school.  Additionally, he is not a rapid walker so when we only have 30 minutes to get to school, our walk is more of a speed walking event.  Let me tell you that it's no fun to walk in public while dragging a complaining and pouting child behind you.  Sometimes that pouty child even stops in the middle of the sidewalk to declare that he refuses to walk to school.  

The days when the bus isn't for 27 minutes is when I curse us for living so far away from the kids' school.  But at the end of the morning, we always make it.  The kids have only been tardy once this year and once last year so we are doing something right.  No curses necessary.  The bonus?  There is always a coffee shop on the way home.  

A4 Update - December 2014

Farewell to 2014!  December was all about Christmas....

• Our family took a chilly walk through Kew Gardens to admire the Christmas lights display.
• The kids had their Christmas programs at school, and Holly helped put on an amazing outdoor Christmas Fair with the PTA. 
• We traveled back to America for two weeks to celebrate the holidays with our families and friends.  
• Matt and I snuck away from the cold holiday festivities to spend five days in Cancun

One Year On

The Friday before Thanksgiving our family celebrated one year in London.  Acknowledgment of the milestone occurred only after friends asked when it was that we moved to London.  Matt and I looked at each other and made the realization that it was that very day we left The 407 for The Manor.  We attributed almost forgetting the anniversary to having made a comfortable and settled life in our little London borough.  

That's not to say a lot did not happen in the previous 365 days:

First off, we left our life in America - family, friends, jobs and locations that are very special to us.  Sadly, we experienced the passing of family members on both sides of our family, and we are still not over the pain of the losses.  The upcoming holidays will be another opportunity for the family to heal together.  

Our kids love, love, love school.  The kids have an impressive menu of extra curricular opportunities during and after the school day.  Oldest Kiddo had chess, French, and clarinet lessons during the day.  Both kids had the choice of football (British for soccer), basketball, martial arts, street dance, net ball, French & Spanish lessons, and gymnastics to name just a few.  We've put in Oldest Kiddo's application for secondary school <sniff, sniff>.  We will find out in March if she got a place in our first choice school.  

Youngest Kiddo can't get enough football.  He turns every gosh darn thing he can into a football.  Pillows, stuffed animals, and clothes for the laundry bin are all fair game for a fast dribbling drill.  

Both kids have an accent!  Oldest Kiddo speaks with a full British accent at school and with her friends.  She switches back to 'Merican when she gets home.  We laughed when an adult at school learned that she had not lived in England her whole life as her accent is spot on.  Someone even called it a posh accent.  Youngest Kiddo comes by it unknowingly.  He is around kids that speak with it all day so it's no surprise that I'm sometimes referred to as Mummy.  

We  actually spend more time together as a family and a couple.  Matt and I usually have lunch once a week, and his travel has decreased significantly.  In the last year he's been away from home overnight for about 10 nights.  Back in America it felt like he was only home ten days a month!

The family in Lisbon & Amsterdam

Speaking of family togetherness, our expat family traveled quite a bit as well!  Matt and I had the chance to go to Munich and Stockholm during my mom's visits.  The four of us spent time in Amsterdam, Lisbon, and Barcelona.  I've been to Paris twice in the last two months - once with my mom and a second time with two friends from school.  

Of course, we learned more and more about the great city in which we live.  I swear that the kids could actually navigate the Underground on their own.  Don't worry family, that's not going to happen.  However, if you ask them how to get somewhere like Trafalgar Square or The London Eye, I am sure they could tell you the best route to take.  

Same location, different year.  Both kids look older and Matt and I look younger :)

Stay tuned for more expat adventures in 2015!

Just A Typical Day

I've been asked what my day is like in London, and this gives you a good idea of a normal day.  Although it might seem like I spend a ton of time in the city, I really only travel out of our borough once or twice a week.    

The morning starts early around here.  I do my best to be ready by the time the kids need to get up, but lately that hasn't happened because it is incredibly dark when my alarm goes off.  The lazy sun does not decide to get up until almost 7:00!

