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Thu, Nov 19, 2009 9:33 AM
I have become completely remiss about this blog. I seem to use Facebook a lot more and I forget about this site!

In the meantime we had Halloween in which we did not trick-or-treat but we did go to 2 parties and carved pumpkins. No-one on our street had their lights on, so we didn't even try knockling on anyone's door. I somehow did not take pictures but Mike took a few, so I need to get those sorted out.

The kids are doing very well in school, we just had parent-teacher conferences and the reports are very good for them, so I think it's safe to say that they are adjusting fine to this huge change!

The house is slowly coming along. It's difficult to really unpack when there is no-where to put everything away, no closets! I've come to the conclusion that I need to get Jack a single bunk-bed since his double takes up his entire room. I'm not exaggerating, you can hardly turn around in there. I think we'll just get a mid-level one which is not too high off the ground, but it should provide much needed storage space!

The kids are slowly making friends. We've been invited to a few birthday parties and to a few playdates. One of Jack's best friends is Harry, who lives just up the road. Lauren is very friendly with Sarah in her class, who has an older sister Maya and I've become quite friendly with their mom Angie, as well as Harry's mother Katie.

We have invited some new friends round to celebrate Thanksgiving with us, so that's my deadline for getting the house into visiting shape! Less than two weeks, so I better get cracking!

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Sun, Oct 4, 2009 6:49 PM
Lauren lost another tooth today! Her front middle one on the bottom. It's been wobbly for weeks, if not months, and actually we did not notice until we were brushing her teeth, so she may have swallowed it! She had a rather hard bagette sandwich at a party, and then she had pizza for dinner, so either one of those could have made the final separation. I'm just surprised there was no blood or pain whatsoever. Actually I shouldn't be so surprised, since that tooth was getting rotten looking, It probably didn't have any nerves left!

In other news, we are in the house, have spent 2 days getting things off the truck and into the house, 2 days unpacking, and the movers come back tomorrow to finish up the unpacking. We will move out of the flat and have our first night there tomorrow. It's a good thing we didn't plan to stay there, because we only just figured out the heat and hot water!

The kids beds just barely fit in their rooms. Lauren's is under a window because there wouldn't have been room for her wardrobe otherwise. And Jack's bed is under his skylight! But I think the decision to make the larger bedroom their playroom was a wise one. There never would have been room for all their stuff otherwise. The only problem we have right now is that the hutch for the desk in the office won't fit up the stairs. And it's very large!

We're waiting to hear back from the managing agent about permission to paint the kids rooms. I've bought a removable border for Jack which has Buzz Lightyear on it, in case we can't paint, it would add a bit of color to his room.

Otherwise I think the kids are very excited to be in the house. They love the garden and have already had some fun digging in the dirt and finding worms! They've been reunited with their bikes and are slowly re-disovering their toys as we unpack things box by box. Now to just get things organized!

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Wed, Sep 23, 2009 6:49 AM
Wow, can't believe it's been a month since my last entry, and even then I barely had time for an update.

So where to begin? We made it safely to England and got settled in our temporary accomadations in St. Anne's College, where Mike has an office and will be lecturing, as well as at the Business School. It's a small 2 bedroom flat, with 2 stories so it feels like a little house. It's perfectly comfortable and it's very close to the city center. My only complaint is that the laundry is clear across campus and down in the basement of a building, so it's an arduous process at best!

First thing we did was get cell phones or "mobile" as they call them here. Then we set about househunting for a place to rent. There was not too much on the market and we quicky saw that you don't get very much space for the money in the center of town. The only place that seemed possible for us to squeeze ourselves into was in a town just 5 miles north of Oxford called Kidlington. It's really considered part of the greater Oxford area. The only catch was that despite being advertised as being avaialble from Sept 14, it's in fact only avaialble from Oct 1. So we've been waiting since our first week to move in.

