Spell Me That

Okay, I have given in to a lot of things here. I understand the differences in spelling. I have no problem with flavour, neighbour, colour and all of the rest of those our words. I've even given up on the grey/gray issue. I did have a child at church tell me that my crayola marker had spelled the color/colour wrong. I am also constantly printing out things that the British children correct when they read it but such is life. My Word is the US version and I refuse to have red squiggly lines under half my page to appease a 9 year old. You should have seen it when a friends printer wasn't working and she emailed me a lesson plan - my computer didn't know what to do with half the words. I can get over all of this but please can some explain to my why the word tire is spelled TYRE here? How does this make sense at all? Maybe they are trying to lessen the confusion on being tired and needing some new tires?

Thursday Thirteen #4

#4 Thirteen Things I've Never Done I Never: 1. Went to kindergarten -my mom just wasn't ready for me to go to school. Essentially I was homeschooled and went straight to first grade the next year. 2. Went in to labor alone - I was induced all 3 times - 10 days over, 10 days under, and the last one right on the day. 3. Had a baby under 8lb 4oz - 2 were 8lb 4oz and the last was 8 1/2. 4. Been to New York 5. Been to Disneyworld 6. Been east of Illinois - okay so this is the reason for the last two - better stop now. 7. Had braces - my parents lucked out and neither my brother or myself needed them. 8. Waxed my legs - I can't be patient enough to let those little hairs grow out enough to be waxed. 9. Taken a cruise - but this is on my list of things I want to do. 10. Met my nephews brother. He's 8 but we've managed to never cross paths. 11. Called my mother in law by ANYTHING – even her real name. Somehow she usually figures out I'm talking to her though. 12. Weighed as much as I do now without being pregnant. 13. Smoked a cigarette

The Real Thing

So, I have this addiction and it's been going on for a long time. I keep trying to quit but I just can't seem to do it. When I was in highschool I started off every morning with a Coke and a Snickers bar. While I can hardly eat a Snickers these days - and no way am I having one with a Coke - I have not been able to drop the drink.

When I went away to college there was no Coke in the vending machine. Well, maybe there was a caffeine free Coke, but let's get serious here! I know I didn't buy a lot of Coke while in my freshman year but I do recall calling up a local sandwich shop that made deliveries at no minimum order fee and having an ice cold fountain Coke delivered right to my door. Now that is customer service.

I always cut back on the Coke drinking while pregnant, even though I did have people joke that my kids would be born with the shakes from caffeine withdrawl. While I was breast feeding my daughter I rarely had one as well - I drank a lot of water. This is when I came up with my label "social drinker". I didn't buy Coke to have at home but I certainly wouldn't pass one up at a party. LOL I'm currently at this stage again - or trying to be anyway. The problem with this is I'm also a Coke snob. Since moving to England I have become aware that not all Coke is created equal. I can NOT drink British Coke. It is made with sugar, good old American Coke is made with corn syrup. This makes British Coke actually taste more like Pepsi and I do NOT drink Pepsi. I also do not drink Coke out of a bottle unless there is absolutely no other option. In the convenience store I pop in to now and then they have American Coke in a 12 pack or British Coke in a bottle. NO WAY! That means if I want a Coke I buy an entire 12 pack. And then I'm back to drinking way too much of it. What a vicious cycle.

So, today begins a new day. Well, not really as it is already 12:28 but hey, I can only do some much. Anyway, I have decided as of 12:30 today I will not buy anymore Coke. I need to quit. I need to drop at least 10 pounds, 20 would be awesome. I can NOT do this drinking Coke. Let's see how long this lasts.

I'll think about it

Apparantly I must say this a lot in our little home. Yesterday Jordan was outside playing with some neighborhood friends and came in to ask me something. My response to her was "I'll think about it." She then went outside and I heard her say "She said NO, I told you she was going to say no!" I totally didn't say NO I said I was going to think about it. Crap, I think these kids have broken my code!

