Last and Next

In the last month:

• We visited 4 states and took 8 flights.

• I devoured The Help and loved the film.  

• I came close to eating my weight in Tex-Mex - which is a LOT of chips and queso.

• I realize I am better suited for London temperatures.  I detest being hot constantly. 

• George is a water bug and has no fear of water. 

• Prices in the US have increased.  A dollar or two per item but it adds up. 

• Jet lag going east is much harder than going west. 

• Our first and last meal in the US was Chick-fil-a. 

• Rosemary Beach was wonderful...

In the next month we will:

• Move house.

• I will sew about 50 name tapes into new uniforms.

• The girls will start a new school.

• Brent and I are going to a Dolly Parton concert - woo hoo!

• We will have two weeks of company - another woo hoo!

• Mary Kate has a 4 night school trip - trying not to think about this.

• Our littlest girl will be here in just a few weeks.   

George turns 2!

George's second birthday was not so different from any other day.  Brent and the girls waited as long as possible to leave for work and school but George slept in...

 He played play-dough...his cheese smile cracks me up...

He played water table and ate snack and lunch outside...

He blew out his candles - two year-olds know how to do so without coaching...

 Then ate his "muffs"...

It was a happy day...

School Terms

School is finally out for the summer! 

Here is a sample of the different US vs UK terminology:

Substitute teacher = Supply teacher
Let out for the summer = Break up for the summer
Math = Maths
Pick up from school = Collect from school
Free dress day = Mufti day
Spelling = Spellings
Closed for the summer = Shut for the summer

My favorite is break up for the summer.  

Good fences...make good neighbors

I am stealing this title from my friend over at 'Cross the Pond.  She recently posted a comical summary of her old and new neighbors.  I guess mine could be considered comical.  Being from the South I find it shockingly rude and thoughtless.  

I will start at February 2009.  We had just moved in and were figuring out how things work.  We placed several boxes out to be recycled.  Unknown to us the recycle people will not take the styrofoam which packaged the television.  Apparently they tossed it into the neighbor's front garden.  The neighbor promptly knocked on our door and asked Brent to kindly remove the styrofoam and dispose of it properly.  I kid you not.  

Fast forward to present time.  The following email was forwarded to me today from my landlord:

Subject:  rampant strangling ivy! From no 7

I  hope you and your family are well? We have another charming American family at no. 8.  

I am writing to ask whether you could very kindly instruct your gardeners to remove the ivy from your walnut tree. You kindly did that once before. They did an effective job, but it is clambering up high again and it would be a good time to check its growth.  

Best wishes

Patricia

Seriously?!?  I oversee and pay the costs of caring for the garden.  I could have saved a small fortune if the landlord covered this cost.  A truckload of illegal immigrants is substantially cheaper in the US apparently.  I see the woman on a frequent basis and her husband has my email address.  The rampant ivy looks exactly the same as it has at this point in the last two summers.  In both autumns the gardeners cut it back when they winterize. The tree and ivy are technically at no 9.  The growth of the ivy does not impact her or her garden in any way.  

This coming from a person who until very recently had a garden which was a complete eyesore.  And is now better only because they paved over the "grass".  I "kindly" suggest her time would be better spent keeping her cat in her garden and out of my flower beds and garden table where my family eats.    

Hope is not lost.  We are moving house in September.  May the new neighbors be an improvement over this one!

Happy 4th of July!

Come on over...

Jane Press

Wreath either awesome or gaudy...

Flags and more flags...

George helped...

Menu:

Fried Chicken

Potato Salad

Texas Caviar Salad

Mixed Berry Salad

Fresh Veg Tray

Sliced White Bread
Coke & Dr Pepper

The menu had a southern flare.  Frying 80 pieces of chicken is not difficult - just time consuming - about 4 hours.  My not so secret recipe - egg, flour and season salt.  