When the kids are finally roused out of bed they are always ready for breakfast.  Sometimes furry friends have to join us in order to keep the morning moving in a forward progression.  

Our journey to school varies from day to day.  This week the kids had the pleasure of riding their bikes to school as Oldest Kiddo had bike training.  There was no way Youngest Kiddo was letting his sister ride her bike alone.  Repeat these words over and over while you look at the next photo, "Eyes forward!  Stop aiming for the parked cars!" 

After dropping the kids at school I sometimes need to do a spot of shopping.  I brought my trusty granny cart with me on this day, but it didn't seem to hold everything.  After my last stop I had to drag the bags that wouldn't fit along on the bus ride.  

The afternoon was filled with baking for the school bake sale and a little Chicago radio via the internet.  While I enjoyed my lunch, I caught up on an episode of Friends.  I may or may not have taken a nap, too.  

How you doin'?

Before I knew it, the time had come for the afternoon school run.  I had to do a quick flat iron before leaving as the humidity and rain does funny things to just one side of my hair.  Believe me, that is as vain as I get.  A quick stop for a coffee along my route gives me the boost I need to finish the day.   

The kids wanted to make a stop by the charity shop on the way home.  Oldest Kiddo likes to hunt for new clothes while Youngest Kiddo scopes out the toys.  It's inexpensive entertainment for the kids.  Notice how dark it is?  We just left school!  

Once we arrive back home, the kids change from their uniforms into comfy jammies for the night.  

Depending on the evening, we might run across a little bit of fauna in the house.  Tonight this slug found some way to sneak into the conservatory.  I graciously plucked him off the door and returned him to the great wild.  We've been home to several spiders since the weather started turing colder.  They are creepy huge!

The kids usually have a quick snack (tonight was a bit indulgent) then it's time for the bedtime routine.

Once they are safe in their beds, I typically dive into my bedtime routine and call it a day.

It's hard work getting up before the sun. 

A4 Update - September 2014

We said goodbye to summer this month.

• The Kiddos returned to school at the beginning of September.  Oldest Kiddo gets to wear a tie with her uniform.
• Holly visited Buckingham Palace during the summer opening, and it was more spectacular than you could imagine.
• There was a spider invasion in London.  All windows were sprayed several times to discourage their entry into The Manor.  One got in, and I nearly had a heart attack.  
• The Duchess is going to have another baby!!!
• Nana visited for a few weeks.  We saw The Book of Mormon, visited many palaces (we visited all but Kew), went to Paris (!), and revisited the big tourist locations.

A4 Update - August 2014

Our #41daysofsummer are almost at the end.  I think we hit it out of the park with the places we saw.

Up a reeeeeaalllly big hill in Lisbon on the hottest day, ever

• The family took a ten-day holiday to Lisbon & Barcelona.  Watch for those posts soon; they are two gorgeous cities. 
• We played tourist in our own city to get use out of our Historic Royal Palaces membership with trips to Kensington Palace,  The Banqueting House, and Tower of London. 
• We also made visits to The Royal Mews, The Museum of London, and a night outing in the gardens by Parliament to see the WWI centenary light display.
• Matt and Oldest Kiddo went to the theatre to see Let It Be.
• On the last day of the month we rented a car to go to Stonehenge.  On the way we detoured to Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey) to have lunch on the South Lawn.
• A little school uniform shopping happened at the end of the month so the kiddos were ready for school in September!

A4 Update - July 2014

Happy Summer!