Then we turned our attention to schools, but despite phone calls every day, we did not hear anything until the day before school started. In the meanwhile I was on a frantic search for school uniforms since the stores were getting sold out of the basics. But we managed to get them enough to start with, and we found out they had been assigned to a school called Dr. South's. It's in another village just 2 miles from Kidlington called Islip. I wasn't sure what to expect from a small village school, but the kids seem to like it and they are adjusting fine. I think the smaller class size gives them more individual attention, so I'm happy about that. I think it's been a bit of an adjustment for all of us that they are both going to school 5 days a week, but again, they are taking it in stride. The biggest suprise has been Jack, who seemd very non-plussed about saying good-bye. I'm very impressed with him, in the midst of lots of other kids bidding their teary farewells, he just says "Bye" and that's it. Lauren has started saying "But I'm going to miss you!", but that's been it, she does seem to be enjoying it. She got star of the week for the fist week for settling in so well. There have been a few mean kids and a pushy little girl, but it seems to have settled down now, nothing I'm especially worried about.

We thought there might be some sort of transport arranged from the school council, but since we didn't hear anything I took them to school for the first few days by taxi. Then I would take the train (the staion is right next door to the school) back and forth to Oxford, and then we would take a cab back at the end of the school day. It quickly occured to me that I neede to take matters into my own hands and rent a car. Of course then I needed to wait until an automatic was available. But I finally got that sorted out and it has opened up the city and the surrounding are to us considerably. Driving on the left hand side has taken some adjusting to, but I'm getting used to it!

One of Mike's colleague's Terry and his wife Liz had us over to their house for tea one Sunday and their two children are similar in age to ours, Mary is 6 and Michael is 3. So we've had a few more play dates with them, and it's been nice for them to make their first friends.

So we're counting the days til we move into our house, (8 days-Oct 1!) The kids will be ecstatic to be reunited with all their toys and clothes and be back in their own beds. I think I've decided to amke the largest bedroom (after the master)upstairs into their playroom and the smallest into an office, and the middle two iinto their rooms. Now we just have to see if their beds will fit!

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Sun, Aug 23, 2009 6:13 PM
Wow, so much to catch up on. We enjoyed our last day of Disney at Animal Kingdom which was fun but also trying at times, because they had some very cool looking rides with height restrictions, so both kids were frustrated to be told they couldn't ride. Ok, gotta go now, more later

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Tue, Aug 4, 2009 9:16 PM
We got everything packed and either into storage or in the container bound for England. There were a lot of last minute things to do, and our final good-byes to say, especially to our dear friends the Brocks, who were so gracious to cook us a relaxed home-cooked meal our last night at the house before we closed. Then we had to get Sadie off on her flight which involved a visit to the vet for her interstate health certificate and also getting her things for her kennel. But she made it up there fine, which is a big relief.

Then we had one short day to visit with Mike's Aunt Rosalee, Uncle Billy, cousin Angie and her kids Tyler and Trevor, who flew in for a few days at the beach. It was so frustrating not to spend more time with them, but we already had all our reservations in place for Disney. Still, it was good to see them, even just for one afternoon and evening.

Then we drove out to Orlando to our resort which is just 2 exits away down the freeway from Disney. It has a fabulous waterpark with a lazy river/innertube thing, and slides and all kinds of fun stuff. We spent two days in the Magic Kingdom without Mike, who stayed at the hotel to get some work done. The first day Lauren had her hair, make-up and nails done by the "fairy godmothers" at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Yesterday we had lunch in the castle with the princesses, which was a lot of fun. We also did Splash mountain twice, and got very wet, which ws fine because it was swelteringly hot! Today we just stayed at the resort and went to the water park. It was probably a good thing since it was stormy in the late afternoon/eve. It was the kids' choice, but I was glad because I am worn out from pushing them around in the stroller in the heat and the crowds! Tomorrow will be our last day, and then we head back to Tampa to regroup before Mike heads off to Chicago for his conference and the kids and I head up to Boston to see Peter. I'm glad because I'm getting Disneyed out!

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Sun, Jul 19, 2009 11:51 PM
We have the movers coming Thursday and Friday to pack, so we're in a push to get everything else packed up for storage or sold. The kids have been very bored spending so much time at home, and then we've been kept indoors because of a lot of summer storms. We did have fun on Friday once things cleared up swimming in our own pool. I'm so aware of trying to enjoy it while we can.

