Is the Weatherman Preparing Us?

Originally written 6/17/2013

We know the weather in London is not like our current home.  It tends to be a bit more chilly in the summer and warmer in the summer than we are currently used to.  London’s latitude is comparable with Canada, so that forecast makes sense.  They do not get snow very often, and air conditioning in homes is not common.  

The calendar on the wall tells us summer is here, but we are not feeling it.  Oldest Kiddo’s softball season is wrapping up, and I think we’ve worn jackets and pants for almost all of the games.  We’ve also had lots of rain and cloudy days.  Maybe that’s the universe’s way of preparing us for the move.

Or the world is going a little crazy because London is having an unseasonably warm summer.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Finding A School In London - My Take On It

Originally written 6/11/2013

First off, this is a text-heavy post.

Next, there are obvious differences between the UK and US.  For us, finding a school is causing much anxiety.  My experience with registering for school has two steps.  

1) buy or rent a house in the school district

2) go to the school in your neighborhood and fill out some paperwork

3) Bonus Step - Go to Target and buy pretty new school supplies :)

Well in the UK, it’s not that easy. Once you read below, it will become clear that the enrollment procedures are vastly different. Please forgive me for any errors, but this is as I understand it.

You might be asking, “Why aren’t you sending your children to the American School?” The answer was really easy for us to decide - It costs over £20,000 per child, and Matt’s employment package does not include tuition. Truthfully, with Youngest Kiddo in preschool/kindergarten, £20,000 seems a bit much to pay. So the adventure will continue for our kiddos in the British school system.

I’m going to attempt to explain it to you, as best I understand it.  If you have ever seen the steps people go through in signing a toddler up for preschool in a competitive market, I think this is sort of similar.  Minus the application video & portfolio, I think.  Instead of neighborhood schools, they have what are called catchment areas.  This is sort of like a school district, however, you are not obligated to attend the school that is closest to your residence.

In mid-September 2013 for school year 2014-15:

1) Research the schools in your catchment area.  Talk to friends & neighbors about their schools and read individual school’s Ofsted reports.  Ofsted ranks schools on a scale of 1 (outstanding) to 4 (unsatisfactory). Real people write these reports, so the reader needs to take the rankings into consideration as well.  

2) Visit schools in your catchment area.  Many of the schools have specific days scheduled for the visits.

3) Apply to your top three or four schools in January

4) Wait for placements sent in April

5) In early May you receive acceptance/rejection letters for your choice schools

6) A little later in May is the deadline for appeals to get into the school you really, really wanted.  From what I read, not many appeals turn out successful.

The rules are quite drawn out when they have several students that could take an open spot and have no discerning differences among them (no special education needs, ward of the state, etc.).  Then it’s all about where you live.  The student closest to the school gets in.  In the case of a multi-story building the student whose address is closer to the ground gets in before the student that is a floor or more above.  

Now after reading the steps involved to enroll in school, do you see a problem that we’re going to have?  It is June (I know it's really October, but originally written in June).  We are almost 7 months late to start the school process for next year.  Now in the US, this would not be a problem as you attend your neighborhood school regardless of the number students in attendance.  Well in the UK, you get into a school if they have room.  That means the school that is 0.2 miles from your house might not be accepting new students, but the school 3.0 miles away has plenty of space.  

My current plan is that I will not drive in the UK, and I would prefer not to walk 3 miles to school each way (especially uphill in the snow and sleet) five days per week.

Of course I want our children to attend an outstanding school.  I’m a bettin’ gal that those schools are inundated with applications and turn many away.  Then what happens if the only school in your catchment area is an unsatisfactory school?  I don’t think I could, in good conscience, send my child there everyday.

Enter HR Gal from Matt’s new office.  He shared with her that our hope and goal is to be in the UK for school to start in September, but we do not have a good handle on if that will happen or not.  Based on that time frame we will be in the UK in time to start looking for a school for 2014-15  school year.  Aside from that small detail, we have not found a place to live, and thus, have no knowledge of the catchment area we should research.  