• The school year is finally over.  Gracious, who would have thought that summer vacation would start on July 22.  The kids were out of school for 8 weeks (including two at Christmas) while we moved and found a place to live so I suppose they have to make up the time anyway.  They go back on September 2 just like our American friends.  
• We celebrated the 4th of July with another American expat family.
• Vacation planning is in high gear.  We are planning a trip whilst the kids are on summer break.  You are going to love it!
• We experienced an actual summer heat wave in late July.  The temperatures rose to 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday, July 18.  London was warmer than Chicago.  The heat in our house was not horrible; we have a nice breeze that circulates.  The Underground trains and busses are another story.  Situations like this highlight how not everyone bathes weekly in this country.
• Holly & the kiddos have now ridden all of the Underground lines.  The Waterloo & City line was the last one, and it was not very exciting as it has two stops - Bank & Waterloo.  
• Whilst playing with his sister, Youngest Kiddo bent his ring finger back quite far.  When it turned purple and began to swell, we determined a trip to the hospital was in order.  It was just a sprain that required a little tape to stabilize the finger.  
• Holly went with Oldest Kiddo's class on a field trip to the British Museum to learn about Buddha.  It was surreal to know that whilst working on a multimedia project in the basement of the museum, thousands of people were walking above us.  
• Youngest Kiddo lost his first tooth!

Making the Most of Time - Touring Tuesday

There are many reasons why we accepted the London assignment.  The most prominent reason was the ability to visit beyond the border of the UK.  Yes, England has many, many, many worthwhile sites to visit, and I look forward to seeing many more of them over the next year and nine months.  See?  The time is ticking away as I type!  However, the rest of Europe and Africa are at our feet screaming for a visit.

The question arises of when do we take a holiday?  It's actually quite an easy decision since most European countries have strict rules about school attendance.  If school is in session, your child is expected to be there.  If you choose to sneak away because airfare is cheap, get ready for a potential fine from the school council.  It can be a few hundred Pounds if the school council is persnickety.

There is a solution for families that want to travel!  The kids have four terms in a school year - fall, winter, spring, and summer (until mid-July!).  Within each term the kids have a week off that's called Half Term.  Quite appropriately named, eh?  During that time families can travel as far as they wish, as long as you are back in school when Half Term ends.  All of the school councils in England (at least it seems) have Half Term at the same time, which means EVERY family is scouting airfare at the exact same time.  Obviously air carriers know this and the prices are higher during half term than other weeks.  

I know that we don't have to travel for Half Term since we live in an amazingly historical city.  We were happy to spend a majority of it at home this time.  Everyone is still recovering from a nasty flu from almost two weeks ago.   For one outing, I took the kids to a play in Greenwich (Gren-itch) on Thursday, rode bikes in the neighborhood, and played at the park.

On our journey, our train passed through South Kensington Station.  This is stop where you alight (get off) for all of the big museums (Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria & Albert).  I was astonished to see the number of people queued up just to climb the steps of the station, and I imagined the same crush of crowds shuffling along the museum halls.  Huge crowds are extremely unpleasant, and I was happy to pass on by that station.

Now we are trying make our plans out the next few Half Terms.  To pigeonhole the British, they are major planner-aheaders.  Weekend events for things such as the Warner Brothers Harry Potter Tour, are booked until April.  If I plan two weeks ahead, I think I'm doing great.

Now we are looking for some sunshine since England has had the rainiest winter since data gathering began.  I sympathize with my midwest USA friends who feel an equal animosity to the snow and bitter cold.  Also, we are looking for places that have activities/museums/attractions will keep the Kiddos entertained as well.  Oldest Kiddo is up for anything and if she can learn anything along the way she is game!  So far, we are thinking of Spain or Italy.  Airfare will probably help make our decision easier.

Where have you visited in Europe & Africa?  We're looking for the good, bad, and awful to make our Wish List.  Leave us a comment of your ideas!

Act fast!  The Brits are booking airfare now!

First Weeks In School

What do I think about school so far?

So far, everyone is happy!  There are some obvious differences between our new school and our old school.

Uniform - This is the biggest difference from our school in the US.  Just about every school in the UK has a uniform whether public or private.  Each week the newsletter reminds parents of the uniform components and how it's mandatory to wear it.  We had to purchase the polos & sweatshirts from the school and the pants from the department store.  I am happy to report that the department stores have a school uniform section with extremely affordable clothes.  They bottoms are all polyester and the tags suggest to keep away from flame.  Nail polish and dangle earrings are prohibited.  Girls can only wear stud earrings.  Oldest Kiddo added a barrette to her hair today, I do hope that is an approved accessory.  It is nice to know what the kids will wear each day, but I have to keep up with the laundry as they each only have two polos and sweatshirts.

