School Dayz

All the Little Things

As I said before...I have been a bit down in the dumps lately. Well, I wouldn't say I am over all that. It is the unknown of our future that is making me crazy. I HATE the UNKNOWN. Anyway, I will try to practice thinking about all of the little things I enjoy right now and share those instead. 

• Recently, Augi asked me, "Mommy...when did you first fall in love?" Yes, she has a crush on a boy in her class. He is a sweet, cute little boy. I'm glad she likes him. We talked about crushes and she was very open with me. I was careful not to tease (my go-to parenting tactic.) 

But OH MY HELL...it is soooo cute that she has a crush!!

• I love when Emmett snuggles on my lap while holding his weebee (baby blanket) and he offers me a bit of it to scratch, just like him.
• If my job ends here in the UK, we will find jobs in the US. We will find a good school for the kids. We will be closer to family and friends. We will adjust. Right?

Augi joined Judo at school this year and she is really enjoying it. While she does her thing, Em and I have a little time together playing in the gym. Mostly he makes silly faces and makes me smile.

Em being a zombie

On the road to our house we pass this billboard. Em was so fascinated by it...one day I got home from work and he insisted that we IMMEDIATELY walk down the hill to see it. We did go see the movie, by the way. 

Sometimes, while waiting for Augi at Judo, we wander around outside the gardens at the school. I love their school. That's it in the background.

October is a favorite month around here. The kids have a variety of costumes, but Em's favorite is his skeleton costume...

My friend and I saw some Halloween fascinators at the store. We thought we could make our own much better. So, after spending twice as much on supplies as the store bought ones would cost, here are the results! Augi is wearing her avatar costume in this shot.

Augi has always insisted on choosing her own clothes. I'm not sure this look would have been the top of my list, but she can really pull off anything. It was cute.

Since starting school this year Em has been really really tired. He had to give up his afternoon nap. I miss spending more time with him in the evenings. Once he is out, he is O-U-T. 

We were invited to an afternoon cafe for tea, coffee, and cakes at Em's school. 

chris, em, and mimi

Augi is definitely my child. She has already written her letter to Santa. I was a little concerned because I am already finished with gift buying. Luckily she added everything she has ever seen to the list, so she will get something from it! Whew. That was a close one!

augi's christmas letter to santa

When we aren't trying to skip to Christmas, we do spend a little time on the current holiday. Emmett will NOT touch pumpkin innards. He draws a pattern or uses pop in face pieces. Augi, however, takes great delight in the whole process. 

We were recently invited to a friends' house for a little halloween/bonfire celebration. One more chance to wear costumes=YAY!

That's it. When I focus on the present, I realize we are living a great life. 

It's that darn future that gets me down. 

beautiful sunset from our bedroom window

Art and Music

Shepard Fairey's show "Sound and Vision" came to London recently and we got to go to the opening night!! He paired up with DJ Z-Trip for the show so there was really great music playing. 

There are a couple of things significant about this night. 

1. It was Em's first sleepover. Luckily we know Evan and Christa like family so he wasn't a bit nervous. Not like me, anyway. Augi is a pro at sleepovers, so she went to Bellsie's without looking back .

2. It was our first real date away from the kids since we moved to England. 

3. It was Shepard Fairey...enough said. 

Running from Zombies

Since we have a live in babysitter for the next 3 weeks...(Grandma Mimi is here!!) we decided to join the Zombie Race bandwagon. It was really fun! Here is the deal...you pay money to run 5K from people dressed as zombies. You have three flags attached to your body. The zombies grab the flags. No more flags=INFECTED! The temperature dropped dramatically the day of the race. It was freakin cold. Rainy. Windy. Muddy. 3 out of 4 of us were infected. 

Grumps.

I am grumpy today. No real reason, just grumpy. I had a crummy day on Friday, and a crummier Saturday. The stupid thing about being grumpy is that today was actually a good day. But, I couldn't really enjoy it because I was too darn sour. The kids were fun, the weather was nice, and Christian actually joined us for an outing at the park. I don't want to be a big complainer, but here are the events and issues that have led to my bad mood:

• We drove 90 minutes each way last week to put a deposit on a dog and the creeps sold it before we arrived. Major disappointment at the time, but it all worked out in the end. (see below!!)
• My current company did not receive the contract for my job. I will have to reapply with the new company and possibly not like their offer...we are applying for a 2 month extension because our visas expire soon. (actually, today...). Then, we will apply for another extension if the bureaucrats can't get their poop in a group and get the real contract settled. Extension applications mean we can not make any travel plans.
• Emmett has been super grumpy towards me. I am a child psychologist. I know it is important for him to identify with his daddy right now. I know it is common for little boys to push their mommies away at this age. But, he is supposed to be my little snuggly bug and it makes me sad to watch him grow up.
• I have had an awesome office mate and she had a last day last week. Boo.
• Related to the above, I am about to get incredibly busy and overworked. Starting tomorrow. Our team of 4 mental health therapists is dropping to 1. That's just me.
• So. I have ADHD. I don't really hide it. You can look at any one of my report cards from childhood and they all say the same thing: Smart girl. Talks too much. I get REALLY distracted. Especially in meetings when there are too many people who have too much to say. So, I start wiggling in my seat. Then I talk out of turn. I say things I should keep in my head. Then I get in trouble. Even now. My boss might have told me I need to be quiet at meetings. I HATE to be shushed. Ug.
• I went around a round-about yesterday, hit some protruding piece of ancient rock wall, and ripped a hole in my tire.

So. That did it. The grumps ensued.
I will try to start tomorrow off on a better note. I will try to get some good sleep and wake refreshed. It would be wonderful if I could pull my behind out of bed early and get some yoga done before work. No use setting myself up...
Here I go, trying to focus on the positive.

• Meme comes for her annual visit in three weeks! Yay!
• I now have an office all to myself at work. I am going to get soooooo much work done.
• I am 2/3 of the way to my weight-loss goal. Woowoo!
• Augi has committed to Judo and really likes it. It is great fun to watch her try to take down other kids! I wouldn't mind giving it a go myself!
• Emmett has slept in his own bed for two nights.
• There is a potential that the new company who won our contract will be better!
• I have not had a real headache since I began accupuncture 5 weeks ago. I can't tell you what a relief this is. I normally have one migraine each month and at least 1-2 painful headaches each week. On that note, I have felt really great lately. 99% of my numbness and tingling is gone. I am coordinated again and full of energy.
• We are getting the cutest puppy ever in November. After our disappointment, we came home and called a serious breeder with a new litter. They had a female and she will be ours!! She is a staffordshire terrier. You can see her family at www.dardanians.com . We have a list of names, to include Kitty, Phiz, Beatrix, Izzy, EGGSHELL, and Rosie. We are all currently leaning towards Phiz. More to come on that...

Things will get better, I know. I just need to take a deep breath and take it all one day at a time.

Growing up.

Today was the first day of school. Augi is beginning year 3 and Emmett is in Reception (kindergarten in the U.S.). I am seeing the same post on all of the blogs I follow and I love to see how everyone is handling it. 

For us, it is an exciting day, but filled with emotions. 

Augi 

woke up before my alarm---somewhere in the 5 o'clock hour. She told me she had butterflies in her tummy that were going up into her throat. She admitted to being nervous and excited all at once. She was giddy with excitement and so helpful this morning. There will be 12 children in her class this year...2 more than last year. Best of all...a new girl will be in her class! I tell you, the other two girls in her class are wonderful and sweet, but 3 is a hard number. 4 will be better, I am sure. I left a note in her pocket and she said she wanted to keep it there "for confidence." She headed into the class with her sweet young teacher and didn't look back.

Emmett

is going in to a new level. This is real school. Full time. No more naps. OK, so it really is a lot of playing still, but they are one step closer to reading and writing and big math. Emmett was handling it all in stride. He has slept with me all of this last week, so I think he is feeling some of the butterflies. He took his Weebee, but left it hanging on the coat hook. Mr. Woof accompanied him into the classroom.  His teacher is also new. We couldn't remember her name, but knew it had to do with office supplies: Mrs. Files! Much better than Mrs. Stapler or Mrs. Filing Cabinet (our other names for her.) Emmett gave us a hug and sent us on our way. 

In my work I focus on the Ghosts from the Nursery with each family. These are the little memories, habits, and emotions that pop up from a parents' childhood as they parent their own children. They aren't usually at a conscious level, but I try to be mindful of my own ghosts. My ghosts have been flying all around this last week. First of all, I was more nervous than either of the kids. I went to 14 schools in my 12 years of childhood education. That means that I was ALWAYS the new kid, so my anxiety was really high every year. There were so many years that I didn't know where I would be attending school until the day before I got there. I always worried about who I would sit by at lunch. It's funny, in talking to other people who had similar experiences to mine, they had the exact same worry on the first day!! Well, all of these anxieties came back full force. 