HR Gal heard the concern and started talking to her colleagues who live in many different areas in and around the city. She shared links with us today about enrolling in a school mid-year.  One of the stipulations to allow a mid-year enrollment is an international move. We feel somewhat relieved to know we won’t be denied schooling.  Now it’s just a matter of if we can convince a #1 or #2 school to accept our cute kids.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Everyone Takes the News Differently

Originally written 6/10/2013

We’ve been trying to plan a date with college friends to the beach, but it looks like our summer weekends are not compatible.  So instead of heading to the beach, it was much easier for schedules to have the group at our house; shorter drive and less preparation.

Whenever we get together with our college friends, which we will all say always too far in between, it’s like time has never passed.  We spend a bit of time getting the scoop on the kids, but then we all relax with beverage and have great conversations.  Of the six adults at the table, four are teachers of varying disciplines and grades.  Often that dominates our conversation.  

One topic we discussed was my work status.  

Pause for a little background - Matt and I came to the conclusion last year, before London was a go, that I would pursue working part time. He realizes working full time from 8-4 then being the lone parent from 4-10 is not always fun. My principal, as you've already read was not thrilled with this prospect, was coming to terms with my part-time status since I'd still be working at the same building. I was really looking forward to the opportunity to run errands and get dinner started while the kids were still at school. Then when Matt had a heavy travel week, the stress level at the house would be lessened.

Our friends asked if I was excited for part-time work next year, and we figured that was a good segue into the move.  

“So, you are working part time next year?” says College Pal A.

“Um, that..... or less,” I respond

Furled eyebrows and confused faces appear.

We explained that Matt was offered a promotion to London and we were going to accept it.  College Pal A immediately bursts into tears and College Pal K continues with the furled brow, but I could not see what was happening under her sunglasses.  

After a few seconds, College Pal A asked if our move was the reason we asked them over for dinner. Obviously that was not the reason, however a face-to-face discussion was a much better option than a Facebook post!

Happily, they did not disown us as friends and asked many quality questions. One of which was if they could take some of our furniture :) I think they are going to be OK.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

The Purge Continues

Originally written 6/7/2013

In the vein of doing small things that can and should be done whether or not we move, today’s purge was the freezer in the basement.  Back when the Youngest Kiddo was born, we were big into keeping a large inventory in the basement freezer (a quality 1970's Kelvinator).  Ground beef and chicken were in an endless supply.  As the Kiddos have grown so have our cooking practices.  In the last six or eight months we have not stocked or used much of the food in our freezer.  Since today is garbage day, it was time to purge.

It was probably a good thing I decided to purge, for food safety’s sake.  I found a pork tenderloin that was put in the freezer in November 2010 (it's 2013 for goodness sakes).  Something tells me that’s not going to be a delicious meal.  Too bad no one was having surgery in our house because I had a nice inventory of bags of frozen vegetables (tee hee).

I'm curious if we will see an improvement in our electric bill next month now that the energy hog is off line.  

**Update 7/7/2013 

The best part of unplugging the freezer downstairs is that we do not have to lug it up the stairs. Our electric company will pay us to lug it up the stairs and take it away. The only stipulation is that it must be in working condition. We met that requirement.

It took these two men less than 10 minutes to walk in the back door, grab the freezer, and load it onto their truck. All we had to do is sign to say they took it.  

**Update 7/29/2013

The $35 check from the electric company arrived in the mail today. Brilliant!

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

The Start of the Purge

Originally written 6/5/2013

We are still waiting for Matt’s employer to send all of the specifics of the transfer plan.  The waiting is killing me. Thankfully Matt is the one with patience and we balance each other out. Since we are 99.8% sure this is going to happen, why not start consolidating and purging items we no longer need?  

