Posh

So often we hear the comment “posh accent.” We looked it up just to check. Funny.

Posh defined as:
Smart and fashionable.

As usual for VW and I, they often assume we are Canadian. We have heard that often over the years when we traveled.

Water World Craziness

We had a great weekend (a 3 day bank holiday). We swam all day Saturday and Sunday at two different water parks. The kids had a blast. Although, I am not sure I have ever seen X that tired. Poor kid. He fell asleep at 6:15 while VW carried him to a nearby restaurant (about a mile). He slept through dinner, walking home and a diaper change until 5 am! At which point, he woke up and I followed him around the hotel for 2 hours. Many people took pity on us (me?) A maid gave us cookies, some workmen gave us coloring books, and the buffet restaurant (not open yet) gave us coffee and juice. I must have looked pitiful. I hadn’t slept that night at all.

Speaking of sleeping, my insomnia has been pretty active as of late. I am not sure why. We are more settled and feeling better, yet I am sleeping worse and worse.

Anyway, the third day we spent at a place called Trentham Estate. No longer an estate, it has a garden center, large Italian garden, train and boat rides, restaurants and a monkey forest. The monkey forest allows the monkeys to move freely around the forest area. No fences or cages. They walk right by you. S loved the baby monkeys. They were so playful wrestling, climbing trees and jumping. X slept unfortunately and he loves monkeys so much. When a worker asked the crowd (200 people or so) if any one had questions, S’s hand shot right up. “How do they get their food?” Shocked me. She can be so shy one day and so outgoing the next.

Overall it was a great weekend. Water and kids seem to be a great mix.

The Good, the Bad II

The Good
Great Cheese
Great Strawberries
Having our desk set up. (It is the small stuff that makes every day life better.)
Having less stuff~overall. It is easier to keep clean and organized. Especially as I figure out my organization system.
Sense of taking a risk in life. Trying something new and scary.
Wonderful care packages, email and notes from home.

The Bad
Everything is always closed. (We tried to swim on a Saturday at the family pool. Closed at 5 pm. Then we went on Sunday, for $21 you can swim 1 ½ hours, then must leave~which is really about an hour after standing in various lines.)

The rain. I have that stir crazy feeling we have in the winter, only it is August. There are less child friendly activities as well. ECFE-I miss it so much. I am sure I will get more tuned in this fall. However, there are lots of indoor kids playgrounds.

Lack of kid friendly options. We have been trying to join a health club but the creches (daycare) are only open 2 or 3 hours in the morning, during the week. S is generally too old to go to them. One of the creches at a club we liked was $10 per hour per child. Another was only $4 per hour, per child. However that club only allowed children in their pool a few hours each weekend.

Cute Kiddie Pictures

Pictures

View from another park we visited near us. There are many places to hike and explore with great views.

















Feeding the Ducks at Groby Pool ("pool, pond, pond would be good for you")

More Pictures

Windsor Castle Visit with My Parents














Guest Room-I don't think it showed up last time.










The kids putting on a concert for me. Boxes placed under our stairs made a great stage.

Week in Review

We had a pretty good week overall. VW was very busy at work and spent several days out of town. We missed him, but his efforts seemed to pay off and go well.

The kids and I kept busy with a trip to the library, playgroup, gymnastics, and a birthday party (S’s first invitation here). She had a good time and X did too. The party was held at an indoor playground, so I was able to be there with X, somewhat separate from the party.

Friday, we visited a health club we are interested in and went swimming with the kids. We visited 3 clubs in all over the weekend. Saturday, we went to the movies and saw Kung Fu Panda. It was pretty good, although a bit scary at times for the babes. It was $40 for the matinee family 4 pack of tickets. We joke the slogan here should be, “England-Bring your wallet!” We saw an article that calls the UK “Rip Off Island.” I think that is why, every time we meet someone new they ask why we would move to England.

Sunday, we hung out at home and played with the kids. VW took some time with them outside playing with chalk, spraying the hose and flying paper airplanes. I took the time to do some paper work and clean. I could use a day of dropping the kids somewhere and plowing through some work.

We also have been enjoying the Olympics when possible. It is interesting to watch it from outside the USA. They don’t do nearly the human interest stories they have in the states. We see a lot of the British Athletes of course and generally the top in each sport. Michael Pheleps is amazing. Wow. I of course, love the gymnastics. My new goal is to attend the Summer Olympics before I die. I want to see gymnastics, track and field and swimming.