Dessert Table

Lola's Cupcakes had perfect 4th of July boxes in red velvet and vanilla big and minis.  Ice cream in red wrappers.  3 kilos of red, white and blue jelly beans to eat and take home in stripey bags.  The three empty bowls were full  (and refilled) of jelly beans - George's dinner was jelly beans. 

George's birthday party was incorporated into the party...

The 4th it was work and school as usual.  But I am happy we could celebrate with our American friends in London!

It's a...

Girl!

And she is perfect!  Ultrasounds are a source of great anxiety for me.  I have one at every appointment - it is the way my doctor does things.  As an appointment comes closer, I begin panic.  Scans are no longer a fun way to see the baby but rather a serious diagnostic test which may have negative results.  Mr. Leitch commented how he was glad to see me smile this time.  I am glad too!  I am truly grateful all is well. 

Bully

My boy is nearly 2 and all that implies.  His friend lives next door to the girl's ballet studio.  So rather than spend 1.5 hours in a dirty, neglected waiting room or trying to kill time roaming the high street, we have a standing playdate with Charlie. 

Two weeks ago George hit Charlie.  I was mortified.  Poor little Charlie was crying and say no, no to George.  It was terrible. 

Last week, George began to scream bloody murder when we walked in the door.  I pulled in him kicking and screaming.  Then he wanted to leave the entire time. 

This week I did not bother to contact the other mother to confirm.  Common sense tells me to stay away.  What do you know, when we walked past their house, George headed up their steps.  He started crying when I said no not today.  I made an excuse we needed to hurry home to change his diaper because he is getting over a diaper rash (which is true).  Mary Kate said - that's pretty funny...a bully with a diaper rash!  She is so right - saying a person is a bully and has a diaper rash is not a typical combination.  

How could this little darling be a bully?...

Hit Me Baby

One more time...

Three children are so great we are going to add another and make it an even four!  November 16th our 4th munchkin is due.  The girls are thrilled.  George has no idea.  We are very thankful all looks well.  I am still so very tired.  Party of 6 here we come...

Wanderlust

Wanderlust:  a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world. 

My wanderlust is flaring up.  Our travel for the rest of the year will be limited to a solo trip with 4 destinations: 

Dallas

 Arkansas - my favorite state

Phoenix

The Florida Panhandle

Car

After 28 months without a car, we finally have one!  It is everything I hoped it would be and more.  Being able to drive whenever I want is a luxury.  When I go back to having to drive everywhere, I know will long for the days of being able to walk or let somebody else drive.  

 

The first day I drove, Brent was not sure I was going to make it.  I have to admit I was a nervous wreck.  My palms were sweating and I felt panicky.  But a couple of more times out and it is normal now.  Occasionally when turning, I have to think about to which lane to go.  And roundabouts are a struggle.  More than once I have made a full circle. 

I am waiting for a ticket to come in the mail.  I made a right hand turn were only left is allowed.  I did not see a police officer (there are not many in patrol cars it appears) and there was not traffic.  I have since heard there is a camera to catch deviants like me.  It makes me wonder how many other surprises are coming in the post. 

I filled up for the first time last week.  I could not figure out how to open the gas cap door.  After several minutes, I  was just about to look in the book when I noticed the doors were locked.  So now I know the doors must be unlocked to put gas in the car.  Next, I had a slight heart attack as the numbers flipped to a whopping 99.97 gbp!  Sounds bad enough without converting to $.  This station did not offer pay at the pump.  When I went in to pay, the guy was laughing at me and asked if it was my first time to put fuel in the car.  I wondered how he would know this...he was watching to spectacle of trying to figure out how to open the door.  Thanks a lot!     

No doubt there will be more tales from driving on the left to come...

Brownies

I stepped up this year and am the leader for Caroline's Brownie troop. I think it is a good program for girls but I am not a die hard scouting person. Mary Kate has always been in a troop so I want the same opportunity for Caroline. The leader from Mary Kate's troop in Texas was extremely organized and ran the troop with ease. I simply copied her model and it has been very manageable.

