Dylan's First Days of School

In England, children attend school full-time, five days a week during the school year they turn five.  So basically, 4-year olds start what they call "reception" which is similar to our "kindergarten".  Dylan was attending preschool in Aiken 4 days a week.  That was 9:00-12:00.  Now he will be going to school Monday through Friday from 8:50-3:10.  He is ready for it, but I am not sure I am ready for him to be such a big boy already.

We visited Dylan's school last week.  The "head teacher" (principal) was very welcoming, and she showed us around every room in the school.  Dylan was eager to see everything.  He did not act shy at all.  His class was in music at the time, so we just talked to his teacher briefly.  She was very sweet to him, and she told him she had a special helper picked out to show him around for the first week. 

Here are a few of the differences we noticed about schools here:

• Most schools are FREE, including Catholic schools.  Dylan is attending St. Peter's, which is a "public" school under the Church of England, so it is Christian based. 
• All schools here use UNIFORMS, which I love already! 
• Parents drop off and pick up children every day.  Many of them walk, but I will have to drive.  It's only about a 3-4 minute drive through neighborhood streets, but it would be a long walk. 
• Class SIZES are big.  Dylan's class has 23 students.  He came from a class of 13 students in SC.
• Most schools have a KITCHEN where the students have a cooking class once a week.
• They go OUTSIDE a few times every day, even in the cold and damp weather.  There is a covered play area just outside of Dylan's classroom.  He'll have to adjust to the cold weather!
• They begin learning FRENCH at 4 & 5 years old.
• In general, the schools are older buildings which are CROWDED and full of curriculum materials and working areas in every hallway and open space. 
• I haven't seen a great deal of CURRICULUM yet, but from the class newsletter, it appears that Dylan will be covering material that would be expected of a kindergarten student in the U.S.

We worked SO hard to get the kids to bed at a decent time so Dylan would be rested and ready for school.  I believe it was at least 9:30 p.m. before they fell asleep.  When I went to wake them in the morning, this is what I saw.  Sure makes it hard to wake them up when they look so sweet like this, especially after struggling to get them to sleep!

They did wake up nicely for me.  Dylan was excited to start school on Monday.  He wanted to stay all day, but the head teacher suggested we start with a half day.  He went right into his class, sat down on the rug with the other children and turned around to wave to me.  Easy as that!  When I picked him up at noon, the first thing he said was, "Mom, can I stay all day tomorrow?"  So he enjoyed his first day, which told me he felt comfortable there.  We went and got a treat to celebrate how brave he was on his first day.  We also picked up some Lunchables for him to take for lunch.  I know, not the healthiest lunch, but easy for me while we are still at the bed and breakfast.  Yes, he could purchase lunch at school, but we do not recognize half of the food on the menu.  I'll get into the food here in a future post.

Dylan was exhausted Tuesday morning, so I let him sleep a little more and took him to school at 10:00 a.m.  He was a happy camper and so excited about staying for lunch.  He had another successful day today from 9:40-3:10.  We are getting there.  He has made a few friends, and he keeps telling us about playing outside and playing hockey in the gym.  I asked if he did any work, and he said no.  Such a typical response from a young boy.  Then he remembered doing numbers on his own white board with a marker.  He also told me about a book he is working on about a bumblebee.  They are doing teddy bears this week.  He was supposed to bring in a teddy bear, but since our things have not arrived yet, he brought in Rex the dinosaur from Toy Story. :)  He also came home with an easy reader book and a reading log in his bag.  It looks like they send it back and forth every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  The teachers and parents write comments about how he does reading the books.  I am anxious to see how he does with this reading system.

I will post a new picture of him in his uniform when his logo sweatshirt arrives.  He has black "trousers", a white collared shirt, dark school shoes and he will have the purple sweatshirt with the gold logo.  CBC colors for all of you St. Louis people!

On another note, our shipment has arrived in London, cleared customs and will be delivered to our house on Friday! Too bad Eric doesn't get Monday off for MLK. :)

Thank you for all of your continued e-mails, facebook notes, and calls!  This week is going much better for all of us.  We are trying to Skype when we have time in the evenings.  The highlight of my weekend was doing Skype with my adorable niece, Lily.  She showed off her new trick...her Miss America wave!  It was the cutest thing ever!  She was really looking at us on the computer, smiling and waving to us!  We miss you all so very much!

First Weekend Getaway...Parks & Shopping!

We all look forward to the weekends.  Time to relax, maybe do a little shopping, watch some TV or go out on the town.  Eric and I are anxious to explore and do some sight-seeing, but with the kids still adjusting, we just played it by ear. 