Saturday I finally takled the garage with the help of my friend Jody. We worked at it for something like 7 hours and it's still a mess! But it's a lot more organized than it was. The kids had their Mygym class, lunch out with Daddy, then shopping. I took a bunch of things to drop off some donations, and then to the storage unit, and by the time I got home I realized the kids and Mike were over at the Brocks for dinner. Thank goodness, because I wasn't up to figuring out dinner! We're almost to the point where we have to stop cooking becuase we've got to sort out the dishes and throw out all the old tupperware, etc. I've been trying not to buy anything but fresh food and we've been eating our way through the freezer and the pantry.

Our plans are coming together slowly but surely. I found a direct flight from Tampa to Boston, so we're going to send Sadie on a flight up to my brother Peter as soon as he's back home August 1st. Well, we're going to try, because they won't fly her unless it's under 85 degrees, and we could be cutting it close, even at 7am! We close July 30th, but we're staying at the home of one of Mike's colleagues Jerry Khoeler, who is away on vacation. Wouldn't you know it, Mike's aunt, uncle, cousin and her kids are coming to Tampa that day? We've been here 6 years and they come the very moment we're homeless and in transition! But of course we'll be very happy to see them, especially since we don't know how long it will be until we see them again.

Then we head over to Orlando for almost a week at Disneyworld. Then Mike is off to Chicago for a conference and the kids and I will head up to Maine to see Peter. My Aunt just said today she may try to come there to see us before we leave. Mike will meet us there and we will fly to England from Boston on August 15. Then I feel like I'm falling off a cliff! Well, I guess we start this whole process in reverse. We have an apartment to stay in for 6-8 weeks while we look for a place. It's in St Anne's College, where Mike will have an affiliation, so that will be very helpful while we get on our feet!

Oh yeah, and Mike said the weather in Oxford the other day was a HIGH of 68 degrees. Lows in the 50s. We are going to freeze!

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Tue, Jul 14, 2009 10:48 PM
Things are changing quickly around here. Mike has been selling off all the furniture we're not either taking with us to England or storing. Our entertainment center is gone, which is disconcerting because we all spend so much time in front of the TV! Mike managed to sell the big ole TV as well since it fit in there perfectly. Somehow he's reconfigured the Tivo and the Wii onto the one 19" TV we have left! Our patio furniture is gone, so it's almost completely empty out there on the lanai. But it's good, because as it empties out it seems less and less overwhelming.

The kids went with Mike to the office this morning since I had a doctors appointment, then we went to an awesome pool party at a community that had water-park quality slides etc. I had to DRAG the kids out of that pool! But we went straight over to Taylor's house and then out to dinner together, which they all think is just the most thrilling thing ever. I must admit I got a litte misty eyed when I saw them skipping along holding hands. I hate breaking up these best little friends! We did set up the Skype with them though, so I hope we can have regular web-conferences and they will remain close.

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Joan Tabb Waisbein: When are you actually leaving for England and did you find a place yet? Also, our French neighbors succuessfully kept up with their Parisian friends and family for THREE full years and said Skype worked really, really well! It will keep those girls together! Things are good this end. Daniel is now a CIT for 8 wks in PA and next week turns 18 and into his senior year of high school! We've been spending a lot of time up in Healdsburg and loving it. Last week with my mom, too.

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Thu, Jul 9, 2009 10:16 PM
I took both kids to the doctor today. Lauren had a staph infection that started off from a small graze on her knee, but spread to a small spot on her torso, a small spot under her lower lip, just under her eye, behind her ears. I'm glad I took her to the Night Owl Pediatrician when I did (July 3). Staph infections can get really dangerous. Luckily we caught it before it got into her bloodstream and she didn't develop a fever or anything. She is NOT happy about taking the medecine though, it is quite a trial to get her to swallow it down! And since Jack had to come with us anyway, I had the doctor listen to his chest for another cough that's started just in the past few days. Really want to nip it in the bud so it doesn't develop into another bronchial infection. While there I realized that we had discussed checking Jack's blood for any difficiencies since his leg cramps continue. So I went right away to get it over with. Boy, he whipped himself right into a frenzy, he was really hysterical before anything even happened. But it was over soon enough, and he recovered quickly. They are also going to check him for egg allergy which he was only borderline when he was 2 and I'm hoping he's grown out of, given his passion for cheesey eggs!