Over Memorial Day weekend I started with a small, yet important job, our music.  We have four large boxes of CDs that needed to go somewhere.  At one point we put all of our CDs onto an external hard drive and packed the CDs away.  The CD market is certainly not what it used to be, and I had low expectations of what would come out of these.  I started with an internet search about selling CDs, and I came across Second Spin.  You search for the CDs you want to sell & they’ll indicate the price they are willing to pay you, if they are taking that title at all.  My initial search of CDs found that they were taking my titles for varying amounts of money.  Don’t get your hopes up for a windfall; prices range from .25 to $3. Box sets and highly desirable titles will go for more.  You have to pay for the shipping of your items to the company. They suggest USPS media mail, so the cost is not very high.  To help defray the cost of shipping, the website offered a media mail shipping rebate based on the number of CDs you send in. I shipped over 25 CDs, and that should net me a $5 credit.  I paid $7.25 at the post office to ship the box; I think $2.25 is a decent premium to pay for what they will pay me.  

I received an email from Second Spin when they received my CDs and another email when my payment was ready. I followed the link from the email and my funds were deposited into our PayPal account.

Next I read about Amazon’s Trade-In Program, which takes books, music, video games, and electronics. Amazon gives Amazon gift cards for your item instead of cash, but for our family that works. Amazon is our go-to website, especially since Amazon Prime provides free shipping. The prices offered for each CD seemed to be comparable to Second Spin with one bonus, Amazon paid for shipping.  I was sold.  It took time to search through every.single.CD.we.own, but my time was well spent.  After one weekend of selling, I accumulated over $80 in Amazon credit.  At .25-.50 each, that was a lot of CDs.  I finished our boxes today and created one last order of $20.  I also checked a few professional books I purchased for grad school and my job.  Amazon only took one of my books, but they paid $18 for it.  That's better than sitting on my bookshelf never to be opened again.  

Not all of our CDs were taken by Amazon.  They work on a supply and demand system, so CDs that have a large following are offered at a low .25 or not at all.  None of our Dave Matthews Band CDs were taken by Amazon.  

I still have a decent amount of CDs left.  Over the weekend I heard a commercial on the radio for Half-Price Books, and it mentioned that they take music, too!  Youngest Kiddo and I took about  30 CDs and a few books into our local store to see what they’d give us.  They offered me $12 for everything.  The man at Half-Price Books indicated that they receive many CDs each week, but not nearly that many are sold each week.  My music was destined for the Dollar Bin and would probably be discarded before it could be bought.

We still have about 80-100 CDs left.  I might make one last run through at Second Spin & Amazon to see if the market for 90’s music has changed in the last week.  If not, then Goodwill will benefit.  

**June 24, 2013 update - I’ve been happy with both the Amazon & Second Spin experiences.  Both options paid a fair price for my items.  Amazon sent a detailed list of the CDs sent in and their rating of them.  The condition of several of my CDs were upgraded to a higher pay level by Amazon, so I’m confident in using this service in the future.   Second Spin had an option to receive my payment via PayPal, and that was the easiest part of the whole process.  The only drawback to Second Spin is that I had to deal with the Post Office.  

** September 12, 2013 update - I've continued to use the Amazon Trade-In program as we continue to consolidate our belongings. I found several old iPods that Amazon paid decent money for.

** All opinions about Second Spin, Amazon, and Half-Price Books are my own and no compensation was received.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Life Reduced to a Google Doc

Originally written 6/4/2013

Matt and I love a good list. Actually I'm the one that loves a written list, mostly because I forget if it's not written down. Matt has a super human memory and doesn't forget anything. Usually for big decisions we make a pro/con list.  Over the past few months we made several pro/con lists to decide if we should move. Obviously the pros beat the cons this time.  

For this move we needed the mother of all lists. We decided to use Google Docs for this endeavor. The electronic nature of Google Docs allows us to add to our list whenever (no matter the timezone) or where ever we are. I have the Google Drive app on my phone so I can add to the list as it pops into my head.

So car Google Docs has been a dream. We decided to use the spread sheet feature, which allows us to organize our data into tabs.

