Use It Or Lose It...

I've always found the fact that the Brits drop the letter "h" at the beginning of words very interesting, but today I found out that some of them may not know that the letter should even be there. How do I know, you ask? Well, this is the graffiti I saw this morning...

(wait for it...)

(wait for it...)

(wait for it...)

Jo was ere!

(Just for the record, Diane was ere, too.)

Tee hee!!!

Still Not in Kansas...

I looked outside this morning and realized two things: 1) the sun was shining, and 2) the back yard had somehow become a jungle--too many days of wet, unmowable grass. So even though Derik almost always mows, it looked like it was going to rain and make it unmowable AGAIN so I decided to do it myself while it was still relatively dry. During the experience, I had one of those "wait a minute, this craziness has become almost common place" moments. It went like this...

...During a rare spot of sunshine and whilst munching a savory biscuit (saltine), I realized that the rear garden (back lawn) looked a bit dodgy (in this case, overgrown). So I headed out the patio (into the back yard) to the garden shed (garden shed, big grin) to get the push mower (lawn mower) and rotary extension lead (extension cord on a reel)...

That was the point at which my mind screamed "hey, you're not British, and that toy lawn mower you just got out of the shed will never cut this grass--just go back inside, put in a load of laundry, and let Derik do it when he gets home from school!"

Just kidding! The moment did cause me to stop and reflect on how strange and wonderful it still is to be here, though, toy mower and all. I'm extremely grateful, and I hope we get to stay a bit longer than a year; it would be nice for the kids to complete this entire school year before we yank them back across the big pond.

So just to share my British moment with you, here is a picture of our PLASTIC mower (yes, plastic, and it's not even stiff plastic--it even bends when you're pushing it through the grass). The pad next to it is just for size reference; it's one of those 1" thick kneeling pads for pulling weeds, and it's about 4" by 15", fitting just under your knees with not much to spare. I would have used my shoe, but it was on my foot and covered with wet grass. (The main part of the mower is one shoe and 3/4 long, by the way.)


Tee Hee...

I also learned that while cobble stone is beautiful to look at, it is NOT beautiful to pull weeds from...

And, oh yes, after an extremely soggy outdoor training session for the upcoming high school outdoor activity (during which my feet got soaked and I slipped in the mud about a hundred times), I finally broke down and ordered some wellies. Some things you just can't avoid, and I was pleased to be able to find them in a non-obnoxious color. Maybe I can wear them next time I garden!

Bon Bons and Soap Operas...

There is one phrase in the English language that should never be uttered--EVER! The phrase goes like this: "All of your kids are in school...so what do you do with all your spare time?"

This evil phrase started creeping into my life when Eryn began kindergarten and has reared its ugly head ever since, insidiously coming out of left field when I least expect it so that the only thing I can think to say is something stellar like "well, you know, stuff."

It happened again today, and I've decided that the correct answer to the question is "WHAT spare time?!!?" Take the last two days, for example... So far "this week," I have attended another parent orientation meeting at the school (this one for fifth grade--the other ones were last week), taken kids to eye appointments, carpooled to scout meeting, attended a several-hour training course so that I can volunteer at the upcoming high school "outdoor experience," coordinated getting children to/from seminary/play practice/soccer practice/cross country, shopped for sporting equipment the kids need for the teams they just made, taxi driven to youth activities, grocery shopped, returned library books, cleaned house, updated our financial files, made several meals, did ten loads of laundry, and coordinated/supervised homework, piano, chores, and gospel study--AND IT'S ONLY TUESDAY!

So the "spare time" that I'm supposed to be enjoying with bon bons and much soap opera watching has proven elusive at best; and that really is alright (since I don't much care for soap operas, and bon bons are seriously overrated). BUT, I've come to a conclusion: the next time someone asks me "the question," I've decided to just smile and hand them my planner and car keys... Oh yah!

Back to School...

The kids went back to school today. I'm not sure whether I'm overjoyed or deeply sad--both, I guess.

Eryn's in second grade.


Laurel's in fifth grade.