We went to downtown Chippenham to add my name to our bank account.  They use a chip and pin card system over here, and it is very rare to have a swipe card.  Eric got me some cash last week, but we all know 50 pounds won't last me long as I grab things for the new house and the kids.  Eric was amazing with carrying both kids through the streets!  I waddled along behind them.
 

After waiting in line at the bank and spending about 20 minutes filling out paperwork, the teller was sorry to inform us that I could not be added to the account.  She needed proof of my residence here...a piece of mail with my name on it.  Sorry lady, I just moved here, and nothing is in my name.  It felt like we were in there forever, and I was out of distractions for the kids.  We were both frustrated, and none of the workers seemed to know how to help us.  Eric finally asked to have his account closed.  The lady looked at the clock and said, "I'm sorry sir.  We just closed."  Seriously?????  This was after they put a lock on his account for a week after he changed his password online!  Things are different here!

We had a similar run around at the doctor's office.  The UK has free national healthcare (NHS: National Healthcare System).  They would not allow me to get registered with a doctor until I arrived here.  O.K. so at 30 weeks pregnant, I am starting at scratch looking for a doctor.  You cannot get a NHS number until you choose a G.P.  So we went to the nearest "surgery" (doctor's office) on Tuesday and filled out paperwork for all four of us to register with a G.P.  They got me an appointment on Friday with a G.P.  She basically asked how I was feeling, sent me back to the front desk and led me to the birthing center across the street.  They use midwives here for most pregnancies.  If you are a high risk patient, you may be referred to an obstetrician.  After another hour of waiting and paperwork, they made me an appointment for this coming Wednesday with a midwife.  And THEY made the appointment.  They told me when it would take place, day and time.  No choice for me.  Lovely.  Or shall I say, "brilliant", as they all say here.

But Saturday turned out to be great!  We stopped in Starbucks for some muffins and smoothies.

Then, Eric showed us a park in Chippenham, less than 10 minutes from our house.  The kids' eyes lit up when they saw the playground!  After being couped up most of the week with yucky weather, they were thrilled to enjoy the sunshine at such a fun place. 

After the park, we drove to Bristol, which took about 25 minutes.  The kids slept, of course.  We spent quite a while in IKEA looking for storage cabinets and things for the house.  We ate dinner at their restaurant.  The kids had Swedish meatballs, and they actually ate them.  (Well, ketchup makes everything taste better.)  I am so proud of them for trying so many new things this week!

On Sunday, we drove to Bath, which is about 20 minutes away.  We explored another park, which the kids loved, and the sun was shining!

Amelia called these "old-fashioned" swings

Lots of fun running around with Daddy

This is Lacock Abbey, where part of Harry Potter was filmed.  The park was across the street.

A closer view of Lacock Abbey

Then, Eric dropped me off in the shopping area of Bath to get some school trousers and shirts for Dylan.  It was a busy area full of very interesting people.  Almost everyone here wears boots or wellies of some sort.  

Shopping in Bath

Bath Abbey

We had American style pizza in Bath for dinner at Pizza Express.  I was wiped out after our fun-filled weekend!

 

Jet lag!

I think the hardest part about moving or travelling abroad with little ones is the jet lag.  Coming from St. Louis, Missouri, we had a 6 hour time change.  I was prepared for late nights and unscheduled naps.  I wasn't prepared for it to take almost an entire WEEK to get adjusted.  Let's just say this past week was one of the most difficult weeks I've had in a long time due to jet lag and crabby children.  It did not help that I was feeling under the weather with a sinus infection too.  Sure, I had hard weeks when I was "single mom" in Aiken preparing for the holidays and the big move with Eric already abroad.  But this past week was different.  We were all emotional due to tiredness and lack of a routine and schedule.  My kids were not Dylan and Amelia.  And at times, I think I was the wicked witch of the west.  I was really starting to think, "What did I get myself into by moving over here at 31 weeks pregnant in the middle of winter?"  But God has a plan for everyone.  I believe He brought us here for a reason.  I know it's not always going to be easy, especially as we get settled.  In the long run, these are all just going to be lessons from which we learn.  I am so thankful for the support from our family and friends.  When my good friend, Kristi, called me on the phone the other day, it was like we were just around the corner from each other.  I truly appreciate all of the e-mails, posts, and calls during this time of transition.
As hard as we tried to get them to bed a little earlier each night, they would get a burst of energy and stay awake until 4:00 a.m. the first night, then around 2:00 a.m. and then I lost track.  We tried getting them up early, but Amelia is just NOT a morning person.  I can still hear her yelling at Eric, "DAD!  I am NOT ready to get up!"  So they would sleep until 10:30 a.m. or even noon.  And this is what happened every time we got in the car to go somewhere...