***Today we finally had sports day! It rained at the beginning but cleared up quickly. I refused to bring my umbrella - pretty sure that holding it would have given the rain a complete invitation to pour down. My superstition held out - and even though every other mom had an umbrella it did not pour. Jordan came 3rd in the jump rope race that she practiced so hard for and 1st in the egg on a spoon race. Woohoo her egg didn't fall off the spoon once!

What are you wearing?

Me? I'm wearing:
A long sleeve brown Old Navy T.
Old Navy boot cut just below the waist jeans.
Brown boots.

Of course, because it is June 25th, 55 degrees and rainy!!!!!!!!!

Remind me of this post next year when we are back in Tucson and I'm complaining that it is 106.

Didn't Your Mother Teach You?

Didn't your mother teach you it isn't polite to tell secrets in front of other people. Don't you ever think that it is rude that while we are at dinner you lean over to your husband and whisper in his ear? Does it occur to you that while we are out at school events it is rude that in the middle of a conversation you turn to your wife and whisper something in her ear? Which one of you came to this relationship like this? Which one of your mother's didn't teach you how rude that was? And then, why has the other one picked up on this bad habit and let it continue? I am always in awe that it just doesn't phase you. That you think somehow this is acceptable. I'm sure you aren't whispering sweet nothings in eachother's ears. I'm never quite sure WHAT you're whispering about but I'm always sure that it is something that should either be said out loud or kept until the two of you are in private. It's been 3 years I've been putting up with the whispering. It is one thing about you I won't miss when you leave this summer!

You Lookin' at Me

I stole this from MamaLee - I'm not blond at the moment but I have been in the past. LOL

You Lookin' at Me?

1. Are you taller than your mom?
We re both 5'1" however my legs are a bit longer. Who knew until we both tried on the same pair of capris and hers were longer.

2. What color is your car?
Burgandy

3. What is the closest thing to you that is red?
A Thornton's chocolate tin.

4. What is your ringtone?
Couldn't tell you - just your average ring. LOL

5. Are you sick?
No, but I have a child that is - he went upstairs and put himself to bed almost 2 hours ago - it's 7:15.

6. What color is your favorite pillow?
It's my select comfort pillow that I sleep with - currently I believe it is a light seafoam green with a flower print.

7.What is your favorite video game?
I don't play video games - but I am a Pogo addict.

8. Had a nap today?
Yes, I did. I can only stay awake during High School Musical so many times.

9. Gold or Silver?
Gold!

10.Is there an animal that creeps you out?
Not that I can think of.

11.Who was the last person you rode an elevator with?
I'm sure it was my children - probably in the ski resort we stayed in back in February.

12. Did you go iceskating as a kid?
I went once - in the same rink that Tonja Harding trained in. LOL

13. Ever have stitches?
I had knee surgery when I was 12.

14. Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Coke.

15. How long ago did you kiss someone?
A few hours ago - my dd loves kisses.

16. What's something you want to do before you die?
Take a cruise. LOL

17. Have you ever caught something on fire?
In highschool a friend and I were going for a walk and SHE was flipping matches as we walked. I turned around and this bush in the yard we had walked by was on fire. Yes, a burning bush. We kept walking. On our way back we passed the crispy black bush that was still being soaked by a garden hose.

18. Have you ever seen a ghost?
No!

19.Have you ever seen the northern lights?
No. We are pretty far north here and I guess there is a bit of a glow some evenings but NOT the fantastic displays I've seen pictures of.

20. Do you know how to use chop sticks?
Yes!

21. Name something good that happened today.
Jordan made friends with 2 little girls in the neighborhood that just moved in. Before this there were all boys - or the 12 year old across the street. Hooray!

22. What room are you in?
Dining room.

23. Are you worried about something you can't control?
No - worrying is my husbands job.

24. Do you take daily medications?
Nope!

25. Ever been in a fight?
Yes, in highschool. She pushed me and fortunately my friends were behind me so I didn't fall on my ass. I did not retaliate physically - aside from the fact she was WAY bigger than me she was pregnant and I was not going to fight with a pregnant girl.

