Week Review: January 22-28

This was a week of staying home and playdates. Curtis was in Dubai for most of the week, so we just camped out and did our daily routine. We did have the adventure with the plumber, who opened up the man holes and pulled out the sock of rice from the toilet line. I actually never saw it, I was walking down to get Janie from preschool when it made it's way out... although the temptation to go and get it out of the garbage can was definitely... present. I think Curtis said it best: "It's probably not very cozy anymore." So sad.

Curtis and Flat Stanley in front of the MI:4 building

Ahh, and the PWD! We had two cars competing this year and it was a lot of fun. Both were gray and red sharks, but with different fins and touches here and there. Curtis worked on those things for HOURS, he had a drill, and a scale, but no other tools. The boys have a good Pack here.


During Janie's playmate with Zoe I did learn about thick, delicious Italian hot chocolate from Zoe's mom. I will never be the same. Jonah and Sadie and I battled a cold for most of the week, but everyone is doing better. Then Ethan and Eli both had friends from their classes at school over Saturday morning. Saturday night we drove to Camberly and had dinner with some friends from Honeywell. People who invite us over are very brave. We are a big loud crew and usually at least one person is crying (sometimes it is me) Dinner was delicious, it was really fun to catch up with Linda and Chris and their boys.

I visited a few thrift stores and found some treasures this week. A small ironstone pitcher, a small pewter pitcher, an old map of Surrey, and an old bell to hang on our playhouse. I love secondhand stores. Heck, I was practically raised at D.I.!! I sure do miss a good D.I. (sigh) The thrift stores here are (just like everything else) very small. I can barely manuever my stroller through the Princess Alice Hospice Store in Esher. The Oxfam is a little bit better. I am going to try Kingston this week. (Excuse me while I hyperventilate thinking about parking).

We venture out to Sicily in 2 weeks. We are staying in a villa on the Northern coast, and going to the Aolien islands, Taoromina,  Palermo.  All I have to say is Gelato and Italian hot chocolate. And fire baked pizzas. Can't wait!!

Toilet water is rising higher and higher... I guess now we know how long it takes for rice to absorb cold toilet water... plumber is coming tomorrow. 

I doubt he or she has ever pulled a SOCK full of RICE out of a toilet before. Can't wait to explain that one...

Hey Everybody, it's Family Night!!

Tonight was Monday night... Family Night. It is pure joy and love. Ethan and Eli both have a big night of homework, and then there is the always pleasant dinner time routine, and then trying to get through a lesson with Sadie crying and wrestle mania going on.

Dinner:

Becky: Time for Dinner!!
Becky: Time for Dinner!!
Becky: Dinner's Ready!!
Becky: (Walk to the stairs and try again) Dinner is Ready NOW!!
A few people straggle down the stairs. Jonah and Eli are still playing the wii.

Becky: (Walk up the stairs and tell Jonah and Eli to turn off the wii and come and eat)

Eli: But I hardly got to play, and it's not fair, because Jonah got a lot more time than me, because I was doing my homework, so it's not FAIR, so you better let me play after DINNER!!! (runs downstairs)

Ethan is missing from the table. Oh well.

CJL: Janie, will you say our prayer?
Janie: Uh, no.
CJL: Please?
Janie: no.

CJL: Says the prayer.

Eli: Do I have to eat my salad? This doesn't even TASTE like salad. What IS this?

Jonah: Do I have to eat my salad? This is DISGUSTING.

Janie: Doing laps around the table

Sadie: Just happy to get any food on her little tray with all of the dishing up going on.

CJL and I try to start a conversation but it is immediately drowned out by Jonah telling a story about underpants and Eli telling about Super Diaper Baby and Janie trying to climb up to eat and falling down and getting hurt and then wailing about it.

Becky: Shoveling food in and trying to feed Sadie and pour dressing on Jonah's salad and getting Eli a breadstick and get Janie a piece of pizza.

Ethan is still missing. Take a walk to find him in the office playing a game on the iPhone. REALLY?

(As a side note, I got a bill from my iTunes account today for $10.60,  all which was Minecraft games that were purchased without my knowledge this week.)

Clear up the dishes, and get ready for Family Night. VERY IRONICALLY our Family Night starts out with:

CJL: Welcome to Family Night
Rest of us: Glad to be here!!

Eli: comes running out of the bathroom with a panicked look on his face, and announces that he just flushed a cozy rice bag DOWN THE TOILET.
Of Course we all go to the bathroom and peer into the bowl, expecting something really bad to happen.
Eli: sobbing in the hallway

Nothing happened. Flush the toilet a few times. It is a Family Night Miracle!!

CJL in a low voice as everyone is leaving the area: How the HELL did that happen?
Maybe I carry around cozy rice bags too much because it didn't seem that crazy a circumstance.

Our lesson is about Friendship, and what makes a good friend. A brilliant idea, which we did, was whenever the story said cold prickly, you poke someone, and whenever it said warm fuzzy, you give someone a hug. Cute right? Cute WRONG. I was trying to read the story and got physically mauled by all of my children. I ended up in a dog pile twice with my head on the wood floor. It was ok until we tried to end the story, and everyone was too riled up to do anything except wrestle.
CJL and I both ended up yelling and getting frustrated. Awesome. Great job parents, good example of giving out warm fuzzies!!

Treats: Smores the British way with Digestives and nutella. Lots of black marshmallows. It was all over once Sadie sneakily grabbed the nutella knife.

Here's to another great Family Night!! Luv ya Monday!!!

Week Review: January 1-8

Happy New Year!!!

Janie started at River Mole Preschool. It is so close, about a 5 minute walk from our house. The jury is still out on this preschool, it is self directed, and very different from a traditional preschool. We are going to see how next week goes.

 CJL and I ventured into London and went to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square Friday night. As we were walking in and heading for the bathrooms, we realised that we had been there before in 2003 when we traveled with Sandy and Curt to get Paul. Saw some really beautiful things, and some weird things, and some famous things. Hope we can make it back for the DaVinci exhibit.

 The Square was busy with all kids of people out taking pictures and just hanging out. CJL saw a cute mom with her 2 kids and offered to take their picture, and she agreed to take ours. She had a 10 year old son and a 8 year old daughter, and her son REALLY wanted to take our picture with my iphone (sounds familiar right). They were in London from Luxembourg, and were going to the Nutcracker. Saturday was Christmas in Russia, we found out.

 Ethan: "Dad, are you and mom going on a hot date?"
CJL: "Oh yeah"
Ethan:"Are you going to make out in a public place?"
Ethan this is for you:

 And then a huge group of roller bladders rolled by, wearing jackets that said Marshall and carrying boom boxes blasting some sweet tunes.

 Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and CJL finished putting together the playhouse that I bought from Costco last March. Jonah helped out. He also put the basketball hoop together, and cleaned out our garage. I went to Tescoe all by myself, and didn't get lost. Pat on the back Becky.

 Sunday we had some new friends over for dinner. Then Ethan and Eli took a bath together, which they haven't done for like 2 years. Sorry for the graphic pictures Jess and Lauren:/ Eli was laughing so hard. So was I!

Sadie Grace turning 1!

I love this girl at one. She is so sweet.

Sadie turning 1 put a whole new spin on Christmas Eve. We had our Shepherds Dinner then... off with the costumes and it's party time!! I made a sponge cake from an English cake mix and everybody loved it- especially Sadie!

Seriously she is going to sprint away any day now...

Our lovely little Christmas Eve girl.