They couldn't even make it 10 minutes in the car...EXHAUSTED!

We did everything possible to get them to sleep at night...movies, books, songs, rubbing backs, and even falling asleep with Daddy (who had to get up for work).

Alarm clock reads: 10:25 a.m. She is still OUT!

"Kids, we just got to IKEA.  Are you excited?"  Guess not.

Week 2 is starting with much better schedules and spirits, thank God!

The Barn...our temporary home

Our kids are used to hotels with elevators and ice machines.  Well, you don't see many Holiday Inns or Marriotts around these small villages.  We are staying in a Bed and Breakfast.  It was once a dairy that they converted into 4 rooms.  It is actually quite nice.  The owner stocked us with milk, juice, cereals, fresh eggs, bacon, sausage, bread, and jams.  We can prepare simple foods in our rooms.  Without a microwave, I am adjusting to using the "hob" to prepare oatmeal, hot chocolate and of course TEA.

The kids already have a case of cabin fever.  I tried taking them outside for a walk several times, but they only last a few minutes.  They are so used to South Carolina weather.  They say, "It's freezing!"  I will agree that it's been cold, wet and windy since we arrived.  45 sure feels a lot colder here.  We have only seen the sunshine a few times.  We will adjust before long.  It's funny because I see mothers out walking their babies, children walking home from school with no coats and adults running in shorts.  We are bundled up with hats, scarves and gloves.  They probably think, "Those silly Americans."

Here are some pictures of the Barn B&B...

Eric and the kids right outside of our two adjoining rooms

The farmhouse where the owners live

The farm shop

The view from behind the farm.  This is what most of the open land looks like between villages.  Usually you can see lots of sheep.

Our room

Our room again, notice the low ceiling entrance.  Doesn't affect me, but Eric has to duck under it!

Front hallway between our rooms.  There's Dylan playing with his cars.

Amelia brushing her teeth in their bathroom.  Heated floors and heated towels!

The kids' room...again, Dylan playing cars.

Kids' room again

Dylan standing next to "Sir Miles Axelrod"

He wanted this picture to show his cousins, Reed & Conner

We got word today that our shipment should arrive next week.  If all goes well, it will be delivered next Friday.  So we have at least one more week in the barn.  I am looking forward to doing some exploring this weekend with Eric off work.  We are headed to IKEA in Bristol tomorrow!



Our New House...It's Not "Home" yet

I'm calling these the "before pictures".  After our belongings arrive, which may be another 2 weeks, I am hoping this house will look a little more like us.  First things that need to go are the hideous curtains!  Amelia said the curtains in the kitchen look like Dorothy's dress from the Wizard of Oz.  Yep, they do.  Not really my style.  Good thing my sewing machine will be arriving in a few weeks.

The house itself is nice.  It has 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms, all of which are smaller than what we are used to having.  It will be cozy.  The backyard (which they call the "garden") is a great size.  It has a small playhouse, which the kids love.  The driveway is also spacious which will be great for riding bikes and scooters.  Dylan has already been enjoying his new scooter!  The houses are all very close to each other, but ours sits back behind several houses, so it seems to have more space.  All of the houses look the same.  In fact, most of the buildings here all look the same too.  That old stone look.  Oh, and one strange thing about the house is that it has 10 keys.  Every door, including the garage doors, has a different key.  There are about 4 skeleton keys and 6 "regular" keys.  My keychain is so heavy!

Here are the before pictures of the house:

Dylan on his scooter in our driveway 

Front of house. 

Lower large window: playroom  Upper large window: Dylan's room  Upper small window: Baby's room

Playhouse in backyard

Backyard

Entryway

Kitchen: Yes, that's a washing machine.  Dryer is in the garage!

View of kitchen standing at sink.  See into utility room and front hallway.  Family room is first door in hallway.  Playroom is second door in hallway.

Utility room

Family room

Family room again and view out to patio and side yard

View out of family room door

Playroom

Half bath.  All bathroom sinks have separate faucets...annoying!

Dylan's room: We are going to cover the flower border and change the curtains.

Amelia's room

Amelia's room



Master bedroom: not like our walk-in his/her closets in our last house

Master bathroom.  Headed to IKEA this weekend for some storage solutions!

Baby's room...don't worry, Eric already took down the pink light cover in case it's a boy. We're hoping the changing table fits in here with the crib...tiny room!

Hall bathroom

I didn't take a picture of the office, but that's where my sewing machines will be as well.  We are hoping our shipment will arrive in England mid-next week.  Then, we hope it won't take too long to get through customs and be delivered to our house.  9 weeks until the baby is due!  Only 8 weeks until our first visitors arrive...my parents!  I'm just taking it all one day at a time and praying that it all works out.