Thursday Thirteen #22

#22 Thirteen Concerts I've Been To 1. The Osmonds Back when I was a kid at the Oregon State Fair. One of the Osmonds actually came into the audience and kissed my friend. 2. David Bowie My first "real" concert. I was 16. 3. James Taylor I've seen him more than once - as the list shows. 4. The Jetts When I was at Ricks (BYU-Idaho) they came to give a concert. Students rushed the stage and they had to stop the concert for 10 minutes. No, I didn't join in - I sat and laughed. 5. Stevie Nicks Got these tickets for free because a friend at a record store had them - none of the employees wanted to go. It was a great concert. 6. Phish Actually this was a whole day concert Phish was the only band that actually became something. 7. Reba McEntire I went with my friend Becky in Salt Lake and she cried when Reba came out onstage. 8. Yes My husband is a huge Yes fan. We sat in the 3rd row. 9. Sawyer Brown My husband won 2 tickets when I put his name in the drawing box for free tickets at my work. I went with my friend Cricket. This unknown guy opened for Sawyer Brown - it was Toby Keith. 10. James Taylor I went with Cricket to see JT up at wolf mountain. I don't know who thought it would be a good idea to have concerts on a ski slope. Our sleeping bag padding kept slipping down the slope. 11. The Gin Blossoms This is cheating because they actually opened for #12 so it's just 1 concert disguised as 2. 12. Hootie and the Blowfish This is my brush with fame. We got backstage passes and ended up going over to the casino with the band and watching them play black jack. There is more to the story but we'll save that for another day. 13. Lt. Dan Band They came here with the USO so we saw them up on the base. I danced up on the stage during one of the songs and my daughter fell asleep on the floor. Guess it wasn't for everyone.

Thursday Thirteen #21

#21 Thirteen Things to be Thankful For An obvious choice since today is Thanksgiving. 1. My husband. He works hard and provides for us and all that stuff. 2. My kids. They keep me on my toes. 3. Living in England. I might complain about it a lot but it is really a once in a lifetime experience. 4. My parents. They support us in all that we do. 5. My in-laws. They drive me insane but when the chips are really down you can count on them. 6. My friends. There are those few people that even when months and months pass by you know if you call them things just fall back in to place. 7. That it isn't raining today. Woke up to a beautiful morning with blue skies. 8. My washer and dryer. We brought our American washer/dryer with us and it has been a life saver. The tiny washer/dryer in the kitchen that came with the house is dead but when it was working I could do 4 loads washed and dried in my washer before it finished one. 9. Music. I can't sing but I love music. All types - I rarely get in the car without turning the radio on. 10. Listening to my kids read. This morning I didn't have the radio on I was listening to Jared read some adventure book with magical unicorns and gnomes. 11. Listening to my kids play and talk together. They all 3 get along really well for the most part and I just love listening to their conversations - for the most part until they get loud and I just can't take it anymore. 12. Jared's laugh. My kids all have great laughs but Jared's is just crazy. 13. The internet. I have made a lot of friends online and it is nice to know that whatever time zone I'm in I can still make connections through chat, blog or email.

Thursday Thirteen #20

#20 Thirteen Christmas Wishes 13 Things My Daughter Put on Her Wishlist! Jordan spent the other day writing her Christmas wish list. She then drew several pictures and made an envelope - handed it to me and said "here we need to mail my order to Santa!" We'll see how many of these Santa actually gets her. I'll translate her "order" for those of you that can't decipher 5 year old writing. 1. Disney Princess cooker 2. Gameboy 3. Gamboy Games 4. Guitar 5. Violin 6. Polly Pockets 7. Barbies 8. A new Ipod (she doesn't actually have an Ipod - she has a disney mix clip) 9. PSP - pink I think she actually means a DS 10. Radio 11. Webkinz 12. Unicorn (or maybe this was one thing a webkinz unicorn? I better ask.) 13. PSP for Jared that is blue. (Hmm maybe I should read her Tuesday's post so she will remember this is the brother that told Santa Claus she hadn't been good?? And I'm sure they mean DS on this one as well.)