They accompanied me on a round of errands this afternoon and I let them watch a movie, which is normally reserved for long drives. But that kept them occupied and not fighting with each other, so it was a good choice. Got to enjoy the minivan while we can! We finished at the library where Lauren got books on ballet and Jack on space. I hope I can remember to return them before they get packed away!

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Wed, Jul 1, 2009 9:57 PM
I am so lame. I've been so inactive on this blog that it was disabled! These are my excuses: Lauren's graduation from pre-school/end of school activities, Jack's birthday, many home repairs/improvents in an effort to get our house ready to be shown to potential buyers, a trip to LA for my college reunion and to visit with Tatiana, putting the house on the market and having to be out of the house with the dog in tow at a moment's notice. So that sort of sums up June for you! But it has all paid off because we are now under contract for OVER asking price after only 4 days! Now I just have to sort out the garage where we stashed all the clutter! Ugh.

Lauren and Jack have been good sports about all these changes. Every once in a while Lauren burts into hysterical tears. I guess the enormity of the change really sinks in sometimes. We took furniture out of every room in the house in order to stage it for sale, and all of these changes were probably a bit disconcerting. And then there's her BFF, Taylor, who is also very distraught over our impending dparture. Obviously. That is the most heartbreaking thing about this whole move. I am very committed to keeping them connected. I hope we can Skype, and one day they can email(once they can both type!)

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Sun, May 31, 2009 10:17 AM
This week I finally packed up the stuff in this old Ikea bookshelf that was in Lauren's room, which was mostly full of old books from my childhood. I managed to fit it into my minivan (while the kids were in school)and took it downtown to Sara's apartment on the way back from droping Mike off at the airport (where he headed to a conference in Amsterdam). The big surprise for me was how it really threw Lauren for a loop, the change it made to her room. When I thought about it, I realized that this bookshelf has been in her room since she was born, and even though we've made lots of changes, the bookshelf has always been there. One night she was hysterically crying about not wanting to move. I can see that moving furniture suddenly makes it seem real to her.

Thursday we went to get our biometrics taken (fingerprints) for our visas for the UK. I promised the kids I would take them to the mall nearby for a ride on the carousel if they were good. So we did that and had lunch at the food court and then finally took Jack to the doctor. He's had a cough on and off for weeks and weeks, so I wanted to have him checked out so hopefully he'll feel better by his birthday next week. And, yes, he has ANOTHER bronchial infection. So he got some antibiotics and we're back to breathing treatments 2-3 times a day.

Friday was the big circus day at school. There were all kinds of booths set up with games, crafts, food etc. The best one was the dunking booth! Oh, and the bounce houses of course. it was a bit hectic becuase there was a tent set up where all the classes were doing their circus themed performances, and of course Jack had to be there at one time and Lauren at another, and Lauren wanted to go around and do things instead of wait for Jack to come on. Luckily Allison was there and agreed to take her around with Taylor for a while. The performances were very cute. Jack was a lion tamer and he had a red cape and a wand, an held a hula hoop for his pals dresed as lions to jump through. Lauren was dressed as a lion and she roared at the audience quite fiercely! We're lucky they weren't in the same performance or it would have been really crazy!

Saturday I awoke to piles of dog vomit and BM. Yuck! Poor Sadie. We took her to the vet and she seemed to be fine until she had two more such "episodes" so they x-rayed her to check for a bowel obstruction. The good news is that they didn't see anything. The vet was closing so I had them keep her overnight and they were going to moniter her to make sure she's not getting dehydrated.

In the meantime we went to Darren Levy's pool party. He's a pal from school and he also lives around the corner. The kids had a blast, with the pool's many levels and walls to jump from, and spa waterfalling into the pool, etc. They also have an awesome singset, not to mention all the cool toys in the playroom. I've never seen them swim so much that their eyes get red! It was nice to feel like they're safe in the water. Not that I didn't watch them, but I could sit poolside and sip a drink and chat while watching them, and adult conversation was very welcome after a few days alone!

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