New Life - New Do

I've been wanting a haircut for months.  Last Wednesday, I had a day with no commitments, so I decided to spend the day in the mall and while I was there I finally got my haircut.  It's been quite a while, and I was feeling particularly brave that day, so I decided to get it cut shorter than I every have before!  My hair comes down to my chin in the front and is shortened with layers in the back so that the hairs on the bottom in the back are only an inch-or-so long!  I've noticed that it's a pretty popular hair style hear in England...not sure if it is in America.  The funny thing is that not many people have curly hair here in Derby, so though it's a common haircut, my hair is still different.  Cutting so much off  really made my hair curlier too!

So far I love it, it's fun to reinvent my look after so long!

Our first Football Game

I'm sure you all realize that Soccer is called Football here.  Though if we Americans refer to the sport as football, people usually thing we are talking about American Football.  So we usually just call it Soccer, and then people know what we mean.  We went to our first professional football game on Saturday, to watch Derby vs. Millwall.  Since we live in Derby, we've decided to be Derby fans of course.  The Derby County Football Club has a really beautiful stadium with the partial roof suspended from the outside, so that there are no bad seats in the stadium.

We were seated in a family-friendly section...away from the die-hard fans that are really loud and constantly chanting.  There is quite a bit of banter that occurs at these games between the home and away fans...a lot of it using not-so-good words for kids.  Thankfully, we were on the complete opposite corner of the field from all of that.  The video clip below wasn't a particularly exciting part of the game, but you can hear the chanting in the background and get a sense for what it was like.

At half time, Derby was winning 2-0, and they scored a third goal in the second half.  Derby played great defense, therefore allowing them to dominate throughout the game.  Alexa and Mia didn't seem to really pay attention to the game too much, but Alexa did really enjoy screaming when Derby scored.  The whole game was over in less than 2 hours, so it was a great family outing.

New(er) Car for Daddy

After 1 month of driving his 500 Pound, 1998 Ford Escort, Sean decided to upgrade his vehicle....to something "safer" and "more fun to drive."  He was so excited to find this 2007 BMW 320D "estate" car (AKA station wagon).  It's a bright cherry red, which Mia and Alexa really love.  Alexa always said that she wanted our car in England to be red!  It's also a Diesel fueled car.  Many cars in the UK are Diesels since the gas prices are so high (it's around $8.50 per gallon right now). 

Happy driving Sean!

Crisps

OK, let's get the lingo straight.  Fries in America are called Chips in England, so Chips in America are called Crisps in England....got it?  Can I just say it's hard for me to say the word crisps...oh well.  The interesting thing here is that you can't buy a big bag of crisps here to open up and pour into a bowl for a party.  A big bag of Crisps will have 12 little single serving size bags in it.  This is such a great way to help us regulate our consumption of really yummy but "bad for you" snack, though it's probably worse for the environment.  The only exception to this that I've found so far is Doritos and Pringles.  Doritos come in a medium size bag with just Doritos in it, no little bags. And Pringles come in tubes just like at home.

Let's talk about brands...does the brand logo on the Crisps on the left look familiar to you?  They're called Walkers, but the logo looks identical to Lays.  I've noticed that with several brands here...same logo, different name.  Walkers was a British Potato Crisp Company that arose during World War II, but it's now owned by Frito Lay.  The crisps are the same style as Lays, but the flavorings are very different.  It seems that almost every flavor of potato crisp has a vinegary taste to it.  The bag on the left side of the picture came with 4 kinds of crisps in it: Ready Salted, Cheese & Onion (which isn't really that cheesy), Salt & Vinegar, and Prawn Cocktail (also very vinegary). 

The bag in the middle of the picture, also a Walker product, contains 6 bags of "Sun Bites".  These are exactly like American "Sun Chips" with the exception of the seasoning.  I don't think that these ones have much of a vinegar taste, but they do come in a few different flavors.

Doritos are flavored differently as well.  There aren't as many varieties as in the States, and the basic Dorito appears to be the "Tangy Cheese" flavor which is a milder cheese taste than Doritos at home, less spicy.  I actually really like them, which makes it unfortunate that they're not individually portioned!

So far it looks like Pringles are exactly like American ones, same seasonings and everything...though probably less variety.

Well now you know a little about snack foods in England!

One of my new endeavors

I wanted to let you all know about a project I'm working on.  Sometime last year, God put in my head this idea of writing about Christian Contemporary Music, interpreting songs, drawing ties to scripture, etc.  It's been in the back of my mind for a while now as something I'm supposed to be doing, but back at home I didn't make it a priority.  So here I am, starting a new life in England, and I figured I should make it a priority now.  I know what you may be thinking..."Let me guess Gretchen, you're going to create another blog! Big Surprise!"  Yes, as many of you know, I just love blogging.  It's free and it's a great way to communicate and connect with other people.  Over the past few years it's been my answer to pretty much any communication issue that involves a lot of people.