Thursday Thirteen #19

#19 Thirteen Innappropriate Computer Uses 13 Innappropriate Uses For The Internet At My New Job! 1. Using Emoticons/Wallpaper/Screensavers. Apparantly these can give a nonprofessional look and could even be offensive to others. Okay - not everyone thinks my kids are as cute as I do so I won't turn them in to a screensaver. 2. Sending Personal E-mail. The work email is for WORK not for distributing jokes to our friends. My favorite part of this guideline is it says "sending out resumes" LOL guess finding another job is not work related. 3. Web Surfing. I wonder what I will do when the room is empty and all my paperwork is done? 4. Sending Chain Letters. Not something I normally do anyways so I think I can handle that. 5. Listening to Internet Radio. I guess this isn't very professional, could be offensive and takes up network bandwith. I don't normally listen to the radio on the computer anyways. 6. Using Instant Messengers. I guess this can open the computer up to hackers and also can reduce levels of productivity. 7. Chatting. Same as #6. 8. Playing Computer Games. This takes up too much bandwidth and once again reduces productivity. Guess I'll have to keep my Pogo at home. 9. Downloading Movies/Music. I guess this can open up the computer to viruses and all of that. Plus it uses up harddrive space and can decrease internet speed. 10. Storing Personal Data. Once again it uses storing your resume as an example. I'm wondering if there is an ongoing problem here of people looking for a new job?? 11. Generating Spam. Good thing I didn't put on my application that I once worked for a woman who did just that - she was a spammer. 12. Keeping Confidential Material Confidential. Probably why I can't send spam and all those personal emails using the things I have on the computer. 13. Destroying Equipment. Hmm so you think destroying the computer would be considered inappropriate use? Hey did anybody see anything about blogs in there? I didn't. LOL And for the record - this TT was completely composed at home.

Thursday Thirteen #16

#15 13 Random Facts. 1. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals. 2. In 2005, each person in the world consumed, on average, 77 beverages made by The Coca-Cola Company. (I'm sure I covered some of you if you didn't drink your designated 77) 3. White Out was invented by the mother of Mike Nesmith (Formerly of the Monkees). 4. Only humans sleep on their backs. (I've had several cats sleep on their backs so I don't know about this one!) 5. Swallowed gum is not digested by the gastrointestinal system, it usually passes through within 24 hours. (No Comment) 6. The first toilet ever seen on television was on "Leave It to Beaver." 7. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. (And here I've been drinking all that coke!) 8. The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. (This is when I realized I should have done 13 facts about Coke - maybe next time) 9. A giraffe has a 20-inch tongue. 10. "Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (What about: FINE! WHATEVER! - those are sentences right? I suppose the letter count is what's important here.) 11. A can of SPAM is opened every 4 seconds. (And how do they know this? Are people actually eating it or just opening it to look at?) 12. Every second over 7,000 Coca-Cola products are consumed. (I don't drink THAT much) 13. "Tom Sawyer" was the first novel written on a typewriter. (I am sure this would be worse then writing it by hand - I learned to type on a typewriter but haven't used one in years.)

Thursday Thirteen #15

#15 13 Places that I Shop Online. Since living in England I have had to give up a lot of my favorite places to eat and shop. However, I've also done my share of online shopping. The downside is ordering things and not having them fit or look like you wanted them too. The upside is when it comes to Christmas shopping I get what I'm looking for and that's that - and if I order in good time it's all here and done early. 1. Eddie Bauer When I talk aobut things not fitting right this most often happens here though - while I have to pay shipping on returns it's still an easy process. 2. Old Navy I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of person so this works for me. And I know that their clothes fit my children so that's a bonus. 3. The Gap I'm not a regular here but they will ship to me so that's good to know. 4. The Children's Place I don't often shop here as it's hard for me to tell from their pictures if the clothing is REALLY bright or not. I'm expecting a few things for Jordan any day now though. 5. JC Penney For all of our normal housewares. Of course when I needed mini blinds for the entire house they wouldn't ship them so I got those from Domestications. 6. Walmart Don't be taken in by their lower prices - their shipping usually makes it equal or more to other sites. They are also weird about shipping some electronics. I know a girl who ordered all her Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving and nothing came until January. Luckily I've never had that issue. 7. Target Actually I've only used this for sending things to people still IN the states. Target is notorious for letting me fill up my cart and then at the end telling me they won't ship 1/2 the stuff to my APO. 8. Best Buy All those electronics Walmart won't ship? Best Buy will! 9. Toys R Us Not sure if we've shopped there since they went from Amazon to just their own shop but I never had any complaints. 10. drugstore.com Great site - keeps a list of things you frequently purchase and we got our new sonic toothbrush here MUCH cheaper than anywhere else. 11. Discovery Store They have all those techie toys my husband likes getting the kids. We once got a defective product and they shipped us a new one right away. 12. Tiger Direct For all of your computer needs. 13. Tire Rack Yes, we even buy car tires online. They come within a week - usually 2 tires taped together with a label stuck on them. I'll be glad when I can actually shop in person again. I should also clarify that we get paid in American dollars. There are plenty of places to shop on the economy but when it takes $2 to make 1pound you start realizing you're paying double for a lot of things and that's a bit rough on the pocketbook.

