I was trying to think what a "normal" day is like for me. 3 days this week have been pretty much the same, so I'll call that normal and try to give a run-through.
2:00am Bob comes to bed, and though he tries to be quiet, I wake up. Sometimes we talk a bit, sometimes I have to use the toilet.
5:30am William makes noise and wakes me up. Sometimes he is fed and put back to bed.
I try to sleep more.
6 - 6:30 I wake up. Sometimes William is also awake, so I get him and change and feed him.
I sneak out to the bathroom, wash and dress, and tiptoe to the living room.
6:30 - 6:45 Cedwryck gets up and checks if I'm up yet. If I am, he comes in the living room, says he is cold, and curls up in the blanket.
6:45 Riah gets up and takes the blanket from Cedwryck. They fuss, and I threaten to send them back to bed. I check email.
6:50 Naysha or Taryn and Ella get up and try to find a seat on the love seat (already full of boy).
Everyone reads a book or tells their dreams.
7:10 I've had enough of the fussing over seating, and almost finish my emails/blog/online shopping/banking, so announce breakfast. Everyone piles around the table. Sometimes Taryn and/or Naysha help me get things out. 6 bowls, 2 spoons (unless someone wants a spoon, and then everyone else does, too), 4 cups, 2 kinds of cereal, 2 kinds of milk. At least one of the cartons will be emptied and have to be crushed and trashed. Then I notice the trash is full, and so empty the can. I eat my cereal quickly.
7:20 William wakes up, so I feed and change him. The boys see that I'm occupied so they start to throw cereal/pour milk/take Ella's cereal/want juice. The girls finish up and go get dressed.
7:45 Ella and boys are finishing up breakfast. I wash Ella and tell them to pick up the mess. Taryn is reminded to put her milk away.
8:00 Children watch a movie to keep them quiet while Bob sleeps. I start laundry, fill the dishwasher, and try to think of lunch.
8:30 Children watch another movie. I feed William and think about lunch.
9:00 I change some diapers. Children play "David and Goliath."
I rotate laundry (or force Taryn to do it), shake out the dishwasher, and start fixing lunch.
9:30 I feed William; he goes to sleep on my lap. Bob gets up. Children get annoying/go outside/are sent to their rooms to put away clothes.
10:00 1 hour til lunch time! I get cracking in the kitchen. The girls vacuum the breakfast mess, wash the table, set the table. The boys ask if it's ready, and want to pour something into a bowl.
10:30 William is hungry again, so lunch gets turned down to simmer.
11:00 We eat.
11:20 Bob and I are done, but the children want more. A typical meal includes 1-2 lbs of meat, bread, rice or noodles, a hot vegetable and a salad. There aren't usually leftovers.
12:00 the children are done, and I explain that we aren't having dessert after every meal anymore. So they wash up and clean the table while I feed William and visit with Bob.
12:30 Bob gets ready for work. The children "ping."
1:00 Bob goes to work. I put Ella to bed and convince the others that we need to do school.
2:00 the little ones are bored with games/books/coloring and Taryn is decorating her paper instead of doing the problems. William dozes off.
3:00 Taryn has finally finished something and goes to play with the other children. Ella wakes up and so does William. I change diapers and feed William. Someone gets hurt and comes for a hug.
3:30 I go to clean the kitchen and everyone is hungry/wants to make something/ is hurt or fussy. I send them outside/to the play room/to work.
4:00 I feed William and read to Ella. Taryn wants to read or get on the computer. Someone needs a drink or makes a dirty diaper.
5:00 supper time. I hand out food and they scarf it down.
6:00 they are finally full. I make them clean off the table. I try to put away my clothes and the children run races in the hall. Someone gets hurt and needs a hug. William is hungry so I leave the clothes.
6:30 I feed William while the children climb on the furniture.
7:00 We all pick up the toys/clothes/food/shoes/trash/books that have been scattered all over the house.
7:30 I vacuum while the children run and scream.
8:00 We gather for Bible time. We sing, read, and talk. Unless they are too tired and fussy, in which case we more or less skip it.
8:30 Change diapers/put on night clothes, brush teeth and children to bed.
I feed William and Taryn reads or talks. I put William to bed.
9:00 Taryn goes to bed.
I exercise, clean the kitchen, get online, play computer games, read, put clothes away, pick up what was missed, or otherwise relax a bit.
10:30 I tell myself I should go to bed.
11:30 I go to bed.
It's 10:38 now and I'm telling myself I should go to bed, but I haven't exercised yet, didn't finish mending Taryn's skirt or putting my clothes away, and I know there's something I need to do but I can't remember what. Bob just called and he's hoping to get out of work by midnight, but it might not be til 3:00am. My mousepad isn't working right. I wonder what I forgot.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Just stuff
Tonight when I was tucking the boys into bed, Azariah said, "I can't eat Jesus' body." (Totally out of the blue, very serious - typical Azariah). I said, "Why not?" (Not knowing what to expect, and thinking of how to explain the ancient mystery that is Eucharist.) He thoughtfully responded, "Because I'm too short." I'm getting good at holding the laughter in. I reassured him that he would grow in body and understanding.
The boys are convinced that their Daddy is about the biggest and strongest man in the whole world, except maybe Goliath. It's really cute to watch their minds work it all out. Riah was asking me how old Bob is, "Is Daddy 31?" He seemed surprised when I told him Bob was 40, and then wondered how big he would be when he was 50. He really didn't know what to think when I said adults don't keep on growing. Anyway, he decided he'd be "as big as Daddy" when he was about 14.
Since Bob is gone in the evenings now, I've been cooking the big meal of the day for lunch. Only trouble is, that means I'm in the kitchen during the short time that Bob is home and awake. So tonight I cooked tomorrow's lunch - it will only have to heat up in the morning. Maybe we'll get to have time together. We'll have to see how it goes. Anyway, I made baked tacos, and roasted root vegetables. I actually only put in a sweet potato and a swede since that filled up the pan. The recipe called for those plus turnip, carrot, and parsnip and was supposed to be 8 servings. I think either my scale is off, or the recipe is off.
The CLR didn't do much for the build-up on the toilet. Any ideas?
Taryn stays up later than the other children most nights. Tonight she was very talkative (she usually reads) and was asking me about the Presidential elections coming up this year. She's read some about the office of President, and the congress, in an American History book, so we had a starting point. So we talked about voting, and who the candidates are, and why one is better than the other. At 9, she can see how silly Universal Health Care is - why can't the general public? "It's not the government's fault if I get sick!"
Well, it is 11:30 and it appears that my brain has stopped working for the day.
God bless.
The boys are convinced that their Daddy is about the biggest and strongest man in the whole world, except maybe Goliath. It's really cute to watch their minds work it all out. Riah was asking me how old Bob is, "Is Daddy 31?" He seemed surprised when I told him Bob was 40, and then wondered how big he would be when he was 50. He really didn't know what to think when I said adults don't keep on growing. Anyway, he decided he'd be "as big as Daddy" when he was about 14.
Since Bob is gone in the evenings now, I've been cooking the big meal of the day for lunch. Only trouble is, that means I'm in the kitchen during the short time that Bob is home and awake. So tonight I cooked tomorrow's lunch - it will only have to heat up in the morning. Maybe we'll get to have time together. We'll have to see how it goes. Anyway, I made baked tacos, and roasted root vegetables. I actually only put in a sweet potato and a swede since that filled up the pan. The recipe called for those plus turnip, carrot, and parsnip and was supposed to be 8 servings. I think either my scale is off, or the recipe is off.
The CLR didn't do much for the build-up on the toilet. Any ideas?
Taryn stays up later than the other children most nights. Tonight she was very talkative (she usually reads) and was asking me about the Presidential elections coming up this year. She's read some about the office of President, and the congress, in an American History book, so we had a starting point. So we talked about voting, and who the candidates are, and why one is better than the other. At 9, she can see how silly Universal Health Care is - why can't the general public? "It's not the government's fault if I get sick!"
Well, it is 11:30 and it appears that my brain has stopped working for the day.
God bless.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
got my baby back
Bob fixed my computer!!! He's my hero!
He said he found another boot disk and tried it. The first thing I did was uninstall Web Crawler; the second thing was to install Kaspersky Internet Security (virus, firewall, etc); it is scanning now.
I have my favorites back; I can stay logged in to stuff; I have my pretty, uncluttered desktop; etc, etc, etc.
Today I made chicken, noodles, baked potato chips, and broccoli & cauliflower with cheese for lunch. Only thing left was a half piece of chicken. I also got all the laundry washed, and directed the straightening, vacuuming, and sweeping of the house. And put away the groceries. I didn't like the way it looked last night, all messy. Mess causes me stress. Tomorrow I need to clean the bathroom and toilet. We have pretty hard water here, I guess, and even with a daily wipe-down, the sink is getting buildup. The toilet is turning orange, even after using toilet bowl cleaner. I bought some CLR (calcium, Lime, Rust) and I hope it works. If not, I'll have to hire a maid every so often, I guess. I can't scrub it all every day.
For school today Taryn did an English lesson and we all played Math Mouse games. I tied to find something about that online, but no go. Naysha and Riah have started Math. Yesterday they did 0 and today they did 1.
Ella is upgrading her vocabulary. Now, instead of "mo" she will answer with "yeah" or "humm unn" and if I call her name she says a version of "yes." And when she wants something, instead of "enh, enh" she says "mine."
Yesterday when I was opening a package of frozen ground turkey, the knife slipped and went into my left palm. It made a little hole, but barely drew blood. Bob heard me suck in breath and thought he was gonna take me to the hospital. I guess I under-react sometimes. Bob says my adrenaline works in reverse.
Saturday or Sunday we had a 'fender bender.' The roads around here are narrow, and driving home is like a giant game of "chicken" to see if one car will go up the grass bank to avoid hitting the oncoming car. We were coming home, and Bob had his left tire right on the edge of the pavement, but the oncoming car didn't move over at all, or slow down. So we hit side view mirrors, busting the glass out of ours and hers. Sigh. She is a military spouse. We exchanged phone numbers, but I doubt we will pursue any reimbursement. As the witnesses didn't stop, it would be our word against hers, anyway.
Guess that's it.
He said he found another boot disk and tried it. The first thing I did was uninstall Web Crawler; the second thing was to install Kaspersky Internet Security (virus, firewall, etc); it is scanning now.
I have my favorites back; I can stay logged in to stuff; I have my pretty, uncluttered desktop; etc, etc, etc.
Today I made chicken, noodles, baked potato chips, and broccoli & cauliflower with cheese for lunch. Only thing left was a half piece of chicken. I also got all the laundry washed, and directed the straightening, vacuuming, and sweeping of the house. And put away the groceries. I didn't like the way it looked last night, all messy. Mess causes me stress. Tomorrow I need to clean the bathroom and toilet. We have pretty hard water here, I guess, and even with a daily wipe-down, the sink is getting buildup. The toilet is turning orange, even after using toilet bowl cleaner. I bought some CLR (calcium, Lime, Rust) and I hope it works. If not, I'll have to hire a maid every so often, I guess. I can't scrub it all every day.
For school today Taryn did an English lesson and we all played Math Mouse games. I tied to find something about that online, but no go. Naysha and Riah have started Math. Yesterday they did 0 and today they did 1.
Ella is upgrading her vocabulary. Now, instead of "mo" she will answer with "yeah" or "humm unn" and if I call her name she says a version of "yes." And when she wants something, instead of "enh, enh" she says "mine."
Yesterday when I was opening a package of frozen ground turkey, the knife slipped and went into my left palm. It made a little hole, but barely drew blood. Bob heard me suck in breath and thought he was gonna take me to the hospital. I guess I under-react sometimes. Bob says my adrenaline works in reverse.
