It's the little differences...

If you love Pulp Fiction as much as I do, you will remember this scene:

Vincent: But you know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules: What?
Vincent: It's the little differences. I mean they got the same shit over there that they got here, but it's just...just there it's a little different.

Vincent Vega knew what he was talking about. Going to the grocery store hurts my brain sometimes. It took an insanely long time for me to find Chicken Broth today. For my fellow Americans...what do you think of when I say get a few cans of chicken broth? You get this, right:

You know that a chicken dinner doesn't actually come in the can. You are buying that clear liquid pictured in the background, right?
Well, I headed over to the local grocery store for some broth. No problem. Until I found this:

What the hell are those chunks? Aaaagh. I asked for help and they looked at me like I am crazy lady. It took me FOREVER to find the right stuff and it looked like this:

It was a gel in little pots and I had to add boiling water. 

Here are some other comparisons to give you more of an idea...

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UK has:


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I just wanted to give you a little glimpse into my world. Like I said, sometimes just going to the grocery store hurts my brain.

This one is for you, Auntie Tammy

Seriously people. I want to post every week but I just can't do it these days! Tammy complained via Facebook that she is tired of looking at the naked mole rat. So, here is a post. It's mid-March. Still winter. Still dark (although not as dark). Still cold. Still wet. Still no passports so still no travel. I have been reading OTHER people's blogs. I have been thinking of ideas for what I can write about. The kids say funny things. They do fun things. I don't write them down. I forget. So, I googled "ideas for blog posts." It is that bad! I actually found sites that will send you templates of what to post on your blog. Most of them were aimed at business (I guess...) and gave ideas such as: Post on "5 problems with business hotels." Not really relevant. How about "5 habits that keep you up at night and how to stop." OK. That's just weird.  Anyway, I started looking at other blogs and saw a post I liked. She suggested bloggers copy her post and "fill in the blanks."  OK. I can do that. I don't like to write posts just about me. It is something to get me out of my writer's block, though... I would L-O-V-E it if anyone who reads this does the same. 

Fill in the blanks:

I am happy because:

I have fabulous children

I have a cute husband

I like my job
I have met a bazillion new friends in England
I live in England, for that matter
I have a dog
I am sad because:
most of my friends and all of my family are too far away to see as much as I'd like.
my mom is gone.

I am not independently wealthy. I want to work part time and spend more time with my kids.

I am weird because:
I won't drink or eat anything that has even gone near a bathroom. I also spit my gum out if I have to go into a bathroom. 
I am EXTREMELY picky about the way my clothes feel
I don't like to cuddle.

I love to be the center of attention but I hate people looking at me.

I am a bad friend because:

I hate talking on the phone and I don't really like Skype.
I forget birthdays. and anniversaries. and maybe even names. (not really!)
I take forever to respond to emails.
I am a good friend because:
I am VERY loyal to my close friends.
I love to laugh with my friends.
I will go to great lengths to help my friends.
I am working on:
updating my blog more often!
understanding myself
living in the present
I am excited because:
we will get to travel again soon!
I just finished a blog post and Tammy doesn't have to look at the Naked Mole Rat!

Good Riddance January

I'd like to skip the month of January in England. There is seriously no sunlight. We are turning into shriveled moles. Have you ever seen a naked mole rat?

That is what I feel like at the end of January. Nothing a little Zoloft and psychotherapy won't cure. Although sunshine would be quicker. However, I do have hope for the future. The sun will come back. We received our passports back. Yay! We have visas until the end of March. Then, we start the process over. Ug. One day at a time. One day at a time. My mantra for the year. Anyway, I have a few new year's resolutions that I am working on. One was to be more mindful. Live in the present. This is painful for me. I worry about the future all the time. It is really a stupid worry. Things have always worked out for the best. So, why do I worry?!
The other resolution is to create a more peaceful home. We all spend too much time yelling and blaming and falling apart. I have been learning about a great parenting program called Positive Discipline. A dear friend (Miss Kris) gave me a book by this author when Augi was a baby. I flipped through it, liked it, but forgot about it. Now that I am really reading it, I love it! One of the things she recommends is family meetings. So, we started them.
Family Meeting #1=Disaster. Augi hid in the play tunnel and pouted, Chris laid on the floor with his eyes closed, and Emmett continually yelled out "I hate family meetings!"
I persisted, though. Family Meeting #2: I gave each kid a job. Augi was the chair. She kept us on schedule. Emmett was in charge of calling on people to speak. Bingo! I was pleased with the results. We had some good discussion and it was a fun time together.