Thursday Thirteen #14

#14 Thirteen Things My Kids Have Said This Week 1. Jordan: I don't want to have a baby. I want to have children but I don't want a baby because you have to go to the hospital to get one and I don't like the hospital. (And the truth is she doesn't even REALLY know how babies are born) 2. Jared: That's okay - you can always get a baby from Panama like Curtis. 3. Jordan: What was daddy's name when he was a little boy? Stewart is a funny name for a little boy!! (I told her Jordan was a funny name for a girl and she didn't like that so much, lol) 4. Jordan: I would make you some soup, but I'm 5 so I can't. (It's definitely the thought that counts) 5. Jordan: Do not kiss me because it would be unhealthy. 6. Jordan: Boys it is time for bed! 7. Boys: Really? Did mom say? (I was 1/2 passed out sick on the couch and she was right it WAS bedtime - they actually all 3 went upstairs and brushed their teeth and went to bed - I should be sick more often) 8. Jackson: Pinch, poke, you owe me a sloke. (This is supposed to be coke) 9. Jordan: I know what a sloke is - well it's either a piece of really velvety clothes or what you ski or snowboard down. (Hmmm it's neither silk nor a slope but good try) 10. Jared: I don't need to learn how to cook - when I grow up I'm just going to go live with Grandma and she can cook for me. (Hey, at least I won't be burdened right?) 11. Jackson: I DID have homework but I didn't bring it home. (I hear this WAYYYYYYYYY to much) 12. Jared: Let's go to burger king for lunch and then we can go buy me a toy. (Um you stay home sick from school and think you're going to get lunch and toys??) 13. Jared: I know why the number 13 is unlucky. 13 is the start of the teenage years!

Thursday Thirteen #13

#13 Thirteen #1 Hits from the Year I was Born: 1973 1 "You're So Vain" Carly Simon Jan 6, 13 & 20 2 "Superstition" Stevie Wonder Jan 27 3 "Crocodile Rock" Elton John Feb 3, 10, 17 4 "Killing Me Softly with His Song" Roberta Flack Feb 24 March 3, 10, 17 & 31 5 "Love Train" The O'Jays March 24 - knocked Roberta out for a week. 6 "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" Vicki Lawrence April 7, 14 7 "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree" Dawn featuring Tony Orlando April 21, 28 May 5, 12 8 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Stevie Wonder May 19 9 "Frankenstein" The Edgar Winter Group May 26 10 "My Love" Paul McCartney and Wings June 2, 9, 16, 23 11 "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" George Harrison June 30th 12 "Will It Go Round in Circles" Billy Preston July 7, 14 13 "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" Jim Croce July 21, 28 I just can't stop with 13 so the other songs for the year were: "The Morning After" Maureen McGovern "Touch Me in the Morning" Diana Ross "Brother Louie" Stories "Let's Get It On" Marvin Gaye "Delta Dawn" Helen Reddy "We're an American Band" Grand Funk "Half-Breed" Cher "Angie" The Rolling Stones "Midnight Train to Georgia" Gladys Knight & the Pips "Keep on Truckin' (Part 1)" Eddie Kendricks "Photograph" Ringo Starr "Top of the World" Carpenters "The Most Beautiful Girl" Charlie Rich "Time in a Bottle" Jim Croce