Aubrey's in sixth grade. (Gotta love the Super Girl shirt!)


Derik's in seventh grade.


And Jessie's in (gulp) ninth grade--HIGH SCHOOL!!! (But I'm still in serious denial about it.)


It's so strange to put five of your most precious gifts in life on a bus and send them off into London--might make a person freak out a little if she thought about it too hard. Ok, happy thoughts, happy thoughts...comfortably back to denial...

Roman Baths, Medieval Abbies, and Stone Circles

Some experiences are specifically for kids, and some are really for grown ups but with just enough kid-friendliness thrown in to fool the children into thinking they're having fun, too. Our trip to Bath over the weekend was the second kind. What an incredible city!!!

Even though it's a huge tourist trap, we decided to go to Bath because everyone we've talked to told us how cool it was and that it was one of the most beautiful places in the United Kingdom. They were right.

We stayed at a fantastic B & B out in the country with the friendliest couple on the planet, who not only provided both the bed and the breakfast but took our kids next door to feed the chickens left-over toast from breakfast and invited us to their glass shop to attend a glass-making demonstration. And though it rained relentlessly the entire time we were on our sightseeing extravaganza, there was much to see and we ran around the city like little kids (even those of us who no longer fit into that category).


Our main event for our time in Bath was visiting, drum roll please, the Roman Baths--a massive and fascinating multi-level structure from centuries past that has been surprisingly well preserved below street level, sprawling under several buildings.














People used to go to Bath from all over "Brittania" to visit the hot-spring fed baths because they believed that the water had mystical healing properties; it was even rumored that one barren queen conceived an heir to the throne because she bathed in Bath's water. Since the spas which actually use the water don't allow children, we went to the baths to experience the coolness with hundreds of our closest friends and wander cattle-like through the stunning ruins. We even chatted with some Roman citizens and were instructed in the most recent advancements and finer points of makeup preparation and application by a nice slave girl. At the end of our tour we tried a glass of the mystical water. Surprisingly, it tasted just like water! I have to say, though, just for the record, that it was completely cool to see the baths, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

In addition the baths, we visited Bath Abbey, took the B & B owners up on their offer to watch a glass blowing demonstration (pic above),
went to church, and wandered the city looking for pigs. Yep, you read that right, pigs.

Apparently the curative nature of the hot springs was discovered by a local pig who happened into the water; the rest, as they say, is history. So to honor said pig, business owners and individuals from Bath have purchased, decorated, and donated over 100 big metal pigs to be auctioned off to charity at the end of October, but for now they're all over the city and make for one fun treasure hunt that is a hit with kids and adults alike. They're on top of buildings, on city streets, in storefronts, in shopping malls, in art galleries, in the train station, and even up in trees.



The fun part about the pigs is that looking for them engages the kids for hours and allows the grown ups to enjoy the stunning architecture and history during the hunt. Despite the rain, we had a great time, enjoying our time in Bath immensely AND finding almost all 104 of the pigs.

On the way home we stopped at two really interesting spots, Lacock Abbey and Avebury.



Lacock Abbey is a medieval abbey out in the middle of nowhere U.K. where some of the first Harry Potter movie was filmed--the first flying lesson (in the courtyard), some breezeway scenes, and some of the classroom scenes. It's also just a dang cool, breathtakingly beautiful old building! I enjoyed it immensely!

Avebury is a village ringed by huge concentric stone circles, like Stonehenge only WAY bigger; the circles are a mile in circumference and completely open to the public, so (unlike Stonehenge) you get to get up close and personal with Avebury's circles, climbing on the rocks, walking whatever portion of the circle you'd like, enjoying the mysteriousness of it all, and stepping in much sheep poop. You can even watch fellow tourist praying on each of the rocks with their tour guide if you like. (They don't like it if you try to take their picture on the sly, though...um, I mean, I have a feeling that they wouldn't like it if someone tried to take their picture on the sly...)


All things considered, this was one fantastic sightseeing trip!

Have I convinced anyone else to come visit us yet?!!? Big grin!