Tis the Season...Remember what its all about!

A lot of people think that E and I have got it made. Living in England for two years, how awesome right?! Well, let me assure you, it isn't all roses and daisy's! More like thorns and weeds! Now don't get me wrong, the day to day life is great and visiting all of these little towns on the weekends is fun but I would trade ALL of that to be home for Christmas with my family! I see people complaining all the time on facebook because this person ticked them off or they don't have enough money to buy their 18 month old daughter the $200 Disney play castle she wants for Christmas or that their iPhone broke and they can't live without it...WAKE UP PEOPLE!!! This is the most wonderful time of year and you are with your FAMILY!!! No matter how much they piss you off, buy you the wrong thing, or don't buy you anything at all they are still YOUR FAMILY and there are some people out there, me included, that would give up MANY things to be in your position right now!

Your life is hard because you didn't get that new iPad? Try telling your 3 year old on a biweekly basis that she doesn't get to see her grandparents for Christmas because the airlines think its fair to charge you your first born for a flight home. Angry because you have to spend Christmas running between 4 different houses? Try sitting by yourself, in a country where you don't know anyone so you will be spending Christmas alone! I have a new found respect for ALL of the young men and women serving our country because this is not easy, and we are not fighting a war. All we are doing is living the life that we have chosen. So yes, I understand that this is partially our fault, and I do take responsibility for that. However, when you think your life is bad because your phone is broken, or because you are forced to spend 1 day of the year with your family, all I ask is that you stop and think about the fact that you are BLESSED to have family to spend that day with! I would trade every gift from all of my 27 Christmases just to be able to spend that 1 day, running from place to place, spending time with my family.

So this year, don't spend money you don't have. If you cant buy a gift, make one. Don't worry about the commercial piece of junk that this once lovely holiday has become. Instead cherish the time you have with the ones you love. Because someone you know may not be able to have that opportunity this year but would love to have it.

Remember that Christmas isn't about getting everything you wanted, Christmas is not YOUR birthday and it certainly is not a day all about YOU. Christmas became what it is because of a birth of someone long ago, before any of this commercialization crap was even invented. So get back to the spirit of CHRISTMAS and spend time with those you love. You never know where you may be tomorrow, next week, or next year.

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Love to all!
~A

Halloween, London, Toilet Training and Dinner 50's style...

So, for those of you who know me, I am the creative Mom. I love to cook and bake, I make lots of hair bows, clothing, home décor and other things. I have even started a shop on Etsy called "Coffee Needed" So this year, like Halloweens past, I made my girls their costumes...AL wanted to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and AJ was Rainbow Brite. So I spent a good amount of hours making these costumes, I even purchased a new sewing machine to do so! Come Halloween morning, AL informed me that she no longer wanted to be a Ninja Turtle and that she was going to be Rapunzel instead! This, my friends, was the first time since having her that I was really sad, I actually had my feelings hurt by my 3 year old. Now, I know that this is not going to be the last time that this happens in our lifetime together but I didn't expect it to, #1 start so early and #2 hurt that bad! When she told me that she didn't like the costume I made because it was stupid, I was crushed!  Anyways, once I got over the whole, "you are wearing it" attitude and realized that it was a 3 year old that I was arguing with, we proceeded to enjoy our first British Trick or Treat, and let me tell you it was AWESOME! (insert sarcastic font here) There were a total of 10 houses that the girls even went to and out of the 10 houses the people at the door said that our girls and their friend Alice were #'s 3,4 and 5 of the amount of kids they had this year...Now, the locals thought this was a great haul and AL didn't know the difference, and the "mom" side of me thinking about the cavities thought it was great! However, what is the point of having Halloween if no one participates?