 

Lessons - Oldest Kiddo has many enrichment lessons planned into her week.  Each week she has PE two times, a clarinet lesson, a chess lesson, and a French lesson.  Soon swimming will be added to the mix.  That's one busy week!

Transportation - We live over one mile from school, and getting to school takes some planning.  We have two options: walk all the way (30 minutes) or take a bus 2/3 of the way and walk the rest (15 minutes).  I plan for the bus to school as it gives the kids a relaxed morning.  I use my favorite app to see what time the bus will arrive.  Lately the bus schedule isn't as convenient so we've had to walk in a pinch or arrive at school earlier than I like.  The kids love the bus.  After school I have the kids take turns to decide if we should walk or take the bus.  It's been rain and windy for most of the afternoons so the bus has been our main mode.  

Dressing for PE - Both kids have to change their clothes for PE.  I can't imagine the scene in Youngest Kiddo's room.  I bet most of their PE time is spent changing their clothes.  The most awkward part is that both kids change in the classroom.  In front of each other.  Oldest Kiddo is getting to the age where the genders should really be separate, in my opinion.  Another expat mom on the playground agrees with me.  She shared her concern with the Head Teacher, and she was told her that this is just the way they do it in Britain.  End of story.  Now we plan for her to wear a tank top under her uniform on PE days.  

School lunch (also called school dinner) -  At our old school Oldest Kiddo could decide each day whether or not she wanted hot lunch.  Here the kids have to decide for half of the term (aka semester, trimester) if they want hot or packed lunch.  The school was gracious to let the kids try hot lunch for a week so they could decide if they liked it.  There are three choices per day plus a dessert.  As you can see below the menu is quite varied.  After a week of hot lunch both decided they want packed lunches until the half term.  Secretly I wanted them to take the hot lunch so I didn't have to pack lunches every morning.  Oh well.  

Friendly Parents - I am surprised and humbled by the number of parents that have introduced themselves on the playground.  A few continue to talk to me in the morning, which I really appreciate.  One funny thing is that it's gotten around that we are from Chicago.  When people introduce themselves they say, "I hear you're from Chicago.  That's the Windy City, right?"  or "Wow, they have a lot of snow there right now!"

As long as the kids are happy, so am I.  Wait until the month is over and I'll share how many miles I've walked this month.  You won't believe it.  

Finding A School In London - We Found One!

The kids survived their first week in British Public Schools.  Well, Oldest Kiddo survived.  Youngest Kiddo developed a fever on Thursday night.  I was really surprised that he got sick since.  In the last eight weeks they've been all over the city, been breathed & coughed on, and touched every railing and pole on transportation that they should have Superman immunity.  I guess nothing is immune to the germfest that is a five-year-old classroom.  By Saturday morning he was back to himself, eating everything he could to make up for the missed meals.

Starting school has not been without it's own set of frustration and annoyances along the way.  Back in October I shared my take on how you apply for schools.  Since we applied after the school year started, our process was a little different, but you get the idea that it's a pain in the arse.  Our house is on the border of another school council (for ease of understanding we will call it a district).  I applied for schools in our district and in the neighboring district.  We have a school that is approximately 20 houses away, and dreamed that it would be amazing to be offered a place for both kids.

I applied before Christmas, and I knew I would not hear anything until the first of the year.  In January I received an offer in the post for Youngest Kiddo at a school about a mile away.  An email to the district revealed that Oldest Kiddo would be offered a spot at the school by the house.  That was a bummer for us because we really wanted them at the same school.  A week ago Thursday, Matt received a call from the Head Teacher in the neighboring district for a school just over a mile away to offer both kids a spot.  Since the kids have been out of school since mid-November we jumped at the chance for them to start school together on Monday.

We met with the Head Teacher, and she took us on a tour of the school to meet the teachers.  Before we left we purchased the uniforms and did a little happy dance all the way home that they were going to school.