I've been a little creative and my two favorites are writing a chant for camping and making SWAPS.  SWAPS are "Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Some Where". The girls trade them with girls from other troops.  They are a fun craft project and it is interesting to see other SWAPS. 

I found this SWAP idea somewhere on the Internet.  I googled several sites so I can not link back to a specific source.  My goal was to make them with supplies I had on hand and it had to be simple because each girl needed to make 4.  Here are the supplies:

I pre-cut the felt and twine and placed 4 of the above in a baggie for each girl.  They rolled the felt around a pencil, glued the edge, wrapped and knotted the twine, pulled out the pencil, trimmed the twine, and added the safety pin.  Voila, an adorable little sleeping bag:

The highlight of the year was an overnight camping trip.  It took a good bit of effort to prepare but it was completely worth it.  The girls LOVED it.  They were well behaved and had a great time.  Going to sleep was so challenging for them.  I can not blame them - if I had 8 of my friends in the same room I would have stayed up all night!  They think Caroline's mom is the cat's meow - which is funny because I normally do not have that effect on children.  

This is the chant they sang at the campfire and they made up motions on their own:

S-C-O-U-T-S

Girl Scout camping is the best!

S is for SWAPS we trade,

C is for campfires made.

O is for our sit-upons,

U is for up at dawn.

T is for tents outdoors,

S is for eating s’mores.

S-C-O-U-T-S

Girl Scout camping is the best!

Boy Mom

I am a "girl person". As a girl myself, I understand girls and girl things.  In my family the first four siblings are girls and as a teenager I babysat a family of four girls.  I find little girls to be too cute and precious. I wished with all my might Mary Kate would be a girl. I was thrilled to get to have two girls!

I was glad to have a boy because everyone says you need to have one of them. However, I could not understand why. Of course I would adore him for just being my baby.  But I always thought mothers of boys tolerated all that dreadful boy stuff - cars, balls, trains and later sports and being rowdy. What is to like about mud and wrestling?

Much to my surprise I find joy in the "boyishness"! Joy from the complete delight my boy has when doing and seeing these boy things. He has been parented in mostly the same way as the girls (except I am older and wiser so he does things such as slide over the sofa, which would never have been allowed with the girls). But he is drawn to balls and playing outside. Playing outside was a punishment for the girls. For him playing outside is a sure cure for a meltdown.

Seeing the world through a little boy's eyes has been an unexpected pleasure. It is not better or worse than a girl's perspective, merely different. I am truly grateful to experience both.

Empire State of Mind

Before Christmas we tagged along with Brent on a work trip to New York City.  It was fabulous!  It is an amazing city and I would love to live there...you never know what the future holds?!?  But with three children it does not seem likely. 

Our flight out was uneventful.  We arrived and were very tired but hit the streets and headed straight for Little Italy.  We went to a popular pizza place first and put our name on the list.  While waiting we walked around to keep from falling asleep.  We came across Rubirosa and decided to eat there instead.  It was amazing!  The thing that took us by surprise was the servers did not speak with an Eastern European accent and could understand everything we said.  It is all in what you become accustomed and we are now used to London. 

The next day it rained.all.day.  Yes, I live in London but rarely does it rain all day and when it does I am not sightseeing.  In the morning, we went to early Mass at St Patrick's Cathedral.  The girls and I went to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show.  It was excellent and I highly recommend it.  Brent and George stayed at the hotel...

I received a lesson from the cab driver on how to hail a cab.  In London there are rules about where the driver can stop.  Not so in New York.  You have to throw yourself in front of the cab to get it before somebody else.  Lesson learned.

Leslie (my college roommate) took the train in to spend the afternoon with us.  I know!  Amazing how we have not aged a day in 18 years...

We walked through Times Square and down to Chelsea.  The 1:1 adult to child ratio was nice.

Monday morning the weather turned bitter cold.  Brent went to work.  The rest of us went for brunch and shopping at American Girl.  I find American Girl to be overpriced but irresistible.  The girls save their birthday and pocket money for these shopping trips. 