Saturday or Sunday we had a 'fender bender.' The roads around here are narrow, and driving home is like a giant game of "chicken" to see if one car will go up the grass bank to avoid hitting the oncoming car. We were coming home, and Bob had his left tire right on the edge of the pavement, but the oncoming car didn't move over at all, or slow down. So we hit side view mirrors, busting the glass out of ours and hers. Sigh. She is a military spouse. We exchanged phone numbers, but I doubt we will pursue any reimbursement. As the witnesses didn't stop, it would be our word against hers, anyway.
Guess that's it.
Big day
Ever since we got here, it has been my goal to not have to go grocery shopping on a Saturday. To just have ONE weekend where we can do as we like. Since we bought the second fridge, it has seemed a possible dream. I think I made it happen!
Yesterday Bob left for work about 1pm, I put Ella down for a nap and "did school" with the older ones. Then they got socks and shoes on and went out to play. (It was breezy, but partly sunny, and over 50*F.) When Ella got up, I put her socks and shoes and coat on and sent her out, too, while I changed William and fed him once more. Then, about 4, we were finally ready to go.
I had previously decided that we'd go to Burger King for supper. Prior to that decision, I was going to come home and have sandwiches, but I think I forgot the yeast when I started the breadmaker. Either way, the 'bread' came out a fragrant lump.
So on my way, at the first turning (where our road meets High Street) I was trying to see if it was clear - look right, then left, then right again. Looking right, I saw a car go by from the left, that I hadn't seen when I looked left! So I stopped and prayed. Then it was all good til I got to "The Fiveways" - the largest roundabout in the area, so called because it is a 5-way intersection. I knew I needed the 3rd turn off, so I got in the inside lane. It was clear going in, but a large van was on my right, and he was going to the 4th turn off. If I was in a sportster, I'd have gunned it and whipped around him to my exit, but I wasn't, so I didn't. We went ALL the way around, and back to our road. And that is why traffic circles are so much nicer than stop lights. In Abilene you can get away with turning left from the right lane, or doing a U turn, but in most cities you'll get run over if you try. Here, you just keep going around til you get it sorted out - much more forgiving than than the American way. Then we made it!
So first things first - eat. I had a chicken sandwich and a Sprite. The children (between them) had 3 orders of nuggets, 4 hamburgers, and 3 orders of fries. They drank water. They were "still hungry" but I said we needed to go, so we did.
NOW, commissary. I got 3 orders of WIC - that's 4 gallons of milk, 4 pounds of cheese, 6 boxes of cereal, 3 dozen eggs, one jar of peanut butter and 2 pkgs of frozen spinach. Taryn pushed that cart, which also held William (in his car seat) and Ella. Cedwryck sat in the front of my cart, which I loaded up with pears, oranges, grapes, sweet potatoes and salad, some spices I was running low on, 10 pounds of flour, 3 pkgs flour tortillas, 3 boxes of crackers, 8 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of oatmeal, and a few other things. (I counted before we left, and I already have meat for at least 15 meals.) So I dunno, you think that'll last us at least a week?
Riah climbed on the carts, played house with Naysha, and suggested things I ought to buy. Naysha fussed that she wanted in the cart. Ced fussed that he wanted out of the cart. Ella stood in her seat a few times, but Taryn sat her back down. William just watched the world go by. At the checkout, Taryn met a 10 year old girl who was pushing a cart for her Mama. They would have stood and chatted all night, but we called them back to their duties. Then Ella started to fuss, and we realized that she was dirty. So Taryn took her and changed her in the bathroom while I waited for the checker to check. She was training somebody, though she seemed new enough herself, so every move had to be explained before executed. I tried to look impatient but not annoyed. Anyway, it gave everyone an opportunity to use the toilet (for the third time since we left home).
Then we made it home. Phew. When the bagger put the groceries in the back of the van, she stuck the eggs on top and said "there's the eggs" and I thought about taking them up front, but I didn't do it. Sure enough, when we opened the back at home, things started sliding around, and out fell a dozen eggs. Then Riah got them and sprinted to the house, swinging the bag as he went. sigh. As I went out for my second load (my first load having been William and Ella), I saw another dozen eggs fall. Yikes! So as the children carried in the rest of the bags, I checked the eggs. Between the 2 that fell, we lost 10 eggs. I guess if I was thrifty I'd have made a quiche or something on the spot with the cracked ones, but I didn't even think of it till now.
Taryn said that was all of it, and I asked her twice if she got the van closed up. As we were getting ready for bed, there came a knock on the door. It was the neighbor, who had been walking his dogs, saying that our van door was open. I thanked him, put the babies to bed, and went out to close and lock the van. Yay! We did it!
By the time we were settled i was too sleepy to think, so headed to bed at 9:30 (I'd got up at 5;30 that morning). Didn't sleep very well last night, but today is a new day.
And William has a dirty diaper.
Yesterday Bob left for work about 1pm, I put Ella down for a nap and "did school" with the older ones. Then they got socks and shoes on and went out to play. (It was breezy, but partly sunny, and over 50*F.) When Ella got up, I put her socks and shoes and coat on and sent her out, too, while I changed William and fed him once more. Then, about 4, we were finally ready to go.
I had previously decided that we'd go to Burger King for supper. Prior to that decision, I was going to come home and have sandwiches, but I think I forgot the yeast when I started the breadmaker. Either way, the 'bread' came out a fragrant lump.
So on my way, at the first turning (where our road meets High Street) I was trying to see if it was clear - look right, then left, then right again. Looking right, I saw a car go by from the left, that I hadn't seen when I looked left! So I stopped and prayed. Then it was all good til I got to "The Fiveways" - the largest roundabout in the area, so called because it is a 5-way intersection. I knew I needed the 3rd turn off, so I got in the inside lane. It was clear going in, but a large van was on my right, and he was going to the 4th turn off. If I was in a sportster, I'd have gunned it and whipped around him to my exit, but I wasn't, so I didn't. We went ALL the way around, and back to our road. And that is why traffic circles are so much nicer than stop lights. In Abilene you can get away with turning left from the right lane, or doing a U turn, but in most cities you'll get run over if you try. Here, you just keep going around til you get it sorted out - much more forgiving than than the American way. Then we made it!
So first things first - eat. I had a chicken sandwich and a Sprite. The children (between them) had 3 orders of nuggets, 4 hamburgers, and 3 orders of fries. They drank water. They were "still hungry" but I said we needed to go, so we did.
NOW, commissary. I got 3 orders of WIC - that's 4 gallons of milk, 4 pounds of cheese, 6 boxes of cereal, 3 dozen eggs, one jar of peanut butter and 2 pkgs of frozen spinach. Taryn pushed that cart, which also held William (in his car seat) and Ella. Cedwryck sat in the front of my cart, which I loaded up with pears, oranges, grapes, sweet potatoes and salad, some spices I was running low on, 10 pounds of flour, 3 pkgs flour tortillas, 3 boxes of crackers, 8 boxes of cereal, 2 boxes of oatmeal, and a few other things. (I counted before we left, and I already have meat for at least 15 meals.) So I dunno, you think that'll last us at least a week?
Riah climbed on the carts, played house with Naysha, and suggested things I ought to buy. Naysha fussed that she wanted in the cart. Ced fussed that he wanted out of the cart. Ella stood in her seat a few times, but Taryn sat her back down. William just watched the world go by. At the checkout, Taryn met a 10 year old girl who was pushing a cart for her Mama. They would have stood and chatted all night, but we called them back to their duties. Then Ella started to fuss, and we realized that she was dirty. So Taryn took her and changed her in the bathroom while I waited for the checker to check. She was training somebody, though she seemed new enough herself, so every move had to be explained before executed. I tried to look impatient but not annoyed. Anyway, it gave everyone an opportunity to use the toilet (for the third time since we left home).
Then we made it home. Phew. When the bagger put the groceries in the back of the van, she stuck the eggs on top and said "there's the eggs" and I thought about taking them up front, but I didn't do it. Sure enough, when we opened the back at home, things started sliding around, and out fell a dozen eggs. Then Riah got them and sprinted to the house, swinging the bag as he went. sigh. As I went out for my second load (my first load having been William and Ella), I saw another dozen eggs fall. Yikes! So as the children carried in the rest of the bags, I checked the eggs. Between the 2 that fell, we lost 10 eggs. I guess if I was thrifty I'd have made a quiche or something on the spot with the cracked ones, but I didn't even think of it till now.
Taryn said that was all of it, and I asked her twice if she got the van closed up. As we were getting ready for bed, there came a knock on the door. It was the neighbor, who had been walking his dogs, saying that our van door was open. I thanked him, put the babies to bed, and went out to close and lock the van. Yay! We did it!
By the time we were settled i was too sleepy to think, so headed to bed at 9:30 (I'd got up at 5;30 that morning). Didn't sleep very well last night, but today is a new day.
And William has a dirty diaper.
Monday, 25 February 2008
hellooo.....hello...hello.... (as in an echo)
Maybe I'm not interesting anymore and so everyone quit reading. boohoo.
Anyway!
Today Naysha announced that she wants to learn how to read, so she can be in "First Grade." So I got out the phonics alphabet flash cards and she and Riah went through them, saying the name of the letter, and what sound it makes. Then I tried to put 3 letters together to make a word. J - juh - E - eh - T - tuh. J - e- t- What's that say? You'd think we were playing Pictionary; they started shouting out words "Tayrn!" "juice!" I got tickled and had to quit. They got "cab" pretty easy, but "jet" was just too much.
Bob started "swing" shift today. He left a little after 1pm and should be home about midnight. I'm glad William is sleeping in his own room now.
Ooh, another funny.
Friday I made Sweet and Sour chicken wings for supper. Plus made cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast, so I was behind a bit. Right as Bob was due to be home and supper was supposed to be ready, but wasn't, William got hungry. So I thought I'd let Taryn make the sauce to pour over the wings. She's been helping me in the kitchen and I figured she could do that much. So I read out the ingrediants to her and she mixed it all together, heated it, and I said "Pour half of it over the two pans there." She reported that she'd put half in each pan. So I told her to put them in the oven, and she had a look of realization dawning, and said, "oh." Instead of pouring the sauce over the chicken, she'd poured it into the frying pan (and dirty saucepan that I'd poured some of the oil into when it was getting too hot) with the used oil. She was ready to cry, but I laughed it off, and since William was about done then, I went to make the sauce for the chicken. Turned out really good - we all got stuffed.
oh, yeah.
Remember back when we went to church in Cheveley, and we thought it was odd that the Reformed Church was in fellowship with the Anglican churches of the neighboring villages? Hehehe. When we walked through town last week we made a discovery. There are TWO churches on High Street in Cheveley. The ANGLICAN church we went to before, in the old, pretty building, AND the Reformed Church in a modern building next to the school. OOOh. So Sunday we went to the Reformed Church. They are also a small gathering, and the service follows a form. Sing, read, sing, pray, read, sing, preach, sing, communion, sing. And a few more prayers and an offering. But it was warm in there. All the attendees were older than us; two live on our street; one is the mother of a young man Bob met last month at the photography club. Anyway, it wouldn't be our style of church normally, but we are thinking about attending more or less (maybe alternating with the Mildenhall Baptist). It would be nice to be close, to get to know people, to be able to help out and maybe put out a root or two. Everyone said how nice it was to have the children, and how well they behaved. They served real wine with communion, but we let Taryn go ahead anyway,a s it's such a small glass. Bob said afterward that he figured wine wouldn't be too bad. Now I don't drink, and if I ever have had any, it was at communion before (oh, and once I had a cake in Iceland with balls on top that were full of Sherry- that's a mistake I'll not repeat), so I didn't expect to like it. But I also didn't expect it to burn all the way down and hang out in my chest for an hour afterwards. Bob said it hit him too: was more like whiskey than wine. Oh well, now we don't have to worry about Taryn wanting to start drinking when she's older. ewww.
I didn't lose any weight last week; too many cheats, I guess. Today I put a book I'm reading (The black fox of Lorne) up in front of me and went to walking on the cross trainer. I finished the book and made it to 33 minutes - I'd been managing 16 minutes. True, I didn't get as intense with it as if I was concentrating on exercising, but I was able to go for the longer time, which is supposed to be good for me. Now I need a new book to read.