• Tab 1 - What might we have to buy (pretty much things with plugs) & what's an approximate cost in Great Britan Pounds (GBP)
• Tab 2 - What we have that we want to donate, sell, or put in storage
• Tab 3 - Realtor Info including positive qualities of our house that might interest a prospective buyer and curb appeal improvements
• Tab 4 - Get, Forward, Cancel - When did the gym membership get canceled? Did we order the kids' medical records? Now we know who did what and when. The most helpful tab in the document
• Tab 5 - Bring With - as I go through the the different rooms I'm listing the things we need to take with use. Remembering the toolbox is not the first thing I think of when packing for London. I did think of it whilst waiting for Oldest Kiddo to get done at Spanish class and added it to the doc via the app
• Tab 6 - Outstanding Schools - finding a school is not fun, so I've made a list of ones that I think look good. Hopefully it helps narrow our housing search
• Tab 7 - Relocation Questions/Wants for when we speak with the relocation company. If it's not written down it won't be asked.

Together we will tick the boxes on our list to make the process of moving manageable.  At least that’s what we think.  

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

If the government of the United Kingdom lets us in the country...

Originally written 6/3/2013

Oldest Kiddo continues to process the move.  We have told her the steps Matt’s employer must take to get a visa so we legally move to the country, the search steps to get a place to live, and what we have to do to enroll in school. When she wants to ask a question about the potential move, she starts each question the same way, "If the government of the United Kingdom lets us in the country....." 

She has very valid questions such as can we live near a park?  Will we be able to check out books from their library? Can we still go out to eat? Her questions remind us that we need to take time to think about the little things, too.  

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

More Difficult Conversations

Originally written 6/2/13

I had to tell my principal & assistant principal that it was likely I would not be back in the fall. These two wonderful ladies and I have formed a bond.  They are there to help when I need it, and they see the fun, hilarity, and humility that comes with working in an elementary school.  

Stink eye, courtesy of Mrs. Obama

I’ve broached the topic of moving to London with them earlier in the school year, and it went something like what I expected the conversation with our parents to go.  They were not happy about the idea, but understood that the opportunity to live abroad does not come around every day.  The London discussion had been quiet for a few months until late last week.

It wasn’t pretty.

We are all working through it together, and I am trying my hardest to make a smooth exit.  Now when I see my principal & assistant principal either give me a sad face or the stink eye.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Wrapping Up a Career

Originally written 6/1/13

I’ve been a teacher for the last thirteen years.  It’s what I was born to do.  I’ll admit that in the past five-ish years the profession has become more stressful.  My pension is at risk as I live in a state with the worst funded pension program.  The government is dictating new rules that are not actually best for children.  Politicians are not trained educators, and therefore makes them experts in making decisions about our schools, right?  On a local level, my district is making cuts in order to save money.  I can’t say that I agree with all of those choices either, but I’m at least doing a job I love.  

I never thought I’d leave my job in my current district.  I was offered this job before I graduated from college, and it was exactly what I wanted.  I moved to my current school five years ago, and I felt this was where I wanted to stay for a good long time.  Two years ago our building got a new principal and assistant principal.  I had an instant connection with these two women.  We share many similar theories about teaching and children. Another plus, we have a great time when we are together, no matter how stressful.

I’ve grown a lot as a person and a mother because of this job.  This year, in particular, has been a growing opportunity as I am sending a group of students to the middle school for the first time. I’ve slowly moved up through the grades over the last twelve years, and this is my first year working with 5th graders.  The bonus was that I had many of these students since they were in second grade.  I know these students so well that we are a happy little school family.  I know how to perk them up when they are feeling sad, or give them the tough love they might need. Our move to London has me leave the profession and a building I love.  I am not upset, but I had the same emotions as Oldest Kiddo when she realized she would not be back in the fall.  I am not sure of how or if my visa will allow me to work, but I do plan to volunteer in the kids’ schools as much as they will take me.