The next adventure we experienced was a child free trip to London!! Yes!! I said CHILD FREE!!!  WHOOO HOOO!!!!  E and I celebrated 5 years of marriage by spending the weekend in London, we ate Indian food for the first time, on a street called Brick Street where there were more Indian restaurants than I have ever seen! They had guys walking the streets and heckling you to get you to come to their restaurant! We (2 of our friends included) ended up with a deal that altogether consisted of 2 free beers, a free bottle of wine, 4 free appetizers and 4 entrées for $10 each! The 4 of us ate for just over 40GBP!!!!  What a deal!

Prior to the Indian dinner we spent 4 hours on a bike tour through London seeing the sites, including Kensington Palace (yes, I was INSIDE Kensington Palace!!! Where Kate, Will and George live!!!!), Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, The London Clock Tower (the home of Big Ben), Westminster Abbey and a few other places that I can't remember the names of...however we did the majority of the tour in the rain so I may have mentally blocked some of the history of what I was seeing! Later in the evening we continued our tour of the city on foot and I cannot wait to get back to see more!

 (Big Ben)

 (Kensington Palace)

(Westminster Abbey)

 

 



Toilet Training is another portion of my title, now some of you may think I am crazy or insane for trying to toilet train a 17 month old....but in my opinion, when a kid starts to hide when the poop or can tell you when they need to be changed, they are smart enough to learn to use the toilet. AJ is and has been doing all of the afore mentioned things for about a month now. So we purchased a Mickey Mouse potty chair that says "hip, hip hooray!" when she pee's in the toilet and I have stocked up on lots of candy to keep in the bathroom. She is doing pretty good so far, she love wearing underwear but prefers to run around the house naked, and she has yet to poo on the potty but we are getting there. Hopefully the next time I blog I will be able to tell you that we are all finished. (Hey, I can hope right?!)

Friday night we went to this cute little diner in Runcorn, where E works called Rockwell's. Because we were heading to this 50's themed diner I decided to get out the sewing machine once again and make the girls poodle skirts to wear. Oh my goodness were they cute! They LOVED the music and the milkshakes, the food however was less than satisfying. The bathroom doors however were an American flag and a Confederate Flag, not sure how that comes into play but, whatever works I guess.

(AL and AJ at Rockwell's)

 

 

Have a great week everyone! For now I will leave you with a few of AL's British-ism's (must read these in a 3 year old British accent!)

 

1. Daddy, may could you please consider playing hide and seek with me?

2. Mummy, may I play with Ol-li-va (Oliver) in the ga-den (garden)?

3. Daddy, that looks like fun! May I have a go? (when she wanted to crack an egg)

 

Until next time...

A.



AMERICAAAAA....and then some!!!

Hey all!!!  I know, I know, I have been slacking on the blog entries...sorry! Life has just been so busy around here lately! Where did October go?! Well, here is how it went for us...

October 3rd (which just happens to be my dad's birthday) we set off on our trip home to America. We were all up at 6am to get to the airport and wait to board the plane at 9. After eight hours on a plane, where none of the kids slept, we FINALLY arrived in Chicago at 1:30 CST (which just happened to be 7:30 GBT which we are used to). After going to the hotel to clean up we headed over to the Outback Steakhouse with E's mom and dad to get one of the BEST steaks I think I have EVER tasted!!!  Friday morning we started our trek cross-country to Rising Sun, Indiana where we were blessed to be a part of the wedding of E's cousin. The wedding was beautiful and seeing our extended family was a great treat too. Little Miss AL was the flower girl and she was VERY cheeky while walking down the isle, everyone loved her!

On Sunday we spent 8 more hours in the truck and finally at 6:00pm with Happy Joes Pizza in hand we arrived at my parents house in Peosta, Iowa.  Home, sweet home!!! We had a fantastic time watching my youngest sister cheer for her high school, visiting my second youngest sister at her job for lunch at Culvers and spending LOTS of time with the grandparents, great-grandparents as well as aunts, uncles and cousins!!  We took the girls, along with E's sister, her husband, our niece and E's parents to the pumpkin patch which had an adorable petting zoo! All kinds of animals, AJ couldn't get enough!!