26. Are you wearing nailpolish?
I was until this morning - the "no chip" clear coat I put on was a lie.

27. Favorite color?
Green

28. Innie or Outie?
Innie

29. Ever used a Ouija board?
Nope - I believe I even left a friends house and walked home when they all decided to play and I was outvoted.

30. Sweet or Sour?
Sweet.

31. Sun or Moon?
Sun.

32. What shoes did you wear today?
A pair of brown Eastland sandles.

33. Favorite eye color of the opposite sex?
Blue.

34. Most important quality in any relationship?
Trust - MommaLee put this in hers as well but seriously I can't think of anything more important.

35. Favorite zombie movie?
I used to love Nightmare on Elm Street movies - he's not a zombie though.

36. Time of day you were born?
7:37 pm

37. Do you know your blood type?
It's either A or B lol

38. What would you spend 5000 dollars on right now if you were handed it?
I would pay off some bills that we have - securing that someday I just might get that new car I want.

39. Name something annoying in public transit?
That they stop right in the middle of the road to drop people off.

40. Did you grow up in the city or country?
City.

41. Would you ever consider going on a reality tv show if offered a large sum of money?
Yes, I had a dream I was on survivor once but I got voted off because my husband kept showing up asking about things for the kids.

42. Have you flown in your dreams?
Not that I can recall.

43. Hugs or kisses?
Depends on who it is.

44. You have 10 dollars to spend in the dollar store..what do you get?
Absolutely nothing. I wander around for 20 minutes and look at all sorts of stuff and decide I can do without any of that and WHY do people shop here anyway?

45. Slurpee flavor?
They used to have this banana flavored slurpee - that was yummy. Other than that regular cherry is fine.

Tag - anyone who is looking for something to do.

And The Medal Goes To.....

Yesterday was sports day at school for the boys. *Jordan's is today. It was a great day. I have one very athletic boy and one, not so much. Jackson loves competing, he loves sports, he just enjoys being outside. Jared would prefer to sit on the couch and watch Sponge Bob. They had a series of events and since they are in seperate grades it kept me busy running from one end of the field to the other. Jackson did great. He had one melt down when he stopped short in the hurdles race - he was ahead even. I did hear them being VERY specific as to where the finish line was after that. He received a first place in the nerf javelin throw at 18.5 meters, 2nd place in the long jump, 3rd in the 75 meter and another 2nd place but I couldn't tell you in what. He also came in as a VERY close 4th place 150meter runner.

Jared, on the other hand, just participated. He is a good kid and doesn't seem at all bothered that he didn't place in anything. He was quite happy with the 5 "I'm a good sport" stickers he recieved to decorate his hat. He IS a good sport. Not once did he complain about any of it. He finished every race and event and I'm very proud of him. When they did the hurdles I was dying though. Seriously, these are small hurdles, just a tiny jump over them. Then Jared gets up there and MAN my kid is short. They looked like proper hurdles for him - he had to really get a good momentum going just to leap over them. He did just fine though.

When the events finished we had a closing ceremony. Points were awarded to each house - yep just like in Harry Potter. Each time someone wins or places in an event those points go towards the house points. My boys are in Rutland and they came in 2nd! They also award overall athletes. It always amazes me when you see one child stand up covered in first place ribbons. Oh how it would be to be good at EVERYTHING. LOL The headteacher gave this speech about how they are all winners and we giggled in the back about how American that is. Of course I whisper to my friend that if they were all winners Jared wouldn't be covered in "I'm a good sport" stickers. LOL I'm a horrible mom, it's true.

Then the headmistress tells all the children they can go home with their parents. Oh wait, if you need to take the bus home stand up, also those going to afterschool care. LMAO She seriously should have just said "so for those of you who have parents who didn't show up to support you could you all stand up so we can see who you are!"

The best part of the day was when I got the boys together and Jackson took some real interest in Jared and his "I'm a good sport" stickers. He could have gone on and on about the events he placed in - instead he focused on his little brother and told him that he must have done really well to get so many stickers. How this happened when they come from such a sarcastic mother I don't know -but hooray for them!!