Although we haven't had sun, we did get snow! It was the biggest snow storm we have had since living in England. We gave the kids a snow day and played! Other than that, we have really been laying low. Phiz is now an integral part of our family. Lucky we didn't get a fragile dog. Emmett loves to roll on her and crush her. Augi just wants to cuddle. She loves both. I am in love with the little stinker. I am sooooo grateful for Christian and his militant dog training, though. She is 99% house
trained, she sits, stays, and she is beginning to heel. If it was all me she would be pooping all over, sleeping on the bed, and biting everyone and everything.

Fun in the snow...while it lasted!

Note the shorts and wellies. Whatever works!

Snow day attire

The road to work

Snoozing. 

Back into the snow...

Tea with a dinosaur. I know. It's a little weird.

More relaxing.

And before we know it, the snow is gone.

Cinderella.

Story time.
I come walking downstairs, into the kitchen. Mind you, I am fully dressed and made up for the day.
Em: Mom! You look like Cinderella.
Me: Aww. Thank you sweetie. (big smile...what a sweet boy I have.)
Em: No mom. Not when she is going to the ball. The other times.
Me: Oh. (apparently my head got too big and he needed to bring me down to earth again.)

A dumb story. 2013.

Emmett often asks us to tell him a "dumb story". This means that he wants us to tell him a story about dumb, irresponsible, silly, or naughty things that we did as children. 

Well. Here is a dumb story to start off the year.

Once there was a little boy, named Emmett. One morning on the first day of January he was taking a shower. He decided that he wanted a bath, even though he didn't have a bath tub. So, he plugged the drain. Guess what? He got a bath! His mom continued to walk past the shower room and didn't notice a thing. For nearly an hour he splashed around. Then, he got out of the bath and asked his mom to turn off the water. She saw that the water was running out of the shower. Then, she saw that the water was running through the floor and out the ceiling in the living room below. In the rental. 

Then his mommy had to remind herself that she loves her little boy because he is smart and curious and inventive. All the things that make him wonderful sometimes get him into trouble.

Happy New Years Day!

Dickensian Christmas at Kentwell Hall

To help get into the holiday spirit, we took a visit to an old Victorian Mansion called Kentwell Hall. 
Most of Kentwell Hall dates from the 16th century, but there are references in the Domesday Book of 1086!
Every year they put on a Dickens, Victorian themed Christmas event. The man in red was "Father Christmas", not Santa. We made victorian style crafts and wandered around the victorian house, complete with actors who remained in character very well. We had afternoon tea. The power even went out so we had dinner by lantern! It was a great day (And it was extra special because it was Chris' birthday!)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas 2012!!

I love Christmas now that I have children. I love shopping and finding presents, putting up the tree with them, making cookies, the anticipation. Every bit. 
This was a great Christmas. However, it just isn't the same away from family. We do our best to make it memorable. I think traditions are important. We have some from my family, some from Chris', and some of our own.

• The elves visit us around Thanksgiving and stay for the month and do lots of tricks and fun. 
• We make cookies on Christmas Eve for Santa  This year, peanut butter cookies were on the menu! 
• The elves leave jammies on the morning of Christmas Eve for the kids to wear that night.
• We leave cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and the reindeer
• The last two years we have gotten together with friends on Christmas day. 
• We light candles all over the house to celebrate the return of the sun! This is especially meaningful here in England. Winter is so dark. We need to look forward to something, so the solstice is what we celebrate!