VW is out of town the next few days. We will keep busy with X;s first haircut, gymnastics, playgroup, errands and I hope to take the kids swimming. We are still sorting out the health club options. Have a great week everyone!

Did I mention it rains here….

Phrases II

• Don’t be Daft
• Don’t be Stupid
• Don’t be ignorant=often to the children when they aren’t behaving
• touch wood=knock on wood
• Push Chair=stoller
• Spot on = exactly, perfect
• Bare me a moment.
• Crikie=Oh, my gosh.
• Telly =TV
• Wee = tinkle

LegoLand Pictures

Here are a few pictures from my parents visit. We went to Legoland for a day. Yes, I am a bit behind on posting these.

There is an entire European Lego built landscape and cities, as well as animals, etc.

Fun Days

The last few days have been really good. We went to Newcastle with VW (he was working), stayed in a hotel and let the kids swim around the clock. It was great. The hotel was very nice. Walking distance was an Ikea and Toys-r-us. I sorted out our desk problems with Ikea and got a few things. See our desk pictures old to new! :) I wish we had had a few more days there. I look forward to going back and exploring more.

S took a gymnastics class she loved. She asked me to find a class, then did not want to go when the time came. So, I really had to push her. At the end of class she said, “Even though that was really hard, it was fun. Can I come back tomorrow!” Music to my ears. It is hard to know sometimes when to push and when to back down. It was interesting too, because it was really a gymnastics class. The preschool/toddler play class is in the past. I was watching, and thinking she wouldn’t like the structure, but she loved it. Also, the coaches weren’t British. I think they were eastern European. S was so quiet, when we got there, the coach (in her strong accent) asked me if S’s English was ok? Knowing S, her early speech and endless chatter, I find it terribly funny.

Today we had our first play date. It was with a family from S's school. It was a great morning. The mom is someone that has really been a great help to me. Very kind and thoughtful. Her 3 boys are a joy. They all played so nicely. S and A (the son from S’s class) were so sad at the end. They decided they wanted to have a sleepover. Hmmm. I don’t think so….

Adding to my good mood, I think we found a sitter (a daughter of a co worker of VW, we met her and she was great with the kids one evening at their house when we first arrived.) We are working on joining a health club and have finally gotten a desk. We are so close to being settled in the house. It takes so much longer then you would think to settle in between the kids, the stores, not having a car (before) and just buying everything from silverware to beds to waste baskets. Heck, just explaining what a waste basket is-a bin.

I have finally given in and have been hanging most of our laundry out to dry. It just never really dries in the dryer. VW calls it the wrinkle machine. It doesn’t seem to dry the clothes, just wrinkle them. I don’t know what I will do in the winter (or the 5 days a week it rains.) I have hung a small line in the house, but will need to get several more to hang in the bathroom on laundry days. It isn’t really that bad, it just takes longer.

This weekend I hope to stay home and catch up around the house.

Well, more later. I have several pictures to post as soon as I get the chance. For now you can check out the car ride and house pictures.

Pictures of Our House

Playroom/Office (should be a formal dinning room)
Eat in Kitchen
Living room
Our Bedroom
S’s room
X’s room
Guest room (ready and waiting)
Bathrooms




We still have blinds and curtains to hang. I want to get some art work. We still have a lot of decorating we would like to do, but we have come a long way from empty white rooms.

Father’s Day Present

VW got to drive a Lamborgini for his father’s day present. I had a ride with a driver in a Lotus. Cool.

And We Thought Summer was Short in MN

(July 23rd) I was in the garden (yard for you yanks) yesterday, and saw this tree changing color already.

The weather here feels like endless spring in MN. It is pleasant, but rarely gets warm or to “swim” weather. It gets cloudy or raining in an instant and can clear just as quickly, several times in a day sometimes. One day when S was in school, I looked out and saw the warm sun, so I changed to shorts for our walk to pick her up. Then 20 minutes later as I walked to the bus, it started to rain and blow and then hail! It was a complete down pour. I wrapped my jacket around X and stood in my T-shirt and shorts. X kept yelling ouch. Poor baby.