I'm off now - have to watch Jordan skip rope. She's been practicing for days so I hope she does well.

*Sports Day has been cancelled - DARN RAIN!!! We'll try again next Tuesday.

Thursday Thirteen #3

#3 First Thirteen Songs on my Ipod There is pretty much ONE radio station where I live so I have to have all sorts of music on my Ipod. This way I can satisify whatever musical mood I'm in. 1. (Who Says) You Can't Have it All - Alan Jackson 2. ...Baby One More Time - Britney Spears 3. 2112 - Rush 4. 99 - Toto 5. A Bad Goodbye - Clint Black with Wynona Judd 6. A Better Man - Clint Black 7. A Change Would Do You Good - Sheryl Crow 8. A Face in the Crowd - Tom Petty 9. A Fire I Can't Put Out - George Strait 10. A Friend in California - Merle Haggard 11. A Hard Day's Night - The Beatles 12. A Little Too Late - Toby Keith 13. A Matter of Trust - Billy Joel Who do you listen to?

Third Times A Charm?

I have dinner plans tonight. Sounds like fun doesn't it? Haha, if only. This particular group of women I know from church. Over two years ago I was invited to one of their girl's nights out. I had a nice time - it was obvious this was a once a month thing - I was never invited again. Okay, I'm busy enough anyway so no big deal.

Fast forward to last October. I have another friend from church who is also friends with this group. (I am the Primary President - we'll save that laugh for another post - so I don't have much interaction with a lot of the women at church on a weekly basis. For those who don't know what that means - I run "kids church".) So, she is invited to join their group. She calls me and gives me the details. We both show up. We wait, we wait, we finally give up and get a table for 2 and eat. Nobody else ever came. Turns out they changed plans when one of them got sick and they forgot to call us.

Now here we are with dinner plans once again. I am invited because it is my friends birthday and I guess they're making an exception and letting me come. The funny thing is I was told where we were eating on Sunday, then received another phone call Sunday afternoon to change the location. THEN yesterday my friend says "no we're not going there we're back to the first place." It seriously wouldn't surprise me if the two of us end up eating dinner alone again. The good thing is I know she'll be there because I'm giving her a ride. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Excuse You!

Seriously dude - we all heard it. Did you think you could just stand there looking at the dvd's and let one RIP and that nobody would notice? And then you walk around the store telling every employee you see that you are still waiting for your big screen tv to come back. Seriously - they will call you when it gets back. Maybe if you quit passing gas in their store they would be more helpful.

Scattergories Meme

I got this from LeeAnn
Guidelines:

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following categories. They should be real places, names, things.nothing made up! If you can’t think of anything, google it.


Copy and Paste to answer in your blog - let me know if you do this one!

Your Name: Sandy


Famous singer: Sheryl Crow -I had to look on my Ipod because I went blank

4 letter word: slut!

Street name: Sandy Boulevard -I used to love this street when I was a kid

Color: Sky Blue

Gifts/presents: Scented candles -the ever popular: I don't know what to buy you so I got you this candle

Vehicle: Sienna - someday I will get the minivan of my dreams lol

Things in a Souvenir Shop: souvenirs? wait that's cheating. Shirts, yes shirts.

Boy Name: Stewart - hmm this seems a bit familiar

Girl Name: Sidney - my new little cousin's name

Movie Title: So, I married an axe murderer - I love this movie, I should watch it today and eat bonbons. LOL

Drink: Sprite - boring

Occupation: stunt driver - I could see my 9yo doing this when he grows up.

Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom - it's the state flower of Arizona ya know!

Celebrity: Steve Martin - I'm a wild and craaazy guy

Magazine: Sports Illustrated - no we don't get this one. We get Spectrum - it's an engineering mag. lol

U.S. City: Salem - I was born there!

Pro Sports Teams: Seattle Super Sonics - that's 3 points right?