Thursday Thirteen #12

#12 Thirteen Boyfriends I forgot it was Thursday so this is what I came up with for a quick TT - 13 Boyfriends I Have Had. 1. John G. He was my boyfriend in the 1st grade. He brought me red licorice in his packed lunch even though he liked black. He also saved me a seat by the teacher at the lunch table. 2. Joe D. He was my boyfriend in the 5th grade. He broke up with me in a note saying I was immature - hmmm I was 10. I still have the note. 3. Brian T. 6th grade. I met him on the bus for our school trip to Expo 86 in Canada. He could raise one eyebrow - I spent hours perfecting this talent. 4. Shawn F. 8th grade. We sat next to each other in math and he was my neighbor. When I found out he smoked I broke up with him. 5. Dustin D. 8th grade. He gave me a pair of earrings for Christmas and I broke up with him - that's just way too much commitment. 6. Tyrone J. 9th grade. Let's just say my parents were a bit surprised at this pairing. 7. Joe Z. 9th grade. I still have friends that don't know that we went out. I was the "other woman" and I really didn't care. He was a senior and I didn't like his girlfriend so that's that. 8. Bryan C. 10th grade. We met at a church youth conference. I remember dancing with him to "Lady in Red" at one of the dances. He once told me that if he had a girlfriend that got fat he would break up with her. My mom ran in to him and his wife a few years ago and yep, you guessed it, they were both a bit on the heavy side. Karma I tell ya! 9. Todd M. Bryan's best friend. I think this was like the 90210 years - seriously I date you, you date my friend, I date your friend, we date again. 10. Mario C. 11th grade. The only boy I ever sent out on a mission. He went to Guatemala and the mail system there was not good. Once our letters started getting lost we quit writing. We did go out again after he came home. In fact I was at my parents during a college break looking for his sister's phone number to see when he would be home and my phone rang and it was him. One of those totally crazy moments. 11. Pete E. 11-12th grade. He was a Marine. I was 16. We finally broke up when I left for college. If I were to pick from the list which one of these would have been my "what if" he would be it. 12. Matt - the maintenance man. College. This was at the height of my flirting period. I actually yelled across the dorm courtyard to him to ask if he would open a jar of mayonnaise. He was from Kentucky and had a great drawl. He was 28 and I was 19 - that freaked me out so we ended it. 13. Stew - My hubby. He stalked me - I finally went out with him - the rest is history.

Thursday Thirteen #11

#11 Thirteen Songs About a Girl 1. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s. Tom Higgenson met Delilah and in a “line” said he had written a song about her. I guess he felt bad because then he actually did write the song but it took him a year. They never actually dated. 2. Layla – Eric Clapton/Derek and the Dominoes. This song was written for Pattie Boyd – George Harrison’s wife – this song worked – as she then divorced George and married Eric. 3. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass. 4. Mandy – Barry Manilow. When this song was first released in the UK it was also titled Brandy and it was a flop in the states. They reworked it and changed the girl’s name to Mandy and the rest is history. 5. Cecilia – Simon & Garfunkel. Possibly written about St. Cecilia the patron saint of music. I had a student named Cecilia and, of course, could not resist singing a bit of this song when I read her name on the roll the first day of class. She looked up and said “WHY DO ALL YOU TEACHERS KEEP SINGING THAT?” 6. Rosanna – Toto. This is about actress Rosanna Arquette. She was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time, but Porcaro didn't write it. It was written by Toto leader David Paich. He decided to write it about Arquette when he saw how supportive she was of Porcaro. Arquette often came by the studio and brought the band food. 7. Amanda – Boston. This was their only #1 hit. 8. Oh Sherrie – Steve Perry of Journey fame. He wrote this about his real life girlfriend Sherrie. 9. Gloria – Laura Branigan. This was originally an Italian pop song. 10. Help Me, Rhonda – The Beach Boys. 11. Donna – Richie Valens. If you’ve seen La Bamba you know the story behind this song. 12. Veronica – Elvis Costello. He wrote this with Paul McCartney – it sort of has that Eleanor Rigby feel to it. 13. Ruby – The Kaiser Chiefs. They didn’t write this song about anybody – but they say if you know someone with the name – it’s written for them. #14 is an added bonus because we can’t leave out Jenny (867-5309) – Tommy Tutone. This song is also not written about anybody – just something the song writer came up with sitting in his backyard.