On Monday morning the kids were elated to go to school.  They got ready in record time, and they happily walked the distance to school.  I'll admit that I got a little teary when I walked away from the school; these two kids have been my shadow 24/7 for the last eight weeks.  The tears quickly dissipated when I reveled in the peace while I enjoyed a latte and pain au chocolat at the coffee shop.

When I arrived home the post man had just delivered the day's mail.  In the day's mail was an offer for both kids at the school by the house.  Are you kidding me?  What happened to the offer the district sent me last week for Youngest Kiddo to go to another school?  I was beyond angry at this moment.  Over the weekend I came to terms that the trip to school would be just over one mile each way.  We'd have to leave for school 30-40 minutes before the bell to make sure Mr. Short Legs could make the trip.  Now my district can change their mind and make a different offer?!

We could take the kids out of their current school and place them by the house.  I've already bought the uniform shirts, but the school by the house requires the same pants and shoes.  Ugh, but they could not stop talking about how much fun they had on their first day.  Oldest Kiddo even says she made a friend.  The pros & cons continued.

Ultimately we decided to keep them at the first school.  This school is rated higher than the school by the house.  To give the kids some additional sleep time, we can take the bus to and from if they so choose.  I look at the walk each day as a free gym membership.  Plus the location is super convenient to the shops I need to visit several times a week since my refrigerator is miniscule.

Back to Work :(

Before school started we took one last trip into the big city.  We walked a fair distance, and were thankful that M's legs kept up!

The fam at the Bean

M started 2nd Grade!  She was so ready to go back to school.  Her brother was driving her insane and the fighting between the two of them was driving me insane!  She was thrilled to learn the name of her teacher.  She had been pining for this particular teacher since last year, and I am so happy that it worked out.

One of the downsides of my job in education is that I am often unable to attend significant events for my own child's education.  The first day of school for her is also the first day of school for me, and I can't in good conscience take that day off.  We try to make the morning special and I demanded that Matt take the day off so he could do drop off and pick up.  Thankfully a text photo after drop off put a smile on my face.

Now for real challenge of the week, getting the kids out the door while Matt travels.  Thankfully I only have to be to work early one day this week.

Snow-MG

Winter finally showed us what she's got - all 20 inches.  Blizzard of 2011 was hyped since late last week and the weather folks did not disappoint.  School was canceled for Wednesday by 1:00 on Tuesday.  The big snow started flying at student dismissal and I was happy to walk out with the kids.  Matt picked up M and I grabbed G so we were all home by 4:00.  The wind was horrendous by nightfall and we were happy to hunker down.

We went to bed seeing lightning through the blinds and the snow pelting the windows.  The kids slept until almost 8:00 and that's when we caught our first glimpse of what the blizzard left behind.

One whole panel of the garage is hiding. That was the low part of the driveway drift.

Mickey Mouse almost didn't make it.

We watched a little bit of the news coverage and shook our heads at the crazy totals.  The official measurement at the airport was at almost 20 inches at that moment.  There was still a significant lake effect snow happening so that total was sure to increase.

Matt and M bundled up to start shoveling around 10:30.  He started with a path to the garage and then along the front of the garage.  After about 30 minutes he realized that shoveling the whole driveway was an insurmountable task.  We made the decision to kindly ask our next-door neighbors, the ones we like, to borrow their behemoth snow blower.  They were more than gracious to hand it over.  Matt had the drive cleared in just over an hour.  We have debated for several years whether or not to buy one of these.  The snow we get is not usually so bad that we can't just shovel it real quick.  When these big snows happen we really wish we had one.  The return on investment is hard to quantify since it might be absolutely needed once or twice a year.

M's new perch

Matt made it to the garage

G trying to figure out how to climb the drift

Matt's first pass on the driveway

We heart this machine.  Thanks, neighbor!

 After the drive was cleared we all took a break for lunch and G's nap.

M went out to play with the neighbor kids and the most glorious thing happened, a phone call to say that school was canceled for a second day!  I'm not quite sure why, but I'll take it!  Another day at home with my babies that are not sick, watching TV and making cookies is a beautiful thing.  Maybe we'll even think about taking showers, maybe.