Something found in a Kitchen: Spatula - spatula city we sell spatulas and that's all! (little ode to Weird Al - blame it on my kids)

Reason for being late for work: Slipped on a banana - you thought I was going to say sick didn't you?

Something you throw away: Sippy cups - if you found what I did in them you would too!

Things you shout: SHUT UP! - okay I don't actually but I sure feel like it sometimes.

Cartoon Character: Sponge Bog Square Pants


Anyone else wanna play?

Listen, Can You Hear It?

Walking the kids up to school today I overhear the little girl in front of me say "Mummy, do you hear Jordan, she doesn't sound like an American anymore." And it is true. My daughter rarely sounds like an American. The mom asked me if it bothered me at all and I told her it only does every now and then. We went through the entire Easter holiday reinforcing that YES there is an R at the end of that word.

Jordan, "When is the Easta bunny coming?"
Mom, "When is WHO coming?"
Jordan, "The EASTER bunny."

She has also taken to adding R's places they don't belong. I will never understand this accent. Ends with A add an r. Ends with R-take it off. We were in the car the other day and Jared was reading. Having a bit of trouble with a word until he realized it was cinema. Jordan loudly pipes up, "No Jared, it's CINEMER!"

The News

Rain, rain go away

What is today's date? June 15th. In most places this would mean summer weather. I think we had summer here 2 weeks ago and that was it. It has rained for 3 days straight now. And contrary to popular belief it doesn't rain in England ALL THE TIME. And it certainly doesn't rain continuously for 3 days.

So, I wake up this morning and yep it's raining. The cat NEEDS to go out but is refusing to go. She's not that dumb. We don't have a litter box so, sucks to be her, out she goes. When I finally let her back in and nicely dried her with a towel she loudly voiced her displeasure. I've never had a cat talk as much as she does. She's a good cat though.

Okay, then off to take the monsters to school. The roads are full of water on the sides. The local pub has the fire department there pumping water out of the basement. Things aren't looking good. Most of the roads I take are uphill which just means I have to get through the lower part of the village and then it's all free and clear. To emphasis what I mean about England not getting continuous rain - in the village I drive through a man hole cover was completely popped up and sideways as water had flooded the entire area. Poor little sheep were stuck on little islands as the fields are filling with water. England gets rain - but they aren't prepared for RAIN.

I have no problems getting the children to school. Upon arrival word is a friend of ours is stranded. His car engine died on him and he's stuck at his car. Someone took his children and gave them a ride to school but he was still at his car - if someone could go back and give him a hand. Okay, so I drive this way anyway so I say I'll go get Mike. I still can't figure out why I didn't notice him on the road on my way but maybe he was behind me? I drive all the way out - no Mike. Realize they meant the other road in to the village so I go around. TOTALLY FLOODED. I backtrack around to the other side to try that direction. TOTALLY FLOODED. At this point he's on his own. If the man can be that stupid to drive his BMW through a small river and then NOT hitch a ride out with his children there isn't much more I can do for him. Honestly! Had he gotten in to the car his children hitched a ride in he could have come up to the school. He could have made phone calls AND he could have then gotten a ride the rest of the way to work, a whole 2 minutes from the school. MEN!!

Now I have to go turn the heat on. It's cold in here today!