Tuesday was more of the same very cold weather.  We did a little shopping but had to spend a good bit of time in the room because it was too cold to be outside for long.  We had an spectacular view...

We also spent a good bit of time in the bathroom waiting for George to go to sleep at night.  Eventually we would give up and go to bed too.  We did not try to adjust to the time change.  So Brent and I were up bright and early like it or not. 

On our last day we took the subway downtown to the Staten Island Ferry.  Tickets to the Statue of Liberty were sold out so this was the closest (and free) way to see it.  

During this trip George was officially banned from all restaurants worldwide.  Despite a few trials to lift the ban in the meantime, it stays firmly in place.  He ate a lot of street vendor hot dogs and the girls discovered Hawaiian Punch.  

I found the people to be surprisingly friendly and helpful.  In London, I rarely have a door held or help down stairs with the stroller.  Everywhere we went I was overwhelmed with help.  A plus to living here is I tackled the city and subway with three children on my own and did not think a thing of it.  We did not get to explore nearly as much as we wanted, namely Central Park, because it was take-your-breath-away cold.  My love affair with the city is going strong and I am looking for any chance to go back!  

George at 22 Months

George at 22 months is the funniest, sweetest, cutest, cleverest little thing ever.

In daddy's overalls:

Since he was born when he wakes I ask him how he is this morning/afternoon.  For the first time this morning he responded "good"!  He repeats many of his words - duck duck, yes yes, more more, paci paci.  He is putting different two words together.  His best words are "onk" for blanket and for paci he says it without the p and i.  He is very good at "shhh" when he should be quiet. 

The world of boyishness is open to him.   A couple of months ago he discovered trucks, buses, motorcycles and ne-nas (emergency vehicles).  Since we walk everywhere and live close to a hospital he gets to see several of these a day.  He can spot a ne-na a mile away.  The sirens are very loud and I cover his ears when they go by - he does it now too. 

George is very loving and affectionate.  He gives about 50 unsolicited hugs and kisses a day.  He loves Veggie Tales - too much.  He reads lots of books.  He does not get why daddy's phone does not work like mommy's with a touch screen.  He wants to jump and thinks he is jumping. 

Watching Veggie Tales....

He eats too well at times.  It is a little embarrassing around other people when he eats entire bowls of grapes and berries.  Or at his playgroup when he will not play but stays by the snacks until he has eaten all of them.  His favorite at the moment is large bowls of porridge (oatmeal). 

He new stunt is to climb on his little chair and slide over the back of the sofa.  I know I should make him stop.  But I find it so clever and funny I let him do it. 

His naps start between 12-1.  Occasionally I have to wake him for the school run.  How could I disturb him...

Busy Season Recap

I survived busy season #15! I think it was the most successful on record.  Overall it was intense but manageable.  Straightforward returns are nice for a quick feeling of accomplishment.  But my favorite is a complex group with multiple spreadsheets.  Ahhh the rush!!!  And I am not joking.  

How do I do it all?  Well, I do not.  I heard an author say when she writes she only writes and everything else is ignored.  This is my strategy.  No blog posts.  Only one lunch - it was a birthday lunch.  No volunteer meetings.  No coffees.  No exercise - and it is surprising how hungry working in the accounting field makes a person.  Laundry is washed just-in-time.  More take away than usual.  Stacks of clutter - apparently I spend a good bit of time sorting and organizing in ordinary time. 

When April 18th finally rolled around (those extra days are torment) I felt a little nostalgic about years past 15 years.  I started in tax my first semester at OU.  I answered an ad at the student union from a law office.  At this point accounting students are trying to answer the question of going into audit or tax.  After a few weeks I knew what I wanted to do.  Next, I spent time (it is has similarities to jail) in public accounting then tax software development.  Software development busy season was ahead of filing season then we had the torture of product phone support. during filing season.  

My first year home with Mary Kate I had a few paying clients - just enough to cover expenses and pay for her birthday party.  Odd as it my sound I truly enjoy my profession.  I am very thankful I get to stay home and work...another post for another day...