Thursday Thirteen #9

#9 Thirteen Authors I Loved When I Was a Child I spent my childhood reading. I would read anything and everything that was given to me. Here is a list of some of my favorites. 1. John Steinbeck. The Red Pony, Of Mice and Men, The Pearl - these all came from my Dad. 2. Beverly Cleary. Ramona, The Mouse and the Motorcycle and many more. My grandmother introduced her books to me after meeting her at a conference for aspiring writers. 3. Judy Blume. Fudge, Superfudge, and the list goes on – I’ve read them all. 4. Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read all the Little House books. In fact I treasured the set myself I never loaned them out. You can tell by the looks of them they’ve been read over and over and I’m happy to say that was all my doing. 5. Peggy Parish. Amelia Bedelia 6. Agatha Christie. You name it I’m sure I’ve read it. We wore out the little nook in the corner of our library devoted to her novels when I was in the 5th grade. 7. William Golding. Lord of the Flies. Another book from my Dad. Did you know it actually can annoy your teachers at school that you have already read the book – SEVERAL TIMES? 8. Katherine Paterson. The Great Gilly Hopkins. I loved this book as a kid. 9. Frances Hodgson Burnett. The Secret Garden. We almost rented a house in England with a secret garden but in the end they decided to sell. 10. Noel Streatfield. Ballet Shoes and several other “shoes” books. It started with the Ballet Shoes though because I was once obsessed with books about Ballet. 11. Cynthia Voigt. Homecoming, Dicey’s Song, A Solitary Blue. 12. Francine Pascal. Sweet Valley High. These came out when I was 10. I have the original books – before the TV show. 13. CS Lewis. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia. These were my brother’s books. I remember having to bribe him to let me borrow them. Probably cost me 8 packs of hubba bubba – that would have been $2 worth of gum at the time – my whole weekly allowance. --I'm sure I'll have a few wondering why Anne of Green Gables is not on my list. I attempted reading one once and I was bored to tears.

Also - looks like I've finally made the TT blogroll - could someone tell me how to put one of those compact little blogrolls on here? lol

Thursday Thirteen #8

#8 Thirteen Places I had to eat at before returning to the UK I was just in the States for a month and won't be returning for at least 9 months. I had to make sure and eat at all my favorite places to tide me over for that time. 1. Wendy’s - This was the first place we went – straight for the Big Bacon Classic 2. Rubio’s Fish Tacos – I had this more than once. Mmmm the Pesky Combo. 3. Taco Bell – We made a few runs for the border as well. 4. Red Lobster – Couldn’t taste a thing as my mouth was still numb from the dentist. 5. Fazoli’s – Quick Italian food – good for when you’re hungry and can’t eat another Big Bacon Classic 6. Stuart Anderson’s – We always go here with my sister in law. It was yummy as usual. 7. Olive Garden – my niece works there so we took her with us and got the employee discount. 8. Applebee’s – we went here for lunch. My father in law wanted to go to Denny’s – I vetoed that. The oriental chicken wrap was way better than any lunch item at Denny’s. 9. Ihop – can’t leave all the good food for dinner. There wasn’t a single breakfast served with black pudding OR cooked tomato. 10. Claim Jumper – The food was great but our service sucked. Who brings a 10 year old a birthday dessert and then just walks away? We all waited for a song but they never came back. 11. Quizno’s – I was craving a turkey bacon guacamole for 4 days before I finally had one in Barstow. 12. Don Jose’s – our favorite Mexican restaurant in Southern California. Two taco combo one chicken and one shredded beef. 13. Red Robin – this is where I ate my last meal. A bacon, guacamole, and swiss burger. If it wasn’t 3am and I wasn’t in England I would go have another one right now!!