E also got to get in a bit of racing while we were home, he didn't do to shabby either, he actually got a win his first night out! While he and my dad were racing I was able to get in some much needed girls time with my Mom, Grandma and all of my sisters at a great Mexican restaurant! (did I mention we don't have those in England?!) The food was good but the company was even better!

On our last night in the states I had the great pleasure of doing my baby sister's hair for her very first homecoming dance and let me tell you, she was a knock-out! After taking her to dinner and seeing her off my parents kept the babies while E and I went to watch my old band play at a bar in town. It was great seeing everyone and the boys even pulled me up on stage with them for a few songs which brought me to tears more than once.

The next morning it was off to Chicago to the airport so we could come back home. Two weeks goes by entirely too fast! There were many people I was not able to see and many things I was not able to do on this short trip home, and if you were one of the people I missed, I am sorry.

Since we have been back we have been submerging ourselves in all things England, we are here so we might as well embrace it right?! Over this past weekend we went to a Carnival/bonfire/fireworks festival that celebrates a man named Guy Fawkes failing at the assassination of King James the first...I have searched and read about this on Wikipedia and I still don't quite understand why they use fireworks to celebrate this but it is interesting to read about, if you are into historical things.

Other than that there really isn't much to tell other than I miss you all and that I am starting to potty train AJ...this should bring a good post or two in the future!! 

~A.

Really?!

I really didn't know what to title this post, so after thinking about it I decided to name it what I was thinking during the events that I am about to share with you...and "Really?!" is the only thing that was going through my mind.  Here is why...

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in England so Eric and I decided to take the girls into Chester and meet some friends of ours who are also here from the US for two years, at the Chester Horse Races. The day started out wonderful! Blue Sky, sun shining, awesome view of the racecourse, great company and the picnic we brought wasn't to bad either!

Our view at the races!

That is where the fun started to end and the "Really?!" started to begin...At the end of the races AL said she needed to go potty, I did as well so I got up to take her and as I was standing up she started to pee...right there, in the middle of everyone!!!  REALLY?!?!  She is 3 years old and has not had an accident in over a year!! Why in the heck did that happen?  Being the AWESOME mom that I am, I didn't have a back up change of clothing with me for her so instead I removed her underwear, and tights and ripped the shorts out of the inside of her skirt, threw all of that away, put a diaper on her (which didn't go over well, but what else was I supposed to do) and put her skirt and shoes back on. Thinking that this was the end, we walked to our favorite BBQ place and had dinner.  During dinner, AL, still being pissed off at me for putting a diaper on her in the first place, decided to "get back at Mommy" by pooping her pants! REALLY?!?!?!  Worst part, the supply of diapers I brought with us to the track was gone!!! (there we more in the car but we weren't close to the car at this time) So we asked out waiter for the bill, paid and walked to the car.  AL was walking funny and so, again being the AWESOME parents that we are we decided to pick on her a bit for pooping! When we got back to the car I changed AL, putting yet another diaper on her since that is all I had available I then decided to change AJ. While pulling the diaper off of AJ she decided to pee all over mommy...REALLY?! By this time I was laughing but wanting to cry about the whole thing...come on kids give mommy a little break here please!!!  That was the end, or least I thought it was going to be the end of our great day in Chester, until we go the girls home and asleep. At 3:00 this morning AL calls from her room...MOM...DAD...COME IN HERE PLEASE!!!!!  Eric grabbed his glasses and walked over to her room to discover she had puked...all over her "night-night" blanket...REALLY?!?! She wasn't running a fever and didn't look sick so we asked her what happened. She simply stated that she was coughing really, really hard and then it simply, "just came up!"

So far today has been a much better day...no exploding poops, peeing on Mommy or any other crazy things. Lets keep fingers crossed that we don't end up with another "Really?!" type of day!!


On a side note, our tickets are booked and we get to spend some time back home in the US soon!!!