So if you're a Christian and love Christian music, if you don't know anything about Christian music, or if you're not a Christian and you'd like to learn more about God in a non-threatening and enjoyable way, please check out my new blog.  If you're unfamiliar with Contemporary Christian Music, let me just assure you, this is not organ hymns...it's music just like what you would normally hear on mainstream radio, but the words are positive, encouraging, and help connect you with God.  My blog is called Prayers with Wings.  I've been writing for several weeks now and it's going very well.  I'm really enjoying researching the music and drawing conclusions that I can apply to my own life.

Check it out, and please let me know what you think.  If you have ideas for songs that you'd like to share with the world, please let me know.

http://prayerswithwings.blogspot.com/

Kedelston Hall

This Saturday we went to Kedelston Hall, which is our local historic house, only a few minutes from our house.  This house is a little bit younger than Chatsworth and not quite as big, though it is still quite a magnificent mansion.  This is the site at which many of the scenes of the movie "The Duchess" were filmed in 2007, which is actually the story of the Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Cavendish.  You may remember the Cavendish and Devonshire names from a previous post about Chatsworth House.  She led a very interesting life filled with drama apparently....you'll have to see the movie.  An interesting fact, Lady Georgiana's maiden name was Spencer, and one of her brother's descendants is Lady Diana Spencer, also known as Diana, Princess of Wales.

In real life, Georgiana didn't live at Kedleston hall, though her son, the 6th Duke of Devonshire, likely attended balls there.  This beautiful home was completed in 1765 and has been the home of the Curzon family all these years.  The family is said to have lived on the property in a different house since the 12th century. 

Seeing homes like this just takes my breath away.  The landscapes outside are amazing and then the wealth and artistic beauty of the interior are just mind-blowing.

Here's Alexa in the middle of a gorgeous marble floor in the Marble Hall...likely where many parties were held.  Below is a picture of the Marble Hall that was inspired by Roman architecture.

 Dining rooms always excite me...can you imagine eating at this table?

And here is the beautiful State Bedroom, this beautiful blue color is a common theme throughout the house. 

We enjoyed a nice afternoon at Kedelston Hall and then went outside to peruse an Antique fair that was being held on the grounds.  Since we  had the kids with us, there was a great deal that I didn't get to see.  I look forward to returning again for a more in-depth tour.

The Comforts of Home

Yesderday our second shipment came, the one that was shipped by sea.  Some 60 boxes or so were delivered and many unpacked from the boxes, though that doesn't mean that things were put away.  I spent most of my day putting kitchen items into cupboards.  One of my favorite things to see was the box with all the jams my Mom made for us. It's really nice to have all of our things with us now, though I must admit that we packed too much. I've realized this after living for 2 and a half weeks without all these things. Oh well, it was hard to know what we'd need here. 

I'm excited to have all of my craft things again.  Though it's going to be quite a job organizing them here.  The room that I'm currently planning on using for my crafting is about a quarter of the size of my old craft room at home.  Oh, I was so spoiled.  We'll see how it goes.

I know that many of you parents in Burnt Hills are starting school this week. We hope that everything goes smoothly and all the kids transition smoothly into their routines.  We'll be thinking of you!

A Car for Mummy

By the way, my name is going to change in England...I'm no longer Mom, I'm Mum. I haven't noticed it yet with the kids, but I know it's coming. On the same day that the kids started school, we got our new car. This car is a change of plans from the Toyota Verso that I showed you earlier in the Blog. When we went to sign up to rent the Verso, we got a bad vibe from the Toyota people. They just didn't seem to be too interested in our business. It was a subtle feeling, but since then I've had it confirmed by some other Americans.

So we started investigating Fords. And we actually ended up with a really awesome car. I must tell you that cars here do not look the same as at home. The Fords that we had to choose from have different names and different appearances from the Fords at home. And that's true of most other car companies. It's kind of weird, but I guess each company has to cater the styles and preferences of each individual culture. So we ended up with the Ford Grand C-Max Titanium, the Titanium part means it's got all the bells and whistles! Can you hear me squeeling with excitement? OK, this car has more high tech features than I can comprehend. The big feature that sold us on it is that it has sliding doors. It's the only Ford that does, none of the Toyotas did, and it's really rare in the UK to have sliding doors. Since parking spots are so tight here though, it's a very nice feature...especially with young children opening the doors.