Thursday Thirteen #2

#2 Thirteen Things In My Handbag I've seen this one done asking what's in your purse but I had to wonder if I actually HAD 13 things in my handbag. I was in luck. 1. Wallet - it is difficult to find one small enough to fit in this purse yet large enough to hold 2 sets of currency. 2. Cell phone - yes, it's pink. I saw it at the carphone warehouse and that was that. I know it's a bit outdated now but I've never been the one to have the top of the line mobile. 3. Car keys - I have a key to my car, my house, and my bowling locker. No, I do not have a key to my husbands car. 4. Church keys - if I could only have a calling/job at church that didn't require me to have keys. 5. Receipts - My husband is the Quicken King - he is also anal retentive so yes, every receipt gets handed in and entered in to the computer. At least I don't need to get a purchase order prior to my shopping. 6. Inhaler - Any parent of a child with asthma should have the same in their bag. 7. Mini Twix - You never know when you'll need a bit of chocolate. 8. Bank Card - for some reason this was in the side pocket instead of my wallet - no clue as to why but it worked for giving me 13 things. 9. Ipod - My cell phone is pink, my Ipod is green - I didn't want to turn in to my mother in law who has to have everything matching. All colors deserve equal time. 10. Hair clip - My daughter is always in need of something to clip the hair out of her face. 11. Tissues - I've had a mix of allergies and a cold lately. 12. Pen - That is a Napolean Dynomite pen to be exact! On the side it says "There's a whole lot more where that came from..." 13. Lipstick - I don't even WEAR lipstick but it's in there. It's even a decent shade and brand - none of that cheap stuff. My mother drilled it in my head that I should always carry lipstick - guess that was more important then telling me I should wear it? It's in the box because I've found it deters little fingers from twisting the entire tube of lipstick in to the lid. --I do notice a small piece of gum wrapper in the picture as well but that doesn't count as a whole #14 does it?

Rain & Shine

So, I was off to the summer concert yesterday at the kid's school. Of course being England it decided to be a bit rainy. It has been beautiful outside for at least a week but with a planned activity outdoors this calls for one thing - rain. It didn't actually downpour - more of what J5 refers to as "spitting rain". So, there goes our outdoor summer concert. We are then packed in to the tiny gym in the school. It's humid and packed full - what better place to cheer your child on.

My pictures are horrible - this comes from being at the very back of the room. But what can I say - I was picking up some last minute picnic items and then had a desperate need for a coke with ice from Burger King. I mean seriously, priorities ya know!!

Okay back to the summer concert. After my rush to get there and then the beginning of the rain I stand in the back. I look at the program and of course my little one is LAST. I have to sit through the nursery children putting on a WAY TOO LONG performance. The program says they will do 3 numbers - first 2 were poems/group readings. Then a little song. LIARS - it was not 1 little song it was 15 minutes of watching preschoolers dance around singing about earthworms and dirt. (The theme of the summer concert was "An English Country Garden") Fine if it is your preschooler, but since it wasn't there I stood in the hot, humid gym wondering how much longer this would go on. Then we get a short performance from the year 2s, then the year 1s and finally to J5. Of course she does a fantastic job.

Since this is a schoolwide concert out go the pre-preps (Nursery-Year 2) and in comes Prep. I would have enjoyed it more had my children performed something new but they repeated performances/readings that we had all seen before at the drama festival in February. Oh well! J9 did sing a few new songs in choir. One was Heat Wave - just what we need right? They were set to sing "Singing in the Rain" but decided not to tempt fate seeing it had stopped raining and we were still planning a picnic on the lawns after the concert. After the choir concert I grabbed the children and ducked out before we got stuck listening to the orchestra and small ensembles. Having been in the gym for almost 2 hours already it was time for some fresh air.

We gathered all of our things from the car and spread out our tarp and blanket for a picnic. A friend had given us both the tarp and blanket when she went back to the states and I was confused about the tarp until our first picnic experience when I realized how wet the ground can be after sitting on it for a few minutes. And yes, I should probably invest in a proper picnic blanket. We sat on the outskirts, joined by two other American families. I wonder if they realize we are excluded or if they just think we are exclusive? In all it was a nice afternoon.
J5 - the girl in the center/front

J7 all the way to the right

J9 also all the way on the right

Summer & Music

Off to the summer concert at the kid's school. I promise to return with pictures - and a happier attitude then yesterday.

Doors

So, I wonder if the saying is a little backwards. Maybe it isn't "when one door closes another one opens." I'm thinking in my life today it is more of "when one door opens it isn't that bad when the other door closes." Oh hell, forget it. It is bad. I just lost a group of friends. I would like to think my blogging might replace that group of online friends but that door closed swiftly and this door is slowly edging open.