Well, it's time for bed on this side of the world.
Anyway!
Today Naysha announced that she wants to learn how to read, so she can be in "First Grade." So I got out the phonics alphabet flash cards and she and Riah went through them, saying the name of the letter, and what sound it makes. Then I tried to put 3 letters together to make a word. J - juh - E - eh - T - tuh. J - e- t- What's that say? You'd think we were playing Pictionary; they started shouting out words "Tayrn!" "juice!" I got tickled and had to quit. They got "cab" pretty easy, but "jet" was just too much.
Bob started "swing" shift today. He left a little after 1pm and should be home about midnight. I'm glad William is sleeping in his own room now.
Ooh, another funny.
Friday I made Sweet and Sour chicken wings for supper. Plus made cinnamon rolls for Saturday breakfast, so I was behind a bit. Right as Bob was due to be home and supper was supposed to be ready, but wasn't, William got hungry. So I thought I'd let Taryn make the sauce to pour over the wings. She's been helping me in the kitchen and I figured she could do that much. So I read out the ingrediants to her and she mixed it all together, heated it, and I said "Pour half of it over the two pans there." She reported that she'd put half in each pan. So I told her to put them in the oven, and she had a look of realization dawning, and said, "oh." Instead of pouring the sauce over the chicken, she'd poured it into the frying pan (and dirty saucepan that I'd poured some of the oil into when it was getting too hot) with the used oil. She was ready to cry, but I laughed it off, and since William was about done then, I went to make the sauce for the chicken. Turned out really good - we all got stuffed.
oh, yeah.
Remember back when we went to church in Cheveley, and we thought it was odd that the Reformed Church was in fellowship with the Anglican churches of the neighboring villages? Hehehe. When we walked through town last week we made a discovery. There are TWO churches on High Street in Cheveley. The ANGLICAN church we went to before, in the old, pretty building, AND the Reformed Church in a modern building next to the school. OOOh. So Sunday we went to the Reformed Church. They are also a small gathering, and the service follows a form. Sing, read, sing, pray, read, sing, preach, sing, communion, sing. And a few more prayers and an offering. But it was warm in there. All the attendees were older than us; two live on our street; one is the mother of a young man Bob met last month at the photography club. Anyway, it wouldn't be our style of church normally, but we are thinking about attending more or less (maybe alternating with the Mildenhall Baptist). It would be nice to be close, to get to know people, to be able to help out and maybe put out a root or two. Everyone said how nice it was to have the children, and how well they behaved. They served real wine with communion, but we let Taryn go ahead anyway,a s it's such a small glass. Bob said afterward that he figured wine wouldn't be too bad. Now I don't drink, and if I ever have had any, it was at communion before (oh, and once I had a cake in Iceland with balls on top that were full of Sherry- that's a mistake I'll not repeat), so I didn't expect to like it. But I also didn't expect it to burn all the way down and hang out in my chest for an hour afterwards. Bob said it hit him too: was more like whiskey than wine. Oh well, now we don't have to worry about Taryn wanting to start drinking when she's older. ewww.
I didn't lose any weight last week; too many cheats, I guess. Today I put a book I'm reading (The black fox of Lorne) up in front of me and went to walking on the cross trainer. I finished the book and made it to 33 minutes - I'd been managing 16 minutes. True, I didn't get as intense with it as if I was concentrating on exercising, but I was able to go for the longer time, which is supposed to be good for me. Now I need a new book to read.
Well, it's time for bed on this side of the world.
not much
Bob has been hogging the computer, so I haven't had a chance to write. I told him if he doesn't fix mine, I will buy a new one. Even threatened to get a Mac. haha
Nothing going on anyway. We stayed local this weekend, trying to find a new sofa. The selection at RAf Feltwell is worse than before, but we did go ahead and get a recliner. Brought it home on top of the van.
We went walking in Newmarket Saturday afternoon. I bought a new skillet at the BX.
William has learned how to blow raspberries. Ella had all her hair in a ponytail at one time.
Anyway, it's time to get up now, so I guess I better start moving.
Nothing going on anyway. We stayed local this weekend, trying to find a new sofa. The selection at RAf Feltwell is worse than before, but we did go ahead and get a recliner. Brought it home on top of the van.
We went walking in Newmarket Saturday afternoon. I bought a new skillet at the BX.
William has learned how to blow raspberries. Ella had all her hair in a ponytail at one time.
Anyway, it's time to get up now, so I guess I better start moving.
Thursday, 21 February 2008
Didn't I already have a bad day this week?
So things are looking up now, but here's how the day started:
I finished my breakfast and was going to put some ingredients in the breadmaker when William woke up, so I stopped to feed him. This left the boys unsupervised st the table, and they soon started a food fight with their cereal. (I'm not buying flakes for them anymore!) (When they finished, I made them pick it up, and Taryn vacuumed.)
I looked for my receipt from my Pampered Chef Professional Family skillet, because it is all not non-stick anymore and I want to return it (lifetime guarantee and all that) but I can't find it. So that's $100 lost.
I found a bread recipe I wanted to try - it said it was a 1 1/2lb loaf, and we usually eat a 2lb loaf in one sitting, so I added 1/3 to the amounts. Next time I went in the kitchen I checked, and it had 1/2 hours left, and was already touching the top of the machine! So I turned it off, divided the dough in half, and put each half in a greased loaf pan, oh wait! My butter was all in the freezer, so I had a hard time greasing the pans. Then they rose in the "airing cupboard" and I baked them in the oven. It is yummy bread.
I was changing Ced's diaper when Riah started screaming bloody murder. I got the diaper on and went to meet him. Riah was hopping down the hall, holding one foot, which I noticed right away had two bloody toes. I had him in the tub (to rinse it off) before he was calm enough to tell me what happened. He was running through the living room and ran his toe into the tile fireplace surround. So I got that rinsed off and sanitized and dried and applied the bandaid.
Then I was teaching Taryn how to clean a toilet when Ella went in the living room by herself. Apparently she threw up a little bit, and in trying to clean it up she wiped it all over Bob's laptop. I cleaned it up the best I could, but the mousepad wouldn't work. So I turned the computer off and immediately thought of all the things I needed to do on the computer.
sigh.
I know there's more, but I can't remember it now.
Anyway, I decided to check the computer later and it works now.
The bread stuck in one pan, but it is very good.
Ella isn't sick.
I didn't eat anything to make it all better.
Riah is hobbling around pretty good.
So all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.
Bob ALMOST passed his test yesterday. There is a formula (or course!) combined of running, pushups, situps, and waist measurement. All he lacks is 1 inch off his waist, 3 more situps, and/or 1 minute off his running time, to pass. He'll retest in a month, more or less.
Time to clean the kitchen and make dinner.
I finished my breakfast and was going to put some ingredients in the breadmaker when William woke up, so I stopped to feed him. This left the boys unsupervised st the table, and they soon started a food fight with their cereal. (I'm not buying flakes for them anymore!) (When they finished, I made them pick it up, and Taryn vacuumed.)
I looked for my receipt from my Pampered Chef Professional Family skillet, because it is all not non-stick anymore and I want to return it (lifetime guarantee and all that) but I can't find it. So that's $100 lost.
I found a bread recipe I wanted to try - it said it was a 1 1/2lb loaf, and we usually eat a 2lb loaf in one sitting, so I added 1/3 to the amounts. Next time I went in the kitchen I checked, and it had 1/2 hours left, and was already touching the top of the machine! So I turned it off, divided the dough in half, and put each half in a greased loaf pan, oh wait! My butter was all in the freezer, so I had a hard time greasing the pans. Then they rose in the "airing cupboard" and I baked them in the oven. It is yummy bread.
I was changing Ced's diaper when Riah started screaming bloody murder. I got the diaper on and went to meet him. Riah was hopping down the hall, holding one foot, which I noticed right away had two bloody toes. I had him in the tub (to rinse it off) before he was calm enough to tell me what happened. He was running through the living room and ran his toe into the tile fireplace surround. So I got that rinsed off and sanitized and dried and applied the bandaid.
Then I was teaching Taryn how to clean a toilet when Ella went in the living room by herself. Apparently she threw up a little bit, and in trying to clean it up she wiped it all over Bob's laptop. I cleaned it up the best I could, but the mousepad wouldn't work. So I turned the computer off and immediately thought of all the things I needed to do on the computer.
sigh.
I know there's more, but I can't remember it now.
Anyway, I decided to check the computer later and it works now.
The bread stuck in one pan, but it is very good.
Ella isn't sick.
I didn't eat anything to make it all better.
Riah is hobbling around pretty good.
So all things considered, it could have been a lot worse.
Bob ALMOST passed his test yesterday. There is a formula (or course!) combined of running, pushups, situps, and waist measurement. All he lacks is 1 inch off his waist, 3 more situps, and/or 1 minute off his running time, to pass. He'll retest in a month, more or less.
Time to clean the kitchen and make dinner.
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
here I am!
No, I haven't forgotten to blog. Just yesterday when I had the chance, I couldn't remember what we'd done Monday. ha. I remembered last night when Bob started loading up pictures.
Monday was the "American Holiday" President's Day, to celebrate the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington. So Bob had the day off. We didn't do much that morning, but after lunch we went for a short walk to the Cheveley Recreation Grounds.
As we started out our driveway, a neighbor to the west of us called out "Are you getting settled?" Bob answered, and the man walked over, announcing that he is "The old man around here." He's 87, but "still friendly." He told us that an American pilot used to live in the house to our north, and they still email back and forth. His name is Gil, and he was a pilot for the Royal Navy in WW2 - he flew the "Swordfish" and the "Walrus." So he asked Bob what he did, and asked me if Bob took good care of me. And then we went on our way to the park.
There is a big grassy area with two soccer goals, a playground, and a trail through the woods along the edge of the grass. The children headed straight for the playground, and I watched them for a while as Bob took pictures of the flowers and trees. Then Bob came back and we sat and watched the children play. Ella wanted to play the same as the bigger ones, but couldn't quite make it, so she would stand at the ladder and grunt until Taryn and Naysha found a way to haul her up to the platform, and let her slide. I was nursing William or I'd have been right there, all worried about her falling down. But I guess the worry was needless, because she did fine.
The swings were just out of Cedwryck's reach, but Riah said he would hold the swing so Ced could climb up. After the second time of up-and-over and plop! on the ground, they decided to do something else.
Both babies fell asleep on the way home (in the stroller), so we just pushed it inside and let them nap right there in the front hall. Then I attempted to make dinner while Bob checked his breaks and went over to chat with Neighbor Bob and the man on the other side of him, who were outside as well.
I had a meltdown over dinner and ate some candy, but Bob came to my rescue. Scolded me for eating candy, and told me what to cook for dinner and just get on with it. I am having a hard time changing my "stinking thinking," but we shall not give up. I get in this pattern of thinking that nobody likes me, so I might as well be unlikable (to put it simply). Grrr. Dumb ol' devil! I know God is bigger.
Yesterday Bob took his tests to qualify for promotion. He said one part was pretty simple, but the other.... He's hoping he got as high as 50%. We won't find out the scores for some time, and then those scores go into a formula of test results, supervisor feedback, years in service, years in current rank, and then it's all set to a curve based on how many they actually want to promote. I think the 'results' are usually out in May.
Today he did his run, push-ups and sit-ups test. He left his phone at home, so I can't call to find out how he did. Actually called his shop, but he was out.
William is starting to scoot around now. He sure is sweet. Naysha almost knows her alphabet (I mean able to name and write the letters).
Riah just said "oops."
p.s. he broke a pencil off in a screw hole on the rocking horse. No injuries. :-)
Monday was the "American Holiday" President's Day, to celebrate the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington. So Bob had the day off. We didn't do much that morning, but after lunch we went for a short walk to the Cheveley Recreation Grounds.