~Abbey

Finally Settled in!

First of all I must apologize as it has been almost a month since I have posted. However in this crazy month LOTS of things have happened! Last time I posted we were in the process of being kicked out of the home we were renting. Well that did end up happening. Bailiffs started showing up to look through the house so we decided to move before any of our stuff was repossessed with the home. We ended up moving into a beautiful 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom house with a very large rear garden that is 100% fenced in! The girls love the extra space and from day 1 this has felt more like home. I am not sure what the reasoning behind why we were sent to the other home first but I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, even though right now the only reason I can see is that "It builds character".  The only downfall to this new place it that because no one had lived here for about 4 months there were spiders and webs EVERYWHERE and I HATE spiders! I can deal with many, many things...poop-not a problem...blood- gross but I can deal...puke-when its my kids, I deal with it...spiders- I squeal and scream and act like the total girly girl princess that I am! The first day we were here I think I vacuumed up about 150 of them!! EEEWWWWEEEEE!!!!!!!

Other than spiders, AJ has started walking!!!! FINALLY! She is now all over the place, attempting to run at times and looking like she is drunk all the time! There is something about a waddling, pot-bellied, gap toothed baby that is so heart warming I can't even begin to explain how much that site warms my heart! 

AL on the other hand is beginning to push many more buttons that ever before! Luckily for her she starts school on September 9th and will have to learn how to share with other children and listen to directions given from other adults that are not family members. This will be interesting...anyone want to place bets on how long before the school calls me?!?! The facial expressions that child has sometimes! I will be trying to capture them on film over the next few weeks to see if I can share them with you. They are good for a few laughs!

We also purchased two vehicles over the last couple of weeks...Eric is now driving a black two door Ford Focus and I have a blue 2007, 4 door Peugeot 407. They are not the most glamorous vehicles but they will serve their purpose over the next 2 years. I actually love the little car! Its a diesel that gets about 44 miles per gallon!! Which makes me wonder...How come the U.S. doesn't have any 4 cylinder diesel cars yet?!?!?!

With all of the craziness that we have been through since we have arrived to the UK we have not yet ventured much farther than the small towns around us and we make a trip back to the states at the beginning of October so I feel like it is going to be a while before we make our first Europe trip but I have a list of places I want to see so we will have to start soon!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! Today we are visiting AL's school to get her all signed up, I am hoping that she has to wear a uniform! I LOVE that the little kids around here all look like they have popped right out of the Harry Potter movies!

Write to you all soon!

Abbey

On the Move Again...warning, bit of a rant ahead...

Yep! That's right! After No hot water the first week, then only hot water the second week and the invasion of the flying ants, we are moving...Not because we want to...nope, because the home we are living in is being repossessed from the owner by the bank! The only thing I have to say at this point is, "Why not?" Everything else that could have possibly went wrong on this entire move has so why not throw in one more thing?! Oh yeah, did I mention that TODAY we got the call that our stuff from the U.S. is FINALLY in England and they want to deliver it on Tuesday?!

So we are on the hunt for yet another house in the UK, but this time there is nothing that is furnished available so it looks like we have to hit up Ikea for the 5 hundredth time since we have been here, I mean I love Ikea, I don't think I have met anyone who wouldn't like to play an awesome game of "hide-and-seek" in there (yep, you just added that to your bucket list didn't you!) but spending money on furniture that we are only going to use for 2 years, well that is not something that excites me!
However, we did find this AMAZING house less than 10 minutes away from where we are at, the kitchen is HUGE and the layout is perfect for what we need, its even more in the "country" so to speak, but the guy that owns it not only wants a bit more than we want to spend on rent and he may be selling the place to a couple from Canada. We will find out by the end of tonight if it is ours or not. So, the waiting game continues.