It is almost odd to me that I am so invested in a group of people whom I have never met in real life. I belonged to the group for at least 2 years and I've stuck it out through some knock down drag out fights. I've never once left the group. Other people would act as if the group had a revolving door. Shout their displeasure, be gone for two weeks and come back. I've always been annoyed at them for that. Take a stand and stick with it. That is why I have never left. I have never been that invested in any argument to know I couldn't resolve it and happily stay a member. I have now left though and in doing so I have also left behind many friends that I will miss. In the commotion of things I'm sure I lost a friend that I've known since before I even got pg with my 7 year old - she is the one friend I have met in real life. That's a lot of history. That's a lot of sadness. And for the record I am completely devestated.

You may wonder why I chose to let it all out here. That's because I'm a closet computer user. I prefer my outside friends not to know that I spend my hours at home playing online games, chatting at online parenting sights, blogging, and shopping(this is legitimate though and I'll save that for another blog). I don't even share all of my online hobbies with my husband. He doesn't know I've started this blog. He knows I am in an online group - however this morning I didn't tell him I left it. I don't discuss my online friends with him - even though he has had the occasional meeting when them playing online games as well. I just enjoy having this piece of my life that is all mine - that I don't share.

Hay Fever

Ugh! You see that picture of those sheep over there? I took that picture. Those sheep live right down the street from my house. All of that green grass? THAT lives all over. What isn't regular grass in a field is hay. If you don't know - it is June and apparantly the perfect time for cutting down the hay and baling it!

I am miserable. My eyes are red and watery. My nose is running. My throat is dry. I am in allergy hell! I take some pill that the hubby swears by. Apparantly his idea of 24 hours and my idea are not the same. I took the pill at 9am. It is 4:19 pm - my eyes are watering and I'm about to sneeze. Maybe my math is off but I don't think that is 24 hours at all!!

Growing Up!

My baby is growing up. It is pretty funny to me that we have reached a lot of milestones in the past year but this one really brings it all home. She started school this year, somehow I survived taking my 3rd child to school and leaving her there for 7 hours everyday. In fact I almost celebrated it. She has also learned to read. She loves it and she's quite a good little reader. The other day she even learned how to tie her own shoes. Wonderful little milestones for a 5 year old.

So, what is it that has happened that just brings the fact that she is growing up to reality? THE TEETH! She turned 5 in February and here she is having lost both bottom teeth and adult teeth have already replaced them. And then she goes and loses the top tooth. While I still think she's dang cute I know what is to come. She no longer looks like a "little" girl. Those gigantic adult teeth are going to come in and then we enter the awkward stage. You know the look - teeth bigger then your whole head! The look that says "hey I'm not a baby anymore".

Hopefully being the first to lose your teeth in your whole entire school class will be it. I suppose this is better than being the first one to need a bra, right?

Thursday Thirteen

#1 Thirteen words I've had to learn since moving to England It's not just the driving on the wrong side of the road that I've had to adjust to since moving here!! 1. Rubbish - can't we just call it trash? 2. Bin - the place where we put our rubbish. It's all rubbish to me. 3. Tip - Okay I'm on a roll with the rubbish but this is what we would call a dump. Not so much a landfill because it is just a parking lot full of dumpsters that you put the appropriate rubbish in. 4. Skip - Oh wait they aren't dumpsters - yep you guessed it. 5. Car Park - Ah hah! It is a parking lot. 6. Ring, to give someone a ring - I would prefer to just say I'm going to call you. 7. Mobile - more calling is done here but we Americans prefer cell phone. 8. Childminder - this is what Mel does - she's an in home daycare provider. 9. Non Iron - this one infuriates me because it took me 5 minutes to explain to a woman at the outlet mall that yes in fact when I say wrinkle free it means that I want a NON IRON shirt. 10. Chips/Crisps - I'll put these two together. Chips are French Fries and Crisps are Chips......are we running in circles yet? 11. Jacket Potato - just your averaged baked potato, however they have no russett potatoes in all of England and this is hardly acceptable when your husband is from Idaho! 12. Plaster - It's a freaking band-aid people. It isn't even made of plaster so how does that even make sense? 13. Biscuit - a biscuit is a cookie, I'm not sure what they call a biscuit - in fact I don't think I've ever seen a proper biscuit since I've been here. And this concludes my Thursday 13 - we'll ignore the whole Mom/Mum thing because I've done that already. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Am I Only Dreaming?