As we started out our driveway, a neighbor to the west of us called out "Are you getting settled?" Bob answered, and the man walked over, announcing that he is "The old man around here." He's 87, but "still friendly." He told us that an American pilot used to live in the house to our north, and they still email back and forth. His name is Gil, and he was a pilot for the Royal Navy in WW2 - he flew the "Swordfish" and the "Walrus." So he asked Bob what he did, and asked me if Bob took good care of me. And then we went on our way to the park.
There is a big grassy area with two soccer goals, a playground, and a trail through the woods along the edge of the grass. The children headed straight for the playground, and I watched them for a while as Bob took pictures of the flowers and trees. Then Bob came back and we sat and watched the children play. Ella wanted to play the same as the bigger ones, but couldn't quite make it, so she would stand at the ladder and grunt until Taryn and Naysha found a way to haul her up to the platform, and let her slide. I was nursing William or I'd have been right there, all worried about her falling down. But I guess the worry was needless, because she did fine.
The swings were just out of Cedwryck's reach, but Riah said he would hold the swing so Ced could climb up. After the second time of up-and-over and plop! on the ground, they decided to do something else.
Both babies fell asleep on the way home (in the stroller), so we just pushed it inside and let them nap right there in the front hall. Then I attempted to make dinner while Bob checked his breaks and went over to chat with Neighbor Bob and the man on the other side of him, who were outside as well.
I had a meltdown over dinner and ate some candy, but Bob came to my rescue. Scolded me for eating candy, and told me what to cook for dinner and just get on with it. I am having a hard time changing my "stinking thinking," but we shall not give up. I get in this pattern of thinking that nobody likes me, so I might as well be unlikable (to put it simply). Grrr. Dumb ol' devil! I know God is bigger.
Yesterday Bob took his tests to qualify for promotion. He said one part was pretty simple, but the other.... He's hoping he got as high as 50%. We won't find out the scores for some time, and then those scores go into a formula of test results, supervisor feedback, years in service, years in current rank, and then it's all set to a curve based on how many they actually want to promote. I think the 'results' are usually out in May.
Today he did his run, push-ups and sit-ups test. He left his phone at home, so I can't call to find out how he did. Actually called his shop, but he was out.
William is starting to scoot around now. He sure is sweet. Naysha almost knows her alphabet (I mean able to name and write the letters).
Riah just said "oops."
p.s. he broke a pencil off in a screw hole on the rocking horse. No injuries. :-)
Sunday, 17 February 2008
the rest of the story
Now people are in bed so I can think again.
Okay - Leeds Castle. They were hosting Hands on History, a group that gives talks and lets people see and touch historical (mock-ups) weapons and clothes, etc. There was a tent out back of the castle with lots of cool stuff. Each of the children got to dress in Saxon or Norman armor. (They were showing the time period of the Battle of Hastings and ... help me out, Ganieda! Avignon? Anyway.) So we did that, and listened to the talk about the armor and battle tactics. Pretty cool stuff. Then they had a trebuchet that launched a water balloon across the grounds to the lake below. Bob liked that because he'd never understood before how those actually work, and now he does. Good for him.
Then Bob took the stroller and two babies for a stroll while the children and I navigated the maze. (He was tired/his hip is hurting and he didn't want to carry a baby through the maze.) The children each took a turn leading through the maze, and we still made it in pretty good time.
It was nearly 4 by then so we headed back toward home. We took the trolley to the parking lot this time and saved a long walk. On the way home we went through a tunnel instead of over a bridge. After we got around London we exited the Motorway and had supper at a rest stop type place (near Stanstead Airport). They had KFC, and first we went over there, but they don't have biscuits! (Under any name). Bob says you can't eat chicken without a biscuit, so we ate at the Burger King that was also there. I got an Angus burger that really is made from Aberdeen Angus beef, and it was very good. After I realized I'd just paid $10 for a fast food burger, I savored it even more. The regular cheeseburger ($1 in the US) was 2.50 GBP - $5. But there was a family deal with 4 ea burger, fries, and drink for only 12 GBP, and we got that.
So we finally made it back home. It was about 1 1/2 hours to our house. Bob has some pictures up, but he's trying to do just one page at a time so you can see without having to scroll through several pages.
Sunday
Today we went to Mildenhall Baptist Church. They use the NIV, and have the children leave during the preaching, but we were able to enjoy the service anyway. :-) That's twice now I've been to a more-or-less Charismatic Baptist church. I really enjoyed the service - the preacher actually preached from the Bible instead of just talking about stuff, and we sang several songs I knew. Those folks can sing! harmony! With gusto! A welcome change. So we will see.
After church we went on base to eat, fill up with gas, and get more groceries to fill the new fridge. I shouldn't run out of milk this week. Yay!
This was my first chance to actually make dessert, and I made a brownie pizza.
I've been reading a "diet plan" that Bob brought home one day. A guy at work gave it to him.. It is written by some top bodybuilder person. And while he doesn't advocate lots of sweets, he does say it is effective to have a day or two each week with higher calorie intake to keep the body from going into 'starvation mode.' So I don't feel too bad. I lost 3 pounds last week and gained a lot of confidence in God's ability to keep me on the right track. I can't do it, but He can do it in me.
Pray for Bob as he does his tests this week.
Okay - Leeds Castle. They were hosting Hands on History, a group that gives talks and lets people see and touch historical (mock-ups) weapons and clothes, etc. There was a tent out back of the castle with lots of cool stuff. Each of the children got to dress in Saxon or Norman armor. (They were showing the time period of the Battle of Hastings and ... help me out, Ganieda! Avignon? Anyway.) So we did that, and listened to the talk about the armor and battle tactics. Pretty cool stuff. Then they had a trebuchet that launched a water balloon across the grounds to the lake below. Bob liked that because he'd never understood before how those actually work, and now he does. Good for him.
Then Bob took the stroller and two babies for a stroll while the children and I navigated the maze. (He was tired/his hip is hurting and he didn't want to carry a baby through the maze.) The children each took a turn leading through the maze, and we still made it in pretty good time.
It was nearly 4 by then so we headed back toward home. We took the trolley to the parking lot this time and saved a long walk. On the way home we went through a tunnel instead of over a bridge. After we got around London we exited the Motorway and had supper at a rest stop type place (near Stanstead Airport). They had KFC, and first we went over there, but they don't have biscuits! (Under any name). Bob says you can't eat chicken without a biscuit, so we ate at the Burger King that was also there. I got an Angus burger that really is made from Aberdeen Angus beef, and it was very good. After I realized I'd just paid $10 for a fast food burger, I savored it even more. The regular cheeseburger ($1 in the US) was 2.50 GBP - $5. But there was a family deal with 4 ea burger, fries, and drink for only 12 GBP, and we got that.
So we finally made it back home. It was about 1 1/2 hours to our house. Bob has some pictures up, but he's trying to do just one page at a time so you can see without having to scroll through several pages.
Sunday
Today we went to Mildenhall Baptist Church. They use the NIV, and have the children leave during the preaching, but we were able to enjoy the service anyway. :-) That's twice now I've been to a more-or-less Charismatic Baptist church. I really enjoyed the service - the preacher actually preached from the Bible instead of just talking about stuff, and we sang several songs I knew. Those folks can sing! harmony! With gusto! A welcome change. So we will see.
After church we went on base to eat, fill up with gas, and get more groceries to fill the new fridge. I shouldn't run out of milk this week. Yay!
This was my first chance to actually make dessert, and I made a brownie pizza.
I've been reading a "diet plan" that Bob brought home one day. A guy at work gave it to him.. It is written by some top bodybuilder person. And while he doesn't advocate lots of sweets, he does say it is effective to have a day or two each week with higher calorie intake to keep the body from going into 'starvation mode.' So I don't feel too bad. I lost 3 pounds last week and gained a lot of confidence in God's ability to keep me on the right track. I can't do it, but He can do it in me.
Pray for Bob as he does his tests this week.
busy busy
Friday.
Bob worked all night, but got off early enough to come home and drive us to the dr so the 4 little ones could get their checkups. I set his alarm for 5:50 so I could be up in time. It is a radio alarm, and I never have figured out how to work those things. The music started right on time, but I hit the "alarm off" button and nothing happened. Tried snooze. Tried the "off" switch on the side - moved it into all 3 of the positions. The music seemed to get louder and William started to stir. So I turned on the reading light and pushed all the buttons. Flipped the switch and pushed all the buttons again. Still no stopping that music. At least it is set on the classical station. Seeing as I'd just woke up I didn't think of turning the volume all the way down, so I finally unplugged the silly thing.
Well we all managed to get dressed and shoed and in the car by 6:45. Bob was worried that wouldn't be enough time, as there are 2 new construction sites on the way. But we hit every green light and made record time. We weren't sure where pediatrics was, so I ran in the clinic main door to see. There was a big sign that said 'information,' but there was no information and no one to ask. There were a couple of people wandering around, so I started asking. I had to ask 3 people before I got someone who "knew." Pediatrics is in another building, over there ->.
So we park the car, all get out and go in. They had a front desk with people. But the person said, oh, we are moving today; go back to family practice and we'll be right there. So we all march back across the road and parking lot to the main building. Still nobody around, so we sit in one of the rows. The TVs were on, and one of them just got worse and worse so I got up and turned it off. No one was watching it anyway. A few minutes pass and a woman wandered by with an extra-large Starbucks and said she'd be with us in a minute, as soon as she found her paperwork. A few minutes later she wandered by the other direction, still with coffee; still no paperwork. The waiting room was starting to fill up. After awhile the big rolling window cover came open and suddenly all the room was in line in front of the window. Somehow I thought the first one there would be the first one served, but no. The guy at the family practice line saw the TV was off, so he came around and turned it back on. I was about to explain it to him, but he changed channels so Elmo was on. Yay! But at least it wasn't violent. So I got up to the window and the lady handed me a stack of 25 sheets of paperwork to fill out. And oh, by the way, our records from Dyess never made it.
I'd got the paper for William done when the nurse-type person came to show us in. She was very rude and unhelpful, but we got sorted that Bob and the two babies would go back, and the boys would wait. I sent Taryn to help.
When Elmo ended, The View came on - rated TV14 at best. So I went up to the counter and complained and they put it on a British talk show - unrated for a good reason. Anyway, I pressed on with the paperwork. Silly questions like "can he say 9-4-2?" I was about 1/2way through one set when the nurse person wanted me to take them back. Well, I also had Naysha, two backpacks, the paperwork, and the car seat. I said I'd wait for Bob to come out.
It got better from there, I guess, so we managed to get the checkups done.
Now it was 9:30 and we hadn't had breakfast, so we headed to Burger King. They are pricey! In the US you can get a sausage biscuit for $1. Here they are $2.50. But it was food.
Then we went to the commissary.
Then we went to Lakenheath town to buy a used fridge from a couple who were PCSing. We figure that way we can skip the mid-week stop in for milk. The fridge almost fit in the luggage rack. (Bob took a picture.) Then home. We forgot to get gas.
Bob told me that he's going to be on day shift next week, since he had the test Tuesday, and training Thursday and Friday. So he slept from 3-7 Friday afternoon, while I cleaned the kitchen and made dinner and those other things that a Mama does.
Saturday.
We decided to go to Leeds Castle. So we all got up and bundled up, since it was a little chilly. Loaded up, and went onto base. Gas. I filled up while Bob went in to look for breakfast, as he didn't have any at home.
Then we thought we could get picnic fixings at the commissary instead of eating out in town for lunch. But it wasn't open yet. So we went to Burger King and Bob got breakfast there, and I fed William and changed his diaper. Then to the commissary where I got bread and ham and cheese and chips and cookies and strawberries. I thought about skipping one category, but I kept hearing the children say, "I'm still hungry!"