I've been doing better with the driving.  Every day I get more comfortable both driving a standard and navigating the roads.  I'm not sure I'll ever understand the logic of some of the road signs though.   For those of you who come to visit, you'll see what I mean. 

Cross Country

The very first weekend after school started, the boys school holds a cross country race for the boys to have some fun competition, physical activity, and also for the boys and their families to get to know each other. It's a really great idea, and it was a very fun morning for Avery. It started with a long cross country race for various age groups, and then later, a series of tug-of-war battles.

I need to take a step back and explain how both the girls and boys school are structured. All you Harry Potter fans will love this. The schools go all the way up through high school age and are divided into houses, 4 houses in each school. Mia is in St. Patrick's House and Avery is in Atkinson house. And just like in Harry Potter, the houses compete for points through the school's activities. So for Avery, this competition was his first opportunity for him to earn points for his house.

Avery is still battling a pretty bad cough, so we weren't sure how well he would do in the run, even though in general he's a pretty good runner.  We were happy that he placed 15th among the 5th and 6th year boys, especially since this was his first time and he's the youngest of the group.

Then came the Tug of War.  Unfortunately, his team wasn't so successful in the rounds that he participated in, but he had a lot of fun trying.  I think I recall the results being that Atkinson house won the Cross Country race for the Senior Boys, and came in 2nd for the Junior boys.  I think they placed 3rd and 4th in the Tug of War.  Overall, it was a fun morning and great to see the entire student body in one location.  I guess there is a lot of comradery even between the Senior boys and the Junior boys.  They all meet in an assembly each morning together, and since the school is fairly small, the boys get to know a lot of each others names.  Avery was excited that the Head Boy of Atkinson house spoke at the Assembly on Monday and told the whole school that his house was going to win the House Cup. 

I couldn't leave you without a picture of Avery's loyal fans at the field day. The girls had fun at the event too, because there were lots of sisters of the boys at the event as well, most of whom go to their school. 

First Day of School

Yesterday was a very busy first day of school.  The girls are going to Derby High School and Avery is going to Derby Grammar School (an all boy school).  Don't they look so smart in their uniforms?  Just adorable. 

We were a little worried that Avery wasn't going to make it  to school.  He's been battling some kind of illness with a cough and extreme tiredness for the last few days, and on top of that - a lot of nerves.  But he woke up after a long night of sleep feeling alright, though his nerves were evident.  We were very positive with him to get him excited to go to school and he did go.  I knew that first day would be the hardest but we had to get it behind us. 

All the kids made it through the day wonderfully.  It's a long day for them.  I drop them off around 8am and pick them up between 3:30 and 4.  So there's more time in school, but no time on a bus.  It looks like Alexa will be in Year 1 (which is the Kindergarten equivalent), Mia will be in Year 3 (which is the 2nd grade equivalent) and Avery will be in Year 5 (which is the 4th grade equivalent).  Avery really should be in Year 4 based on his age, but unfortunately his school doesn't have room for him in that grade.  There are only 8 boys right now in Year 5 and there are some openings for him to take Math with the Year 4 boys, so we're hoping that it will work out for him.  The biggest challenge will be his reading and writing level, but we're praying that with some extra work at home, he will be able to catch up. 

In general, all of the children will need some extra work at home.  In England, most of the students start school a year earlier, so even though the girls are placed with the right age group, they will also be behind on the reading and writing.  They should all fit in just fine with their Math skills though.  I'm just hoping that the children respond well to this and it improves them academically for when they return to the states.  I'm already encouraged that Avery brought home 3 books from the school library today and actually was excited to start reading them, I haven't seen him that excited about reading in a while. 

I got home yesterday and got a phone call from the school...they were excited to tell me that one of his classmates wanted to invite him to a birthday party, which is today after school.  I think this will be a big deal for Avery, for him to really get to know the boys in his class...I know it's going to make the adjustment a lot easier for him.  In addition, Avery's school has a sort of field day Saturday morning.  I guess this is a great opportunity for the boys and parents to get to know each other. 

Remember how I said how nice it was that I didn't have to worry about school supplies, just uniforms? WRONG!  We just got the list of school supplies for Avery yesterday, and I failed to find Mia's school supply list in the handbook.  I'm still not sure if Alexa needs any supplies.  I guess it wasn't a big deal that they didn't have their supplies...most kids didn't have everything they were supposed to, so I shouldn't feel too bad.  Oh well, so after a long day at school, we made the day even longer by going to the store last night to get all their supplies. 

Oh, and Avery keeps reminding me that he needs a mouth guard by next week..."Mom, don't forget the mouth guard, Mom, don't forget the mouth guard"......they start playing Rugby on Wednesday :-)