Okay, so last night the hubby and I follow the regular routine. I complain enough that he finally gets off the computer. We watch a show or two on our tivo.....quickly running out of new entertainment and we're going to have to start purchasing new stuff on i-tunes if the new seasons here don't kick in soon. Oh but that is not my point at all. So, we watch a csi or 2 and then it's bedtime. It's been a bit warm here during the day and the house is just getting stuffy so come evening I'm opening up the upstairs windows to let some air through the house. It is nice and comfy and I drift off to sleep. MAYBE two hours later I hear this siren, of course it is the smoke detector. I shake the hubby and tell him the smoke detector went off. Of course it isn't going anymore but that doesn't seem to bother me. We both jump up and wander around the house, everything is in perfect order. No smoke, no fire, nothing. I get back in to bed and wonder for a moment if the dryer is on in the garage. Is there a fire somewhere we missed? Seriously though, if there was a fire in the garage that set off the upstairs smoke detector you would think we would have noticed. I convince myself there is no fire and go back to sleep. Of course now I'm sure I was caught in one of those 1/2 dream 1/2 awake moments and that the smoke detector probably never went off at all. The hubby hasn't mentioned it, perhaps he's busy looking up phone numbers to the nearest loony bin?

A-Z's of K-12

Apple Jacks or Captain Crunch with Crunch Berries? Um, where's the fruit loops option?

Band or choir? Band geek all the way - I played the flute.

Class ring? Only one I ever wore belonged to a boy.....

Ducks or Battleships? I guess Battleship even though I sucked at it and my brother won everytime.

Earning money? Started my first job at Souplantation the day after my 16th birthday.

Favorite teacher? Couldn't say - mostly the ones that inspired me only did so because I decided I could do a better job of it and that's why I decided to become a teacher.

Go back and do over? Some of it, yep!! For the most part glad it is all over.

Home Economics? I was a member of FHA. Guessed it yet? Future Homemakers of America. I never did show up for that yearbook picture though.

Indoor recess? P.E.? I have a bad knee and always managed to get that note that excused me from PE.

Jacks or jump rope? Cinderella dressed in yella went up stairs to kiss a fella. Jump rope ruled!

Kickball or dodge ball? Kickball - less likely to get hit by the ball there.

Lunchbox? If you consider a brown paper sack a lunchbox then, YES.

Musical? I was in the band and the one highschool musical we did do I was in the pit. It was a lame little musical called "Rock On"

Number of school districts? 2 - 1 for elementary school then we moved from Oregon to California and finished my school there.

Orange or apple? Granny Smith is my all time fave - now if you have a bit of caramel dip........

Playground equipment? Monkey bars.

Quiz team or debate team? Quiz team would have been more my speed but I don't know if my school offered either of them.

Spring break? Two other girls and I went to San Francisco for the weekend once when the highschool basketball team made State - was a great excuse to go have fun!!

Team sports? Kind of hard when you're in the marching band - but I did letter......in band.

Unfullfilled dream? I should have kissed my prom date!!

Valuable? I think education is.

Walk or bus? I walked the majority of the time. Only took the bus for my 7th grade year. Living close to the school is definitely better! Then I got a car and that was the end of that. Wait I never walked home in highschool I always found "some boy" to give me a ride home.

X Country or basketball? Did I mention the bad knee and band? My brother ran X Country but if I were to pick a favorite to watch it would be basketball - my 9 year old plays and he's got some great potential!

Year? 1991

ZZZs? I don't remember every falling asleep in class. The whole drooling phobia or the red mark on the forehead.....not something I ever wanted to try to live down.

Okay, anyone else want to play along?