THEN we started down to Leeds. It was right at 2 hours drive from the base, toward London most of the time, across a toll bridge, and then out East again to Maidstone and on to the castle. As we got close to the castle, there were signs up "Leeds Castle" on the exit from the M20, and through the ensuing 4 roundabouts. But on the LAST roundabout, right before the castle entrance, there wasn't a sign on the roundabout approach sign, so we guessed we should go straight, but as we were exiting the circle we saw the sign pointing to the right-hand turn. Oops. We missed a turn-around spot, so I saw on the map a road on the other side and said just go to the next road. We did, but the castle gatehouse was immediately on the right and we missed it. So on down this one lane two-way street. It looked like we could get back around somewhere, but we never saw that road. So we turned around and back to the gate house. Oh, said the man, you can't come in this way; go back to the road, then left, then left, and left again.
We made it! got parked, and got out. We could easily see the gatehouse from our parking lot, and the road in from there came directly to the parking area, the same as the main entrance road. >rolls eyes< It was 11:30. We went up to the gate and paid - nearly $100 for all of us, but the tickets are good for a whole year. The road rage - I mean fog - was starting to wear off and we were thinking again. So we decided to go ahead and eat before we went in. There were some picnic tables, but it was a ways from the car, and still in shade (frost), so we just sat on a blanket beside the car park. Good lunch. THEN we got to go in.
It was nearly a mile walk through the woods and around the lake before we got up to the place. Pretty, but cold. Lots of waterfowl. So we get up to the entrance and the man says we have to leave the stroller (they call it a pushchair) and we can get a sling once we get inside if we want. So we walk around, and down, and back up, and we are IN!!! No one offered us a sling. I'm not sure I'd know how to use one anyway. The castle was pretty neat. Lots of rooms open to view, from different time periods. It was a little crowded, but not like summertime. By the time we were all nice and warm we were back out.
I'll have to finish later.
Bob worked all night, but got off early enough to come home and drive us to the dr so the 4 little ones could get their checkups. I set his alarm for 5:50 so I could be up in time. It is a radio alarm, and I never have figured out how to work those things. The music started right on time, but I hit the "alarm off" button and nothing happened. Tried snooze. Tried the "off" switch on the side - moved it into all 3 of the positions. The music seemed to get louder and William started to stir. So I turned on the reading light and pushed all the buttons. Flipped the switch and pushed all the buttons again. Still no stopping that music. At least it is set on the classical station. Seeing as I'd just woke up I didn't think of turning the volume all the way down, so I finally unplugged the silly thing.
Well we all managed to get dressed and shoed and in the car by 6:45. Bob was worried that wouldn't be enough time, as there are 2 new construction sites on the way. But we hit every green light and made record time. We weren't sure where pediatrics was, so I ran in the clinic main door to see. There was a big sign that said 'information,' but there was no information and no one to ask. There were a couple of people wandering around, so I started asking. I had to ask 3 people before I got someone who "knew." Pediatrics is in another building, over there ->.
So we park the car, all get out and go in. They had a front desk with people. But the person said, oh, we are moving today; go back to family practice and we'll be right there. So we all march back across the road and parking lot to the main building. Still nobody around, so we sit in one of the rows. The TVs were on, and one of them just got worse and worse so I got up and turned it off. No one was watching it anyway. A few minutes pass and a woman wandered by with an extra-large Starbucks and said she'd be with us in a minute, as soon as she found her paperwork. A few minutes later she wandered by the other direction, still with coffee; still no paperwork. The waiting room was starting to fill up. After awhile the big rolling window cover came open and suddenly all the room was in line in front of the window. Somehow I thought the first one there would be the first one served, but no. The guy at the family practice line saw the TV was off, so he came around and turned it back on. I was about to explain it to him, but he changed channels so Elmo was on. Yay! But at least it wasn't violent. So I got up to the window and the lady handed me a stack of 25 sheets of paperwork to fill out. And oh, by the way, our records from Dyess never made it.
I'd got the paper for William done when the nurse-type person came to show us in. She was very rude and unhelpful, but we got sorted that Bob and the two babies would go back, and the boys would wait. I sent Taryn to help.
When Elmo ended, The View came on - rated TV14 at best. So I went up to the counter and complained and they put it on a British talk show - unrated for a good reason. Anyway, I pressed on with the paperwork. Silly questions like "can he say 9-4-2?" I was about 1/2way through one set when the nurse person wanted me to take them back. Well, I also had Naysha, two backpacks, the paperwork, and the car seat. I said I'd wait for Bob to come out.
It got better from there, I guess, so we managed to get the checkups done.
Now it was 9:30 and we hadn't had breakfast, so we headed to Burger King. They are pricey! In the US you can get a sausage biscuit for $1. Here they are $2.50. But it was food.
Then we went to the commissary.
Then we went to Lakenheath town to buy a used fridge from a couple who were PCSing. We figure that way we can skip the mid-week stop in for milk. The fridge almost fit in the luggage rack. (Bob took a picture.) Then home. We forgot to get gas.
Bob told me that he's going to be on day shift next week, since he had the test Tuesday, and training Thursday and Friday. So he slept from 3-7 Friday afternoon, while I cleaned the kitchen and made dinner and those other things that a Mama does.
Saturday.
We decided to go to Leeds Castle. So we all got up and bundled up, since it was a little chilly. Loaded up, and went onto base. Gas. I filled up while Bob went in to look for breakfast, as he didn't have any at home.
Then we thought we could get picnic fixings at the commissary instead of eating out in town for lunch. But it wasn't open yet. So we went to Burger King and Bob got breakfast there, and I fed William and changed his diaper. Then to the commissary where I got bread and ham and cheese and chips and cookies and strawberries. I thought about skipping one category, but I kept hearing the children say, "I'm still hungry!"
THEN we started down to Leeds. It was right at 2 hours drive from the base, toward London most of the time, across a toll bridge, and then out East again to Maidstone and on to the castle. As we got close to the castle, there were signs up "Leeds Castle" on the exit from the M20, and through the ensuing 4 roundabouts. But on the LAST roundabout, right before the castle entrance, there wasn't a sign on the roundabout approach sign, so we guessed we should go straight, but as we were exiting the circle we saw the sign pointing to the right-hand turn. Oops. We missed a turn-around spot, so I saw on the map a road on the other side and said just go to the next road. We did, but the castle gatehouse was immediately on the right and we missed it. So on down this one lane two-way street. It looked like we could get back around somewhere, but we never saw that road. So we turned around and back to the gate house. Oh, said the man, you can't come in this way; go back to the road, then left, then left, and left again.
We made it! got parked, and got out. We could easily see the gatehouse from our parking lot, and the road in from there came directly to the parking area, the same as the main entrance road. >rolls eyes< It was 11:30. We went up to the gate and paid - nearly $100 for all of us, but the tickets are good for a whole year. The road rage - I mean fog - was starting to wear off and we were thinking again. So we decided to go ahead and eat before we went in. There were some picnic tables, but it was a ways from the car, and still in shade (frost), so we just sat on a blanket beside the car park. Good lunch. THEN we got to go in.
It was nearly a mile walk through the woods and around the lake before we got up to the place. Pretty, but cold. Lots of waterfowl. So we get up to the entrance and the man says we have to leave the stroller (they call it a pushchair) and we can get a sling once we get inside if we want. So we walk around, and down, and back up, and we are IN!!! No one offered us a sling. I'm not sure I'd know how to use one anyway. The castle was pretty neat. Lots of rooms open to view, from different time periods. It was a little crowded, but not like summertime. By the time we were all nice and warm we were back out.
I'll have to finish later.
Thursday, 14 February 2008
One of Those Days
Well, today was just like that.
For starters, I had about 5 hours of sleep in 3 segments.
Then Riah wet his bed.
It was cold and cloudy.
We ran out of milk.
We ran out of fruit.
I didn't get the dishes washed, so nowhere to cook supper.
And to top it all, we decided to get an internet filter to block objectionable content.
Why is that bad? Because I had the brilliant idea of getting a free one instead of forking out $70 for each computer. I went to www.pcmag.com which is the website for PC magazine, because they always talk about their free downloads. I didn't see anything on the list, but there was an ad for one - web crawler. So I went to it, and it sounded good, so I downloaded it. Did I mention that my computer has no anti-virus software? It downloaded, installed, and went to restart the computer to finish the job. Only the computer didn't quite restart. The first time it looked normal, but there was no mouse or keyboard. So Bob tried a few things, including SAFE mode, the BIOS, and reloading Windows from the disc. At every attempt it just got worse. Now it gets to the Windows XP screen, where a progress bar runs across, and the bar freezes. It sounds like the CPU is running full speed, but it doesn't get anywhere.
Bob is glad I tried it on my computer first.
Happy Valentine's, baby.
On other news, Bob had the night off last night because the fog was so dense it would have been a danger for him to drive in. Also my dentist appointment was canceled.
We are thinking about going to Leeds Castle this Saturday. We had thought about spending the night and doing Dover, too, but a hotel would run us over $200 for one night.
So I've been exercising everyday and had no desserts. I think I'll make a brownie cheesecake trifle for the weekend. mmmmm
For starters, I had about 5 hours of sleep in 3 segments.
Then Riah wet his bed.
It was cold and cloudy.
We ran out of milk.
We ran out of fruit.
I didn't get the dishes washed, so nowhere to cook supper.
And to top it all, we decided to get an internet filter to block objectionable content.
Why is that bad? Because I had the brilliant idea of getting a free one instead of forking out $70 for each computer. I went to www.pcmag.com which is the website for PC magazine, because they always talk about their free downloads. I didn't see anything on the list, but there was an ad for one - web crawler. So I went to it, and it sounded good, so I downloaded it. Did I mention that my computer has no anti-virus software? It downloaded, installed, and went to restart the computer to finish the job. Only the computer didn't quite restart. The first time it looked normal, but there was no mouse or keyboard. So Bob tried a few things, including SAFE mode, the BIOS, and reloading Windows from the disc. At every attempt it just got worse. Now it gets to the Windows XP screen, where a progress bar runs across, and the bar freezes. It sounds like the CPU is running full speed, but it doesn't get anywhere.
Bob is glad I tried it on my computer first.
Happy Valentine's, baby.
On other news, Bob had the night off last night because the fog was so dense it would have been a danger for him to drive in. Also my dentist appointment was canceled.
We are thinking about going to Leeds Castle this Saturday. We had thought about spending the night and doing Dover, too, but a hotel would run us over $200 for one night.
So I've been exercising everyday and had no desserts. I think I'll make a brownie cheesecake trifle for the weekend. mmmmm
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
Eclipse?
Wasn't there supposed to be a lunar eclipse last night? Yahoo (my home page) mentioned it in the headlines a week ago, but yesterday and today there was nothing. Oh well.
So, I'm gonna put this out there... Anyone who's seen me knows I'm overweight anyway....
I eat out of habit when I'm stressed or bored, and right before bed. It's a bad habit and Taryn is trying to pick it up. So I'm "giving up sweets for Lent." (ha. I don't have a liturgical bone in my body.) But I am committing to not graze on chocolate (or whatever) from now til Resurrection Day. It's only 6 weeks, and I still get weekends off. I'm also going to exercise.
Why the hubbub? I've gained back 10 of my pregnancy pounds, that I had lost already. I've got to get this under control if I want a long and happy life. I really don't think lack of discipline in this area glorifies God, and that's what I'm supposed to do. So there it is.
The weather has been picture perfect all week. We get a frost each night, and then it warms up to mid-50's by noon. It is perfectly clear once the fog burns off, and it's all we can do to stay inside. I want to take the children to the playground, but the girls' room is a total wreck and we can't even find bloomers for them. Naysha tends to shove everything in her pretend washing machine and say she's taken care of it.
Time for breakfast.
So, I'm gonna put this out there... Anyone who's seen me knows I'm overweight anyway....
I eat out of habit when I'm stressed or bored, and right before bed. It's a bad habit and Taryn is trying to pick it up. So I'm "giving up sweets for Lent." (ha. I don't have a liturgical bone in my body.) But I am committing to not graze on chocolate (or whatever) from now til Resurrection Day. It's only 6 weeks, and I still get weekends off. I'm also going to exercise.