I spent the last two days purging my file cabinets of twelve years of teaching.  I found folders of papers from my student teaching days.  They were folders I had not opened since my student teaching days, but I kept them just in case.  Some of my colleagues benefitted from my purging as I passed along several materials to them.  They thought I was being generous as they had no clue a move was in the works. Four drawers jammed of manilla folders condensed down to one drawer.  I sure hope all of that recycled paper will make a significant positive impact for the hole in the ozone.   

One thing I found while purging was my happy folder.  It’s filled with things that I wanted to keep because they always made me smile.  I found notes from colleagues and principals with kudos for a job well done.  There were work samples from students who wrote sentimental or hilarious things; often the hilarity was not intentional.  The smile folder is one of the few things I’ll bring home with me as it’s a great representation of a well-loved career.

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Raw Emotions

Originally written 5/31/13

The news of our move is trickling out slowly.  This is big news so we need to do it right and share in tiers.  First on the list was our parents and siblings, our kids, and then our friends.  There was anxiety about telling our parents.  Both of our parents live an hour away from our current home, so it’s relatively easy to see each other for causal events or emergencies when the kids are sick. We were relieved when our parents all agreed that our pending move was a phenomenal opportunity and we had to take it. They were not super happy about us leaving the continent.

Today we shared the news with our Oldest Kiddo.  She went to London for the first time this past winter break.  She LOVED the trip, and she reminisces about events at least once a week since returning.  

Our thought behind telling her this early in the process is because we might be gone by the time school starts in August. This would be a good opportunity for her to say good-bye to her friends. We thought she’d be ecstatic with the news.  She was.......at first.  

She got the excited shocked look on her face, then it all drained away.  She quickly realized that she’d have to leave her friends, school, and most of all her extended family.  Seeing these raw emotions pour out of her reminded us what a mature girl she is growing into.  After the initial tears, she started asking questions and making sense of what this opportunity really brings. She understood that in order to go to London she’d have to give up some things here.  On the flip side, if we did not go to London she’d have to give up some amazing opportunities there.  By the time we got through the conversation, she said that she knows it’s a wonderful chance that may never happen again.  

It is sad to leave what we know, but the adventure to come is exhilarating.  

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

Let The Panic & Anxiety Begin!

Originally written 5/29/13

Oh my goodness.  The unanswered scenarios are overflowing our brains!  Should we rent our house when we are gone?  Should we sell it?  Do we send our furniture or rent a furnished place?  Where should we live? What school will the kids go to?  How will our parents react to the news?  Will I resign or take a leave from my job?  There are only five days left in the school year, and I have so many tasks to complete before that time.  I don’t think sleep will come easily for the next few days.  

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.

The News We've Been Waiting For

Originally written 5/27/13

Matt has been helping out with projects at his company's London office for over a year and a half now.  Whenever they needed help, he did not hesitate to fly over.  This is because London is a town we adore.  I’ve been there six times in seven years, and Matt has been there many more due to return visits for work.  

I frequently joked that he should try to get a transfer to the London office, but it was never the right time.  He would be ready to go, but I had reservations.  Then when I worked through my concerns, he was not ready.  It seemed that there was always a barrier either here at home or in the London office.  Plus, Matt has carved a great niche for himself in his current job, and he enjoyed what he did.   

His weekly work schedule entailed more and more travel.  That meant I was home with the kids playing, as I called it, the single mom gig most of the time.  His travel meant a lot of frequent flier miles for the family, but he had to be home for us to use them.  In one week he could visit three or four cities, and the travel was starting to wear on him.   His colleagues in London were asking for more and more of his help, and each visit made him want to be there more and more.      

Then today he got the call we’d been waiting for, a call from one of the big guys in the UK office. They had a position that is perfect for him, and would he want to make a permanent move over to London? After that call, we realized that neither of us had any reservations that could hold us back. It is obvious that the time is right to make a move to London. How often does a person get an offer like this?  

It's going to be an uphill process until moving day. We will try to keep you updated along the way.  

*The news shared in this blog posts was originally written many months ago.  We were not ready to share the news with the world at that time, so I added the original date the post was written at the top.