I have had to repeatedly remind myself that my children are returning to a school of 100 students where they are known and they know everyone. They aren't the new kids. At lunch they get to sit at a table with kids they know and eat "family style". We will be there to pick them up and talk about their day. They don't come home to an empty house. I try to use my own ghosts to make life better for my kids. But, sometimes my emotions get out of control and I run around like a crazy chicken and don't even realize why. 

I have to stop, take a breath, and remember that life is different for my kids. Hopefully, better.

I am so proud of my family.

Augi the Poet

Augi wrote this little poem in school this spring, just before we put Nanny down.

My Dog

My dog feels like a puff ball.

My dog tastes like a piece of chocolate.

My dog looks like a heart.

My dog smells like a red rose. 

My dog sounds like a gentle wind. 

Paris and Amiens 2012

One bonus of my job is that every year I get to attend a conference. A lot of people use this conference funding to go back to the States. I have thought about doing this. But, really? I have gone to Germany and Norway. This year, there was a fab conference in Paris! We invited some of our besties, rented a house, and DROVE to Paris. I am amazed that we can drive there. 

We found a nice house in a suburb of Paris. The selling feature for Augi was Table Tennis.

 Finn was also a fan...

Renting a house for travel is really the only way to go with children. We were able to get this 5 bedroom house for considerably less than a hotel would have cost. And, we get the bonus of home cooked meals (Thanks to Evan, of course!)

 It looked a bit less like a Barbie Mansion in person. It worked overall. 

 Em laid claim to the top floor room, planning to bunk with Ava. However, he ended up being my roommate. 

TRECHEROUS STAIRS. Evan took a spill, I stumbled a few times. 

Paris might not be child-friendly in the museums, but they offer some great playgrounds.  

This is just wrong. 

 Getting to visit the fam at the playground after a day full of learning. 

Luxemburg Palace.  

We were lucky enough to be in Paris for the tail end of the Tour de France.  

The dads and kids visited a cathedral while I was slaving away... 

Em clearly educating Finn on some important topic, Finn wondering when he will be able to escape. Substitute their dads and you get the same senario.

 And they visited a natural history museum...

Where did we choose to celebrate my 38th birthday? PARC ASTERIX!! 

Bonuses: excellent baguettes, slushy drinks, dolphins, very French.

Drawbacks: it was 90+ degrees, VERY expensive, Finn could ride like 3 rides.

DO NOT mess with these kids. 

 Take a close look at Ava's feet. Her little toes were curled up in her too small shoes. My sweet, kind daughter would not allow Ava to borrow a pair of shoes. Nice. What a trooper she was. 

We could not skip out on Parc Asterix because Emmett was soooo excited to see the Egyptian part of the Parc. Well, we saw it. This was it. Needless to say, he was a bit underwhelmed.  

 The disadvantage of having Chris be our family photographer is that we get very few shots of him. Once in a while, though...

I love Ava's face in this picture. 

I might be disturbed by this shot if I didn't know them. Actually, I am still disturbed. Maybe even more because i know them. 

 Does it get any cuter than this? Seriously. What are we going to do without these guys after December? Ick. 

Don't park your ass on our bridge! 

After a long day out... 

 OK. So, the amusement park was fun. It was a must-do. But, this place was even more awesome. It was the Jardin d'Acclimatation

 Kids...what do you do if you see water spouting out of the ground? Yes. Open your mouth and jump in. I don't really know if this was safe. There was no diarrhea in the end, so I guess it was fine. They LOVED it.

Finn is sooooo European. He can make a speedo out of anything. 

On the way home we spent a night in the pretty town of Amiens. It was half way between Paris and Calais, where we catch the ferry. It is known for it's beautiful cathedral and the former home of Jules Verne.  

There is the cathedral in the background. Yes, I see what Evan is doing. Just ignore him and he will go away.

These children would not cooperate with my wish to have a fab picture in front of this door. They are pretending to be gargoyles. 

The walk of shame. Finn insisted on getting to choose an animal souvenir. Which animal did he choose after the walk back to the souvenir shop? A clock animal. Much more clock than animal, actually. OK. Actually, no animal. Just clock.

Just in case you didn't know, Ava didn't invent Ballet. She just named it. It's true. She told us herself.  

A very quick stop at the windy cold beach before hitting the ferry and heading home.  

A fun and memorable trip, as usual. We are so lucky to get to have these experiences, especially with this family.