Why the hubbub? I've gained back 10 of my pregnancy pounds, that I had lost already. I've got to get this under control if I want a long and happy life. I really don't think lack of discipline in this area glorifies God, and that's what I'm supposed to do. So there it is.
The weather has been picture perfect all week. We get a frost each night, and then it warms up to mid-50's by noon. It is perfectly clear once the fog burns off, and it's all we can do to stay inside. I want to take the children to the playground, but the girls' room is a total wreck and we can't even find bloomers for them. Naysha tends to shove everything in her pretend washing machine and say she's taken care of it.
Time for breakfast.
Monday, 11 February 2008
misc
How could I forget?
I bought Bob a sleep mask from ebay.co.uk; it was here two days later. While not fancy, it should help.
Saturday while we were eating at Popeye's I chipped off a piece of my tooth that is waiting to be filled.
Last Tuesday I put up a mini clothes line in the back 'garden.' So now I do my laundry as one estate agent recommended: stuff the washer as full as possible, then put about 1/2 that in the dryer. This way the dryer is closer to being done when the washing is done. I also feel very homey and British and "green" all at the same time while hanging up the clothes to dry. ha.
Yesterday afternoon, as Bob was heading to bed he remembered that he'd forgotten to iron his uniform, so I said I'd do it. He was up again before the children went to bed (when I was planning to do it), but a promise is a promise. We brought his (fairly new) iron from USA with us, and he'd used it before through the transformer. But I wasn't paying attention and thought it was dual voltage or something, and plugged it straight into the wall, with just a plug adapter. I got the pants done, and was 1/2 way through the shirt when it started beeping and we noticed smoke coming from the innards. So I unplugged it and Bob carried it outside and set it on the patio, still smoking. It was quite stinky and a little exciting. But other than the iron itself, no harm done. I wonder if Bob told the guys at work, like a comedian we saw on youtube, that his wife has iron deficiency. We were both pretty amused by the whole thing. I said if it was the other way around, I would think he'd done it on purpose so I wouldn't ask him to iron anymore. I am blessed that he thinks more kindly of me than that.
I bought Bob a sleep mask from ebay.co.uk; it was here two days later. While not fancy, it should help.
Saturday while we were eating at Popeye's I chipped off a piece of my tooth that is waiting to be filled.
Last Tuesday I put up a mini clothes line in the back 'garden.' So now I do my laundry as one estate agent recommended: stuff the washer as full as possible, then put about 1/2 that in the dryer. This way the dryer is closer to being done when the washing is done. I also feel very homey and British and "green" all at the same time while hanging up the clothes to dry. ha.
Yesterday afternoon, as Bob was heading to bed he remembered that he'd forgotten to iron his uniform, so I said I'd do it. He was up again before the children went to bed (when I was planning to do it), but a promise is a promise. We brought his (fairly new) iron from USA with us, and he'd used it before through the transformer. But I wasn't paying attention and thought it was dual voltage or something, and plugged it straight into the wall, with just a plug adapter. I got the pants done, and was 1/2 way through the shirt when it started beeping and we noticed smoke coming from the innards. So I unplugged it and Bob carried it outside and set it on the patio, still smoking. It was quite stinky and a little exciting. But other than the iron itself, no harm done. I wonder if Bob told the guys at work, like a comedian we saw on youtube, that his wife has iron deficiency. We were both pretty amused by the whole thing. I said if it was the other way around, I would think he'd done it on purpose so I wouldn't ask him to iron anymore. I am blessed that he thinks more kindly of me than that.
Mid-shift
Today was the first day of mid-shift (11pm to 7am) for Bob. He prepared by staying up until 3am Saturday night/Sunday morning, slept in til almost 10, then took a nap Sunday afternoon.
We were starting breakfast this morning when Bob called to say he couldn't come home til at least 9:30 because of the thick fog. The commander put out some warning and day shift wasn't allowed to come in and night shift wasn't allowed to go home until the fog lifted. Yay! So I thought it would be nice for him to come home to a clean house, so we kicked it into gear. Tidied and vacuumed both living rooms and dining room and the hall. Started laundry and the dishwasher, and cleaned out the coat closet.
Bob got home at 10min til 10am and showed me a picture of the fog. (It wasn't foggy at all here, but there was a heavy frost). Then we all bundled up and went for a walk to the store in Cheveley. It was warming up fast, and just as clear as ... something really clear. ahem. We are guessing it is close to a mile to the store. It made a really nice walk, and we all enjoyed it except Cedwryck, who complained and piddled and fell down 3 times. I bought a loaf of bread at the store and we walked back home. I enjoyed getting to see all the details of the houses and gardens as we walked by; even driving at 30 MPH I miss so much. Bob took some pictures, but was too sleepy when we got home to edit or post them. Maybe tonight or tomorrow.
Ella is supposed to be napping in the playroom, which is a new thing, so I better go check on her and make sure she isn't too noisy for Bob in the next room.
We were starting breakfast this morning when Bob called to say he couldn't come home til at least 9:30 because of the thick fog. The commander put out some warning and day shift wasn't allowed to come in and night shift wasn't allowed to go home until the fog lifted. Yay! So I thought it would be nice for him to come home to a clean house, so we kicked it into gear. Tidied and vacuumed both living rooms and dining room and the hall. Started laundry and the dishwasher, and cleaned out the coat closet.
Bob got home at 10min til 10am and showed me a picture of the fog. (It wasn't foggy at all here, but there was a heavy frost). Then we all bundled up and went for a walk to the store in Cheveley. It was warming up fast, and just as clear as ... something really clear. ahem. We are guessing it is close to a mile to the store. It made a really nice walk, and we all enjoyed it except Cedwryck, who complained and piddled and fell down 3 times. I bought a loaf of bread at the store and we walked back home. I enjoyed getting to see all the details of the houses and gardens as we walked by; even driving at 30 MPH I miss so much. Bob took some pictures, but was too sleepy when we got home to edit or post them. Maybe tonight or tomorrow.
Ella is supposed to be napping in the playroom, which is a new thing, so I better go check on her and make sure she isn't too noisy for Bob in the next room.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
Spring?
The weather has been pretty nice here lately. Today it got into the mid-50's, and not a cloud in the sky. So we took advantage.
In England, private property doesn't quite mean the same thing as it does in the states. There are public footpaths (and bridle paths) all across the country. If a path happens to go across someone's land, they have to maintain it as clearly distinct from the other land, and there has to be a way over or around any fences.
Today we drove to Moulton, about 2 miles from Cheveley, to their St Peter church. There is parking there, and a sign showing the circular footpaths in the area. So we got out and went for a walk. William and Ella rode in the double stroller. Walked past the church and up a hill, through trees. Then we crossed one fence and came to an open field; the packed-earth path went right across the middle of the green field, and so did we. A man was working on his tractor in one corner, and he greeted us as we went past. As we came to the crest of the hill we stopped to enjoy the view and take some pictures. After a minute the man came over, working on his fence. He and Bob talked for 5 minutes or so, while I got William out of the stroller and calmed him down, as he was getting fussy. I overheard something about F-15s and B-1s, and the '60s.
It was a little hazy on the horizon but we could see the hangers of Mildenhall. The man said on a clear day one can see the Ely Cathedral and to RAF Feltwell. As we started on, he gave a little guidance about the path (there were 2 ways to go after the next fence); we thanked him and walked on.
We chose the shorter path toward the road and back around to the church from the other side. We met 4 horses along the way, and all of them seemed to think we should have a treat for them. One in particular was very friendly, and all the children got to pet him. I got warm and had to take off my jacket, and by the end of the walk I had to take off my long-sleeved shirt and had just a T-shirt. The day was just so beautiful. Flowers are blooming and birds are singing.
As we got back to the van we all started to notice that it was lunch time. So we headed in to RAF Lakenheath and had lunch at Popeye's. They didn't have an empty table (much less two), so we ate outside on a big picnic table. It was fun. Then groceries, and back home by 3:30.
Pulling into our driveway, we saw three girls just down the street, and Taryn asked if she could go meet them. So we brought in the groceries and let her go. She visited for a few minutes, and the older one exchanged addresses with her (she doesn't live here, but wanted a pen pal). The girl was acting a little funny so I called Taryn back to our yard. It wasn't 5 minutes before the new friend was at the hedge, asking if she could come in the garden. We said it was okay, and Bob went out to keep an eye on things. They played for awhile, but it was getting chilly so ours came in and the friend went home.
Today was William's 4 month birthday. He is SUCH a good baby! Very good natured, very patient, very huggable and happy. Each day I thank God for my surprise.
Bob has new pictures up.
In England, private property doesn't quite mean the same thing as it does in the states. There are public footpaths (and bridle paths) all across the country. If a path happens to go across someone's land, they have to maintain it as clearly distinct from the other land, and there has to be a way over or around any fences.
Today we drove to Moulton, about 2 miles from Cheveley, to their St Peter church. There is parking there, and a sign showing the circular footpaths in the area. So we got out and went for a walk. William and Ella rode in the double stroller. Walked past the church and up a hill, through trees. Then we crossed one fence and came to an open field; the packed-earth path went right across the middle of the green field, and so did we. A man was working on his tractor in one corner, and he greeted us as we went past. As we came to the crest of the hill we stopped to enjoy the view and take some pictures. After a minute the man came over, working on his fence. He and Bob talked for 5 minutes or so, while I got William out of the stroller and calmed him down, as he was getting fussy. I overheard something about F-15s and B-1s, and the '60s.
It was a little hazy on the horizon but we could see the hangers of Mildenhall. The man said on a clear day one can see the Ely Cathedral and to RAF Feltwell. As we started on, he gave a little guidance about the path (there were 2 ways to go after the next fence); we thanked him and walked on.
We chose the shorter path toward the road and back around to the church from the other side. We met 4 horses along the way, and all of them seemed to think we should have a treat for them. One in particular was very friendly, and all the children got to pet him. I got warm and had to take off my jacket, and by the end of the walk I had to take off my long-sleeved shirt and had just a T-shirt. The day was just so beautiful. Flowers are blooming and birds are singing.
As we got back to the van we all started to notice that it was lunch time. So we headed in to RAF Lakenheath and had lunch at Popeye's. They didn't have an empty table (much less two), so we ate outside on a big picnic table. It was fun. Then groceries, and back home by 3:30.
Pulling into our driveway, we saw three girls just down the street, and Taryn asked if she could go meet them. So we brought in the groceries and let her go. She visited for a few minutes, and the older one exchanged addresses with her (she doesn't live here, but wanted a pen pal). The girl was acting a little funny so I called Taryn back to our yard. It wasn't 5 minutes before the new friend was at the hedge, asking if she could come in the garden. We said it was okay, and Bob went out to keep an eye on things. They played for awhile, but it was getting chilly so ours came in and the friend went home.
Today was William's 4 month birthday. He is SUCH a good baby! Very good natured, very patient, very huggable and happy. Each day I thank God for my surprise.
Bob has new pictures up.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
The fine art of conversation...
...With an 18 month old.
Ella has really been trying to talk with us. Every day we get the following conversation:
Ella: Mama (or Daddy)! Mama!!
me (or Bob): Yes?
Ella: Umm
me: Do you need something?
Ella: Mo.
(Mo is no and it is the answer to every question. The more she means "yes" the longer and more mournful the "mo" becomes.)
She likes looking at pictures, so I'm working on getting her to recognize the extended family members. Most people are "yiah." (Riah) She saw one of William yesterday, said "baby" and turned to point at the real-life William; she knows who her baby is.
On other news...
I ordered Bob a sleep mask from ebay.co.uk and it got here today. He goes to night shift this Monday at midnight. This Thursday he has to take me to the dentist at 2pm, and Friday I have dr visits (checkups) for the 4 little ones at 7am. Then NEXT Monday is Bob's test for promotion, and Tuesday is his physical fitness test. so, Yay! "Count it all joy..." He says there is no longer a "fat boy program" in the Air Force. You get 3 chances to pass the test and then you are kicked out. So he's a little stressed already about the test - he's just not a runner, and that is what he has to do.