In the meantime, we are exploring the area a bit more, Sunday we went to the Chester Racecourse and watched some horse races. Something I never thought I would enjoy but it was quite nice! We did bet on a few horses and AL won the most out of the day! She was so proud that her horse, Party Ruler, won the race she wouldn't stop talking about it all night! I do want to go back there sometime without the kids, get all dressed up and sit in the expensive seats, fascinator and all! Until then we will be looking for a new place to live and furniture to fill that place up with.

Rant over,
Abbey

It's like Christmas in July!!!

Today we received a wonderful package in the mail!!!  It contained MANY things that we cannot get here in the UK. I know, I know, we have only been here for 3 weeks but there are SEVERAL things that I have found so far that are really different or we just simply cannot get over here. So, with the arrival of this awesome care package that my mom-in-law sent from the states I thought this would be a great time to update the blog and inform you all of the differences we have found thus far.

#1 - No electrical outlets in the bathroom! Yep, that's right ladies...want to blow dry or curl your hair? Better find an outlet close to a mirror somewhere other than your bathroom...why? They think its dangerous to have electricity by water! (When you don't have GFI outlets I think its dangerous too but maybe then you should get better outlets!) So, how am I coping with this situation? I have an extension cord plugged into the wall in my bedroom and I drag it into the bathroom with me every morning so I can do my hair! Yep, problem solved!

#2 - Multiple Keys...Now I am a firm believer in safety but this is a tad overkill...every single door in this house has a different key! Even the double doors to go out to the conservatory, each door has a separate key! I need 2 keys and 2 hands to open the front door, so carrying in groceries or a child at the same time as I open the front door is simply out of the question. This I have not yet figured out, I am still trying to decipher what key is for what door!

#3 - Fan Assisted Oven - I'm still not sure what that means other than the fact that I burn almost EVERYTHING I cook, which for those of you who know me you know that burning food is left for my mama, not me! (sorry mama) Not only am I still having trouble learning how to use the oven all of the temperatures over here are in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit so I have to use a conversion ap that I downloaded on my smart phone every time I cook!! Yep, this one will take a while!

#4 - Washer & Dryer - OK so maybe I am spoiled but back home in Iowa I could do a load of wash in about 30 minutes and have it in the dryer until it was fully dry...Not the case here...the "fast wash" takes about 90 minutes to wash and then the dryer only dries clothes about half way which means I have learned how to use a clothing line and a drying rack! I feel like a pioneer woman or something but at least none of our clothes with be shrunk!

#5 - Parking spaces - Holy cow people these are not even big enough to fit a smart car let alone the Vauxhall Estate I am driving!! (think Mazda 6 wagon)  And to think I was worried about driving! Nope, driving is the easy part! We bought a Tom Tom which is a LIFE SAVER and I am having no problems driving on the left side of the road...its the parking I have and issue with. They do have "Parent and Child" parking spaces which are quite a bit bigger, if you are lucky enough to grab one but these are usually taken by people without children just like the "expectant mother" spots are taken up by non-expecting people in the states!

That is about all of the issues I have found at this point with the exception of everything that came in the care package...Beef Bouillon granules,  Lawry's seasoning salt, COFFEE CREAMER, Kool-Aid, chow mein noodles and stick deodorant!!! Did I mention COFFEE CREAMER?!?!?!  Yes, I am not one happy mama with a nice cup of coffee and French vanilla creamer!

Okay time to stop complaining and update you on the rest of the household. The dogs have adjusted wonderfully, Sampson and Danika love that they have a fenced in yard that they have the entire run of. AL is adjusting great thanks to the little girls across the street! She is even beginning to talk like them and I love it! She asked my mom over Skype the other day, "Where you off to?"  LOVE IT!  AJ is great, I finally have her room started and she loves that Minnie Mouse is on the wall! E is liking his job so far and I am settling in quite nicely myself. I found a nail salon nearby and have treated myself to a much needed pedicure this weekend. We are starting to get in a daily routine which is great and hopefully will continue to stay calm from here.

Until next time,
Abbey

Care package and AL's toes!