Thursday Thirteen #7

#7 Thirteen Things About Me and My Hubby Me and My Hubby I was tagged by Are We There Yet to do a meme with 8 things about me and my hubby. Since that was Wednesday and today is Thursday I have decided to turn that meme into a TT. 1. I met my husband when I was 18 – we were married almost 1 year later. I was 19 and he was 22. We’ve been married for 14 ½ year.s 2. We met at the College Formerly Known as Ricks, in Rexburg Idaho. (It is now known as BYU-Idaho. 3. We actually met in our bowling class. Wait, correct that, ADVANCED bowling class. I thought he was a nerd, he stalked me, we became friends and the rest is history. 4. We got married in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple. This is where all of his family were married and my parents as well. It was December and it snowed so much we almost didn’t make it to our honeymoon in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They basically closed the roads behind us and we were snowed in for the entire 3 days we were in Jackson 5. When we got married we had no money, no jobs, nothing. We opened our first bank account with the money we received as wedding gifts and the bank teller felt so bad she invited us to dinner. We didn’t go. 6. I am originally from Orange County, California – The hubs is from Idaho Falls Idaho. 7. We have lived in Bountiful Utah, Logan Utah, Tucson Arizona and North Yorkshire England. 8. I have a degree in English with an emphasis in secondary education. The hubby has a double Bachelors in Math and Electrical Engineering with a masters in Engineering. All obtained at Utah State University. 9. My husband took 1 year off of school so I could finish and during that time we also bought our first house. 10. After I graduated I taught 7th grade English and Utah History. Three years later hubby graduated and I retired to become a stay at home mom. 11. We had our first child after I graduated from college. We had our last one after HE had graduated. (We only have 3) 12. The year our daughter was born my husband spent more time in England than he did in Arizona. That is why we decided to move the family here. 13. Hubby has one of those jobs that if he told you what he does he would have to kill you. LOL Okay not really kill you. I have a vague idea what he does – but let me refresh your memory that I have a degree in English – he has a degree in Math/Engineering – even if I KNEW what he did I still wouldn’t understand it.

Thursday Thirteen #6

#6 Thirteen Pubs Around Here I couldn't think of anything extremely interesting this week but came up with an idea while out at lunch with a friend. So, here is a list of 13 pubs around The Yorkshire Dales. 1. The Queen’s Head – our local pub. The pub you can walk in to and everyone knows your name. 2. The Royal Oak – best lunch menu out there and the home of the best sticky toffee pudding around! 3. The Shoulder of Mutton – went here just last week for a friend’s birthday. It was across the street from the next pub. 4. The Star and Garter – seriously what is that name all about? 5. The Old Station Inn – exactly what it says it is – an old train station. 6. The Squinting Cat – this is actually a kids play place – think crappy pub food with a ball pit. 7. The New Inn – these are all over the place. The best one we have found though is out in Appletreewick. They make a great Greek Burger and you can even watch the little lambs out in the pasture that will someday become a great Greek Burger. 8. The Black Sheep Brewery Pub – they have a pretty decent lunch menu and we even did the brewery tour once. Jordan absolutely hated the smell and let me tell you if you actually SAW how they made that beer it might make you think twice about drinking it. 9. The Craven Heifer – we drive by this one on the way to the airport – can’t help but love the name. 10. The Wellington – affectionately known as the Welly. 11. The George – my hubby was at the Queen’s Head once and they were discussing the best Sunday meal in all of Yorkshire – the owner of the Queen’s Head claims that they do the best meal. My dear hubby then asked “well is The George in Yorkshire?” 12. Guy Fawkes Arms – of the Gunpowder Plot fame. This little village of Scotton is one of the only ones that doesn’t celebrate Guy Fawkes night. 13. The Joiners Arms– From what I hear this is not a kid friendly establishment so I haven't been but we drive by it everyday on the way to school.

Thursday Thirteen #5

#5 Thirteen Things I Like About My Kid's School While I know it's the 100th Thursday 13 day I've just been way too busy this week to sit down at the computer and find 13 TT that I have really enjoyed. So - you're stuck with 13 Things I like about my kid's school. 1. Largest class has 14 students in it. 2. They have lots of play time. 3. During lunch they have a whole hour in which to eat, play, or join in a club - like choir, computers, or sports. 4. My son can take guitar lessons AT school. 5. My daughter was able to start school at 4. LOL 6. They learn all sorts of cool history. Ask my 7 year old about Romans and you'll get an ear full. 7. It is such a small school that every child knows everyone. 8. The grounds are beautiful. They have this gigantic tree called The Magic Tree that you can go inside and climb around. This is Jared inside the tree. 9. They perform in all sorts of plays/musicals/speeches and every child participates. 10. They take a class called Religious Studies and learn about other religions each term. While I'm sure sometimes it is on a biased slant I still think it is important that they are able to learn basics of other religions. 11. They wear uniforms and I don't have to buy very many clothes for outside of school. 12. They get a lot of scattered holiday time with Term breaks and 1/2 term breaks - makes for visiting other countries/sites around here easy. 13. And my number 13? They go to school from 8:45-4:00!!!

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

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?

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?

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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