We got our tax refund last week! Haven't spent any yet. I think we will open another CD soon to have some money for retirement. Maybe the housing market will keep declining from now til then and we can get a good deal when we come back to the states. Not that I'm wishing bad things on other people... but a slow or stop to inflation would be a good thing.
Time for Ella's nap.
Ella has really been trying to talk with us. Every day we get the following conversation:
Ella: Mama (or Daddy)! Mama!!
me (or Bob): Yes?
Ella: Umm
me: Do you need something?
Ella: Mo.
(Mo is no and it is the answer to every question. The more she means "yes" the longer and more mournful the "mo" becomes.)
She likes looking at pictures, so I'm working on getting her to recognize the extended family members. Most people are "yiah." (Riah) She saw one of William yesterday, said "baby" and turned to point at the real-life William; she knows who her baby is.
On other news...
I ordered Bob a sleep mask from ebay.co.uk and it got here today. He goes to night shift this Monday at midnight. This Thursday he has to take me to the dentist at 2pm, and Friday I have dr visits (checkups) for the 4 little ones at 7am. Then NEXT Monday is Bob's test for promotion, and Tuesday is his physical fitness test. so, Yay! "Count it all joy..." He says there is no longer a "fat boy program" in the Air Force. You get 3 chances to pass the test and then you are kicked out. So he's a little stressed already about the test - he's just not a runner, and that is what he has to do.
We got our tax refund last week! Haven't spent any yet. I think we will open another CD soon to have some money for retirement. Maybe the housing market will keep declining from now til then and we can get a good deal when we come back to the states. Not that I'm wishing bad things on other people... but a slow or stop to inflation would be a good thing.
Time for Ella's nap.
Wednesday, 6 February 2008
Dentist, etc
So after lunch Monday I packed up the children and headed to RAFLakenheath. We made it! I didn't even get honked at.
Bob met me at the dentist's parking lot and got in the van with the children while I went in (they went to check the mail). After 30 minutes waiting I had x-rays made, and then saw the dentist. He said as I wasn't in pain, and nothing was urgent they'd just schedule me for an appointment. Yay. I get to have a cavity filled on Valentine's Day. He was very polite and professional, so maybe the work won't be too bad.
So it was 1:30; Bob gets off work at 4ish... So we decided to stick around and come home together. First we got the paperwork to get the van tags. Then Bob went to work and I went to order the tags. Except the car parts store is closed on Monday. So now what? I took the children to the playground. William was still asleep for awhile, so I stayed in the car with him and watched the others through the window. He finally woke up, I fed him, and then I felt the need to move on. William filled his diaper, and then I realized that when I filled the wipe package I forgot to put it back in the diaper bag. So we drove across the parking lot to the shoppette/Taco Bell and used their changing table and napkins. Then I called Bob from the store, and told him where we were.
When he got off work he met us there, we went to the Estate agent in Mildenhall to give them our oil receipt, then back to Taco Bell for supper. The children each had 5 tacos; I do not exaggerate. I shared some of Bob's coke.
That night going to bed the boys did not go to sleep until after 10. I tossed and turned. Riah woke up at 2 and I had to put him back to bed. WIlliam woke up 3 times. And I got up at 6. Bob got up at 5:30. Yawn.
Tuesday was pretty uneventful. I guess America has decided it doesn't want change, after all. Oh well; 230 some years isn't a bad run for an empire, I guess. Nice knowin' ya.
But let's not go there.
I got to balance my checkbook today! yikes. After 2+ hours on the computer my eyes are about done.
Bob met me at the dentist's parking lot and got in the van with the children while I went in (they went to check the mail). After 30 minutes waiting I had x-rays made, and then saw the dentist. He said as I wasn't in pain, and nothing was urgent they'd just schedule me for an appointment. Yay. I get to have a cavity filled on Valentine's Day. He was very polite and professional, so maybe the work won't be too bad.
So it was 1:30; Bob gets off work at 4ish... So we decided to stick around and come home together. First we got the paperwork to get the van tags. Then Bob went to work and I went to order the tags. Except the car parts store is closed on Monday. So now what? I took the children to the playground. William was still asleep for awhile, so I stayed in the car with him and watched the others through the window. He finally woke up, I fed him, and then I felt the need to move on. William filled his diaper, and then I realized that when I filled the wipe package I forgot to put it back in the diaper bag. So we drove across the parking lot to the shoppette/Taco Bell and used their changing table and napkins. Then I called Bob from the store, and told him where we were.
When he got off work he met us there, we went to the Estate agent in Mildenhall to give them our oil receipt, then back to Taco Bell for supper. The children each had 5 tacos; I do not exaggerate. I shared some of Bob's coke.
That night going to bed the boys did not go to sleep until after 10. I tossed and turned. Riah woke up at 2 and I had to put him back to bed. WIlliam woke up 3 times. And I got up at 6. Bob got up at 5:30. Yawn.
Tuesday was pretty uneventful. I guess America has decided it doesn't want change, after all. Oh well; 230 some years isn't a bad run for an empire, I guess. Nice knowin' ya.
But let's not go there.
I got to balance my checkbook today! yikes. After 2+ hours on the computer my eyes are about done.
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
Too funny
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDiZYouxR1I
Maybe that will work. It starts out a little slow, but I laughed so hard I nearly had an accident.
If your connection is slow, click the pause button to let it load first. (Mom and Dad, watch at Wil's house. ;-) )
Maybe that will work. It starts out a little slow, but I laughed so hard I nearly had an accident.
If your connection is slow, click the pause button to let it load first. (Mom and Dad, watch at Wil's house. ;-) )
Weekend edit
As it's too late to actually change the wording in my last post (you having already read it) I decided to post an amendment.
Our hands got STIFF, not STILL from the cold. Bob caught that one.
Also, I forgot the first half of the day Saturday.
Since we got here in December, I have been planning to go to a "home party fair" at Lakenheath Community Center on Feb 2. So before we went to Castle Acre we had to go by there. They had venders from Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Princess House, some makeup people, baskets, candles, etc. I bought a discontinued serving spoon from Princess House (cash and carry; list price $25, paid $10) and ordered a new scoop from Pampered Chef. Then we picked up burgers at Burger King and headed out to the Priory.
That's why I said we went "back" to the base afterwards.
So now you know.
Our hands got STIFF, not STILL from the cold. Bob caught that one.
Also, I forgot the first half of the day Saturday.
Since we got here in December, I have been planning to go to a "home party fair" at Lakenheath Community Center on Feb 2. So before we went to Castle Acre we had to go by there. They had venders from Pampered Chef, Tupperware, Princess House, some makeup people, baskets, candles, etc. I bought a discontinued serving spoon from Princess House (cash and carry; list price $25, paid $10) and ordered a new scoop from Pampered Chef. Then we picked up burgers at Burger King and headed out to the Priory.
That's why I said we went "back" to the base afterwards.
So now you know.
Monday, 4 February 2008
Weekend
So I'm not posting everyday. Get off my back, already! I know, no one is complaining except me.
Saturday was pretty, but cold. Cold, schmold; we are in England! Let's see something.
Bob found 20 sites within the area and was plotting a circuit when I suggested we pick ONE thing to see. Oh, well, then let's go to Castle Acre Priory and Castle. The town of Castle Acre was a medieval planned community with a castle, village, and priory (like a monastery). The ruins are operated by English Heritage; when Bob went in to pay he realized that a year's membership would pay for itself in just 3 visits (to any of their hundreds of sites), so he bought in. A little pricey in one whack, but I'm sure it will be worth it.
Castle Acre is a pretty little town, in sheep fields amongst gentle hills and woods. After a couple of well-marked turns down one-lane two-way streets, we arrived at the priory. Bob went in to pay and I loaded babies into the stroller and pulled boys off the walls of the visitor's center and told the girls they could wait to visit the toilet until Daddy came out. He got done, we walked up to the toilets and back down toward the ruins. Taryn asked, "Do they know it won't fall down?" Well, no, there is no safety guarantee. This place was built in 11something, and torn down in 1530something when good ol' Henry 8 changed religions (er, wives). You know that colorful gentleman could be Bob's great-great-great...-great-uncle?
There were big old trees that the children promptly climbed. Then onto the ruins. The stroller was hard to push through the lush grass, but it was worth it. The place was pretty big and fancy at one point. Huge windows, towering pillars, etc. The alter is still there and I paused for a moment to feel the years of daily prayers offered there. We ran and climbed and explored 'til our noses ran and fingers got still from the cold. Then back to the car to warm up on the two-minute drive over to the castle. Only Bob and Taryn got out there, as there isn't a lot to see from the ground.
On our way back to Lakenheath (had some shopping to do), we went through Weeting again, and this time we found its castle (It wasn't as well marked, so we had to stop and ask). The road up to the castle left a little to be desired. Looks like it used to be a creek a while back and someone dumped a few piles of mud in it. I was afraid we wouldn't make it, but Bob confidently navigated the puddles. Just past the castle was the church (also on the Flickr, but I'm getting tired of the links and figure you are, too).
So then we had an early supper at Rugby's (the coffee shop seen earlier on Flickr) and on to the grocery store. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but I forgot my list so we had to go up every isle to check, and we decided to just get fruit and veg there and see how much it was compared to the box scheme. I even bought a pint of strawberries for $3 and it came out cheaper than ordering a box. But it's not organic, and half-local at best. There is a new organic section in the commissary, and I picked up a bag of sweet potatoes there, marked $5 something. But when I got to the checkout the lady informed me that it was $5something per POUND, not per BAG. It would have been over $20!! I said, "No, thank you." Whoever is doing the buying for the store is getting ripped off; organic is a little more expensive, but not that much.
Sunday
We decided to try this church. We were worried about it, because they only have 6 adult members, and no one under 50, much less under 10. So Bob called first, and they said they'd love to have us. It took longer to get there than we thought, so we were late, but they stopped and brought us songbooks and did the "children's talk" there in the middle of service. Afterwards we were invited back for tea, and the children tried some but didn't like it. We visited for a few minutes and tried to explain that Bob was stationed at Lakenheath, but we live in Cheveley. ANyway, they were nice, and excited to see us, but it is a little far, and a little dry. We'll probably keep looking.
After we found our way back home we decided to go eat at the Little Chef (remember those, Dad?) in Mildenhall. A bit of a drive, but we felt comfortable going there. The pubs all have Sunday lunch, but it's expensive and a roast, which Bob doesn't care for anyway. Then back home to chill for the evening. Except Bob built a fire so it wasn't chilly.
Cleaning my teeth before bed last night, I realized that I've lost a filling. So this morning I called the dentist and will go in this afternoon. I'm gonna have to drive. Maybe I should pray and fast for lunch today. ha. But I am a little nervous.
So now we are caught up again.
Saturday was pretty, but cold. Cold, schmold; we are in England! Let's see something.
Bob found 20 sites within the area and was plotting a circuit when I suggested we pick ONE thing to see. Oh, well, then let's go to Castle Acre Priory and Castle. The town of Castle Acre was a medieval planned community with a castle, village, and priory (like a monastery). The ruins are operated by English Heritage; when Bob went in to pay he realized that a year's membership would pay for itself in just 3 visits (to any of their hundreds of sites), so he bought in. A little pricey in one whack, but I'm sure it will be worth it.
Castle Acre is a pretty little town, in sheep fields amongst gentle hills and woods. After a couple of well-marked turns down one-lane two-way streets, we arrived at the priory. Bob went in to pay and I loaded babies into the stroller and pulled boys off the walls of the visitor's center and told the girls they could wait to visit the toilet until Daddy came out. He got done, we walked up to the toilets and back down toward the ruins. Taryn asked, "Do they know it won't fall down?" Well, no, there is no safety guarantee. This place was built in 11something, and torn down in 1530something when good ol' Henry 8 changed religions (er, wives). You know that colorful gentleman could be Bob's great-great-great...-great-uncle?
There were big old trees that the children promptly climbed. Then onto the ruins. The stroller was hard to push through the lush grass, but it was worth it. The place was pretty big and fancy at one point. Huge windows, towering pillars, etc. The alter is still there and I paused for a moment to feel the years of daily prayers offered there. We ran and climbed and explored 'til our noses ran and fingers got still from the cold. Then back to the car to warm up on the two-minute drive over to the castle. Only Bob and Taryn got out there, as there isn't a lot to see from the ground.
On our way back to Lakenheath (had some shopping to do), we went through Weeting again, and this time we found its castle (It wasn't as well marked, so we had to stop and ask). The road up to the castle left a little to be desired. Looks like it used to be a creek a while back and someone dumped a few piles of mud in it. I was afraid we wouldn't make it, but Bob confidently navigated the puddles. Just past the castle was the church (also on the Flickr, but I'm getting tired of the links and figure you are, too).
So then we had an early supper at Rugby's (the coffee shop seen earlier on Flickr) and on to the grocery store. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but I forgot my list so we had to go up every isle to check, and we decided to just get fruit and veg there and see how much it was compared to the box scheme. I even bought a pint of strawberries for $3 and it came out cheaper than ordering a box. But it's not organic, and half-local at best. There is a new organic section in the commissary, and I picked up a bag of sweet potatoes there, marked $5 something. But when I got to the checkout the lady informed me that it was $5something per POUND, not per BAG. It would have been over $20!! I said, "No, thank you." Whoever is doing the buying for the store is getting ripped off; organic is a little more expensive, but not that much.
Sunday
We decided to try this church. We were worried about it, because they only have 6 adult members, and no one under 50, much less under 10. So Bob called first, and they said they'd love to have us. It took longer to get there than we thought, so we were late, but they stopped and brought us songbooks and did the "children's talk" there in the middle of service. Afterwards we were invited back for tea, and the children tried some but didn't like it. We visited for a few minutes and tried to explain that Bob was stationed at Lakenheath, but we live in Cheveley. ANyway, they were nice, and excited to see us, but it is a little far, and a little dry. We'll probably keep looking.
After we found our way back home we decided to go eat at the Little Chef (remember those, Dad?) in Mildenhall. A bit of a drive, but we felt comfortable going there. The pubs all have Sunday lunch, but it's expensive and a roast, which Bob doesn't care for anyway. Then back home to chill for the evening. Except Bob built a fire so it wasn't chilly.
Cleaning my teeth before bed last night, I realized that I've lost a filling. So this morning I called the dentist and will go in this afternoon. I'm gonna have to drive. Maybe I should pray and fast for lunch today. ha. But I am a little nervous.
So now we are caught up again.
Friday, 1 February 2008
Ella's accomplishments
Just thought I'd make a list.
Ella can sign or say:
Mama
Daddy
Riah
doggy
up
more
finished
eat
drink
c'm'on
please
no
yes
fish
banana
ow
eww
thank you
you're welcome
Jesus
rain
eye
ear
hat
hot
cold
juice
bye
hello
potty
yucky
stinky
book
baby
airplane
These are things she says on her own, knowing what it means. She will repeat many sounds if prompted. There are probably more, but that's all I can think of now.
She is 17 months old.
Ella can sign or say:
Mama
Daddy
Riah
doggy
up
more
finished
eat
drink
c'm'on
please
no
yes
fish
banana
ow
eww
thank you
you're welcome
Jesus
rain
eye
ear
hat
hot
cold
juice
bye
hello
potty
yucky
stinky
book
baby
airplane
These are things she says on her own, knowing what it means. She will repeat many sounds if prompted. There are probably more, but that's all I can think of now.
She is 17 months old.
explaining to do
Well Tuesday’s post was aborted abruptly, wasn’t it?
We had some trouble with our “home hub” – the wireless router supplied by BT for our internet. It started acting funny Monday, not letting us connect to our home hub, but still giving out its wi-fi signal. (Background – BT has a neat thing called FON where anyone who has the wireless router makes their signal available to other users, and anyone who subscribes can get online wherever there is a wireless connection. Basically every home with BT broadband is a hotspot.) So we were still online, but we had to log in each time. That’s how I messed up on the blog – I was typing away, but had not yet logged in to the network. So when I hit “post” it took me to the BT sign in page, and of course the blogger auto save wasn’t working because I wasn’t online!
Anyway, I got to thinking maybe there was a problem with our phone, and that’s why the internet wasn’t working, so I looked, and Bob had plugged the router into the phone line trying to figure it out earlier. So I plugged it back the regular way, and after that it didn’t work at all. Tried it a dozen ways; nothing. The power light didn’t even come on green on the router. Grrr. When Bob got home from work he called them up – got an Indian – talked for 30 minutes, tried different things, installed and reset, still nothing. So they decided the router is broken and they will send us a new one. Monday. ! So I have another 5 days without internet, which means no veg box this week unless I can find the phone number somewhere, or get online somewhere else.
Feedback question – is it better if I break things up into bite-sized posts, or just ramble on in one long post?
My days are already getting mixed up.
Tuesday I got another veg box; got the mini this time, but added a salad box, and the fruit box. The idea is so cool. I got a swede; this one is bigger than last week’s two combined. There were also carrots, potatoes, onions, parsnips, and a big head of broccoli. The salad had vine-ripened tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, avocados, baby lettuces and a bag of mixed greens. The fruit was pineapple, mango, bananas, oranges, and apples. I tell you, Florida has nothing on Spain for good oranges.
For dinner we tried a new recipe – Thai Basil Chicken. It was very good, but the house smelled of garlic for awhile.
Time to change a diaper.
Well, well. The router arrived today. It is a different design than the old one. Maybe it will last longer.
Anyway, this week I met the neighbor to the south of us. His name is Bob. (The neighbor to the north is Robert, so there are 3 Bobs in a row). He will be 77 this year. He was very chatty and told me all about his family – he has at least one son and one daughter, and was one of 5 children, himself. It was pretty cool out, and I wasn’t dressed to stay, or he would have talked all afternoon, I think.
The next day his wife was out, too. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise for all Bob’s chatting, but seemed friendly enough. Bob asked about my husband’s work schedule. And I said he was going to night shift soon, so we’d have to be quiet. They both insisted that we WERE very quiet – they never heard the children unless they were outside! Do people expect to hear from one house to the other? They said they like to come out and visit with the children. He said a lot of things, but it would get long to type it all up.
Yesterday Bob went to a Digital Camera Club meeting in a nearby village. They meet in the Methodist Church hall, but he didn’t see that at first, so had to stop in a pub to ask for the church. There were 7 others there, and they were all interested in Bob as the new guy. He thinks he’ll make it a regular thing.
I got an oil delivery this week, as our tank was low. We didn’t have any information on the tank, so had to wing it, but it seems to be working out. I didn’t realize it was kerosene, for starters. Then there is the matter of how much. Bob measured the tank in feet, then had to convert cubic feet to liters, because that’s how it comes. Plus subtract the number of inches we already had… Math IS useful sometimes! We figured it right, after all. I’m glad we got the oil price figured into our rent, it cost about $700.
Oh, the children.
One day Cedwryck came running into the kitchen (where I was) and tripped on the rug in the doorway, fell forward and hit his head hard against the fridge. Got up crying that his finger hurt.
Ella has developed a Mama sonar. Whenever I am out of her sight she starts calling (loudly) “Mama.” I will answer “Ella” and she wanders around looking for me as we call back and forth.
William really likes his big noisy family. He will smile at the mere sound of Naysha laughing, and is happiest when we are all in the same room. He is also very ticklish and laughs when I change his clothes. I have heard that the tickle reaction is a learned one, but he squirmed and laughed before I ever thought of tickling him.
So I guess that’s it for now.
We had some trouble with our “home hub” – the wireless router supplied by BT for our internet. It started acting funny Monday, not letting us connect to our home hub, but still giving out its wi-fi signal. (Background – BT has a neat thing called FON where anyone who has the wireless router makes their signal available to other users, and anyone who subscribes can get online wherever there is a wireless connection. Basically every home with BT broadband is a hotspot.) So we were still online, but we had to log in each time. That’s how I messed up on the blog – I was typing away, but had not yet logged in to the network. So when I hit “post” it took me to the BT sign in page, and of course the blogger auto save wasn’t working because I wasn’t online!
Anyway, I got to thinking maybe there was a problem with our phone, and that’s why the internet wasn’t working, so I looked, and Bob had plugged the router into the phone line trying to figure it out earlier. So I plugged it back the regular way, and after that it didn’t work at all. Tried it a dozen ways; nothing. The power light didn’t even come on green on the router. Grrr. When Bob got home from work he called them up – got an Indian – talked for 30 minutes, tried different things, installed and reset, still nothing. So they decided the router is broken and they will send us a new one. Monday. ! So I have another 5 days without internet, which means no veg box this week unless I can find the phone number somewhere, or get online somewhere else.
Feedback question – is it better if I break things up into bite-sized posts, or just ramble on in one long post?
My days are already getting mixed up.
Tuesday I got another veg box; got the mini this time, but added a salad box, and the fruit box. The idea is so cool. I got a swede; this one is bigger than last week’s two combined. There were also carrots, potatoes, onions, parsnips, and a big head of broccoli. The salad had vine-ripened tomatoes, yellow and red peppers, avocados, baby lettuces and a bag of mixed greens. The fruit was pineapple, mango, bananas, oranges, and apples. I tell you, Florida has nothing on Spain for good oranges.
For dinner we tried a new recipe – Thai Basil Chicken. It was very good, but the house smelled of garlic for awhile.
Time to change a diaper.
Well, well. The router arrived today. It is a different design than the old one. Maybe it will last longer.
Anyway, this week I met the neighbor to the south of us. His name is Bob. (The neighbor to the north is Robert, so there are 3 Bobs in a row). He will be 77 this year. He was very chatty and told me all about his family – he has at least one son and one daughter, and was one of 5 children, himself. It was pretty cool out, and I wasn’t dressed to stay, or he would have talked all afternoon, I think.
The next day his wife was out, too. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise for all Bob’s chatting, but seemed friendly enough. Bob asked about my husband’s work schedule. And I said he was going to night shift soon, so we’d have to be quiet. They both insisted that we WERE very quiet – they never heard the children unless they were outside! Do people expect to hear from one house to the other? They said they like to come out and visit with the children. He said a lot of things, but it would get long to type it all up.
Yesterday Bob went to a Digital Camera Club meeting in a nearby village. They meet in the Methodist Church hall, but he didn’t see that at first, so had to stop in a pub to ask for the church. There were 7 others there, and they were all interested in Bob as the new guy. He thinks he’ll make it a regular thing.
I got an oil delivery this week, as our tank was low. We didn’t have any information on the tank, so had to wing it, but it seems to be working out. I didn’t realize it was kerosene, for starters. Then there is the matter of how much. Bob measured the tank in feet, then had to convert cubic feet to liters, because that’s how it comes. Plus subtract the number of inches we already had… Math IS useful sometimes! We figured it right, after all. I’m glad we got the oil price figured into our rent, it cost about $700.
Oh, the children.
One day Cedwryck came running into the kitchen (where I was) and tripped on the rug in the doorway, fell forward and hit his head hard against the fridge. Got up crying that his finger hurt.
Ella has developed a Mama sonar. Whenever I am out of her sight she starts calling (loudly) “Mama.” I will answer “Ella” and she wanders around looking for me as we call back and forth.
William really likes his big noisy family. He will smile at the mere sound of Naysha laughing, and is happiest when we are all in the same room. He is also very ticklish and laughs when I change his clothes. I have heard that the tickle reaction is a learned one, but he squirmed and laughed before I ever thought of tickling him.
So I guess that’s it for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)